• Published 5th Jul 2019
  • 13,803 Views, 163 Comments

Boops are Eternal. Boop the Snoot - L-N



After his 'encounter' with Princess Celestia in the throne room, Anon's life had come to a bit of a lull. That quickly revolves itself after a misunderstanding and a timberwolf attack leads him back to Canterlot. Shenanigans ensue.

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2 - Sunrise

Approximately 6 AM
Canterlot Castle, Princess's Halls


The morning was greeted with a loud yawn and a rather disappointed sigh as Celestia made her way out of her personal chambers.

The morning might still be young, but... well, her ponies tended to wake with the rising sun, as she usually did as well. And due to having her hooves full recently, she had to wake a bit earlier than normal to attend to a few personal matters...

Her rather accurate internal clock wasn't a blessing at all in these circumstances. Not to mention it made her poor heart want to rebel when it, rather rightfully, pointed out that the earlier she was awake, the less time she could steal during the day to at least find somepony to bother.

That wasn't even mentioning the recent bouts of chaos that had ruined her plans to abuse the later sunrise in the latter half of the year. Sleeping in was a rare luxury she enjoyed very much. Even if the same fact that it would take some time away from socializing still stood.
Though that was still assuming she could find somepony to talk to properly who wasn't an opportunistic politician looking to gain something from the conversation.

The makers clearly had something against her recently. Or, at least, a bit more than they usually did.

And-uh. Considering her... binge last night, they would probably punish her for trying to burry her woes in a pile of sweets, as well... Again.

Reality was often disappointing.

Giving her head a light shake- releasing a few stray particles of water that never seemed to get out of her mane until at least two hours after she bathed- she did what she always did. Put on the very well-crafted mask of an 'unfazeable princess' and decided to bury her woes where they usually went.

Nowhere.

Celestia was, of course, painfully aware that she lacked an outlet to adequately blow off some steam. But she was also painfully aware that her schedule wasn't the best for even figuring out that sort of thing.
Nor had it been for a very long time.

...

She could think about something else. The parliament's meeting later this week, perhaps?


She was sick of talking to herself.

No, that wasn't entirely accurate. She was sick of talking to herself about this.

She could talk to herself about quite literally anything else. But she chose politics.

If one values their sanity, they never choose politics. The frustration and internal pain was never worth it.
Or if you value your friendships. Those too, probably.

At the very least, she was smart enough to choose a path through the castle that brought her near the fewest guards possible today. Mostly so she could silent-yell at herself and not worry too much about being given looks.

... Other looks. Yes, she got a lot of them, but other. Looks.

She obviously had a very positive mindset today. And wasn't frustrated with anything at all.

And how odd it would be, she imagined, if somepony saw the unfazed princess of well over a thousand years yelling silently at herself with a perfectly pleasant smile.

By the stars, she was looking forward to her destination most of all.

Partly because she could, quite literally, stop and smell the roses for a moment. Before they started to lose their lustre as the weather changed rather fitfully in the days to come.

And, just maybe, she could find a gardener to torment endlessly as a source of conversation again. Even if they did get wiser to her techniques every time, changing their shifts slightly or working in hard-to-see places... it's almost like they didn't like having their ears talked out or something, hmm?

At the very least they listened... the entire garden was brilliant this year. Having a bit of insider's knowledge about how the earth's magics react to plants does tend to give a bit of an advantage to anypony seeking to get a raise, most certainly...

And the smart ones knew how to be in the right place at the right time to have their ears assaulted just enough to recieve that raise. Others sometimes suffered enough for promotion.

Was she a princess? Yes. Did she abuse her position for personal gain? She'd consider that later.
Maybe a few decades...


Despite the chill the night still brought, and the difficulties seeing that also entailed, Celestia couldn't help but smile at the state of the castle's gardens.

It might've even been better than the last time she was here, a few days past, and it was certainly a pleasant surprise. Many times in the past... several years, she'd leave it at that- her ponies had neglected the gardens ever so slightly come the fall. But this year? Certainly not!

It was a bit hard to describe, in her own opinion, the state that it was in right now. It was... tranquil. Leaves strewn about, even some on the paths, in perhaps the most unnaturally natural way. The trees, while still mostly leaved, were slowly making it known that within the next coming months they'd badly need another clearing before the winter came. The flowers themselves were making one last defiant stand in the dark, waiting intently for the sun to rise so they could deliver their last parcels of pollen or seeds to be stored someplace safe through the winter. And not to mention that, despite a bit worse for wear with the temperature being a few degrees below what they might consider comfortable, the grass was waiting patiently to continue doing what it does best- absorb sunlight and fill the rest with green.

... Part of her wanted to investigate the state of the mazes now, too. She knew very well that the gardeners sometimes left secret little patches of greenery inside of it. A sort of gift for those curious. And considering that they were clearly going out of their way to end the greener periods of the year with a show, she was quite tempted.

But staying in the main sections... probably wasn't wise at all. Considering that she would have to raise the sun soon, she'd prefer to have a view of the horizon, rather than simply 'guessing it.'
She'd had plenty of bad experiences with ponies freaking out when she made the mistake of 'guessing it' when in bed. Or in the bath. Or while trying to steal a snack. Or...
Suffice it to say, she'd had many bad experiences.

And having an entire nation on her shoulders? Making mistakes was to be avoided at all costs.

Moving towards one of the distant decks overseeing an edge of the castle, she knew precisely where she would do it. There was a small, secluded little fountain that she never let be replaced... For the simple reason that it had a habit of reflecting the light off of her own sunrise perfectly...


As she found her way around the edge of the gardens, Celestia found herself- for once- at a lack of what to think about. While the twilight slowly settled itself in the distance, her sun patiently awaiting her command behind the horizon, she was... at a sort of peace, for once in a long time.

It was... nice.

'6:35, about,' her internal clock silently reminded her, as she continued to move along in the... blank state she found herself in.

It would be around 7 that the sun would rise proper at this time of year. Mid-to-late september, about, actually...
She and her sister knew very well about the cycles that were supposed to take place in the skies, and tried their best to follow them. Though while her sister had it easy most of the time, just waiting for the sun to set as per tradition, Celestia had the, even awkward at times, responsibility of keeping track when she should raise the sun. She did tend to round up or down, prefering intervals of 10 minutes or so, but it didn't change how... awkward it could be.

She liked september. September was a calm month for the skies. Little drift. Little to think of. Slow politics, slow days...

Now if only the rest of the universe could agree that september should be a calm month. The foals and fillies of Equestria certainly wouldn't be complaining, for one.

Neither would. Most of Ponyville, for that matter.

And there goes her empty mind. Joy.

With a sigh, she rounded a final corner on the gardens, leading to a small, secluded area by one of the towers nearest the edge of the cliffs on this side of the city.

And there it was. A small, aging fountain, and a small balcony nearby to acompany its state of slight disrepair...

Perhaps it said something that she wouldn't let her ponies fix this area up much, beyond cleaning and gardening... but it felt somewhat like an old companion to her. Another old soul, chugging along, holding on, no matter how many small cracks might find their way in, or how many times things might spill over...

Though she might be quite biased on that last part. The secluded nature of this area had... been a great companion, many, many years ago. Away from prying eyes...
Nobody can see you cry...

With a final, perhaps more pleasant sigh, she closed her eyes, and left her hooves to bring her where they may. Today would start out good, if she had anything to say about it.

Bump.

... 'Celestia, how many times, must you remind yourself... don't close your eyes when you're walking!'

Peeling her eyes open slowly, she saw quite quickly what it was.

The balcony.

That could have ended up badly.

Giggling at her own antics, she turned back towards the fountain. Maybe she should just sit down and enjoy the fresh air for a mo-

Oh. She... didn't notice that somepo-er-creature else was already here. Doing just that.

A rather familiar human.

... Who... somehow hadn't noticed her?

It was... odd. He was just. Sitting there, on the edge of the fountain. He had a mug filled with something that had long since gone cold, and... was staring into it silently.

His eyes blank, he was not even responding to the colder winds still blowing through. Even as time passed, it didn't seem to bother him.

Now, Celestia had plenty of experience dealing with ponies who were clearly not having a good day. After all, there were many that she had personally brought under her wing over the years- with all the responsibilities of having someone so close to you brought.

This, though?

Somehow this intimidated her.

And she didn't even know why.


Anonymous
Not really sure what time it is, to be frank. Don't really care.
Somewhere in the garden, think I got lost.


This year just really wasn't your year, huh?

Cowards always have excuses for a reason, you know...

So, let's put it to a simple list:

First, you continue your trend of being an antisocial dickhead, and somehow convince yourself- granted in a completely fucked mental state, to the point that you're impressed you could even walk properly- that it was somehow good.
At least that one earned you at least seven pans to the forehead. Thank you, universe. No, seriously, thank you.

Second, combined with the earlier one, you got mauled by timberwolves, all of ponyville is apparently in Canterlot right now, and the town is being swept. And you didn't really get official notice until right when you were in the middle of that shitty situation.
Pleasant. Very pleasant.

Third, you somehow managed to get this close to patching things up with Twilight, maybe sorting out the rest, deal with some shit left over from other shitty years, and you just...
You froze.
You couldn't do it!

Twilight was there. Practically squeezing the life out of you, desperately trying to find some way to connect with you again. And you fucking blew it!

You sigh. Dejection was a wonderful feeling, wasn't it?

If it weren't for the fact that your hot chocolate was probably colder than a sealed tomb, you might've taken a sip.

Y'know. Not really for the actual whole 'hot chocolate is good' thing, and more for the fact that the dark kind of mirror the liquid was creating was honestly not improving your mood at all.

You... You don't like this face you've chosen to wear. Not anymore.

Actually, while you can still... Feel it at the edge of your mind.

