> A Royal Tail
>  by Hardcover
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 1- The Plot Thickens
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The night shift was the worst for a guard. Not only did you have to stay up when the rest of your friends and family outside of the palace had to sleep, but there was nothing to do. No ponies walked past to talk to, the palace being mostly devoid of any kind of activity. If you were a patrolling guard, like Iron Star, all you did was stare at the same section of hallway all night with your horn lit up, remembering that if you slipped up even a little at this horrifically boring job, an intruder could sneak past you and perform wreak all kinds of havoc.

Of course, not everything went perfectly. Ponies were flawed beings, and every guard on the crew had, at least once, fallen asleep, wandered to chat with a buddy, or slipped away to rub one out while on-duty. Even the captains seemed to know these things happened, but as long as it didn't become a habit and you didn't get caught, no pony really said anything.

So when Iron Star heard hoofsteps beneath his drowsy, closed lids, he knew he was in trouble.

Quickly snapping them open, he realized that the pony in question was behind him, so they likely didn't see him sleeping. He didn't hear the clank of armor, either, so it wasn't a guard who would be more likely to get him in trouble. As long as he pretended like he had stopped his patrol to look at something, he doubted anypony would notice.

The steps were coming closer. He turned his head to see none other than Princess Celestia approaching him.

He was doomed.

"Evening, Iron Star," she nodded toward him with a warm voice and kindly smile. Even this late at night, somehow she looked as radiant as ever.

He reflexively snapped a salute. "Good evening, Your Highness."

She didn't answer him, letting her smile linger politely before continuing on her way. Wherever she was coming from must have been important, but Iron Star was duly amazed at the way the princess managed to maintain her poise and appearance, even after working so hard late into the night.

Of course, her overtaking him on his patrol meant that now she was in front of him, and he couldn't help but stare. It was completely innocent at first. What caught his gaze was her tail, that shimmering, light-like swath that streamed from her in all its ethereal beauty. Even in the dim castle light, it seemed to glisten and glimmer, almost twinkling with starlight. Iron Star had never laid a hoof on the princess before, but he couldn't help but wonder what it felt like. Would it even feel like a normal pony's tail?

Naturally, his eyes wandered to her backside. After all, her tail was attached to her flanks, and my were they shapely. A common joke among the more bitter guards on the night shift was that Celestia was growing fatter the more ceremonies she attended, because noble ponies were always stuffing their faces with cake while the commoners worked. Iron Star could see a grain of truth to this, noticing just how plump Celestia's rump was. But the other guards could keep their thin pinup mares and fantasize about fit Wonderbolts all they liked. From where Iron Star was standing, a little extra to squeeze was good for a mare. He was looking forward to getting off work more than ever, if only so that he could go home and let his fantasies run wild, thinking about what he might do to that ass if he were ever to have the chance.

"Enjoying the view?"

Iron Star blinked. She was staring at him. Staring at her ass. He was caught. It was all over. He'd be fired. Executed. Publicly castrated. His face must have skipped all the shades of red and was now a starch, fearful white as the blood left it.

Celestia giggled. "I'll take that as a yes."

"P-Prin... I..." Iron Star tried to explain himself.

The princess only met him with her warm smile. "Iron Star, you are not the first stallion to stare at my flanks, and I doubt you'll be the last. It is something that I've come to understand is quite normal for stallions.  No need to be ashamed."

At last, he managed to find his voice, although speaking directly with the princess still left him dry-mouthed. "Still, I must apologize for my rudeness, Your Highness. To... ogle... a princess is a dire breach of honor."

Celestia cocked her head at him, raising an eyebrow. "Then how would you classify getting an erection in front of a princess?"

Iron Star's voice left him again as he peeked downward as quickly as possible. But there it was, his pride and joy, standing quite at attention before Her Highness, eager and ready to perform its duties to the princess. He gasped and spluttered, but no words came.

Celestia didn't wait for an explanation. "I'm not sure I understand, though. You didn't see my marehood, did you? That might be problematic."

"No, Your Highness! I wasn't staring at any of that! I was only admiring your tail! Honest!" he answered quickly.

"Honest?" she challenged him, leaning closer. He nodded vigorously. "Then the only explanation for your erection is that you have some sort of... unique interest in my tail."  Iron Star shook his head, trying to maintain some level of professionalism. "Hm. Then you must be a stallion who enjoys being pressured and bossed around by mares. Is that it?"

"No, Your Highness" he sputtered, the suggestion totally ridiculous to him.

