“... Towertop.”

The word hit Luna like a bucket of ice water, snapping her out of her submissive daze and washing away the feelings of joyous helplessness. She shook her head, blinking quickly to try and get herself fully back to reality and focused, part of her mind instinctively evaluating the situation.

Cadance hadn’t sound upset or scared, there was no sign of distress or injury. Calling a Towertop was almost certainly done merely to signal a clear cut end to the session, nothing more. Knowing there was little reason to worry she started to feel a bit of irritation, at Cadance having cut off the fun so quickly.

A tug on her tail drew her attention back to herself, Wood had turned around and was removing the dock binding, while still pressing close to Luna and helping support her. Before she could swish her now freed tail, the tingling sensation of somepony’s magic wrapped around her horn, Nova quickly sliding the suppressor off of it. She gave both stallions appreciative nods, lighting up her horn, enjoying the ability to use her magic without even the mild impairment the suppressor had imposed upon her. By the time she returned her attention to Cadance, Gregor had already freed the pegasus from her own restraints.

The two turned and made their way over to the rest of the small group, Cadance going right to Luna and wrapping her in a wing hug while Gregor stood off to the side, waiting for the mares to sort things out.

Pulling back from the hug, Cadance beamed at Luna. “I’d ask if you enjoyed yourself, but that seems obvious.” She leaned her head in and nuzzled Luna’s neck.

Luna snorted, the irritation she’d felt towards Cadance stopping things evaporating under the mare’s affectionate touches, actions that Luna had to assume were calculated to do just that, at least in part, “Yes, though we would have liked to have continued.”

Cadance pulled back, kissing Luna on the forehead while running a wing gently down her neck. “I know, but you looked like you were more than a little out of it and I didn’t want to take chances or have you pushing yourself too far too fast.”

The unicorn sighed, leaning into the gentle wing strokes. Part of Luna still wanted to be annoyed at Cadance for stopping things, and for the way she seemed to be treating Luna like a foal at the moment. The greater part, however, was to glad for the support, and the gentle, almost motherly care. She knew Cadance had her best interests at heart. “You are likely right, as usual.”

“Now, no getting down, we’ll just toss on our aftercare robes, head out of here to an aftercare room and get you taken care of, then… well I’m not sure, but we’ll think of something.” Cadance stepped back, turning to Gregor. The griffon had been waiting patiently, watching the mares interactions with a small grin on his beak. “As for you, this was incredibly fun and even hotter than I’d hoped. Thank you.”

The Griffon gave her a low bow, sweeping one wing in front of his chest as he did so. “I’m glad you two enjoyed yourselves and thank you both for doing this as well.” He lifted himself back up, looking between the two mares. “Do either of you need anything else? I can accompany you to the aftercare room, or have somepony else do so if you wish.”

Luna felt her eyes slide mostly closed, letting herself drift off into the afterglow of her session with the three while Cadance dealt with things. She nuzzled Wood’s neck as the other two talked, grateful for his solid, tender presence at her side. Her legs felt sturdy enough to support herself by then, but she still appreciated the thought.

Cadance shook her head as she moved to the other side of Luna, Wood taking a step to the side as Cadance took over supporting the unicorn. “That won’t be necessary, but thank you for the offer. I’ll make sure Fading is taken care of, and if I need any extra care after that, I have somewhere I can go to get it.”

Gregor’s eye’s widened for a moment before narrowing, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I see, and excuse me for being presumptuous, but I do have one more small thing I’d like to talk to you about, assuming I am correct in my assumption you are a Den Mother.”

Luna forced the gentle fog back from her mind, intrigued at where this might be going. She caught Cadance nodding out of the corner of her eye, keeping her gaze focused on the griffon.

“Ah good,” he started, taking a few steps closer to the mares, “I’ve been meaning to get in touch with one of you for a while now. It’s nothing major, but I was wondering if you’d relay my wish to speak to your Alpha Mother, whenever it is convenient for her, of course.”

“I can do that, though it might help if I could tell her what this is about.” Cadance replied, her tone gentle, even, more professional than normal. Luna could feel Cadance straighten up, recognizing the signs of Cadance considering herself ‘on the job’.

“Of course.. As you heard, we have a rather permanent camp set up not too far from here, it’s nothing all that major, rarely more than a dozen or so subs at a time are ‘imprisoned’ there, but it does seem to be growing. Anyway, while it hasn’t been too large an issue yet, I would feel more comfortable if there were facilities closer by to take care of them, or for my gang members if they needed some care as well. We have set up a space that’s treated as a kind of unofficial green zone for ponies that just need a break without wanting to walk all the way out of the zone, but it’s a poor substitute for having official safe rooms, complete with Den Mother support, nearby.” Gregor rather awkwardly pawed at the concrete with one foreclaw as he talked. “I hate to bring up business like this right now, but this is an opportunity too good to pass up. I hope you understand.”

Luna let her attention wander as the two talked. The discussion was interesting enough, and she could appreciate the thought behind Gregor’s proposal, but she wanted to enjoy the remaining moments of the blissful afterglow while she could, so let her mind wander rather than force herself to think through the mental haze.

Cadance remained silent for a while, doubtlessly contemplating the idea. Luna turned her head away from the mare and saw Wood standing just behind her, looking relaxed as he waited patiently for his boss to finish his talk. She flicked her tail over, lightly brushing it along his flank. As he looked at her, she gave him a wide smile and winked, causing the large stallion to blush slightly. Just behind him she could see Nova, one hoof impatiently tapping on the ground as he waited.

“I can certainly appreciate the idea, but I can see some potential issues with implementing it, though nothing that would make it impossible.” Cadance finally replied. “I’ll let Starsong know about it the next time I see her. I’m sure she’ll at least want to come talk to you about it to work things out. I can’t make any promises, but it seems like something worth looking into at least.”

He gave her another, smaller bow. “Then I thank you again. As lovely as meeting the two of you has been, I think we’ve taken up enough of your time for the evening. Though I do hope we get the chance to meet again soon.”

“Ohh-,” Luna tried to reply, finding her throat dry and rather sore from the screaming she’d done earlier, making her cough as she started to get the words out. “Ahem.. sorry, you may be confident that shall happen, I most assuredly wish to see this camp of yours.”

Gregor grinned wider at that. “Very glad to hear that, we’ll eagerly await your return. If you want to get there without the hassle of dodging other groups or finding one of our patrols, just pop into one of the entry taverns and say you are looking for ‘The Talons’. We usually have a pony or two stationed at them to take returning slaves right to the camp quickly. ‘Til then, I wish you fine ladies a good evening.” The griffon turned, heading off down the alley.

As he reached Nova, the griffon cleared his throat and nodded towards the two mares behind them. He kept his gaze focused on the stallion, leaving Luna unable to see his expression. After a moment Gregor moved on, walking past Nova, who quickly looked up at Luna and Cadance and sighed. “Sorry about, you know, if I went too far earlier. With the whole purple band type stuff. Kind of got lost in the moment.” He didn’t sound like a pony being forced to apologize, though neither did it come off to Luna as something he truly felt any remorse for on a personal level either. It was more like somepony simple being polite as a matter of form rather than out of a true urge to do so.

Cadance either read more into it, or simply did not wish to make a scene, as she turned and gave the apologetic stallion a quick smile and shook her head. “It’s fine, I’ve seen way worse happen from ponies being lost in the moment. You stopped when asked to, that’s what matters.”

Nova nodded before quickly moving into place following behind Gregor, Wood lingered however. He took a few steps to follow before turning back to the mares, his eyes lingering on Cadance. His expression made clear there was something he wanted to say, but was feeling hesitant about it for some reason.

Cadance solved the dilemma for him, turning around to face him directly. “Was there something else?”

The stallion nodded, a deep blush creeping over his cheeks. “You um, ya really are a Den Mother?”

Cadance nodded, her voice keeping its gentle, reassuring tone. “Yes, I am. Did you need some help? If you need a bit of aftercare, you are more then welcome to join us.”

“Oh, no, no it’s not that but, umm, thanks fer that. Ah just, wanted ta, well umm, to say thank you. Fer e’erything. Ah, well, ah know how much y’all do ta help ponies and ah’m very glad for it.” One forehoof brushed awkwardly along the ground, kicking at tiny pebbles. “Ah might have needed that help a few times mahself.”

“Ohhh, that’s so sweet, but helping members out is just what we do.” Cadance moved over to the blushing stallion, wrapping her wings and one leg around him in a tight hug, one that he quickly returned.

Luna felt her grin reach as far across her muzzle as it could as she watched the two. She more then understood just how grateful a pony could be for the aid ponies like Cadance and Starsong provided, and she felt overjoyed at seeing other ponies acknowledging the hard work they and the other Den Mothers put into helping others simply out of a desire to do so.

Cadance held him for several seconds before breaking the embrace. She gave him a quick kiss on the nose and patted him on the cheek with her wing. “But it still means a lot to hear that, thank you. Now go have fun.”

“Yes ma’am,” He grinned like a foal that had just gotten a treat, then turned around and cantered after the other two.

Cadance turned back to Luna, “Now, time for us to head out as well.” She lifted her foreleg, looking down at the PipSub attached to her hoof band. “Shine, aftercare robe please.” There was an acknowledging beep from the device before a pattern of green lines and runes spread over the pegasus. After a quick flash of light as the spell activated she was covered in a fluffy pink robe.

Luna shook her head, dispelling most of what remained of the peaceful reverie she’d let herself slip into while everything else was going on, lifting up her own PipSub. “Artemis, aftercare robe.” A few moments later she felt her own dark blue robe appear around her, already perfectly in place. She let out a long sigh as the soft, warm garment enveloped her, the enchantments on it making the robe as comfortable and soothing as possible. As she settled in, Cadance moved next to her and stretched a wing over her back, as Luna allowed herself to be led out of the alley.

The alleyway suddenly felt empty, quiet, an almost oppressive blanket of calm after the last hour or so of panting, moaning, screaming, and other assorted sounds that had filled it. “Shine? I take it that is not your PipSub’s full designation.” Luna spoke up, as much out of curiosity as to break the sudden silence.

She thought she caught a brief hint of a blush on Cadance’s muzzle before the mare turned enough to hide herself in the hood of her robe. “No, his full name is Love Shine.” She let out an awkward giggle, the wing along her back playfully swatting Luna’s side. “Don’t say anything, I’ve heard more than enough, I named him when I first joined, I was still young, and I’d just started going out with Shiny. It just, doesn’t feel right to change the name after so long.”

Luna suppressed a snicker, more at her companion’s reaction then at what the conversation was about. “Fair enough reason. Perhaps another topic then? Is there a reason you have only the two bands on your collar? I have never noticed you having an aversion to the sort of behavior a purple band signifies. I must admit, I am curious about this after Nova’s little faux paus.”

“Oh, that...” Her wing came up, brushing over the edge of her collar that was just visible under the robe. “No, I really have nothing against that sort of play. It may not be one of my biggest turn ons, but objectification and degradation can be quite fun and can really help get everypony in the mood when done right. Turn left, we can cut down that alley.” Her wing pointed down the street they were about to enter, then swept across to an alley near the start of it.

Luna followed her lead, staying close enough to Cadance to press along her side, finding herself wanting the physical contact. As they made their way towards the alley, two masked stallions stepped out, both of them giving the mares quick nods and moving to the side to allow them to pass by without challenge. Luna gave them a quick smile as she passed.

The longer they walked, the further Luna came down from her ecstatic high from the night’s events, the euphoria that had draped over her senses like a blanket was all but gone, leaving her feeling the soreness it had been masking. Walking was growing harder as her marehood ached from the abuse it had taken, the cum that had felt so good oozing down her legs and crotch as it leaked from her filled fuck holes was starting to dry, turning into a tacky, scaly mess in her coat that pulled and pinched if she moves too quickly. Worst of all was the return of the thoughts, feelings, and guilt she had buried under her ‘Fading Crescent: Failed bodyguard’ persona.

Once they were in the alley Luna gave Cadance a nudge with her hip, “Well? If you like it, why not have the proper band to say such?” A bit of irritation crept into her voice, but she knew Cadance wasn’t the main source of such feelings. Yet her drawing out her stories and leaving Luna waiting was getting to be slightly annoying in it’s own right.

Cadance’s head snapped over to look at Luna, the pegasus’ eyes narrowing with concern, her eyes trailing over Luna she started to speak, “Are y-”

“HEEEEEEEEEEELP!” A screaming mare ran into the far end of the alley, heading right for Cadance and Luna. The disguised princesses deftly jumped to opposite ends of the alley, giving the fleeing, panicked pony a clear space to run.

Just as she passed between them, two masked stallions turned the corner, rushing after their escaping victim. As soon as one of them saw the three ponies he lifted one of his legs, Luna noticing he had one of the metal tubes she had seen earlier strapped to it. Barely taking time to aim he fired, two pellets streaked directly for Luna’s chest.

She responded faster then any normal pony could react, her magic seizing the flimsy balls of liquid two hoof-lengths from her body. She stared at the projectiles, rage building up inside her at the stallion’s disregard for her clearly marked status as ‘not in play’ thanks to her robe. Either that or his complete lack of proper weapon discipline and reckless behavior leading to him accidentally shooting her, she was not sure which would be worse.

“Sorry, so sorry, I didn’t see you had robes on at first…” The stallion started to apologize, trailing off as Luna turned her glare away from the offending pellets and towards their source.

“You reckless, irresponsible buffoon!” She started, her voice dripping with rage and contempt, but keeping it at a level, controlled volume. She crushed the offending spheres in her magic, barely getting any satisfaction from how effortlessly they popped. She hurled the remaining liquid at the side of the nearest building, taking a step towards the now nervous looking stallion. “Using a weapon against a target you are unsure of! Attacking someone you should know there is no reason to!”

“Hey, lady, I said I’m sorry. What more do you want?” He took a few steps back, his companion already having moved to the side, likely seeking to ensure he didn’t get caught up in this.

Before Luna could reply she felt a wing wrap around her body, pressing firmly around her back and sides, hard enough to be felt through the thick robe. Cadance’s muzzle pressed against Luna’s neck, giving her a gentle, soothing nuzzle. “Fading, relax, it was an honest mistake. Nopony got hurt, and even if you hadn’t grabbed them in time, the worst it would have done is made a Tower laundry maid have to work a little harder to get the stain out. Relax, take a deep breath like I taught you.”

Cadance’s touch; her words; the gentle, soothing, motherly tone she spoke them in; the way her voice was at once both comforting, yet also held a note of command; Luna found herself obeying the other alicorn almost without thought. She lowered he head, taking in a long, deep breath, letting it out as a ragged, almost gasping sigh as she realized how she had lost control yet again. She leaned against the mare holding her as she started to shiver. She glanced up at the stallion she had just been berating, “We apologize, we overreacted, again, and lashed out unfairly. Thou admitted thine mistake, we should not have acted in such a manner.” She looked away, burying her face in the folds of Cadance’s robe.

“Hey, like your friend said, no harm no foul. I’ll take better care next time, so ummm, we’re just going to…”

“Go on, I believe your ‘victim’ is waiting right around the corner for you two.” She heard Cadance reply. “Now you three have fun.”

She heard hooves striking the ground, coming closer, passing them by, and then fading into the distance behind them. Luna ignored them, focusing on keeping her breathing controlled, deep regular breaths, controlled, non gasping exhales, trying to force her body to stop shivering, to regain control of herself. Only as the hooffalls passed beyond her hearing did she lift her head, finding herself staring directly into Cadance’s concerned eyes.

“Post session shakes? Endorphin withdrawal can hit you hard when you’re not used to it.” Her voice lacked any hint of recrimination, any specter of the chastisement Luna would have expect to receive for such a failing. Instead, her tone was caring, concerned, even understanding.

“Aye.” Luna nodded, not quite trusting herself to say more at the moment.

“But, there is something else too, something else bothering you.”

It was a statement, not a question, Luna briefly both cursing, and being glad for how easily Cadance could read her. “Aye.”

“Do you want to talk about?”

“Neigh, not, not now, not here.”

“Are you alright to keep going like this? Or should we just teleport right to the safe rooms?”

“Aye, and neigh.”

“Alright, would you like me to finish the story about my collar?”

“Aye.”

“Okay.” She felt Cadance nudge her forward, the two resumed their walk towards the exit of the zone. “Anyway, as to why I don’t have a purple band on my collar, while having no issues with and rather enjoying a bit of degradation and objectification play sometimes, is that Shiny doesn’t really like it.”

Luna blinked, then nodded. “Captain Armor asked you to remove it?”

Cadance quickly shook her head, letting out a small giggle. “Oh, not at all. I know he’d never actually ask me something like that, to change how I act in the Society. He accepts what a large part of my life this place is. He’s such a sweetie about it too, so understanding.” Cadance let out a long, smitten sigh. “I’m so lucky to have found him.” She shook her head again, snapping herself out of her reverie. “Anyway, he’d never say anything, but I can tell that having ponies treat me like that upsets him to see, well more like hear, but you get my point. He knows it’s all part of the act, all just part of the game, he’d never actually do anything to the ponies doing it, but it still hurts him a bit to see that. So, since it’s not really one of my major kinks to begin with, and I know he’d be a lot more comfortable not having to see or hear about that… Oh, we turn left again up here, that should be the last street.”