Four, that weird migraine that won't go away and keeps coming back is throwing you off.
Yeah, you'd had migraines since you arrived in Equestria. Twilight mentioned something about being 'magically resistant, but not immune,' and since it gets in your head whether you want it to or not, it could do some weird things. Headaches included.
But this was just... so persistent.

Maybe when you get home you can see if a doctor can help you see someone about it. Magical or not, it's overall not a positive when you're trying to fix the rest of this mess, floundering or not.

... You were even slowly getting tired of cursing in your own head.

Tonight was. A mess.

This year was a mess!

"Fuck's sake..."

You didn't want any of this building up send you over any sort of edge. But right now? It was hard not to.

The air around you suddenly started to bite into you again. It was there all along, but it was only now becoming noticeable.

Your mind was kind of busy, after all.

... Or maybe you needed an excuse to shiver, maybe let a few tears escape. Wind's a good excuse for that one.

Excuses only get you so far, though...

Time. Tirek. Cowardice. Choosing the wrong person to be...

It went well over the edge, and cascaded at some point.

Who knows? Maybe pooling at whatever bottom there is, it eroded something important. Something that made you you, when you first came here.

Or maybe you're just being self-indulgent, wallowing in your own pity, and getting some sick amusement out of it.

There was probably some truth to it all. Misery enjoys reminding you of it, after all

Anxiety. Depression. The best of friends, those two. One of them tells you to not do something, out of fear that it could go wrong. The other takes out the knife, and twists it into your heart for every little thing you've never done.

You got yourself here. Maybe you weren't supposed to get out, anyways.

After all. When's the last time you didn't fuck up, honestly?

Though you about jumped out of your skin when a voice suddenly piped up next to you, "you know, I can tell when a mind is wandering... Never really the specifics, after all, I'm not omniscient, as useful as that may be, but I would like to remind you, dear Anonymous, that the difference between being alone and lonely becomes very apparent at the worst of times..."

Of course, you couldn't really do much after that when you were suddenly surrounded on all sides by a pair of wings, and a warm body suddenly pressing against yours.

... You didn't need to be a genius to know who it was. This feeling, the colour, the smell... it was familiar.
Unforgettable.

"... Though I would also like to kindly remind you, at this moment, you are neither. Should you believe it or not."

You... don't really know how to react to this. At all. A common theme with this one, obviously.

... But you were comfortable. Very comfortable. You're not sure what it is about alicorns, but it was almost like they could push out whatever aura they wanted. This one was just... calming. Warm.

Hard to describe, honestly.

You didn't want to move, though. That much was beyond certain.

After all, hiding your face would probably be smart right now. Guys don't cry in front of others- that's just how it is.

I mean, you're 'Anon,' right? You're just... the funny guy who appears from time to time. And makes people laugh...

God, you're sick of being 'Anon.'

"Take all the time you need. I have a free hour or so before breakfast, if I push it..." Celestia's voice started, only pushing out more of that unaturally calming aura from her, "oh, and it's almost seven, by the way. The sun will rise soon, and I fear you might've been up all night."

"I'll be fine. Nothing I haven't done before," you manage to reply, if heavily muffled under her everything.

You could hear her hum for a moment, a bit of amusement coming to her. "Mm, but not very healthy, especially when we're in a mood like this, hmm?"

"I'll be fine," you repeat.

"The last pony who kept telling me that ended up on the moon for a while, so excuse me if I don't quite believe you," she pressed, her wings unfurling slightly on your back, gently leading you backwards.

You didn't like that she was doing that. Calling you out like that. Even if she was right.

"I'll... be fine," you reply one more time, not really sure what to say.

You weren't even resisting at this point. Whatever emotions strangled their way out were done doing whatever they were going to do, and despite a few marks or so, you were... probably fine.

The feeling of the cold air wasn't welcome at all when she lead you back to your spot, though. Probably wasn't wise to get like this out here, your face is probably going to remind you harshly of that in a bit. Dampness and cold don't mix well.

She hadn't fully released you at this point however, leaving a single wing against your back.

When you inevitably looked up in her direction, though, with a small smile, her horn lit up.

And at that moment... You weren't sure if this was just a dream.

With a special kind of grace, and a warmth flowing through you as she did it, the entire sky changed tones, as in front of you both, the sun rose above the horizon, cutting away at any of the cold you had felt. The orange colour itself seemed to be flowing through everything it got behind, and the sun didn't seem painful to look at... it was just there. Calming. Warm.

If it were different circumstances, you might've just fallen asleep right there, damn the consequences...

But once she was done, with a light tug of the wing, Celestia brought you both to your feet.

"I won't expect any kind of explanation or answer, Anonymous... But I will make something perfectly clear: This is payback-" And you suddenly found a hoof bounce off your nose, "-For making my life that little bit brighter, not too long ago. And until you smile like I had, at least once..."

A soft, genuine smile came from her...

"You're spending some time with me."

Author's Note:

Remember that 'drama' tag? :heart: