Bliss in Darkness

Let the Games Begin

She was so... elegant. She gave off the impression of a true artist as she walked up to me, her eyes filled with the greatness of all the stars and the moon combined. She was dark, she was strong, she was everything that fueled my nocturnal fire. I took a step back in awe, and took two steps forward in confidence. The look on my face must have been a mix of pain, frustration, awe and bliss. The look on hers, however, was that of pure determination. I would have been terrified if she wasn't so alluring.

"I have something I must confess Charles." She spoke, her voice unshaken.

"That would be?"

"I... Although it is difficult to admit, I may have been wrong about you."

"Are you referring to the time we kissed or the time you told me you didn't want to be anything but friends?" I said, my eagerness overpowering my awe.

"I..well.. we... uh..." She said obviously taken aback by the tone of voice I used with her. I was not angry, I just wanted to win this little game of words she had gotten herself into.

"The Mare of Darkness, Princess of the Night, Priestess of the Moon choking on her own words. Tell me again, exactly why did you come?" I said, a smile creeping onto my face. She was scared of me. Me. The Princess, who had grown up more powerful than all other ponies, save one, was afraid of me. I was going to have so much fun...

"I just.. wanted to apologize. After you left I realized I may have been wrong to turn you away so quickly."

"Yes, I noticed how the canvas of the night sky was riddled with fear and regret that night." I said, partially guessing, little did I know, it was actually true.

"Quite. I talked to my sister and asked for advice, and she said you may want to see me?" She said, her shy, happy personality coming out in the last few words. It was quite funny really. Whenever Luna spoke to anypony official she put on this mask of toughness and authority. I never knew this, for every time she visited me in the hospital it was her true personality that showed. The personality I loved.

The personality I was going to have a little bit more fun with. I had her in my trap, and she was struggling to escape it. She descended upon me that night as a goddess, and I was stripping her down to an equal. I thought over my response carefully. I wanted to toy with her, but if she got hurt and flew away I wouldn't be able to physically follow. Not only that, but then I would be caught in her trap, the same way she was caught in mine. Dangerous is the game of love.

"I might have." I simply said. I could see the distress in her eyes as my insides churned with glee, barely able to contain my excitement. She obviously had feelings for me, and I was winning this game. She looked like she was about to explode inside from Luna's frustration, but on the outside she looked as calm and regal as the Princess always did. Luna and the Princess. Two sides of the same coin.

"Well do you or do you not wish to see me? I have... things I must attend to and I do not have all night." She said promptly and with a regal accent. Her voice was booming at this point, from frustration and angst. Much to her chagrin, I was determined to win this little quarrel, and I would have her on her knees begging before I would give in to my own temptation.

"Oh, I think we both know why wants to see who..." I hissed calmly as I took several steps closer to her. Still being right next to Fluttershy's cottage, I put phase two of my plan into action

"But before we settle this, let us depart. I can detect prying ears..." I said the last part loudly. Much to my unsurprise I heard a loud 'EEP!' and a slamming door coming from a very flustered Fluttershy only a few yards away.

"Fine. What do you suggest?"

"The forest."

***

"I can't believe it! Aughh.. why do I have to be the one to deal with this..." Twilight sighed in emotional distress. Ever since Charlie had left, she had been frantically reorganizing the entire library from top to bottom in hopes that it would take her mind off of him. Her plan would have worked, if not for her overactive brain finding more and more Charlie-related things to think about. It was going to be another long, sleepless night for the purple mare in distress, only instead of studying like usual, she would be thinking about the consequences of her actions.

"Maybe... maybe I was too harsh on him.." She whispered aloud to herself. "If the Princess forgave him, surely there must be somewhat of a redeeming factor that I missed." Suddenly she remembered.

"He saved their lives." She felt even worse now that she had uncovered that dusty memory from the top shelf of her grey matter. Charlie had saved the lives of both Princesses during the return of Nightmare Moon. He nearly threw himself away in that selfless act of redemption. It was not enough to atone for his past, she was sure, but it was a great start.

"Ugh... I need to get out of here. I can't sleep. Maybe Pinkie is up..." She thought, surely if somepony could make her feel better it was that quivering ball of energy and spontaneity that was her friend Pinkie Pie. Little did Twilight know, Pinkie already had company.

***

While I was certainly aware that the Earth-augmented Everfree forest was even more dangerous at night, it was all part of my plan of breaking down the Princess into Luna. The added danger of the forest would put more pressure on her, further increasing her desire for protection. Protection that now only I could provide. No wonder people thought I was a monster... I could be a devious son of a bitch if need be.

"No that I am afraid, but is it really a good idea to be trotting around in the most dangerous place in Equestria in the middle of the night?" She said, her shell of royalty already breaking down into the alicorn mare I fell in love with. It was already working.

"Princess... you seem to forget that I am infinitely stronger at night, and you are the night. I am untouchable." I said, making sure to impress the fact that I alone was untouchable, therefore she was vulnerable.

"Whatever you say Charles."

I laughed silently at the Princesses' discomfort. It's a shame I never had anybody to torment like this on Earth. I was good at it. Claire was just too easy.. I then pushed the thought of Claire out of my mind. It was a weak subject, and I wanted to give off the impression of anything but weak. I wanted to be Luna's pillar of inconceivable might, not the wet noodle of self doubt and regret.

