Cold, bitterly so. A lone stallion trudged forward through the knee deep snow. It continued to fall, fluttering slowly amongst the firs from the night sky above. The mighty trees offered him only fleeting glimpses of the stars through patches in it’s thick canopy. Daring do pulled his warm cloak a little tighter around his golden furred body as his purple eyes lowered to gaze around him. Strange, even amongst these dense trees light was plentiful. The pristine snow almost glowed, radiating a divine light. This place was sacred. “Hm.” Or, it may have been to some.

Daring stopped and there was a faint rustling of feathers before a map was produced from beneath his cloak and held in front of his nose by his wing primaries. “Alright so I should be near the place of bangable star thingies.” He mused to himself as he shook his head a little to dislodge some of the accumulated snow from his pith helmet. He’d already skirted the base of Mt. Everhoof, passed through Chomping Gorges and was now heading far into The Unknown. A confident smile played across his young face, “Right!” Daring proclaimed as he folded the hoof drawn map and tucked it back into the crook of his wing and under the cloak from whence it came. “To glory and all that.” The adventurer continued onward, forging his way uphill through the gentle snow flurries. Daring carried very little with him at this point. He’d rationed his supplies very carefully so he’d have just enough for the return flight to his cabin in Yaket Range. But in order to have come this far on his own, he’d made most of journey on hoof. Simply because he had to carry so much at the beginning and flying with all that extra weight would have likely strained the flight muscles in his back. The last thing a pegasus needs is to be completely grounded and alone in an unfamiliar place.

When he had began this final leg of the journey earlier today the forest had been filled with noise, with the sounds of life. That of birds and snow wolves. With that of white owls when the night had fallen. Now there was nothing. A deafening silence pierced only by the sound of the snow being crushed beneath his hoof-falls and his own wispy breathing.

He looked skyward again, glimpsing a view of Luna’s moon. The beautiful white crescent had been full little more than an hour ago. Now it was but a sliver of it’s former glory, nearly consumed in darkness. What was still visible seemed to have grown fiercely bright, brimming with her power. It was almost time. He was cutting it close, but he was confident that he would not be late.

Daring continued forward, his nearly empty saddle bags clapping slightly against his flanks with each step. The trees at last gave way to a small clearing of sorts. A mere two dozen feet across, the clearing did little more than offer an unobstructed view of the inky sky dotted with stars and the beautiful moon held above. A stream, now frozen, ran along the edge of the clearing on the far side.

He looked skyward once more to see that the moon was all but gone now. It was happening. Making his way slowly toward the center of the clearing, he undid the clasp holding his saddlebags in place and allowed the to fall in his wake. His cloak followed soon after, the dark material cascading from his form like a grey waterfall until it lay in a crumpled heap over his hoof-prints.

Taking a deep eager breath he paused and waited, watching. He had barely made it. Cutting it a bit closer than he had expected, but still... he had made it.

The bright fragment of the moon began to dim before his very eyes. He licked lips, his tail flicking to and fro with anticipation. As it darkened the rest of the moon again became visible. It returned once more but instead of its normal, beautiful white... it was a deep, piercing red. It slowly grew brighter as the last fragments of white receded. The snow around him reacted to the change by also casting off its previous pure white for this new reddish haze.

The crimson moon started to reach down from the heavens with tendrils of light, arcing for him, reaching for his very soul. He smiled ever so faintly. “Showtime.” He murmured, slightly nervous as the beams of lunar light grew stronger, denser, more brilliant. They seemed to touch down to the very ground... to this very spot. He was bathed in their glory, in their light.

They began to shimmer before him, then there was subtle movement. Little more than an aurora...then it grew in strength. The light seemed to bend around him. At first indiscernible, unidentifiable shapes... but the stallion could feel it. A gentle touch. He unfurled his wings and flapped them once to rise up on his hind legs. Lifting his forelegs to curl over his chest, he offered himself to the light and closed his eyes. The feeling of being touched grew stronger, a softness played on his cheeks... a gentle nuzzle on his neck. The light’s touch was so fleeting so playful... oh, so needy. It filled him with warmth... contentment. Love?

A gentle hoof guided his head, turning his chin down and away from the moon. He opened his eyes to see that the beams of light had coalesced into the form of a pegasus... a reddish mare, nearly opaque but still retaining a soft translucency. Her beautiful ivory mane danced as if teased by an unfelt wind... for it was. She also stood on her hind legs, pressing herself softly to him. Her hauntingly pale eyes, completely devoid of pupils or irises, somehow locked with his.”So this is was a star looks like up close eh?” Daring whispered to the star mare. She only giggled sweetly in response. “It was written that the stars would aid in Nightmare Moon’s escape. I guess you’d be one of those-”

She silenced him with a swift kiss. Her tongue found its way effortlessly into his mouth and she cooed softly into him. Daring knew that celestial entities would often pine for the flesh of mortals. Their eternal realm of existence being so detached from his own, sometimes made for a very lonely eternity...that coupled with the extenuating circumstances one had to satisfy to even encounter such a being made it nigh impossible for such occurrences. That is unless you were Daring Do and had snuck into the Canterlot archives to satisfy silly coltish curiosities. The stallion took things a step further, wrapping his forearms around her as their kiss deepened. Her hooves found their way slowly to the minimal clothing he still had on, which she tugged at needingly. He squeezed her tightly as their kiss finally broke. She stared vixenly into his eyes while her hooves found their way dutifully beneath his shirt just above his navel. Daring used his prehensile wings to gently explore her lower back near her dock and traced the defined lines of muscle tone on her markless flanks. The softness of her fur intoxicated him that and the suppleness of her lithe frame, her flawless form rivaled that of the royal sisters themselves.

Her breath was hot and her touch was becoming more desperate. She tugged at his shirt and he lifted his wings, allowing her to remove it. She tossed it aside as if trash to be discarded. Daring flexed his stiff wing muscles and rolled his shoulders forward while chuckling, “you stars certainly prefer actions over words huh?” This earned him a smirk from the Star Mare and with a deft upswing of her hoof, she flicked the pith helmet off his head and unto the snowy earth behind him.

Normally he’d be insulted at the blatant disrespect shown to his favorite piece of adventurer gear. But her beautiful body moved with such fluid grace when she did it that he’d overlook it.Just this one time. She was after all perfection, a perfection made of light. A light brighter than that of the moon no less, which seemed to fade away slightly, as did that of the snow. She became his only source of light. His beautiful light.

A predatory growl escaped from the Star Mare as she pressed him down. He allowed her to guide him so that he lay back into the snow. It was cold, but he hardly cared. She stood over him dominantly. Straddling his body with her hooves on either side while peppering his neck furiously with butterfly kisses. Her hooves began to roam his supine form, caressing his strong chest and feeling the muscles in his sides flex with each breath he took as if trying to take all of him in. She didn’t want to miss a single detail.

She was also, however, unwilling to wait. She sat up and stared down intently at him, her flowing mane framing her face as she took deep rapid breaths through flaring nostrils. It was obvious to Daring what she was asking for and he was all too willing to oblige her. His hooves found their way slowly up her thighs to rest upon her hips as she lifted herself ever so gently over his erect cock.

Heat... a soft and wet heat... her...

She lowered herself slowly, almost reaching his medial ring before Daring felt something soft, a thin barrier slip around his member and then break. The Star Mare stopped for a moment, her mouth forming an O shape and her eyes becoming half-lidded. Daring felt a viscous fluid other than her natural lubricant, course out of her, down his shaft and start to pool on thin skin between his two testicles. The stallion looked up at her in wonder. Did he just deflower a star? He didn’t have too long to contemplate that impossibility before she took him up to the hilt with renewed vigor. She let out a hissing exhale and the light of her body pulsed brighter for but a second as she came... She rocked herself against him, laying forward once more, to press her chest to his. Daring wrapped his wings around her in return enjoying her hot velvety insides as they undulated and constricted around him in the most sensual way he’d ever known. Their lips found one another once again. The passion was stronger this time. Her tongue, fueled by ever increasing lust, delved deeper than before into his mouth.

