The early morning sun flickered through the bed curtains. The gentle light caressed Celestia’s side, her breaths only marked by the rise and fall of her barrel. The sunbeam wandered further down her side along the edge of her broad wing, illuminating her white feathers with an ethereal light. I don’t know how long I lay there, staring at her wing and reveling in the downy softness. Its weight and warmth rivaled even the most lovingly made hoofstitched quilt.

I would have probably continued to wax poetic had Breeze not kicked me in her sleep. Glancing over, Breeze was sprawled out, her little legs jolting and her wings twitching rhythmically, all with a serene smile on her face. I chuckled softly as I realized she must be dreaming of flying.

Right there, lying between the princess and my daughter, the two most important mares in my life it...it felt good. Like if I were to pause time and imagine heaven, this would be it. I tried as hard as I could to take in this moment. To remember it for all time. To recall in the darkest hours that at one point, I was well, and truly happy.

I looked back at Celestia. I could practically read the lifetimes she’d lived on her face. The stress she normally carried in her jawline, currently melted away and sure to return upon waking. The bright moments of joy in the curved laugh lines at the corners of her mouth. A distant and hard fought battle in the faint scar above her left eye, just beneath where her helm would cover. It was hard to imagine just how much history she had weathered.

I buried my ear to her chest, and listened to her heart beating powerful and strong beneath her breast. My eyes grew heavy as I drifted back off to sleep.

Something was nibbling on my ears.

I cracked an eyelid to see Celestia tenderly gnawing on the tuft of Lefty. “Celestia?”

She didn’t respond, only continuing to graze at my ear.

Does she sleep eat? I wondered, wincing as her teeth pinched the sensitive tip a little more forcefully. I flicked Lefty, batting her muzzle with it in protest as to fend off another of her lip’s assaults.

It turned out to be only the start, as Celestia’s wing tightened around me, pulling me close to her barrel. Once more she found Lefty, and begin to nibble. Over my side, Breeze squirmed and give a few sleepy protests as her warm and downy “blanket” disappeared.

Breeze’s discomfort was nowhere as close as mine however. Like most stallions inevitably discover, the dawn tends to bring about...the certain hardening of a particular appendage. And presently, I was very aware of my appendage pressing very firmly against her teats.

“Um Princess?” I poked her chest with a hoof. “Wake up.” I closed my eyes as I tried to ignore the sensations I was feeling below. “Please wake up.”

She stirred a little and I gave a sigh of relief when she spit out my ear. At least until she gave it a sensual lick.

“Mmmm, Wave,” she murmured. I didn’t catch all of what she said next, but the bits I did left me wide-eyed and very happy that Breeze was still very much asleep.

And then she got hoofsy.

My wings began to stiffen as she rubbed the sensitive spot between them. I continued to harden against her, the warm scent of her arousal hit my nostrils and tempted to further cloud my thoughts. It’s now or never, Wax. Because if Breeze wakes up…

I pondered that scenario for all of a second.

You are not prepared to have THAT conversation with her yet. Or ever.

I took a deep breath and carefully eyed the exposed part of Celestia before me.

Best make this quick. Here goes.

I brought my face down; my lips sealing around her skin.

PBBBBTBBBBTtbbtbttttt!

The silence was deafening. Her ministrations to my wings stopped, and I felt her ease away a little, putting some much needed space between us. I didn’t need to look up to know that I had Celestia’s full, conscious attention this time.

“Um.” I cleared my throat as she stared down at me, one eyebrow raised in confusion. “You were, uh, getting a little hoofsy and weren’t waking up and…” I nodded my head back towards where Breeze was still sleeping. “I didn’t exactly know what else to do.”

I saw her nostrils flare as she caught the smell of desire floating in the air and her cheeks took on a deep blush. “Oh.”

“Yeahhhh.” I started to try and scoot away further but found myself held in place with a firm wing.

There was no mistaking that mischievous glint in her eye.

Shit.

“Now where do you think you are going?” she asked coyly.

Oh shit. Don’t move. She can smell fear.

“Somewhere else?” I whispered.

She shook her head and a coquettish smile played along her lips. “Do you know what the punishment for giving the Royal belly a raspberry is?”

I shook my head slowly. I’m screwed.

Her grin grew more predatory as her hoof loomed before my face. “I sentence you, Waxing Crescent, Night Warden of the Crown, the utmost punishment for your crime.”

Well look on the bright side, at least you know it can’t be the death penalty.

Her hoof shot forward, smooshing the tip of my snout.

“Boop!” she cooed.

I recoiled as my face scrunched up involuntarily and I went cross-eyed. I shook my head trying to counter the post-booping effects. It wasn’t until after a few shakes, things started to correct themselves. All while she sat there laughing at my expense.

“That was cruel.” My tone was nearly as dry as the deserts of the Badlands.

“Oh was it?” She leaned down and placed her forehead against mine, staring into my eyes. “Forgive me?”

“No.” I rolled my eyes and pouted.

“Hmmm...how about now?” She pressed her lips to mine, giving me the gentlest, sweetest, and smallest of kisses. For some odd reason my heart soared a little.

Behind me, there was an excited gasp.

