The Pony on the Doorstep

>The doorbell rings

>What the hell? It's almost midnight. Who in their right mind would show up so late?

>You groan and sluggishly pull yourself out of bed

>Throwing on some of your favorite bunny slippers, you flick on the hallway light and make your way downstairs

>You pause, briefly considering if it's a robber of some sort

>The idea is quickly shaken off. That's retarded. What kind of robber would ring the doorbell?

>You grab the handle and throw open the door

"Hello?"

>None's there

>The fuck?

>From the ground you hear a little yawn

>You look down and see-

>Holy shit

>A filly Celestia is sitting on your doorstep

>She looks as groggy are you, if not more so. She's got a little red bow, like the kind you see on Christmas presents attached to her mane and a tag attached to that

>It reads, "To: Anon, From: ???"

>A gift to Anonymous from someone anonymous. Cute.

>Upon making eye contact with you, her expression lights up and she gives you a warm smile

>"Hi! I'm Celestia!"

>Oh god your heart

>No, control yourself. Don't scare the filly

"Uh...I'm Anonymous. But...you can just call me Anon. I think."

>A chill wind blows, making both you and filly Celestia shiver

>"Mr. Anon if it's not too much to ask...Could I maybe...stay here for the night...?"

>Of course you can you cute fucking horse

>Trying to contain your power level, you simply nod and gesture for her to come inside

>She happily does so and you close the door behind her

>What is going on

 

>Celestia looks around your apartment in absolute awe, like a kid going to Disney Land for the first time

>She trots over to the couch and leaps onto it like a medium sized dog

>You just stare at her for a while

>What was she doing here?

>After a while she catches you staring and tilts her head

>"What?"

>You shake your head, snapping yourself out of it

"Nothing. Um...would you like anything to drink?"

>She bashfully hides her face behind her hooves

>"Yes please..."

>You nod and walk over to the kitchen

>Considering the time, you pull a jug of milk out of the refrigerator, pour some, and heat it up in the microwave

>After it's all said and done, you carefully take the plastic cup over to her, making sure to be very careful as not to spill

>She's patiently sitting on your couch, staring at you with those big eyes of hers

>Holy shit those eyes are so fucking cute you can't even

"Here you go..."

>You gently place to cup in her hooves, and she gracefully takes it

>You sit in the armchair across from your couch, listening to her little sips and wondering what you should ask her first

"Uh...look, Celestia. I was just wondering-"

>You halt your thoughts as you notice the white filly curled into a ball on your couch, snoring gently

>You chuckle quietly and grab a blanket

>Of course. She's young and probably exhausted. There would be time for questions in the morning

>You place the blanket over her and walk back to the stairs, taking one last look at her

"Goodnight 'Tia."

>Maybe you were imagining it, but it looked like a faint smile on her face

>You flick off the light and walk back to your room in the dark

>Filly Celestia was now a resident in your home

 

>POOMF

>Something heavy lands on your bed

>What the-

"AAAAAH!"

>You let out an exclamation of surprise as you see a pair of bright violet eyes gazing into yours

>You end up falling off the bed and end up landing on your head

>CRITICAL HIT

"Owwwww..."

>Celestia scrambles to the edge of your bed

>"Mr. Anon! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!"

>You rub the spot that you fell on, forcing a laugh to cease the filly's worrying

"Nah, I'm fine. I've been hit by worse."

>She raises an eyebrow in skeptic concern

>"Are you sure?"

>You stand up slowly, trying not to get a headrush

"See? Perfectly fine!"

>This seems good enough for her, as she visiblly relaxes and smiles

"Now let's go get some breakfast."

>She nods and jumps off your bed, cantering out the bedroom door

>You follow her downstairs and haul your ass into the kitchen

>You can't exactly cook, so you look around for something she can eat

>Bingo

>With an expert combination of oats, water, and a little bit of cinnamon, you're able to whip up a bowl of oatmeal

>It isn't exactly gourmet, but it'll do

 

>Celestia walks over to your table and tries to pull a chair out. She succeeds, but actually getting onto the chair is out of her control

>"Um...Mr. Anon?"

