While her sister had already opened her passenger side door, Luna paused for a moment on her driveway. A question had occurred to her, one she hadn’t asked yet. “Celly, did the Doc say you could drive?”

“He did,” Celestia replied, taking a moment to enjoy the cool summer breeze that blew through the open car door. “I made sure to ask him and he said I'd be fine in an automatic.”

“Okay,” Luna snickered, unable to stop herself from teasing her sister, “I'm going to treat you like a cripple up ‘till you're in the house. Then, I'm going over to Leelee's for some quality ‘us’ time, and to give you some quiet time.” A playful grin appeared on her face then, and she nudged her older sister, “You know, in case your boyfriend comes over to tuck you in.” she giggled, “If you do drive somewhere, please text me. I may not reply, but I won't have to worry about looking for you.”

Celestia, recognising her younger sister’s attempt at a wind up, didn’t respond. “Thanks Lulu. I don't mind being your cripple, it’s abought time you looked after me!” she snickered, sticking out her tongue. “And...and I truly wish he would show up and surprise me, I really do.” Sadly though, she knew it wouldn’t happen.

“Remember, if you use the house phone the number is on the bill so use your cell so as to not tempt me!” Luna erupted into a fit of giggles when Celestia took a playful swipe at her, which she easily dodged. “Well, as you can see,” she pointed to the beige station wagon parked in the other drive, “Your ‘Back to the Past’ car is safe and sound.” With that, she got out of the driver’s seat and retrieved the crutches from the back seat before passing them to her waiting sister.

“Don't be mean about my Rosie…” Celestia groused good-naturedly, “She can hear you and she has feelings.” Using the crutches she heaved herself out of the passenger’s side seat and hobbled her way towards their front door. “Who knows, Lu? If things keep going well between us, hopefully I'll be able to introduce you. Then detective Lulu can rest easy.”

Luna giggled at that as she helped her sister open the front door, “Just leads to other lines of investigation, that’s all.” Casually, she inspected her fingernails and smoothed her shirt down over her jeans. “Not like you didn't follow up on Cheerilee or anything.”

Though she said it quietly, Celestia of course heard her sister’s comment. “That's entirely absolutely different!” sniffing as though she was offended by the remark, Celestia made her way inside the entrance hall. “I'm the big sister, I'm supposed to follow up, investigate and interrogate your suitors.”

Luna snickered, “Will you be my bridesmaid?”

Taken somewhat by surprise by her sister’s sudden question, Celestia almost slipped on the hardwood flooring in the hall. Luckily, she caught herself on the hat and coat stand that resided by the full length mirror that she hated so much. “Lulu,” she answered, straightening herself, cast and all, “I'd be honoured to, you know that. I'd do anything for you.”

“Have fun, whatever you do.” Luna giggled once she was sure Celestia wasn’t going to fall. “There is left over lasagne in the fridge. I may stay the night at Leelee's,” she paused long enough to give her a hug and a kiss on her cheek. “Remember, do what the doc told you!”

Celestia rolled her eyes in response to that. “I will, and go have your fun. I do hope she says yes.”

Luna shook her head, “marriage is a long ways off, but hold onto your dream. I learned to never say never. Ta ta for now, sis!” giving her one last cheeky peck on the nose, Luna turned and skipped down the driveway to her waiting Audi before driving off and leaving Celestia standing in the entrance hall.

Being left alone, Celestia decided to leave the lasagne for later and instead fixed herself just a salad. She was after all determined move the pudginess on her belly. Or at least, not add to it. After she had consumed what was little more than rabbit food that somehow left her hungrier after she was done than she had been before she started, Celestia decided she needed a bath.

At least her bathroom didn’t have stupid mirrors on the ceiling.

Alas, as Celestia was soon to discover, the much needed and much looked forward to home bath had to, by necessity, become an all over sponge wash, thanks in no small part to the cast on her left leg. ‘Stupid cast…stupid leg…’ she muttered as she rubbed herself with the sponge. Already she hated this, and she’d have it for another two months.

Once she was dried, she hobbled her way slowly into her bedroom and, pulling open her closet door – for Cheerilee had thoughtfully cleared away and cleaned all her dirty clothes she had left strewn all over her bedroom floor – only to be confronted with the image of her naked body in the mirror on the other side of the closet door. ‘Ugh…stupid body…’ she thought miserably as she gazed at herself. ‘Sagging this, pudgy that, wide whatever, wrinkles and greying hair…what does Moonsilver possibly see in me?’

Finally, after the frankly depressing talking-to she had given herself, Celestia decided to dress. Usually, she wouldn’t have bothered, but she really didn’t want to see herself in the many mirrors in the house. Besides, Luna always yelled at her when she broke one of them. So, she selected the baggiest shorts and the longest tee she had and pulled those on instead.

Going back into the kitchen, shuffling carefully, Celestia decided to indulge in the one thing she knew for sure would make her feel a little better. Jasmine tea. While it was brewing she deposited the big white bag with three blue diamonds on it that held her purchases from the Carousel Boutique on the sofa in the living room. ‘Stupid lingerie…’

However, once she was sat in her favourite comfortable comfy chair, with her jasmine tea by the radio with her feet up on her favourite pouffe, Celestia wasn’t thinking about her worn out body and the lingerie unopened on her sofa. Taking up her new cell phone she had purchased after her visit to Rarity’s shop, she thought about calling Sunset Shimmer.

Staring at the scrap of paper she held in her hand that Rarity had written Sunset’s number down on, Celestia took a moment to gather her thoughts together and work out what she was going to say. ‘Oh...oh I hope Sunset can help, or know someone – or some…somepony - who can!’ she thought as she dialled the number.

Several rings later and the dial tone switched to Sunset’s voice mail. “You have reached Sunset Shimmer. Please leave a message and I'll be back in touch with you after three p.m.”

Once the beep had sounded, Celestia left her message. “Miss Shimmer, Sunset, this is Principal Celestia. I ah, I have a matter I need to discuss with you, of an…” she paused for a second and sighed, “of an…’Equestrian’ nature. Could you please call me back as soon as you can?” when she hung up, after leaving her new number just in case the caller ID wasn’t working, Celestia noticed it was already a quarter to three.

At five minutes past three, twenty minutes later, Celestia had just started watching her favourite afternoon TV programme, Homes Under the Hammer, with a second cup of jasmine tea, her cell phone rang. Putting her tea on the little side table beside her comfy chair, Celestia muted the TV and answered her phone. “Hello?” she started, though she knew from the number who was calling, “Celestia speaking.”

“Hello, Principal Celestia,” Sunset Shimmer’s somewhat breathless voice came down the phone line. She’d just gotten off from her retail job in town and she was walking over to her dirt bike in the parking lot. A present from CHS after the Friendship Games, she loved that bike. “I was very much surprised by your call. I um, I thought we put all that Equestria stuff behind us.”

“As did I, Sunset.” Celestia replied, taking a little sip of her tea. “However, something has come up, something regarding the portal that I’m hoping you may be able to help me with.”

“Okay,” Sunset Shimmer was curious about that, and her interest was immediately piqued. “I’m not sure what I can do, but I'll be happy to try. You want to meet up at the school?”

Celestia shook her head, feeling silly as nobody could see her doing it. “No, would you mind awfully coming over to my house? I'd like to keep this as private as I can for now.”

“Your house?” now Sunset’s curiosity was very much raised, “I would, but um, I don't know where that is.” Straight away on the other end of the line, Celestia gave Sunset her full address. Sunset Shimmer grinned, picturing the well-to-do suburbs of Canterville. “Oh, I know that neighbourhood. I've gone shopping in the area. What time do you want to meet up?”

“As soon as you can, please Sunset.”

Sunset Shimmer was about to say she’d be right there, when she caught a whiff of herself and almost gagged. “I ah, I just got off work and I really need to clean up. Would four thirty be okay?”

“That would be fine, Sunset, thank you.”

Hanging up, Sunset had a multitude of thoughts running through her head. Why did Principal Celestia want her? What was up with the portal? If it was an Equestrian thing, why hadn’t Princess Twilight write to her? The only contact she’d had with the Princess was her weekly catch-up session via the diary they shared every Sunday afternoon. Four days ago Princess Twilight hadn’t mentioned anything wrong. All these thoughts and more ran through her head as she walked over to her beloved bike.

Whatever she thought though, she was certain of one thing. She had to call Applejack. “Hey, Jackie,” she said, her voice entirely submissive when her girlfriend answered, “You won't believe what just happened…”

“What’s happened sugarcube,” Applejack interrupted, her southern country drawl as unique as ever, “Is Ah haven’t said Ah love you fer at least two hours.”

Sunset beamed as she stood beside her bike, “Yeah, I love you too, Jackie. Anyway, Celestia just called me to help her on some research project.”

“Research huh?” Applejack even sounded amused at the sheer amount of excitement in her girlfriend’s voice. The farmer knew perfectly well how much her Sunny loved getting stuck into a project. “What kind o’ research?”

“Duh,” Sunset rolled her eyes as she got her helmet on, “it’s about what happened at the Friendship Games, I was sort of in the middle of it all...”

Applejack snickered, waving to Apple Bloom to come get the basket of apples she had set down beside the cart when her phone rang, “Oooh, y’all mean portal stuff.”

“Yeah, portal stuff, okay?” Sunset replied quickly. She knew Applejack didn’t really ‘get’ all that stuff, no matter how many times she had tried to explain it. After the seventh attempt, it was just easy to refer to it as ‘portal stuff’. “I just wanted to let you know I may be a bit late coming over today.”

“Late?” Applejack shot back almost straight away, an idea for some fun times running through her head. “Y’all know Ah don’t like mah pony being late now, don’cha? Ah’ll have ta take ya out to mah barn, give ya some punctuality training.”

That sentence alone made Sunset Shimmer very hot between her legs. She just loved it when her Dom called her her pony. “You ah, you promise?”

“Ah promise, Sunny.” A delicious little thought occurred to her then. “Where are you?”

“In the parking lot by my bike, I just got off work.”

“Take your panties off.”

“What, here?”

“Right there.” Applejack ordered, knowing full well Sunset would obey her, “Take me a picture when you have, and keep ‘em off, understand, pony?”

Oh, Sunset understood alright. “I understand, Miss Jackie.”

“Y’all know Ah love you, right Sunny?”

“Bye, I love you more!” the very moment Sunset Shimmer hung up the phone and cancelled the call to her girlfriend, she looked about the parking lot. She was, thankfully, alone. Reaching up under her white dress that was her nail bar uniform, she quickly hooked her fingers over the top of her orange panties and slid them down her legs. When they were around her feet on the tarmac she snapped off a quick photo for Applejack, making sure to include the date and time on it before sending the picture to her girlfriend.

Once that was done, she picked up her panties and put them in her bag. “Oh…” she said to herself as she carefully mounted her bike, “I better let someone else know too…” with that, Sunset fired up her dirt bike and set off home to her apartment.

~ ~ ~

Sat in her living room, her feet up, Celestia was dozing pleasantly in her favourite comfy chair like she had been for the past half hour. She was enjoying her now favourite dream, one in which Moonsilver had stripped her naked and was making her walk alongside him down the street, her Master parading her for all to see.

The wall clock had just ticked over to four twenty nine p.m. and Celestia, in her dream, was rudely awakened before her Master could lead her to the public fountain in the town square by the loud ringing of the doorbell.

Grumbling a little bit, as she was just denied the good bit of her daydream, Celestia heaved herself to her feet and hobbled through the hallway to answer the door. Her grumblings turned to a smile however when she saw just whom was at the door. “Hello Sunset, thank you so much for coming!”

Standing at her Principal’s door in her usual boots, orange skirt, purple tee and leather jacket – she had discarded her nail bar work dress the very instant she had walked inside her apartment – Sunset Shimmer stowed her helmet under her arm and pulled a fist pump with the other. “Score,” she cheered gleefully, “I beat the tardy bell. Greetings, Principal Celestia.” She felt a little off, being so formal when her Principal was dressed in ratty baggy shorts and an oversized tee, but she thought it best to be safe.

“Just…Celestia, please.” The fifty year old woman smiled an easy smile, “we aren't in school now.”

“Okay,” Sunset nodded, slipping her bag from her shoulder, “I can do that.”