"Well, then we have a mystery," Celestia said. Her smile turned into a mischievous grin.

Iron Star didn't know what she meant by that, yet he continued speaking anyway, his voice a bit calmer now. "Princess, again, allow me to offer my humblest apologies-" He was cut off by the feeling of warm silk against his neck. The princess had angled herself next to him, using her luscious tail to gently stroke underneath his chin. At this close up, he couldn't see or feel the individual hairs, yet they were still warm and soft like an aurora and his mother's warm embrace combined. That tail made him feel totally relaxed and comfortable, completely at ease as his legs wobbled, his eyes lost focus, and he moaned as it wound around him.

"The clues are starting to come together," Celestia teased. Iron Star's control over himself was slipping. The way her tail rubbed against his cheek prompted him to nuzzle it back, burying his face in the swath of warmth. With a deep inhale, he took her scent in as well. She smelled like honey, sweet and pure.

"No need to confess," she said as she took in every detail of his pleasured face. "I think you've said plenty already." Iron Star barely heard her, only registering the warm notes of her voice as sounds of consent, even encouragement. He dragged his nose across every silken wave, every soft stripe, letting the colors dance before him, wanting nothing more than to be totally enveloped in this banner of comfort, this aurora of soothing warmth. Every bit of tense muscle it touched melted, and every inch of hard skin it touched relaxed, Celestia's expert ministrations better than any massage a tired, bitter stallion could pay for.

His breath came slow but heavy as the stripes of pastel light teased down his chest, winding against his breastplate, coiling through his arms, gently caressing the muscles he had built up over the years of service. Every touch was like a compliment, and Celestia's warm gaze above his was the most enticing compliment of all. Even if he was close enough to reach out and squeeze that plush butt in just the way he had fantasized about earlier, all he could do was try to stay standing under the buttery, gentle ministrations of the princess's tail.

"You're enjoying this quite a bit, aren't you?" she said, not expecting an answer. She chuckled to herself once more, turning her back to him to give her tail better access to his body. But with her butt in his face, he felt a nudge bringing him out of his relaxed state, the sight heightening his arousal and self-consciousness. "Go ahead," Celestia said like a parent at market. "You're a stallion. I imagine you could hardly stop yourself anyway."

With her invitation given, he let his eyes lay on that royal tush. Her flowing tail did cover most of her more erotic bits, but now the scent of honey was mixed with something tangier, something more primal. Was the princess aroused as well? Or was the smell of her skin itself simply that erotic? Iron Star didn't care. He was enveloped in warmth and light, now the rays of her plump butt beaming down on his face, free for him to enjoy.

And enjoy he did. His gaze poured over every soft curve of her ass, the way her cutie mark sprawled over her round backside. Even without contact, he could imagine how giving the flesh would be, the sensation of pressing his hooves against her butt like kneading warm dough. What he wouldn't give to squeeze those cheeks, to pull them apart and reveal the treasure concealed by her tail, to spank her rear and watch her plump flanks jiggle. He could almost imagine how heavenly it would feel to mount that soft ass, to take his stiff cock and bury it into her warmth, to hump her rump wildly while her tail caressed him, inviting him to breed her-

"Ohhh," a long groan left him as the blood rushed to his face. He could feel that velvety tendril of her tail stroking his underbelly, wrapping itself lovingly around his throbbing stallionhood. Slowly, it snaked down his shaft, the warmth and softness of her tail like no mare he'd ever had the pleasure of mounting before, and even the way the tip wound down to caress his full, needy balls was more worshipful and understanding than any kiss he had ever received to his foalmakers.

"Princess," was all he managed.

Celestia's tail gave a quick tug, the coil of her tail stroking of his cock while the tip seemed to give a gentle squeeze to his gems, the flesh sliding forward while the silky warmth of her tail caused pleasure to melt through every part of his body.

His orgasm came without warning, and once it had started, he was at it's mercy. It was all he could do to stay standing as his body was wracked with pleasure, his needy balls all too eager to unload the contents of his pent-up sack, his cock firing pulse after pulse of his seed onto the palace tile below. He did his best to subdue his moans, but when his eyes met Celestia's, her gentle gaze taking in every moment of his powerful orgasm with affection and sympathy, he didn't fight it any longer. Iron Star moaned loudly in pleasure, hips bucked and writhed, thrusting into Celestia's tail as the soft appendage milked him of every drop of pleasure and seed his body could muster.

