Approaches to Preening

by Wodahseht

Rating: mature
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Princess Luna, Porn, Sex, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 5924

Twilight uses magic to maintain her wings because it's the most efficient. Luna decides to "explain" why efficient isn't always the best option.

Twilight is quite the supporter of reliability and efficiency. As such, she has developed a spell to help her maintain her wings, but her marefriend Luna doesn't think efficient is the best option when it comes to preening. And she's decided to argue her case.

** I recently completed a significant rewrite and the story is now a little under twice its original length. It's still basically the same story, but hopefully a bit improved.

This is set in the future of the All for One - One for Luna timeline.

Published 2015-03-06 20:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2016-01-28 12:56:28 UTC

01: The Manual Approach

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…”

02: The Magical Approach

Once Luna had become aware of Twilight’s arousal during the preening, it had been impossible for her to take her mind off of it, and it had certainly affected the second half of the session. She’d caught herself using licks meant to heat and tease instead of ones meant simply to get the job done. The constantly growing scent both of them had been putting off got to her more and more and she’d tried breathing through Twilight’s feathers to filter it, but that had just proved to fuel her own desires all the more. Even her hoof and wing had wandered. Then watching Twilight orgasm like that…! She was surprised she didn’t release as well.

The time it took for Twilight to recover had provided her a little cool-down time, but not enough that she could have resisted taking things to the next level. But Twilight beat her to it. And that was fanning the flames like nothing else ever had.

As she watched Twilight approaching the bed, Luna found herself trembling with an anticipation greater than any she could remember. She had been longing for this moment - both the imminent sexy times and Twilight's taking charge. Up to this point Twilight had never tried to be in control of anything in the relationship - which wasn't to say that she'd been submissive, just that she'd never really put her desires forward. And now Luna felt her own nether fires burning brighter with every slow step Twilight took with that lust-filled look on her face.

It was the look of a predator that had cornered its prey. It said that there was no way out and no bargaining. It said Twilight had control and wasn’t about to give it up. That look sent a heat wave flashing through her body and she felt her own marehood clench and drip as it winked her desire. By the time Twilight finally reached the bed and growled her intent she was trembling with anticipation.

Was she ready? Oh Moon and Stars, Yes!

She wanted to shout it out, but that predatory grin and stare held her spellbound as Twilight slowly crawled onto the bed and slowly approached. Luna watched as Twilight’s nostrils flared wide, taking in the heavy scent of arousal that filled the air. The predator grin widened and eyes narrowed as some unknown thought was entertained.

"My dear widdle Woona has been a very naughty filly: interrupting my preening and making a mess of my new rug."

"I really don't think what I did was at a-"

Luna found her words cut off into a throaty moan as a magical caress slid along her underbelly, up to her ribs, then split to tease right at the base of both her wings where they were the most sensitive. She might – MIGHT – have been able to pretend a degree of indifference…but for the fact that the caress was not being applied only from the outside. It seemed that Twilight had figured out how to stimulate the nerves directly, and the unexpected assault had briefly rendered Luna speechless.

"What was that? You have to speak more clearly if you wish to be understood," Twilight drawled out sounding quite pleased with herself and the reaction to her efforts.

That authoritarian tone laced with cocky amusement sent a fresh thrill through Luna. She was beginning to lose her grasp on coherent thought, but she knew a response had been demanded of her and so she tried to give one. It was a doomed attempt that was cut off almost the moment it began as the magical caress shot up and along the leading edges of her wings before abruptly cutting out, leaving her panting and quivering as phantom sensations sped along nerves suddenly deprived of stimuli. She opened her mouth to try again and the caress came again, but this time on the underside of her wing, and all that came out was a long moan of pleasure.

~*~

Twilight eyes raked possessively over the sprawled and helpless alicorn before her. She sent the magic dancing across Luna’s wings in random patterns, flashing on and off in sync with the writhing mare’s own winking marehood. A devilish smirk ran across her muzzle at the thought that Luna was orchestrating her own torture.

The magic may have been doing its job, but Twilight herself was too excited not to take part directly in the fun. And so, ensuring Luna was held firmly in her telekinesis, she bent to run her tongue up the central groove on the frog of Luna’s rear hoof. Luna’s entire body gave a sharp spasm and attempted to retract the extended leg at the unexpected ambush. Unfortunately for Luna the telekinesis held and Twilight was able to continue her journey, licking and nibbling her way along the inside of her leg toward the neglected treasure at its end.

A litany of needy sounds and almost-words from Luna accompanied Twilight on her way down the leg, but when she skipped over the sopping sex and made to tease her way back up the other leg she was interrupted by a desperate plea of “PLEASE EVE!”

Twilight looked up to see Luna, struggling to maintain eye contact, her need written clearly across her face. Twilight stretched out and pressed her neck hard against Luna's dripping marehood and asked, “Please what?” followed a long, questioning, "Hmmmm?"

~*~

Luna’s control had finally broken. She’d been riding the ups and downs of her own arousal for too long and couldn’t take any more teasing or games. Her want had become a need. But while she saw in Twilight’s eyes that the need had been recognized, it was obvious that the predator wasn’t quite through with its prey just yet.

The fur of Twilight’s neck stroking against her sensitive flesh and winking clit sent new and stronger signals flashing up and down her spine, joining those coming from the – now gentled – magical caressing of her wings. On top of all that, the vibrations from Twilight’s hummed inquiry was another flash of tortured bliss. Through gritted teeth, she somehow managed to hiss out a barely understandable, "You are not playing fair!"

Despite that she’d seen the predator in Twilight and welcomed it, she had expected a far more tentative exploration from her bookish marefriend and these creative attacks were taking her very much by surprise. Not that she intended to complain! As long as she got her release that is…

"Fair?" Twilight growled as she began dragging her way slowly, very slowly, up along Luna's body. "I don’t recall asking if I was playing fair. Please what?"

Luna could feel her own juices being spread up along her body as they hitched a ride on Twilight's fur. The rubbing and tickling of fur along her sex was now also being applied to her teats as well, all while Twilight's magic continued to work over her wings, and Twilight herself licked and bit the fur and flesh along her path. It was too much for Luna and she was completely unable to respond coherently. But each time she thought she’d finally find release the peak seemed to move on her. Repeated, desperate chants of “Please!” were all she could get out between moans and hisses.

A whimper of protest was torn from her throat as Twilight's travel took her far enough that she was no longer pressed against Luna's marehood. Twilight paused there unmoving as Luna continued her chant, trembling at how very, very close relief was.

“Please what?”

She drew every bit of energy that remained to her in an attempt to scream her plea, but all that she managed to get out was a roughly whispered, “Please let me cum…”

“As you wish.”

For a moment nothing happened, but then Twilight slid forward again and Luna screamed in pleasure as the dual sensation of Twilight's teats clashing and rubbing with her own, as well as Twilight's teeth nipping suddenly at her throat, gave her that last tiny push she'd needed in order to fall over the cliff into a world of pure pleasure. Sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch were all lost to her as she rode the tsunami of her release. How long she was lost in that inner world she would never know, but it seemed for a while as though it would never end. Each time she thought it was finally being to ebb, some new spark would send her shooting to a new peak.

After that exquisite eternity, the chain of orgasms began to fade enough that other senses started to come back online, though small aftershocks continued to jolt her from time to time. First she became aware of the warm lassitude spread all through her body and of an ache of overused muscles. Then she felt the air rushing in and out of her mouth as she panted. Next she managed to fight open her eyes and met the set of deep purple ones mere inches away - the sight of which made her racing heart skip a beat as feelings of love for the owner coursed through her.

Finally, hearing returned.

"-na! Luna! Are you okay!? You'd stopped breathing for a minute there!"

"Mmmmm hmmmmm..." hummed Luna as she wrapped shaky forelegs around Twilight and pulled her down into a deep, loving, and unhurried kiss. Tongues sliding along each other and exploring mouths in long, slow passes. It wasn't about passion, it was all about extending the sensation of being connected body and soul.

When the two finally broke apart, still breathing heavily, Luna responded to the earlier, worried question. "Far more than just okay. I've never felt anything quite that intense before." She flopped her head back on the bed. "That was just... Wow!"

Twilight pressed their cheeks together and nuzzled her neck before moving up to her ear. "So I win then?"

Luna locked Twilight with an appraising stare. "As wonderful as that was, I don't think it counts as a fair counter-argument."

"But I didn't use anything but magic in the preening of your wings!"

“And I’m sure you used it exactly like you normally do…” Luna replied sarcastically and raised one eyebrow at the hot purple mess still draped over her.

Twilight huffed and looked off to one side. "Fine... you win."

There was a pause, then she looked back to Luna and the lustful spark was growing within her eyes again. "Of course, there’s other advantages to my method you know."

Luna felt her own fading lust begin to return as she became once more fully aware of the odor of sex, the wet and sticky state of the bed and their fur, and the heat of Twilight's sex where it rested on her stomach just past her breasts. An inviting grin stretched across her lips as she replied, "Oh? What sort of advantages?"

Twilight's horn began to glow. "Well, for example..."

Author's Note

This chapter gave me the most trouble in the first writing, and again in this rewrite. I'm still not happy with various aspects of it after four attempts at redoing it, but I'm tired of constantly reworking an old story instead of working something new, so it'll have to do.

03: Detour to Compromise

Twilight sent her magic dancing down Luna's barrel, caressing from without and within at once. A surprised gasp provided opportunity and she dove down upon Luna's muzzle, attacking it aggressively. Hungrily. She was driven in her assault. Controlled by something she couldn't name. Her tongue thrust deep into Luna's muzzle - roving, tasting, teasing. No quarter was given and she countered every attempt of Luna's tongue to strike back into her own muzzle. She was in command, and the slightest acknowledgement of that fact made her own fires burn all the brighter.

Some tiny, forgotten corner of her mind continued recording, analyzing, and interpreting despite the fact that she was otherwise lost in the moment. And it struggled to understand what had overtaken her. She had never acted in this manner: grasping at control, reveling in its addictive elixir.

She finally broke from the kiss in a gasp of her own as Luna's hooves ground against a particularly sensitive spot at the base of her wings, but she refused to become passive. She jerked her head down on impulse and nipped sharply at Luna's exposed throat, the moan and full-body shiver it caused leading to a pleasurable flash of lightning shooting down her own spine.

She didn't recognize these actions as her own. Even as Luna managed to stretch just enough to lick along her horn and she bit harder at Luna's even more open throat, she felt divorced from herself.

She'd never sought control in the relationship. Everything she'd read from what she considered reliable sources stressed that sharing and balance were important if a relationship was to last. As such she had forced herself not to simply give in to Luna's will if she didn't agree, and had always tried to assess how Luna might feel about something before presenting her own suggestions. But this...they never discussed this. It'd just happened and, despite the pleasures already attained and the ones yet promised by the moment, she worried that it was out of control. And yet, she was powerless to stop it.

Even that stubborn bit of her mind analyzing all this was briefly overwhelmed as she began rubbing herself along her lover's body. She'd pressed herself flat against Luna beneath her and the interplay of their bodies, fur, breasts, and sexual fluids made the contact a kaleidoscope of sensation. Her teats tingled madly from the soft stroke of fur in one direction and the rougher, almost-scratching of damp fur met against the grain of movement in the opposite direction.

And sensation extended beyond just touch. She could hear Luna's moans, whimpers, and panting as well as her own uncontrolled noises. The bed and sheets provided their own sounds - rubbing, squeaking, and creaking beneath their frenzy. The scent of Luna's body, the herbs used to freshen the bedding, the nearly overwhelming and intoxicating scent of their fluids all around fogged her mind. The scent was so thick in the air that she could even taste it on her tongue as she panted for breath. Oh yes, she recognized that taste from other encounters they'd shared, but this was the first time she'd not had to seek out the source for a taste. Her panting tongue dragged over Luna's neck and shoulder adding other flavors to those already singing through her befuddled mind.

In an effort of extreme will she pulled her head back and opened eyes she didn't even remember closing to take in the sight. Reflected moonlight from the open balcony bathed the form of the sweat and sex-stained alicorn beneath her. Luna's head remained thrown back with her teeth bared, and Twilight knew without needing to know how she knew that her release was close. The realization made her aware that she had begun grinding her own teeth at some point and that she was trembling on the edge of the abyss herself. Somehow, like earlier, her peak had snuck up on her as she lost herself in the sensation of the moment. It was like she'd stopped thinking and reverted to some animal state.

