Midnight's Haze

Chapters

Chapter 1 (Edited)
Chapter 2 (Edited)
Chapter 3 (Edited)
Chapter 4

Chapter 1 (Edited)

It was another sunny and cheerful day in Canterlot. The Pegasi had cleared the clouds, as per Princess Celestia’s Request, leaving just enough to give shade to some of the parks and fountains around the city. Unfortunately for one very specific, and very speed deprived Unicorn, the sun was really making it hard to want to think of Celestia as anything but a horrible tyrant that directed her sun to torment her specifically.

Cracking open her eyes, Ruby Haze let out a whimpering groan and turned over to hide away from the beam of celestial light that had, against all odds, lined up with her eyes throughout the course of the morning. Despite this, she had woken up and knew it would be more effort to drift off to Luna’s domain than it was worth, considering she probably wouldn’t even get the same dream.

The mare felt a soft flush start go glaze across her pale, off-white cheeks as her tired mind processed the dream she had just been rudely awoken from. Ruby could still smell the lingering scent of-

With a huff, she pulled her covers away and laid there, spread out, the rising heat flooding over her face. She hated feeling like this. “Damn you, Celestia!” Ruby groaned, aimlessly flopping her legs against the bed, partly to wake up and partly in a futile attempt to let the Alicorn know how much she had annoyed her.

Pushing herself up into a sitting position, Ruby rubbed her eyes with a hoof, letting out a yawn. After what would be considered a concerning amount of time, she flopped her legs over the edge of her bed and climbed off, yelping as she heard the metallic crunch of a can under her hoof and felt the spray of soda. “Horseapples…” she muttered under her breath, flicking her leg back and forth for a second.

Her room, she suspected, was much like any other freshly enrolled students. Cans of varying amount littered her desk, which ran along the side of the room, with a stack of unopened textbooks in the corner as well as a desk-lamp and clock. In front sat her chair, upon which was hung her saddlebags and her hoodie. The floor was relatively clean, only a few plates here and there to mare the plush carpet.

Off to on the other side of the room was the entrance to her bathroom, next to which sat the offending window. She was sure she had closed the curtains tight, yet a slither of Celestia’s burning light still managed to weave its way through. On the other side of the bathroom door was her room’s exit, which led to her dorm.

Stretching her neck, Ruby grimaced upon feeling, and hearing, several ’pops’ and ’clicks’. She snaked her hooves around the cans and plates to find her way into the bathroom for the start of her morning rituals.

Coming out of the bathroom feeling refreshed, she levitated her hoodie over in a shimmer of deep red. Sliding it on and zipping it up, Ruby pulled on her saddlebags and made for the door, remembering to flick open her curtains and open the window to let some fresh air in.

Exiting her room, she practically tip-toed out of the dorm. She didn’t want another ten-minute lecture on why she should ‘take better care off her mane’ or why ‘she should smile more’. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the memories of meeting her dorm-mates for the first time. It was quite an experience that the mare doubted she would forget anytime soon.

Despite that, Ruby couldn’t say that any of her dorm-mates were bad ponies, far from it. She just wasn’t as social as some ponies and could only handle bursts of activity at a time before it became grating. Despite this, she did manage to force herself to a few parties and, against her stubbornness, enjoyed some of them.

Even though she had been at the university for just under a month, the sight of Celestia’s School was still a magnificent, at least in her eyes. Numerous spires of deep purple and serene white towered hundreds of meters overhead as arches of polished marble meticulously connected various buildings around campus. Equestrian flags flicked to-and-fro high above, along with Celestia’s own cutie-mark.

Ruby found it slightly pretentious, but who was she to complain, it’s not like she could ever measure up to one of the rulers. Trotting up the hill towards the building where her class was about to start, she found a large group of students flocked around the entrance of the building.

Annoyance was already starting to bubble up inside of her at the prospect of being late for her class, but she also didn’t want to draw any attention to herself by pushing through the crowd. Still, trotting up to the group, she did awkwardly find a spot to stand, and once making sure she wasn’t touching anyone, found out that everypony was trying to get some well-dressed Unicorn’s attention.

The stallion in question was stood on top of a small, portable stage. On each side of the stage were posters advertising Canterlot’s newest nightclub: The Full Moon. The pony himself sported a black, pin-striped suit as well as a pair of aviator sunglasses with a slicked back mane.

“Alright!” the stallion called out in a thick, posh Canterlonian accent. “I only have one last ticket for a very lucky filly or colt!” At that, the sound of ponies clambering to win a ticket swelled around Ruby and she grew increasingly uncomfortable. “All you have to do is let me hear that you want it!” he shouted, still being able to be heard despite the volume of the students as they shouted in unison. “I can’t hear you!”

With that, Ruby grunted and tried her best to leave, her awkwardness having turned to annoying quickly enough. Pushing through, she found herself in front of the crowd, yet pressed up against the stage. Letting out a strained huff, she climbed up, ignoring the stallion as he closed in.

“Oh my!” he began, smirking. At that, Ruby froze solid and a thick blush forced itself across her face, contrasting against her pale coat. “Looks like we have a winner!” His eyes roamed Ruby’s figure for a split second, summing her up and giving a subtle nod. “Somepony doesn’t play by the rules, I see.”

“I- W-What…” she mumbled, still unable to turn towards the group of ponies that had slowly begun to disperse, little by little as the reality set in that they wouldn’t be winning the ticket.

“You’ve won the ticket,” he whispered into her ear while passing the ticket to her. “Aren’t you excited?!” he continued, announcing it louder this time to what little crowd remained. Again, he leaned in, “You’ll thank me, everypony does.”

***

Ruby Haze had been in the bathroom for well over twenty minutes since she had been let go and her nerves still hadn’t calmed down. She had expected to simply climb over and get to class, but instead had managed to somehow win a ticket to the nightclub. If she wasn't the one to win, she would have thought it was something out of a silly cartoon.

Said ticket was now hovering before her in her magic as she read over the conditions to try and calm herself down. ‘This ticket permits one pony entry to The Full Moon, for one night only. This ticket permits the user to free single shot drinks all night. Once claimed, this ticket is magically bound to the pony and cannot be transferred, sold, or destroyed until after the given date.‘ Ruby closed her eyes in slight annoyance. “Great, can’t even get rid of it. At least I will only have to wait until…” she whispered to herself, then turned the ticket over, “Tonight?!”

“Hey, keep it down!” a voice called out from the other stall, causing her to wince.

“Sorry.” Finding that her nerves had settled down enough, she climbed down from the toilet and exited, still reading the ticket. Despite how much ponies wanted the ticket, it was basically worthless once magically bound to a pony, so Ruby found no trouble reading it in public. ‘The hottest new club… blah blah… filler text…”

Shaking her head, she slipped the ticket into her saddlebag and wandered off to where her next class would be held. The mare had already missed twenty minutes of her first period, so she simply found no point in going.

Even as Ruby waited, her thoughts kept drifting back to the ticket. She had heard of the ‘The Full Moon’ in passing, as well as Princess Luna, but she couldn’t really remember that well. The mare shrugged, if she couldn’t remember it, then it must not be that important, right?

***

Ruby found herself sighing while she gazed at herself in her bathroom mirror. Her eyes scoured every part of her and found basically nothing but imperfections along the way; from the tip of her horn to the round of her rump. The mare didn’t go out much, that was at least obvious, but when she did, she quickly dubbed this part of the night the ‘self-loathing hour’.

Pushing to find something, anything attractive about herself, her eyes flicked up to her horn which was half-hidden by her dark red mane. “It’s well maintained, I guess…” Ruby muttered, finding herself staring into her own eyes. A quick ‘bang’ broke her out of the moment, and she glanced over to her door with confusion.

Opening it, she peeked outside and saw her pink-coated dorm-mate, Cinnamon Eclipse collapsed on the floor with a comically large suitcase on top of her. The mare, to Ruby, was way too cheerful for her liking, always seemingly whistling a tune as her salmon and aqua tinted mane bobbed back and forth.

Ruby started to close the door, at least until an idea hit her. The ticket would be a complete waste if she didn’t go, but she knew next to nothing about making herself look even slightly attractive… but Cinnamon did.

Peeking out of the door, she saw the poor mare struggle with the case, her own magic seemingly unable to lift it. Swallowing her awkwardness, Ruby exited her room and neared the prone mare. Her horn lit up with her usual deep crimson and began to levitate the suitcase off Cinnamon, helping her. “Are you okay?” Ruby asked, holding out a hoof.

“O-Oh, thank you!” Cinnamon said, her mood instantly changing from grumpy to cheerful. She guided Ruby to place the suitcase outside of her room and turned her attention back to the mare. “Ruby, right? I haven’t seen you in a while, which is so strange as you’re directly opposite my room!” Cinnamon giggled and placed a hoof on Ruby’s shoulder, forcing her to tense up. “Anyway, thanks. I’m not the best with levitation spells, never have been. Daddy says it’s okay though, I’m much better at emotion spells!”

Ruby had to admit, despite the sheer happiness that Cinnamon was exuding, she didn’t seem as bad as she thought the mare would be. “Uh, no problem,” she replied, letting out her own awkward chuckle and moving back ever so slightly so Cinnamon’s hoof fell away. “I, uh, was wondering if you could help me out a little…”

Cinnamon could almost taste the awkwardness in the air, but let it go. She knew that she made some ponies uncomfortable. “Oh? Sure, I don’t mind helping. What’cha need help with?” The mare used her magic to open her own room and slide the suitcase in, humming a little.

Rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof, Ruby’s heart thumped in her chest as she replied with, “I’m going out tonight and I really, kind of suck at making myself look good… so can you do that? You know, make me look nice and whatever?” Those words were completely unfamiliar and felt wrong to say. But, if she was going to the hottest spot in Canterlot then she reckoned she must have to at least look better than she normally did.

Cinnamon blinked, then her smile widened into a grin. “Yes! Of course I’ll help!” She gasped, leaning in and pulling the mare into her room.

Ruby yelped and stumbled into Cinnamon’s room, just about missing the lamp and stopping short of the bed. “Look, I don’t want anything drastic, alright… I’ve never really done this before a-“

She was cut off as a hoof was pressed over her mouth. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you look amazing!” Cinnamon giggled. If she saw the flush wash over Ruby’s face, she didn’t mention it. Within an instant, she pulled the awkward mare over and sat her down at her desk, where several mirrors and styling bags sat. “Now, with this being Canterlot of all places, it wouldn’t do to be seen without at least a modicum of style,” she stated, almost as a matter of fact. Moving Ruby’s mane out of her face, Cinnamon gasped and practically squealed. “How could you hide your eyes, they’re so vibrant!”

Feeling her face flush once again, she looked down to her lap, then into one of the side mirrors that reflected Cinnamon’s excited grin. “Y-You really think so?”

“Duh!” was all the pink mare replied with, giggling, before pulling Ruby’s mane into a ponytail and humming in thought. Ruby grimaced internally at the thought of how long this would take.

***

Despite all of the reluctant squirming, refusal for some beauty products which forced Cinnamon to find alternatives, and Ruby's awkwardness, they had finally finished. "See, it wasn't so bad!" Cinnamon stated, almost glowing from being able to help her dorm-mate come out of her self-imposed shell.

"That's easy for you to say. You weren't poked and burned..." Ruby replied, looking at herself in the full length mirror. Her eyes scanned her body and after a few seconds, she felt the corners of her lips curl ever so slightly at the sight. Her hooves were immaculate, her mane and tail brushed, conditioned and styled into a cute bun, with a few strands floating down on both sides to frame her face . "It's alright, I guess."

"Perfect!" Cinnamon gasped, hopping up and down behind her. "You'll be the best looking pony there, I'm sure of it," she continued, placing a hoof of Ruby's shoulder. She still elicited the same tense up, but not as much. "You never said where you're going. A dorm party?"

Ruby blinked and then looked worried. The makeover took her mind off of the ticket, even though that was the whole cause for it. "Oh, yeah. The Full Moon."

Cinnamon's eyes widened in shock. "T-The Full Moon! That's only the most prestigious- How?! Did you get an invite?"

"Nope. I accidentally won a ticket to get in, this morning."

Looking like she was about to faint, Cinnamon sat down on her bed. "I'm so jealous... There's rumours that Princess Luna will be there." she pouted, then huffed, her hoof hitting the bed. "But, who knows. Maybe you'll get to meet her. Wouldn't that be amazing." Cinnamon couldn't help but let out a dreamy sigh.

"As if. Luna's a princess. She doesn't concern herself with first year students. We're basically foals to her."

"If you don't try, you'll never know! Plus," Cinnamon said, sliding over. "I'm sure you'll be able to catch her eye with your beauty, Ruby."

Ruby had a hard time believing that, but smiled anyway. She had barely kissed anypony back home and even then it was mainly for a dare. For all of the 'beauty' she had, no pony seemed to want her. "Thanks, Cinn."

"No problem, bestie!" the mare replied, grinning as she jumped back in the bed, causing Ruby to looked shocked. "I've chosen you now. Can't take it back," Cinnamon laughed. She pulled a stuffed dragon over and hugged it tightly.

***

Ruby had begun to grumble under her breath as she waited in line. Even though Cinnamon had forced her to bring one of her coats, the unicorn was still freezing her rump off and her thoughts had drifted plenty of times to simply ditching. Yet, Ruby couldn't just scrap all the arduous work Cinnamon had put into her, even if she couldn't feel her nethers and was sure her teats had frozen off.

Ruby, more than anything, felt awkward. She was more used to being alone, but not really in this sort of situation and the pressure was beginning to get to her more and more as the line moved along.

She eventually made it to the front of the queue and looked up at the Minotaur bounder, who stared down at her. "Ticket." her ears flipped down at its booming voice and she levitated the ticket to him in her quivering magic. "You may enter."