>You laugh and place the oatmeal bowl on the table

"Here, let me help you out."

>You stoop down and lift her up. She's not light, but not overlly heavy either. She's about the weight of a small child

>You set her down gently in the chair and she beams at you

>You'd be willing to help her into that chair a million times for that smile

>She curiously looks at the bowl

>"What is it?"

"It's oatmeal. It's pretty simple, so I hope you don't mind too much."

>You give her a spoon which she takes with her magic

>She cautiosly lifts up a spoonful of the goop and feels it with her tongue. After deciding it's good enough to eaten, she hungrily devours the rest of the contents of the bowl

>She levitates a napkin from the center of the table over to her mouth and gently pats the corners

>"Thank you Mr. Anon. That was very tasty."

>You smile at her and wave a hand

"Bah, it's nothing. I could probablly whip up better if I really applied myself to it."

>Celestia seems completely enthralled by this idea

>"You can make better?"

>You blush a little bit at having been put on the spot

>"Well...maybe. I don't know. Anyway, there was something I wanted to ask you about your stay."

>A wave of something that resembles dread washes over her

>"Am I...going to have to leave now?"

 

>That hit you hard

"NO! No, you're fine! I quite enjoy your company actually. It's just...where did you come from? And why are you here of all places?"

>She paused and thought long and hard, searching for an answer

>"I dunno."

>What

"You...don't know?"

>"Nope."

>Well that was pointless. You consider pushing her further for an answer you can hold on to, but you remind herself she's still just a child

>Hell, she probably knows less than you

"Well...until we figure it out, would you...maybe like to stay here?"

>Her face gets brigher than the sun, pun aside

>"Ohhhhh! Can I really?!"

>You nod

>"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!"

>She jumnps down and hugs your leg. She turns to leave the kitchen but stops at the entrance

>"Oh, and Mr. Anon?"

"Yes?"

>"I'm really looking forward to trying your food."

 

>The rest of the day passes quietly. Celestia is content to exploring your apartment or watching you go about your daily activities

>For lunch you made macaroni and cheese

>For dinner, ramen

>You really need to get better at cooking

>Soon, it's time to start winding down. You shower and head downstairs to check up on her

>"Mr. Anon, can you tuck me in?"

>You take the same blanket you placed on her the night before and wrapped it around her like a cute little burrito

"Better?"

>She giggles a little bit

>"Better"

>You nod and make your way up stairs

>"Goodnight Mr. Anon!"

"Goodnight Celestia."

>The lights flick off

>You settle into bed and drift off

>Knock knock kncock

>It feels like you'd just gotten to sleep, but you're pulled out of it regardless

>You mumble into the darkness

"Come in..."

>Celestia opens the door and walks in cautiously as if she were entering a minefield. Which, in her head was probablly what was happening

>"I-I'm sorry to disturb you Mr. Anon, b-but I..."

>She inhales before pushing her embarresment aside

>"I had a nightmare..."

 

>You beckon for her to sit next to you

>She scurries over and fumbles to pull herself onto your bed

"Do you want to talk about it?"

>She takes another deep breathe

>"I was alone...Except, there were faces...they kept yelling at me for being different..."

>She trails off and starts to sniffle

>Oshit, red alert. Crying females aren't in your job description

>At a loss for what to do, you give her a hug

"Hey...I'm still here, aren't I? You don't have to worry about being alone anymore."

>"B-b-b-but, what if you d-d-don't like me anymore?"

>You tighten the squeeze of your hug

"That's not going to happen. You're the most likeable pers...pony in the world!"

>She sniffles and wipes an eye

>"Y-you think so?"

"I KNOW so. I won't ever make you leave. This can be your home as much as it is mine. I mean...if you want."

>She sighs with relief

>There's a long silence between you two before you breaks it

>"Anon?"

>This is the first time she's dropped the formalities. You decide to return the gesture

"Yes, Tia?"

>"C...can I sleep with you tonight?"

>Your heart beats a little bit faster. No one has ever slept with you before, romantically or not

"S-sure!"

