//------------------------------// // Pillow Talk // Story: Dawn of the First Day // by Miniscule Literary //------------------------------// Alfonz tried to sleep, but his body simply wasn't as exhausted as his mind. Despite trying his hardest to ignore the body laying against him, he couldn't bring himself to sleep. He wasn't exactly comfortable, either; with Luna so close, he could hardly turn over to re-adjust his position, without revealing he was awake anyway. Eventually, he conceded to the lesser evil, turning with some effort to lay on his back, his eyes toward the ceiling. It felt quite nice, not having to brace himself quite so much to prevent himself from falling off the bed. The movement, of course, alerted the alicorn next to him of his waking state; her eyes darted up from her tome as she turned to regard him. "Can't sleep," Alfonz explained, breaking the silence. "Perhaps you weren't as tired as you thought," she replied simply, gently closing her book. The man swallowed nervously. "Maybe we can do something about that..." "Like a midnight jog? Sounds lovely!" he suggested, trying to redirect the conversation as smoothly as he could. Luna, however, was having none of it; the alicorn only stared at him with a sly look about her. Alfonz tried shifting a bit farther away, but had little room left. "I was thinking something a little more personal..." Luna responded. He felt the mare's flank press hard against his side. "...And more fun..." "Oh, ah, eh, there might be a little problem with that," Alfonz replied nervously. "I forgot to tell you; us humans have a courtship ritual before...mating." "Really?" Luna gasped, quickly shifting so her head was where her flank used to be. The man didn't know if this was better or worse. She seemed excited, regardless. "What does it involve?" "A lot of things," he explained, thinking hard. "But the problem is: it takes around six or seven years before it is proper for humans to mate, when the ritual is complete." Luna frowned. She looked a bit heartbroken, a bit confused. "I'm sorry, I should've mentioned it before now." "Can't you...bypass the ritual? Just this once?" she pleaded, practically crawling into his lap. Alfonz recoiled somewhat, shaking his head. "Its a cultural thing, you know? Something that's been around for ages; it's not so easily forgotten." Luna continued to stare into his eyes, inches from his face, with a look of desperate pleading. He almost felt bad for her. Almost. "T-that doesn't sound right!" she said suddenly, turning her head away from him. He breathed out in relief, but tensed when he realized what she said. How would she know? "I've seen your dreams...I know you can mate without any ritual!" "Wait what?" Alfonz replied, almost yelling. What the hell was she talking about? He hadn't any dreams of that sort for years, even before coming to Equestria! He surely would've realized if he had one now, after what he experienced. "I know it to be true," she assured herself, growing much calmer rather abruptly. "You are a Royal Consort now, Alfonz! You must forget these traditions, and embrace the Equestrian way!" "This isn't the Equestrian way!" he barked back, growing frustrated. Luna seemed confused. "Why wouldn't it be?" "...Nevermind," Alfonz replied, not wanting to get into any strange details. She likely wouldn't believe him even if he did explain. "The answer is no, regardless." Luna was not about to concede, however. The alicorn pulled the rest of her body onto his, her hooves on either side of him. He tried his best to pull himself onto the pillows, but soon thunked loudly against the headboard. There was no where left to go; he silently contemplated introducing Luna to the bookshelf. "You have a duty now, Alfonz," she purred, rubbing her head against his chest, while the man pulled his head away from her own as much as he could. "Relax! It will be fun, if you let it..." "Fun?!" Alfonz snapped back, surprising the princess with his anger. "Is it fun to feel like a wounded animal in shark infested waters, every hour of every day?!" he continued with rising fury, causing Luna to back off a bit. "I haven't had a moment of peace since I arrived in this forsaken hellhole!" "Alfonz-" "No!" he snarled, pushing the alicorn back onto the bed. "The answer is no, god damn it!" Luna stared at him, frowning, her eyes wide. The man was fuming, breathing heavily as every fiber of his being compelled him to go on a rampage. What remained of his sanity kept him from hurting the princess or anyone else; this was not because of what she might do to him in return, but because he could not bring himself to hurt a bunch of pastel ponies. Eventually, his anger was suppressed, and the man fell back onto the pillows in a daze. He had used what remained of his own resistance to keep himself in check, in more ways than one. But now, he just didn't care. He didn't want to move, he didn't want to talk, he didn't want to live. He was just too tired of fighting, of worrying, of sticking up for his beliefs. He wanted it to end. "...Is it really that bad?" Luna asked tentatively after several minutes of silence. Alfonz did not stir. "I...I didn't know..." "No one seems to give a shit," he replied, his voice surprisingly neutral. "No matter how much they hear 'no', they just keep pressing. Or they get violent." "I'm sorry, Alfonz," she muttered, staring at him with a look of pity, rather than selfish desire. Alfonz sighed. "Yeah, yeah," he growled, shifting into a more comfortable position. "Apparently you can't help it. You lot are like a bunch of fucking vultures when it comes to males." "I guess so," she replied, her frown deepening. "I really do care about you, Alfonz. I want this to work." "You don't fucking know me," Alfonz responded with some hostility. His internal inhibitions keeping himself fairly tame had been