Author's Note

Caution: This chapter is not particularly detailed or graphic, but it does contain violence in a sexual context. Reader discretion is advised.

Delight of the Moon

“The crowd outside is getting a bit restless,” Rainbow Dash observed dryly. “If they weren’t so busy fighting amongst themselves, they could probably push right past Yona.”

Rainbow Dash was perched on one of the rafters of the Friendship Castle’s throne room, keeping an eye on the uproar outside. Down below her, Applejack, Twilight, and a very pregnant Fluttershy sat at their respective thrones around the Cutie Map.

“I never knew I had so many crazed fans,” Twilight muttered to herself. “Not sure why they care so much that I have sex.”

“I could have warned you,” Fluttershy replied. “Some fans are just the worst ponies. They act like they own your body, and freak out at the implication of bodily autonomy. They will only be happy if they are the ones who get to do you.”

“What are you talkin’ about, Sugarcube?” Applejack wondered.

“She did have that short-lived modelling career a while back,” Rainbow Dash reminded her. “I’m not surprised she’s had to deal with over-zealous admirers. Not gonna lie, she was pretty sexy!”

“She still is,” Twilight snapped. “I’d say she’s even prettier than she was back then,” she added, blushing.

Fluttershy tried to hide behind her own mane, but with little success. Her own friends were masters at embarrassing her. “It’s okay,” she squeaked. “Angel is a wonderful friend. He and the other animals have always helped deter the creepers from getting to close. And if my animals don’t work, I always have Discord to set them straight.”

“As long as he doesn’t set Rainbow straight, I don’t care what he does,” Applejack joked.

“Not helping, Applejack,” Twilight chastised. “Can we please try and focus on the topic at hoof?”

“Whoa, heads-up!” Rainbow Dash called down. “Princess Cadance coming in hot! Like always.”

“And must you comment on the appearance of every mare you see?” Applejack complained.

“I wasn’t talking about her looks, cowgirl. Besides, you know you’re the only mare I love, Applejack. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to window-shop.” She tapped the window for emphasis. “Though, now that you mention it, she does have really nice tits.”

“Uh-huh,” Applejack grunted.

“Loyalty, remember?” Rainbow dropped down from the rafters and kissed Applejack on the cheek. “There’s not a mare in existence you can trust more than me,” she whispered before flying back to her perch.

Applejack heaved a sigh. “That doesn’t…” she began, before stopping herself. “Oh, horseapples. I should know better than to argue with a hard-headed bird-brain like her,” she muttered under her breath.

“You married her,” Twilight whispered back. “No one to blame but yourself.”

The doors to the throne room slammed open as Cadance made her entrance. Her mane and tail were completely askew from her flight and even her feathers were in disarray. Cadance had clearly rushed to get to Ponyville as quickly as she could. And even Flurry Heart was clinging desperately to her neck, eyes wide. “Twilight!” Cadance shouted.

“Auntie!” the small filly burbled, her head turning to lock onto Twilight. The filly flapped her wings a few times, flitting over to Twilight. Despite over a decade passing, Flurry had only aged a little over two years in the intervening time, both physically and mentally. It had thrown a lot of the medical community into a tizzy trying to understand it, as it matched neither normal pony development, nor the expected alicorn development models proposed when she was born.

Twilight smiled at her niece. “Flurry Heart! Nice to see you!”

“Auntie!” the filly repeated. She dropped to the floor and hugged Twilight’s foreleg.

“Twilight, we need to talk,” Cadance said, drawing Twilight’s attention away from the baby. “You’re causing problems.”

“I’m well aware of the problems I’ve caused, Cadance,” Twilight muttered, sinking into her throne. “Celestia’s already sent me a strongly worded letter. I don’t need you to mother me, too.”

Cadance tilted her head in confusion. “What? Celestia sent you...? No, I mean problems in the Crystal Empire.”

“The Crystal Empire?” Twilight repeated, confused. “How did I cause problems there? Wasn’t the entire point of Protocol White to avoid that?”

“It’s complicated,” Cadence replied, frowning. “Every single mare you interacted with has been hopelessly excitable - they have all entered estrus early this year. Your heat seems to be affecting mares in some way. The Crystal Empire is much further north than the rest of Equestria, and we don’t get a lot of sunlight up there, so heat tends to come late, not early! Though those with husbands are not complaining, the ones who are single are having a rough time of it.”

“That’s silly,” Twilight argued. “Starlight hasn’t been affected, and she was…” Twilight stopped just short of blowing her own cover on her role with Sugar Belle and Big Mac. “Well, all of my friends seem to be just fine, anyway.”

Cadance shrugged. “It may be only a matter of time.”

“Maybe the masking spell she’s using is why we’re not affected,” Fluttershy wondered aloud.

Twilight shook her head. “No, Fluttershy. The spell only masks the scent. It dampens the effect of the pheromones when there isn’t an olfactory part to the equation, but it would still affect you. I mean, you, specifically, should be immune to the effects due to the baby, but...”

Everypony shifted uncomfortably at the mention of Fluttershy’s pregnancy. It was an unspoken rule that you were not supposed to bring attention to the unusual nature of her gestation. Neither she, nor the unborn child, seemed to be in distress about it, and the doctors said the baby seemed perfectly healthy, but Fluttershy had been in a stuck in an apparent late stage pregnancy for three years.

Applejack coughed, breaking the awkward silence. “What about me and Rainbow Dash?”

“Obviously we’re immune because we’re lesbians,” Rainbow Dash sang mockingly.

“But I’m bi...” Applejack began to protest, but immediately corrected herself. “Consarnit, RD, we still have heats,” she reprimanded.

Rainbow Dash cackled madly, her laughter echoing around the chamber.

“‘T’a’int funny, Rainbow!”

Cadance rolled her eyes as the two mares began bickering and turned her back on them. “So, what trouble did Celestia write you about?” she inquired.

Twilight rubbed the hoofrest of her throne idly. “I… may have forced a stallion to mate with me.”

“Forced?!” Cadance shouted, horrified. “Twilight, that’s rape!”

“He agreed to it!” Twilight countered. “It wasn’t really forced forced. He just… doesn’t remember any of it.”

Cadance tilted her head in confusion. “What?”

“I wiped his memory afterward,” Twilight confessed.

Applejack whirled about, stopping her argument with Rainbow Dash mid-sentence. “Now, wait just an Applebuckin’ minute!” she demanded. “You never told us any ‘o that!”

Twilight slumped back into her chair. “It was a mistake,” she cried. “He said he loved me! I didn’t know what else to do!”

Applejack stomped her hoof, the thunderous stroke of her hoof against the crystal echoing around the throne room. “Now, it ain’t my job to tell ya who you can buck, Twilight. That’s between you ‘n them. But you can’t just wipe a pony’s memories all willy-nilly. Poor fella must be in a world of confusion right about now.”

“Applejack,” Fluttershy spoke softly, “you don’t need to make her feel worse.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, Fluttershy. Applejack is right. I panicked and did something foalish without considering how another pony would feel about it. I would reverse the spell if I could, but...”

“Reversing the spell would require finding him,” Cadance concluded. “Do you know where he is?”

“No,” Twilight groused. “I can’t even look for him. If I so much as step a foot outside, I wind up with dozens upon dozens of journalists all wanting to know everything about our relationship.”

“The newspaper!” Fluttershy exclaimed, horrified. “He probably already knows! Oh, he must have found out in the worst possible way!”

Twilight cringed in her seat. She honestly hadn’t even considered how Star Tracker would feel about the circumstances - not that she had given it too much thought. At the time, she wasn’t expecting he would ever actually find out. Unfortunately, Fluttershy was right - there was no way he hadn’t found out by now. “Ohhhh,” she groaned, resting her head in her hooves.

“Cain’t you just tell off the news reporters?” Applejack demanded. “How can you just brush this off because it’s inconvenient?“

“I’ve caused enough damage right now, Applejack,” Twilight muttered into her foreleg. She looked up and met Applejack’s glare. “I will go apologize to him once this all blows over, I promise. But right now I need to find a way to get my urges under control before I cause an even bigger scene.”

“You done made a mistake, Twilight, and ya need to make it right.” Applejack fumed. “Go see the poor colt! Who cares about some high falutin’ newsponies! Let them have their news; answer some questions and then ignore ‘em. They already got the juicy bits anyway. You’re just stalling. Equestria ain’t under attack, Celestia ain’t called for ya, and the Cutie Map ain’t ringin’ yer flank, so why wait?”

Twilight Sparkle stared at the Cutie Map that sat in the middle of the six thrones. The wondrous device had often been used to find and resolve friendship problems all throughout Equestria. Which meant that - somehow - this device could see ponies all across Equestria, and could sense their emotions.

The spark of an idea came to her mind.

“Applejack, you’re a genius!”

Applejack stepped back in confusion. “Uh, say what, now?”

“The Cutie Map can find him! I’ll be able to search all across Equestria!”

“Isn’t he in Canterlot?” Fluttershy inquired. “Couldn’t you just look up his residence?”

“Not Star Tracker!” Twilight shouted, giddy with anticipation. “The stallion that would be best to solve my problem! My perfect stallion!”

“Uh, perhaps you should talk to my sister about finding the perfect stallion, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “And you can ask Big Macintosh - or, for that matter, any other pony in town - how that ended.”

Twilight shook her head. “I already tried Big Macintosh.”

“Say what, now?” Applejack blurted, eyes widening in confusion.

“Big Macintosh can’t get me pregnant.”

“Say what, now?!” Applejack repeated, louder. “You slept with my brother?! Did you wipe his memory, too?!”

“No, I only…” Twilight trailed off, realizing to whom - and what - she was about to confess to. Applejack’s wide eyes burned with a righteous fury, just waiting for Twilight to say one more wrong word. Twilight swallowed thickly and chose her next words very carefully. “What I mean, Applejack, is that I have tested Big Macintosh’s magical prowess before, and his magic wouldn’t be strong enough to get the job done even if I tried.”

Applejack squinted at Twilight. “I know a lie when I hear one, Twi. Somethin’ fishy’s going on here, and you ain’t telling me the whole truth. Ah’ll get to the bottom of this.” She turned on her hooves and started toward the door. “C’mon, Rainbow Dash. We’re gonna go pay my big brother a visit.”

Everypony in the throne room fell silent as Applejack’s hoofsteps clattered across the room, the farm pony muttering about ‘magical testing’ and ‘ethics’, disappearing out the door.

Rainbow Dash dropped down from the rafters. “I’ll just go… make sure she doesn’t do anything foalish,” she explained, slipping out the door behind her wife.

“YAK SMASH!” Yona could be heard yelling just before the door slammed closed, echoing throughout the chamber.

“Boom!” Flurry Heart shouted happily in response to the loud sound.

An uncomfortable silence followed.

“That was awkward,” Fluttershy concluded, putting voice to the thoughts everypony was sharing. “I think I’m going to go ahead and use the fillies’ room.” She patted her stomach with a smile. “As much as I love him, I think he’s trying to hug my bladder.”

“I completely understand,” Cadance giggled.

“Flushay!” Flurry chirped. “Stinky?”

Fluttershy smiled down at the little filly. “Do you need a new diaper, Flurry?”

“Uh-huh!”

Fluttershy turned to Cadance. “I’ll take care of her for a bit,” Fluttershy said, taking the diaper bag that floated over to her. “It sounds like the two of you need to talk. Holler if you need me.”

“Thank you, Fluttershy,” Cadance and Twilight said in unison.

As Fluttershy left the room, Cadance turned to Twilight. “So, what are you going to do?”

“It seems I’m having a negative effect of everypony around me, so… I think I’m going to find a stallion.” Twilight perked back up. “Applejack was right about one thing: The Cutie Map isn’t calling me. But if I can get it to call somepony else…”

Cadance stared at Twilight with concern. “Are you sure modifying the map for your own use is safe?” she asked. “What if there’s a friendship problem that it can’t warn about because you messed with it?”

“I’m having a friendship problem, Cadance!” Twilight whined. “A friendship with benefits problem! Surely, of all ponies, you would understand that? Or do I need to have a talk about you and Shining?”

Cadance flinched at that. “Alright,” she sighed. “What can I do to help?”

“Your magic can tell if two ponies are compatible with each other, right?”

Cadance nodded.

“Alright, let me just…” Twilight concentrated on the map, willing her essence into it. She felt her magical energies open up, flowing freely between herself and the cutie map. Ribbons of light flashed between her and the location of the Friendship Castle on the map.

“...there. Now, if my theory is right, you just cast your spell on me and try to test my compatibility against the map itself. Then, the spell should radiate through the Cutie Map and search all through Equestria!”

“If you say so,” Cadance murmured, concentrating on Twilight. A swirling beam of sky blue energy released from her horn, shooting toward Twilight. The ribbons of blue split and formed a shell around Twilight briefly before coalescing around her horn and joining the energies Twilight’s horn was channelling into the map. Twilight felt the familiar sensation of the magical map calling her as her flank radiated warmth.

“Did it work?!” she shouted excitedly, cutting off her spell.

The two mares stared at the map. Two cutie marks hovered over Ponyville on the map. One, a barbell. The other, three slices of carrot cake. The spell had worked!

“Bulk Biceps and Mr. Cake?” Cadance said, somewhat awed that the experiment had worked. “That’s perfect! They’re right down the street!”

Twilight frowned. “Carrot Cake is already married!”

“My magic doesn’t understand legal and social constructs, Twilight. Were the two of you to date, my magic says there is potential chemistry there - that is all.”

“But Bulk Biceps?!”

“I’m sorry, Twilight. I cannot explain what chemistry the magic sees.”

Twilight sighed, defeated. “Either way, we only found two ponies. And they’re both less than a block away. I expected it to search a lot further than that. I guess it takes more magic than I thought to power a search so big. If there was a spell that would let me tap into the Cutie Map’s innate magic, I could probably do it. Without that spell, I don’t think we will ever have the range to reach beyond Ponyville, much less all of Equestria.”

“Such a spell does exist,” Cadance replied. “It is how Sombra corrupted the Crystal Heart when he captured it. It is forbidden magic, though, and I am not familiar with how to cast it myself. I’m not sure where one could learn such things, either.”

Twilight frowned at the map. Having a personality-compatible stallion to sleep with throughout her estrus would be ideal, but compatibility of personality wasn’t enough. She shuddered at the thought of trying to flirt with Bulk Biceps; even the perfect stallion was pointless when Twilight was so terrible with relationships. The most personable stallion in the world wouldn’t be able to do the job if they didn’t like each other after the first couple of weeks passed

But maybe that wasn’t necessary - if she got pregnant right away, a one night stand could do the trick, too, couldn’t it? Of course, then she needed somepony with enough magical prowess to solve her heat problem more permanently. That way, if she screwed up the relationship part of things, she’d at least have another decade or so to find the right stallion. Luna seemed to at least have done something to find powerful ponies in the past. Maybe she knew a trick or two?

Then again, If she followed through with that, it would mean getting pregnant. Pregnancy was a pretty big deal. But so was losing control and molesting other ponies against their will! Neither was a truly ideal scenario.

“Augh!” Twilight yelled in frustration. If Cadance noticed, she didn’t seem to respond..

Twilight’s thoughts wandered over to Flurry Heart. Though she was almost a teenager by age, her body still hadn’t matured past that of a typical infant. Cadance hadn’t even yet managed to wean her, breastfeeding for the last decade - an unpleasant thought at best. Cadance and Shining had discussed adopting a second foal that would mature more quickly… for Shining Armor’s sake.

And even if they didn’t adopt, it’s not like Twilight hadn’t already raised one baby. And she would have more than enough time to decide what to do with the foal after she got pregnant.

“I might have an idea,” Twilight finally said. “And maybe Luna can help narrow our search, too.”

The realization that she had just made a decision to intentionally get pregnant by an unknown stallion struck her like a freight train, and she smiled. A younger version of herself would never have understood.

The cool night air blew through Twilight’s mane as she glided over the walls of Canterlot. Luna’s big, beautiful full moon hung low on the horizon, its light reflecting off of the various pools and fountains of the high class neighborhoods of Equestria’s capital. The light of the moon made Twilight more visible than she wanted to be, but the late hour meant most ponies would be sound asleep.

It did not take long for her to touch down on the balcony of the Moonspire - the tower dedicated to the Moon. The balcony wrapped all the way around the tower, allowing an observer to view the sky from whichever direction she pleased, and there were no walls separating the balcony from the rest of the tower. Instead, the capstone of the tower was supported by several dozen stone pillars that circled the edge. The lack of outer walls allowed the cool night breeze to pass through unimpeded.

In the center was a round, walled section with openings on four sides, shielded from the wind by a magical charm. Within was a modest office that Luna had claimed for her personal use, and the top of a spiral staircase that led down into the tower proper. The office itself was furnished with several large, fluffy cushions, a desk, and a tall chair for Luna to sit in, as well as numerous expensive pieces of night-themed artwork.

Twilight was not alone on the balcony; Luna stood across on the other side of the tower. She gave no indication that she had even noticed Twilight’s arrival, her gaze fixed upon the heavens. As Twilight crossed the tower toward Luna, she couldn’t help but notice how the deep, ethereal blues of Luna’s mane and tail blended into the night sky, the tiny flecks of light in her fine strands of hair twinkling just like the stars beyond them.

“Do you ever stop and look at the stars, Twilight?” Luna asked as Twilight approached, shattering her belief that she had gone unseen.

“I’ve been known to indulge in my telescope from time to time,” Twilight replied, trotting up to Luna and looking up in the direction Luna’s gaze was fixed. The black canvas of night - broken only by the full moon and the pinpricks of the stars shining down upon them - was the same beautiful tapestry Twilight had always gazed upon. A tapestry of Luna’s own design.

Luna said nothing in reply, and the two princesses stared up at the sky in silence for a while.

“Gemini,” Luna finally said, raising a hoof to point at the stars. “Libra. Orion. Aquarius.” Her hoof shifted as she pointed at various places in the sky. “Do you ever wonder what they are?”

Twilight tilted her head, picking out each of the constellations Luna had mentioned in turn. “They’re the constellations - the only stars in the sky that you leave in place from one night to the next.”

Luna nodded. “As academic as ever,” she replied. “They are the only unchanging part of my night sky. But have you ever considered what they mean?”

Twilight pondered on that for a few moments, but couldn’t come up with anything. “I didn’t think they had any special meaning,” she confessed. “I thought you kept them there to help guide sailors at sea and pegasi above the clouds.”

“Though that is certainly a benefit, it is not the reason I keep them in place.”

A moment of silence followed. Twilight was about to ask why, but instead Luna let out a heavy sigh.

“It is to be expected, I suppose. There was a time when all of Equestria knew of my grief.” Luna finally turned her gaze away from the sky, looking Twilight in the eye. “Each of the constellations represents one of my children who has passed on from this world. The tears I have shed for my cherished ones, immortalized in my night sky.” She shook her head sadly. “Whenever I miss them, I find myself spending hours gazing upon the stars.”

Twilight hung her head. “I’m sorry. I never knew.”

“Do not worry,” Luna replied. “It is a burden that is mine to bear, yet also a pain long dulled by the passage of time. I do miss them, but I no longer mourn for them.”

“I see,” Twilight said quietly. “But Celestia told me you had hundreds of children. While there are several dozen constellations, that is a far cry from the hundreds Celestia described.”

Luna smiled warmly. “That much is true. My constellations number ninety-two. My children number four hundred and seventy four. I tried to love each and every one of them the same, but it’s hard not to have favorites amongst such a rabble.” She chuckled softly to herself. “There were some bad apples in the bunch, too. You know the type - the kind only a mother could love. And they love me in return.”

She returned her gaze to the sky. “On calm, clear nights, I can still hear them speak. They want for me to be happy,” she said solemnly.

“...The stars speak to you?” Twilight replied, bewildered.

Luna nodded. “The very spirits of my children live on in the stars,” she explained. “And they do still maintain some semblance of their will. It was them who brought me out of exile, releasing me back to Equestria.”

“The stars will aid in her escape,” Twilight recited with dawning realization. “I didn’t realize the prophecy was so literal.”

“I am not even sure how such a prophecy came to be,” Luna confessed. “I have never known anypony to be so clairvoyant. And yet, much of the prophecy came to fruition. And I have you and your friends to thank for the rest.”

Twilight pondered the implications of what she had just learned for several minutes, gazing upon the stars alongside Luna. Eventually, Luna turned away and slowly walked back toward her office.

“Do you come out and stare at the stars every night?” Twilight wondered aloud, following Luna into the office.

“I find myself gazing upon the stars more often when sky is prepared for more.”

“Prepared for more?” Twilight cocked her head to the side, confused.

“More stars. More constellations,” Luna clarified. “More children. Like you, Twilight.”

“But you’re not my mom,” Twilight objected. “N-n-not that I think you wouldn’t have been a great one, but-”

Luna placed a hoof on Twilight’s lips with a giggle. “I am prepared.”

Realization flashed across Twilight’s face. “You mean you are in heat?”

“Yes. And I desire to be a mother again.” Luna sat down at her office chair.

Twilight dropped onto one of Luna’s large cushions. “I can understand the physical desire,” she quietly agreed. “But how does one go about finding the right stallion?”

“I have never concerned myself with finding the right stallion before,” Luna replied, waving her hoof. “Relationships were never my strong suit. Celestia spoke with you about my children, but did Celestia tell you how they were sired?”

“She said you had a celebration during your first heat, and that you do not know who the father of Little Dipper was. She did not say much else.”

“Celebration is not really the word that I would use,” Luna countered. “But no, I never did learn the identity of her father. It is unlikely he even lived through the events of that night.”

Twilight’s eyes went wide. “Didn’t live through the night?! What did you do to him?!”

“Nothing. In fact, I was so confused as to what was going on, I barely moved for several hours.”

“Then, what happened?”

“It was my first heat. Thanks to Celestia, I knew what estrus was like for her, and I knew it was far worse than any ordinary mare - but at the time we did not know if I would ever go into heat, and even if I did, we did not know if it would be anything like hers. We didn’t have a clue.

“We were in the middle of a formal ceremony, though the reason for the ceremony was entirely forgotten in the wake of what happened that night. What is important was the later discovery that somepony had spiked the drinks with an aphrodisiac to inspire an orgy. It is believed to have suddenly accelerated my naturally blossoming estrus. And with the drug in my system, the symptoms came on very quickly indeed.

“I didn’t even know what was going on. I was feeling a little ill, and some cramping that I thought was related to that, when suddenly I started feeling an insatiable itch near my tail. Celestia was in the middle of a speech and had everypony’s attention, so I tried rubbing against a table discreetly, hoping nopony would notice my unladylike behavior.

“Getting that itch scratched even for a moment was heavenly, and I began grinding harder against the table. Eventually, I got so into it that the entire table toppled over, and several large desserts went crashing to the floor. The entire party turned to face me, my sister included.

“I heard one of the bakers rush over, shouting angrily at me for ruining his masterpiece. I wasn’t even facing him, too embarrassed by the sea of ponies staring at me. Urges that I didn’t understand had been awakened, and my tail flagged involuntarily. The baker stopped short in his ranting as he caught up to me, and suddenly I felt his muzzle under my tail. A lick caressed my virgin sex.

“My forelegs gave out at the sudden stimulation, and moments later, he had reared up and climbed on my back. His stallionhood missed its mark, and before he even had a second chance to thrust, a different unicorn stallion had gored the unfortunate baker with his horn.

“The baker’s blood sprayed from the wound, coating everypony nearby. The room descended into chaos, fueled further by the aphrodisiac coursing through everypony’s veins. In the ensuing melee, many stallions became overwhelmed by my scent, attempting to breed me even as they fought. I did not know why they fought - if it was jealousy, to defend me, to impress me, or in some attempt to show dominance.

“But it was frightening. Terrifying. Exhilarating. I cannot describe in words how much it made me feel desired. It was no secret that nearly every stallion in Equestria wanted Celestia - lusted after her. I had always played second fiddle to her in every aspect of my life, and though I had some admirers, I had never felt wanted. But in that moment, ponies wanted me. And they wanted me so badly they were willing to die for it.

“While I was nearly catatonic with the intense feelings and desires, driven mad with lust, I presented to any stallion who approached. Stallions mounted me over and over again, plundering my treasure. My tailhole was no stranger to the intrusions, either, and a daring few even went so far as to risk their stallionhood in my mouth during the battle. I took pleasure in all of it.

“And with every thrust, with every injury, I only wanted more. I lost track of how many stallions tried to plant their seed in me that night. Most did not finish before being cast aside by others. Few of those who succeeded even survived the bloodshed, and most of the survivors suffered grave injury to stake their claim.

The distant look in Luna’s eyes faded as she looked back at Twilight’s horrified stare. “For Equestria, it was one of the bloodiest days of our history. But for me, it was the hottest day of my life, and I look back upon it with both disdain and longing in equal measure.”

“But-” Twilight squeaked. “But that’s-”

Luna shook her head. “I am not proud that I delighted in the bloodshed, Twilight. But the unfortunate truth is that we are shaped by our experiences...”

Twilight continued to stare at Luna in horror.

“Still, it is not the same for me as it once was,” Luna conceded. ”A thousand years on the moon - nearly one hundred heats with no stallion in existence to save me from my own biological clock. It takes a toll on you.”

She sat back in her chair, staring up at the giant crescent moon painted on the ceiling.

“The urges for what used to exhilarate and excite… the urges are not just for a stallion to satisfy me. It is that urge, that carnal desire for bloodshed. Blood shed in my honor, for my benefit and my claim.” Luna’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Now? Now it frightens me, Twilight.”

Twilight tilted her head, surprised at the sudden shift. “Why?”

“After my first heat, I knew what I craved. Like most mares, I get horny outside of my heat cycle as well - especially back then, when my hormones ran high and hot. But I knew that what I truly craved would harm others. I knew I needed a stallion who had fought and bled for me. So I made a plan. A grand tournament.”

“It was the only way Celestia would agree to it. By arranging it as a formal tournament instead of an impromptu melee, at least no ponies would come to harm without consent. Any stallion who thought he had a chance was allowed to participate. And with my womb as the prize, there was no lack of participants.

“The battles were chaotic. For the first several centuries, there wasn’t any real structure to them. I would chain myself down in the center of the Great Colosseum by my own free will, waiting for them to descend upon me and claim me as theirs. And they fought around me, over me, above me. The battles would be halted once too few ponies remained standing, and those that remained would become the Night Congress.”

“Wait,” Twilight interrupted. “Night Congress? They were granted political status?”

Luna chuckled. “Congress used to have a different meaning, Twilight. It was that old meaning that was important. The Night Congress only grew into a political entity as they began petitioning me for my favor. In fact, that is the only way Congress came to be a political concept at all. The original Night Congress would serve as my own harem; and they would continue to battle one another for the privilege to sate my lusts between heats.”

“But the intensity of my heats were too much for the Night Congress alone to handle. Whenever the heat came, I would raise a Blue Moon, signalling the beginning of yet another grand tournament, and the cycle would continue. Often, the current Night Congress would lose early in the tournament, as the passing of a decade’s time left them weaker than the fresh blood who had trained for that moment, but some persisted through the years. One particularly persistent Earth pony, Long Spear - a fitting name, I might add - remained in my Night Congress for seventy-six years until his death, which was unusual also because so few Earth ponies ever earned my Congressional honor. He was one of four.

“Of course, I was used and abused by thousands of ponies in the colosseum over the years, and accidental fatalities were commonplace. The tournament gained more structure as Celestia clamped down more and more on what she saw as unnecessary violence. And after the nobles of the court passed that ridiculous law, it became necessary for genetic testing to determine which stallion had given me a child so I would be wedded to him.

“I agreed to marry each of them on the condition that they understood I was not to be sexually monogamous with them, which technically satisfied that rule of law. They were also aware that the marriage would be considered void if they did not ‘win’ the next tournament. And so, just as Celestia was responsible for the institution of marriage, so did I create the institution of divorce.

“That is my legacy, and the legacy of my children. And I desire for more. I can feel the urges overwhelming me even now, begging me to raise the Blue Moon again. But it is a call that would go unanswered. Today’s Equestria does not know the importance of the Blue Moon, nor the call to arms that it represents.”

Luna fixed her gaze upon Twilight. “The problem of finding a suitable mate was never one I had to struggle with before. It was decided for me, by a process of elimination that was left to fate. The powerful would naturally be victorious over the weak, and thus my mates never struggled to overcome my magical resistance.”

Twilight gulped. Luna was proving to be a less useful - and far more disturbing - source of information than she had originally hoped.

“Still,” Luna continued. “An estimate based on performance results suggested that approximately five percent of stallions were at least capable of inseminating me.” Luna’s horn lit up, and Twilight felt a strange energy pass through her. Twilight shivered as an image of Luna was momentarily burned into her mind.

“Curious,” Luna said, finishing the strange spell. “It would appear that your latent magic reserve is stronger than my own. I cannot be certain if that is because I have just expended some recreating the night sky, but... Perhaps 5% is too optimistic.”

Twilight perked up. “Wait, you can measure latent magic?” Another spark of inspiration shoved all of Luna’s tragic story to the side, taking center stage in her mind’s eye.

“Not, strictly speaking, no,” Luna replied. “It is a thaumic field comparator; it doesn’t give measurements in absolute terms, but it can tell you which pony has a larger reservoir to draw from, and while there is a strong correlation, it doesn’t translate directly to magical aptitude. Some ponies never learn how to properly tap into it. Others use it very efficiently and can achieve great things despite having a smaller reserve to tap into.”

“But that is the same reservoir that infuses our sperm and eggs!” Twilight yelled, excitedly. “Can you teach me that spell? Oh, you have no idea how useful this will be with the Cutie Map!”

Luna stared at Twilight. “... what?”