When it was all over, Iron Star left panting, his length drooping, his hooves still shaking as his semen pooled below him, Celestia chuckled again, clearly pleased with herself. "I knew it," she said.

"Princess... I am so sorry," Iron Star began, not knowing what else to say at his sudden, bold orgasm.

"No need to apologize," Celestia said. She withdrew her tail and took a few steps from him, back on the way to her bedchamber. Before she was too far, though, she turned her head again, her gaze much more in line with the powerful princess Iron Star imagined her to be. "But know that this is far from over. I expect you to attend dinner with me tomorrow night, so I hope you have something nice to wear. We'll see if you have what it takes to be my personal bodyguard."

"P-Princess!" Iron Star tried to speak in shock. A promotion? After that?

"That is an order, Iron Star," she said harshly. After a pause, her eyes flitting about his person, she added. "Also, clean that up before my sister notices. That would be embarrassing."

"Y-Yes, Your Highness," he said, snapping a salute instinctively.

"Good." Celestia turned to leave, but stopped to look at him one last time. "One more thing."

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"When you're done with that, take a break. It appears you are in need of a little more satisfaction."

Iron Star looked down again, realizing with horror that his cock had not retreated back to its sheath, but in the presence of the princess, continued to stand at attention.

"Princess...?" Iron Star started.

Her tone turned more commanding than ever. "Masturbate, Iron Star. That, too, is an order."

With that, Princess Celestia retired to sleep for the evening, her final command causing Iron Star to throb, quite certain that her orders would not be difficult to fulfill.
> 2- Tell-Tail Signs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Iron Star huffed again as he untied the knot in his necktie. He hadn't worn one since he graduated from guard academy, and he had all but forgotten how to tie it. Turning away from his mirror, he knew he'd have to go digging through his old trunk to find that book his dad had given him.

How he managed to lose things in his tiny barracks room, Iron Star had no idea. It was little more than a bed, a closet, a desk, and his trunk, with some scattered trash and dirty laundry. Opening his trunk, he frowned when he saw that it was stuffed full of old armor that the guards had stopped using since at least two seasons ago. Certain that the book was in there, he started pulling the pieces out. A rusty breastplate. A helmet with a broken plume. A cup with padding yellowed by months of sweat. Had he worn that during training? Flinging it in the garbage, he found the book he was looking for. Now You're a Stallion: Everything Every Male Needs to Know. Flipping past the chapters on voice changes and body hair, he found the chapter on tying ties.

The sun was setting outside his window, and he knew he'd have to hurry and get this stupid tie on or he'd be late to his dinner with the Princess. Thinking about the book made him wish that his dad was near enough to ask for advice. Iron Star had enough experience to know how to act around normal mares, but the Princess was dangerous new territory. Having dinner with her alone would be enough to make him nervous, but knowing that she likely had plans for him was something else entirely.

Just thinking about that tail was causing his cock to slip out of its sheath and flop. He frowned again. He couldn't have that happening at Upper Crust Cafe. He'd never be able to show his face around Canterlot again.

Control of his stallionhood was the most confusing part of this whole ordeal. This was the first time in his life that it didn't seem to want to cooperate with him. Why that aurora of the Princess's tail caused it to become so eager was beyond him. When he was around Celestia, it seemed to have a mind of its own, and he couldn't afford to let it  get him fired for getting hard before the Princess, or worse, arrested.

But it would be a difficult struggle. When he closed his eyes to remember, Iron Star could almost feel that silky smooth tail caressing his stiff flesh, coaxing the pleasure right out of him-

He snapped his eyes open. Seeing that his problem had only gotten worse, he splashed some cold water on his face, and it, before heading out. It was going to be a long dinner.

With his nuts still wet and freezing in the night air, he stepped into the Upper Crust Cafe. To call this high-class restaurant covered in plush carpets and lace a cafe was a gross attempt at modesty. It looked like nearly every pony who had attended Celestia's garden party last weekend was dining here tonight, doing business or not speaking to their spouses. Even if Iron Star knew next to nothing about fashion, he couldn't have imagined how much the suits he saw must have cost. He wouldn't have been able to afford a single garment after a lifetime of guard work. He hoped Celestia wasn't expecting the stallion to pay for the meal.

But there she was, seated at a secluded table near the window dressed in a simple white gown that stirred with the breeze as much as her mane and tail did. Honestly, Princess Celestia could have come dressed in a sheet and she still would have looked radiant, more gorgeous than any other mare present. And that was saying something. Iron Star was certain there were even a few models present.

