Title:           Storm Princess [Princess Celestia, AiE]
Author:          Woofr
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/CGC038vP
First Edit:      Tuesday 5th of April 2016 01:46:36 AM CDT
Last Edit:       Tuesday 5th of April 2016 01:46:36 AM CDT

>Rain has always captivated you in ways you never quite understood.
>You’d put every aspect of it under a mental microscope, deconstructed every last bit of what rain was and what was involved.
>Right here, outside like this, you could see, hear, smell, feel and taste every last one of those things.
>The electric presence and scent that came before and during rain, damp but charged.
>There was the pounding of the rain, the cacophonous assemblage of every “plip” and “plop” echoed across vast swathes of the land, hitting ground, trees and rooftops.
>What you saw now was its expanse, just how far this storm was reaching across this haven called Equestria.
>The stormclouds reached out across valleys, mountains and plains, soaking it all.
>Off and off into the distance you could watch it roil and spit lightning, up above you too, in the dark clouded sky beyond the towers of Canterlot.
>You could feel the storm on you, the rain and the wind pounding you as you stood free and strong on your stone balcony overlooking the palace.
>The rain tasted fresh, free and absolutely pure.
>All of that you understood.
>You’d grasped it and come to relish it.
>But what you’d never been capable of understanding was the awe you felt with each storm.
>Just that utterly irresistible desire to observe.
>You could watch a storm for hours, days.
>As long as it would last, you could watch it.
>You knew everyone had something like that, a thing that they could always come back to and just…
>Watch.
>Things like fires, rivers, mountains, forests and fields.
>Nature never ceased to capture the hearts of those who looked upon it.
>You’d been captured by the storms and the rain.
>Standing here like this in the storm brought back memories, good ones from back home on earth.
>Memories of all the times you’d do just this, go out shirtless, sometimes completely naked into a storm just to watch.
>You smirked.
>Often with a beer or two, just to smooth things over.
 
>...Be good to have one now actually, you did have a case on ice after all.
>You turned around, away from the storm and back to your palace quarters.
>Dripping all over the marble floor, you stepped up and off of your balcony into your bedroom proper, shutting the sturdy glass and wood balcony doors behind you.
>Whipping your wet hair out of your eyes, you pulled your jeans up further and started across-
>”Oh! Apologies Anonymous, I didn’t know you were bathing.”
>Princess Celestia was in your room, looking very out of place.
>Honestly, Celestia was just too beautiful for a lot of places.
>She stood a little more hesitant than you were used to seeing her, on the other side of your four poster bed, by your door.
>You stared in surprise, caught off guard.
>Silence pressed in, only emphasized by the dulled sound of the rain hitting the palace outside…
>Celestia pawed awkwardly at the floor with a hoof, eyes darting around the room at everything but you.
>Then finally she stood firm, giving you a quick glance and a nod.
>”Well, I’ll leave you your privacy.”
“You can stay if you want. I’m just getting a beer, then heading back out on the balcony for the night.”
>Princess Celestia blinked, her eyes met yours.
>She always had a pleasant gaze, even when she was out of sorts, the purple in them was so beautiful and soothing.
>Sitting down, Celestia’s brow furrowed slightly and she cocked her head to the side, curious.
>”In the storm?”
>You nodded matter of factly as you crossed your room, over to the cooler at the end of your bed.
“Yeah.”
>Reaching inside, you grabbed a nice cold bottle of beer and pulled it out.
“I like watching storms.”
>Princess Celestia smiled, amused, as you twisted the cap off of your beer and took a swig.
>One of her eyebrows shot up though, in a way all too reminiscent of when your mother would scold you.
>”You’ll catch a cold.”
 
