//------------------------------// // Snuggled up; Bundled up // Story: The Little Things // by Not Enough Coffee //------------------------------// Princess Celestia, the epitome of beauty and grace, all that’s right and all that’s faithful, was busy blowing a raspberry at a particularly lengthy paper set in front of her. Another day, another stress wrinkle in development. It was the same most days. Wake up, raise the sun, hold court, go to meetings, and greet her fellow subjects with kindness and understanding. Anything really to make her seem more approachable. It worked on most days. A sigh let itself be known throughout the room, and the being who uttered it with such dissatisfaction laid her head down atop her desk. Celestia's mind was jumping to and fro to all that transpired the day prior, and what is to become of tomorrow and the future. It wasn’t easy being a ruler of a bountiful kingdom, but the fruits of her labor were sure to be more than worth it. She grumbled, and raised her head once more, rubbing her eyes to try and stave off the feeling of exhaustion plaguing them. It had little effect, but it did help to refocus on the task at hoof. Her horn glowed a golden hue, grasping for the quill beside her, she dipped the quill in its inkwell and continued her work on the treaty due this evening. Minutes rolled by, perhaps even hours. Celestia did not know, for she was too concentrated on finishing her work to look at the clock on the wall. When all was said and done, however, she let down her quill and leaned back in her chair, her spine popping in a few places, bringing her immense satisfaction. “Oh, yeah. That’s the stuff.” A knock came from the door adjacent to her. “Who is it?” she questioned. “Just me, Sunbutt,” replied the familiar voice of Anon, local idiot, and lover of the princess of the sun. Quite the accomplishment, honestly. Celestia stretched out her wings, and puffed out her chest a bit, making herself presentable. “By all means, come on in.” A smile slowly developing on her face. Stallions love a good smile, and strong upward appearance. The door creaked open, and there stood Anon. He was dressed quite dapper, but not quite as dapper as the local ponies tended to be. It made him seem casual and laid back compared to his hoity-toity neighbors. And look at him, all dressed up. Wonder what’s lying underneath, hmm? Celestia tried to stifle a giggle, but it was to no avail. Anon cocked an eyebrow. “What’s so funny, Celly?” “Oh, nothing in particular. Come, have a seat with me. It’s been a—” she sighed “—A long day.” Anon yawned, making his way over to Celestia. “I feel you there.” Celestia used her magic to pull over a spare chair from across the room over to here. Patting a wing down on top of it as a gesture for him to take a sit, one he took with gusto. As he took a seat, he felt the warm embrace of the larger being’s wing wrap around him. Anon pushed back into it, soaking in as much warmth as possible. “You know, I miss heaters. You guys need to get onto inventing those.” “Mmm, maybe you could help us with that.” Anon laughed. “Me? Who are you kidding? I can’t even get a T.V to start working without beating it senseless.” “Well well, how about I just do this then.” Celestia’s horn lit up, a spell being cast upon the room around them. Suddenly, everything seemed to warm up. Almost to a degree that was uncomfortable. “Is that better, love?” Anon unbuttoned his shirts collar. “Oh, yeah. Loads better. Thanks.” After those words, they sat in silence. No words, not even a peep. All that mattered was that they were in each other’s company, and that they could just let loose and relax. Though, the silence had to be broken sometime. “How do you keep doing it?” Anon asked. “What do you mean? How do I keep doing what?” Celestia replied in turn. Anon sat straight up, and looked towards his marefriend. “What I mean to say is, how to you keep going after so many years working yourself to the bone?” Anon looked towards the papers on the desk, and then back to Celestia. “I just can’t seem to figure out how you handle all this stress, is all.” Celestia readjusted herself in her seat, using her magic to carry her now lukewarm tea over to her muzzle to take a sip. After setting it down, she answered Anon’s question. “I think I handle it much the same way anypony else would, having an outlet to focus on that makes me happy, and to spend time with those I care about. It hasn’t really changed over all these long years. It really hasn’t.” Anon was about to speak up, but was cut off. “However, I can’t lie about there being a sense of duty involved. If I did not do what I must, then this nation could very well fall apart.” Celestia took a deep breath, before turning away. “That is something I never want to happen. For the ponies that live here.” She then turned to Anon and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “And especially for those I care for.” Anon flushed red. “Wow.” Celestia