And my heart promptly sank again.

Breeze jumped off the bed and started bouncing in a circle. “Princess Celestia and Daddy sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”

We broke away and I whispered, “I’ll forgive you if you handle that.”

Breeze’s spirits were dampened a little when she discovered that Celestia and I weren’t actually in love, getting married, nor going shopping for baby carriages as her little song went. The cover story that Celestia decided to go with was that she had accidently hit my nose in her sleep and was just kissing it better. Breeze still appeared skeptical, and looked to me for confirmation. I, naturally, picked the wise choice of nodding emphatically.

Right now I was enjoying a steaming cup of morning tea while Breeze bathed in Celestia’s private bath.

“So am I now entirely forgiven?” Celestia teased as she blew on her own cup.

“Yes, I suppose so,” I said, taking a cautious sip. “Though I kind of wish this morning in bed would have lasted longer.”

She cocked an eyebrow.

“Only a fool would sit here and say your advances were unwelcome. After all, you are a beautiful and very desirable mare.” I looked away, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible. “I just didn’t realize sleeping with the princess meant sleeping with the princess and wish I had been informed sooner.” I said, putting on a mock air of nobility.

I ducked as several pillows soared over my head doing nothing to stifle my laughter.

Her eyes narrowed at me as several more objects, several remarkably less soft than a pillow, hovered in her magic. Despite it all I could see the playful smile toying on her lips and an embarrassed blush on her cheeks.

“Are you done?” she asked.

“Yeah, just let me catch my breath.”

She nodded, and the objects floated back to their respective places.

“Answer me this though,” I said while taking a sip. “Do you really miss him that much?”

“Are you talking about Wave Crest?”

I deadpanned. “No. The other stallions’ name you called me.”

She levitated another pillow menacingly. “Sarcasm is most unbecoming.”

I raised my hooves in mock surrender. “Alright. Alright. Now I’m done.”

“Good.” The pillow dropped once more. “And to answer your question, yes. I do miss him.” Her ears folded flat and she looked away. “Perhaps more than I had realized.”

Just like that, all the mirth that was in the room previously, was sucked out. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I knew going in what would happen. Perhaps, not exactly the way he passed, but I knew that it would eventually happen.” She shot me a sad smile. “It comes with the territory of being as long lived as I am and I don’t regret the time I had with them. Not a single second.” She turned and stared out the window. “If anything, I only wish I had more of it.”

I looked at the bathroom door where I could hear Breeze playing in the water.

“Don’t measure your time with her in days and years Wax. Measure it with memories.”

I nodded, but it still didn’t stop me from imagining her old and gray. “How do you get over it though?”

She took a sip of her tea and mulled it over. “I like to remind myself that it’s better to have loved and lost-”

“-than to have never loved at all,” I finished.

She cocked her head. “I never took you for one to read poetry.”

I snorted. “That’s because I don’t. I’ve just heard that one before.” I paused, sipping my tea again. “I think it was from some serial widow trying to hit on me at a pub.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Oh, how’d that turn out?”

I chuckled. “Not how I think she expected. I rejected her pretty hard. I can’t remember exactly what I said, but I was more than a little drunk and it was something about how she was like the community well.”

Celestia only continued to look confused.

“Anypony can dip into her hole.”

She let out a huge snort as tea dribbled out of her nose. Covering her face with a hoof, and pulling up a napkin in her magic, she said, “I can’t imagine that went over well.”

I shrugged. “Eh, I may have ended up wearing her drink. The point is, my gut told me that when a mare’s husbands keep ‘mysteriously’ ending up dead, and her coffers keep ‘mysteriously’ getting larger, she’s bad news.”

“Probably…whatever happened to her anyway?” She asked. “Is there some mare out there that I need to go have the guard pick up?”

I shook my head. “Already done. I had the Night Guard investigate her after that. She had managed to marry some duke a week after that. A month later he was sickly and bedridden. I had a team watch her through the windows of the estate until they finally saw her slip arsenic into his meal. They busted through the windows and hauled her off.”

“I see. I hope the duke recovered.”

“Apparently, he and one of the mares on the investigation team fell in love and got married. Last I heard, they’re expecting twins.”

A comfortable silence filled the room as we just relaxed with our cups. I watched as she leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes. Looking at her then, I realized just how far we’d come since the night she came to visit me in the dungeon. She’d been my rock over the years and I’d been her… sounding board? I really didn’t know what I was to her exactly. Point being, tea time conversations and heart-to-hearts over whatever was troubling us at that moment had made us close.

“Celestia?”

She peeked out from under an eyelid.

“Just like that widow, something about this business with Sombra gives me a bad feeling.”

“Me too.” She stood up from the table and began clearing away her dished. “Regardless, we have breakfast with him. After you see your daughter off, once she gets out, please put on your uniform and come meet us in the dining hall.”

“Uh,” I raised a hoof. “Did you mean my armor?” I thought to the chest sitting in my closet at home.

“No I didn’t.” She turned her back to me and her horn lit up; the doors to her wardrobe flew open as she began digging through it. “Let’s see.”

I peered over her to see an impossible amount of storage space, with various dresses and trappings hung up inside.