>You shrugged and flicked the cap behind your back and into the little trash bin by your wardrobe.
“Eh, done it plenty of times back home.”
>”Well, at least let me dry you off.”
>Princess Celestia pointed her horn at you, glowing with magic.
>Immediately you felt a warmth spread all across your body, from top to bottom.
>You looked at yourself curiously, watching drops of water disappear in little flashes of light.
>After a couple seconds, it was done, you were completely dry.
>You smiled.
“Thanks. Want a beer?”
>Celestia sighed, but she nodded her assent.
>You grinned and got another beer out, lobbing it underhand to her.
>Princess Celestia caught it in her magic, horn aglow in gold, then twisted the cap off.
>As she hovered the cap over to your trash bin, Celestia got a swig in.
>You looked on, expectantly.
“Good?”
>Smacking her lips, Princess Celestia stared at the label.
>”Black Dragon Premium Dry.”
“I’ve got simple tastes, sorry it ain’t quite the centuries old wine you’re used to.”
>Celestia rolled her eyes as she downed some more beer, tossing you a mischievous little smile.
>”Shush.”
>You obliged and pulled up your wooden desk chair for a seat, by the balcony doors.
>Princess Celestia trotted in closer, setting her royal rump down on the fine rug by your cooler.
>The two of you drank in silence for a bit, relaxed.
>It was only when you’d gotten about halfway down your bottle that Celestia spoke up again.
>“I came here because the guards were gossiping about a crazy hairless pony on your balcony by the way. Must you really watch the storm shirtless?”
>You laughed, low and booming, in between gulps of beer.
“Of course. Haven’t you ever gone out in a storm?”
>Shooting you a wry smile over her bottle, Celestia nodded.
 
>”Yes, when I was younger.”
>You smiled on.
“What changed?”
>”Equestria changed. Storms like the one out there were used by Discord’s gryphon forces to conceal themselves before they sieged the Castle of the Two Sisters. I had to protect my little ponies.”
>Truth be told, you already knew exactly what Princess Celestia’s answer was going to be.
>It’s just that you loved the fire that smouldered in Celestia’s eyes when she talked about the old days.
>Memories had been at the forefront for you nowadays, and those burning eyes brought back plenty of them.
>Mostly of your father, watching a campfire and telling you stories about the decades he spent fighting forest fires.
>Man versus nature.
>Here, ponies didn’t attribute nature with disasters so much, it was always chaos lurking around every shadowy corner.
>And so Princess Celestia along with Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends would fight chaos.
>Harmony versus chaos.
>The fight was more black and white than you were used to, definitely different from the greys on Earth.
>But it was still nostalgic.
>You polished off your beer and set the empty down on the floor beside you.
>You were about to get up but Celestia held a hoof up, horn alight.
>Using her magic, Princess Celestia hovered a new bottle of beer over and into your hand.
“Thanks.”
>”You’re welcome.”
>Celestia helped herself to another beer as well, setting her empty down alongside yours, she scooted a little closer to your chair.
>Celestia’s flowing rainbow tail was all wrapped around her flank and lying right out in front of her, nearly coming up to your foot now.
>You twisted the cap off of your second beer and tossed it into your trash bin, as did Celestia, albeit more gracefully with her magic.
>More silence as the both of you drank.
>Then you spoke again.
 
“Seems Equestria has changed again, far as I can tell.”
>Princess Celestia snorted, rolling her eyes.
>”Yes, instead of facing me directly in combat, my enemies smile to my face and scheme behind my back.”
>You shrugged.
“Well, that’s why Princess Luna’s the unofficial Pony of Secrets. Right?”
>Celestia eyed you carefully, you noticed her flowing mane had slowed down a bit.
>”You’ve got a good eye.”
“I’ve dealt with plenty of liars before. Ponies are usually bad ones, especially castle staff.”
>Giggling, Princess Celestia shook her head and drank some more of her beer.
>”Fair enough. So what are you trying to say? I should just relax? Leave my little ponies without a guardian?”
>You thought on your words for a bit, looking for the right ones as you drank your beer.
>Celestia looked at ease, but you could feel that she was actually tensed right up.
>If you spoke wrong, she’d probably just up and leave.
“Well, no. I’m saying you can afford to loosen your grip a little. Discord isn’t at the gates anymore. Tirek isn’t tearing a bloody path through Equestria.”
>Ah shit, Celestia was frowning now, she started to speak up with an ominous ring in her voice.
>”I am here for my ponies. I always will be. I –“
“Look, what I’m saying is: Why is the one pony princess I always hear defending and praising Twilight Sparkle still all tensed up about having a good time?”
>Princess Celestia stopped talking, but she was still frowning at you.
“You say that the Six Elements are the best deterrent against evil that Equestria has, a force for spreading Harmony across all the land. Yet you keep on talking like you can’t take a break.”
>Her eyes were narrowed now.
>You felt a little nervous, talking on.
“I mean shit, you’re having a beer right now aren’t you? But I can tell you aren’t relaxed at all. Just let loose a bit. There are plenty of ponies around to worry about problems now, it isn’t just you sitting up here in the palace alone.”
>That frown was gone.
>Celestia looked at you with her eyes wide, shocked.
 