>You move over a bit and she digs her way through the blankets. It doesn't take long for her head to pop out and rest on your pillow

>She blinks once with those large innocent eyes and smiles

>Then she moves over a little bit and rests her head on your chest

>You try to remain calm, but you're fighting a losing battle against sheer cuteness here

>"Your heart is beating kind of fast Anon."

>You shrug and try and slow your breathing. She can't get to sleep if you're all tense, you remind your dumbass self

>You wrap an arm around her, which proves to be the right choice of action because Celestia is completely calm now

>She snuggles up against you a little bit more before letting out her signature light snores

>The warmth of another living being on you makes you tired as well, and soon you're gone

 

>Beep beep! Beep beep!

>Fuck

>The woes of Monday morning are shared simutaneously throughout every man's soul

>You smack the alarm clock and will yourself into an upright position

>Celestia is sleeping next to you peacefully. The alarm didn't wake her it seems

>Which makes you feel like shit considering what you're about to do

>You nudge her gently

"Tia..."

>She makes a barely audible noise and shifts her position. At least she's awake

"Tia, I have to go now."

>Her eyes shoot open and she almost throws herself upright

>"What? But you said you wouldn't leave!"

>Oh shit, she got the wrong idea. You guess being half awake will do that to someo...somepony

"Nonononono, it's only for a few hours. I'll be back for dinner."

>This calms her down a little bit, but not by much

>"But what am I going to do?"

>Fuck. You've hated work before, but now that you have to abandon Celestia while you do it makes you hate it a thousand times more

"Well, I could make you some breakfast and lunch for you to eat later."

>"Thank you, but what will I do for today?"

>Shit. You hadn't thought of that

>Stumbling out of bed, you dig into a drawer at your desk

>Gotcha

>You proudly take your prize and set it in front of Celestia

>"What are these?"

"These are crayons. You can draw on paper with them. There's all sorts of colors to."

>She visibly lights up, delighted at the prospect of custom art. She almost completely forgets about you having to leave

>Almost

>"I'll miss you, Anon."

"I'll miss you too, Tia."

 

>You made the both of you a breakfast of cereal

>She poked at it for a bit before trying it, but gave it approval after finishing it off

>Leaving sucked

>You gave each other a brief hug (which Celestia tried to extend by latching on to your neck and trying to come with you) and then you were off to work

>The day dragged by like you were stuck in the asshole of Father Time

>All you could think about for most the day was Celestia

>Where on earth did this miniture cartoon horse come from?

>Finally, your work shift ended and you drove home

>You unlocked the door and walked inside

"Tia, I'm home!"

>Celestia sits in the middle of the floor with papers strewn all about as she happily colors. When she sees you, her face shifts to an expression of pure joy

>"Anon!"

>She breaks into full gallop towards you

>You crouch down and catch her hug, which is so powerful it ends up knocking you flat on your back. She snuggles up against you

>"I'm so happy you're back!"

>You smile in response

"I'm happy to be back. Did you manage without me?"

>She nods

>"Mm-hm! Look what I drew!"

>She floats a piece of paper over to you

"Oh? What's this?"

>Your heart nearly stops

"T-Tia, is this..."

>You gingerly take the piece of paper from her

"...us?"

>She nods eccentrically

>"Your suit was kind of hard to draw, so I made it a rectangle. I hope you don't mind."

>Your eyes start to water at the simple crayola art piece

"Th-thank you. It's wonderful."

 

>"Anon, why are you crying?"

>You wipe an eye

"People don't always cry when they're sad. Sometimes they cry when they're really happy."

>"Are you happy right now?"

>You nod and give her a giant hug

"Happiest I've ever been in my life."

>You break the hug and walk into the kitchen

>Celestia curiously follows you, probably confused as to what you're doing

>You reach into a drawer and withdraw a simple round magnet to hang the drawing on the refridgerator

"There. Now I'll be able to see it every morning."

>She grins proudly

>"So...what's for dinner?"

>You think about this for a while. When you were living by yourself, most of your meals were just scavaged

>Then, an idea strikes you

>You grin at Celestia

"How about...we try cooking together?"