“Thank you.” Celestia hopped a little, standing aside in the open doorway. “Won't you come on in? Oh, and do make yourself at home.”

“Thank you,” Sunset took a step forward across the threshold into the hallway and at last she noticed the cast. In her defence though, she hadn’t been looking at her Principal’s feet. “So, ah, a cast. How bad was it?”

“I was hiking in the Everfree Forest,” Celestia said by way of explanation, though she was wary of revealing too much. A thought which made her smile as she knew she’d have to confide in Sunset Shimmer if she was to get any answers. “I slipped and fell down a twenty foot gully. Broke my ankle and my leg,” she blushed, “I forgot I'm not twenty anymore.”

Sunset flinched, “Oh, ouch, so is this a state secret?”

“Not my leg, no.” Celestia chuckled, leading the young woman into her house to the living room. “What I need to discuss however, is. Would you like a drink of anything before we begin?”

If Sunset’s curiosity was piqued before, it was downright screaming at her now after hearing that. She had assumed of course on the way over from her apartment that anything to do with the portal would be hush hush. “Sure, a diet soda would be nice, water if you don't have that.” Sitting down on the offered leather couch, she couldn’t help but blush a little, due to the fact that Applejack hadn’t allowed her to put her underwear back on. She opened her backpack and pulled out a loose leaf binder, though she left the pack open.

Celestia giggled, “I think I can stretch to a diet soda,” saying that, she made her way through to the kitchen and proceeded to get a soda from the refrigerator as well as making a jasmine tea for herself. A few minutes later, once the respective drinks were on the coffee table in the living room between them both she sat in her comfy chair. “Again, I thank you for coming so quickly, I didn't know who else to contact.”

“I'm a bit surprised at how it was all played down after the Friendship Games,” Sunset Shimmer started, consciously keeping her knees close together, “but Twilight, the Crystal Prep one I mean, and I have been exchanging notes.” As proof, she held up the full looking binder. “I've also exchanged notes with Twilight, the Equestrian one, and that Twilight has a theory on that.”

Sunset Shimmer giggled then, as the bubbles from the soda went straight up her nose. “I think she has a theory on everything so I told her the answer was forty two, and she is still trying to figure that one out.” Giggling some more, she subconsciously opened her legs a little as she rubbed her nose, very briefly flashing herself.

“As long as you have your towel. You do, I assume, miss Deep Thought?” Celestia giggled, though she had thought, for the briefest of moments, that she had seen between Sunset’s legs. She quickly shook her head. There was no way she had seen what she thought she had seen. “I'll admit,” she said, forcing herself to focus, “I have intercepted Cinch as best I can, as well as fend off the School Board here and there.”

Sunset nodded at that. She had suspected as much, that the authorities were being headed off. “Princess Twilight says the portal's magic is suppressing the ability of others to recall what happened. Only those closest to the portal can remember, but then none of us have a desire to talk. I mean, you could get rich on a story like that, but it isn't happening.” Taking another sip of her soda, she continues with a giggle, “SciTwi, that is the name we gave Prep's Twilight, thinks it is more like a time distortion. She is way above even me in that science stuff.”

Celestia couldn’t help but feel a little affronted at that. Try as she might, she couldn’t keep it from her voice. “Getting rich off the back of my students doesn't really appeal, Sunset.” Her tone did soften however, when she continued, “I do alright here with Luna. As for the magic, I had hoped all that malarkey was behind us after the Sirens, but it wasn't to be.”

“Yeah,” Sunset agreed quickly, mentally kicking herself upside the head for her bluntness. “That came as a surprise to P.Twi. So, me and SciTwi have been digging around at this location and P.Twi at her end.”

“And?” Celestia asked cautiously as she took a welcome sip of her jasmine tea to calm her nerves. She still wasn’t sure how to broach the subject of centaurs. “What have you found out about the portal? I am presuming after what Midnight did, there have been consequences?”

“Midnight?” Sunset almost choked on her soda, again without meaning to she opened her knees. “Oh, you mean SciTwi. Yeah, she doesn't really like that name, by the way.” She quickly got her breathing under control and sat properly once more. “SciTwi thinks the magical flow has increased, at least from what that gadget she made is telling her.” Very quickly, when she saw the shock on Celestia’s face, she followed up, “She stopped trying to store the energy!”

‘She is definitely wearing no panties!’ Celestia thought, shock on her face as this time she got a clear view of Sunset’s shaven crotch. She held up a hand, thankfully Sunset had misread the look on her face. “I believe you. She's been nothing but a model student since the Games ended.”

“So,” Sunset quickly changed the subject away from Midnight Sparkle, “the portal is old, I mean really, really old.”

“I assumed as much, given how long the Sirens have been here.” Celestia had a thought then, when she realised it was safe to look at her student once more without blushing. Part of her remembered the time when she would’ve done the same, part of her wondered whom she was going commando for. “Sunset, is there any records of any other creatures being sent through? Besides yourself, I mean.”

“I...” whatever Sunset was going to say, she was interrupted by a faint purple glow from her backpack which was visible because she left it open. “I think P.Twi is looking into that right now.”

“Oh!” Celestia startled backwards a little, surprised by the glowing from the backpack. “What was that?”

With a little snicker, Sunset reached into her pack and pulled out the still-glowing journal from the bag’s depths. “After our little chat earlier, I let P.Twi know you were asking about the portal. When she writes in her book, mine glows to let me know she answered.”

Celestia reached for her tea, eyeing up the magical journal like it was going to explode at any moment. She so distrusted magic. “Like ah, text messaging?”

Sunset let out a little giggle, rolling her eyes at her Principal’s poor analogy. Still, it was kind of right. “Yeah, but over very long distances, or time, or dimensions or whatever it is…” she opened up the journal at the glowing page and quickly perused the script. “She says 'Hi' by the way. She thinks Starswirl the Bearded created the portal with Princess, ah, Celestia's blessing. He meant for it to be a cultural exchange, but conditions at this end were pretty bad at the time. Records are sketchy but it has been used many times from what P.Twi can figure out.”

“Princess Celestia...that...that would be the ah, the other me.” Celestia did the only thing she could think of under the circumstances and sipped what was left of her tea. ‘Magical nonsense…’ she sniffed, but tried to concentrate. “Right. The pony me. Specifically, if the portal has been used many times, is there anything mentioned in the records about the Everfree Forest here?”

