I woke up the next morning at seven-thirty. My first class was at nine. While I was feeling particularly lazy that morning, it only took a nice, hot shower to fully wake me up. After getting dressed, I was on my way out of my room, but right as I was about to open my door, somepony started knocking. Curious as to whom it could be, I opened the door, and I was surprised to see a breakfast cart waiting for me, my meal sitting on a tray. I was even more surprised at who brought it.
It was another one of Auntie Celeste’s maids, the one that Honey Pot replaced.
“Dusty Feather?” I asked in confusion. “What brings you here?”
“Honey Pot asked me to bring this to you,” she explained, and then she picked up a piece of parchment wrapped in a ribbon and handed it to me. “She also wrote you this letter.”
I took the letter with a raised eyebrow, and then I picked up the tray, as well. “Thanks, Dusty.”
“My pleasure, Sir Marcus,” she bowed as she left, cart in tow.
I shut the door, set my tray on my drawing table, undid the ribbon around the letter and read it:
Marcus,
After what happened last night, I realized how badly I mistreated you. I had no right to harass you the way I did. To be honest, I did have a feeling that you were interested in somepony else, but even then I ignored that suspicion and kept chasing after you, and I am truly sorry for that. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I’ve decided to tell Princess Celestia what I’ve been doing, and I’m willing to accept whatever punishment she gives me, even if it means losing my job. It’s the least I could do to make up for what I’ve put you through. Consider this breakfast as my way of saying goodbye, because this may very well be the last time you’ll hear from me.
Sincerely,
Honey Pot
Wait… she planned to get herself fired?
I instinctively started towards the doorway, and I rushed out into the castle halls, not sure of where I was going.
“Shit! I may have been mad at her, but I never wanted her to lose her job! Okay, where is Celeste at this time of day… Her office has to be my best bet…”
When I finally reached my aunt’s office, I cracked open the door a little to see if Honey pot was there, and sure enough, she was. She had her mane tied back, and she was dressed in a coat, as if she was going outside.
She really was prepared to leave.
Meanwhile, Celeste was sitting at her desk with a serious look on her face. She was looking down at the desk in thought, and then she let out a sigh. I stayed hidden, hoping that Celeste would have mercy on Honey and not fire her.
“Honey Pot,” she said, “while I appreciate your honesty, I can’t ignore the fact that what you’ve been doing these past few weeks was incredibly reprehensible. I have to take some disciplinary action.”
“I understand,” the maid said emotionlessly.
“I’d hate to do this, but I’m afraid I’ll have to dismiss you. Pack all your things. I expect you out in a half hour.”
“Yes, Princess,” Honey said with a bow. “Goodbye.”
At that moment, I opened the door, surprising both mares.
“Marcus!?” They gasped in shock.
“Don’t do this, Celeste!” I told my aunt.
“Marcus, were you eavesdropping?” she asked.
“Yes, but that’s not the point. I know what Honey Pot did was wrong, and I’m not saying that she has any excuse, but she doesn’t have to get fired!”
I felt a hand softly grasp my shoulder, and I turned to see Honey Pot looking up at me.
“Marcus, it’s too late. She’s already made her decision. Besides, I have to make up for what I’ve done.”
“That may be true, but you don’t have to lose your job,” I argued.
“So you’re willing to have her stay at the castle despite what she’s put you through?” Celeste asked.
“Auntie,” I said as I approached her desk. “There’s no denying that Honey Pot was in the wrong. In fact, I’m still a little mad at her, but I’m asking you to just go easy on her.”
Celeste looked down and thought about it for a moment.
“Please, Auntie?” I asked again. “For me?”
She let out a sigh and looked up at me with a serious look, but then that serious look turned into a small smile.
“Fine, but only because you’re so adamant about it.” She then looked at the mare behind me. “Looks like you got lucky, Honey Pot. You can stay.”
The mare’s eyes brightened up, and she walked up beside me and bowed gratefully. “Thank you so much, princess!”
“Don’t thank me,” Celeste chuckled. “It was thanks to Marcus that you got to keep your job.”
Honey Pot immediately turned to me and tightly wrapped her arms around me. “Thank you, Marcus! Thank you thank you thank you!!!”
“It’s fine, really.” I told her.
