Quiet Sunsets 5 (AiE; Celestia)

>It takes you a few moments before you retreat into the guest room and close the doors
>They make a loud 'clunk' when they do, the echo filling the chamber
>You weren't the normal kind of guest a palace caters to
>The kind who could fill a room like this up with their chests, trunks, and all sorts of personal effects
>So aside from the king sized bed, the wardrobe, a small table and the fireplace, wall to wall was filled with empty space
>Especially the fireplace, thank heavens for whoever prepared it before you arrived
>The castle got cold at night, especially in the winter months
>And while you seemed oblivious to it when you were with Celestia
>The moment she left your side, you always felt the air return to its proper temperature for the time of year
>And it never failed to give you a chill
>Rubbing your arms,  you made your way to the fireplace
>But not before changing out of your uniform
>And into the silk pajamas you found hanging neatly in the wardrobe
>You had been in a hurry the day before, and didn't really get a good look at them
>They were a dark blue, with white thread along the exposed stitching and black buttons
>Large black buttons, the size of quarters, definitely the kind that creatures without hands would use
>You also notice the embroidery on the left breast
>Your initials in gold thread
>Pretty unnecessary considering you're the only human in Equestria but you still feel a little special that they're personalized
>You begin to wonder, was it Cross Stitch who added that
>Or was it Celestia who requested it?
>Whatever the case may be and no matter how much you like the pajamas
>You couldn't bring yourself to put on the night cap though, it looked ridiculous
>Even if it looked really warm
>All changed, sitting by the fireplace, you begin to go over how the night went
>The sandwiches, cake, the walk around the castle
>The almost-kiss
>That was definitely sticking out like a sore thumb
>You're surprised at yourself more than anything
>All the hints were there, of course, but that doesn't change the simple idea that you nearly kissed a pony
>Have you been away from home this long that you're having thoughts beyond mere companionship?
>Do you find Celestia attractive?
>Setting aside her personality for a moment, you focused just on her body and nothing else
>Flowing, colorful mane, white soft fur, majestic wings, beautiful eyes, and she always felt warm to the touch
>Not to mention her rear was...nice
>No no, this is silly.
>She's a wonderful host and she was intelligent, kind, soft spoken and generally an all around amazing per...pony
>You were attracted to her mind, to her personality, her wonderful soul, that's all
>Her being a different species, abet a beautiful example, was merely details
>...right?
>The leaping flames and crackle of burning wood are your only answer
>You close your eyes and yawn, sleepiness beginning to rear its head
>You'd have to think on this tomorrow when you were a little more awake
>As you made your way to bed, you kept thinking about what would happen next time
>If the chance to kiss her presented itself, would you take it?
>She had been the one to reject you, not the other way around
>You know you wanted to
>Pony or not
>Next time try again
>She wasn't ready tonight
>It was only the second 'date' after all
>She was probably reluctant to let things go that way just yet
>Plus, she kept her real feelings buried all the time
>Maybe it was tough for her to turn that off, even when she wanted to?
>Just keep being yourself, Anon, that's all
>If you feel like it's a good time to kiss her, try to kiss her
>She'll let you know when she's ready
>You can wait till then
>Once you're in bed, under the soft silk covers and down blankets, you find yourself looking at the ceiling
>The ornate patterns, white designs carved into the stone with gold accenting the edges
>The curves in the stone remind you of her, her white fur glowing behind a golden sunset
>Especially the curves of her...
>You drift off to sleep, slightly less noble thoughts following their way into your dreams

>Not long after you fall asleep, you find yourself on a balcony
>Overlooking a city that looks like something from history class
>Roman, you guess
>Because you're dressed like a Centurion
>Scale armor,  helmet with a bright red plume, sword strapped to your belt, the whole nine yards
>It felt heavy and uncomfortable but for some reason you don't take it off
>You look to the distance, the sunset is brilliant, shades of red and orange making the sky seem ablaze
>It's far warmer than usual, more like late spring or summer weather
>You take a deep breath, savoring the view, enjoying the warm air
>"The city is safe thanks to you, my champion!"