The doors next to her slid open effortlessly and the warmth of the nightclub, not to mention the pounding techno, hit her. With her ears still flipped down, Ruby put one hoof in front of the other and entered the club.

Instantly she noticed she was in some sort of entrance-way, with a coat room off to the left side, with a Pegasus working there, and the double doors to the club proper in front of her. The music was thumping, even from here and she could feel the beat in her chest.

The pony at the desk smiled and waved. "Coat, ma'am?" he asked, gesturing for her to take it off. Even with the music, Ruby seemed to hear him fine and chalked it up to some enchantment of some sort. "Ticket, please."

Passing it over, she saw the Pegasus tear the ticket up and winced as she felt a burning sensation on her front leg. Gazing down, she saw a flawless purple Ruby embedded in her leg.

"Don't worry, it'll be gone by the morning! It's just to keep track of you if anything happens. Plus, to make sure you can get your drinks," the stallion answered, seeing her concern. "Everypony asks that. Go and have fun!"

With that said, the doors in front of Ruby opened, letting her feel the pure beat of the music which vibrated her entire being. Swallowing her nerves deep down, the mare took a few hesitant steps forward and entered the club proper.

She couldn't believe how many ponies could actually fit in this place. From the outside it didn't even look that much larger than one of her lecture halls, but it was so much bigger on the inside! Wincing at the flashing strobe lights, Ruby brushed past a couple of ponies making out and made towards the bar. She knew that if she was to enjoy herself and actually look like she knew what she was doing, she'd need a few drinks in her.

Ruby weaved in and out of ponies like only an expert that avoided them could and slid up to the bar. As she'd expected, it was packed. With no room for herself to order, the mare simply waited... And waited... For her chance to get a drink.

That was, until she felt somepony nudge up against her. Turning, she saw a navy blue unicorn mare with a light blue mane standing beside her. Ruby squeaked, finding herself staring at the confidence filled smile. Her eyes instinctively flowed over the other's taut, yet supple body, finding herself heating up.

"You... forceful..."

Ruby blinked and shook her head a little, feeling her cheeks warm up. "S-Sorry, what was that?" she asked, giving a bashful look.

The other pony let out a soft, almost twinkling giggle, to which Ruby felt her heartbeat quicken. "You need to be more forceful. No pony will move for you unless you wedge yourself in there!" The mare leaned in, lips close to Ruby's ear and asked, "What do you want?"

Ruby's mind went blank and for a second she felt like the dumbest filly in the world. "Uh, S-Surprise me?"

The pony's brow rose slightly as she grinned. "Okay! Don't move!" With that, the pony moved away and almost effortlessly thrust herself into the rabid pack of ponies, wiggling her rump.

Ruby nibbled on her bottom lip and pulled on the mane that framed her face out of nervousness. Was she really talking to a gorgeous mare already; she had only been there for less than ten minutes. Before she could overthink anything too much, the unicorn was back, two drinks levitating in her magic.

The unicorn moved over then offered one of the drinks to her, who accepted with a smile, and gestured to follow. "Follow me" she said, grinning and moving away from the bar.

Ruby nodded and did as she was told, following close behind. In spite of her best efforts, the mare's eyes flicked over to the other's rump, before looking away. She honestly didn't know if this was a dream or reality and she doubted she even cared.

The pony slid into a booth and leaned out with her hoof, to which Ruby held onto as she was pulled in. She felt a buzz over her horn, the wash of magic flow over her body and the mind numbing music fade away into a soft beat.

Ruby let out a breath she didn't know she had held and glanced down to see her holding onto the other's hoof. With a wince, she let out and heard the mare's laugh.

"Don't worry so much!" she said, smiling. "I don't bite." She took a sip and continued with, "Sweet Dreams, it's lovely to meet you."

"O-Oh, Ruby Haze..." she replied, making eye contact for all but a millisecond and breaking it as her blush seemed to cover her entire face. "Thank you... For the drink."

"My pleasure," Sweet replied, watching as Ruby took her own sip and nearly choked at the taste. "Don't like it? I can get you something else if you want?" she asked, beginning to slide out of the other side.

"No!" Ruby replied, quickly catching herself. "I mean, it's okay. I haven't drunk in a while." she quickly looked down into the drink, awkwardness taking over. 'Stupid...'

Waiting for just a second, Sweet slid back around, this time closer to Ruby and continued to sip. "So, what's a mare like you doing in a place like this?" she asked, tilting her head curiously. "You don't seem the type to be here... Not that it's a terrible thing at all."

'Wait, what?' Ruby thought, looking up to Sweet. "I, uh, won a ticket," she replied, honestly. "I didn't mean to. I don't go to a lot of parties."

Sweet couldn't help but giggle into a hoof at that. "I would have thought you'd have all the mares and stallions looking this hot?"

Once again she could feel her face flushed crimson. "I... Uh..." she squeaked and sipped more of her drink, trying not to embarrass herself further. She was beginning to think it wasn't working.

"So, Ruby, tell me. What do you do? Judging by your cutie-mark, something with... Gems?" Sweet asked, a warmer smile drifting onto her face.

Ruby blinked and she glanced up to meet Sweets gaze. She was interested in what she did? "I just started at the University. I'm studying Gem Metaphysics... Most ponies find it boring..."

Sweet shook her head. "I think it's fascinating. Really," she replied, shifting over slightly and brushing their flanks together.

Ruby's eyes widened quickly at that. "Really?" she asked, shocked. With one whole gulp, she downed her drink, having given up on pacing herself. "I mean, I'm happy you think so." It was clear that the drink was starting to kick in. "What, uh. What do you do? Are you a student, or?"

Seeing Ruby down her drink, Sweet did it to her own. "I'll tell you in a second, once I get us some more drinks..." she said, sliding out over Ruby's lap, Sweet's rump brushing against her as her mane brushed over Ruby's face.

Ruby shivered at the feeling, able to smell the scent of morning dew and lilies. She sat there, nor daring to move from the spot until the mare was back, mentally chastising herself for being so awkwardly useless. "Come on, Ruby... You got yourself prettied up for this!" she hissed at herself, trying not to draw attention from those that were bumping and grinding just outside of the booth.

No more than two minutes later, Sweet Dreams had arrived back, a pair of familiar drinks hovering just in front of her. "Ruby!" she laughed, placing the drinks down and sliding back in, this time facing the mare, a grin on her face. Once she was in, she turned and scooted up to and against Ruby, giving a cheeky nuzzle to her neck. "You smell nice..." the darker mare whispered, humming while she ran a hoof over Ruby's chest floof.

This wasn't something Ruby was prepared for, but the alcohol was leaving her with a warm buzz that was making it hard to think. So, deciding that she'd probably never come back to this place, she threw caution to the wind and downed the next drink in one fell swoop, leaving Sweet to blink at the action. Ruby shivered as the drink hit her stomach, filling her with a quick burst of energy. She moved her hoof over whilst she turned her head to gaze down at the mare next to her, then gently pulled Sweet's gaze up to sate into her eyes.

Sweet's eyes widened as Ruby's soft lips pressed against her own in a delicate display. She could feel that Ruby was shivering, despite the drinks and simply slid a leg around her neck, letting her know that she didn't make a mistake. After that quick shock, she melted into the kiss, and pulled herself into it, lips parting ever so slightly as the world around them fell away. Sweet scooted up to get herself more comfortably as their horns slid against each other, magic arcing across their surfaces. Ruby's lips parted along with Sweet's and she turned her head to tenderly grow more forceful, a wisp of a moan leaving her throat from the contact.

Eventually though, Ruby had to pull away to breathe, leaving Sweets sitting there, her eyes still closed. "W-Was that alright?" she asked, instantly groaning internally. 'Was that alright?! I'm such a dork.'

Sweet fluttered her eyes open, darkened fur naturally hiding her flushed cheeks. "Yeah," she whispered, hoof brushing over Ruby's mane. "That was better than I expected..."

"Really?" was the response to that, until she realized how she sounded and continued, "I mean, o-of course."

She received a small giggle out of Sweet at that, from which Ruby was sure she could feel her heart stop. "Indeed. W- I was expecting something much less... Intimate than that. Not that I'm complaining."

Ruby didn't seem to notice the slip up, only managing a bashful nod. "That was, uh... My first time actually doing that."

Sweet couldn't help but show her surprise again, even as her hoof continued to brush along Ruby's chest floof and neck. "You could have surprised us," she laughed, nuzzling deep against Ruby's neck to inhale her scent, shivering after. "Don't worry..." she whispered.

A few seconds passed and Sweet pulled back, grinning. "Wanna get out of here? I've got something I want to show you!" she asked, though it was more of an order considering she was already climbing over Ruby once again and leaving the booth.

Ruby had no choice but to follow after her, not wanting to lose the mare in the sea of dancing ponies. Stumbling along, she somehow made it back to the lobby, Sweet's form pressed up against her for warmth. The stallion working behind the counter pulled Ruby's coat out and passed it over to her, causing the jewel in the mare's arm to shrink and fade away. Ruby winced, but the gentle warmth of Sweet's presence stopped her from feeling too much pain.

Sweet was the one to levitate the coat up and over, placing it around the mare at her side and giving her a gentle nuzzle.

"Thank you," Ruby whispered, smiling warmly at Sweet and returning the nuzzle.

The Pegasus nodded towards Sweet with a knowing smile. "Ma'am." His smile was returned with a grin from the mare as she pulled Ruby out of the club and into the cold Canterlot night.

Leaning against Sweet for support, Ruby could feel her vision start to distort. She knew it was probably a bad idea to have had that second drink, but she knew it was too late now. "What did you want to show me?" she asked, stumbling over her words.

Sweet giggled and rolled her eyes at the attempt to speak normally. Ruby was growing increasingly adorable and she was having a challenging time stopping herself from simply teleporting them to her abode, though the wind was quickly changing her mind.

"Well... cover your eyes, cutie," she asked, running a hoof along Ruby's cheek. "Trust me, okay?"

Ruby couldn't take her eyes off of the mare in front of her and nodded, almost instinctively. There was an aura around her that simply made Ruby want to obey. Doing as she was told and closing her eyes, she could see a bright flash and grew confused. 'Wait, is she a Changeling?!'

Quickly opening her eyes in slight panic, Ruby froze solid. In front of her was the Princess of the night, the royal regent herself, Luna! There was no doubt to the cogs in her head creaking to a stop and smashing apart from the sheer weight of the situation she was in; either this was a Changeling, or it actually was Luna. Either way, she didn't know how to respond, her mouth flapping away like a fish out of water.

"Wha..." she said, eyes staring at the Princess, who was now beginning to grow a little worried.

"I've broken you, haven't I?" she asked, biting her lower lip. After an uncomfortable few seconds, she moved a hoof closer and asked, "Please say something."

Ruby's mind cranked back into action after those words, the mare's aura flowing over her even though she seemed worried. Changelings weren't worried about ponies, so that meant option two! Ruby shook her head and inhaled the frigid air to get some sense into herself, before replying. "L-Lun-"

With a yelp, her mouth was covered by Luna's warm and delicate hoof, stopping her from finishing. "Don't... I'm still Sweet Dreams to everypony else..." the Princess explained, her voice quiet. Glancing around to some of the other party-goers, none of them seemed that interested and their attention was firmly on the ones they were with instead of the beautiful Princess in front of them.

Mumbling into the hoof, couldn't take her eyes off to the Alicorn. The way her mane defied the wind around them. Those sparkling, seemingly all-knowing eyes that threatened to swallow the mare right up if she wasn't careful. The toned, slender body that was hitting all the right buttons for her. 'She's perfect...' Ruby thought to herself, only now realizing that she couldn't say anything.

Pulling back slightly with her face horribly red, she nodded. "I... Why?" was all she could ask, her brain till creaking along slowly. Why her.

"You're beautiful and in a nightclub. What more do I need?" Luna replied, unable to stop a laugh from leaving her mouth. "I saw you standing there, and you looked just like the first time I journeyed to a club." The Princess took a step forward, causing Ruby to take one back. "I was sick of ponies always trying to eat my rump."

"K-Kiss..."

Luna looked confused, until she realized her mistake. "Oh! Oh... I've been making that mistake a lot. I should probably have a word with 'Tia at some point..." she mumbled, glancing away for a second in thought. Turning back, she let her hoof drop to the cobble and she simply smiled now. "I can go, if you wish?"

"No!" Ruby replied, moving closer and causing a few ponies to look over in their direction. "No, you just took me by surprise. I never expected a Princess, let alone you. I thought I'd just go in, get wasted and stumble back to my dorm."

Luna's smile had wavered at the mention of her being a princess but perked back up at Ruby's expectations for the night. Letting out a soft, twinkling laugh, Luna shook her head. "Neigh, Ruby. You won't be going back to your dorm tonight. You will be with us."

Now, Ruby would usually be uncomfortable from those words, but something about them coming from the Princess soothed her. Unfortunately for her, she'd need a lot of soothing as she was currently fighting with her cheeks as to what colour her fur should be. "I... Wow, uh, okay..." she muttered in quick succession, not taking time to breath until a hoof gently took hold of her shoulder, calming her.

"Ruby, calm yourself," Luna ordered. Her horn glowed a deep blue and Ruby felt a comforting warmth flow over her. Her heart slowed and she caught her breath.

"I- I'm sorry," she said, sighing a little. "I can't help but get worked up."

"Oh, trust me when I say," Luna began, her voice turning sultry and forcing Ruby to shudder. "You're not worked up yet."

NSFW starts here *** NSFW starts here

Within a flash of light, the pair had appeared inside Luna’s very own bedchambers. Most ponies would have expected something extravagant, much like her sister, but Luna’s chambers were sparsely furnished, more akin to something back when she had banished. Of course, the four-poster bed sat off to the centre of the circular room, queen sized with dark silk covers and pillows of the softest Pegasus feathers.