I truly wasn't afraid of the Everfree, especially at night. This genetic disease/mutation worked in my favor perfectly, as I was able to reach out with my mind and avoid any walking terrors. Even if something crossed my path, I would have known about it and drained it before it could even snarl at me. Luna, however, had no idea of my power and to her we were as vulnerable as children who had gotten into their parent’s medicine cabinet. I glanced over my shoulder several quick times, and each time I silently laughed at myself seeing the Princess as flustered and scared as she was.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of walking we reached the Everfree Castle. The very place me and Luna first met. This place sent shivers down even my immortal spine, but I could not let Luna know that. I would have to be on my guard especially here, being that Luna was Nightmare Moon's creation. Who knew if Nightmare was still lurking about? I was playing a very dangerous game.

We approached the courtyard and that's where I made my stand. I had no desire of entering the building, deciding that I have come far enough in my conquest for Luna's heart. This is where I would lay out my pawns, rooks and bishops. The game had officially begun.

***

'Three knocks, no answer. Odd. I can hear her in there...' Sighed the depressed purple unicorn.

"Pinkie? I know you're in there..." Twilight said with a slight sigh. She got to Sugarcube Corner just as the clock struck three in the morning. She heard giggling and strange noises coming from within. If it was any other pony, Twilight would be shocked, but this was Pinkie. She wouldn't be surprised in the least if she had walked in there and found Pinkie with the entire cast of Desperate Housemares.

"Twilight? What are you doing here?" Came Pinkies voice from somewhere inside. There was something strange about it however. Her usual cheery and bubbly tone was replaced by one Twilight had never heard pinkie speak in before. Embarrassment.

"I just came by to see if you could cheer me up, but if you are busy I guess I'll come back." Twilight said, rather let down. There was something going on at Pinkie's and she wasn't invited. This only piqued her curiosity, however, and she took to watching the windows. She heard Pinkie shout and giggle, but then she heard something else entirely. She heard another voice. But it wasn't speaking... it was moaning.

Now she just had to find out what was going on. Doing her best Sherlock Hooves impersonation, she snuck around the back of the house and found a large slab of wood. She stepped on the slab, and levitated it up to Pinkie's bedroom window. The sight of it caused Twilight to pass out and fall straight to the ground below.

Pinkie pie was inside her room with Applejack. The sheer shock of this alone was odd, because Pinkie and AJ never seemed awfully close, but there was something else going on. Applejack was tied to the bed with black silk. She was blindfolded and had chocolate syrup painted on her fur in unidentifiable shapes. Pinkie was licking the syrup off her friends coat in long lavish licks and Applejack was moaning in delight.

Several hours later, Twilight regained consciousness. Thankful for her lack of injuries from her fall, she got up and started her journey back home in broken shame. How could she hide what she saw? Would she ever be able to look at Applejack and Pinkie the same way again? Is that why the orange farm pony was so quick to go 'home' earlier? The questions swam in Twilight's scarred mind. Hopefully a long bath and a good day's sleep would help her scrub her mind of such an awkwardly arousing sight. Hopefully Charlie turned out ok last night...

***

"EEP!" Fluttershy squealed as she heard Charlie's voice boom across the distance to her home. He knew she was listening to him! She was scared of him, as she was of everything, but now she actually had a reason to be frightened. His eyes... Would the stare even work on him if she needed to use it? Would Charlie be mad when he sees her next?

She didn't know. She sighed and returned to her nightly chore of tending to the animals. It had been a long frightful day, and she was under additional stress from a bout of the bunny-flu that was sweeping the border of the Everfree that year. She was stressed, and she knew exactly the mare to cheer her up. Pinkie Pie.

Fluttershy got herself combed and ready to go, and then took a quick look at herself in the mirror. Fluttershy may not have been as 'fabulous' as Rarity, but she always tried to look her best. Her mane was always the perfect length, her coat always shimmering. After all, somepony might get mad at her if she looked substandard. Oh Fluttershy...

The now clean yellow mare took a peek out the window to make sure Charlie and Luna had left. To her delight, there wasn't a trace of them anywhere. She didn't know if she could handle any more drama from today, and a run in Charlie would probably cause her to pass out.

After she verified her exit, she took a cautious leap out the front door and walked up the road to Pinkie's house. She was so excited to see her spastic friend. Maybe Pinkie would have some cake she could eat. She liked cake. As long as she didn't have to ask for it that is...

Once Pinkie's house came into view something was immediately off. There was a pony-shaped lump next to a slab of wood sitting under Pinkie's bedroom window. Fluttershy walked carefully up to it and upon further inspection, it was none other than Twilight Sparkle herself in all her unconscious glory. Scared that Twilight would be angry if she woke her up, Fluttershy decided to leave her alone for the time being.

A very timid yellow mare opened the door to Pinkie's house. There was an interesting smell wafting about the room. It smelled like chocolate and... Applejack? Not that Fluttershy spent an exorbitant amount of time sniffing Applejack, but she had noticed the strong aroma of farm pony whenever the orange earth pony was near. She was slightly confused, but she just assumed Applejack had been over earlier or something.

Several timid steps later, she heard moaning. Fluttershy flinched, thinking it was a monster. She was about to turn away and run out the door when her friendship instincts kicked in.

"What if a Chocolaty Applejack scented monster is attacking Pinkie Pie?" She whispered loudly and with much concern. A very loud scream was heard and Fluttershy made up her mind. She needed to rescue Pinkie Pie! She bolted across the room in all her timid glory, raced up the stairs and burst into Pinkies room.

"Stop right...there?"

And for the second time that, Fluttershy let out an embarrassed 'EEP' and fell to the ground, too embarrassed to stay conscious.

"Hey AJ, what do you say we take her back home and tell her it was all a dream?"

"Oh... Okay... Well.... Maybe after we finish up this here whipped cream."

"Okey Dokey Lokey!"

Authors Notes: