Author's Note

So I finally managed to finish the rewriting on this story. For the most part it follows along as it did before, but I did do a fair bit of reworking in Chapters 1 & 2. (This chapter in particular is over double the length of the original.) Chapter 3 was mostly left untouched other than adding a bit to the end to tie off the story instead of doing an Epilogue chapter. Because of the significant changes, I published as new chapters instead of just doing an edit of chapters-in-place.

01: The Manual Approach

The bright, serene light from a full moon washed gently down over a sleepy Ponyville and carried with it the promise of peaceful dreams and rest from the long day. As it poured through the open balcony doors of Twilight’s chambers in the Castle of Friendship it carried far more special meaning.

The midnight-blue rug Twilight sat on had been placed there specifically because that spot was most exposed to the moonlight and, as the moon’s beauty drew her eyes, it completely enveloped her. She took a deep breath of the crisp night air and closed her eyes, shifting focus to her other senses. It was in moments like this that she’d swear she could almost feel the moonlight as a physical force lightly embracing her. A smile came easily at the thought.

Reluctantly she pulled her attention back to the task of preening. Yet another unexpected chore from becoming an alicorn, but necessary if she wanted to keep her wings in healthy, working order. Luckily though, she had managed to develop a spell to speed the process along and she called on it now, letting the magic flow slowly over her wings and feathers.

"I simply do not understand why you refuse to preen normally. Surely you realize it is much more enjoyable," an amused voice said from behind her.

Twilight glanced over her shoulder at Luna where she lay on her bed, smile broadening, "I’ll have you know that this spell is the quickest, most efficient, and most reliable method of maintaining proper wing health – enjoyment isn’t an important consideration." She faced forward again and went on with her spell. "After all, the faster I get this out the way, the sooner I can join you for some cuddle time, and I much prefer that."

"And who ever said that preening has to interfere with our quality time?"

Twilight noted that this was said in what she had come to identify as Luna's mischievous tone – something that made her both nervous and a bit excited. In the time that they had been dating, things had gone far better than Twilight could have hoped. In particular, Luna seemed instinctively to know exactly how far she could push Twilight out of her normal comfort zone without triggering a freak-out, and she loved to prove it again and again. And Twilight found that she usually was happy for it in the end as well. That tone of voice told her that Luna had another push in mind.

"Oh? And just wha- Ahh!"

She felt her face heat up as a warm, moist pressure travelled along part of her left wing and transformed into a gentle tugging sensation. The entire process sent a pleasurable tingle racing across the nerves in her wing and into her stomach. A simple twist of the head was enough to verify her assumption: Luna, with a decidedly mischievous and amused expression, had her mouth closed around one of her primaries…and Twilight felt that she looked far too pleased with herself for the successful sneak attack.

She licked nervously at lips suddenly gone dry and started, "Luna? What are you doi-nnnnnggggg..." Luna had released her grip and run her tongue along the feather’s length to press against the sensitive skin where it attached to the wing. One, ever-analytical corner of Twilight’s mind noted that voluntary control of vocal cords could apparently be disabled via application of proper stimulus to wings, but the rest of her mind was too busy enjoying the moment to respond to conscious control. Another attempt to speak resulted only in a low, “Murrrrr.”

Luna pulled back for a moment to respond, "I'm simply presenting my argument in support of manual preening. Now shush and let me work." It wasn’t so much the words as the tone that sent a shiver up and down Twilight’s spine. That husky undertone to the whisper was just so animalistic and exciting. Despite that, she still tried one more time to resist.

"But Luna, I- I- uh-," Twilight could feel her tongue starting to loll out of her mouth as Luna's slipped once more between the base of her feathers and gave a long, firm stroke to the hidden flesh of her wing. The little bit of resistance she’d tried to maintain crumbled under this renewed assault on her senses and she finally gave in with a murmured, "Mmmmm, tha's niiccce," which somehow managed to come out as something resembling real words.

"Mmm hmm," and Luna's hummed assent triggered another shiver before she pulled back again. "I know, that’s the point. Now be a good little filly and shush like I told you to!" Then she gave Twilight a short swat on the rear with one of her wings, making the younger alicorn jump. "And spread those wing properly!"

~*~

In their time together, Luna had found a new pleasure in simply watching Twilight. For all that she was a bit bookish, she still possessed a slim grace and elegance that made her quite attractive. And the physical changes from becoming an alicorn had only enhanced that subtle beauty. Seeing her bathed in moonlight though was so much more entrancing. There was something so natural and right to Luna about seeing her that way – as part of her night.

Usually, she’d tease Twilight about her preening spell, but be happy enough to lay there and just watch her until she finished. There was something about tonight that had pushed her into acting before thinking though. When she’d slipped silently from the bed, her conscious intent was to simply lay next to Twilight. Her unconscious obviously had other plans though as she’d acted without hesitation in taking over the preening. Then, once she’d heard and felt Twilight’s response, there was nothing that could have stopped her.

She took a brief moment to enjoy the sight as Twilight obeyed her command to spread out her wings. Her forehooves had slipped forward during the previous ministrations and she was now stretched out on her stomach, wings at full spread to both sides, and a goofy smile on her face. Luna gave a silent giggle at the smile before lowering herself to resume the preening.

Twilight had obviously already showered this evening, and the subtle smell and taste of lavender and lemon zest danced across Luna’s senses as she slowly worked over and around the feathers from the tip of the wing to the base, carefully cleaning and aligning them. The sighs, gasps, shuddering breaths, and short bursts of purring from Twilight became an auditory counterpoint to the process. She spent a little longer than necessary working the very base of Twilight’s wing, fully enjoying the shudders she could feel pass through her with each lick and nip.

