Snuggles.

A good relationship has plenty of snuggles.

Which is exactly what Rick needed, especially after the night he had.

He was glad that he didn't have to deal with the aftermath of his actions alone. No, he had a pretty blue pony princess to cuddle up with.

The two were laying in Rick's hotel bed, comfortable and content. It was quite the 180 from a mere 2 hours ago. The painkillers Rick had taken were starting to wear off, and his left hand was starting to ache.

Good thing I use the other hand for jacking off. He thought, the mildly raunchy thought causing him to chuckle softly.

"What are you laughing about, my love?" Luna inquired, lifting her head from Rick's lap, where it previously lay.

"Nothing, just a silly thought I had." He replied, shaking his head.

Luna raised her eyebrows.

"Oh? Pray tell, what might this thought have been?"

"Weeeelllll...."

"Come on, you know you may tell us anything."

"It's not exactly appropriate."

Luna gave him the quintessential 'really?' look.

"Are you being serious? We are not innocent, you know."

Rick laughed nervously. "Yeah, I know."

"Well then? Out with it!" She said, poking him with a hoof.

"Okay fine. So my left hand is all messed up, and I was thinking, 'Boy am I glad that I use my other hand for jerking off."

Luna looked at him curiously.

"What is 'jerking off'?"

Rick cocked his head. "You don't know what jerking off is? Y'know, beating your meat? Choking the chicken? Cranking the shank? Cuffing the carrot? Flogging the hog? Yanking the crank? Polishing the helmet? Roping the pony?"

Luna stared at him, confused as to what the words meant and slightly frightened.

"I am not familiar with these.... horrendous activities."

Rick sighed.

"Masturbating, Luna."

Luna instantly got it.

"Ah! Why didn't you just say so?"

Rick giggled. "Because that was more fun."

Luna rolled her eyes, laying her head back into Rick's lap and adjusting her body slightly. Letting out a comforting coo, she closed her eyes with a smile. Rick began to scratch and rub at her ears, to which her tounge lolled out and she softly groaned.

"Do not stop.... that feels divine...." she managed, nuzzling further into Rick's lap.

Rick began long, slow strokes down her back and through her mane with his other hand, despite the bandage, eliciting more contented moans from the alicorn.

"Mmmmm..."

Pausing earned him a sad look from the Princess.

"Why did you stop?" She asked.

"Can you grab my phone from my bag?" he asked in return.

Confused by the request, she complied, levitating the small black device over to Rick, who plucked it out of the air. Luna watched as he powered it on, a picture of an apple appearing on the screen. He had used it before, mainly to take pictures, but turned it off when he wasn't using it as a camera. His solar charger was too bulky to take with him, so it remained in Canterlot. Finally, a picture of Luna's smiling face filled the screen, along with the time. Swiping his thumb across the screen and entering his passcode, he navigated to the music app.

"What are you doing?" Luna inquired, moving around next to him to get a better view. She'd never seen this before!

"Puttin' on some tunes." Rick replied.

"Music?"

"Yup."

Swiping through the menus, he navigated to a playlist entitled "The journey within". Luna could read the names of several bands(at least, that's what she thought they were), and a few song titles as well.

"I was not aware that your phone could play music." Luna said, incredulous.

"Neat, huh?"

"Indeed."

Scrolling through the song list, he decided to just play the whole playlist from start to end. Tapping the first song, he turned up the volume and set it on the nightstand.

A strange ringing began to emanate, artificial in tone, steadily getting louder with slight fluctuations in tone, before a stringed instrument began to softly play in a three note pattern, occasionally elevating into six notes.

Luna listened in awe, the small device playing the song with astounding quality, far more than one would get with a modern phonograph.

"Wow..." was all she could say.

Rick chuckled.

"Good stuff, ain't it?"

"Astounding! We didn't know humans could make such excellent music!"

"Oh, this is but the beginning. It gets better, trust me."

Voices had cut into the music, what sounded like a nurse talking to a doctor. To Luna, the words were alien, yet familiar. She enjoyed hearing other human voices, if she closed her eyes she could almost see the two people talking to each other. The music itself seemed to be reaching a focal point.

"Look son, we want to help, in whatever way we can, but you need to talk to us. Can't help you otherwise. Now what's happened? Tell me everything.

Then, a loud feedback loop emanated from the device, heavily distorted, and the prior, softer ringing ceased. Luna was slightly taken aback by the noise, which wasn't pleasant to the ears. Then, four distorted notes, the last ringing out into another feedback loop, and then a voice.

"Alrighty, then.

Picture this if you will..."

The four notes played again, and then the phone exploded into hard rock music, with a voice talking faster than she could follow.

Rick grinned wide and bobbed his head to the music, mouthing the lyrics.

Luna began to feel the rhythm herself, amidst all the distorted guitars. A small smile creeping it's way onto her face, she began to tap a hoof to the strange time signature. The music was amazing, albeit a bit strange, and a little harsh on the ears(Celestia probably wouldn't like it), but enjoyable nonetheless.

"This is..." She began, trailing off as the music hit a particularly good moment.

"Amazing!" She finished, feeling the urge to get up and dance. She was feelin' the music.

Suddenly, and much to Rick's surprise, she jumped off the bed and did just that, while also singing along.

"How...?" He sputtered, in awe of the alicorn.

Luna had felt the magic of harmony course through her, allowing her to sing and dance like never before. Despite never hearing the song, her voice floated to Rick's ears, carrying the lyrics that he knew by heart. He began to sing as well, hopping off the bed and joining Luna in an impromptu dance party.

Their voices and movements surprisingly fluid, the two danced and sang their way through the entire 11 minute song. Finally ending with a flourish, Rick stepped over and paused the playlist. Turning back to Luna with a truly happy and joyful smile, he rushed forwards and bodily picked her up in a surprise hug, the alicorn squeaking as he did so.

"That was FUCKING awesome!" He shouted, planting a solid kiss on her lips. Giggling, Luna tossed her forehooves around his neck, kissing his cheek.

"I am glad you enjoyed it as much as I did. That was an excellent song!"

Nuzzling her, he squeezed her a bit tighter. Finally releasing her, he asked,

"How did you know the lyrics? You said you'd never heard it before!"

"One of the magic types here in Equestria is known as 'Harmony Magic'. I presume you've heard the occasional song in the streets?"

"Yeah, I always thought that ponies really liked flash mobs or something. That singing is magic?"

"Yes, and when one hears a song that they quite enjoy, or any song for that matter, the magic allows them to sing to the music. It is one of my favorite things about Equestria."

Rick blinked, a small smirk on his face.

"That is neat as hell."

"Indeed. Any pony within earshot can succumb to Harmony magic, providing they don't absolutely despise the song. Most of the time, they don't have much of a choice," She said, smiling warmly.

A wicked grin made its way onto Rick's visage.

"I just thought of some evil pranks we can pull on palace guards." He said, chuckling.

Luna laughed along with him, a smirk making it's way onto her face.

"Perhaps you can tell me about it tomorrow..." she licked her lips, eyeing Rick's body.

"Right now, I think I want something else." She lunged for Rick, tackling him onto the floor and straddling his body, before locking lips and softly moaning into the kiss, her tongue probing at his teeth, requesting entry. He obliged, deepening the union, and the two's tongues met in the middle, swirling and probing, giving and taking. Their lips slowly widened and shrank, the unfamiliar shape of Luna's mouth proving to be a bit of a challenge for Rick, forcing him to turn his head slightly to gain better entry. Either way, he thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

They were both a bit out of practice, but after a dozen or so hungry seconds, they became more familiar with the geography of each other's mouth.

Breaking the kiss, Luna gazed into Rick's eyes with a loving passion, a gentle smile alighting her face.

"I love you, Rick."

"I love you, Luna."

Nuzzling under his chin, Luna inhaled deeply, taking in his scent.

"You wanna move this to the bed?" Rick asked.

"That... would be a good idea, yes." Luna replied, going in for a quick peck before lifting herself off of Rick and hopping up onto the bed. Rick followed, grabbing his phone and resuming the playlist, but turning the volume down some. Hard rock would be the backer for what was soon to come.

Turning his attention back to Luna, who had taken up quite the pose; laying on her side facing towards him, forehooves crossed, tail swishing alluringly.

He let out a low whistle.

"Damn, that's nice." He said, taking in the view.

Smiling sensually, Luna said, "What are you waiting for? Get over here and show your princess what those hands can do."

Rick chuckled, getting up onto the bed and swinging his legs parallel with Luna's body. He softly caressed her cheek, before going in for another kiss. Once more, their mouths became abuzz with activity, and before too long they pulled away again to gaze into each other's eyes.

To Rick, Luna tasted far nicer than he had originally envisioned. Her saliva had a slight taste of blackberries, enough to be noticed but not so much that it overwhelmed him. He found it quite pleasant, far nicer than the flavor of a human woman.

He could only imagine what other flavors she had in store for him.

Later.

Sitting up, Luna used her forehooves to push Rick down flat on the bed, once more taking up her position atop him. Smiling down at her human, she leaned down for another kiss, but was interrupted by a long, slow stroke down the leading edge of her folded right wing.

