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// 190. What I Want. 
// Story: Short Shorts 
// by Coranth 
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She looked... Worn out, I realized. Poor Celestia looked tired, worn out, exhausted. “Fine” she snapped, testily, “you may stay here in Equestria, human, but only after you give me what I want!”

I merely eyed her speculatively. After a moment, the solar diarch snorted loudly through her nose, then, a moment later we were gone in a blaze of sunlight, arriving in her bedchamber. Sighing, poor Celestia massaged her temples with a hoof, then unceremoniously tossed off her regalia before flopping on her bed. "Your hands, human!" she snapped, "I need them. Now!"

Carefully, I sat next to her--but Celestia was having none of this 'slow' stuff; thoughtlessly she settled her head in my lap and then, unthinking, I started to pet her. For this time, I realized, she didn't want us to be human and princess, just man and pony, and so it was. Gently taking her head in my hands, I softly massaged the princess pony's cheeks, then worked at her temples, her horn base, spending roughly ten to fifteen minutes on each. Then, I made to stroke the backs of and scratch behind her delicate ears; this sent her to bliss and she groaned gently and sighed. Thereafter, I combed my hands through her mane, running my hands through the delicate hair before using my fingers to massage the scalp beneath.

Celestia, poor Celestia, quivered and whimpered in my lap; then when I started long slow, soothing strokes down her neck, massaging her spine and gently working stressed bone and muscle back into place she burst into tears as she felt knotted muscles finally give, the pain eased away. At first I thought her crying was from actual pain - I thought I'd hurt her somehow - but then, when her magic returned my hands to her fur I realized that she was just venting, just... crying as a catharsis, a release of frustration. "Rough day?" I asked.

In answer, Celestia wrapped her head with her duvet, inhaled, and screamed before sobbing again. Gathering her up into my arms, I cuddled her gently, she resting against my chest, laying her head limply over my shoulder as I long-petted her from the base of her mane all the way to her tail base, anywhere my hands could reach. She didn't mind at all - she knew it wasn't anything sexual - and really, she was just too exhausted to care; she just wanted to be taken care of for a while. Last, I roamed my hands all over her wings, following the grain of her feathers, then spent a long while massaging the muscles beneath, as all the while Celestia babbled insensately and sobbed with relief.

Later, the big mare lay atop me - carefully, not to crush me with her weight - and nuzzled-nuzzled-nuzzled my face, blowing gently at me, soft, near silent nickers escaping her as I stroked and petted her with both my hands; then, a moment later she rested her head atop my chest and closed her eyes. ~Mmmm... yes, you'll have a job here, human - David - you'll be our Royal Petter, for my sister and I. I... I'm really sorry about all this...~ In answer. I just scratched her behind the ears again, vigorously, hearing her groan as her words once more dissolved into senseless pleasure-filled nonsense.