Celestia’s Question
The sun rose, just as it did every morning, with its soft rays filtering through the countless windows and curtains across Equestria, waking the many ponies up for the day. High inside the Canterlot castle, these rays have been shining long before those far below; down in the countless valleys, but they've yet to be disturbed, particularly the sleeping princess, whose job it was to raise the sun every day.
Then again, not much disturbed her these days. The daily life of a princess was hectic, yes, but after a while, once she's gotten used to it; the Diplomatic meetings, the royal guard training inspections, the samples of the finest catering Canterlot could afford... yes, Celestia was very much used to it, after a thousand years.
Yet, a little wrinkle had appeared in her life a few years ago; a small change in the daily routine of a princess that grew and grew until everything had completely changed.
Celestia finally found somepony to love... or, in this peculiar case, someone to love. You see, it wasn’t every day that a visitor from a far away, hidden, and mysterious country comes to Equestria, seeking a better life for themselves, and that visitor just so happened to not be a pony.
No: John was a human, through and through. Yet, there wasn't anything terribly special about him, at least compared to ponies: he wasn’t particularly muscular or terribly talented at everything, or even knowledgeable about the intricacies or royal life. No, he was a rather simple man, intelligent, yes, but overall simple. He spoke his mind in a polite manner, did not take much guff from anypony, and kept to himself most of the time in Canterlot's outskirts.
Perhaps that was why she enjoyed his company so often. There was no fluff, no arrogance, no tone of superiority in his speech for being a different species; he talked plainly and appreciated the same in return. Granted, he was technically a visitor of Equestria, and thus not expected to know of all their customs, but having stayed here for several years, he technically qualified for citizenship, and was eventually granted such status.
Eventually, their random meetings grew more and more numerous, as well as their thoughts for one another, until, one day, at a none-too-special dance, he asked her out on a date. Shocked, she told him that she'd think about it, and after a few days, and some prodding from her sister, Celestia accepted his offer.
It was almost two years later, after a seemingly endless series of dates, when they officially became a couple. It was the talk of the country for about six months, but, after that, it settled down to the point where nopony really had much to say on the matter... but it wasn't like Celestia listened to such gossip, anyway.
Now, he lay next to her, his body’s warmth acting as a soothing tonic for the physical exhaustion of the day before: negotiations had unfortunately gone sour between two opposing factions in a neighboring country, and Celestia spent the entire day travelling between the two and sorting out a lasting peace. Yet, to her, all that mattered about the situation was that the two sides would try and keep the peace, and that she could finally return to what really mattered to her: her bed, where John would rest right beside her, just as he always did.
“Mmm,” John muttered, his arms gently hugging the alicorn next to him. “Good morning, princess.”
“Good morning to you too, sleepy-head,” she replied, her wings fluttering slightly against his chest. She always felt safe in bed, and seeing as they were both the cuddling type when asleep, it only made sense for her to feel that way. “Sleep good?”
His brown eyes groggily blinked in the early morning rays. “Next to you? Always.”
She giggled softly as the pair shuffled around, propping themselves up on their pillows. “John, dear, can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” he said, failing to stifle a yawn. “What’s on your mind?” Mornings usually were quiet affairs, the two of them getting ready for the day ahead, but every now and then, the pair liked to switch things up a little. The last time had involved ordering an almost obscenely-large breakfast in bed, but John felt this morning would be different.
Besides, he could only eat so many pancakes.
Truly, the question she had was something she's asked before, but, frankly, she wanted to ask because always wanted to hear him answer it, if only to see if he’d say anything new. “John... why do you love me?”
He blinked. “This again?” He asked as a small smile crept across his face. Normally, a question like this would've sent any other partner’s brain into maximum overdrive, rendering them speechless. But John wasn't one of those partners: he knew that their love was far from dwindling, and, right now, he knew that she simply wanted to hear him express it. Besides, he actually loved telling her how much she meant to him practically every single day, in one way or another. Whether expressed through a serenade by moonlight, a candlelit dinner or just a simple little “I love you” as they went to sleep, he was ready and willing to say what she wanted to hear.
“Yes, John,” she answered. “Why do you love me?”
“Well, let’s see... there’re so many choices to pick from...” he muttered, lying against the bed’s backboard. “Well, other than the power you have, which I rarely ever think about, there’s... your personality.”
“What do you mean, you rarely think about my power?”
“That’s just a bonus to you; it doesn’t define you, it’s not really a part of who you are, and frankly, I could care less if you were a princess or not,” John said. “You’ll always be my princess, and that’s the only title I care about.” He paused. “Besides, your personality is far more worthy of my love than any lofty title.”
“What about it?” She asked.
“You’re kind, caring, compassionate,” he began as one of his hands snuck down to one of Celestia’s front hooves, gently massaging it while he spoke. “You love me as much as I love you. You’ve never given me any reason to doubt you or your intentions, and you’re always there for me whenever I'm down, regardless of what you've been going through.”
She smiled, enjoying the feeling of him rubbing her hooves. His hands have always wonderful when he massaged her, no matter where on her body. Maybe that was one of the reasons she loved him: he knew her so well, inside and out. “Anything else?”
“Well... hmm, there is that cute thing you do with your nose when you sneeze,” John said with a chuckle. “I love that. I also love the way you give that little pout when you run out of cake.”
She gave a mock gasp of shock. “I do not pout!” She exclaimed while her smirk suggested otherwise. “It is unbecoming of a princess to pout if she does not get her way.”
“Yeah, well, I love your for it all the same,” he replied. “You love my cooking, even if I don’t always get the recipe down pat. You help me whenever I need something, even on your busy days, and you actually listen and consider my advice. I’m willing to bet that there aren’t many royals in this world that would accept or even listen to what their partner has to say on something.”
“Yes, well, you do have good ideas... most of the time.”
The pair broke out into hushed chuckles at that. Celestia was so good at lightening the mood during meetings, at least whenever John was there as well.
“See? Right there, I love that: your sense of humor,” John continued. “It’s really nice to know that even on a bad day, you can say or do something to make me feel, well, special.”
“You are special,” Celestia said, giving him a small, quick kiss. “Special to me.”
“I know,” he replied, his other hand gently stroking her cheek. “I love the way you walk, I love the way you talk, I love the way you hum a little tune to yourself whenever you get out of your bubble bath every morning.”
“Not the shower?”
“I can’t hear you hum when you’re in there,” John replied. “But I can hear you sing, and I love that, too.”
“Really?”
“Of course, you have such a beautiful singing voice, it’s impossible for me not to feel happy when I hear it. Besides, that’s just you and your personality. I love you for that, but it doesn’t hurt that I love you for your looks as well.”
She raised an eyebrow. Celestia had long heard she was the object of adoration from countless ponies, and knew well enough she was good-looking by pony standards, but for a human to say that… well, it was not something most would expect. “Like what?”
“Well... there’s that cute little squeaking noise your hooves make on the linoleum floors after they get polished,” John said. “Adorable, really. Plus, whenever your mane gets all frizzled and curly, it looks so cute on you that I can’t help but giggle.”
“I didn’t think stallions giggled,” Celestia said.
“Well, I’m not a stallion, per se, so I’m not bound to that rule,” he replied. “Besides, your mane is beautiful to me, just like the rest of you. Your pure snowflake pelt, the shimmering gaze, your cushy wings...”
“I use these to fly, you know. Sometimes, anyway.”
“That doesn’t make them any less perfect for a pillow during an afternoon nap, Celestia.”
“I see,” she said. He did have a point. Then again, she liked to lay on him whenever she felt sleepy, and he would then rub the back of her ears in the most amazing manner. “Well, I must say, other than the nose-scrunch, I can’t say I haven’t heard those things before. Though it's still very nice to hear them.”
“Oh, but I saved the best for last,” John said. “The one part of you that I love, and the one that I don’t think I’ve ever told you before. I’ve been meaning to tell you before, but it just didn’t seem right to bring it up. Now, though… I can’t think of a better opportunity.”
“Oh? And what might that be?”
“Your butt.”
Celestia did not speak, blink, or possibly even breath for a good ten seconds. “My... butt?” That was new.
“Yes, your butt,” he calmly repeated. “Your derriere, your gluteus maximus, your badonkadonk. I love you, Celestia, for all those other reasons, yes, but this is another reason why I love you so much.”
“Then... why do you love my butt?” Celestia asked.
“Well, it’s... it’s perfect,” John said. “Every curve is sculpted like that of a statue, with just the right amounts of muscle here and there. It's neither flabby nor saggy, but taut, firm, and perfectly shaped. That, and that it’s nice and big.”
“Big?” Her sister’s slightly-mean nickname of “sunbutt” from their youth came to mind, but John’s voice carried no callous disregard, only honesty and love.
“Yes, big. I like big butts, Celestia, and you know that I’m a terrible liar. True, there may be many big butts out there, I cannot deny that, but I love yours, and only yours.”
“That seems a bit... odd, to be honest,” the princess said after a moment of silence. “Why would you love my butt though?”
He smirked, a smirk the princess recalled seeing several nights ago, on the eve of their anniversary. “Tell me, my princess, how often do we stay up at night?”
“Well, quite often, I should imagine,” she replied. “We’re often quite busy, and-,”
“No, no, I mean, how often are we up at night, when we should be tired, and thus asleep?”
She blinked once, twice, and then his insinuation dawned on her. “Ohh....” she said. “You love watching my butt when we... you know...”
“Yes,” he whispered, pulling her closer to him. “I love your butt, Celestia, and all of you with it, but there’s only so many ways I can show you how much I love you without being convicted of... indecent exposure.”
“I see,” she giggled, feeling that, by now, he was indeed awake: all of him. “So then... you’ve told me how much you love me... so, now... show me.” She felt breathless all of a sudden, but when he poured on the charm, and when he was like this, well... it was hard for her not to be smitten all over again.
“With pleasure, my lady,” and with that, they kissed, and, soon enough, they were joined even closer.
And they didn’t leave the bedroom for a good hour, until the rays of sunshine bathed the land in a late morning glow.