Shrugging, Sunset duly wrote the question into the journal and very soon there came an answer. “Hum, she said she’ll look into it. The castle of the two sisters was in the Everfree Forest in Equestria, but the forest was once much larger than it is now. She can't say if it was inside, outside, or at the edge right now.” Sunset looked up at Celestia then, to find her hanging on every word. “Of course, now it is a good ways from the forest here, and there it is a portable mirror.”

Celestia nodded at that, though if she was honest she didn’t really understand it. It was filed firmly in her mental filing cabinet under ‘magical nonsense’. Still she hoped it would make sense to Moonsilver. “Sunset, before you came here, you were the other Celestia's student, weren't you? A gifted one too, from what I understand.”

Sunset shifted uncomfortably, her eyes looking anywhere but at Celestia right at that moment. “More like an arrogant one. I sort of pulled a fast one like her sister did, but at least I wasn't stuck on the moon for a thousand years, I was just sent here.” She sighed, “I made my bed and now I lay in it.” Playfully though, she cocked her head. “I'm sure you never suspected I might be arrogant.”

“Oh no, not arrogant at all…” Celestia smiled sweetly then, remembering what she had heard in the halls at CHS. “Well, perhaps a little, no offense. I just wondered, in all your studies back in Equestria, did you ever come across ah...centaurs, at all?”

Again, Sunset rolled her eyes. “None taken. But yes, in history class. Tirek was a centaur. He tried to conquer Equestria by stealing magic from ponies. He was defeated and sent to Tartarus for his crimes, that is pony hell, by the way. I think that was before the Dazzlings.”

“Hell?” Celestia wasn’t prepared for that. “Wow...like, literal hell?” she shook her head in an attempt to stay on topic. “Doesn't matter.”

“I remember P.Twi told me he escaped and tried again,” Sunset offered, recalling the tale that she had been told via the Sunday catch up sessions in the journal. “She and her friends sent him back to Tartarus. It seems that Discord, that is a...um...well, a dragon like creature, knew him.”

“I see.” Now it was Celestia’s turn to shift uncomfortably, “It sounds like there was quite the war back in your world.”

“Equestrian history is full of war,” Sunset shot back, “but I think you can say the same of this world too.”

Celestia laughed, “Oh can you ever. I suppose on that front we aren't so different.” She had a little thought though, as she reached for her teacup and found it empty, “Sunset, just suppose, if there was this war with this Tirek character, all that time ago, could it be possible some centaurs came here to escape it?”

Sunset thought about that for a moment, wondering briefly why Celestia was concerned with centaurs. “I don't see how they could unless there was help. It is possible, though. I could ask P.Twi to make sure.”

“Please, if you could ask her, I'd appreciate it.”

Obligingly, Sunset took up her journal and wrote out the question to Princess Twilight who, she imagined with a wry grin, was waiting on tenterhooks. Just a moment later she got a reply. “She said she will have to investigate that further. She says Tirek had a brother, a centaur called Scorpan.”

Celestia nodded, and as she was about to reply her belly rumbled. “While you're here, and while we await her reply, I wonder would you like to join me for dinner?” she asked, thinking of the lasagne in the fridge. “I doubt you've eaten much, coming here straight from work.”

“Thank you,” Sunset smiled, and it was only after the Principal had made the offer that she realised she was in fact hungry. “I'd like that.”

“Luna said there's lasagne in the fridge,” Celestia offered, “which means Cheerilee didn't want to see Luna starve and she cooked.”

Sunset giggled, ready to give help should it be requested. She didn’t however, want to impose. “How’s your sister doing?” she asked, now that Luna had been mentioned.

“Oh, she’s fine,” Celestia replied over her shoulder as she led the way through from the living room to the adjoining kitchen, “as is her girlfriend. I just don't know how Cheerilee does it.”

“What,” Sunset started, “being a sub you mean?”

Celestia nodded, “Yes, that’s right.”

Sunset Shimmer took a breath before she answered that. At once she thought of her relationship with Applejack. “It is both easy and difficult, at the same time.”

“Oh?” Celestia vocalised her surprise as she carefully retrieved the lasagne from the fridge and placed it in the oven. She was aware, vaguely, that Sunset Shimmer and Applejack were an item, but she didn’t know anything much beyond that. What her students got up to was their business, after all, as long as it didn’t interfere with CHS. “You'd know about that, would you? Plates are in that cupboard there, if you wouldn't mind.”

Quickly, Sunset made herself useful and got the plates from the indicated cupboard. “Yes, I would know, actually. I'm Jackie's sub. It is easy because you give control to another, but it is difficult because you're still in charge.”

“Yes, I ah, I had a chat with Cheerilee about that…” she paused at the stove, the temperature knob in her hand as what Sunset had said sunk in. “Wait, you and Applejack, you two do that?” Now…that was indeed a surprise and a half and no mistake.

Sunset giggled, suddenly she realised that she’d revealed that something about herself and Applejack. Still, given that everyone knew about Luna and Cheerilee’s antics, she figured it was okay. “Yeah, what is funny is she went and got me some pony gear. Me! The irony of it all.”

“Pony gear?” for the second time in as many moments, Celestia was surprised. “What on earth do you two get up to?” she blushed very hard then, “I do beg your pardon, Sunset. That was a little personal of me.”

“To each their own kinks,” Sunset said with a casual shrug, “So you talked to Cheerilee and now to me, why the interest, may I ask?”

Making a mental note to google a lot of things later when she was alone and had the chance, Celestia decided to trust Sunset Shimmer. “Well, I ah, you see, I met someone the other day and, I've asked him to be…” she squeaked it out then, before she lost her nerve, bracing herself for what her student may have to say about it. “My Master.”

“Oh,” Sunset blinked. “Oh I see, well good for you. Have you been watching Luna?”

Celestia slowly let out a breath that she hadn’t realised she was holding in. For a long few moments there was silence in the kitchen as the lasagne was reheated. “You um, well you can't really not, when Cheerilee comes over.” Celestia, blushing furiously, busied herself with getting out the cutlery and the napkins before placing them on the breakfast bar beside the plates. “Though sometimes I do tend to just stay in my room out of the way.”