“There are tons of ponies who depend on you, sure. But I see plenty of friends that YOU can depend on, and you aren’t.”
>You sighed, relieved that you weren’t about to get a stern talking to, and chugged down some more beer.
>Celestia just simmered for a bit, thinking about what you said.
>Then she laughed, all tinkly and gentle.
>Every titter she uttered, Celestia tried to stifle herself with a fore hoof and failed.
>”Ohh alright, alright.”
>Princess Celestia had a hell of a grin, all sparkly clean white teeth.
>”You’ve gone quite a ways just to convince this silly old princess to go storm watching with you.”
>You grinned back at her, finishing off your bottle.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
>Standing up, you set your empty bottle down and walked over to Celestia.
>You gave her a quick pat on the back before opening the balcony doors.
“You’re not that silly.”
>You ignored the scoffing, but you could definitely feel that glare and the eye rolling on your back.
>Brought a smile to your face as you walked out onto the balcony.
>Or maybe that was the rain.
>Celestia trotted out alongside you, muzzle pointed towards the wind.
>Her ears flicked in it, brushed by her mane as it blew back behind her.
>The tricky bit was that her mane and tail both flowed as slow and smooth as always.
>You shook your head and chuckled.
“Magic.”
>”It has its uses.”
>Smiling softly at you, despite the harsh whipping wind, Celestia hovered over a pair of beer bottles with their caps already off.
>You grabbed one and drunk deep.
“Ahhhhh… Good stuff!”
>The wind was picking up even stronger now, the rain was striking your chest and your sides at full force.
 
>Celestia didn’t seem bothered at all, she was relishing in it as much as you were.
>She stepped further onto the balcony, hooves clopping against the stone.
>Slow and steady, Princess Celestia closed her eyes and spread her wings, letting the rain at them properly.
>The feathers sparked and flashed as the water droplets struck them, it looked a lot like the spell Celestia used to dry you off earlier.
>Steam rose off of Celestia and caught some unseen light, casting a rainbow over her back to match her tail and mane.
>Now that was beauty, the pure white princess against the dark grey clouds in the distance.
>Everything around Princess Celestia just seemed…
>Brighter, cleaner.
>Stormy of course, but still peaceful somehow.
>Then she chugged down some beer and the illusion was shattered.
>Celestia whooped and hollered with her head held high, mane and tail whipping around free now.
>”WOOOOOOOOOOHAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! FREEEEEEEEDDDDDDOOOOMMMM!”
>You laughed your ass off, nearly dropped your beer.
>Then you got up beside Princess Celestia, getting a good couple chugs out of your own bottle before whooping with her at the storm.
“YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHAAAAAAAA!”
>Still hollering at the top your lungs, you flipped the bird at the storm with your bottle in your other hand.
>And just then it struck out, a lightning bolt arced down through the air, striking in the forest just beyond the great field below Canterlot.
>A second later the boom came rolling across the field.
>You and Celestia both just laughed.
>”OH JUST KISS MY ROYAL TUSH!”
“YEAH! FUCK OFF!”
>More rumbling, loud and low with flashes among the clouds.
>You relaxed a little though, leaning against the balcony’s retaining wall.
>Celestia sidled up to you.
 
>She pressed her side against yours and craned her long neck up against your chest, with her head nestled firmly by your heart.
>Felt nice, warm.
>You wrapped your arm around her withers and pulled her in even tighter.
>The wind calmed, almost as if on command.
>You could’ve sworn Princess Celestia’s horn glowed for a moment there too.
“Royal Tush huh?”
>Celestia scoffed, nuzzling her head in further.
>”Shush.”
>The rain fell on, soaking you and Celestia right to the core.
>You never got a chill though, Princess Celestia had more than enough warmth to go around.
>Warmth was a growing commodity after all, with spring ending and summer coming on.