Luna smiled and continued. “When a pony, griffon, minotaur, or any other thinking creature dies, its soul moves onto a plane that acts as a holding area until they are ready to return to the mortal plain. My sister and I know this because, in our meditations, we have seen this plain and spoken with its denizens. This is where we learned to see the spirits that lay within the flesh. Usually souls show preference for a certain kind of body, meaning the soul of a griffon will most often be reborn as a griffon again. However, sometimes a soul will seek out new experiences and move into a new kind of body. Do you follow so far, my little human?”

Thomas chuckled at the use of his nickname, but nodded just the same. After as much exposure to reincarnation in fiction as he had, he suspected he knew where this was going. “I’m the reincarnation of a pony, aren’t I?”

“You, Dearest Thomas, are the reincarnation of thirty eight ponies, at least as far as I am aware.”

The human blinked in shock. “Thirty eight? Wow.”

“There is more.” Luna paused for dramatic effect. “The first time we met, your name was Bronze Aura.”

“Bronze Aura?” Thomas furrowed his brow in contemplation. The name was familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. “Bronze Aura. Bronze Aura. Bronze…” He looked up at Luna with eyes wide in shock. “That Bronze Aura?”

“Who’s Bronze Aura?” Moonlight asked, impressed but not terribly awed by this revelation.

“The stallion from her first herd,” a flabbergasted Thomas answered. “That was… me?”

Luna nodded and turned to Moonlight. “Sadly, Moony, you were not with us then. We did not meet for another two hundred years. But when we did, I knew that Emerald Orchid, your past self, would forever be my special somepony.”

“That’s where it comes from, ya know,” Talon interjected, tired of listening in silence. At Luna’s approval, she continued. “Special somepony actually came from the Princesses when they saw that ponies, griffons, or whatever who were really in love in one life tended to be together in later lives.”

“Love is a thing that transcends life, death, and even race,” Luna said with a wisdom and depth that showed her age and made the others shudder. “It was actually Celestia who coined the term, but that part has been lost to the ages. But once the idea became known, it became increasingly popular for all ponies to declare their herd-mates as their special someponies whether it was true or not, as the gesture was born out of genuine affection; neither my sister nor I saw the need to correct them.”

“And that’s how the harems have pretty much worked ever since.” Talon picked up. “Whenever they find someone they used to know, they invite them to the castle, just like how Leste pretty much had me pegged the moment she saw me.” She snickered. “I tapped that flank in a past life and she wanted me to do it again in this one.”

“But sometimes we are unable to find any of our special someponies, even for decades at a time,” Luna lamented. “So to quell our need for affection, Tia suggested the creation of an attendant position as a trial system. Often we find ponies we like well enough, but on the rarest occasion we find new special someponies. This is why the harems have been steadily growing over the centuries.”

“Like me?” Moonlight asked.

Luna smiled gently and set her hand on Moonlight’s other knee. “Like you, my beloved Moonlight Shield.” The Princess leaned down and planted her lips on the unicorn’s. It wasn’t an erotic kiss, but the affection being exchanged as Moonlight leaned in was undeniable. Eventually they parted. “It saddens me that I could not tell you sooner, but since my… return, my abilities have not been as profound as they once were and it is only recently that I am able to recognize you on my own.”

“But, wouldn’t Celestia…” Moonlight began.

“Instantly,” Luna answered. “However, with the complication of Morning Glow, she felt it best if we got to know one another at our own pace. Still, I apologize deeply for making you wait this long.”

Moonlight smiled affectionately. “It’s no trouble at all, Princess Moonbutt,” she giggled.

Luna then motioned for Moonlight to look back at Thomas. “In case it is not yet clear, the two of you have always been especially close.”

Thomas interlocked his fingers with Moonlight’s and gripped them tightly as he stared into Moonlight’s lovely eyes. “So… we used to be together in a past life?”

“Lives,” Luna corrected. “Be it as mare or stallion, the two of you would always look out for one another.” The Princess sighed contentedly. “While it has been painful to know so many lovers and watch them depart, Tia and I have taken solace in the knowledge that these departures are only temporary. And it has been our utmost privilege to meet those same wonderful ponies all over again, different minds and bodies, but the same wonderful beings we fell in love with the first time.”

“What’s the difference, you know, between regular love and the transcending life and death kind?” Thomas inquired, suspecting Moonlight was just as interested with the way her ears stood stiff.

Luna shrugged. “After all these millennia, even we alicorns cannot say for sure. What is the tangible difference between the love of a good friend and the love of one’s lover? Where did this other plane of existence come from? How is it that, despite predating our ascension to rule, my sister’s love of sweets has not caused her plot to blossom out until it is equal to that of the eldest dragon?”

The others put up only token resistance before descending into guffaws of laughter.

“The finest philosophers and theologists have spent countless lifetimes exploring these questions, but have yet to find any discernable answers,” Luna continued, doing her best to ward off her own chortles, but soon even she fell victim to the contagion.

“I think…” Thomas said between bouts of laughter. “I think I might know the last one.” The others quieted down, though still unable to stop smiling, as they eagerly awaited his theory. “Celestia’s plot actually got so big that it imploded and retroactively reverted to a more manageable size.”

While Talon and Moonlight renewed their guffaws, Luna threw her head back and drowned them out as she howled in glee. “That…” she gasped. Eventually she found her breath as her expression of mirth turned to one of serious contemplation. “That… that… that almost makes sense.”

Thomas let his eyes linger on Luna a while and she saw the unasked question. He was wondering, she knew, how a pony soul could wind up within being from another world. She sighed and shugged, wordlessly admitting her lack of knowledge. For the time being, this would have to remain one of the many mysteries surrounding the human.

Later that evening, the four lovers made their way to the dining hall for dinner. Thomas and Talon wore their uniforms and took their seats on Luna’s side of the table. Moonlight, who had redressed in her armor, was asked very politely, the sort of politeness that implied one didn’t have the option to refuse, to remove her helmet and sit with them. All eyes shifted in anticipation between Luna, her harem, and the long-lost newcomer until Luna decided she’d made them wait long enough.

The cheers and hoots from the other concubines at the announcement of Moonlight formally courting with Thomas were almost deafening. Even Silver looked pleased. When asked if Moonlight would soon be donning the uniform, it was explained that they’d decided she would stay in the guard as Thomas’ protector. The former had been her dream after all, and the latter was just an extension of her marely duties to her stallion. It just so happened that now, in addition to her duty coming whenever the Princess ordered, she would now have to cum whenever the Princess ordered, which everyone agreed was a fair compromise.

(This was followed up by a line in Chapter 79)

Thomas hugged her. “Tali’s being a bad influence on you,” he chortled. “I like it.”

“I guess that just goes back to your question about destiny.” Moonlight sighed contentedly, still pressing her cheek to his. “I’m a pony; an Equestrian. Destiny is just part of our everyday lives. It’s even branded on our flanks, for Faust’s sake.” She indicated her hip. “If I knew a few months ago what I know now, I’d have probably been less of an idiot and started seducing you the first day we met.” She grinned.

Thomas grinned back. “That’s nice of you to say, but is that how Silver’ll react?”

Moonlight straightened up, but still kept her hand on his shoulder. “And that’s why the secret exists, I imagine. Regardless of who we were or what we did in past lives, we’re still ourselves today and we all react differently. In truth, I don’t think it matters all that much.”

“How so?” Thomas asked skeptically.

Moonlight shrugged. “Well, it’s certainly a thing we have in common, but it’s like Luna said. Ponies fall in love all the time, only to seek out new lovers in their next lives. Having shared past affections is a point in our favor, but I don’t see it as terribly different from if we had a shared passion in this life. That’s why we’re going on a date, so you can fall for each other now. That way, when she does find out, it either won’t matter or she’ll ride you all the harder to make up for lost time.” She finished with a giggle.

“Huh.” Thomas huffed, finding the way she described that last part oddly suggestive. “And you? I mean, since you do know what we were in the past, what do you think of her?”

Now it was Moonlight’s turn to avert her eyes. “Her flanks are nice enough, and I should probably ask what kind of shampoo she uses to make her fur so shiny.”

A little non-committal, but she’s definitely thinking about it. Thomas thought as he met Moonlight’s eyes with a sly grin.

Author's Note

So there was some controversy around the original Ch 74 and I felt that things needed to change. However, I didn't want to lose what I'd written, so I kept it in storage until today.