Their kiss broke once more as she again sat up, supporting herself with one hoof resting on his chest while the other pressed down on the ground near his head. Confidant she was stable enough to start moving again she lifted herself and began to gyrate her hips atop him. Wasting little time, she rode him quickly. Claiming him. She gasped softly while his hooves slipped up her sides, exploring her immaculate body... her light.

Daring found it a little odd that he could see himself within her ever so slightly... her slight translucency allowed him to see her milking him from within, eager for what he had to offer. She rode him for all he was worth, moaning loudly, filling the forest with her lustful cries.

He moved with her, matching her rhythm and thrusting upward into her depths even as she continued to piston herself ever faster... ever harder. In mere moments his moans joined hers. The Star Mare roared into the night, her body becoming a brilliant light which turned night into day. She climaxed around him, spasming violently around his stallionhood. This time Daring came with her. He watched with gritted teeth as he could see his cock flare within her and ejaculate. Painting her convulsing vaginal walls and shooting beyond her cervix into her womb with rope after rope of thick virile seed while she writhed atop him.

She collapsed against him, her blinding light dissipating in seconds. She was panting hard, her body heaved as her warm breath caressed the fur on his cheek. His ear flicked involuntarily as he felt her start to nibble at it with surprisingly sharp teeth. Her affections were more gentle this time, her immediate need had been satiated. Her hooves and muzzle began to explore his body once more, though without the reckless abandon of before. She probed his fur and feathers carefully, taking her time now.

The snow which fell upon her seemed to disappear... becoming a part of her beauty. Daring decided he would do a little research of this Star Mare himself. She tittered approvingly when his tongue pressed against her fur, seeking the skin beneath. She tilted her head back to give him better access to her vulnerable throat.

Once again she lifted herself to look down at him. Her pale eyed gaze fell silently to his. He thought he could see a powerful love in them, he thought he could feel it radiating from her as if a part of the very light she cast. But Daring knew better to mistake desire for love. It was a desire he could see was starting to take over the Star Mare once again. She wasn't done with him yet. She started to move once more, riding his cock tenderly while her hooves massaged little circles on his lower abdomen as her wingtips tickled the fur on his face neck and forelegs. Gone was the fervency. This was gentle lovemaking.

His wings found their way to her thighs then moved inward to her pert breasts. Using both his primary and secondary feathers, he lightly stroked and squeezed her sensitive flesh, successfully eliciting a few soft meeps from the beautiful light incarnate. She arched her back slightly as she rode him, attempting to garner more delicious friction between them. Daring sat up in response, wrapping his forelegs around her barrel as she squeaked in delight. His lips found their way to her neck while he pulled her into a tight affectionate nuzzle. Through his powerful grasp she continued to ride, though it took more effort for her to move under his constrictive force. Not that the Star Mare minded.

At first he merely nuzzled, exploring the various crevasses of her elegant neck and shoulders. Then he began to increase the pressure on her teats with the coverts of his wings. His rubbing and squeezing of smooth feathers on skin contact caused the Star Mare to shudder in appreciation of his ministrations. Finally he began to bite her neck, tugging gently on her fur and flesh, raking his flat teeth ever so softly down her barrel and ending with a light peck of his lips. Her pace quickened. Her breathing grew labored and rapid.

She wrapped her wings around the stallion and pulled him in, cocooning Daring in crimson feathers and holding tight.. She rode faster, grinding herself against him as his own pace began to accelerate once again to match hers. She was demanding he give her what she wanted. Her moans had turned to gasps and short screams of ecstasy. Her body quivered atop him as she hugged herself around him. Both inside and out.

Suddenly her wings flew open and she pushed him away, forcing him down hard so that she could take better control of the situation and ride him faster. Her body began to glow brighter in rhythm with her movements. She was nearing the edge again, her enjoyment became his enjoyment and he soon found himself at the precipice as well. Their joined sexes created a cacophony of wet slapping sounds as they met each other in a session of vigorous pounding hurtled towards yet another mind blowing orgasm.