Shuddering and gasping slightly, she bit her lip, almost preventing the moan from escaping.

"Mmmmm..."

Both wings unfurled themselves with a fwump!, extending to their full length over the bed, casting Rick into shadow.

He snorted, barely containing a chuckle.

"Got a bit of an, uh, erection there?" He said, stifling laughter.

Luna stuck her tongue out at him, huffing indignantly.

"It is perfectly normal for a winged being such as myself to experience an erection of the wings when they are aroused." She stated, brushing a lock of her erethral mane from her face.

Rick snickered.

Rolling her eyes, Luna leaned down and bit on the top of one of his ears.

Rick winced, and in turn grasped a bit of her flowing mane and gave it a tug.

Luna released his ear and moaned aloud, shuddering once more.

"Oh, stars!"

Rick raised an eyebrow.

"So, you like some of that hai-mane pulling action? Tsk tsk, how naughty." He said in mock disapproval.

Looking at him with an adorable pout, she stuck her tongue out again.

"Careful, stick that out any further and I'll grab it." He said, smirking.

Slowly smiling, she opened her mouth, revealing her silky tongue, before allowing the muscle to loll from her mouth and half-closing her eyes.

Rick, who had already gotten quite 'excited' by the whole situation, felt his own erection twitch a bit at the sight.

Goddess-damn, that was sexy as hell.

Not wasting any more time, he reached up with his good hand and pulled the alicorn's face to his, their lips connecting. Her tongue found it's way to his, and the war began once more.

This time, there wasn't any harmony in the actions. Rick wanted dominance over Luna's tongue, and god-dammit he was going to get it if he had to sit here and make out with her all night!

...That doesn't sound too bad...

However, resistance on the other front was steadfast. Luna's tongue was longer, but Rick's was more dexterous.

As the two made out, other parts of their bodies were not idle. Luna's hooves ran through Rick's hair and scalp(something which she had discovered-by accident- really turned him on), and her hips shifted and ground against Rick's thighs and pelvis. She was not being gentle, either. Each movement was powerful and rough, fueled by desire. A small part of her mind thought that they may be moving a bit quick, but Rick was being just as rough with his movements.

His good hand ran across the surface of her right wing, ruffling the carefully preened feathers out of alignment and drawing pleasured groans from the alicorn. His other hand stroked through her mane softly, the combination of gentle and forceful driving the mare mad. Occasionally his good hand would reach up to her mane and tug, eliciting more pleasured gasps from Luna.

During this, the battle within their mouths was ceaseless, their tongues gaining ground into the other's mouth only to lose it all to a bolt of pleasure, restarting the passionate tug of war.

For many minutes, this went on. Soon, Luna began to breathe a little harder, her movements less fluid and more desperate, before she pulled away.

"...G-getting close..." she managed in between pants. Rick already knew what she meant.

From making out only? Wow, either I'm good at this or she's a short fuse.

Rick smiled, before pulling her head to his and sitting up, allowing his hands easier access to her wings.

"Well, why stop then?"

Luna gazed at him with desperate, pleading eyes. Rick could feel a warm wet spot on his right thigh, which he grinned at.

Her mouth all but crashed back into his, resuming the crazy rhythm of their kiss.

Then, Rick began to caress her wings with his hands, the bandage making it difficult to do so properly, but not impossible. Luna's eyes fluttered, rolling back in their sockets as she was assaulted with intense pleasure. Breaking away from the kiss and moaning heatedly, she orgasmed.

Rick felt the wet spot grow, her liquid soaking the pants leg, and felt her grinding into his thigh. Throughout her orgasm, he continued to stroke her wings, slowing down as she rode out the first orgasm she'd had in a very long time.

When she had finally finished, she looked up at Rick, who was smiling warmly.

"That was......" she managed, before tilting forwards and pushing her head into Rick's chest. Bringing a hand up to rub at her ears, he chuckled.

"You alright there, Luna?"

"mmm..yes..." she mumbled, exhausted.

Letting out his own breath, he rolled the Princess off to his side, scratching at her ear before pulling back the covers and finagling the spent alicorn under the sheets. Letting out a content sigh, she opened her eyes and looked over at Rick, who was transitioning into his pajamas.

"Um... Rick?" Luna began, nervously.

"Yes, my pretty blue princess?" he replied.

"I apologize if you were unable to... finish." she said sheepishly, nervously biting her lip.

She was surprised when Rick waved a hand in dismissal.

"Don't you worry yourself, love. I wasn't planning on it anyways. I wanted that to be all about you. Besides, we'll have plenty of time back at the castle for more, yeah?"

"O-of course." She stammered, not ready for that response.