He gave his name at the podium and the host led him to her table. The elegant smile she wore on her face as he took his seat intimidated him more than his drill sergeant ever could. "Running a little late?" she said.

"I thought it was supposed to be fashionable," he joked as he took his seat. She chuckled a little. Why was he treating this like a date? This was the Princess he was sitting across from! Deciding to focus on business, before he had even opened the menu, he said, "Is there a reason you asked me here, Your Highness?"

"Are you always so forward with mares, Iron Star?" she replied. It seemed she was intent on flirting.

"I didn't mean it like that, Your Highness. My apologies." Despite everything that had happened last night, Iron Star tried once more to maintain a professional relationship with Celestia.

"Well, I'll give you a pass. This time," she said. Iron Star was about to ask what she meant when he felt a silky smooth warmth drag across his sheath, giving an affectionate rub to each of his balls before retreating.

It was a long moment before he managed to speak. "Y-Your Highness..."

"Yes?" she said. That teasing grin. He knew he couldn't say anything. No pony would ever believe him, and she was only going to deny teasing him. He hoped she was amused, because he was completely at her mercy once more.

"...What were you planning on ordering?"

"The souffle. I think you would like the flambe. It sounds hearty."

"You're only ordering a dessert?"

"A mare has to watch her figure, you know," she answered, effectively silencing any further comments. He took her recommendation for his own order.

It appeared to Iron Star that the chefs worked double-time to feed the princess, because just as the awkward silence surrounding Celestia's figure was ending, they were bringing out their meal. The souffle was larger than his pile of burnt grain, looking more like a cake than a gourmet dish.

But Celestia began to dig in with relish. The moan that issued from her throat as she swallowed the first bite was a sound Iron Star wouldn't mind hearing more often. At least this explained why her ass was so soft.

He took his first bite. He felt like he was taking a test he hadn't studied for. It tasted good, but no better than other seasoned grains he had eaten before.

"Do you like it?" she asked.

"Its... flavorful," he decided.

She chuckled at him. "I'll see if the chef can't prepare a hay burger for my new personal bodyguard."

He nearly choked on his wine. "W-What?"

"Oh, it wouldn't be any trouble, I'm sure. I am the Princess, after all."

"No, the second part. Your bodyguard?"

"Yes. That's why I asked you here."

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

She giggled again, flashing that confident smile that made Iron Star so nervous. "Because you are so much fun to tease." He suppressed another gasp as he felt her tail wrap around his sheath again, now giving much more than a teasing rub, stroking his sheath fully, trying to bring his stallionhood out. And it was working.

"Y-Your Highness..." he started, already feeling his cock slip out. The tablecloth wasn't particularly long, and if this kept up somepony was sure to notice. 

Still, Celestia was unrelenting. "Oh, just imagine Iron Star. You would spend every waking moment with me. You'd sleep in my quarters, rise with me. I might even have reason to have you present when I bathe. Perhaps you'd like to help me wash my tail?"

The suggestion alone brought his erection to full mast, and throbbing as well. Running his hooves all over that soft plume, seeing her soaked body draped with her wet hair. He wondered if she would continue to tease him, letting him satisfy himself with her soaking wet tail as she climbed out of the bath. As she continued to stroke his robust length, the offer became more and more tempting. He was certain he was already spoiling the quality of her luscious tail with copious precum.

"I know it would be quite a serious job though, and often quite tedious I'm afraid. Attending all my diplomatic meetings and dinner parties; but at least you clean up well. You'd have to spend a lot of time walking behind me, though." Here she leaned forward, speaking softer. "But at least then you could have an unrestricted view of my rump. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

It was all he could do to repress his moan. She was jerking him off now, and he was getting closer and closer. The control she had over her tail was incredible, and as his stallionhood was wrapped in it's clutches, he felt more and more powerless before her. It wouldn't be long before he erupted all over that soft tail.

"You'll start tomorrow," she said. "I'll arrange for a public announcement tomorrow morning, giving you tonight to pack your things in the barracks."

Wait- didn't he get a say in this? There was a lot more to consider than her heavenly tail and shapely ass here. Surely there was another, harder working guard who was much more qualified and deserving of such an honor. Was this really only about teasing him, about Celestia's amusement?

He huffed as a drop of real semen spurted from him, but he wasn't over the edge yet. Iron Star had an unusual moment of clarity, and he looked Celestia dead in the eyes.

He pushed away from the table. He stood. He turned to leave.