blown apart by the ordeal; he just didn't care anymore. "But I would like to!" Luna assured, moving closer to him. He only continued to stare, his eyes narrow. "This isn't you," he retorted simply. "I know it." "How?" she replied with a laugh. "Do I not know myself, or my own intentions? Alfonz, there is no sorcery at work here. These are my feelings, and my desires." Alfonz only continued to glare. In his mind, however, he began to wonder. Perhaps this was just how the Equestrians were? Surely this wasn't the Equestria he knew, but maybe this Equestria didn't have a choice. As unnatural as it seemed to him, perhaps it was natural to them. "Please..." Luna murmured, laying her head on his chest. "I did not mean to offend you." Alfonz found himself hesitating to lash out. Maybe, just maybe, Luna would listen to reason. She was determined to see him in a romantic light, but perhaps now she may not be as forceful. Or perhaps he was just naive. Either way, he wasn't in any mental condition to fight. As if in response, a knock echoed from the door. "At this hour?" Luna asked aloud, pulling her head away from him. He was thinking the same thing. With a mutual, somewhat awkward glance at each other, the two parted and quickly moved off the bed. The princess trotted over to the door, while Alfonz remained a few feet from where he was just laying. He had a bad feeling, more so than usual. "Sister?" And rightly so. "I'm so sorry, Luna!" Celestia said, noticing Alfonz not far away. "I did not mean to interrupt you..." "It's alright, sister," Luna assured, opening the door wider. "Please, come in." "Thank you," the elder sibling replied with a smile, making her way inside. Alfonz couldn't help but glare at her. "What are you doing up this late?" the Princess of the Night asked, clearly confused. "Oh, I've been finishing up some paperwork for the last hour," Celestia explained, with no apparent ill intentions. "I came by to retrieve Alfonz." "That didn't last long," thought the man himself, scowling at her. "Whatever for?" Luna asked, even more confused; perhaps even a little distraught. "For his services, dear sister," she replied, giving her counterpart a soft smile. Both Luna and Alfonz reacted in horror, but for obviously different reasons. "B-but sister, we were just having some time alone!" the younger princess insisted, as Celestia made her way toward the 'royal consort'. Alfonz took a step back. It wasn't going to be this forward, he knew it, but whatever game Celestia had planned for him would be too much. He did not have the mental fortitude to endure any more. "And for that I apologize," Celestia replied simply, stopping a few feet in front of Alfonz. "But you have all night to make up for it. I must sleep soon, little sister, so I must insist." Luna only gaped at her, floundering to find some sort of reason to stop her. Eventually, she bowed her head in defeat, earning another smile from Celestia. "Come Alfonz," she said, turning to him. Before he could even tell her off, he found himself engulfed by her magic, slowly levitating from the room with her strolling casually behind. Luna did not look up as they passed. The doors were shut forcefully behind them as they left, as the younger princess disappeared before his eyes. They went, of course, to Celestia's own quarters. Alfonz did not even try to struggle; at this point, he had gotten quite used to a unicorn's magical embrace, and knew it could not be fought physically. Closing the door behind them, Celestia emulated what she had done previously; while she herself sat comfortably on her large decorative floor pillow, Alfonz was released onto a smaller variety not far away. The two stared at each other in silence for a number of minutes; Alfonz scowled, and Celestia smiled smugly to herself. "What do you want," Alfonz growled at last, growing irritated with the inactivity. "To break you," the princess replied quite bluntly, but also quite pleasantly. "My sister may have already done so, however." "Don't be so sure," the man responded, giving her a weak but nonetheless defiant grin. "I must admit, you are quite a tough nut to crack," she began, summoning a small cup to drink from. "It has definitely livened things up around here." "At my expense," Alfonz retorted, glaring at her. "I'm sorry, Alfonz. I do not mean to torment you," Celestia insisted, lowering her cup to give him a sincere look. It gave him more pause than it should have. "But even a mare of my stature has needs. You have made this a new experience for me, with your resistance, and its something I myself cannot resist." "That doesn't excuse anything." "Perhaps not," she replied, shrugging, before taking another sip. "But all you need to do to make it stop is indulge me," she explained, setting the cup on a table a short distance away. "I am not so careless as to cause you harm in the throes of passion. It will be an experience of mutual pleasure, I assure you." Alfonz hesitated for a split second, but it was enough to cause him deep concern. What the fuck was he thinking? Would he really be willing to go against his own beliefs, and hell, even his own preferences, to free himself now? It was a matter of principal at this point. The phrase "never say die" came to mind, and he desperately tried to draw power from it. But after so much persistence, so much temptation, so much distress, and so much frustration, he found it quite difficult to do so. He just wanted it to end. "You haven't told me off," Celestia said suddenly, bringing Alfonz back to his senses. "I'm making progress, at least." "I...I can't," the man replied at last, holding his head in his hands. "I just can't!" "I admire your restraint, but enough is enough, Alfonz!" the princess insisted, rising. He found himself almost unable to move. "Perhaps a more forward tactic will move things along..."