Her eyes were locked with his. As she groaned and panted, gasped and whinnied, she would not look away. She knew he was close... she craved what he had, what she knew he would give her. She was waiting for that wonderful moment... she wanted it more than anything.

The Star Mare’s wings lowered behind her, stroking Daring Do’s balls. She fondled and massaged him. Softly coaxing the smooth orbs to give her what she needed. It took but a moment and they granted her wish. Grunting, he could see his seed leave him again and pour into her center again through her translucent light... but only for a second. She quivered and a bright flash appeared in her belly, originating from his seed it spread quickly outward, filling her and obscuring all vision with its glory.

Daring screwed his eyes shut and looked away while she howled into the cold winter night...finally falling against him as the blinding light of her climax faded.

They lay like that for a time... what little time they had left was spent simply holding and kissing, hugging and nuzzling. They had but only a few precious minutes left. This time was spent with Daring’s softening length still inside her. He could not leave her even if he wanted, she wouldn't allow him to.

But time was fleeting for the two lovers. The red light of the moon began to fade and the white crescent began to grow steadily more vibrant with each passing second. The end of the lunar eclipse was taking with it her beautiful light. Still, even as she faded away she held fast with him floating inside her. She kissed him and moved her hips once more. Riding him gently and slowly even as her physical being grew more and more incorporeal, until it was a shapeless form that he made love to in the light of the pale moon... and then even that faded from existence.

Soon all that remained was snow and the white light of a moon. Daring lay there a moment and the cold of the environment made itself known by sapping away the heat from his body. His exposed member retreated back into his sheath, still coated in the products of the night's activities. The stallion grunted slightly and he rolled over onto his hooves and stood up. Giving himself a hearty shake, he sighed contentedly. “Well that was sure an experience” he said while looking down at the patch of moss revealed to him from the melted snow. Snow crunched underhoof as he started to retrieve his scattered adventurer’s garb. “Overall I believe there are certainly worse ways to lose one's virginity.” Daring Do huffed, watching the steam from his breath coil and wreath through the still air in front of him before dissipating completely. He cast his eyes skyward, at one star in particular that shone very brightly even though it was the closest one to the moon itself. As the story went, he could be with the Star Mare again. But It would be years before the all the prerequisites were met for this same one to descend. Information on such acts with divine creatures are very hard to come by. Most being closely guarded secrets of cult worshipers and royalty. Daring snorted as he picked up the cloak in his teeth and swirled it around him, glad for it’s protection against the biting cold that seemed much harsher now. He did not fancy another trip into the bowels of Canterlot’s archives. There weren’t as many Star Mares as there were stars in the sky. Only the ones closest to the moon held the promise of companionship for those lucky enough or knowledgeable enough to be in the right place at the right time. But no, one was enough for him. Somepony else could do the hoofwork and find their own bucking star.

The adventurer sighed and thought about what he should do with the map...the map! Daring whirled about, looking hither and thither for the old parchment that had led him here. But to no avail. Just like the Star Mare, it was gone as if it’d never even existed. With a good natured laugh and he looked upward, at the star. He knew where she was. Her glimmering eye hung in the sky, ever watching. Always there. “Well, I suppose that’s one less star for somepony to come looking for.” Trotting down the the slope of the hill, Daring Do couldn't help but think about if he would ever make this journey again in the future. Even if he could remember how to get to that exact spot, it would only be after several years of waiting and that simply wasn't his style. “I’ll just chalk that one up as a successful adventure and maybe make a few notes. Or maybe write a book about!” There was a hop-skip and the stallion took wing, the cold air stinging his face as he drifted lazily above the treeline. “I could call it; Daring Do and the mystery of the Red Eclipse...nah that’s dumb.” He banked over a ridge and watched as the trees fell away and a great valley yawned before him. “Nopony would wanna read about something that silly.”

Author's Note

Typos! I know that they're there!
Show them to me and I'll make them face my editing wrath!