>She gasps, and gives you a mile long smile

>That probably means yes

 

>Celestia screams as the fire alarm goes off and your entire kitchen is soaked

"WHY. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A CORNBREAD."

>After bating away the smoke with a broom, the water finally shuts off and the two of you stand there sopping wet

>It started off simple enough: You searched for a recipe online, gathered the ingrediants...

>But then you two started goofing off

>It started with you booping her nose with batter on it, then devolved into her chasing you around the kitchen with an armada of towels at her disposal

>And then you lost track of time and the fire alarm went off

>The two of you stand there for a little while longer, before breaking out into laughter

"Mental note to self: Set the timer next time."

>She nods and you both proceed to collect your spoils

"OW. OW. HOT. OW."

>Another mental note to self: Buy some oven mits

>The pan of burned cornbread lands ungracefully on the table and you both stare it for a while

>"It looks like your suit."

"Eheheh, well...you've gotta start somewhere, right?"

>Smooth

>You grab two plates and cut two pieces, putting them on her plate and your plate respectively

>She frowns at the food

>Shit, think of something

>Before you can think any further, you grab your piece and stuff a large portion of it in your mouth, grimacing while you do so

>You fight back your gag reflex and begin chewing

"'ee? Ah fwood if fwine!"

>You open your mouth wider for emphasis, which causes her to giggle

>"Ewwwww!"

>But your plan works. She finishes her slice, even though she enjoyed it about as much as you did

"Why don't we get some premade meals next time?"

>Celestia nods strongly with a silly grin

>"Let's."

 

>You clean up the kitchen which has been made doubly messy by the fire alarm

>After your work is done, you take a look at Celestia who is still damp from the whole experience

"I think you should take a bath before going to sleep tonight."

>She tilts her head quizically

>"What's a bath?"

>You grin

>Oh, the wonders you were about to reveal

>You hiked upstairs got the water in the bathtub running at a nice warm tempreture

>Then, you added your secret ingrediant

>Bubbles

>One might argue that is was odd more a grown man to have the soap needed for a bubble bath, but it was a nice way to decompress on really stressful days

>You hear Celestia come up from behind you

>"Anon? Whatcha doin'?"

"Behold...the BUBBLE BATH!"

>You step away from your creation and proudly present it like a magician

>She blinks

>"What does it do?"

>Without another word, you pick her up and carefully place her in the tub

>Her confusion goes from confusion, to breif terror, to one of absolute bewilderment

>"EEEEE! It's like sitting on a cloud!"

>She squeals with delight and splashes around in the water

>You chuckle, glad to see your craftsmanship pay off

"Alright, alright. Lemme wash your hai-mane."

>You pick up some shampoo and rub it into her scalp

>"Hehehe! I have a cloud on my head!"

>You can't held but grin in response

"Oh no! Here comes a raincloud!"

>You pour some water on her head, which makes her look at you mischeviously

>"I'm the monster from the deep! Rawr!"

>She splashes some water at you

>You laugh and throw your arms up in defense

"Hey, cut it out!"

 

>Celestia plays in the tub a little bit more to the point of even befriending the rubber duck

>After you've successfully washed her, you drain the tub and dry her off

>She shivers slightly upon exiting the bathroom however

>You notice this and start thinking of possible remedies for this

"Hey, I've got something for you."

>You lead her to your room and dig around in your dresser until you find what you were looking for

"Those are some old pajamas of mine. I can't fit in them anymore because they're too small for me, but maybe they'll work for you."

>She gratefully takes them and trips over herself trying to get them on

>You chuckle a bit at the sight

"Here, let me help you out."

>After a little bit of difficulty, the jammies are on Celestia were successfully placed

>In the end however, they looked way too big and goofy on her

>Despite how they look, she seems comfortable enough in them

>She jumps up on your bed and stares at you with those big eyes of hers

>"Anon? Can you read me a bedtime story?"

>A bedtime story? It's a wonderful way to end the night, but do you know of any bedtime stories?

>No, you don't

>But you could make one up

>You take a seat next to her on the bed as she snuggles up next to you

"Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria..."