“Ahem,” my aunt cleared her throat, and Honey immediately let go of me. “While you do get to keep working here, I will be keeping a close eye on you. You’ll have to earn back my trust, Honey Pot. Understood?”
“Y-yes, Princess.”
“Now, go get changed into your uniform and resume your duties.”
“Right away, Princess,” Honey bowed and promptly left the office, leaving me and Celeste alone.
“So that’s what you’re like when you’re in boss mode, huh?” I commented.
“But of course,” she answered. “It may not seem so, but I try to run a tight ship around here. While I do believe in positive reinforcement, I still maintain an air of authority when the time calls for it.” She sighed and leaned back in her chair. “You know, Marcus, you’re too nice for your own good.”
“So are you.”
“I suppose that’s true. Regardless, I owe you an apology.”
I gave her a questioning look. “An apology? For what?”
“I should have taken you seriously when you told me that Honey Pot was harassing you. Until today, I thought that you were just exaggerating, as usual. I should’ve been more sensitive.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said dismissively. “Everything ended up working out for the better, anyway. Besides, you may be a princess, but I don’t expect you to be perfect. You’re still a little new at this parenting thing.”
“I know, I know,” my aunt said, rolling her eyes, and then her ears twitched. “Oh! Don’t forget to tell Rarity and Octavia about the Hearth’s Warming Eve party. I need to know if they’ll be attending so I can make the guest list.”
“Sure… Wait, how big is this party gonna be?”
“Actually, it’ll be relatively small. Just a few close friends. You’ll get to meet my niece and her husband from the Crystal Empire, and a few others, too.”
“Don’t you have a student that you said you wanted me to meet?”
“Ah, yes. Unfortunately, she’s too occupied with running the holiday festivities in Ponyville, so she won’t be able to make it until the day after Hearth’s Warming. It’s a shame. I was hoping for her to be able to attend.”
“Oh, well,” I shrugged. “I gotta go. My breakfast is getting cold. See you when I get back from school.”
“Okay, then. Bye!” Celeste said as she waved me off. I left her office and went back to my room to finish the breakfast that Honey Pot sent for me. After that, I brushed my teeth and left the castle to catch a cab to school.
By the time I got to the campus, it was near eight-thirty. As usual, my first stop was Rarity and Octavia’s room. Once I reached their door, I knocked on it and received a prompt answer.
“Coming~” Rarity sang from inside as I heard her approaching the door. When she opened it, she immediately hugged me. “Marcus! How are you, darling?”
I chuckled. “I love how you jumped at me the second you opened the door. What if I was someone else?”
“Well, I had a good feeling that it was going to be you, sweetie,” she smiled as we walked inside.
“Hello, Marcus,” Octavia said once she saw me.
“Hey, Octi. How are you?”
“Just fine, love,” she said as she got up from her chair to hug me. I always smiled when Rarity or Octavia called me by a pet name. I got a good look at the earth mare and saw that she was wearing a sleeping robe with her initials monogrammed onto it.
“No classes today?” I guessed.
“None at all,” she answered. “I plan on lazing about all day today. I figured that since it’s that last week before winter break, I might as well get an early start.”
“It’s the last week before winter break?” I asked.
“You never look at your school calendar, do you, darling?” Rarity giggled. “It’s the last week of November, and for winter break, CUFTA students get the entire month of December off, as well as a week in January.”
“I like the sound of that,” I said, and then the mention of winter break reminded me of something important.
“Since we’re talking about winter, I need to tell you two something.”
“Yes?” they asked simultaneously.
“My aunt is hosting a small party for Hearth’s Warming Eve, and she was wondering if you two wanted to come.”
“Really?” Rarity asked, her eyes getting starry. “I’d love to!”
“Don’t you have to go back to Ponyville for Hearth’s Warming, though?” Octavia asked her.
“Yes, but my train doesn’t leave until midnight on Hearth’s Warming Eve. I can still attend the party so long as I pack beforehand.”
“Will you be able to make it, ‘Tavi?” I asked. “I told Celestia about your old roommate coming to visit, and she said that you could bring her along.”
“Thanks, Marcus,” she answered. “I’d love to go!”
Just then, I heard a beeping sound, and Rarity looked at her watch. “That’s me. My next class starts at quarter to nine. I’d better get going. I’ll see you two later!”
Octavia and I said goodbye to Rarity as she left, and with her gone, it was just the two of us.
“So, do you plan on spending time with your old roomie during the break?” I asked her as I took a seat on her bed.
“Definitely. Vinyl and I have a lot of catching up to do once she gets here,” she answered. “I’m looking forward to introducing you to her.”
“Why is that?”
Octavia laid her back on her the bed. “Vinyl always thought that I had no prowess when it came to the opposite gender, so she’ll be quite surprised to see that I’ve got myself a boyfriend. Sure, we aren’t really official yet, but she doesn’t need to know that.”
I smirked and laid my back on the bed as well. “Is that all I am to you?” I asked dramatically. “Am I just some trophy you can show off to your friends just so you can make a point?”
She rolled her eyes, but she still decided to humor me. “Of course not, love,” she crooned, caressing my face with her hand. “You mean much more to me than that.”
“Prove it,” I pouted jokingly.
The mare smirked and moved herself closer to me. “You want me to prove it, do you? Okay, but only because you asked for it.”
Without any further warning, Octavia brought her lips to mine and began to passionately, yet delicately, make out with me. I happily accepted her advance and returned the kiss with as much enthusiasm as she was giving me. At first it was just our lips caressing each other in a most soft, tender manner, but then however it grew into a battle between our tongues as they snaked around each other in an aggressive mating dance. The kiss went on for almost two minutes before we had to stop for air.
“What’s gotten into you?” I asked, slightly winded. “You usually aren’t this forward. It’s not mating season, is it?”
“Very funny. We don’t have time to ourselves too often, and you only have a good twenty-five minutes before your next class, so I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity,” she explained. “Besides, you’re rather hard to resist.”
“So are you,” I told her. I gazed at Octavia’s body, taking in every inch as it laid on the bed. The way her robe was draped over her body gave me a great view of her cleavage, and the garment accentuated her figure, as well. It was also rather formfitting as I witnessed her hourglass curves gently shifting at the slightest movement; the rise and fall of Tavi’s chest gave me a feeling of comfort as I imagined the warm body that was hidden underneath that robe.
And her breasts hidden beneath the cleavage line…
They were perfectly spherical, sticking out beneath the cottony material like two proud hills. I didn’t dare to say it out loud, but I was really hoping Octavia would make a sudden move in order to get the chance to see those lovely jugs of hers bounce.
Man, if I didn’t have class soon…
The mare chuckled and put her finger under my chin, tilting my head up. “Hey, my eyes are up here.”
“Sorry,” I chuckled. “I couldn’t help it.”
“I’m flattered,” she giggled as she got even closer to me and began to nuzzle me. I wrapped one arm around her and put my free hand on her head, running my hands through her mane and occasionally scratching her ear. She sighed in content as I held her in my arms, her body close to mine. Along with the usual rhythm of her heart, I was very happy to enjoy the feeling of softness of some bodily areas combined with firmness of others.
Damn, that robe of hers was thinner than I thought.
Unfortunately, time decided to go by faster than usual, and I looked up to see that I only had five minutes to get to my class.
“Crap! I have to go, Octi!” I said as I shot out of her bed then turned around to give her a quick peck on the lips. “I’ll see you later, okay?”
I was in such a rush that I was out of the door before she could even respond.
As I ran to my class, I thought about the Hearth’s Warming Eve party.
“So Rarity and Octavia are gonna be at the party… By then I will have been stringing them along for over a month. It really isn’t fair for me to have them waiting for my decision. Besides, if I take too long, they might get upset with me, and that’s the last thing I want.”
I pondered the thought for another moment and then came to a decision.
“Okay, I’ll make my decision the night before the party. That’ll be one of my Hearth’s Warming gifts to them… although it won’t be much of a gift for the mare I don’t choose.”
I finally made it to my class with less than a minute to spare, but when I looked at the door, I saw a piece of paper posted on it.
“ATTENTION ‘HISTORY OF CARTOONING’ STUDENTS
ALL CLASSES ARE CANCELLED THIS WEEK”
My eye twitched as I read the note, and I gritted my teeth in anger.
“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?”