took another sip of her tea. “So tell me, Nonny. How do you handle stress. I know things aren’t all chipper and upbeat on your end. Especially since you’re such a janefilly. That must make it hard to get along with the other colts.” Anon rubbed the back of his neck. “Not gonna lie, it kinda is. You see, back from where I’m from guys typically don’t act the way they do here. It’s…. Taking some time to adjust to, but It ain’t so bad.” “Do you like the looks you get?” Celestia gave a cheeky grin. “Pfft, sometimes, sometimes not. Depends really, but back onto before. I guess just finding something to keep me occupied, much like yourself, helps me relieve stress from daily chores. Been getting some good workouts in with some of the royal guard.” Anon grinned in thought. “Their faces when they see a guy like me keep up with mares like them is priceless.” “I bet they are.” Anon leaned back into Celestia’s wing again, and they were met with more silence. Nice, calm, soothing silence. It was something that they would find hard to put into the words. Sometimes, just the company of being with one another was enough to bring them a sense of security and bliss. Knowing that they were looking after each other. I wonder if he’d be willing to accept this offer of mine? Celestia pondered. “So,” Celestia, this time, breaking the silence. “We’ve been with each other for a little while now, and I was wondering… would you be willing to sleep in the same bed as me.” Anon quickly turned to her. “Wha-” “It’d make me quite happy to be with you tonight, even in slumber. It gets… quite lonely at night, and, well.” She coughed. “I’d think you’d enjoy it as much as I would.” A faint blush crossed her features. Anon didn’t reply for a moment, only the beet redness of his face showing his current state of mind. After a moment of consideration, which was basically of little debate, he chimed in on his marefriend’s offer. “Of course, Celly. I’d love that?” YES, YES, YES! “Then follow me, Nonny.” As Celestia got up from her seat, Anon wasted no time following suit. Like a moth drawn to a flame, he followed her earnestly, even if it might hurt him in the end. If it was for her, in his mind it was worth every bit of pain. In the end, he’d end up happy and content with himself in his current place in life. Luckily for the both of them, the hallways were quiet and barren from any pony activity. It made is less embarrassing to be caught walking side by side with such goofy grins plastered all over their faces. There was the occasional guard. However, she gave Celestia a salute, with a wink thrown in for good measure. It got a laugh out of Anon, but he didn’t mind it so much. He was never really much of an assertive person, so being in this world didn’t bother him as much as it would others. A few who could recall on the top of his head. After a moment of zig-zagging down the many halls of Canterlot Castle, they reached their destination. “Well, here we are.” Celestia used her magic to open the door, but stopped part way. “I must warn you, though. My bed is so comfy, you might not ever want to leave.” “I’m sure I can handle it.” “Then go right in. Stallions first.” She opened the large double door entrance for him, letting him see for the first time his marefriend’s living quarters. “So, what do you think?” In the back corner of the room lied the largest bed Anon ever seen, adorned with overly comfortable looking pillows and blankets. If his body could drool, it would. Off to the sides were a furnace to keep warm during the cold nights of the year, a dresser full of whatever Celestia might need to store, and on the real far side of the room was a personal restroom. “It’s honestly something, Celly.” “Something, huh? What type of something.” She lay a wing over Anon, giving him a light push to get him moving towards the bed. “A good type of something.” “Hmm, then that is good then.” As they approached the bed Celestia turned her attention to her coltfriend. “Do you have anything comfortable to wear for bed. I’m sure those clothes are nice and all, but for sleeping in? I beg to differ.” Anon turned away in slight embarrassment. “Well… you see… the thing is…” Celestia asked curiously, “Do you sleep in the nude, cause I’m basically nude myse-” Anon cut her off. “No, no, no. Not that. It’s that I usually just sleep in my boxers, you see.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t actually have any pajamas.” Celestia sympathized with him and added. “If you’re uncomfortable with this, we could always just push this off to a later date. I won’t mind too much.” Anon shook his head. “No, it’s fine. Just a bit nervous, I guess.” Celestia giggled. “No need to worry. I won’t judge you too harshly.” Anon gave a deadpan expression. “Ya ain’t helping that much, Celly.” “I kid, I kid. I’ll turn around if you’d like. You can get into bed before hoof, and you won’t have to deal with my idle eyes. Deal?” Anon took a second to consider her offer. “I think I’ll pass on that, you’d eventually see me like this anyway, so here goes nothing.” He began to unbutton the rest of his dress shirt, taking it off and moving on to the belt around his pants. With that out of the way, all the remained was his pants. Which, he paused in place, taking a deep breath, before continuing. As the only thing the remained on him was his boxers, Celestia gave a whistle. “I don’t know what you were so nervous about, Anon. You look quite alluring.” She eyed him up and down, taking in every little detail. “Quite alluring, indeed.” “Yeah… thanks.” Anon fidgeted in place. “This is the first time I’ve been this naked in front of a girl.” A blush creeped its way upon his face, making him look all the more vulnerable. “Anon, you’re just too precious.” Celestia used her magic to lift a blanket up from the bed, and crawled her way onto its nice, cozy surface. “Come on in. I think we’ve both been neglecting sleep long enough, don’t you think?” Anon made his way to the covers as well, slowly making himself at home. “Yeah.” He yawned. “You’re telling me, it has, as you said before, been a pretty long day. I’m gonna sleep like a baby.” “My little baby.” Celestia scooted closer to him, laying the blankets on top of them. “I know you’re not much into stallion like things, so I got a question for you I’m sure you’d like. Do you want to be the big or the little spoon?” “Uhhh,” Anon didn’t know how to answer that question. For all his life he imagined himself cuddled up to a cute girl, but never once did he consider the dynamics of it all. What would he even enjoy more? And better yet, what would Celestia enjoy more? Knowing the way this world was, he made up his mind, and he was interested in the experimentation of it. “I think I’d enjoy being the little spoon, honestly. You're a bit bigger than me, and I’m not sure that’s something most girls would want in my world, so yeah. I think I’d like that a lot.” Celestia reached her forehooves around the human, wrapping him in a tight, welcomed embrace. “Then come here and let me keep you safe.” Hearing those words, Anon completely sank into his lover's embrace. Once again, Celestia wrapped her wings around the man, making the comforting hold that much tighter. The feel of her fur and wings, and the aroma that radiated off of her was intoxicating to Anon. In the name of me, this is amazing! She then reached her head over towards Anon’s ears and said. “This feels so nice. It’s been many years since I’ve been so close to another. I’m glad we could spend tonight like this. I hope we continue to do so in the future.” Anon merely mumbled, “Mmhmm.” As some time past, and they fully got into the swing of being so close to one another, Anon decided to speak up once again. “I’m so glad for what we got here, Celly. I know I may do dumb stuff, like spending most of my time complaining about whatever, or generally being a pain in the rear to most ponies, but when I’m with you.” He shifted back into Celestia. “I just feel at ease, is all.” Celestia beamed, resting her head on top of is. “I don’t think you quite understand how much you set me at ease. Before you saw me earlier, today had been such a drag. You’d think being a ruler would be full of excitement, but after doing this for hundreds of years, it has become anything but. Just work, nothing more, nothing less. I take pride in it, I do it as best I can, but when I don’t have someone to anchor me like you, I tend to get self-absorbed into my own world inside my head.” She shut her eyes. “I’m so glad for what we got, Anon. Despite the hardships, I’ll try to see this through to the end. That is, if you’ll have me?” “What type of question is that? Of course I'll have you! You’re the best thing I got in this world.” Anon then shut his eyes. “I just wish moments like this could last a little longer. “Me too, Anon. Me too.” “It’s just..." He opened his eye once again, Celestia doing the same after sensing him do so, "...the world around me is so alien, and I don’t get along with many ponies. I’m just glad I have someone to rely on in a time like this, I really do. But enough of my rambling, I’m really tired, and we both deserve some rest.” “That we do, love.” She then kissed the back his head. "That we do." Anon shifted himself around, and then placed a delicate kiss upon Celestia's lips. He kept it there for a moment, letting himself fully sink into the contact, Celestia following suit. After what felt like ages, they parted ways, giving each other warm, caring smiles. They then snuggled up as close as they could, and began to fall asleep. After a moment the room fell quiet, all except the noise of a loving couple sleeping soundly, as they both had wonderful dreams together. It was a good night, and one that will be remembered for years to come, reminding them that is was the little things, like spending time with those you care for, is what truly mattered most in the world.