>A voice like honey sings to you from behind
>You turn around and behold an even more stunning view
>Princess Celestia is on a soft cushion, her mane cascading down her body
>She's laying there seductively, her crown replaced by golden laurel, her hair seemingly wild and free
>In fact, all her usual regalia is gone, instead she's cloaked with a thin white layer of cloth draped over her back and covering her flank and legs
>It's blowing in sync with her mane, tumbling in waves along her body
>It's slightly translucent, and you can make out her cutie mark underneath
>Along with her powerful legs and the curve of her rear
>The cloth seems to tease your senses, showing you just enough to let your imagination run wild
>You unlatch your helmet and slide it off to get a better look
>Her wings are open and enormous, much larger than you've ever seen them
>They're rising and falling slowly, a warm breeze blowing against your face
>Feathers tumble from them and turn into specks of light that drift off into the distance
>You begin to walk closer, drawn to this beautiful goddess before you
>Every step you feel the air get warmer, sweat beginning to bead on your brow
>She smiles, an uncharacteristically flirtatious grin
>Her horn glows a radiant gold and a basket of fruit appears by her forelegs
>With a wink, you feel your helmet pulled from your arm and tossed to the ground
>And the straps of your armor being undone
>After a few more steps it slides from your chest and clatters on the floor
>You're a lot buffer in the dream, your skin glistening with sweat
>Her eyes scan up and down your body and she licks her lips, a cherry blush spreading on her cheeks
>A vine with red grapes rises from the basket and drifts toward you
>You stop walking and let her drag them against your bare chest, along your neck, and up to your mouth
>You bite one of them clear from the vine, the juices exciting every taste bud on your tongue
>She mimics you with another vine, teasing a single grape with her tongue before it vanishes between her lips
>She licks the juices away, eyes fluttering as you finally reach her, running a hand along her neck
>Her fur is softer than you've ever felt before
>And her body radiates heat like hot coals , but your hand doesn't burn when you touch her
>"When the minotaur attacked, I knew my champion would save my kingdom from ruin"
>You nod and feel your hand slide lower on her body, under the white cloth
>Her body only feels warmer and warmer the further your hand drifts from her neck
>"And I knew you would return to me, as you do every sunset"
"I would defeat every monster in this land to be with you, my Princess"
>She extends a hoof, you take it in your other hand
>She draws you nearer still, her eyes closing
>You lean forward to kiss this perfect goddess
>Just as your lips are seconds from touching
>When you can feel her hot breath in your open mouth
>And her mane cascade on your bare chest
>You hear someone clear their throat
>You blink
>Celestia is frozen in place, then she vanishes entirely
>Along with her the sun, replaced by the cold glow of the moon
>You nearly stumble onto the cushion, becoming very aware of your surroundings
>The fantasy over, you seem to have control of your actions
>And you suddenly know this is a dream
>You look behind you in a hurry, to see what the heck could have--
"Princess Luna!?"
>The Princess of the Night is staring at you, a slight smirk on her face
>The grapes from earlier floating near her head
>A few fruit snap from the vine and float to her mouth
>The juices drip down her lips and she mockingly licks them in the same manner her 'sister' did a moment ago
>"We apologize, are We intruding on something..."
>She looks you up and down, from your bare top to what was left of your ridiculous getup
>Her cheeks blush slightly but she did nothing to hide the amusement on her face
>"...private?"
>When did she get here?
>How much of this was she a witness for?
>Your dream was beyond incriminating
>From your idealized version of her sister
>To the fantasy of you being some hero of the roman empire
>And not to mention the other fantasy you were a second from consummating
>Needless to say, it took a great deal of self restraint not to shove that dream walking nutcase off the balcony
>You can't get in trouble for what you do in your dreams, right?
"What do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Princess?"
>Better off staying polite and not risk being sent to jail for dream-regicide
>Though you made zero effort not to glare at her
>Not that she seemed to notice or care
>She trots to the bench, eating grapes as she moves along
>Deliberately making this more awkward than it already was, you can only guess
>Princess Luna always rubbed you the wrong way, and while that dodo egg stunt didn't help, it wasn't why you typically avoided her when you could
>She just felt a little "off" sometimes
>This was definitely one of those times
>"Oh, We were simply performing our nightly duties, keeping the lands of Equestria safe from bad dreams, offering a helping hoof to those who may not know it"
>You'd like to show her where she can stick her helping hoof
"And you felt I needed your help ,right now?"
>She laughed
>Not the gentle, almost musical laugh Celestia had
>A straightforward cackle that left you with no illusions as to who's expense it was at
>"Good gracious, no.  It was merely a slow night, so We had time to wander dreams of a slightly different sort"
>Rub it in more, Luna
>You take a seat on the cushion, rubbing your temples
>"We must admit, Anon, while we knew you and our sister shared a certain...fondness...We never expected it to be so dramatic in your dreams as well"
>...come again?
>Did that mean Celestia was dreaming about you too?
>"However this certain fondness is what We are here to speak to thee about.  You have been keeping Our sister up at night. Normally her affairs doth not concern Us, however when she entertains you for hours on end, she leaves the morning duties to Us."