"I think the thing that should worry you more is how fast you finished. And from making out only too!" Rick said, grinning slyly and winking.

Feeling her cheeks turn red, she looked away.

"It has been a substantial amount of time since we last... relieved ourselves. We were... pent up, so to speak." She spoke quietly, quite embarrassed.

Rick softly smiled.

"No worries, Luna. I'm just poking fun. Besides, you're quite cute when you're all flustered and red like that." He said, playfully booping her nose.

Luna broke a small smirk, growing into a full fledged smile before she took hold of Rick's and dragged him onto the bed with her with a surprising amount of strength.

"C'mon, Luna, I gotta go brush my teeth and take a shower an-"

He was cut off by Luna voraciously jamming her lips onto his, locking him in yet another heated kiss. She ran her tongue over his teeth in back and forth motions, imitating a toothbrush. After a couple minutes, she broke the kiss and looked at him with a triumphant expression.

"Need not worry, my human, for I am your toothbrush!"

She giggled, and Rick chuckled.

"How on Earth did I score such a great mare?" He asked her.

"Simple," she replied. "You are wonderful yourself."

He smiled warmly, giving her a peck on the cheek. She pulled herself and Rick under the covers, then assumed her position in Rick's arms. She not-so-subtly wiggled her rear against his crotch, resulting in a few chuckles from the opposing party. Finally getting comfortable, the two lovers slowly began to drift off to sleep, quiet rock music playing in the background as a lullaby.

Enter night.

Grain of sand.

Off to never-neverland.

Faces flashed by faster than he could count. His mentor, high school teachers, fellow officers, his parents. more and more came and went, and then they changed.

From cherished memories into less brought up subjects.

School bullies. Rude drivers at a traffic stop. Less-liked fellow officers.

Then they changed again.

Suspects. Ones' he'd arrested.

Then.

Ones' he'd shot. There were only two.

He saw their last moments replayed a thousand times in one second. He felt the fear rising in his chest, but he pushed it down.

He analyzed each moment, looking deep into every second of them.

Yes, he thought, they happened.

And I made the right choice. In the end, life goes on and I must live with my decisions, but it is not the end of my life. They will not control me.
But it changed once more.

A grey face. Black mane. This wasn't human.

It was a Pony.

He saw her angry eyes in her last seconds before two .40 S&W hollowpoints tore through her chest and body, mushrooming into a fatal flower whose petals caused death.

He relived the steps leading up to it.

He remembered the hot smell of gunpowder and blood as it hung heavy over the scene, and how he had broken down inside and out, over shooting someone.

Sometimes, he reminded himself, Violence IS the answer.

As much as Celestia wishes for eternal peace, that's not Human nature.

Or pony nature, apparently.

Dream-Rick could no longer move.

The world lit up with fire and destruction, dead ponies and burning homes everywhere, as a small voice in the back of his head said,

"This is what happens, if you fail....."

He tried to close his eyes, but couldn't. He could only watch.

Rick rarely felt fear.

Rarely.

But this time, he was terrified beyond words.

He watched a foal see their mother die, rushing to her side only to be decapitated by a dark pony in battle armor.

Discrimination was non-existent.

But then, a light in the sky.

Blinding, powerful white light.

He felt the bonds release him.

He saw the images fade away.

And once more, he was peaceful.

Luna had awoken to her human shifting and muttering in his sleep, subconsciously squeezing her tighter. Instantly recognizing the nightmare for what it was, her horn lit up as she attempted to venture into his dreams, but she could not enter.

She nearly facehooved as she remembered his astounding magical resistance.

Pouring every ounce of power she had into the spell, she touched her horn to his forehead, directly bridging the gap and successfully entering his dream.

And she saw hell on Equus.

His nightmare was horrifying, dead ponies left and right, all ages, all sizes, all genders.

Not wishing her human-or herself- to view the atrocities any longer, she once more gathered her magical energy and cast a nightmare-purge spell, the white beams blasting the images away, and replacing them with happy memories and thoughts. No longer would he be plauged with the horror of what he had seen.

Gently exiting the dream, she felt Rick's breathing return to normal, and his heart rate calm down. He snuggled up tighter against her, tucking the top of her head under his chin and letting out a large breath.

Smiling softly, Luna kissed one of the arms around her, before quietly saying,

"Sleep well, my love."

And with that, she once more lent herself to the night, allowing the music that was still playing take her.

Before she slept, the last words of the song drifted across her head.

"Take my hand....

Off to never-neverland..."

Author's Note

Maybe if demand is high enough, I'll do proper clop. Never wrote any before, so it might be less than stellar.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed. Sorry for the wait, I finally got a decent job that's been taking up my time.
See you next chapter!