 

>The week passes with each moment you spend with Celestia being wonderful

>Finally, Friday's workshif ends and the weekend begins

>It's Saturday morning, and Celestia is playing in your backyard

>It's warm out, and you're about to doze off

>Then Celestia screams

>With all the time you've spent with her, you're able to tell when her screams are out of happiness or agony

>This wasn't a happy scream

>You launch yourself onto your feet, only to stop yourself when you see Celestia galloping towards you with something in her levitation field

>"Anooooon!"

>She places it in your hands

>"Something's wrong with him!"

>It's a baby bird with a broken wing

>Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit

"Uh...um..."

>"Can you fix him?"

>Your mind races for possibilites. You gulp

"I'll...I'll see what I can do."

>You dig up an old shoebox and some cloth and gently set the baby bird inside

>You pull a dropper out from your kitchen, fill it with water and try giving the bird something to drink

>The bird weakly accepts and lays its head down

>Meanwhile Celestia is watching you the entire time

>Just when you think it can't get any worse, the bird's breathing slows

>No

>No, you CAN'T die!

>It isn't long before the bird stops breathing completely

>Nonononononono

>"Hey...Mr. Birdie...? Wake up..."

 

>Shit this isn't good

>Fuck

>You take a deep breath

"Celestia, he's not going to wake up."

>She gives you a confused glance

>"What? Why not?"

>You're going to have to explain death to her

"Well...we all have life. It's what keeps us awake. When we die...that's when we lose our life, we can't...wake up anymore."

>Celestia looks completely distraught at this. Her eyes begin to water

>"S-so...I won't be able to see Mr. Birdie again...?"

"...No, I'm afraid not."

>At this point, Celestia has began to cry

>"Why didn't you fix him?!"

"I tired! I'm sorry, there wasn't anything I could do..."

>"You're lying!"

>She gallops up the stairs sobbing

"Celestia, wait!"

>She heads for your room and slams the door

>Shit, that hurt. She had never called you a liar before. Or expressed any negative emotion at you for that matter

>You run up the stairs after her and grab the handle

"Celestia, please...Open the-"

>You turn the handle and the door opens. It appears she didn't lock it

"...door."

>She has her face burried into your pillow and is quietly sobbing now, hiccuping as she does so

>You sit down next to her gingerly

>How to go about this...

 

>She looks up at you

>She's a complete mess

>"Why did Mr. Birdie have to die...?"

>You pat her reassuringly

"We all die eventually. It's a natural part of life. Some people believe in Heaven, which is where we can all meet up again after we die."

>"Will Mr. Birdie go to Heaven?"

>You don't know. You're not sure what you beleive, but in this moment, comforting Celestia is what's important

"Yes, Mr. Birdie is in Heaven right now."

>She sniffles and sits up

>"I'll miss him very much."

"Me too. If it makes you feel any better though, I'm not planning on dying any time soon."

>"Y-you'd better not..."

>She buries her face into your side

>You laugh half-heartedly and pick her up, cradling her as you walk out of the room

"C'mon. Let's go get some lunch."

 

>Months pass and the weather starts to get colder

>Celestia approaches you and questions you frequently about the changes occuring around you two

>"What's wrong with Mr. Tree? Why is he losing his leaves?"

>You find it cute how she adds Mr. in front of everything unfamilier to her. It makes you feel especially good when you realize she stopped calling you Mr. Anon after meeting you

"Oh, he just doesn't like the cold. Once it gets warmer again, his leaves will grow back."

>"So he'll be alright in the Sping?"

"He'll be alright in the spring."

>Before you know it, it's December

"Hey Celestia, come outside!"

>The little white filly trots over to the door, opens it with her magic, and steps out

>"What is it, Anon?"

"Look!"

>You point to the sky as the Winter's first snowflake drifts slowly down

"Snow!"

>It lands on her nose, making her blink and shake her head

>"Brrrrr! It's cold!"

>This emits a small laugh from you

"I need to get some Winter gear for you. But until then, I don't think you've ever had hot chocolate or sat by a fireplace."

>Celestia shakes her head

"Well then, today will be a first!"