//------------------------------//
// In which Celestia tries on a new bikini 
// Story: Beach Bod 
// by gimmick68 
//------------------------------//

Celestia paced at the foot of her bed, repeatedly glancing at the bikini laying there.  She nibbled a bit on her fingernails.  Her silken summer dress fluttered and flowed happily as she moved.  Normally, it would have been seductive, the way the short dress billowed, daring to expose her royal behind.  However, there was only one other pony in the room and she did not have much interest in summer dresses, no matter how much they flittered about.
“It’s just a bikini, Lesti,” stated Luna, lounging in a papasan chair by the window, reading through the fifth volume of the Void Light Astronomicon.  
“Easy for you to say,” Celestia huffed.  “You’re not wearing one.”
“I chose not to wear a bikini.  You could easily do the same.”
“That’s not the point!”
“It kind of is,” she muttered, not looking up from the book.
“No, it isn’t.  I want to go to the beach.  It’s a beautiful day.  I want to interact with my subjects.  And I want to swim, ergo I need a swimsuit.  But this? This is a bit much.  Or too little.”
“Then wear a one piece like me.”
“You know I don’t wear those.  I enjoy my body too much to cover it so.”
“No, no, don’t be so humble,” Luna droned.
Celestia ignored the sarcasm and continued to consider the swimwear on the bed.  It was a string bikini, with triangles of fabric that emphasized the tri – as in try to cover the naughty bits but have difficulty accomplishing that goal.  The fabric – what little there was – was horizontally striped sky blue and pink.  The strings were light blue.  The colors would undoubtedly look great on her but they would look better if there was more of them to see.  She sighed.
“You won’t know until you put it on,” offered Luna, still reading.
“Fair point.”  With a huff and a nod Celestia picked up the garment and stepped behind a curtain.  After a few minutes and some sounds of struggle and frustration, she stepped out, walking back to Luna.  “So?”
Luna looked up unenthusiastically and her eyes widened.  “Oh…my…Self.”  She dropped the book.
“Is it too revealing?”
“Holy yes!  I can’t believe you even put it on!”
“You said to put it on!”
“Yes, but I would have stopped halfway through when I realized how small it is!  I have some modesty and shame!”
“I don’t think it’s that bad.”
“Not that bad?!  What’s the point of it?  It barely covers anything!”
“It covers enough,” Celestia countered.  She adjusted the top, which hid her nipples behind the small triangles of fabric that would easily fail in their mission should they move an half an inch in any direction.  The bottom was much the same, barely covering her marehood.  Celestia turned around, pulling her tail to the side to show her butt to Luna, who turned away quickly in embarrassment. The fabric in back left little to the imagination, exposing almost all of her royal backside.
“Please, sister, put something more on,” Luna begged, putting a hand up to shield her eyes.
“Just give me an analysis of it.”
Still looking away, she spoke.  “Your breasts are ready to spill out at a moment’s notice.  Your…” – she gestured to between Celestia’s legs – “intimacy is ready to do the same!  Should you move too quickly in any direction…may the children be spared.” Luna could not hide her blush.
“I think you’re overreacting.  It’s…okay.”
“It’s not,” Luna stated bluntly.
“It’s sexy.  That’s something good, right?”
“It’s wanton.”
“I certainly feel free in it.”
“Of course you do.  There’s nothing there.  I’m sure those balloons of yours feel especially free.”
“Hey, just because you’re flat don’t take it out on me.”
“Flat?!  You know very well that I’m larger than average.  But then I’m sure even the tallest hill seems flat compared to a mountain.”
“I just feel so…exposed.  It may draw undesired attention.”
“Really?  Really?!”
“What?”
“The mare who has bedded thousands of ponies has so suddenly become ashamed of her body being seen by a few hundred strangers on a beach? Color me unconvinced.  And by the way, there’s a very good chance plenty of those strangers are not so strange to you and will have already seen what you are currently so poorly trying to hide.”
“It’s different.”
“Is it?”
“Yes.  I don’t expose my naked self to a few hundred strangers at the beach.  My encounters are done in private.”
“HA!  Private? Private?!  As in on the airship you christened last month, with the captain, easily discoverable by anypony who chanced to look into the dining room?”
“Your point?” Celestia pouted, folding her arms under her breasts, which did more to hold that bit of anatomy up than the bikini.
“The entire wait staff saw you!  You were totally naked!  Bent over a table, no less!  I think you may need to reassess your perception of private.”
“Be that as it may, I’m unsure of deliberately displaying myself in public like this.”
Luna shook her head and tried a different approach.  “You’ve worn bikinis before.”
“They weren’t as small as this.  And that was just around the castle grounds.  Only the guards and servants can see.”
“Yes, and they all have stories of what happens when they see, don’t they?”
Celestia shrugged.  “I keep my employees happy.”
“Clearly.”
“I don’t appreciate your tone.  I don’t like what it implies.”
“Implies?  Implies?!  It implies that you’re a promiscuous tart that can’t keep it in her pants because she simply doesn’t know how.”
“Crass,” Celestia huffed.
“How many, Celestia?”
“None of your business.”
“You were so braggadocious about it just last week. How many?”
“Ugh, fine.  7,589.”
“That’s just the stallions.  Now the mares.”
“2,548.”
“Would you like me to do the math?”
“10,137.”
“Uh-huh.  And that’s just partners.  The total number of times is another beast entirely.”
“I think that number does not bear any relevance to your thesis, dear sister,” Celestia snapped.
“It does but we’ll forego it for now.  And I do not have a thesis – I have a point.  My point, sister, is that your lascivious nature profoundly conflicts with your current hesitation to don an article of clothing (a generous term) that so poorly covers the bits of your anatomy that arguably you use most frequently.  It makes no sense!”
“I already told you, just because I have a lot of sex doesn’t mean I have no shame.  I expose my body to my partners, not the public.”
“So, why did you buy this one?” Luna inquired, gesturing to her sister’s ensemble.
“I saw that other mares are wearing this kind of thing and I thought I could, too.  If every other mare can wear it, why can’t I?”
“Every other mare?  Every other mare?  Really? You think all mares are wearing this? Only college mares with daddy issues and loose morals wear this.  And porn stars.  And mares who are just desperate for attention.  And supermodels.  Sometimes. You’re Princess Celestia.  You don’t need to wear this.  You don’t need to fit in.  No matter how hard you try you’ll always be separated from your subjects. Besides, looking like them doesn’t mean you’re one of them.  And if you’re going to try to be one of them, don’t try to be one of their lowly.” 
“A skimpy outfit does not equate to skimpy morals. Besides, what gives you the right to judge what other mares wear?”
Luna stood and removed her sarong, which was a midnight blue and quite transparent.  “See?” she asked, turning around.  “Sporty and sexy, but I don’t have to unnecessarily expose skin to get the desired effect.  It suggests modesty and yet a secret and daring side.  Should I wish to attract a sexual partner I have no need to step outside my comfort zone.”  Celestia examined her sister.  She had a point: Luna’s swimsuit was white with turquoise and midnight blue patterns that highlighted and accentuated her breasts, waist, hips, and crotch.  It did so in a way that did not suggest sluttiness, but rather quiet sensuality.  The hip was cut higher and the neckline lower, exposing a modest bit of cleavage. There was a small window just above the waist on either side.  The back dipped low, over halfway down her back, with two straps crisscrossing at her wings.  Overall, it was just as Luna said – sporty and sexy. 
“Fine, you made your point on that topic.  But the issue remains with this,” she stated, snapping a strap if the bikini.
Luna shook her head. “Fine, wear it.  Let the stallions leer over you.  Let the mares envy and hate.  To be honest, that kind of public display would certainly be a shake up for royalty.”
“It sounds to me like you are now trying to convince me to wear this, as though you approve of it.  Did you change your mind?”