Sunset performed a picture perfect eye roll, an eye roll that Luna would have been proud of. “It makes exhibitionists sad when they don't have an audience,” she said with a knowing smile. “I know for a fact that Big Mac watches, as Jackie always leaves the bedroom door open.”

Celestia sighed as she opened the oven door and removed the now ready lasagne. “Sunset, I recognise the eye roll. It's...it's not...easy, for me.”

Getting up from the stool she had been sat on by the breakfast bar, Sunset helped her Principal and now, friend, with the heavy steaming baking tray. “Before you dive in too deep, think about what your Master might have you do, and always remember that you're the one in charge.”

Celestia was grateful of Sunset’s help as she served up the lasagne on the plates for them. “Cheerilee said that too. I have...ideas, but ooooh, I just don't know, Sunset.”

“Mmmm,” for a few minutes, all Sunset could go was ‘mmm’ at the wondrous taste of the delicious lasagne. Swallowing a bite, she looked up at Celestia’s amused face. She figured she should say something. “Cheerilee is a good cook.” Then, she figured she should say something related to their present topic. “So, you take it easy. Don't be afraid to call a halt and talk it over. I think I did that a dozen times the first day. Jackie can be a very demanding dom, and I can be a little bit…stubborn, at times.”

“She is,” Celestia agreed when she was seated and she had swallowed her first mouthful. “And you're stubborn, I did notice. It's just...well,” she sighed and set the fork down, suddenly not very hungry, “I'm kidding myself Sunset. I was at Rarity's earlier and I bought something like what I used to wear. I looked utterly ridiculous.”

As she ate her dinner, Sunset had a sly smile on her face. “Used to wear? I'm sure you'd still look great in an Elizabethan gown.”

Celestia spluttered and for a split second she had a look of outrage on her face before she saw the giggles all over Sunset’s face. “Oh ha, ha.” She giggled along with the young woman, “Now you sound like Lulu. Believe it or not I wasn't always fifty. I used to be quite adventurous in my time.”

“As long as you can laugh about it, you'll be fine.” Sunset continued, still shovelling in the lasagne. No way was she wasting Cheerilee’s cooking. “So, you get a playboy bunny suit?” she asked, picking up on the fact that Celestia had been to Rarity’s shop.

Celestia fidgeted uncomfortably on the stool. “If you must know, it was a red lacy underwear set. It's in that bag over there on the couch.”

Another sly thought occurred to Sunset. “Are you offering to model?”

Celestia erupted in a huge blush at that. ‘Not like I haven’t seen what you have to offer’, she thought, though that had very probably been accidental. “Well um, only if you promise not to laugh.”

“If you're going to put it on backwards, I won't be able to promise that.”

“Ha, ha, ha.” Celestia deadpanned as she heaved herself up to her feet and turned to walk through to the living room, leaving her half-eaten lasagne and Sunset sat where she was. “I swear you're Luna's clone.” She paused at the door, “Oh, alright. Would you mind doing the dishes for me while I change?”

Sunset shrugged with a good natured smile, “Dishes are a small price to pay for dinner and entertainment.” Giggling, while Celestia hobbled to the couch and picked up her bag, Sunset finished off her plate and not only did she wash the dishes she also put away the leftovers too. To be helpful.

Consumed as she was by her very great doubt, and changing her mind literally every five seconds, Celestia took the bag from Carousel Boutique with Rarity’s three diamond logo on it through to her room and, just a short time later, once she had changed, she re-emerged wearing the red lacy underwear set well hidden beneath her white bathrobe. “Thank you, Sunset,” she said, standing in the doorway of the living room, “for doing the dishes.”

“Not a problem,” Sunset replied, then she looked at her Principal. Seeing the huge and very fluffy white bathrobe, she couldn’t help but frown. “Hmm, it’s nice, but that robe just doesn't seem to be Rarity's style.” She didn’t, however, continue her teasing when she saw that Celestia had her eyes closed. Sunset could tell she was summoning up her nerve, and then she shrugged off the robe.

At first, Sunset couldn’t see what she was so worried about. “Red is a good choice, it contrasts nicely with your white skin.” She got up from the stool by the breakfast bar and, seeing as Celestia wasn’t spinning, she slowly walked around the much older woman.

“Thank you,” Celestia said, allowing Sunset to complete one then two laps around her. All the while she had to fight the urge to cover herself up. “You um, you don't think it looks...” she trailed off before finishing quietly, “silly?”

“Silly?” Sunset asked in all seriousness, feeling a huge amount of affection and empathy for her friend at that point, “Well, I don't think you should go out to the mall dressed like this.” She giggled at her own joke, but quickly stopped. “Accentuate what you have and minimize what you don't. You don't have much of a butt, but you got boobs, just, there is this tie her, if I may?”

Celestia hung her head in utter shame when Sunset commented on her breasts. “They're horrible. All of me looks horrible…” still, she nodded, “you may.”

Sunset tutted to herself, “And I thought Dashie had body issues…” she muttered quietly as she worked the same tie that Rarity adjusted to lift Celestia’s sagging breasts. She really did look okay for her age. “There, that's better,” she passed her judgement, walking around her again. “Yeah, if your guy is a butt man, you may be in trouble,” for emphasis she crossed several lines of personal space and placed a hand on Celestia’s ass cheek. “But, you're toned. You must walk a lot.”

Unable to stop herself, Celestia let out a little squeak at the unexpected contact. “I ah, I do actually. On the treadmill.” She patted her pudgy pot belly, “trying to get rid of this.”

“Jackie says I'm too skinny,” Sunset said as she stepped back. “She is always making me eat her sweet apple pies. Not that I complain. So, does your man say you needed to tone up the rest of your body?”

“No,” Celestia shook her head, “actually, he seems to like me as I am, for now.”

Sunset nodded. “Oh for now, well don't let him see your sister's girlfriend then.” She broke into delighted little giggles, “Of course Cheerilee would kick him in the balls for you.” Though she smile at that, Sunset could see that her friend wasn’t convinced. She decided a more ‘direct’ approach was needed. “I mean really,” without warning, she lifted up her purple top to reveal her perky little bare breasts standing all firm and young, “I got these perky girls, but they're tiny! Jackie has some hooters and they are all sorts of soft and squishy!”

Completely caught by surprise, Celestia, presented now by her student’s perfect little breasts after also being shown her pussy, felt even more inadequate than she had before. For a good few minutes all she could do was blink. “Well...ah, they're very nice…” what else could she say? “Beyond a casual grope, we haven't actually done anything yet, he hasn't seen 'this',” she paused and gestured to herself, “yet.”

Smiling, Sunset lowered her shirt. “Lingerie can be tricky. The main point is to give the illusion of hidden so their imagination takes over. It usually ends up on the floor pretty quick. Jackie always wants the lights on so she can watch me dress and undress. Others feel better in the dark as it leads to that imagination.”

Celestia nodded, secretly quite happy that Sunset was putting herself away. She’d already seen more of the young woman than she cared to admit. “I understand that, Sunset. Perhaps I'm worrying over nothing. It has been a while for me though.” A thought occurred to her then, as they were stood in her kitchen. “Would you like another soda, before we go back to the living room?”

“Sure, unless you have dessert?”

“Well...” Celestia wasn’t going to admit to it, but, seeing as Sunset was something of a friend now…was she a friend? Well, she was certainly more than a student, that was for sure, “I do always have chocolate cake in the fridge…” she paused when Sunset nodded enthusiastically, and duly, Celestia served them both up a generous slice of ‘Cheerilee's Heaven’ chocolate cake complete with squirty cream.

“Sunset, may I ask you a rather personal question?” again, Sunset nodded. “Why did you stay here? After the Fall Formal, I mean. I'm sure you could've gone home, but you chose to stay. You helped fix the front entrance, even up to code, and you faced all the other students, even through that whole 'Anon-A-Miss' incident, you never thought of leaving?”

Sunset, with a spoonful of the chocolate cake midway to her lips, quickly swallowed it as she gathered her thoughts on that. “Of course I thought of returning, but that would bring my parents back into my life.” When she saw Celestia’s questioning look she sighed and continued, “You know about this parallel thing with your opposite number in the other world? It isn't always a fact. After all Celestia in Equestria has been around for about three thousand years and you don't look a day over one thousand.”

Celestia, in the process of swallowing her piece of cake, spluttered, “I can have you in detention for cheek, young lady!” they both shared a giggle at that. “And yes, I'm aware of my Equestrian opposite, what's that to do with your parents?”

Another mouthful of the wonderful cake, and Sunset decided to spill. “I decided to look up my opposite in this world. Her parents are as bad, really bad. Maybe worse than mine. She suicided at the age of thirteen. I had Celestia to shelter me from my parents, and I tossed that away. I fear I'm more like my parents than I want to admit. Here I don't have to deal with them or their counterparts.”

Celestia placed her hand on Sunset’s and squeezed it gently. “I'm so sorry to hear that, Sunset, although strangely I'm more sorry I never got the chance to protect this world's...well, you.”

“Not much you could have done.” Sunset said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Even in the other world the state can't just take a foal away because the parents are assholes. The other thing you should consider is the pony Applejack may not want a Sunset pony for her special somepony. While Jackie in this world is definitely happy with her Sunny, regardless of what world she is from.”

“Aaaah,” Celestia grinned, now seeing the whole picture. “I can see that being a very large factor in you staying,” she giggled, “Sunny.”

Just as they finished their respective bowls of chocolate cake, a bright purple glow came from the vibrating journal that Sunset Shimmer had left on the coffee table over in the living room. “Well,” Sunset said with a grin, dumping the bowls in the sink, “Let's see if P.Twi has any added information for us, or if she just spilled her ink again.”

“Oh…” Celestia giggled as she heaved herself up, the bathrobe around herself once more, for a thought had struck her and she giggled like a big girl. “Oh...Sunny Jack...hehe, you could market that as fruit juice!”

As she sat on the couch and opened the magical book, Sunset rolled her eyes in full knowledge that Applejack would do just that. “Okay,” Sunset read down the page, “she says she found a court document in the Royal Archives of Scorpan pleading for his people to be saved from the wrath of his brother Tirek. She is going to go to Celestia to get more info on this document, but it will be a couple of days.”

Listening attentively, Celestia put two and two together. “So...the centaurs did come here from Equestria then. I suspected as much.” Unfortunately, her musings weren’t as quiet or as under her breath as she thought they were.

“Okay,” Sunset looked up as she closed the book, “you read a lot more into that than I did. Although, it would explain a lot of that Greek mythos if it were true, though.”

“Greek!” Celestia exclaimed, earning herself a surprised look from the young woman sat next to her on her couch. “That's the language! I knew it was familiar!” of course it was! Her eyes went wide then for a number of reasons. Chief amongst them was that now she knew where to start, she could learn Greek. The other reason was the questioning look that Sunset was giving her. “I ah, I believe I owe you an explanation, now.” When Sunset nodded, Celestia sighed a teeny little sigh. “I have your absolute word this won't go any further, to any of your friends?”

Just like Celestia had squeezed her hand in the kitchen, Sunset squeezed hers. “Just so you know, the best kept secret is the one you don't tell. That said, if you got something weighing you down, or if you need some 'Equestrian' help, then I'm your girl...mare...you know.”

“I know.” Celestia had never been more grateful to have her hand squeezed at that moment. “And I did ask you here for a reason.” She took a deep breath, “well. There are centaurs living in the Everfree Forest. I met one, a rather handsome one the other day when I fell. We've been ah, meeting. I'm convinced they're from Equestria, and he seemed interested in the portal, which is why I called you.”

“Oh…oh, Okay,” Sunset blinked and then she blinked again. “I didn't see that coming. Like half horse half man centaurs?”

“That's right.”

“The Everfree Forest?” Sunset asked, and Celestia nodded again. Now it all started to make sense to Sunset at least, why Celestia was asking about it and such. Still, it was a lot to take in. “The Everfree, like, just down the road from here, Everfree, and there are centaurs, and they’ve been hidden for like, ever?”

Celestia just nodded. “In the Everfree Forest. I believe I know now why the rumours of it being haunted by spirits started.”

Sunset Shimmer laughed. She couldn’t help it. “You know just how unbelievable this sounds, right? So, your boyfriend is male, but not a human or a pony, but both. I think another Celestia will be very jealous of you.” Sunset held up a hand, “Not that I'm telling anyone or anypony.”

“You...” Celestia looked down at the floor, all her giddy enthusiasm seemed to leech from her in that moment. She had been so very sure that Sunset would’ve believed her. “You don't believe me…”

Unable to stop herself, Sunset snorted out a loud laugh, “Oh that face!” she snickered, again holding her friend’s hand. “Yeah, I'm a magic pony from another land full of magic ponies, do you believe that?”

Celestia blushed, but nonetheless she smiled. “It's kind of hard not to believe it, given all the evidence, and the recent events. Had you asked me that before the Fall Formal, I'd have said you were crazy.”

Sunset nodded, not letting go of Celestia’s hand, though a little part of her wanted the older woman to let go of the bathrobe, “And if you told me about centaurs in the woods before all this craziness, I would have said you're off your rocker and then I’d have looked into it behind the scenes. So, yeah I believe you, but you don't want me to talk about it, so what do I tell P.Twi when she finds more answers?”

“Well, she's the exception, obviously you have to tell her.” Celestia reasoned, “I figured as you're both Equestrian, I could talk freely about it to you.”

“Something else you need to know,” Sunset said seriously, “If Jackie gets wind of this by some other means and asks me about it, I'll not lie to her for you.” Only because she knew full well that there was no chance in this or any other world of beating the human lie detector otherwise known as Applejack. “I'll never bring this up, but what about you?”

“Likewise,” Celestia stated definitely. “I'll not bring this up with anyone. Perhaps in time he'll let me, I just don't know at this stage.”

“Not even with your sister?”

Now, Celestia looked very guilty indeed, not in the least because she and Luna never, ever, kept anything from each other. Ever. “Not without permission first, no.”

Sunset giggled and at last she released her hold on Celestia’s hand, but only so she could hold her cheek. “You have the naughty pet look down pretty well. I'll stay in touch though, as P.Twi discovers things. SciTwi will continue our research on portal as this info doesn't really change what we are studying.”

“Thank you, Sunset.” Celestia didn’t want her to let go of her cheek, but she knew she had to, sooner or later. “You'll keep me informed of what you find out?”

“Of course, and you can let me know when to let the cat out of the bag.” Sunset smiled, finally letting go as she stood up. While it had been fun seeing Celestia’s house, she had kept Applejack waiting long enough. She wanted to be able to sit at work tomorrow. Painting nails was hard enough without your ass cheeks on fire. “Maybe an introduction, with your master's permission, would be nice?”

Celestia grinned at the very big smile she was being given. “I'd love to introduce you to my Master, Sunset, I really would.”

“I'll hold you to that. I can even bring an apple pie to challenge Cheerilee's cake.”

“I hope once we're better acquainted, and I haven't scared him off, he'll agree to meeting.”

“Thank you for the meal, but I think it is best we don't tell anyone we met.” Sunset said as she stood up and picked up her backpack, “it may lead to questions we don't want to deal with.” At the door, she paused and hugged her fellow sub, giving her one last piece of advice. “Go with the flow, stop if you're uncomfortable about anything. Talk it over. Then go back to play with a new understanding on what is expected by all sides.”

Celestia giggled and returned the hug, “Yes ma'am.”

~ ~ ~

After Sunset Shimmer had taken her leave, her student and friend disappearing down the street in a roar of her dirt bike’s engine, Celestia closed her front door and tried, unsuccessfully, to content herself with a cup of jasmine tea. However, try as she might, no matter what she did, she just couldn’t settle in her favourite comfy chair.

Thoughts and images ran with abandon through her head. Thoughts that weren’t helped in the slightest when she googled ‘Ponygirl Pet Play’ and found out about what Sunset Shimmer and Applejack got up to. Images of Sunset’s young and supple body trussed up like that mixed with a new fantasy, namely, Moonsilver turning her into his white ponygirl and parading her down the street for all to see.

No matter how hard Celestia tried, there was no getting ‘that’ image out of her head now it was firmly lodged in there. There was nothing else for it, she’d have to get off. Still dressed in her lacy red lingerie, she slid her hand down her panties only to realise that her pubic hair had grown back. “Ugh…” she grunted to herself as she heaved herself to her feet and made her way to the bathroom to shave.

Sitting herself down on her toilet, Celestia gathered her supplies over by the sink and, taking some shaving cream in her hands, she spread it all over her pussy region. Spreading her legs as wide as she could, she very carefully moved the sharp razor over the hair. Trying her best to take it all off, she liked her pussy smooth and bare.

A short time later, when she was finished, Celestia used a wash cloth to wipe away the residue of the shaving cream. Although, in her opinion, her pussy looked amazing, she was still very horny from Sunset’s visit. In a rare moment of ‘un-Celestia-ness’, she left her shaving supplies where they were on her sink and, getting up to her feet, hobbled her way through to her bedroom.

However, on the way, she paused at her bedroom door as a very, very naughty thought occurred to her. Luna would never know. Purely on impulse, she walked to her sister’s room and, giggling like a naughty schoolgirl, Celestia ‘borrowed’ her younger sister’s favourite fuchsia coloured magic wand and vibrator from her nightstand drawer.

Luna would never know!

Giggling in anticipation, Celestia very carefully made her way back to her room. She drew the line at masturbating on her sister’s bed. Sitting down on the edge of her own bed, the horny fifty year old plugged in the ‘borrowed’ magic wand and she spread open her long legs in front of the mirror on the wall.

Breathing heavily, she was ready.

Turning on the magic wand, Celestia moved it all over her freshly shaved pussy. The vibrations felt simply amazing on her bare lips. She played it on low speed which felt so good on her skin. Opening her mouth, she sucked on the fuchsia vibrator until it was as wet as she was and, turning that on as well, she slid it into her aching horny pussy. Pushing the vibrator all the way inside her tunnel, she sawed it in and out of her snatch three times. She couldn't believe the way her pussy exploded into orgasm. Her juices dripped out of her, her pussy cream was a drippy egg-like consistency. Her sister’s vibrator was covered in her juices.

“Uuugh! Damnit!” Celestia grunted in frustration, more than a bit annoyed that she had already climaxed in such a short period of time. She was still horny and not at all satisfied by the quick orgasm. Refusing to stop pleasuring herself and determined to have a much more satisfying experience, Celestia worked her sister’s wand simultaneously with the vibrator fucking herself senseless.

As she screwed herself, her clitoris was now swollen and hard while she rubbed the magic wand all around it. In pure orgasmic bliss, her pussy fluid dripped onto her carpet. She supposed she should have sat on a towel, but she forgot and now she was too far into pleasuring herself to care.

Coming non-stop for several minutes, her pussy was bubbling while her juices spurted out of her hot and very wet cunt. Her sister’s vibrator was now covered in her cum while she continues to fuck herself stupid. Losing her grip on the toys because her pussy juices were dripping down her snatch, she couldn’t help but feel utterly amazing.

Still, she wasn’t satisfied.

Her nipples were standing proud at attention while she continued coming multiple times. Her cum was white and just hung dripping from her slick wet swollen pussy lips. She fantasised about Moonsilver. She fantasised about making love to her Master. Not like the bound rutting she dreamed of before, she imagined making love with him, her centaur, her hot lover and his hot big dick. Closing her eyes she flopped back on her bed as her orgasm built again, this time more intense than before while she fucked herself deeper and deeper with her sister’s vibrator.

As she pleasured herself, Celestia’s fantasies were vivid in her mind. As she worked the wand and the vibrator together, Moonsilver in her mind was fucking her very deep and very hard. Their bodies were like two pistons running together on high speed. She was climaxing repeatedly. Her fantasy flooded her mind. The passion created with Moonsilver in her fantasy was so real that her orgasms were happening almost non-stop for several minutes. By the time she was finished she was utterly exhausted.

Moonsilver in her fantasy was now sucking hard on her breasts while he pounded away at her sopping wet pussy. His massive throbbing length of flesh plunging deep inside of her snatch. They both moaned together while his body thrust into hers hard over and over again. Kissing deeply and passionately, they screamed while they climaxed together. Spent at last, he collapsed on her panting sweaty body while they held each other tight in a lover’s embrace.

“Wow…” Celestia panted and breathed through her last and most powerful orgasm of the evening. “Wow…” she repeated, finally opening her eyes and staring up at her bedroom ceiling. She couldn’t vocalise it any other way. ‘Wow’ seemed to cover it just fine.

For ten long minutes, while she calmed herself down, Celestia didn’t move at all. Only when her breathing had, at last, returned to somewhere near its normal rate, did she attempt to get up. Now the deed – or deeds, she thought with a blush – was done, she was fantastically embarrassed at having used her sister’s favourite toys.

As she sat herself up on the edge of her bed, her bed sheets and carpet wet from her squirted cum, there came a sudden and insistent pecking at her window. “Huh?” she gasped, her first terrified thought was that she had been spied upon. Then she banished that as she was on the first floor. Calming down, as the pecking continued, she noticed there was a large bird outside her window.

“Rehanos?” she asked out loud as she heaved herself up to her feet. Hobbling closer to the window she recognised the black-chested snake eagle tapping on her window. Thoughts of cleaning and replacing her younger sister’s magic wand and vibrator were shelved for the moment. “Oh! It's you!” she smiled, opening up her window. “Hello.”

When she had opened the window a little way, Rehanos pushed it fully open and dropped a tube from his claw to the bedroom floor. Puzzled, Celestia looked down at the tube the eagle had dropped and, after a little effort, she bent and picked it up. Quickly, as she was still in the underwear set, minus the panties, which were currently on the floor, she stepped away from the window. “Is this for me?”

Launching his way from the windowsill to her bed, Rehanos made use of this opportunity to check on his feather alignment as Celestia investigated the tube, seeing what it was. “You're a handsome bird, you know?” she smiled, turning the object over in her hands, she saw it was a message tube with a simple cap at one end.

Celestia found her hands were trembling as she opened up the tube. She was naturally very curious, but she was also excited, especially as she knew it had to be from Moonsilver.

“Celestia,

Rehanos has graciously agreed to carry notes between us. Finding your home was an adventure in itself.

First, you must remove the dream stone from contact with your skin. If you want to wear it put tape on the side touching your skin. You may use the dream stone on each Friday till we meet in person. It can be addictive however and you don’t have the skills yet to resist its call.

Second, I like the scent of honeysuckle. Consider it for your bath or shampoo.

Third, if you truly want me to be your Master then I will accept the challenge. Do not fail my expectations that you have a strong spirit, or neither of us will enjoy the play.

Till we meet in the flesh, I will see you in your dreams.

Should you wish to reply, put your words on paper and inside the message tube. Leave it on your windowsill with a bit of tape to keep it in place. When Rehanos passes by he will collect the tube and bring it to me.

Moonsilver.”

Celestia read and re-read the missive several times, her very recent orgasms forgotten as she drank in actual tangible contact from her lover. Unfortunately, while she was distracted by the note, Rehanos grabbed at one of the pretty fuchsia objects – the vibrator - on her bed and, holding it in his claw, he flew away out of the open window. “Hey!” Celestia called out ineffectually, “that's...Luna's...oh my...”

Making a mental note to get honeysuckle shampoo and perfume, she quickly scrabbled around on her dresser for some paper so she could writes out a note in reply.

“Moonsilver,

I believe I will address you as Master, from here on. Thank you for your note, it was a balm indeed to see your words.

I have found out many things about the thing we discussed in my dream. In two days, Friday, I will collect my new choker. I should like to meet you in the forest, on a trail that I can reach, for you to place it upon my neck.

Yours, Celestia, or Celly, if you'd prefer.

Ps, please can I have the object back that Rehanos took?”

Putting her signature on her reply letter, Celestia rolled it up and placed it in the message tube. Making sure the cap was on tight at the end, she taped it onto the outside of her window. For a long few moments she stayed by the window in the hope that Rehanos would come back.

As five minutes became ten and ten became twenty however, she realised the snake eagle wasn’t coming back any time soon. With a sigh she turned back to her stained bed and saw the fuchsia coloured magic wand laid there all alone. One thought ran through her mind.

“How in the hell am I going to explain this to Luna?”