Huh. It’s larger on the inside.

I shook my head. I never could wrap my head around how unicorn magic worked. The more advanced it was, the more mental gymnastics required to understand it. Sitting back once more, I let my gaze play along Celestia’s flank for a brief moment. I had enough on my plate raising Breeze, and getting trying to stumble my way through this whole fatherhood thing, but a part of me, probably still hung up on the events of this morning, contemplated what it might be like to court her.

Every noble, and cryer in the town would be thrown into a frenzy. They’d say it was scandalous. Me, the former Captain of the Lunar Rebellion and Princess Celestia, the embodiment of the sun’s power and might, carrying out some torrid trysts all about the palace and Canterlot. Accusations of Breeze being our illegitimate foal would fly and rumors would break out that our affair had stretched back before the war. Possible speculation even, that the conflict started when Luna discovered us on one of our midnight romps. It drove her mad as her anger and jealousy festered. That Celestia had stolen her Captain’s heart from her, and that I loved her sister more than she. That secretly I worked with Celestia during the fight, to ensure Luna was defeated and-

“Wax, are you there?” Celestia was waving a hoof in front of my face.

“Uh, sorry. Zoned out for a minute there.” I apologized. I am never letting Sunflower tell me about her stories ever again.

“Clearly.” She said, giving me a strange look. “Anyway, I had this made a few months ago, recognizing that I’d likely need you in a formal capacity when dealing with dignitaries at some point.”

I looked down at the clothes laid out before me and gave a low whistle. “You know how to made a stallion look good, you know that?”

“I take it you’re pleased?” I nodded and she pulled me into a hug giving my withers a soft nuzzle. “Good. Then I looked forward to seeing you in it.”

At that time Breeze decided to finally exit the bathroom. “Are you sure that you two aren’t special someponies?” she asked, looking at us very confused.

I pulled away from Celestia, smiling like a foal caught with their hoof in the cookie jar. “I’m sure honey. The princess here just gave daddy a wonderful gift is all.”

“Riiiiiight.” Breeze denoted unconvinced.

“I will see you shortly.” Celestia said and disappeared out the door, regalia teleporting onto her body as she left.

I turned around to find Breeze looking at my new dress uniform, curiously poking at one of the medals. “I got that one for leading an attack on a raging hydra back in the Everfree, you know.”

Breeze dropped her hoof. “Oh.”

“Sooo, now that you’re all cleaned up, what do you say we get you to school?”

At the very mention of the word “school”, her ears drooped and she hunkered down. “I don’t wanna go. They've gotten meaner.”

I knelt down so we were eye level. “Breeze, you can’t avoid the other ponies forever and running away from your problems will only tire you out in the end. I can’t promise you that they won’t be mean.” I drew her up in one of my wings. “What I can promise you is this: you now know the truth and armed with that, you can choose to take pride in who you are and how you came to be here. Or not. That’s up to you to decide. Regardless, their teasing doesn’t change that you are loved and that you have a family. It’s just a little different is all.” I kissed her forehead. “And if you’re still worried about it, just stick around Anvil. It sounds like he has your back, okay?”

“Okay.” She sat up a little straighter.

“So you’re ready?”

“Okay.”

She clambered onto my back.

“You ready?”

She shrugged. “Okay.”

I rolled my eyes. “This is way you are going to school. You apparently need to learn to stay something besides ‘okay’.”

She giggled as we soared out of the tower.

After dropping Breeze off, I returned to Celestia’s quarters, landing on her balcony. Apparently some of the castle staff had been through as the tea set had been cleared and my uniform was now hanging up against the wardrobe.

Feeling enough time had been wasted that morning, I didn’t have the time to really appreciate how nice Celestia’s bathroom was, or how wonderful the warm water felt with as quickly as I cleaned myself and dried off. I did take the time however, to appreciate the uniform though. Celestia had the size and cut just perfect. It felt snug and tight in all the right places, without feeling constricting.

Buttoning the very last button underneath my throat, I stepped back, giving myself a roguish smile in the mirror. “The mares go crazy for a sharp dressed stallion,” I said to myself as I stroked my ego a little.

“Indeed we do.”

I about jumped out of my skin as I turned to find a unicorn mare eyeing me up.

“Sorry to startle you like that, but the princess sent me to give you a hoof incase you were having trouble with the buttons.” She ran a hoof up my chest, along the buttons, stopping at the neck line and cupped my jaw. “Seeing as how you managed on your own, would you do a lady the honors of escorting her to the dining hall? I do believe your presence is requested there.”

Seeing as how I was late enough as it were, I obliged. Frankly, she was more escorting me than I was her, but in the end it mattered little. I was on my way to meet this King Sombra, and beneath the fine, calm veneer of my outer appearance, I was on edge inside. My instincts screamed something was wrong, and I aimed to find out what.

Author's Notes:

Again, edited and proofread by stanku and preread by Snowliasion. So big thanks to them!

Sorry this one has taken so long. It's been in a state of near completion since mid-March, but between exams, term papers and finals, it remained untouched. I had a lot of fun with this one, and sprinkled in a few references. So shout them out if you find them!