“Hardly,” Luna scoffed.  “I find it slutty and abhorrent, fit only for a harlot of the lowest order and completely beneath me.  However, you…you are perfect for it.  Your promiscuous nature and narcissistic personality make it a most fitting choice. Besides, wearing it will certainly invite more sexual conquests for you, which is perpetually relevant to your interests.”
“Yes, it is relevant, thank you very much,” Celestia defended.
“Your proclivity to embrace a lewd existence never ceases to amaze,” Luna muttered.
“So, what, I’m not allowed to have sex?  I’m still a mare, after all.  I just have a healthy sexual appetite.  I still attend to my duties.”
“Healthy sexual appetite?  You’re ravenous.”
“And how many have you bedded?” Celestia snapped.  “10?  20?  I don’t think I should be taking sexual advice from somepony who has none to give.”
Luna scoffed indignantly.  “I’ll have you know I have had 74 partners.  It should not be held against me that I’m picky.  Also, when you’re stuck on the moon for a thousand years it is difficult to find somepony to lay with when there’s NOPONY there!” She took a deep breath.  “To be fair, even if I had been here, I’d probably be up to only 100 or so, a number that still seems prudish to the more debased among us.” 
“It’s not my fault you have the libido of a dried sponge.”
“Better than the libido of…of…a…uh…a…an undried sponge!”
“Nice,” Celestia smirked.
“Enough!  Sister, I do not know what it is you want from me.  You wanted my opinion.  I gave it. You refuted.  I offered a different perspective.  You refuted.  At this point I can only say that you should do what you feel is best.”  She threw up her hands in defeat, picked up her book and went back to reading.
Celestia sat on the edge of the bed and bowed her head. “You’re right, Luna.  I’m sorry.  I guess I was taking my insecurity out on you.  I need to make this decision for myself.”  She thought for a few moments.  “You know what, I’m going to wear it.  I want to wear it.  If it turns out to be the wrong decision then so be it.  I’ll remedy it as needed.”  She stood.  “Luna, let’s got to the beach.”
“Very well.  Put something over that before we leave, at least.”

------

The sun was at its apex when the sisters arrived at the beach. A few lazy cumulous clouds drifted overhead.  There was a decent crowd, as to be expected on such a beautiful day.  The six guards that accompanied them split the crowd so the sisters had an easy path.  Luna wore a sun hat and sunglasses with blue circular lenses.  She didn’t wear anything over her swimsuit aside from the sarong.  She carried an old canvas messenger bag and her mane was up in a ponytail.  Celestia sported a cap and a beach tote.  She wore an extra-large t-shirt over her bikini, with a belt around her waist for fashion.  She too had her mane in a ponytail.

The sisters scouted for a spot on the beach, which stretched for nearly half a mile in either direction, and finally found one halfway to the water and off to the side, closer to the right end than the center.  The crowd was a little thinner down that way but there were still plenty of gawkers – there would always be gawkers at royalty.  The guards created a perimeter a few yards around the sisters.  Celestia casually laid out the blanket while Luna quickly put up the umbrella.
It didn’t take Luna long set up shop and dive back into her book.  She sat on a beach chair – one of the short ones that was only a couple of inches off the ground – that she had produced from somewhere.  Celestia looked at her sister already zoned in, intently ignoring all the noise around her.  Almost all noise.  Luna had an innate ability of selective hearing.  In this instance, she was focusing on the book in front of her and the sound of the beach, sans all the other ponies.  She was hearing the waves, the breeze and the birds.  Nothing else.  Celestia decided to lay back and just rest for a bit.  And to gather courage.
About thirty minutes later she sat up.  She was nervous.  Looking around she saw a small gaggle of college mares wearing very skimpy bikinis, clearly trying to attract a herd of college stallions.  Damn, Luna was right.  But then she saw a mare in her early thirties wearing an equally skimpy bikini walking hand-in-hand with her…husband?  So maybe it wasn’t that bad.  There was really only one way to find out.  After tossing her cap aside she took a deep breath and removed the belt. She stood up and removed the t-shirt, throwing it next to Luna, who didn’t notice. 
Instantly, she felt exposed, nearly to the point of being naked.  Already ponies were turning their attention to her.  Damn.  But she had to go through with it.  She told the guards she was going for a swim and they could stay where they were.  She left the safety of the umbrella and stepped into the sun.  
So many stallions staring at her.  So many.  She liked that.  And mares. Why were there so many mares staring at her too?!  And so…lasciviously!  She enjoyed mares as well and appreciated their attention.  She felt her cheeks burn.  Something about this felt wrong.  Normally she didn’t mind the visual molestation from ponies but this just felt wrong.  She couldn’t explain it beyond that.  As she walked down to the water she tried her best to greet the ponies she met as cordially and politely as possible.  It was difficult when most ponies either had trouble maintaining eye contact or trouble breaking their gaze from her body.  
With every step her breasts jiggled and butt swished.  She quickly grew concerned that she might just pop out of the suit.  Even Celestia had to admit she no longer felt like royalty but a high-end escort.  Extremely high-end but an escort nonetheless.  She heard the familiar sound of shutters snapping.  Great.  She couldn’t wait for the “slutty princess” headlines in the tabloids.  And surely a lot of those pictures would make their way into teenagers’ bedrooms or the nightstand of a jaded or lustful spouse. Great.
She shuffled her way into the water, not really bothering to get accustomed to the coolness. When she was thigh-deep she decided to take the plunge and dove forward.  She swam a little way out under water and popped up, whipping her mane out of her face.  She was now not quite chest deep and she immediately wished she was.  A group of four teenage colts had been wrestling with each other about twenty feet away.  Now they had stopped mid-wrestle and gaped at the princess.  At first, she thought they eyeing her up like teenage colts are apt to do but then she saw they were all focused on the same spot: her chest.  She casually looked down and found that her left nipple had slipped its cover and was proudly on display for all to admire.  And admire they did.  Celestia quickly replaced the bra and locked eyes with the colts.  “Just made your year, I suppose.  Cherish the glimpse, boys.”  She dove back in and swam out farther. 
Another fifty yards or so she stopped and treaded water.  She was fairly disappointed with the current situation, given that now both nipples had slipped out.  She pushed them back in tried tying the strings a bit tighter.  There weren’t many ponies out here and her chest was below the waterline anyway so she didn’t feel as uncomfortable with it as before. And since she had a lot more room and much less audience, she decided to try some amateur aquatic gymnastics.  She dipped under and did some somersaults, upside down twirls, and a few back flips.
After twenty minutes of just fooling around she really began to feel at ease and enjoy herself. The top kept slipping out of place so after a few minutes she decided that unless some other ponies came by she’d just leave it.  She treaded water again and smiled.  But then she felt something was off.  Quite literally.  It was easy to diagnose the problem: her bikini bottom had shifted, leaving her most intimate anatomy partially exposed.  With a noise of frustration she adjusted the fabric.  Having adjusted herself, she looked around to make sure nopony was the wiser.  She was in the clear.  Then two splashes nearby startled her.  A young colt and filly, no more than 7 or 8 years old, were staring at her through their snorkeling goggles.  Celestia’s blood ran cold and her cheeks went red.
“Hey, lady,” said the colt, “why doesn’t your swimsuit fit?”
“I…uh…I think it shrank.”  She scolded herself for such an awful attempt at a lie, quickly stuffing her nipples behind the bikini.
“It doesn’t cover much,” the filly said bluntly.
“Yes, I know.”
“You have big boobs,” the colt offered.
Celestia was momentarily speechless.
“Really big,” added the filly.  “Are they fake?  Mom says boobs that big are usually fake.”
“They’re real,” Celestia mumbled.  
“Shouldn’t your swimsuit be bigger?” asked the filly, genuinely curious.
“Yeah, we could see your nipples and I can still see the outline of your cooch.”  The filly scolded her brother for using that word.
Celestia had nearly choked.  “I think I hear your mother calling.”
“Nuh-uh!” countered the filly.  “Mommy’s back at the hotel room wrestling with daddy.”
“Yeah,” agreed the colt.  “They said they were going to wrestle for a few hours.”
“Oh, jeez,” Celestia groaned.
“Mommy actually wears things that look like your swimsuit when they wrestle,” the filly said. “Especially when she wrestles with our uncles.”
Celestia’s eyes couldn’t get any wider.
“And her boss,” the colt added.  “And Mr. Windy Sky and Mr. Heavy Load from our block.  And Principal Check Mark.”
“Yeah.  And those three college stallions at the beach last summer. And –“
“Stop!” Celestia cried.  “Your mother wears things like this to have s-… to wrestle?”
“Yep,” chimed the filly.  “All the stallions love it.  And mommy says it makes it easier for the stallions to wrestle with her.”
“Ah…shit,” the princess grumbled.
“But we can’t tell dad,” the colt said.  “Mom said dad wouldn’t be happy if he knew other stallions were wrestling with her and she wants to keep dad happy because she loves him so much.”
“You poor naïve little bastards,” Celestia mumbled under her breath.  “Well, I’m going to go back to the beach, so you kids have a good day.”  She really needed to get out of there.
“Ok,” shrugged the filly before diving under.
“Hey, lady,” said the colt, “you gonna go wrestle too?”
After the shock wore off she replied, “Not in this.”  She swam away.  “And certainly not because of it,” she added in a determined voice.   
Her swim back included several more adjustments to the bikini and a lot more gawking.  Her walk out of the water could easily have been classified as mass distraction, if not public indecency.  Her mane was matted against her back and the water dripped off and beaded on her skin, giving her an ethereal sheen.  Despite the sun, the ocean breeze against her wet body sent a chill through her.  That chill manifested itself under the bra, pushing the fabric out.  On her way into the water there had been plenty of gawkers and camera flashes.  On her way out, there was barely a pony within gawking distance that did not have eyes on her and so many camera flashes it nearly looked like a disco ball had shattered in the crowd.  She fought the embarrassment and desire to hide behind her wings and walked with as much grace and poise as she could muster.
At her age she’d experienced humiliation and embarrassment plenty of times, but rarely so publicly.  The filly in her screamed to run up the beach and hide under a beach blanket or just teleport away.  The princess in her knew she couldn’t, and stubbornness and pride said no.  As regally as possible she walked back to the umbrella, where Luna was still snout-deep in her book.  Celestia toweled off and quickly put on her t-shirt.  She leaned forward a bit a rested her arms on her knees and went into thought.
It had been an absolute disaster.  For the briefest of moments she’d felt sexy wearing the bikini.  Sexy and exposed, but sexy nonetheless.  Alas, one of her more peculiar idiosyncrasies got the best of her.  Her love of sex and sexuality was negated by her embarrassment by way of excessive public leering.  The irony was not lost on her.  She wasn’t going to tell Luna but she figured she already knew.  She sighed heavily and rested her head on her arms, watching the ponies go back to their frivolity, some still sneaking peeks at her.  
After ten minutes or so of brooding and reflection, she decided to take a walk. Leaving Luna without a word, she wandered down the beach, two of the guards in tow.  Her failure weighed heavily on her mind and she knew she couldn’t enjoy the beach with her current attire.  The sun was still high so there was plenty of time to turn this day around.  She left the beach and entered the small shopping area on the beach-level boardwalk.  It wasn’t long before she found what she was looking for.
In the window display of the small clothing store was the perfect compromise for beach attire.  A magenta and lime green sports bikini made for the athletic mare.  The mannequin was somewhat less endowed than Celestia but they likely had bigger sizes inside.  She hurried in, leaving the guards at the door.  Within a minute the sales mare had located an appropriately sized top and Celestia was in the dressing room trying it on.