She finally decided enough was enough and pulled back to get started on the other wing. Before doing so, however, she took a moment to observe her handiwork. A self-satisfied grin spread across her face at the sight of her beloved in a state of utter relaxation with a little puddle of drool next to her muzzle where her tongue was hanging out. The grin froze however when an unexpected – but familiar – odor caught her attention and drew her eyes elsewhere. While most of Twilight was certainly relaxed, her tail was flagged and her marehood was producing its own drool. A shiver of her own ran through Luna as she took a deep inhale of the musk she hadn’t noticed until now. It was a smell that never failed to excite her: a bit reminiscent of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries all in one but at the same time completely different. Tart and sweet at the same time and oh so addictive.

Her head dipped instinctively toward the treasure presented, tongue extending for a taste. Just before contact though she caught herself and struggled not to complete the motion. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to. Oh how she wanted to! But she had a task to complete first, and it was obvious from the rest of Twilight’s body language that she wasn’t even aware of her current state.

And so, in a feat of extreme self-control Luna managed to pull back, careful to breathe shallow so as not to weaken her resolve in another wave of that euphoric scent. She couldn’t, however, stop the slight whimper as her own quickening arousal became apparent during her move to Twilight’s other side.

Later, she promised herself as she bent to her work on the new wing.

~*~

Twilight was lost to the world at this point. Nothing she had ever experienced could really compare with the precise sensations she was feeling now. True, she’d had to preen herself in the past until she’d managed to develop a spell for it, but she could never get comfortable with it. This though…this was so soothing. Despite the spikes and peaks of sensation, it all flowed together so seamlessly that all her muscles seemed to turn to mush and a warmth spread through her entire body.

The analytical part of her mind had even managed to shut down and she was left floating in a sea of sensation. Gone was the rug, the floor, the room, and even the night outside. Time itself no longer held sway and she couldn’t tell whether moments, hours, or days were passing. It didn’t matter. It was just her and Luna here.

This, Twilight's muddled mind mused, is truly the definition of bliss.

She was remotely aware when Luna began on her right wing though. The analytical part of her mind briefly attempted to wake up with some comment or another about the preening on this wing going differently than the other, but it was quickly extinguished again in the surrender to the moment. She could feel her breath catch slightly each time Luna nuzzled into her fluff and took a deep breath before getting back to work with her tongue. When a hoof would run along her side a tiny spark of lightning would dance along behind it. When she felt soft feathers that must have been Luna’s run down her back she couldn’t stop the gasp.

Somewhere along the line the preening had ceased to be just a physical thing. The outside world had vanished to her senses, but the universe didn’t seem to shrink. Instead, it felt that her current existence had no borders. Most of Luna’s attention may have been focused on her right wing, but it felt like she was all around her, as though their bodies no longer existed and their very essences were intertwined. The sensations flowed from the wing and through her entire being to the point that it didn't matter where each started. It was physical, mental, spiritual, sensual, and sexual all at once.

She was in complete sensory overload from the experience when suddenly everything seemed to pause. For the length of a single, sharp inhale all sensation stopped. But in the next instant she let out a howl of ecstasy as she felt herself explode like a supernova. It was the birth of an entire cosmos, a billion happy memories, and for an undefinable instant she encompassed the entire universe.

It was a desperate need for oxygen that finally shocked her back into the moment as she gasped for breath. Tingling aftershocks rocked back and forth through her and stars continued to dance before her eyes as she trembled and panted, trying to restart her numb and foggy mind.

Seconds, minutes, maybe even hours later, she finally was able to open her eyes. Stars continued to dance in her vision and it took some dazed blinking before her sluggish thoughts finally realized that the dancing stars were in Luna’s mane. Somehow aware that Twilight was finally coming back to herself, Luna planted a gentle kiss on her muzzle. Twilight hummed happily and tried to push into the kiss, but lacked the muscle control to pull it off.

“Tha-“ Twilight croaked before breaking off and trying to moisten a throat gone dry. “That was…” She closed her eyes as she extended into a full stretch, licking her lips like a cat that had gotten away with an entire carton of cream.

Luna giggled shakily at the display, but managed a fairly steady voice as she teased, "You see, my sweet Eve... My beautiful Evening Star..." and she touched her nose to Twilight’s such that their lips tickled against each other as she continued in a husky whisper, "I told you that manual preening is better."

The faint echoes of that world-shattering orgasm, that damned sexy whisper of Luna’s, and the fresh tingles shooting through her from their lips brushing against each other all tempted her to agree. To agree with anything Luna might say at all. But a rarely used corner of her mind had managed to get itself back online and she felt a mischievous grin of her own quickly forming.

Her horn lit brightly as she picked Luna up in her magic, earning a satisfying “Eep” in the process. As she turned and deposited her prey onto the bed she took a deep breath and smirked as she could easily detect the tell-tale odor of Luna’s own arousal underneath her own (currently) stronger scent.

With half-lidded eyes and slow, purposeful steps she approached the bed. She couldn’t stop herself from licking her lips as she hungrily took in the sight of her clearly aroused marefriend sprawled out on her back on the bed. And the blush that spread across Luna’s face at her approach only made the fire in her chest burn hotter.

The short walk was made in silence, but as she reached the bed she finally responded to Luna’s comment in a rough voice that was nearly a growl, “I hope you’re ready for my counter-argument…”