>You've got to be kidding
"You're saying you interrupted my dream with your sister because you have scheduling conflicts!?"
>"Her activities have kept Us awake past sunrise. We value our circadian rhythm, Anon and We do not wish to meddle with it!"
>You groan
>At least she wasn't screaming at you like last time, joke or not
>But she wasn't being exactly nice, either way
>So you don't feel the need to just 'yes ma'am' her to death
>Besides it's a dream
>Sure you decided violence against her is a bad idea but you doubt she'd be so ridiculous as to scold you for what you said
>Especially considering she'd have to admit to her sister she's been snooping on her fantasies with you
"Princess Celestia has been running the kingdom, alone,  for a long time. If she wants to give you more of her duties that's her business.  Or delegate to Cadence and Twilight if it's that big of a deal"
>"Princess Cadence believes you can solve any problem with baked goods while Twilight will take days because she'll research every possible outcome.  Only our sister is able to handle the day to day mundane tasks this kingdom needs to run"
"Then get one of your aides to do it.  Or you know, yell a lot till things get done.  You're good at that."
>Luna snorts and the grape vine hits you in the head
>Very mature, Princess
>"We will think on this matter further. Our sister has been cantering about the castle with a bit more vigor to her trot recently. We can only attribute that to your inclusion in her routines"
>At least you had that to feel good about
>Whatever it is you and Celestia had, it was making her happy
>And you did feel a certain bit of satisfaction knowing it messed with Luna's life
>"As much as We wish to continue our chat, We believe you are beginning to awake"
>The stars winked out rapidly and the balcony seemed to fade into nothing
>Luna floated above you, into the very moon she summoned when she revealed herself
"Wait!"
>She looked down to you, her eyes glowing white
"Can you...not tell Celestia about what you saw here?  I don't know how she would--"
>"Fear not, Anon, it is not for Us to spread the desires of one to another.  Even if that other is our older sister"
>She winks before she vanishes
>You feel the ground beneath your feet fall away, and you tumble into a black abyss
>It only lasts a second, that feeling of freefall into nothing
>Before you jerk awake in a start, nearly tossing the layers of blankets off you
>You take a long, calming breath and let yourself lay back down
>That was the most surreal dream you've ever had
>Maybe because Luna poked her muzzle into it, you could remember it clearer?
>But that's not what has you wide eyed and shocked this early in the morning
>You dreamt about Princess Celestia
>Not just any old dream either, the last time you had a dream like that it was a girl in college
>Did you...really want to do...that?  With her?
>You went to bed convincing yourself you only found her attractive because of her personality
>But your subconscious seemed to think there was a little more to it than that
>As did another part of your body which was far too 'awake; for you to chalk it up to being morning
>Speaking of morning, you didn't have sentry duty today but no need to sleep in like you did last time
>You crawl out of bed to the bathroom for a shower and shave
>By the time you get out, wearing nothing but a towel
>The bed had been made,  your discarded robe folded neatly on the table
>And a serving platter on a cart waiting for you, polished silver serving dome in the center with a pitcher of orange juice
>The smell of fresh pancakes gave away what was under it
>Eager to have breakfast, you make a beeline to the food tray
>Nearly missing the folded clothing on the bed
>They nearly matched the clothes you arrived in and fit perfectly
>In the pants pocket, you found a note
>Unfolding it, you recognize Celestia's handwriting immediately

Dearest Anon,
	I hope you slept well!  I shuffled some things around in my schedule and secured the royal library for us  in the afternoon.  Please enjoy breakfast, I think you said you liked pancakes.  If not, go down to the kitchen and help yourself to anything you like.  But not before seeing the tailor if your new clothes don't fit.  We have an exciting day ahead of us, be sure to eat heartily!
xoxo
~ Celestia

>Exciting day?
>Speaking of exciting, this was a lot shorter and to the point than her usual notes
>She must have written it in a hurry?
>Shrugging, you remove the serving dome and dig in
>They have to be the best pancakes you've ever had
>Buttery, fluffy, with a hint of cinnamon
>The syrup has just the right amount of sweetness
>And that's before you tried one of the little bowls of fruit compote that came with it
>You've said it a million times
>You could get used to palace life in a hurry
>Strange how eager Celestia was to get away from it
>Grass is always greener right?
>Finishing up, you smoothed out your clothes, much more comfortable than your uniform
>And started toward the door
>The moment you turned the knob and opened the door
>Storm Dancer, the pegasus from the other night, is at attention waiting for you
>"Princess Celestia asked me to escort you to the library, sir!"
>He salutes
>The run through the palace still fresh in your mind, you resist the urge to punt him down the hallway
>But you swallow your annoyance and salute back
"Lead the way"
>He smiles and motions down the hallway before trotting along
>You follow, wondering why you needed an escort at all
>You knew where the library was, heck when you arrived here--
>You hear a shout and a door slam
>...was that Twilight?"
>Princess Twilight was being dragged down the hall by four guard ponies
>Spike was behind the entourage, looking defeated
>"Princess Celestia declared no pony shorter than her can enter the royal library till further notice"
>Storm Dancer's explanation made the scene before you perfectly clear
>You couldn't help but laugh at how absurd that was
>That he was serious was so classic Princess Celestia
>Twilight was begging the guards to let her back in just to grab a few books
>You passed the entire scene hoping she didn't see you
>Hard for the only human in the world to stay inconspicuous
>She bolts to you and grabs your arm, swearing she's really close to finding out how you got here and just needs five more minutes in the library
>You shake her off and say it's not something you can do anything about
>She whines and before you know it the guards are dragging her away
>You give Spike a pity bro-fist as he walks by
>You feel bad for him sometimes
>"Here we are!"
>Storm Dancer steps aside to let you pass to the library, he himself not following
>You thank him and head inside
>You enter and have to take a moment to take the chamber in
>You've never seen a library like this before
>It's incredible, a wide open room that had to be three stories high
>With shelves reaching all the way to the ceiling
>Stained glass windows line the walls, with various unicorn scholars depicted on them
>And in the center of it all, Princess Celestia
>She's shed her regalia and was stretched out on a large sofa, idly flipping through a book
>Almost exactly like your dream
>The sun is streaming through a stained glass of Starswirl the Bearded, covering her white coat with all shades of blue and gold
>You swallow, sweat beginning to bead on your forehead
>Everything from last night comes back to you in vivid detail
>You can almost see the grapes snapping from the vine and coating her mouth with--
>"Anon!  You made it!"
>She smiles and waves to you, ending the serenity of the library
>Along with your rapidly degrading train of thought
>You regain your composure and wave back, walking over
>"I've made a lot of progress already!  Ones that should work on both of us"
"Both of us?"
>You ask as you approach her, sitting on a stool she levitated over for you
>"Of course, what point would a disguise be if you still looked like yourself?  If ponies saw you with another mare, it would be quite scandalous."
>She winked and turned back to the book
>You suddenly feel very warm and adjust your collar
>Sure was stuffy in here...
"So, did you discover anything worth trying?"
>You walk behind the couch and lean forward, trying to make sense of the book she was reading
>The most you recognize is a triangle or two in the diagrams
>The rest might as well have been mandarin
>"One or two spells, yes.  Care to observe my casting?"
>Right now?
>Sure why not...
>You nod and she climbs off the couch
>You suck in a breath when she does
>Your eyes unable to keep from watching her legs and her body move
>Her mane cascading along her strong yet feminine form
>To think, once you thought of her as just a big talking horse
>You wipe the sweat from your brow and sit on the couch
>She smiles back at you and her horn begins to glow
>"This should work, but I have a few others just in case"
>Her horn glows brighter, golden energy twirling around her body
>You shield your eyes as it becomes too bright to look directly into
>With a blinding flash, it's over as quickly as it began
>You take one look and bring a hand to your mouth to hold in your laughter
>Princess Celestia is still Princess Celestia
>Just shorter
>And her mane is pink and straight
>"What is it?"
>You shake your head and try to control your chuckling
"It didn't work, ma'am"
>She blinks and looks down at herself and gasps
>"Oh dear... I seem to have reverted to how I looked before..."
>She looks up and sees you snickering
>"Anon!!"
>You can't help it and you lose control
>She hits you with a book, scoffing and kicking at the ground
>You try to regain your composure but she looks so darn cute it only makes you laugh harder
>Your laughter is contagious and eventually she joins you, shaking her head the more she remembered what she looked like
>Once both of you calm down, she reverts the spell and moves on to the next one
>It was a little more complicated, she required help
>Before you knew it, you were standing on one foot, holding two small metal spheres arms length apart
"What's this...supposed to do?"
>Celestia  smirks and sticks out her tongue
>"That is to teach you not to laugh at me, no matter how cute I look"
>You roll your eyes and set the spheres and your foot back down
>Clever girl
>"Now with that issue solved, I'll try the next spell"
>You nod and sit back down
>Once again, her horn glows
>But instead of golden light surrounding her
>A sort of bubble forms and drifts to the floor
>In a much dimmer flash, Celestia is gone
>And in her place, a unicorn
>Normal height and size
>Light beige colored, light blue mane, golden eyes
>A bouquet of flowers for a cutie mark
>"Did it work?"
>You nod and hold up a mirror
>She looks and smiles, then giggles when she sees the unicorn smile back
>"My my, I'm quite the looker"
>Even her voice was different
>The songlike, soothing voice was replaced by a younger sounding, slightly higher pitched one
>You already found yourself regretting this idea if this was how it would have to go
>Sure she'll still be Celestia under there but
>If you dream was any clue, you were beginning to like her physically
>"OK, your turn!"
>Wait what?
>You stand up
"Princess, are you sure this will work on--"
>Her horn is already glowing and hitting you with magic
>Warmth spreads from your chest, down your body, all the way to the tips of your fingers and toes
>The world gets whitewashed and blurry and you feel a tingling feeling
>Like when your leg feels asleep, except everywhere
>And just when it becomes extremely uncomfortable, there is a flash of light and its over
>You blink a few times, moving your arms around, slightly worried they weren't there anymore
>Before you, Celestia, the actual Celestia, is standing there smiling
"It didn't work, and you're back to normal"
>"That means it did work!"
>It was nice to hear her voice again
>But your expression gives away you not quite understanding
>"If I'm appearing normal to you, that means it worked.  The spell is an illusion and works in such a way that it only tricks those not under it.  It's to prevent confusion when it was used for military purposes...or so I read"
"So...what do I look like?"
>"Come see!"
>She levitates the mirror from before in front of you
>Despite you standing at full height, what looks back is a grey unicorn with black hair and green eyes
>A white shield with two crossed swords for a cutie mark
>Not bad
>You reach and lift a book in the air, well above the unicorn's head
>The illusion's horn glows as if you were using magic, and the book floats above his head
"Wow..."
>Celestia walks next to you, and in the mirror she appears as the beige unicorn
>And the two ponies in the mirror smile back
"We're going to need names"
>"We'll think of something by tonight."
"Tonight?"
>"Yes.  Tonight we'll take a walk outside the palace.  To get used to being like this.  And practice being normal ponies.  I'm still slightly nervous, I haven't been a regular pony in a very long time."
"You'll do fine, Celestia.   It'll be like riding a bike"
>"I don't know how to ride a bike."
>You chuckle and put your arm around her back
>The grey unicorn mimics it and puts it over the beige one
>"We look cute together, Anon"
"We do, don't we?  Like a happy couple"
>She shifts her body closer to yours her middle against your hips
>In the mirror it looks like the two ponies are pressing together
>"I like it."
>You nod in agreement, but turn away from the mirror
>Back to the Princess, back to the real Celestia
"I'm glad I can still see the real you, though"
>She smiles and looks to you
>"I'm glad I can see you as well.  If I wanted a unicorn for a companion I'd date one of the guards."
>You and her both share a quiet chuckle
>She's awful close to you
>Those beautiful eyes, her smile, her warm breath
>Her mane falling in waves against your body
>You lean forward
>She does the same, her eyes beginning to close
>Your hand slips from her shoulder to her neck, warmth radiating beneath her soft ivory fur
>Images from your dream flash through your mind as your eyes close, your lips nearing hers
>You were the hero and she was your--
>"Where is the Princess?!"
>Son. Of. A. Bitch.
>You both jump, a guard in the doorway, waving a hoof at the two of you
>Celestia quickly turning to the door to shoo him off
>They begin to bicker, Celestia sounding like normal to you, but to him a small beige unicorn was telling him to blow off
>Meanwhile, you had only one thing on your mind
>Almost...you almost kissed her again...
>He yells something about intruders and slams the door, locking it behind him
>Celestia chuckles and walks back
>"I'll need to reverse the spell before he comes back, Anon"
"Successful test, at least."
>"The look on his face when he comes back with an entire detachment will be priceless"
"Assuming they break your order not to come into the library"
>She giggles and nods in agreement
>"They're going to be so confused!"
>With another giggle, she trots off to find the spell book
>It was nice to see her happy
>You're still a little upset, another chance to kiss the Princess stolen
>And by a guardpony this time, they were supposed to be your buddies
>At least she hadn't been the one to stop you
>Had that guard not barged in...you definitely would have kissed her
>The moment was gone though, no reason to try and force it
>Besides, there was always tonight
>You take a look in the mirror, the illusionary pony looks back
>You're going to need a name...