She eyed herself up and down in the mirror, turning to both sides, bending, twisting, puffing her chest out.  She jumped a few times, analyzing the movement up top.  Not bad.  They moved – as to be expected – but not nearly as much as in a standard bikini and far less than what she had just been wearing.  They were held in place but didn’t feel constricted.  The bottoms felt great, as well.  The waist hugged a little tightly, pushing into her skin a smidge but it wasn’t uncomfortable and she actually liked the look. She also liked how the V in front covered her enough but also remained sensual and alluring.  She turned around and looked over her shoulder, pulling her tail out of the way and inspecting her bottom in the mirror.  “Damn, that’s a fine ass,” she giggled with mirth.  The V in back covered a little over half of her butt and didn’t squeeze or diminish its shape.  It was times like this she wished she could inhabit the body of another pony and just spend days or months on end making out with that ass.  She snuck a little spank.
She turned back and faced the mirror and struck a few poses.  This.  This she liked.  Sexy but not promiscuous.  Showy but not revealing.  Supportive. This.  This she could rock.  She still wore the suit when she paid for it, pulling the tag off as she left the store. So happy was she that she left her previous bikini in the dressing room.  The store owners quickly capitalized on it, offering a genuine Celestia-worn micro bikini for a price as high as the sun itself.  She also left her t-shirt.  That was not for sale and she left it with the salesmare.  She’d come back for it at some point.  Or maybe just send somepony to retrieve it. That’s what the guards are for. It didn’t matter now.  She felt so good.  So confident.  So comfortable.  She wanted to show off her new purchase.  She needed ice cream.
It was a quick trip to the ice cream vendor just a few stores down.  She ordered a single scoop of Choco-Lime Kiss Punch and headed back to her umbrella. As she walked along the beach, ponies eyed her up and down and back up again.  And down again.  That was fine.  Their leering was less frequent and more discrete.  That was better.  They weren’t openly gawking.  That was the best.  She felt a wave of pride as she sat back down next to Luna.
 
The ice cream soothed her and as she finished she reveled in the snack and her new look.  She sat back, propped up on her elbows.  She looked down at her body.  While there was a good portion of her abdomen hidden behind the swell of her breasts, she could still see her hips and waist and loved the way the bikini complimented them. Her only problem was figuring out how exactly to position her legs.  Should she cross them, bend the knees, spread them a little, bend and spread?  It didn’t matter.  That self-consciousness was gone.  She left her legs stretched out, spreading them a few inches.  All seemed well with the world.  
For about an hour she just lay on her back, content to lose herself in her own thoughts and bask in her quick turnaround.  The sun slowly made its way across the sky and the shadow of the umbrella shifted, leaving her completely exposed to the sun’s rays.  She soaked them up gladly.  Luna shifted as well, turning herself so she stayed in the shade.  Celestia propped herself on her elbows again and looked around.
Ponies mingled about, some playing, some chatting and resting.  Then something caught her eye.  There was a group of ponies playing beach volleyball.  Not just any ponies, though.  Nope.  Wonderbolts. She watched them play for a bit and felt the urge to join them.  And not just because they were the pinnacle of athleticism and sexiness.  They were having fun and doing it in swimwear similar to her own.  The mares had sporty bikinis that were almost identical to her own in design.  She felt giddy at the sight and it made her feel even more like going over to join.  
After a while there was a short break in the game and a blue pegasus stallion looked over at her.  Soarin, she recalled, remembering her stockpile of Wonderbolts calendars.  He was wearing a pair of black speedo briefs that promoted his own assets.  He smiled at her and winked.  A wave of warmth spread though her.  Now she definitely had to go over. 
She left Luna without saying a word, not that Luna would have noticed or cared much anyway.  The guards were told to remain behind.  As she walked over she locked into Soarin’s gaze, as if it was compelling her to come to him.  Any gawking by the other beachgoers failed to register.  She told herself to be confident but not demanding or whiney like is expected of an elite.  Just be a regular pony.  And not to use her powers or strength in the game.  She had to prove Luna wrong by actually being a normal pony and by wearing a more normal bikini while doing it.  She reached the Wonderbolts and greeted Soarin, who charmingly kissed the back of her hand.  Even if the game didn’t pan out, she knew she’d found number 10,138.