Iron Star knew his erection was still very full, dripping, and bobbing beneath him as he walked, subject to all the elites who might label him a pervert or judge him on its size. But having an erection was better than having an orgasm, and he wasn't about to let Celestia make him her toy for the rest of his career. Even if he had developed fantasies for her that he didn't fully understand, satisfying them wasn't worth his dignity. He wasn't about to be made a toy.

After having paid for the meal, Celestia flew from the cafe to catch him in one of the palace gardens on the way back to his bed. "And just where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"I refuse," Iron Star said boldly, fully aware that his erection hadn't gone down yet.

"You refuse?" she said. Then, in a moment that made Iron Star feel more nervous than ever, she gave a dark chuckle. "You think you have a choice?"

"What do you mean? Of course I have a choice!"

"Iron Star," she started. Already her tail was moving, seeming to extend from her like magic rather than hair, coiling around his legs. Yet he found himself staring into her eyes, totally transfixed, frozen with either fear or hypnotic arousal. "You're a guard. It's your job to follow my orders. And if I order you to become my personal bodyguard, is it not your duty to obey?"

"It's my job to serve the ponies of Equestria by protecting you, not to be your slave," he said with surprising force and clarity despite his tumultuous emotions and growing arousal.

"Hmph." Celestia turned as her tail snaked upward, starting to wrap around his torso. She let him feast his eyes on the entirety of her shapely rear, every plump curve leading to the canyon of her cheeks, spreading every so slightly as she bent forward, allowing him to see the pearl of her moist, divine marehood. The heat of her tail and the smell of her sex was making him delerious with arousal. Every bit of it was wholly inviting, begging him to plunge his cock into her and fuck her with everything he had, his balls taking on a mind of his own as he stared openly and uninhibited, drunk on lust and fantasies.

He barely registered her voice over her ample bottom as she continued to speak. "I am the Princess of the Sun, and before Luna's return, the Princess of all Heavens. Do you really think you can resist my will?" Her tail was coiled around his entire body now, squeezing his chest, belly, and cock with a tight, but not painful grip, immobilizing him, but filling him with no end of pleasure as the gentle warmth soothes his muscles and coaxed throb after throb out of his stiff cock.

With her ass encompassing the whole of his vision, her tail beginning to coil around his neck and the top of his head, she said, "You will become my bodyguard. If you continue to resist, I will have to persuade you." He could feel her tail beginning to slip down over his head, coming up near his chin, threatening to encompass his entire face, all of his body. Could he suffocate in her tail?

Iron Star didn't want to find out. He knew he was beaten. He gave in. He let himself stare at her ass, knowing that he would get to stare at it for the rest of his life. He let himself moan at the feeling of her warm, soft tail covering him, imagining what it would be like to fall asleep, coiled in its heavenly embrace. He let his dignity die and give way to submission. He would follow every order, accept every teasing caress, get hard and spill as much of his seed as the Princess desired of him, if only for her mere amusement. It would be worth it for a lifetime of this intense, yet so very gentle pleasure.

Iron Star came. He let his voice call loud, in full ecstasy as he emptied every last drop of pent-up lust from his aching balls as Celestia's tail stroked the orbs ever so gently, begging them of all they could produce. He didn't know if his semen soaked into the tail or not, he could only buck and thrust into the heat, against the soft texture of her hair as his eyes drank in every inch of her ass, his tongue hanging out as he leaned forward to try to kiss it, to touch it, to lose himself in her rear and tail. And with every fiery pulse of cum and restrained thrash to touch her more, Iron Star knew that this was exactly what she wanted.

Finally, it was over. She released him. His own ass hit the ground below, and he saw his fresh cum sliding off the unnatural aura of her tail as she withdrew it, raising it purposely to let the gooey strings slide down the pastel fabric of her tail and onto her plump rear, his cum continuing to drip down her cheeks as he caught the telltale strands of her own arousal glinting in the moonlight before soaking into the grass below.

"My, my, Knight Iron Star. I've become quite a mess. Escort me to my bath, if you would."

It was a long moment before he could catch his breath, his cock still throbbing as it fought to stay at attention before the Princess.

"Yes, Your Highness," he responded.

He stood and she lead him down the halls, her gait as elegant and pure as it was the night before. But now he stood behind her, feasting his eyes on that gorgeous tail and tempting rump, his cock still giving a lusty twitch every now and then. They didn't pass by any other guards, but he wouldn't have cared if they did.

After all, there were certainly worse fates for a guard. He could be bored out of his mind, leaving his post to jack off to last year's mags like the other night guys.