Later that evening, Sunset, Raven and I were settling down in a guest room in Canterlot Castle, Tempest and Sam having elected to stay in Ponyville until we went back to our side of the portal. Tempest having some things to handle there first and Sam wanting to do some research.

Sunset's meeting with Celestia was stilted at first, but the pair gradually began to open up and apologize for the mistakes that they had both made back then. Things weren't a hundred percent yet, but signs pointed in that direction.

The smile on Sunset's face was heartwarming for both Raven and I, having listened to and held her while she talked about her regrets of how she left things.

As we prepared for bed after dinner with Celestia and Luna and a relaxing bath, there was a knock at our door.

I looked at Sunset and Raven.

"Were we expecting anyone tonight?" I asked, both shaking their heads in the negative. I shrugged and walked to the door, opening it as I reached it.

Outside was a nervous Princess Luna.

"Good evening, Miss Stryke. I apologize for the lateness of my arrival, but would it be possible to speak with you and your herd?" She asked, slightly formally.

"Of course, Your Highness. We weren't planning to go to bed immediately." I replied, moving back to allow her to enter.

Luna smiled slightly in thanks as she entered the room.

Sunset and Raven looked up curiously from where they sat on a pair of chairs by the fireplace.

"Miss Shimmer, Miss Sparkle." Luna said in greeting.

"Your Highness." Both of them replied with a respectful nod of their heads, seemingly knowing that they were the ones in a position of power.

"What is this about Your Highness?" I asked as I moved to sit in another chair by the fire, the warmth soaking into my fur.

"Firstly, I would like to apologize for my behavior when Miss Stryke and I first met. Not only for my unprovoked attack on her person, but also my actions after the, um, cleanup." She said, her cheeks darkening slightly through her fur.

The three of us looked at each other and nodded slightly.

"We accept your apology as it is given." Sunset replied.

"I would like to know why the sudden turn around after I managed, and honestly it was more luck than skill at the time, to best you in combat. I have a few ideas as to why, but I want to hear it in your words." I said.

Luna nodded. "That is something I wish to discuss with all of you." She began. "You all know the basic gist of my banishment, do you not?" She asked.

"You were supposed to be the co-reagent with your sister, ruling over the night and protecting those in your charge during those hours, while your sister ruled during the day, doing the same." Raven began.

"But, due to the fact that Equestria was still recovering from who knows how long under the rule of Discord and the still simmering tensions from before the first Hearth's Warming, the night wasn't the safest time of day." Sunset continued.

"Overtime, this perceived slight caused jealousy to fester into outright hatred, of your sister and those that were your charges. This lead to the Nightmare being able to sink her hooks into you. Her influence made an already bad situation worse." I finished.

Luna nodded sadly.

"Yes, that is the gist of it. My jealousy and the hatred of the gilded cage that we had been put in lead to me making the worst mistake of my life." She said sadly before continuing. "I never wanted this life, this power, this responsibility. I guess it showed in how poorly I was received as a princess."

I smiled sadly before getting up and walking over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder gently.

"You didn't have much control over that." I said. "Their fear of what lay in the darkness shifted to you. A perceived fear that you were the embodiment of the things that go bump in the night, rather than the physical manifestation of the beauty and grace the night holds, if only for those who take time to notice."

"I agree." Sunset replied with a kind smile.

"As do I." Raven added with a gentle smile of her own.

Luna gave a watery smile and took a shuddering breath before continuing.

"The position of princess and our old castle were cages that were not of my choosing, and they chafed. I longed for freedom from them for so long, and I still do to this day. Which brings me to Miss Stryke." She said.

"Please, just Talisman, or Fenris if you like." I interjected.

"Fenris then, please feel free to call me Luna when in private like this." She said with a smile before continuing.

"With Fenris, I saw someone that I could see willingly submitting myself to, willingly surrendering control to. I don't fully understand why, it could be that some primal instinct recognizes her as a predator and is wanting to do so out of self-preservation, or it could be because it would be something done of my own free will. A chance to surrender the power, the titles, and just be Luna, not the Princess of the Night, not the Nightmare." She explained, fidgeting with a box she had been carrying, but one that had escaped our notice.

"So, basically you see Fenris as someone who can be in control of you, and someone you could trust to not take advantage of that power?" Sunset asked, an eyebrow arched questioningly.

"That is correct Sunset. I have had to be in control for so long. My powers, my emotions, my very being it seems like has had to be under constant control to appear that I am what they think I am. I am tired of it, and the incident with the Tantabus last year is proof. I tried to punish myself for my actions as Nightmare Moon, even though I was not fully in control of those actions and I had long been forgiven by my sister." She said. "I want to give up that control, to an extent. I just want to be seen as me, and not an ideal, but the idea of being free of it all terrifies me in equal measure."

"So, you are looking for someone to be your dominant, a master, or in this case, mistress that can help guide you to fully being your own person? Am I getting the general idea?" Raven asked gently.

Luna nodded. "I just want to be normal, for whatever that entails, to be myself for once in my life." She explained.

I nodded and began to pace in an open area of the room.

"So you see me as this person?" I asked, getting a nod from Luna. "I have to ask, why? When I first came here, I was just someone who came into power unexpectedly when I was reborn. How could my besting of you tell you that I could he trusted with such power? That I wouldn't abuse it?"

"Because of how you wielded that power, even if it was raw and unrefined at the time." Luna said. "During our duel I could sense that there was a great power just under the surface, but I could also sense that you were still growing into it. Your tactics were also a factor. You took into account that there were bystanders and did what was needed to end the fight, only resorting to your most powerful option as the last resort. You also weren't needlessly cruel after the fight. You could have demanded anything from me, yet you didn't. You merely shrugged and said that it was due to the memories being fresher for me. There was no judgement or pity in your gaze, just concern and an understanding of what it means to be a warrior."

I nodded as I thought. This was basically what I had figured, but hearing her say it made me feel better about my assessment.

"So, what do you wish to do?" I asked. "Sunset and Raven are my mates, my partners, and my friends. We have been training for the last few weeks to stand together in a fight, and we have been learning and understanding each other's powers and abilities. What part do you want to play in that?"

Luna thought for a couple of moments, taking a seat on an ottoman that was nearby.

"I, I would like to stand by your sides, to assist you in fighting your enemies. I would like to be there for both your triumphs and defeats, to be there by your sides through the peaceful moments as well, to just belong, and maybe, be loved as an equal as well." She said, biting her lip nervously after finishing speaking.

I shared a look with Raven and Sunset again, and they both nodded.

We had long discussed what to do about this situation, especially knowing that Luna was to be one of my mates, and we had come up with some options and some ground rules for each.

"Option A it is then." I thought, seeing their looks.

I walked over to where Luna was sitting, and knelt down before her, taking her hands gently.

"Luna, we have discussed this off and on after I recounted my visit a few months ago, and what would happen would be based upon your answers." I explained. "Luckily, it seems that Option A won out. We would love for you to join us, but there would be some ground rules."

Luna looked up at me and met my eyes. "Such as?" She inquired.

"Firstly, that you don't leave Equestria long term until your position as one of the sovereigns has been passed onto a worthy successor." I began. "Your sister may have managed by herself for millennia, but that was under less than ideal circumstances. We want you to do it properly, so there are no bad feelings from anyone involved."

"Secondly, is that all of us are equal." Sunset continued. "No one is above anyone in our herd. I might be the 'lead mare' but that is only because Fenris and I have been together just a bit longer. Everyone's opinion and input are welcomed with us. No one is lesser than the others."

"The only place that may change is in the bedroom." Raven continued. "While one or more of us may be 'in charge', consent is a very big thing with us, as well as boundaries. Sunset, you and myself have all been subjected to power that brought out our darkest impulses. So we know, maybe not to the same degree, how it feels to be stripped of our freewill against our wishes. If you say stop or whatever safe word you choose, it ends and we figure out what it was that made you tap out, so we can avoid it in the future."

"We are partners, and part of that is calling each other out when we aren't at our best. Whether that entails making someone stop what they are doing, because they are pushing too hard and aren't taking care of themselves, or just taking a bit to walk away to calm down before coming back and talking things out, we do what we can to build each other up, not tear each other down." I finished.

Luna smiled, and it got wider and brighter as we talked.

"I was hoping that would be the case." She replied. "That is why I got this." She added, while handing me the box in her lap.

I took it gently, opening it carefully, with Sunset and Raven moving to look over my shoulders. My eyes widened and they gasped as we looked at the contents of the box.

I looked at Luna. "You're positive about this?" I asked, getting a nod.

Nestled inside the box, on a dark purple velvet lining, was a collar.

About an inch wide with a silver buckle and a charm of what appeared to be a stylized wolf's head on the ring where one could attach a leash, it was made out of a leather like material that was dyed a dark blue, which a slightly lighter blue silk lining that was just a bit wider than the leather like portion.

"You do understand what this and the act of me putting it on you means, right?" I inquired. "I want to hear you say it, just so we are all in understanding."

"Of course. At the shop that I got this from, I asked what it was for after I was drawn to it. The shopkeeper explained what the significance was. I didn't purchase it that night, but instead returned to the castle to think it over. A week later, I returned. This time with a sketch of the charm you see on it." Luna explained. "What she described struck a chord with me. It was what I have been missing. The illusion of surrender, but still having my freewill to leave it if I so choose." She explained, sitting up straight and proudly saying it.

I smiled before looking down at the collar, seeing the responsibility that it symbolized. To collar someone, at least in the dynamic our little polycule had, was the ultimate test of one's character. The control that the collar symbolizes is merely an illusion, as Luna had said. If it is abused, the person wearing the collar can remove it for good, and be free of the individual they had surrendered that control too. It is a symbol of absolute trust in one's partner.

Picking up the collar, I held it in my hands, running my fingers over the material. Stiff, but still somewhat pliable. Definitely a well made product. I looked at Sunset and Raven. The pair both smiled at me, trusting me as Luna did.

I turned to the alicorn before us, taking in her appearance.

She was still dressed in her royal garb, most likely she would be heading to her court after our discussions came to a close. Her face was what drew my attention though.

Her throat worked as she swallowed her nervousness while her eyes held a hopeful, longing, look.

They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and in that moment I saw a young woman who wanted to be loved just for being herself. A woman who wanted to belong to something of her own choosing and her own desire.

"Luna, do you accept this collar, to bind yourself to me as long as I am worthy of the honor in your eyes?" I asked.

"I do." She replied.

"Will you speak up if I cross any boundaries that may not have been discussed beforehand?" I asked.

"I do."

"Will you remove this collar if I ever prove to be unworthy of what it symbolizes?"

"I will."

I paused for a moment and looked at the collar, trying to see if there were any magics woven into it. Seeing only enchantments that kept it clean and comfortable for the wearer, and a layer of protection if the wearer did not consent, as well as one to conceal it from view of anyone the wearer didn't want to see it, I nodded before standing.

"Luna, please stand." I said, Luna rising to her feet.

"With this collar, I pledge to do everything in my power to provide you with what it is that you desire. Should your desires change, then I will respectfully adjust to meet them." I said as I placed the collar around her neck, securing it in place.

"With this collar, I pledge myself to you." Luna said. "I will do my best to communicate my desires to you and our herd so that we are all in agreement, my Mistress."

I smiled gently and placed my hand on her cheek, her eyes closing as she leaned into the touch.

"You only need to call me Mistress in private, my Måneprinsesse." I instructed gently before pulling her into a hug, which Raven and Sunset joined quickly.

"Welcome home.' I added, placing a kiss on the top of her head, while Raven and Sunset kissed her on the cheeks.

Luna pulled back slightly to look at all three of us and, smiling, broke into happy tears.

We all held each other for sometime before she was able to gather herself again.

"Fenris, Sunset, Twilight. Thank you, all of you. I wish I could stay longer, but I must attend to my court for the evening." She said.

"Then take a moment and freshen up before heading out." I said. "Can't show up looking anything but your best, just to show them who is really in charge of your ultimate destiny."

Luna smiled and laughed gently. "Of course. One does need to present a clean and fresh face to the world." She replied.

Once she had taken care of washing up she bid us good night and headed to the throne room, a smile of contentment on her face and a slight spring to her step that her regal bearing couldn't quite hide. Her guard gave me a nod of respect and thanks as I closed the door, which I returned.

"Well, that went well I think." Sunset said once the door was closed.

"It did." I replied. "The collar was a surprise, but a good one I think."

"Think you can handle it?" Raven asked.

"I think I can. Especially with you two making sure I treat her right." I responded as I flopped onto the bed, the pair of them curling up on either side of me, pulling the covers over us as they did.

"You better, or we'll kick your ass back to Jotunheim." Sunset said as we drifted off to rest in preparation for our visit to her swordsmanship teacher in the morning.

Author's Note

This one took a bit because I wanted to get it done right. I hope you guys enjoy it! Next chapter will be meeting Sunset's other teacher.