Luna followed Cadance’s guidance, thinking over what she had revealed. Her own worries forgotten for now. Finally she leaned over to nuzzle her niece's neck. “You are not the only one lucky to have such a caring, devoted mate. Captain Armor is lucky to have a mare so willing to ease his worries as you are.” She looked up from her companion, actually paying attention to where they were heading now. Just ahead of them, at the end of the street they had just turned onto was indeed the gate out of this area. Luna paused, looking back the way they had come, then towards the gate. “That... Mi-Heartthrob?”

“Yes? Something wrong Fading?” came the concerned reply.

Luna kept looking between the two, the way they had come, and the nearby exit. “This was too quick, was it not? It took us much longer to reach Gregor’s territory, it was much deeper into the Ruins. How are we already at the exit?”

“Magic.” Came the short, direct reply, before Cadance let out a silvery giggle. “No, not that simple. It’s just really, really smart ponies. This whole area is designed to feel larger than it really is. I don’t understand half the stuff they did, but it works. Especially when you are running on adrenaline, sneaking around, slipping back and forth, focused more on looking for danger than how things are arranged. Also we kind of took a roundabout way of getting there, my fault, I wasn’t entirely sure where their territory was, I just had a general idea of it. Plus I wanted you to have some time to enjoy sneaking around and trying to avoid getting caught. To get a good feel for the zone as a whole.”

“So much effort and creativity.” Luna responded, half to herself, still in awe at just what ponies had been able to accomplish over the last ten centuries. “Aye, twas quite enjoyable. However…” She gave Cadance a grin, nudging her with one shoulder playfully, “So thou were intending to have them claim us from the start, before we even set out tonight.”

Cadance pushed back, adding a quick little nip to the base of Luna’s mane. “Guilty. I wanted you to have the best experience you could here, and that gang has been getting quite the reputation recently. I’ve been meaning to check them out myself for the last few weeks, but never got around to it, so I figured this would be a great time to do so.”

“I would say they lived up to any reputation they might have.”

“Ohhhh yes, exceeded it even.” Cadance nearly purred out the words, Luna feeling a small shudder of pleasure running down her companion’s body.

The two passed by the taverns that flanked the start of the area. Luna noticed two new adornments outside the rowdier of the set. A pair of mares flanked the door, bound tightly, their heads tied to metal rings affixed to the ground, legs in spreader bars. Cum dripped from each of their visible holes, thick streaks of white painting over their raised rumps, obscuring a good deal of the obscene and licentious writing marking their bodies.

“Thinking of paying that place a call next time you come by this area?” Cadance’s voice snapped Luna’s attention back to her companion as they passed through the boundary to the zone, eliciting a small ping from her PipSub and a quick flash of a message alerting her she was no long in a special rules area.

“Possibly, if only out of curiosity. We shall see.” A bit of pressure on her side guided her to turn to her right, where she saw the bright yellow entryway to an aftercare area.

Passing through, Cadance took her past the rows of aftercare rooms, finally picking an unoccupied one seemingly at random. As Luna stepped into the room she took a quick sniff as a familiar scent reached her. A very familiar looking tea set waited for them on a small table, the aroma of her favorite blend coming from the steaming cups. “Starsong?”

“Starsong!” Cadance confirmed, though her tone sounded more like she was calling for the Den Mother rather than simply agreeing with Luna “Go ahead and get out of your gear then lay down on the bed so I can have a good look at you.”

Luna nodded, letting the robe fall to the ground, her collar and hoof-straps joining it, forming a trail towards the soft, comfortable bed. As she walked she levitate one of the tea cups to her, sipping the warm brew.

Cadance slipped out of her own robe. A pale glow forming a vague horn shape rose from her forehead, a matching light enveloping her collar and hoof-bands, taking them off and placing them and the robe on one of the stools near the edge of the room. All the time her gaze remained focused on a seemingly blank section of wall at the foot of the bed.

“You called, Den Matriarch?” The sudden voice made Luna jump just as she was about to climb up onto the bed, causing her to ram her shin into the bed frame and let out a quick oath. Only the fact the cup was already half empty prevented her from spilling any of the tea. She turned, just in time to catch Cadance finishing rolling her eyes and turning around herself, both mares now facing the newcomer. A tall silver coated mare with twin toned platinum mane and tail done in tight braids stood in the doorway, waiting but a moment before slipping in and shutting the door behind her. Luna realized this was the first time she’d ever actually seen Starsong ‘on duty’ as a Den Mother, she’d not yet seen her wearing her full set of shield mother armour. The illusionary wings Starsong kept active at all times folded neatly over her bags as she gave both of the other mares warm, gentle smiles.

Luna was speechless at the sight. The painful ache in her freshly bruised shin forgotten. She climbed up onto the bed, arranging the bedding and pillows to allow her to comfortably recline and pay attention to both of the other mares in the room. Not sure what to say yet.

Cadance gave the Alpha Den Mother a quick bow. “Yes, and stop calling me that. Anyway, did you enjoy the show?”

Starsong’s smile turned rather sultry, her eyes narrowing in pleasure. “Ohhhh, most assuredly, you two make such adorable, sexy little victims.” Her voice dripped with lasciviousness, making Luna nearly choke on the last mouthful of tea she drained from her cup, spluttering and coughing as she one of the two thumping her on the back with their magic.

Cadance seemed unaffected, however, calmly waiting for Luna to recover before continuing. “Glad you enjoyed it. Did you stick around for my talk with Gregor afterwards?”

“About his idea for a safe room near his camp? Yes, I heard it. It’s not a bad idea, maybe not setting it up directly in his camp, but definitely worth looking into having a few sets of rooms somewhere inside the zone itself. I’ll set up a meeting with him to talk about it.” While she talked Starsong’s magic reached out, spreading Cadance’s wings and running though the feathers, giving her a light preening.

Cadance sighed as she felt the magic working over her, giving Starsong a grateful look. “Good, hopefully you two can work something out.”

Starsong’s expression shifted into a rather mischievous grin as she refolded Cadance’s wings. “Is that an order Den Matriarch?”

Luna set her empty teacup down near the pot as she tried to work out what was being said. She knew she recognized the title Starsong was using but… She raised an eyebrow as she remembered what it meant, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Cadance.

The question caused Cadance to let out an irritated sounding snort as she shook her head. “No, and you know why, even if I wanted it to be one.”

Starsong let out a quick chuckle. “Yes, but you are so cute when you try to deny what we all know is going to happen.” She turned to Luna, giving the relaxing princess a quick flash of her warm, caring smile. “As to you Luna, I’m glad you had fun and were able to go through with this, you’re making so much progress. I’m quite proud of you.”

Luna returned the smile, feeling just a hint of warmth on her cheeks. “Thank you Starsong, both of you, for everything you’ve done for me.”

“How many times do I have to tell you I don’t need any thanks for this. In any case, unless either of you have something else I’ll let you get on with things.” After both princesses shook their heads, she continued, “I’ll see you tomorrow Luna, don’t forget you have a tour of the new Canterlot Observatory scheduled, and our next therapy session is the day after.”

“I remember, I’ll see you for both of them,” Luna reassured her as the Den Mother made her way to the door, quickly slipping out of the room, making sure the door closed securely behind her. Luna turned to Cadance as the other mare started to head for the supply cabinets. “So, ‘Den Matriarch’? As in the de facto leader of the entire, worldwide Society, Den Mother organization? Something you haven't told me Mi Amore?”

Cadance, let out a sigh as she pulled open the door, taking out a large metal basin and several wash cloths. “No, it’s just Starsong teasing me, nothing is official yet.” She filled the basin from the room’s small water faucet, heading back to the bed with all the items carried in her magic. “But, since I know you’ll just ask her for details if I don’t give them, Den Matriarch Grenthal announced she’s going to be retiring soon. Starsong’s convinced I’m going to be the one chosen to replace her at the next world advisory council meeting. Now, lift your rump up and let’s get you cleaned up.”

“That is quite the honor Mi Amore, it would give you a seat on the council itself would it not?” Luna obeyed the command, holding her tail to the side and spreading her legs. She let out a small hiss as Cadance started to work, the warm, damp rag running over her sore marehood, wiping off the dried remnants of the night's enjoyment.

“Yes, They tried to offer me a spot on it for simply, well, being the ‘Princess of Love,’ but I turned them down. Yes, that is why I was perfectly supportive of you turning down the same offer. I get why you didn’t want to be treated special.” Cadance worked through her supply of clean cloths, doing her best to remove as much of the crusting over fluids as she could. “Definitely going to need a good shower once we get out of here, but that should get you through till then. Keep your rump up, I’m going to get something to help with the soreness.”

Luna already felt better with the residue removed from her nethers and legs, even if the cloths’ rubbing over her folds had brought the dull ache pulsing between her legs back to her attention. “So you doubt you will be selected then?”

“Well, I won’t be too surprised if it happens, but I’m not going to take it as a certainty either. Usually it’s one of the senior Alpha’s that gets selected, but given the circumstances… I just don’t want to start making assumptions till everything is decided.” She returned to the bed, carrying a small jar of ointment which she quickly spread over Luna’s marehood, pushing some of it between her lips. The cool gel quickly made the ache fade, leaving just a slight tingling sensation behind.

“Mind getting mine?” Cadance passed Luna the jar, turning around and presenting her own marehood. There was far less of a mess coating her rear then Luna had felt on her own, the unicorn quickly spreading the cooling, soothing ointment over her companion’s pussy, getting a small ‘ahhhhh’ of relief from her.

Once they were both taken care of, Cadance set the jar aside, climbing up onto the bed next to Luna. “Anything else you need me to look at?”

“Neigh, I am feeling quite fine now.” Luna responded, “So, the shape-changing spell you use allows you to retain use of your horn? I see why you would prefer it to changeling magic.”

“Oh, definitely. Aunt Tia taught it to me. It takes a lot of concentration and a lot more effort to use magic, and I can’t really do anything to complicated, but it’s still a lot better than not having it at all. But, no more avoiding the issue, we need to talk about what happened back there.”

Luna’s ears flattened back along her skull as she looked away from Cadance, trying her best to keep calm as Cadance's question brought back the emotions she’d been ignoring till then.

“Both times. I saw that look right after Gregor grabbed me, something was wrong, but you worked it out and seemed fine, so I didn’t want to butt in. I’m guessing your little explosion at the stallion with the blow gun was related.” Cadance gently draped her wing protectively over the now shuddering mare. “You don’t have to talk about it if you really don’t want to, but you know Starsong will have noticed it and want to talk about it with you, so you aren’t going to be able to hide it long.”

Luna felt tears pooling in her eyes, clenching them shut tight to try and avoid letting it show. She struggled to keep her breathing under control, to not let herself get too lost in the guilt and pain she was feeling as she replayed the moments over and over in her mind. “Mi Amore… Cadance… I… We, We nearly made a grave mistake. We were so close to lashing out, We lost all sense of where We were. Almost… almost… ” A quick sob made her stop, struggling to continue speaking clearly as the burden of the mistake she had nearly made, how close she had come to doing something so wrong, built.

Cadance nuzzled her neck, her teeth working to gently groom Luna’s mane as the pegasus pressed closer to her friend, the wing wrapped around Luna tightening. “Luna, you did nothing wrong, at all. You are being too hard on yourself. Whatever you ‘might’ have done, you clearly realized, on your own, it was a mistake. I can’t see what you could have even have ‘almost’ done that would be so bad you have to be this upset over it. Please, just tell me what you are so upset over.” Her voice was so calm, gentle, understanding, soothing. It served well to help Luna calm down.

Luna forced herself to take several deep breathes, letting herself calm down enough to speak, to explain to Cadance just how great her error had been, how much Luna had failed. “We… I.. no… I when, when Gregor attacked thee, was holding thee, I nearly attacked him! I did not remember where we were, did not keep to mind that this was naught but a game! I was ready to fight to save you, I was about to treat him as a true threat! I almost lashed out, lost control, injured another innocent because I failed to control myself!”

She turned, opening her eyes to look at Cadance, part of her afraid of seeing the horrified look on her face at understanding just how badly Luna had acted. Instead, the pink mare’s face had an expression akin to if Luna were some small filly that had just confessed to sneaking an extra cookie before bed. “Dost thou not understand, Mi Amore? We, how are We to trust Ourselves if We are so quick to lash out!?”

“Luna,” Cadance’s voice was calm, sweet, yet managed to sound like an adult scolding that same foal for her ‘crime’. “I know I don’t know a lot about your past, but I know enough to know you fought a lot, there were battles. It is simply your instinct to act on threats like that. What matters is that you realized your mistakes before you acted, that proves you have nothing to worry about.”

Luna blinked, at a loss for how to reply. Cadance clearly understood what had happened, why was she treating it as something that did not matter? Did she not understand how serious this was?

“Luna, I know what you’re thinking, and yes I fully understand what is going on. You are the one being far too hard on yourself.” Cadance’s magic grabbed Luna’s head, holding it on place as the other mare leaned down to kiss her nose, her free wing brushing along Luna’s cheek. “We have quite a few royal guards in the Society, not to mention our own Shield Mothers and Tower Guards. Do you think none of them ever have this problem? Never had their combat instincts flare up when in the middle of something intense like that? This is nothing to be upset over, Luna. You did everything you should have.”

Cadance’s words, the simple logic to them, the caring, gentle way she said them. Luna could not deny she made sense. It did nothing to quell her worry over what she might do if she lost control, but she found it almost impossible to keep on acting as if this was such a huge error the would brand her as unfit to be among other ponies.

“Shh, don’t try to say anything yet.” Cadance continued. “I can’t say I know what it’s like, but I have dealt with a few other ponies that have done the same exact thing, had the same problem, same concerns. I’m here if you want to talk about it more, but I’d recommend making this what your next session with Starsong is about. She’s a Shield Mother and a member of the Lunar Guard, she’s had the sort training that causes this type of thing.. She can help you deal with this better.”

Luna nodded, burying her face in the pillow. Her guilt, her rage at herself, her fear of what this might mean evaporated, leaving her feeling empty and embarrassed. Some part of her still insisted this was something she needed to be punished for, that this was yet another mistake that showed how little she deserved her current happiness. She pushed that part away, focusing on the feeling of Cadance next to her, the soft touch of her wing, the soothing murmuring of her voice as she nuzzled and comforted Luna.

She looked up from the pillow, finding a fresh cup of tea hovering near her. She took it gratefully, pushing herself up into a sitting position and taking a long drink from the steaming cup. She felt herself relax instantly as the naturally calming blend of the tea itself, and the Serene that she was sure had been mixed in, went to work. She sat in silence till she had finished the tea, Cadance taking the teacup away and setting it aside. Her fellow princess had stayed pressed close to Luna the whole time.

“I overreacted,” she finally admitted. “Again.” She shook her head before leaning in to nuzzle Cadance, “Thank you Mi Amore.”

Cadance returned the nuzzle, adding a quick nip to Luna’s neck. “Anytime, and like Starsong, you know I don’t need thanks for this. Starsong is right, you are making amazing progress, you just have little slip ups now and then, like anypony. Still, if you want to thank me…” Luna saw a mischievous grin spread over Cadance’s muzzle, “There is something I wanted to talk to you about.”

The grin made Luna nervous. It was clearly genuine, yet her eyes held an almost predatory glint to them. “And that is?”

“Well, you remember my idea earlier, about giving Shiny a little pre-wedding gift?” Luna felt Cadance shift behind her, the other mare pressing a bit closer and draping her head across Luna’s neck.

Luna nodded, trying to avoid being distracted by the sudden change in position, even as Cadance’s hoof began to stroke along Luna’s back far too lightly to be meant as a soothing gesture. “Aye, seeking out a changeling to allow him some ‘fun’ I believe you called it, with her while you watched.”

Cadance shifted her head, pressing her muzzle to Luna’s ear, her voice dropping to a low, sultry whisper. “Well, I’ll call that plan B, because I can think of something he might like a lot more.” She pulled back, her eyes boring into Luna, the hungry glint only growing stronger while her wing started to stroke lightly over Luna’s hip. “Now that I know you don’t mind having a bit of ‘fun’ with me… “ She trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid, but her meaning quite clear.

Luna felt her breath catch in her throat for a moment, unable to find the words to respond, so she nodded. Not only was it the least she could do after everything Cadance had done to aid her, but Luna found the idea itself rather exciting in its own right, even without the skilled seduction of the Alicorn of Love to only make all the more eager.

Cadance let out an excited squeal at the nod. “This is going to be so much fun!” Leaning over, she wrapped Luna in a tight hug. “I can’t wait till we can set this up.”

Author's Note

And so my first multi-chapter story ends. Thank you to everyone who's read and commented on the story. The reception has been so much better then I ever hoped, and so very glad so many enjoyed this.

Quick thank you to Silent Whisper and Javarod for helping out with the editing while Tropo was indisposed for this chapter to do so.

Another massive thank you to Manifest Harmony for all her work in both creating The Clocktower Society, and for the amazing artwork and support she's given to get these stories made.

CTS Luna will return soon enough for more kinky, sexy adventures so keep watch.