The thought shocked that tiny, reasoning bit of her mind back into awareness. And it was there that she found the answer. She'd given herself over to instinct. In giving herself over to feeling instead of thought during the earlier preening, she had allowed emotion to guide her instead of logic. And Luna had seen it when she turned the tables on her after – seen it and invited it! And Luna had chosen to give in herself.

It had taken less than a fraction of a second for all of this to click into place and suddenly Twilight felt connected with herself again. It was a sharing. But more, it was a sharing on the deepest, most basic level with no illusions or distractions. They were acting in sync because of their shared love and desire for each other. And knowing this, she thrust herself willingly back into the moment.

She pressed herself back down upon Luna, grasping her tightly as she could with her forelegs, and laid out her own spread wings against Luna's for their feathers to intermingle. She bit again at Luna's neck and felt her stiffen. Instinct told her that her love was at the peak. That one gesture or one word would launch her into infinity. Twilight's own proximity to the edge denied her the ability to use words, but she allowed instinct to guide her and shifted lower. Their teats rubbed across each other with a warm, wet roughness and, like before, it was key to Luna's release.

Twilight was nearly thrown as Luna spasmed madly beneath her and a wordless, noiseless scream was sent into the night. The bouncing as Twilight clung on happened by chance to thrust both of their sopping sexes together and the lightning strike upon her nerves as their clits slipped wetly together was her own trigger. For the second time that night her universe exploded.

But, unlike the previous time, she didn’t feel like she encompassed the universe. She felt instead that the universe shrunk to a tiny sphere that contained nothing other than herself and Luna. In this tiny universe they possessed no bodies, but existed instead as clouds of pure energy that overlapped and intermingled in a single greater entity. Lost within the union, she felt that she preferred this tiny shared universe to the entirety of the extended universe alone.

~*~

The two of them drifted lazily back to awareness together, clinging tightly to each other as though afraid for the moment to end. Little by little their hearts and breathing slowed and the rest of the world begin to impinge on their senses again. Luna held Twilight close, thanking the fates again for the circumstances that had brought them together.

As they lay there together, Twilight sighed and asked, “You’re not mad are you?”

“What do I have to be mad about?”

Twilight nuzzled deeper into her and mumbled, “The whole…control thing. I never asked how you felt about it, I just…did what I wanted and made you go along with it.”

Luna chuckled and lifted Twilight’s head just enough to kiss her. “You didn’t make me go along with anything, I did so quite willingly, I promise. And I enjoyed every minute of it.”

“But I didn’t ask first.”

Luna turned the two of them onto their sides and Twilight shifted up so that they could look each other in the eyes.

“My beautiful Evening Star… you have no need to ask. I trust you completely, and don’t want you ever to be afraid to be yourself and embrace your desires with me. I promise that if I am uncomfortable with something I’ll make sure you know. And I expect the same of you, if there’s something you’re uncomfortable with I want you to let me know too.”

Twilight was silent for a few moments before she smiled and gave Luna a quick peck on the lips. “Deal!” Then she pressed in for a deeper kiss before snuggling closer. “I hope you know how much I love you.”

“I do, and I love you just as much.”

They lay in silence for a few more minutes before Luna became uncomfortably aware of how the sheets were sticking to her fur and grunted in annoyance.

“I hate to spoil the moment, but I think a shower and some fresh bedding is in order. Then you can give us both a proper quick-preening with your spell and we can get some sleep.”

Twilight leaned away from her with a big grin on her face, “So you do admit that mine is better.”

“Not at all,” Luna replied haughtily. “But it certainly has its advantages.”

“Why you! I’ll show you advantages!”

The End

Author's Note

** Image is Embrace the Night by Backlash91. Stumbled upon it and it just really seemed to fit this story, so I asked to use it here.

So, there you have it. Re-write complete. There's still plenty of things I'm not entirely happy with, but I've spent enough time playing with old stuff and it's time to move on to new.

I'm hoping that at least some of you like what I did with it and that it wasn't a complete waste of my time messing with reworking it. Oh well, what's done is done. Hopefully I'll have fresh stuff for you all soon.

If preferred the original version, send me a PM and I'll be happy to send it to you. I'd considered leaving it up here as a single-chapter file for a while, but it seemed pointless when I gave it more thought.