The rest of the room held the various furniture that one would expect in any pony’s room. A fireplace, already set with several logs, surrounded by a few cushions for comfort. A writing desk was pushed up against the wall, covered with parchment that seemed to cascade down onto the polished marble floor below.

Ruby wobbled on her hooves, not actually expecting to have been teleported. She shook her head and let out a soft, but rather audible groan. “W-Warn me before you do that…” she mumbled, holding a hoof to her head. The mare’s eyes widened seeing where she was, finally and gasped. “It’s beautiful!” she gasped, eyes trailing up the obsidian black walls to see an almost mirror image of the night sky.

Luna fluttered her wings, practically beaming from the praise. “I-I’m glad you like it.” Her horn lit up and Ruby felt her coat begin to slide off of herself. “I hope you don’t mind?” Luna asked, levitating it over and placing it down on the back of the chair next to her desk.

“Oh, not at all,” Ruby replied, breathing deep and moving closer to the larger mare. “You’re,” she started, voice quivering, “more than I imagined.” She couldn’t really tell but hoped that she wasn’t making a fool of herself, though the more she stood in Luna’s presence, the less she seemed to care.

Luna’s lips curled into a devilish smirk. “Oh? And what did you expect?” she asked, leaning down slightly and pressing her lips against Ruby’s neck, causing her to let out a soft gasp.

Ruby quickly found that it was suddenly very difficult to formulate the right words with Luna’s lips pressing against her neck and simply replied with a light moan, her cheeks blazing crimson, visible even in the moonlit room.

“As I expected,” Luna cooed, bringing her hoof up and running it along Ruby’s cheek. “Tonight, I’m not your Princess, I’m you’re lover.”

With that, Ruby leaned into the hoof and chewed on her bottom lip, feeling the coolness of her own arousal dribbling down her back leg. The sheer dominating presence of the Alicorn was enough for Ruby to find herself growing more submissive by the second and she was pretty sure Luna knew.

“You do not need to worry here, Ruby, my sweet,” Luna purred, beginning to circle the poor mare. “Nopony will disturb up for the rest of the night. You’re all mine…” The Princess let that hang in the air as her magic brushed over Ruby’s cutie-mark, causing the mare to squeak and for her tail to flick back and forth, very eager to raise. “So very cute,” she giggled. With each step the princess took, her eyes appraised the shivering mare and found her up quite up to par.

Smirking, Luna finally stopped back in front of Ruby and stared down at her, a mixture of warmth and love evident in her eyes, along with a hint of arousal. “Ruby,” she said, waiting for her to gaze up, “lower yourself down and push your rump up so we may see thine nethers,” Luna commanded, not realising she had flipped back into her old dialect. Despite her calm outwards appearance, her own marehood had become slick with arousal quite some time ago.

Ruby didn’t know if her face could grow any warmer, but she would most likely find out. With a nod, she slowly lowered her front half and pushed her rump upwards. “L-Like this?” she asked, her tail instinctively raising and flopping over her back, the underside dripping with her juices. The mare’s own pale pussy was perfectly plump, engorged and drooling a small pool onto the floor. Ruby shivered, feeling the cool air of the room flow against her rear and panted, waiting for Luna to do something.

Finding a rush from watching the young, inexperienced mare do as she was told, Luna let out a soft hum and moved around to gaze upon Ruby’s rear. She could practically smell the sheer need emanating off of her and decided to treat the mare for her first act of obedience.

The Princess leaned down, mere inches the poor pony’s pussy and stuck her tongue out. She closed her eyes and pressed her tongue against that slit, before dragging it up to the top and pulling away. With a moan of her own, Luna swished Ruby’s taste around her mouth, enjoying her ever so slightly tangy flavour.

Ruby on the other hoof let out a long moan as electric pleasure crackled through her nerves, almost causing her legs to buckle beneath her. Her coat grew damp with sweat and she panted, not having expected that at all. “P-Princ- “

She was cut off by Luna gently tapping her cutie-mark. “Oh no, our sweet, we art not thine Princess.” Luna leaned over the mare and purred into her ear, “call us thine mistress.”

Ruby let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and nodded. “Y-Yes, Pr- mistress…” she replied, finding herself slowly out of her depth.

“But before any more fun can begin. We must let thee know that we care for thee, our sweet.” With that, Luna pressed her lips to Ruby’s own, her magic rubbing over Ruby’s slit, teasing her with light touches here and there.

Ruby’s mind was growing foggy as she felt Luna pull away. She could definitely feel the care and warmth flow from the mare, even through the aura of confidence that simply oozed from everywhere and it practically forced her to want to obey. She had no experience with this sort of thing, but if the Princess knew what she was doing, it couldn’t be that bad, right?

“We see that thou art nary but a common street harlot, Ruby, leaking all over our bedchambers like a mare in heat. What doth thou hath to say for thyself?” Luna asked, taking a set back and narrowing her eyes, even as her magic pressed against Ruby’s aching snatch.

“A-Ah…” she moaned, biting down on her lip and unable to stop herself squirming. “Mistress… I’m sorry…”

Luna’s eyes sparkled a little brighter as Ruby spoke those words and she found her heart beating faster. “We art not impressed by thy words. We do not believe thou art truly sorry. We demand that thou make it up to us!” Luna trotted over to the edge of the bed, her hips swaying back and forth to tempt Ruby, and sat down. “Come and sit, our sweet,” she commanded, pointing to the spot in front of her.

Ruby swallowed and made her way over, leaving a trail behind her. Sitting down, she shivered as the cold stone made contact, then gazed up at Luna, finding the moon seemingly framed around the mare.

Luna opened her legs up for Ruby, revealing her own twitching, leaking marehood. “Thou will please us, to make up for the mess thou hath created,” she stated, giving no option for refusal now. “Please us and we might consider letting thou some release…”

Ruby was horribly aroused and the mere thought of being left like this for the night was seemingly too much to bare. Despite that, she hesitated. She had never actually done anything with a mare before and didn’t even know where to start. That was until she felt Luna’s magic drift over the back of her head, brushing through her mane.

“Do not worry, our sweet. We shall guide thee,” Luna said, smiling down at her. All at once, she felt her fears fall away. She was still a bit hesitant, but with Luna’s guidance she didn’t feel like she’d make a fool of herself.

Now leaning in, Ruby took hold of Luna’s thighs and received a deep inhale from the Princess. She let the Princess’s magic move her muzzle against those damp folds and opened her mouth, her tongue instantly bursting with flavour that filled her head with stars! She began lapping away at her treat, her tongue occasionally slicking in to cause Luna to gasp and shiver.

“Good mare,” Luna praised, using her hoof to brush through her sweet’s mane, keeping her close. Though, she felt one of Ruby’s hooves slide away from her thigh and down to her own nether. Luna quickly put a stop to that and used her magic to not let her touch herself, leading her to let out a soft whine. “We say when thou can touch thyself.”

Ruby’s arousal was overflowing from her and she was sure it would eventually burn her up. Her coat was slick with sweat as she squirmed, trying to rub herself on the smooth floor, but gaining no relief from the fire within. “M-Mistress…” she whimpered, Luna’s pussy muffling her voice.

Luna, in spite of all of her commanding presence and seemingly serene appearance, was feeling herself twist and shudder in secret pleasure. Ruby’s sloppy but eager tongue had begun to slip inside of her quivering, royal pussy, grinding against her walls with inexperience that only added to the rush that she felt. “Thee art good with thine tongue, Ruby. We may be pleased yet!” she stated, her own voice starting to crack a little from each lick and thrust of Ruby’s tongue. “D-Do not stop.”

The mare in question did as she was told and eagerly continued, not wanting to disappoint her mistress of the night. She quickened her pace and pressed her tongue in as far as she could to really dig deep and hit the Princess’s sweet spot. Ruby was rewarded with a quick buck from Luna’s hips and she emulated her moves, her own hips continuing to squirm as her aching, burning need flourished.

The Princess gasped and held her grip on the back of Ruby’s head tighter, forcing her face against her marehood harder, grinding herself against the mare as pleasure erupted from her very core when Ruby nudged against her clit. “Mmpffff!” Luna whimpered, clenching her eyes shut and biting her lower lip hard enough to hurt. “By the divines!” The mare fell back onto the bed and panted, her chest heaving as her vision returned to her.

Ruby, being pulled back with Luna’s magic, felt herself being led up onto the bed, leaving a pool of arousal behind on the floor, her rump moist. “Mistress…” she whispered, face completely scarlet. Ruby stood on the bed, looking down at the Princess who had a look of bliss etched onto her face.

“Ruby,” Luna cooed, rising up and pressing her lips to the pale mare’s own. She tasted herself and wrapped a leg around her neck to hold her there. She pressed her tongue against Ruby’s lips, asking for permission and slid in once the mare accepted, her larger tongue taking control and playing around. Luna’s magic rolled the mare onto her back and she scooted closer.

After a moment that both of them had to collect themselves from; Luna stared deep into Ruby’s eyes and kissed her on the tip of her muzzle. Her hoof brushed down her pet's chest, taking a second to rub over her teats, eliciting a whimpering moan from the shivering mare.

To Ruby, it felt like an eternity until Luna’s hoof slid against her sensitive marehood, placing pressure on her aching lips, causing her to let out a low rumbling moan and for her head to roll back. Ruby’s hips instantly thrust upwards into Luna’s hoof, trying her best to get the much-needed release that was plaguing her.

Luna’s hoof pressed down and began to rub in circles, the soft edge of her hoof brushing against Ruby’s ruby now and again, earning her cute gasps and shivers. She leaned down and kissed the mare once more, sliding her tongue in while continuing to rub her, the covers underneath them having become beyond damp with their play. “Mmm,” Luna hummed, pulling back and opening her eyes. “Thee may come,” she said, lighting up her horn and wrapping her magic around Ruby’s clit, vibrating softly.

The effect was instantaneous as the mare’s body grew tense and arched her back. Ripples of electric pleasure coursed through her nerves, lighting up her vision in a flash of white! She let out a voiceless cry of ecstasy as the world fell away around her, leaving only herself and Luna.

Author's Note

Hey guys.

This is a proper edited version of the story. I hope you find it better than the mess I had last time.

Chapter 2 (Edited)

Ruby’s first experience back to the world was the heavy smell of sex, sweat and Luna’s scent. She instinctively pulled herself closer to the warmth that was lying next to her and nuzzled her face deep into the ethereal mane. The mare wasn’t fully awake, but she knew enough that her very first time had been taken by the Princess of the night. She didn’t know what this meant for her. Were they marefriends?

No, of course not. The Princess wouldn’t date somepony like me, she thought, her mood dropping, despite the feeling of warmth spreading through her.

Ruby’s vision finally cleared as the sunlight trailed across the pillow, right where her eyes had been just a few minutes ago. She let out a slight yawn, and against her entire beings reluctance to leave the warmth of the Princess, pulled away. Even if she wanted to stay with Luna the entire day, she had classes later on and needed to get ready. Letting her hooves tap down on the polished marble, Ruby couldn’t help but feel her mind wander.

Last night felt like such a dream…

Walking around the bed, towards the toilet, Ruby gazed back at the sleeping form of her lover and finding herself blush horribly once again.

She is so beautiful. She could feel her eyes water from the thought of never seeing the Princess again, other than in celebrations and posters. The best night she had would be their last.

With a sigh, she entered the bathroom and quickly did her morning business to make herself look at least semi-presentable, before exiting and making for the imposing double-doors that led out into the rest of the castle. Just as she began to open the doors, she froze, her heartbeat quickening! What would she say to anypony that asked? What if she saw Princess Celestia?!

Ruby felt her mouth dry up at that thought, yet she knew she had to get home and even the most basic teleportation spell was way beyond her capabilities.

“Maybe I could just lie, and say I got lost. Yeah, that could work, right?” she whispered, chewing her bottom lip. Her nervousness was keeping her rooted to the spot as she chastised herself for being so weak. “C-Come on, Ruby. Just exit the room and leave the castle; simple.”

Closing her eyes, she nodded in a half-assed attempt to drum up even a little bit of confidence, then pulled open one of the doors. Sticking her head out, she saw that the hallway was just as exquisite as the rest of the castle, seemingly crafted busts of famous ponies were placed here and there, as well as purple curtains that kept the halls dark.

Ruby took a tentative step outside and gently closed the doors before letting out a scream as she jumped about three feet in the air upon hearing a cough behind her.

“You must be Miss Ruby Haze, I assume?” somepony asked behind the shaking mare.

Ruby turned around, seeing that it was one of the numerous guards the castle employed. Her eyes were wide and the attempt at taming her mane had instantly been for naught now.

“Y-Yes…” she mumbled, looking anywhere but the pony’s accusing gaze. She could feel her heart was going to explode from the sheer panic, but she didn’t want to give the guard to think she was doing anything wrong by galloping away.

The Pegasus was decked out in the uniform customary for most of Luna’s guards, a deep navy-blue full body suit along with Luna’s cutie-mark along their flanks, obscuring their own. Their head was covered in the same armour but allowed them to keep their peripheral vision open for dangers. Ruby wasn’t sure if the guard was a mare, or stallion, but considering that she could hear a deeper voice than most of the guards had, she would have assumed a Stallion.

“I have been tasked by the Princess of the night to escort you to your residence,” he stated, gesturing down the hall.

His voice was flat, as if he had to rehearse that very line many times.

“She gives her apologies for not being able to see you off, but the ruling of the kingdom requires sleep.” The guard didn’t seem to notice Ruby’s growing blush, nor when she was still standing by the door, at least until he was several feet away from her.

Glancing back, he raised his brow and asked, “Are you okay?”

In response, he let out a soft squeak and rushed over to him and fell in line.

The pair trotted through the hallways in relative silence, with only the sounds of the maids cleaning or nobility complaining to each other.

Some things never change…

Ruby was sure that each pony that flicked their eyes over to the pair knew. They had to, surely. Some young mare, mane dishevelled being led out of the castle by a guard and leaving Princess Luna’s section… it was just so obvious!

She swallowed what little she had to try and stem the feeling of bile. Everypony in the university would know what kind of mare she was by the end of the day if even one of them spoke it outside of the castle. Ruby didn’t have- she had one friend and Cinnamon would probably want to distance herself from a… well, a whorse like her!

The mare was on the verge of tears by the time the pair had reached the front gates, only managing to stop herself from the fact that she didn’t want her anxiety to grow any further.

The guard turned to her as the gate beside them opened slightly, and upon seeing how distraught she was, looking confused.

“Miss Haze, are you okay?” He asked, placing an armoured hoof on her shoulder. “The Princess would hate to see you leave so upset.”

She sniffled and felt herself tense up once more, looking away from the guard. “I’m fine. Just a lot to process, you know.”

The guard nodded and pulled back his hoof.

“I may be but a simple guard for her majesty,” he said, pressing a hoof to his chest as his voice quieted down to a whisper, “But that was the first time the Princess has let anypony sleep in the same bed overnight.”

Ruby blinked, not believing that. Surely the Princess would have had so many suitors and could pick anypony! There was even a rumour that she and Princess Twilight were dating, but that had been quickly squashed, but not without plenty of gossiping about it.

Yet, even the smallest hint that he was telling the truth reignited that need to find somepony for herself and Ruby took a step closer. “Really?” she asked, the faintest echo of a smile re-emerging on her face. “I, uh, mean… that’s only because I fell asleep,” she reasoned, more to quench the growing hope that she would no doubt have broken sooner than later.

“I wouldn’t lie about my regent’s actions. But if you wish to tell yourself that, I doubt I could change your mind,” the guard replied, lowering his head down for a short bow. “But, if you do not believe me, then I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly happy.”

With that, he turned and trotted back into the castle, leaving the mare there with a quizzical look on her face.

With a heavy sigh, she moved through the gate and squeaked when it closed shut behind her.

***

After a rather uneventful trek back to her dorm room, Ruby sighed, fwomped right down onto her bed and let out a long, drawn out groan. She stared over at the stack of books that she had to study, then turned her over, doing her best to not catch her horn on her pillow.

If mom and dad saw me now…

She pulled her covers over and up her body, covering her up as she stared up and out of her window, into the bright sky beyond.

She could feel her dam about to break once more and took a breath.

“It wouldn’t do to cry,” she told herself, rolling onto her back and now staring up at her ceiling. Her focus was shattered completely when her alarm blared that it was time to get up, which earned it a quick smash with her magic, shattering it much like her patience.

The mare laid there, staring directly into nothing for the longest time, until her vision drifted, and she blinked.

“Ugh, why am I so stupid!” she said, letting out a huff as she hit her hooves into her covers with a shallow ‘pomf’.

Her stomach was doing flips as she kept thinking back to the night before. Luna had been so firm with her, yet guided her along, knowing it had been her very first special time. The Princess had made her feel like the luckiest mare in the world and yet, why did she feel like she didn’t deserve any of it.

Ruby’s focus was shattered once again by a knock at her door. She pushed herself up, so she was staring at it and asked, growing nervous.

“Hello?”

Her eyes widened in shock as the door opened, causing her horn to glow with her charge of magic. That was, until Cinnamon’s light blue mane poked around the door, then the rest of her head.

“Hey. I heard you arrive back, how’d it go last night?” Cinnamon asked, forgetting all about personal space and entering the room as Ruby winced at the words. Not seeming to notice though, she moved up to the bed, noting the plates and cans still scattered about.

“I assume that it didn’t go great, judging by how you’re lying in bed?”

Ruby didn’t know how to reply to that. She had the hard choice of being truthful and having to tell the mare all about it or lie to try and forget about the most amazing mare ever!

“I, uh,” she said, noticing that she had been taking a little too long making her choice, which caused Cinn to look at her with a knowing gaze.

“Come on, tell aunty Cinn all about it!” The pink mare ordered, climbing up onto the bed and causing Ruby to squeak as she slid under the covers.

“What are you doing?!” she squeaked, now shaking from the close contact.

She knew yesterday was needed for her to actually go to the club, but this was way out of her comfort zone and it was making her worried.

“Hey, this is how I got over my ex! I snuggled up close with a friend and talked crap about the stallion!” was the response from Cinn.

It didn’t help Ruby in the slightest.

Trying to quell her nervous shaking, Ruby looked away and closed her eyes while she felt the warmth of the mare settle in next to her. “Fine,” she mumbled, feeling her cheeks flush from the contact.

Even though every sense was telling her to get away and hide from this cuddly mare, a small, very small part of Ruby was thankful to have somepony to hear her out.

“Take your time, Rubes,” Cinnamon said, having stopped squirming down. She simply cuddled next to Ruby and enjoyed her presence, even if it wasn’t wanted. She was rewarded with an ear flick and a huff, but didn’t react against it, knowing what it was like ‘the night after’.

“I,” Ruby started, but closed her mouth and went quiet, feeling her cheeks flush bright once more. It took her a couple minutes of silence to start once more. “Imetsomepony,” she mumbled, not turning to look at her new friend.

Cinn took a second, her smile widening slightly but didn’t react otherwise and let Ruby talk at her own pace.

“We had a few drinks and I went back to hers.”

Ruby’s voice was faltering at this point from embarrassment. Yet, her mind continued to remember how comforted and secure she felt in Luna’s… her mistress’s guidance. “We… you know…”

Cinnamon’s cheeks turned a slightly darker shade of pink as she heard that but kept her composure.

Internally, she wanted to grin and hug her new friend for doing something that, frankly, seemed to be completely out of character for her. It was a momentous occasion, but she had to keep her cool for Ruby’s sake.

“It was my first time, so I was… well, me…” Ruby continued, giving a little chuckle. “But she was patient and caring and amazing.”

Cinnamon’s smile turned knowing as she took the chance and wrapped a leg around Ruby, holding her tight. Before she could hear any response, she interjected with, “You seem to really like the mare. So, why’re you here instead of in her bed?”

Trying to ignore Cinnamon’s pleasant scent of strawberries, Ruby let out a sigh and reluctantly stopped fighting her friend. “She had work and I have classes soon.”

Hearing this, Cinnamon was now starting to grow more curious.

“Work, you say?” she asked, “What does she do?”

Ruby’s eyes shot open in slight fear as she felt her anxiousness flare up once again at the prospect of telling Cinnamon about Luna. “She, uh… works at the palace.” Even she didn’t feel convinced by that.

Raising a brow, Cinn didn’t seem convinced either. “At the palace? What does she do there?”

“Uh, it’s Princess Luna!” Ruby choked out, wincing at those words. “I met Princess Luna last night, just like you said I would, and she took me back to her room!”

Ruby couldn’t believe she was saying that! It was like the words simply tumbled out of her mouth and the more she tried to stop, the easier it was to say them. “We had sex and I spent the night in her legs!”

Cinnamon froze upon hearing that. Did she really just admit to being taken back by Luna? Slowly, the mare’s smile widened, before she wrapped Ruby up in her legs and squeezed, laughing.

“I can’t believe it!” she cried, happiness oozing from every pore. “I freaking told you, didn’t I! If you pretty yourself up, you can even get a PRINCESS!” Cinnamon nuzzled Ruby’s neck and cheek, giggling. “Does this mean you’re marefriends?! Are you royalty now?”

Ruby whimpered at the attention but didn’t put up a fight. She did squirm and lean away from the friendly nuzzling though.

“Yeah, okay, I get it!” she grunted, a hint of redness still on her face. “I don’t know what we are. She was asleep when I left and a guard escorted me out,” she explained, rolling her eyes at the last question. “And don’t be silly, I’m not royalty. One night with a Princess doesn’t mean royalty.”

The pink mare giggled and shook her head. “Well, you seem quite hooves over horn for the mare. Perhaps it’s time to be a little forceful if you want her,” she suggested, wiggling her ‘brows.

“What? No, I can’t! She’s all powerful and can move the moon on a whim. She could squash me like a fly!” Ruby replied, squirming out of Cinnamon’s legs and climbing out of her bed. Her cheeks had darkened considerably from hearing herself talk about the princess like that.

“Ooh, you like that sort of stuff,” Cinn teased, receiving a mixture of shock and embarrassment from the mare in return. “Don’t worry, Rubes. We all enjoy different things behind closed doors. Trust me, it’ll be pretty normal if it’s with a princess.”

That didn’t really help Ruby as she paced back and forth along next to the bed. “Ugh!” she groaned, drooping her shoulders. “Why do I have to have it so bad for Luna!”

Cinnamon let out a soft giggle. “You know why, but you don’t want to admit it.”

Ruby huffed and rolled her eyes. “Not helping!”

She continued to pace back and forth, being watched by the mare in her bed for a few seconds more, before stomping her hoof. “Fine, alright! Because she… she makes me feel bucking normal!”

Cinnamon climbed out of bed and grinned. “There we go. Wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“Buck off,” Ruby grumbled, moving closer to give a very hesitant nuzzle. “Thanks.”

***

Princess Luna, Regent of the night had awoken, much like Ruby, to the settling smell of sex and musk. With a pleasant sigh, she pulled the covers off of herself and wandered into the bathroom to deal with her own ‘morning’ ritual. Twenty minutes later, she trotted over to the double glass doors of her balcony, opened them with her magic and stepped through. Her mane and tail were still a little damp from her shower, but it would have to wait while she had her duties to attend to.

She scolded herself a little for waking up a little too late, again, and set to work. The Alicorn’s horn glowed as she reached out with her magic and contacted her celestial body. Feeling the comforting coolness of the orb, she began to pull it up and across the sky, letting it gain enough momentum to reliably arc its way through the night. It wouldn’t do if she had to stop and move it once again.

Luna leaned against the railing and gazed down upon Canterlot. The mid-day bustle had given way to the evening slow and a quiet peace had begun to settle around the city. Luna, however, found herself frowning and thinking back to the night before. She had enjoyed the feeling of dominating Ruby, however brief it had been. For her, she was no stranger, but it had been the younger mare’s first time and Luna was grateful for being her first. However, her appreciation wouldn’t quell any thoughts that the student would have.

It was obvious to Luna that Ruby was a stranger to most affections. Even with a couple of drinks in her, she was still so delightfully awkward, and Luna found a light smile form from her lips. How easy it is to enjoy, after the fact, she thought, gazing out upon the city.

Fluttering her wings in the evening breeze, she finally pushed off the railing and began the walk to see her sister for the only time they had together in the evenings. As usual, the maids were polite and bowed as she passed, along with the high-class ponies who gossiped and complained.

“Some things never change, do they, Wing Strike?” Luna asked, glancing back at the guard who had silently fallen in line with her as soon as she had left her room.

“Of course not, Princess,” he replied, a knowing smile on his face.

“How was our pony this morning?” Luna inquired, continuing on her pace, despite one ear flicking towards the guard to hear him easier.

“She seemed unused to our procedure,” he answered, easily keeping up with the mare. “It would appear she’s more delicate than the others.”

“I agree, but I’m sure she’ll be perfectly fine once I spend some time with her.”

With that, the pair stopped in front of the royal dining room. Luna turned to the guard. “Please contact her and ask her when she would be available for dinner and ask her if she has any suitable clothing,” she ordered. Just before she entered the dining room, she turned back. “and be discrete. I don’t want a repeat of last time.”

Wing Strike bowed deeply and sped off as soon as Luna entered the room.

The royal dining room was a small offshoot of one of the kitchens that sat almost in-between the Two Princess’s sides of the castle. As such, the pair had made sure to make it as cosy as possible for their crossover period in the day. Plush cushions sat in one corner, along with an Alicorn sized blanket. A long, six-cushioned dining table was placed in the middle, covered in only the bare essentials for their meal together. The room itself was covered in a pleasant floral design oddly reminiscent of Fluttershy’s animals.

At the end of the table, Celestia sat. Her ethereal mane blowing in the non-existent wind while she brought her spoon up and ate some soup. Looking up from her food, the alicorn raised a brow at Luna. “You’re late.”

Luna froze for a second, then continued on and found a seat next to her sister. “I made it, didn’t I?” she grunted, getting comfortable. “Besides, we still have plenty of time together.”

“You went out last night.”

This time, Luna felt her stomach twist at the tone of those words, and she turned to her sister. “Am I not allowed to?” she asked, unsure where this was going.

“Of course. But you could have invited me…” Celestia said, her neutral expression morphing into a smile. “It’s no bother though. I read a nice book and slept, like an old mare.”

Celestia held a hoof up to her forehead and dramatically continued, “Woe is me, being locked away at home while my sister enjoys herself with our ponies. Whatever shall I do to fight this boredom!”

Luna let out a burst of laughter and rolled her eyes. “Come now, ‘Tia. All you have to do is ask and we can share,” she replied, winking and receiving a choke in response. “Why, indeed. I have found a delightfully shy mare to spend ou- my time with,“ she stated, giggling at her slip up.

“D-Don’t be silly Lu, we can’t share, not since- wait, you found somepony nice? You didn’t freak them out, did you?” Celestia asked, smirking. “I know you’re into some kinky stuff and not everypony can take that.”

Seeing Luna’s blushes and stutters, she laughed and nuzzled up close to her sister. “I’m only teasing, Lulu,” she purred, nuzzling deep against her.

“Well, I’m having to go slow anyway,” Luna replied, letting out a huff as she was assaulted with love. Despite this, she still felt her cheeks warm up from the words but offered no resistance. “It was her first time.”

“Really? That’s rather bold. Did she stay the night?” ‘Tia asked.

Feeling a quick nod, she found her smile grow. “Well, looks like Lulu found a marefriend!” she teased, giggling a little. Quickly jumping back to dodge a hoof, Celestia moved to her cushion and sat back down, a smug look plastered on her face.

“I swear I’ll give you nightmares one of these days,” Luna grumbled, although the hint of a smile betrayed her true feelings. “I told Wing to ask for a date,” she continued, feeling a little self-conscious now and ruffling her wings.

Despite the many suitors that were chomping at the bit for a date with her, Luna was still as nervous as any mare about dating somepony.

Celestia's teasing quickly tapered off upon hearing that, her smug grin turning into a warm smile. "Ah, to be young and in love. I still remember all of my lovers," she mumbled, sighing. "Treasure her, Lulu." Celestia's tone had tightened slightly as she stared at her sister.

Luna looked away and down at the table. "I know. I might not be as old as you, but I've had ponies before, 'Tia."

"You're my baby sis, I have to say these things," Celestia went to sip her soup, but grimaced at tasting the cold food. She placed the food down, feeling the atmosphere in the room change. "Anyway, did you hear what Twilight found?"

***

Ruby couldn't believe where she was. Instead of being at home and starting to study, like she was supposed to be doing, she was out at a bar! Even worse still, she was surrounded by ponies who she didn't even know! Apparently, they were all Cinnamon's friends, but how a pony could have so many, she couldn't fathom.

The bar itself was relatively modern. It had been renovated from an old Canterlot brewery and still kept many of the old beams and struts that held the roof up, while including new supports to make sure it didn't kill everypony. Plenty of cushions were scattered around the various tables to let ponies sit and chat. With it being a university bar, most of the ponies were students, as such it was almost always lively.

An extra second level had been constructed, which covered half of the ground floor, along with a spiral staircase in the centre to allow ponies up and down.

All of them seemed like nice ponies and she tried to follow along with their conversations, but the intricacies of animal husbandry for beavers or the relevance of hoof covers within a post-discord era really flew over her head. Of course, she wasn't delusional to think anything she enjoyed would be understood by them either, as such it left her in her current situation of sitting there and simply listening to bits and pieces of conversations.

She was nudged by the grey coated, blond-maned stallion next to her and she looked over with a quizzical look, trying to remember his name.

"Hoof Kicker, right?" Ruby asked, unsure.

She didn't know specifically what he was studying, but if his cutie-mark was any indication, it was something to do with hoof-ball or sports.

"You remembered right!" he replied, smiling. "What are you drinking?" Hoof asked, gesturing to Ruby's empty glass. "I'm going up."

She looked down and then back to him. "Oh, uh," she froze, unable to remember the name of the drink.

Her heart thumped harder and she was sure somepony laughed. "Surprise me?" Ruby stammered, hoping beyond hope that he didn't think she was dumber than a bag of rocks.

"A surprise? I like that," he replied, nodding his head. "I'll surprise you."

Ruby looked down and took in a breath, holding it for a few seconds and let out her breath. It didn't work as well as her old therapist said it would, but it did calm her down enough to start looking around. What she didn't expect for no pony to be paying attention to her. They were all off in their own conversations and didn't have time to laugh at her.

The mare looked down once again, then slowly leaned her body over to rest her shoulder against Cinnamon, who simply tensed against her to keep her still. Ruby felt herself calm even further from the contact and closed her eyes.

Cinnamon was having her own conversation with some other mare about fashion, but her smile did grow warmer at the contact. It wasn't a lot, but Cinn was seeing an improvement in the mare. It was a good thing that Cinnamon was a more caring pony than most.

Hoof Kicker returned and placed down a small mug of black liquid in front of Ruby, who opened her eyes and gaze down at it.

"What is it?" she asked, her eyes moving over to Hoof, who was now sitting on his own cushion that was slightly closer.

"It's a wingbeater. Apparently, they mix in some sort of cloud while pouring. Some sort of Pegasus drink, I guess."

Ruby supposed it was the thought that counted.

"Thank you, Hoof." she levitated the drink up and smelled the scent of elderberries and lime. A strange combination. She sipped a little bit and felt the kick of a mule! "W-Wow..." Ruby coughed. "That's strong."

"Oh, horseapples. I got the wrong thing..." Hoof said, looking worried. "I can get something else if you don't like it?"

"No, uh, this is fine." Ruby took another sip to emphasise the point, suppressing the urge to cough. She hated the drink, but he had already paid for it and she didn't want to make a scene in front of ponies she had only just met.

At that moment, Hoof turned to look at Ruby. "Hey, so you've not said what you're studying here." Despite losing it as a statement, it was more of a question, one which Cinnamon was interested in.

"Oh, uh... It's nothing interesting," Ruby replied, feeling a sharp tint on her cheeks.

"I'm sure it's super cool!" Hoof said, nudging her.

Ruby winced and she felt her breath hitch at the contact. "I-It's, uh, gems " she mumbled, trailing off as she fought back some nausea.

Hoof leaned in to try and hear. "What with gems?" he asked, not realising she was now leaning more against Cinnamon, who was frowning at him.

Cinnamon actually used her magic to ease him back a little and shook her head while a leg wrapped around Ruby's shoulder to comfort her. "It's okay," she whispered, "take your time."

Ruby hated feeling like this. Like she'd break under everypony's hoof. How even a simple question could cause her breathing to quicken and for her to grow nauseated.

Yet, Cinnamon didn't cause this in her. Ruby had even told her to 'buck off' before and didn't even feel like her world was spinning. Plus, she could actually tell her parents that she had a best friend. They would be so proud of her!

It was during Ruby's self-reflection that the Cinnamon softly rocked her. "Ruby, there's somepony for you," she whispered.

Ruby opened her eyes to see a vaguely familiar face standing off to the side. She had seen those eyes before. The guard at the palace! Her own eyes widened upon recognition and she could feel a cold sweat form. Why was he here?

Cinnamon was the one to shake her out of it. "Hey, you okay?"

She stared into Cinnamon's eyes and felt herself calm down. "Yeah. Sorry."

Ruby pulled herself up and shakily wandered around the group of ponies, who were only now going back to their talking.

Wing watched as Ruby wandered around the group and gestured to the outside. He led her out onto the balcony and gave her a warm smile.

"The Princess sends her warmest regards," he said, bowing to the mare and causing her to flush brightly. "She wishes to extend the formal invitation to dinner at a date of your choosing. She will work her duties around your schedule."

Ruby didn't know if her coat could get any paler, but it certainly tried when she heard that. "Lu... And me," she mumbled, unable to believe it. "Really?"

Wing nodded. "She also asks if you have any, and I quote, suitable clothing?"

The mare could feel herself start to hyperventilate and turned around to lean over the railing. The sound of her emptying what little she had in it could be heard as she groaned.

"Should I take that as a no then?" Wing asked, a hint of a smirk on his face, at least until he jumped as Cinnamon rushing past him.

Cinnamon wrapped a leg around the heaving Ruby and rubbed her back. Glancing back at Wing, she glared and asked, "What the buck did you do?!"

"I've been instructed by her majesty, Princess Luna to ask Miss Haze when she would like to have dinner," he replied, honestly. Though, he was worried the mare would end up hurting herself. "The Princess is flexible with when."

Cinnamon looked shocked now but kept rubbing Ruby's back to comfort the shivering mare. "You need to answer him, Rubes," she said, pulling the mare up once she seemed to finish dry heaving. "We'll get some water after, okay?"

Ruby nodded and sniffed, feeling a painful burn down the back of her throat. She was still quivering in Cinnamon's hoof, but she could actually move from the edge. "I," she groaned, coughing. "In three days, seven o'clock."

Wing thought for a second and nodded. "I shall tell her exactly that. Did you need funds for suitable clothing?"

"She will have clothing ready for then," Cinnamon stated. "I assume the Princess will pick her up?"

Taking a second, he turned to Cinnamon and nodded. "It would only be right. Please have a good night." With that, he flared his wings and shot off into the darkened sky, instantly disappearing and leaving the pair standing there on the balcony alone.

"Come on. Let's get you back in the warmth."

Cinnamon led Ruby back into the bar and sat her down. She rushed off and returned with some water. "Here, drink it slowly," she said, brushing her hoof down Ruby's mane.

"I," Ruby tried, only to choke up. "I'm sorry. I'm so useless," The mare whimpered, covering her face with her hooves. "I can't even accept a date by myself!"

Thankfully the pair were well away from the group, so Ruby didn't have the added embarrassment of having to deal with that. But she did have a fussy Cinnamon to deal with.

"Stop that!" she scolded. "You just got a date with Princess Luna! You are not useless." she said it as a fact, giving no room to budge the issue. "If you don't, I'll go on it instead of you," she teased, closing her eyes and smirking.

"No!" Ruby gasped, forgetting where she was. "I mean, no. She chose me..." she looked down, her cheeks having turned blood red. "She chose me."

Ruby repeated that under her breath a few more times, as if trying to make herself believe it, until she felt her friend's embrace. Ruby still felt herself tense up, but it faded quickly, and she nuzzled deep against her neck, taking the time to inhale deep, a smile etching itself onto her face.

Author's Note

Heya!
Really hope you enjoyed this chapter. <3
As usual, any thoughts on it would be appreciated. I decided a little less sex and a little more character development would do Ruby wonders.

Chapter 3 (Edited)

Throughout the next couple of days, Ruby had spent her time studying furiously to get back on track with her course, as well as to keep her wandering mind off of Luna. Even though she wanted nothing more than to simply let herself daydream about that perfect pony, she had a deadline coming up which was starting to strain her.

Sitting down at the desk, the mare used her magic to flip the page of her textbook and began reading. She was slightly behind with her work and had missed a workshop which would have helped her out, but she wasn’t feeling bad about that at all.

In fact, Ruby was feeling rather upbeat about the whole thing. She had her date with Luna in several hours and while she knew she would be an absolute mess, she simply repeated the words: She chose me, under her breath, which seemed to help her calm.

Scribbling down a few notes in a notebook, Ruby levitated over one of her gems, a scarlet ruby and placed it down beside her notes. Pushing back her chair, the mare got up and lit her horn with one of the spells in the textbook, aiming it at the precious gem.

Closing her eyes, she inhaled and held the breath for a couple of seconds as the runes flashed through her mind. Double checking that she did, in fact, remember the runes correctly, Ruby blasted the gem with her magic and found herself tensing up at the thought of having this one shatter like the others.

Her room was much like it was usually, with a few cans here and there, along with the shattered remains of several gems strewn about. She had taken to cleaning her room more than usual, since Cinnamon would barge in at strange times and she didn’t want her friend to step in last night’s meal or knock anything over. It was a simple task, but one that had brought a smile on her face. Cinnamon probably didn’t even notice.

Opening her eyes just a crack, in case the gem exploded, she found that it sat where she had placed it, glowing softly in time with her own heartbeat. Frantically turning pages, the mare’s smile widened, and she hopped back and forth on her hooves in glee.

“Finally!” Ruby picked up the gem in her magic, watching at the pulse quickened and settled down.

Standing there, her thoughts now turned to Luna and an idea formed, one which she found had caused the gem to pulse quickly. Shaking her head, Ruby tried to dismiss the idea, but couldn’t help but squirm at the thought now that she could imagine it properly.

Placing the gem which she’d need for her assignment on the table, she pulled over another ruby then slipped it into her saddlebag, before levitating that over onto her back. Ruby would need to be quick if she wanted her present to be completed in time.

Though she didn’t know much about dating, she did know that her father had given a gift to her mother when they started, so she would do the same, even if her date was an immortal Alicorn Princess.

Exiting her room, she hoped that she wouldn’t be assaulted by Cinnamon. As much as she actually enjoyed being in the pretty pony’s presence, she was in a rush and Ruby knew that the mare would simply gush at how adorable she was being with the idea she had in mind and though Ruby was getting better, even she couldn’t handle that.

Stealthily leaving her dorm, she let out a thankful sigh and began her journey towards the closest gem cutter, eager to get this over with before she lost her nerve.

The mid-morning bustle of the university campus helped put her mind at ease as it gave her a chance to focus on other ponies instead of inward at her own insecurities. There were a lot of students that she hadn’t noticed before, which caused her lips to curl slightly. It was a minor change, but something that felt completely foreign to her; smiling while relatively alone.

Cinnamon is really brushing off on me.

It took her only five minutes to leave the campus and enter the city proper. Unlike the university the city itself was more packed, and Ruby imagined the gem back at home flashing wildly. She took a few experimental leans into the crowd, before forcing herself in and falling in line with everypony else. She squeaked and yelped at being pushed around, but managed to keep up with the no-nonsense flow, at least until she saw the shop coming up on her left.

Grunting, Ruby fell out of the river of ponies and let out an oof as she hit the floor. She brushed a hoof over herself to make sure she wasn’t covered in dirt or had lost her precious cargo before sighing in relief. Picking herself up, Ruby trotted forwards and pulled the glass door open, only to hear the ring of a bell above her.

The store was seemingly out of another era. Angled mahogany tables lined the perimeter of the store, showing off the various, rather unusual gems on offer, as well as any items which might have jewels studded into them. The main counter sat in the middle of the store with what she assumed were the most expensive sets of jewels, each one cut into intricate designs. Behind that was the back of the store, which was divided with several rows of shelves. Ruby could just about see some tools and a worktable.

Behind that was an older looking, blue coated Unicorn. She was wearing a set of horn-rimmed glasses which seemingly kept her yellow mane from falling across her face. The mare smiled upon looking up from behind the desk, using her hoof to adjust her glasses.

“Hello there! How can I help you today?” she asked, her high-class tone of voice oozing through.

Ruby stopped in front of the counter and pulled out her gem and placed it onto a wooden part of the glass counter.

“Are you able to cut this?” she asked, placing a bag of bit next to it. “I, um, I need this today.” Ruby watched as the mare levitated the gem in her magic and looked it over. “I can pay extra!”

Glancing from the ruby to Ruby, she raised a brow. “What shape do you need it in?” she asked, going straight back to inspecting the gem.

“A heart,” Ruby answered, feeling her cheeks darken as a wave of warmth flowed over her. “It’s for a date.”

The unicorn placed the gem down and smiled. “I can do that for you, sweetie,” she said, letting out a hum as she thought about something. “You can come pick it up at half five, okay?” With that, she gathered up a small amount of bits and levitated the ruby into the back of the shop, turning around once she heard Ruby speak up.

“Please don’t use your magic. I need the spell matrix intact.”

Blinking at that, the mare tapped her hoof on the floor and nodded. “I think I have an old cutting machine somewhere out back.”

She placed the gem on the worktable and wandered back out to the front. “Now, unless you plan to wait, it would be best to come back later, sweetie.”

***

Ruby found herself wandering throughout the city, towards her parent’s house. She decided it would probably be best if she told them everything that was happening to her and get some advice on what she should do during the date with a princess. Even that thought had made her giddy with excitement, which was squished right down once she realised she was giggling in the open!

Nearing the apartment, Ruby used her magic to unlatch the gate and wandered up the brick steps that led to the front door. She was still rather hesitant to see them; knowing what they were like. Pressing her hoof against the sixth buzzer, she waited a second and depressed, hoping that they had actually gone out for once.

The building itself wasn’t particularly old. Much like most of the surrounding area, there had been a major effort to house more ponies in the city, instead of simply businesses, royals and the palace. As such, since Princess Twilight’s coronation, the city had expanded quite a bit down the mountainside, which is currently where Ruby’s parents lived.

The outside held a light beige, along with more modern brickwork. A couple of conservatories stuck out from some apartments, held up by support beams.

She was knocked out of her focus by the voice of her father; a gruff and no-nonsense earth pony stallion.

“Yes?” he asked, before his voice moved away. “I’m seeing who it is, dear!”

Ruby let out a quiet chuckle hearing them bicker, but then actually answered. “It’s just me, Dad.”

Immediately she heard a grunt come from the intercom and a buzz as the lobby door opened. She brought her hoof down and let out a sigh.

Here goes nothing, she thought, entering the lobby. It took her only a few seconds to reach the elevator and then step inside.

Closing her eyes, she took in the pleasant music and tried to will herself to calm. It was just one date… she didn’t have to go into extreme specifics, especially with what she and Princess did that first night. Ruby would never live that down and her father would probably say something like, ‘You need to marry her,’ or some other horrifying thing that would leave her mortified.

The ding pulled the mare out of her thoughts, and she saw her parents standing outside of their apartment, waiting for her. Her mother looked like she was ready to burst down the hall, while her father, predictably, was standing there, staring at her. Ruby began to make her way down the bland hallway and stopped in front of them.

“Hey, mom. Dad,” she greeted, smiling as her mom snatched her up and embraced her.

Ruby’s mom, Sapphire Dawn, wore a soft butter yellow coat with a slightly greying mane that still held hints of her bright scarlet mane. Her dad, Steel Mill, on the other hoof, had a mane of the lightest charcoal, along with an almost obsidian mane.

While her mother was embracing her, Steel stood there, watching the pair. That was, until he leaned forwards and gently nuzzled his daughter on the cheek. “We’ve missed you.”

“I know, dad, sorry I haven’t been over in a while.”

Sapphire pulled away and grinned. “We didn’t know when you’d be back, but we kept your room like it was… come and see!” She took hold of Ruby’s leg and began to drag her inside, ignoring her squeaks.

The inside of the apartment was in stark contrast to the bland hallway outside. The walls were plastered with a bright off-white cream, making the place seem larger than it actually was. The entranceway carried on for several feet, until the living room, with a pair of doors on the left side, one of which was open. That door led to what seemed to be the parent’s room, which left the other to be apparently, Ruby’s old room. All along the left side of the wall were numerous pictures of her growing up.

Being pulled into the apartment, Ruby internally groaned and gave up on trying to resist her mother, having easily been overpowered. The pair stopped in front of her bedroom door and Sapphire grinned, waiting for her daughter to open it.

With a soft push from her magic, Ruby turned the handle and creaked the door open. Her eyes widened upon seeing that her room had not changed since she moved out. Not one single bit.

She moved inside, ignoring the front door closing and took in her old room.

“I’m so happy you’re coming back to us, dear. I didn’t touch a single thing as I knew you would get upset with it…”

Her room itself wasn’t particularly large, only being several square feet. Her bed was pushed up against the far corner, sat upon a plush rug, with a long shelf hung over it that stretched across the entire wall. A desk was placed opposite, next to the door, upon which was a lamp and several cracked jewels, as well as mechanical instruments. The strangest thing was that there was no dust on anything. Surely her mother hadn’t been cleaning it every day?

“Mom, wait- Do you think I’m back for good?” Ruby asked as she turned back to her mom, who was not joined by her father next to the doorframe and giving them a quizzical look. “I haven’t quit Uni.”

“Why else would you be back?” Steel asked, causing Ruby to wince at the unintended insult.

She knew her father didn’t meant to do it, but it still hurt having them think that the only reason she’d be back would be if she had to drop out.

“I was worried when you left, dear. You’re always so nervous and University is a big place with so many ponies. You know how you get,” Sapphire tried explaining, then taking a step forward. “Not that you couldn’t do it, of course, but it was so hard to get you to talk to your cousins, let alone anypony else.”

Ruby wasn’t sure what sort of expression she had on her face, but her mother glanced over to Steel with a worried look.

“Actually,” Ruby began, feeling her voice crack a little, “I have some news.”

She let that settle in the air for a second, until feeling that familiar cold wave wash over her. “I, uh, I have a friend!” she finally stated, her heart still thumping away. “A best friend! And she’s nice and she makes me smile and she listens!”

The pair of ponies in front of her simply stood there, shocked. They really didn’t know what to say to that. They had never known Ruby to actually want to willingly talk to somepony that wasn’t them and now here she was with this information!

“Ruby,” Sapphire whispered. “I can’t believe this!” she squealed, grinning. “A friend! Our little filly has a friend!” she laughed, turning to Steel with happiness bursting from her.

The stallion walked over and after a second, leaned down and nuzzled his daughter. “I knew University would help,” he whispered, letting Ruby lean against him.

“I know, dad,” Ruby simply replied, still shivering from the effort it took to not vomit from her growing nausea.

Now it was time to tell them about her bigger news. “I have something to ask…” she said, giving her dad’s shoulder a nuzzle, then pulling back.

Unable to keep eye contact, she looked away. Ruby felt her stomach do triple front-flips and her cheeks grow horribly warm.

“What is it, Ruby?” Steel asked, taking hold of her shoulder with a comforting squeeze. “You can tell us anything.”

Sapphire didn’t say anything, and simply nodded along.

“Well, uh, what do I do… on a date?”

Ruby winced as she could hear her mother breaking from the news. “I, uh, actually have a date with somepony.”

Sapphire rushed over and bounced on the spot, causing Ruby to squeak and try to move back. Unfortunately, her father’s hoof had her pinned and she turned to gaze up at him.

“D-Dad?” she asked, now worried. Sapphire answered for him as she took Ruby in her legs and hugged her tight, causing her to let out a quiet ‘eep’!

“Tell us all about them! Is it a mare or stallion?!” Sapphire asked, staring down at her sweating daughter. “Where do they work? Where are you going?! Tell us everything!”

***

Ruby hobbled out of her parent’s apartment with a hoof held against her stomach. It had only been five hours since she had entered, but it felt like an eternity that she wouldn’t want to go through in a long while. Making her way back towards the center of the city, she glanced at the hovering dress that floated beside her with a small smile. Even though her mother had been extremely overbearing and pressured her at times, she did help her out and found one of her old dresses for her to wear.

Ruby found the dress actually fit her, which was surprising, but the main thing she couldn’t help but smile at was that she looked half-way decent in it. Her cheeks burned from the thought of Luna’s eyes gazing over her body, hungry with lust. She found herself sighing dreamily at the thought of showing off her body for her Princess… then found her anxiety flare up as she only just remembered that she would be on a date with the Princess.

Swallowing her nerves, she quickened her pace to get to the gem cutters shop before it started to get too packed to move again. Entering, that little bell rang out and the older mare made her way out from the back.

“Oh, I had just finished your heart, give me one second,” she said, going into the back once more.

Ruby heard the tell-tale sound of rummaging and saw the mare return with a small, ruby heart with a thin, silver chain attached to the top. The ruby itself seemed to bare a few imperfections here and there, with a crack or two being seen snaking through the center of the slightly translucent gem.

“It’s been a while since I had used to do it by hoof. I’m sorry it didn’t come out perfect, but only magic can really do that nowadays,” the unicorn said, placing Ruby’s bits back on the table.

“I can’t, in good conscience, take your money while giving you a half-flanked gem back,” she continued, a remorseful look on her face. “I hope it’ll make your date happy though. It seems like a very thoughtful gift.”

Ruby was finding this all terribly awkward now and reached out to levitate the heart and the bits back into her bag.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, tapping the floor with her hoof, not sure what else to say. “It’s lovely,” she finished, turning towards the door, then glancing back. “I’m sure I’ll be back sometime.”

With that said, Ruby made a hasty exit and found herself thankful to finally be out of that. She hadn’t the nerve to really be angry at the mare, considering that the gift was more symbolic than anything and she was sure that Luna could already have any amount of gems that she wished for. Ruby did find it funny that the gift that she would enchant to represent her affections would be an imperfect one and found herself smiling once again.

Now that she had some more alone time, Ruby began to plan what she would be doing for the next two hours. Step one would obviously be to get back to her room, step two would be to try to do her hair and makeup. There was a limit as to what Ruby was willing to ask of her friend and considering it had been less than a week, she wanted to back off and give Cinn a little breathing room.

Then, step three would be: Freak the buck out!

Entering her dorm, she stealthily opened the door to her flat and tip-hoofed in, trying as best as she could to make as little noise as possible. Of course, one of the other ponies she was living with just had to leave their room at that exact time!

Stood frozen with wide eyes, Ruby watched as the Pegasus stallion closed and locked his door. She tried to remember the pony’s name but came up short. He was slightly smaller than she was, with a light cream coat and pink mane. Turning, he saw her standing there and smiled.

“Oh, hey there. I haven’t seen you in a while. Name’s Turn Table,” Turn said. His accent reminding her of somepony she knew from Staliongrad.

Ruby blinked and pushed down the growing annoyance that she felt with herself. She had met so many ponies; why was she still so damn nervous! “I, uh, I’m Ruby,” she replied, smiling a little.

“It’s nice to finally talk, Ruby,” he chuckled. “Unfortunately, I have to shoot off. Hope to see you around some more though!”

He moved past the mare, opened the door and left, giving her a smile as he did so.

Ruby closed her eyes and breathed in. Like the other times, she held it for a few seconds, then let it out to try and calm herself. To her relief, she wasn’t shaking quite as much as most times, but it was still visible to herself. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, the mare unlocked and entered her room.

The threw the dress-bag on her bed and placed down her saddlebag on her desk. Carefully taking her necklace out, she settled it down, before taking a seat and staring at it. She just about noticed the beating of the enchanted gem off to the side and levitated it over to herself. Glancing between the two, Ruby closed her eyes, remembered the runes for a magical erasure spell and cast it upon the ruby.

Quickly, the glow faded away until all that was left was the remnants of magic that were fading away like dying embers. Ruby didn’t want to try and cast the spell on Luna’s present, just in case she messed it up and it ended up just like the remains of the other shattered gems that were scattered around her room.

Closing her eyes, she felt the flow of her magic spiral to the top of her horn and weave its intricate details into the spell matrix at the heart of the crystal. Ruby could feel the pressure and the thrum of magic as it filled up the gem as easily as she could feel the seat beneath her rump and she felt herself relax under the familiar feeling, the world falling around her, yet leaving her breathless as her magic came to a stop. Levitating in front of her was the same gem, this one’s glow beating to her own heartbeat once again.

Ruby placed it down gently and felt her heart flip at the fact that she was about to symbolically give her heart to the mare that had stolen it. Now levitating the crafted heart up, she closed her eyes once more and poked her magic inside, feeling the slightly fractured spell matrix. It wasn’t a huge problem, but she’d have to be more careful now.

Flaring her magic, Ruby began to focus the runes through her mind, magic spiralling up her horn and cascading down into the matrix, filling it up. Every inch of the heart was filled with her magic, her devotion to the mare that had captured her, owned her and wanted her.

Stopping her magic once the matrix was full, she let out a breath she was holding and sat there. Her breathing was laboured at the amount of magic she had spent already and reached up with shaky hooved to hold the crystal instead of levitating it. Ruby pulled it in, held it to her chest and let out a small squeal of glee.

She suddenly remembered that she didn’t have that much time to really do her hair or get herself ready and settled the gem down on her desk before galloping into the bathroom for a quick shower!

Ruby was there for less than ten minutes before she burst out of her bathroom, levitating her hairdryer behind her as she brushed her coat down. Next was her fetlocks that she tried her best to trim so they weren’t so… unruly. It wouldn’t do to be seen like that with a Princess.

Of course, the mare didn’t actually know what she was doing, only going from what she had been told by her parents and Cinnamon. With a yelp, she tripped over the cord and hit the ground.

Blowing her mane out of her face, she pushed herself up and continued on, ignoring the fact that it felt weird to be looking after her looks.

Ruby wasn’t sure if she should put on any makeup. The chance that it would turn out to be anything other than a bad clown impression would be low and she didn’t want the Princess to leave their date because she thought that she couldn't do the simplest things. Shaking her head at the worry that was starting to bubble up from inside, she continued to dry her mane, battling back her worries as time ticked on. Despite her actions and the sound from the hairdryer, Ruby could sense each tick of the clock. Each one quickening her heart on the desk.

***

Luna found herself waking up a little earlier than usual, with a strange giddiness enveloping her entire being. Even throughout her normal morning routines, she couldn't help but smile, the night sky bursting with Nebulae and galaxies that sparkled. Leaning once again on her balcony's railing, she released a dreamy sigh and laid her head down on her forehooves, feeling excitement wash over her.

I simply cannot wait! With that thought, she jumped away and made for the door.

Before she could open it with her magic, Wing entered with his usual knowing smile. "Somepony’s up early," he teased. "Excited for your big date?"

Luna squeaked, rushed up to him and placed a hoof over his mouth. "Shh! Somepony will hear you!" she hissed, using her magic to firmly shut the door.

"Relax, Princess. There's no pony out there," he replied, pushing her hoof away. "Besides. You really should be worrying about the time."

The Princess glanced behind her at a clock and gasped. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

She practically galloped over to her desk, pulled out a brush and sat down at her vanity mirror. With a brief glow of her horn, the mare's hair stopped flowing and drifted down to resemble a regular pony's.

Luna began to brush through it, grunting a little from. Tiny knots that didn't exist in its ethereal state. She inhaled sharply as she felt the brush move from her magic and her guard standing next to her.

"I have little sisters, ma'am. Let me, with permission?" he asked, waiting for a response.

Luna smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Wing. Is it that obvious?"

The mare's face was a mixture of different emotions. Fear, excitement and nerves were the main ones. "I... I just don't want it to go horrible. Even with Twilight's help, some ponies still look at me like I'm a monster and-" Luna sighed as she trailed off and then closed her eyes. "Am I a silly pony?"

Wing stopped brushing, unsure how to answer that.

"In what context, ma'am?" he asked, moving is brush again. "If it's trying to find love, no. If it is thinking that Miss Haze will see you as the Nightmare, then yes."

He felt the Princess wince at the mention of that name but continued anyway.

"My job is to look after you princess. Not lie to you." His tone levelled out as he stopped for a moment. "I've watched you try and drown your unhappiness with sex, Princess. You have brought back so many ponies, but I know that none of them have made you feel like this."

He saw Luna glance up to meet his eyes in the mirror.

"and I also know that she has similar feelings, judging by her reaction the other day."

Luna had never been spoken to like that, but she found it refreshing and looked down. "Your words wound me so, Wing, but you are correct. It hurts to admit but I have been naught but a common harlot." she frowned and hit a hoof against the desk.

Wing placed down the brush on the table and smiled.

"Words are easy, Princess. Though I do not see what you see in the young mare, I will endeavour to make sure you are not a silly pony while you two court."

Luna turned around and quickly scooped her guard up into her embrace, hugging him tight against her chest floof! "We thank thee, Wing!" she cried, nuzzling the top of his head as he tried fighting against her alicorn strength with no luck.

She finally let him go and smiled warmly down at the stallion while holding in a giggle. "D-Don't worry about it, Princess..." he muttered, shaking his head. "I assume you'll use your targeted chameleon spell to blend in again. I don't think young Miss Haze would be able to handle having the upper-class watch and criticise her every move?"

"I will be. It wouldn't be right on our first date to have her so scared. Though, something tells me that she will be anyway," Luna replied, rising up to pull her tail around and levitate the brush to Wing. "But part of me finds her so delightfully cute."

Wing sighed and started in Luna's tail, shaking her head. "You sure it isn't to do with the fact that she didn't run away or faint from your games?"

Luna stuck her muzzle up at him and huffed.

"I was very gentle with the mare and she enjoyed every second of it. Besides, I thought you were guarding me, not watching?"

"How can I guard if I don't watch? Who knows if she was an assassin or something worse," Wing muttered, ignoring the look of frustration that was growing in Luna's face. "If it's what you desire, I shall not watch you anymore, Princess. I can sleep soundly knowing that you are safe with Miss Haze by your side."

Her muzzle darkened as she heard that. "You're lucky that you're useful to me, Wing..."

"So I've heard, Princess," he said, smirking. "Besides, where did the Princess that could so easily bend ponies to her will and force them to submit go? I simply see a mare with a crush."

Luna found herself looking away out of embarrassment now, her heart quickened by his words.

"Alas, we are but a shadow of our former self," Luna whispered, sighing as she imagined Ruby smiling, laughing and cuddling up to her. With a reluctant shake of her head, she picked herself up and gestured for Wing to follow. "But the eve draws on and I must still pick our date up!"

The pair of them took the usual route through the castle, at least until they neared the royal dining room. The pair took a detour around that, not wanting to be teased incessantly by her sister.

Closing in on the castle gates, Luna flared her magic and cast her chameleon spell. With a flash, her form shifted into the body of Sweet Dreams.

"Sticking with that body, I see?" Wing asked, raising his brow. "Not that it isn't alluring, of course. It's just quite bottom heavy."

Luna flicked her gaze to him with a frown. "I'll have you know that Ruby lik-."

"But she won't see it, Princess," he interrupted as his knowing smile returned. "But you do you, Sweet." Wing wandered off towards the gate and then passing through once it opened.

Luna couldn't find it in herself to really be angry at him. He was, like usual, correct.

She galloped after him and caught up easily, falling in line. "Do you really have to wear the armour?" she asked, knocking it with a hoof. "I would rather you didn't."

"You never know when a world-ending event might happen. Its best to be prepared."

"Well, I can't really argue with that," she agreed, shrugging. "Still, it makes you stand out."

"If it pleases you, I will. Just for tonight though." Wing began to strip himself, seeing each piece of his armour teleport back to his own room with a flash from Luna's horn.

"See, wasn't so hard?" Luna teased, seeing Wing roll his eyes in return.

Luna let Wing guide her to Ruby's dorm, never actually been in this part of the city before. She was amazed by the modern architecture of the University campus, as well as the sheer amount of ponies still up and enjoying themselves. Spotting a clock inside one of the buildings, Luna quickened their pace, not wanting to be late at all!

Having stopped outside of Ruby's dorm, Luna hesitantly walked up to the buzzer and stopped, not knowing which one was hers.

Silently, Wing stepped up and pressed the third one for her, before nudging her back with a smirk.

***

Ruby had nearly missed the buzzer going off in the hallway, except that she nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound. She didn't know what to expect, but imagined Luna swooping into her room or something else fantastical like that.

The mare had just finished doing her mane, after learning how to use a curling iron. She now had a few small curls in her hair which she thought were cute as well as a couple in her tail that bounced whenever she took a step.

Walking out into the hall, she stood by the buzzer and nervously pressed the intercom button.

"H-Hello?" she asked, wondering if it would be Luna herself.

"Miss Haze. Your date has arrived."

Ruby's breath hitched at those words. It was actually time! She didn't feel ready at all!

Chapter 4

Ruby felt the cold, icy touch of anxiety wash over her once more and she let her hoof drop from the intercom. Pulling back, she entered her room quickly, levitated her present in her magic and quickly concealed it with a small spell. Luna would probably notice something, but Ruby was actually more scared to present it to her than being found out.

Rushing back out into the hall, she saw Cinnamon standing by her door with a warm smile plastered on her face.

"You look beautiful, Rubes," she said, letting out a soft giggle.

Walking over, Cinnamon affectionately nuzzled Ruby's cheek then pulled back.

"I know how nervous you can be, so I prepared a little spell to help. It won't remove your nerves, but it will make you care less."

Ruby chewed her lip upon hearing that. It was true that she really didn't want to be a quivering mess while dining with the Princess, but was it really alright to use magic to help?

"Okay," she replied, still unsure. "I really don't want to embarrass her and, just for once, I'd like to not make a fool of myself." She heard herself say the words but didn't know if she'd be able to actually stick by them.

Cinnamon nodded. "Alright. This is just to help dilute your symptoms not remove them. Plus, I think it only lasts for a few hours anyway."

She lowered her head, pointing her horn at Ruby and fired a light pink beam right into her!

Ruby clenched her eyes shut as her head felt fuzzy for a few seconds. Opening her eyes, she blinked away the stars and glanced over to her friend. "How do I know if it worked?" she asked, her voice strangely higher pitched than normal. "Is this what I'm supposed to sound like?"

Cinnamon gazed at her friend and smirked. "Wow! You sound so fillyish!" she said, laughing. "Now get! You have a date!"

The mare practically pushed Ruby out of their dorm and down the elevator in an attempt to stop her from stalling.

Stumbling out of the elevator, Ruby stood in front of the frosted glass exit and took a breath. Even with the spell, she could feel her nerves, bubbling below the surface. The spell was simply a barrier, a crutch, to help her through this and once it faded, her feelings would show up once more.

Reaching out, she pressed her hoof against the door and pushed.

Ruby's eyes widened as she saw Luna standing there in all her glory. Her mane wasn't its usual galaxy filled form and instead was a more modest version of itself that fell over her shoulder and back and her long, slender legs were just as strong as ever, showing off her rippling muscles that just simply threatened to make Ruby weak in the knees.

That wasn't even mentioning Luna's gaze. Ruby felt her heart go silent once the Princess turned to look at her. In that moment, she knew she didn't even need Cinnamon's spell as her worries melted off of her.

"Hi, Pr-Luna," she whispered, standing there right outside her door as it shut behind her.

Judging from the expression on Luna's face, as well as the flush on her cheeks, she had made just as much of an impact.

Luna's eyes flowed over Ruby's form, taking in every inch of mare.

Ruby's dress clung to her, accentuating her in all the right places. The midnight black silk flowed off of her like darkness incarnate and hung slightly just above her fetlock, showing them off.

Luna blinked slowly, but a jab from Wing caused her to shake her head.

"Good afternoon, Ruby," she greeted, stepping forwards. She lowered herself down into a bow and held a hoof out for the mare.

Ruby's gaze flicked from that hoof to Wing, who gestured for her to take it in her own, which she did.

Luna looked up from her bow, her smile wider. "I am pleased," she said, sighing.

The Princess pulled Ruby's hoof in and pressed her lips to it while gazing into her eyes. "Now we can have our date, dear Ruby."

Ruby was sure her face was lit up but nodded nonetheless and let herself be led by Luna.

Wing had somehow disappeared during that performance, leaving Ruby alone with the Princess to walk through the campus. As usual, there were weren't many ponies about, leaving them in relative silence, until Luna spoke up.

"I must say that you look absolutely divine, Ruby," she said, looking down at her. "I can only apologise for not wearing my own dress. I would not be able to use my chameleon spell with one on."

Ruby heard the sincerity in Luna's voice and leaned against her, giving a soft nuzzle on her leg, to which Luna gladly accepted.

"I don't really mind," Ruby said, feeling a warm shiver pass through her as she felt Luna's soft fur. "I prefer you without."

Luna blinked and tilted her head, curious. "When did you become so forward, my sweet?"

Pulling away slightly, Ruby felt a small slither of fear run through her. "I," she began, pausing for a second to think of her response. "Cinnamon cast a spell on me. It helps me not be so," with a wave of her hoof to gesture to herself, "me."

She saw Luna's brow arch down in the beginning of a frown. "It's a fine sentiment. I did wonder why your voice was higher than normal but didn't want to question too soon."

The Princess slowed to a stop and sighed.

"Using a spell might help this time, Ruby. But you must face the problem head on. But, as your princess," she said, leaning down with her lips next to Ruby's ear, "and owner, it’s my job to help you."

Ruby squeaked, her body quivering at her dates words.

"Of course, Princess," she whispered, face lit up with embarrassment.

"Now, let us dine. The table will not be held forever."

The pair made it off the campus grounds and entered the city proper. The city, like usual, had plenty of ponies going about their business, with stalls having held in long past when they should have, customers on their way home from a long day of nothing of import.

Luna took the front as they pushed through the ponies, guiding Ruby towards the restaurant that she had picked out.

The restaurant, 'Behind the Red Door', was a little establishment which sat out of view from the main street. The front had various flowerpots laid outside with a multitude of blooming fruits, flowers and other greenery.

Behind them sat the wall that looked like it was hoof-placed with different sized of grey slate. Two windows flanked the closed door, letting the pair see the warm glow of candles, as well as the various ponies already inside.

While the restaurant wasn't high-class, Luna did find it rather difficult to book, having to bribe the pony to let them in under a pseudonym.

Walking up to the front, Luna reached out with her magic and opened the door, bowing ever so slightly and gesturing. "Please."

Ruby's cheeks darkened as she giggled, then entered. Her hips swished slightly more while Luna was behind her, eager to tease the Princess.

Luna found her eyes straying dangerously close to Ruby’s rear as she entered. She found herself thankful for her dark coat that hid the blush from Ruby. Unfortunately, the pony that everypony else could see didn’t hide anything!

The pair made it inside, with Ruby being stopped by the maître d' and Luna falling next to her.

“Ma’am,” he greeted, nodding slightly at Ruby. “Your name?” The maître d' started to turn the pages in his book.

Luna moved up and smiled. “The name is under Nocturnis, sir,” she said, glancing to Ruby, then back at the Maître d’. “Apologies if we are late. It’s hard to not get lost in our date’s beauty.”

Ruby’s cheeks exploded with red upon hearing that and she looked down, giving the floor a little scuff with her hoof. She could feel her mouth grow dry from her nerves, even through the spell’s effect.

“Ah, yes,” the stallion said, closing the book. “We have you at the,” he paused and glanced between the two ponies, “princess’s table.” With some hesitation, he took a step back in thought. “If you’ll give me a second to check something with my manager.”

The stallion trotted off around the corner and left the pair in the entrance-way. Thankfully for them, the entrance was slightly obscured from the main dining area, though they could see through a few windows to ponies eating at the far end.

The entrance was well decorated with traditional oak floors and walls that featured wallpaper which Luna was sure the palace also had on their walls.

Luna leaned over and nuzzled Ruby’s ear, eliciting a cute squeak from her. “How are you holding up, pet?” she teased while giving Ruby’s ear a nibble. “That spell doesn’t seem to be working, does it?”

Ruby shivered and nibbled on her bottom lip. “You monster,” she mumbled, her flush spreading as she leaned closer.

Luna let out a small chuckle and simply laid and invisible, to other ponies, wing over Ruby’s back . “I hope for us to enjoy this. It’s been such a long time since I’ve been on one.”

Ruby nodded and brought a smile up for Luna to see. “So do I, Lu-“ she stopped herself, “Sweet.”

The Maître d’ returned with another stallion in tow. The stallion, while a little heavy set, wore a half suit and began to look through the book, before turning to the pair. “Hi there, and welcome to Behind the Red Door. Quick Shot here says you are under the name of Nocturnis? We usually reserve that table for Celes-“ he stopped himself. “The Princesses. Are you sure you have the right name?”

Luna stared at the stallion, feeling her annoyance rise more for the imagined mistake than him forgetting there were two princesses. “Sir-“ she began looking for his name.

“Money Bags”

“Sir Bags, I did indeed create that reservation. I have Princess Luna’s express permission to d-“

“Unfortunately, Princess Luna isn’t here to back your story up. We cannot simply give that table away to anypony who claims such a thing, now can we.”

Ruby glanced between the two and leaned against Luna, seeing her frown. “It’s okay,” she muttered. “We can find something else to do. We don’t need to eat here.”

Luna let out a huff as she felt her date press against her. Shaking her head, she cast her chameleon spell, still aiming to keep the disguise up for everypony except Ruby, and now Money Bags.

The stallion’s eyes widened upon seeing who was now standing in front of him! His mouth opened, but Luna’s magic kept it closed as she narrowed her eyes as her magic flared once again, linking their two minds. Please, don’t say anything. I am here on a date with my dear Ruby and took that disguise so we may dine unaccosted.

Money Bags hesitantly nodded and upon feeling Luna’s magic loosen around his mouth. “I-” he began, looking back down to the book. “We must have made a mistake, ma’am. If you’ll follow me, I will personally seat you.”

The stallion looked increasingly flustered and nervous but did as he said. He closed the book and stepped away from the desk before turning to the Maître d’. “Good work, son.”

Walking through the restaurant, Luna switched off the mental link and removed her form from the stallion’s vision, so she looked like Sweet, to him, once again.

There were a few eyes following the pair through the dining room as they walked over to the Princess’s table, even a few mutterings from various ponies near the back of the room. Most of the ponies seated were upper-class and Luna knew a few of them personally, mostly from holding court.

“Here we are,” Money Bags said, gesturing to the finely decorated table. It held all of the regular cutlery, as well as a single red rose in the center, being held by a fine vase.

Luna used her magic to smoothly pull out Ruby’s chair and then her own, only taking her seat once Ruby had done so. She turned to Money and smiled. “Thank you for being so understanding.”

“Oh, of course. If we had some notice, we could have been much more accommodating.”

“That’s quite alright, sir.”

The stallion went for a bow, but opted to only a nod, then rushed off. This left Luna and Ruby alone, with both of them sitting there rather awkwardly.

“So, uh,” Ruby began, glancing towards Luna, then back down at the table. “We’re on a date.”

The thumping in her chest had died down, leaving the mare able to truly notice the gravity of the situation she was in. She was on a date, with a princess!

“It would appear so,” Luna replied. “I do not have much experience with dating, especially in this modern age. My sister said to go out to nightclubs to find somepony, but it only ended up with, you know.”

Ruby gave a nod in reply. “That was my first time going to a nightclub. But I’m so glad I listened to my flatmate. Otherwise I wouldn’t have met you and that would be the worst thing ever!”

Despite the raging blush over Ruby’s cheeks, she held the gaze with a wide smile.

“I must say that I agree with that,” Luna said. “I have not been able to think of much else since that night. I think it would be safe to say that you have thoroughly captured my heart.”

Ruby simply stared over at Luna in disbelief. She knew that Luna liked her, but to hear it being said like this was almost overwhelming. Silently, her horn glowed, and she pulled her gift out from under the table, letting it drift over to Luna’s side before being placed down.

“I, um, heard that gifts were normal on dates,” she mumbled, now with a look of embarrassment slowly appearing on her face as the ruby heart glowed in time with her own. “If I captured your heart, then it’s only right you have mine, Luna.” She was immensely thankful to have Cinnamon’s spell over her, otherwise she’s be a blubbering mess.

Luna’s gaze was focused on the crystal that was quickly beating on the table. “Ruby…” she mumbled, moving her gaze up as she levitated and unclipped the chain.

She deftly wrapped the necklace around her neck and clipped it back up, letting it settle within her chest floof, before she held it and closed her eyes. With a purr, Luna held the heart, her smile widening with genuine happiness.

Opening her eyes, she stared across the table, her thoughts flashing through her mind faster and faster. “Ruby,” she mumbled, “this…”

Luna didn’t know what to say as she looked over at her date, her hooved clutching the crystal. She felt like she would crack it by virtue of simply holding.

Ruby couldn’t help but let out a twinkle of a giggle as she leaned forwards on the table. “Do, uh, you like it?” she asked, fluttering her lashes. She looks beautiful

The Princess blinked as she had realised her was simply staring at Ruby. “Yes… I, wow. I’m speechless. That’s new.” She let out a chuckle and nodded quickly. “I love it!”

Suddenly, the pair jumped as a waitress wandered up and placed two menus in front of them with a cheery smile. “I’ll be back in a short while to take your orders!” she said, trotting away.

The pair simply looked back at each other and let out their laughter. The mood had been ruined, yet they felt more relaxed, with Luna leaning on the table and Ruby finding herself at ease with being in Luna’s presence if the heart’s slow beat was any indication.

“So,” Ruby began, “uh, that night?”

Luna blinked, not expecting that at all. “What about it?” she asked, now unsure.

“It was nice, “ Ruby said, smiling as her cheeks darken. Quickly, she pulls the menu open and hides herself. “I have some questions though?” Ruby wasn’t sure how to ask, but after looking over the menu for a few seconds, she let it fall to the table to look at Luna. “Are, are you experienced with all that stuff?”

Luna found this question rather strange and sat there, obviously in thought about how to answer. “I, It’s nice,” was all she could reply with, looking around, rather embarrassed. “It’s all I’ve really done, you know? Ponies, even back before my,” she took a second to sigh, “departure, expected me to be like that. All dominating and stuff. Would you, maybe, do it for me?”

Ruby did a double-take as she heard that. “You, uh, want me to dominate you?” she asked in a hushed whisper while leaning in. Ruby wouldn’t have even thought about it normally, but the feeling of possibly ordering the Princess about was growing rather enticing now that she thought about it.

Luna hid behind her own menu now, her horn poking over the top. “Maybe,” she muttered; her voice squeaky.

Ruby’s magic took hold of the top of the menu and gently pulled it down so Luna could see her. She knew the spell cast on her was helping her with this, but she wasn’t feeling any more nervous about asking this. “Yes or no, Luna.”

Even Ruby saw the flush on the Princess’s cheeks at that question. It was a feeling that she had long forgotten, and she gladly let it flow over her. With a quick nod, she answered, “Yes.”

“Then,” Ruby giggled, “you’ll have to teach me. That was my first time and while I remember some, most of that night was a blur. A blur I enjoyed, but still.”

“Okay,” Luna mumbled, quickly throwing the menu up in awkwardness.

“Now, what are you ordering?” Ruby asked, gazing over at the horn that still poked over the top of Luna’s menu. Gosh, she’s so cute…

***

The pair stumbled out of the restaurant, both in a fit of giggles as the other patrons gawk at them out of the windows. It had been two hours into their meal and Luna forgot to renew her chameleon spell. As they expected, chaos ensued, and the pair were forced to leave the restaurant!

Laughing and cantering away from the mess they had caused, they eventually stopped two blocks away. They leaned against the wall and panted, still letting out small gasps and laughs.

“Wow!” Luna giggled, then pushed off the wall. “I can’t believe they did that!”

Ruby grinned as she moved over and snuggled up against Luna. “Mmm, yeah,” she purred, nuzzling against Luna’s neck.

The crystal was, despite the situation, beating slowly nestled against Luna’s floof.

“Shall we go?” Luna asked as her wing wrapped around Ruby and held her close to her warmth in the cold Canterlot winter.

With a nod, Ruby and Luna began the trek back to the castle, and subsequently, Luna's bedroom. The night was getting rather chilly for the pair and even Luna's alicorn physiology wasn't helping very much. Ruby was failing slightly better, what with her date's fluffy wing wrapped around her but her teeth were still beginning to chatter.

Thankfully, Luna had picked a place that wasn't too far from the castle and it only took five minutes to walk back. As they neared, the sight of the guards, wrapped up warm, with woolen booties and scarfs greeted them.

The guards looked confused at the sight of the Princess hugging a random pony in the middle of winter, but were trained well enough not to question her on it. Instead, they simply opened the gate for them to enter and closed it afterwards.

The pair continued on their way into the warmth of the castle.once inside, they clip-clopped on the marble floor to get the snow off their hooves and stretched.

"Ah! That's much better!" Ruby groaned, cantering on the spot. "So warm!"

Luna giggled at the sigh and stretched her wings out to get blood flowing again. "it is nice to be back, but shall we continue on?" she said, gesturing onwards.

"Oh, right."

They walked through the castle hallways, politely greeting the maids and soldiers who wandered about. Suddenly, Luna pulled Ruby down a side passage, pushing her up against the wall.

"Ow! What's going on?" Ruby asked, looking concerned as she felt Luna's mass press against herself.

Luna leaned out from their cover and sighed upon seeing the coast was clear. "My sister could have se-"

NSFW starts here *** NSFW starts here

Leaning back in, she was met with Ruby's lips pressing against her own and front legs sliding up to wrap around her neck. Luna tensed up for a second, before her eyes fluttered closed and she melted into the kiss. One of her legs moved under her marefriend to hold her by the barrel.

Luna felt Ruby's tongue press against her lips to ask for permission and she gladly gave it. Her tongue fought Ruby's own for dominance, but she felt herself letting out a lustful moan while her wings ruffled on her sides.

Ruby pulled away after a generous battle, her steamy breath washing over Luna's face as a line of saliva connected the two. Ruby brushed her hoof through Luna's hair and began to pepper her mare's neck with kisses and nuzzles. "You're so beautiful, Luna," she whispered, receiving gasps and shudders from the quick nips and licks she gave. "Will you teach me what you want? I wish to please you."

Luna felt herself quiver as those words reached her ears. Pulling back, she bit her lower lip and nodded instantly. "Of course," she said, her cheeks many times darker, "Mistress."

Ruby could feel that rush hit her, and she leaned up to kiss the mare once more. This one lasted only a couple of seconds then she pulled back, the lingering scent of arousal heavy in the air. "Take me to your bedroom, Luna," Ruby ordered, cuddling close and nipping her shoulder.

Luna flared her horn and with a quick flash and a pop, the pair were gone. They reappeared inside Luna's bedroom, the smell of ozone dispersing as Luna's horn crackled with magical energy.

Ruby shook her head as she took in the magnificent room once again, then turned to Luna. "So, uh, how do we start?" she asked, eager to learn to better please her lover.

Luna quickly found herself nuzzling through Ruby's mane as she inhaled her scent, losing herself ever so slightly. "Mmm, the first rule is to always have a safe word," she cooed. Despite her entire being arguing with herself, she pulled back. "I trust you, Ruby. A safe word if there so I can tell you if I feel uncomfortable, understand?" Luna said, gently placing a hoof under Ruby's chin. "Watermelon is my go-to for others, so I guess I'll use that."

Ruby took this in and nodded. "Watermelon, sounds good!” she giggled, tilting her head and leaning into the Luna’s hoof.

The Princess simply gazed down with a warm, loving smile as she held her hoof there, enjoying the feeling of Ruby showing her affection. “Now, Ruby… I give myself to you. In body and trust,” she stated, pulling her hoof back and bowing.

Luna’s horn glowed and a horn-ring levitated out of her vanity desk’s drawer. She placed it down in front of Ruby and gazed up at her new owner.

“Lock this on my horn and I am yours, Mistress.”

Ruby’s own horn picked up the ring and held it in front of herself, suspended in her magical field. The ring was etched with various runes of binding and suppression, obviously made to suppress a unicorns or, in this case, Alicorns, magic. She slipped it on Luna’s horn and let it drift down until it touched the base. Rotating it until she heard a pop, Ruby heard Luna gasp and saw her shiver.

“Thank you, my pet,” Ruby whispered, brushing her hoof over Luna’s cheek as she leaned down and pressed her lips to the mare’s other cheek. She felt the rush of control hit her and nuzzled Luna's cheek, inhaling the sweet musk of her mare's arousal.

Luna leaned into it and let out a soft mewl, her smile widening. "Anything for you, mistress," she purred, fluttering her wings and pulling up to her full height.

Despite the mare's imposing height, Ruby softly placed a hoof against her chest and eased her back until Luna's rump pressed against the plush bed. Her own smile slowly morphed into a smirk as she gathered her magic and thrust it forward, buffeting Luna onto her back!

The bed creaked as it took Luna's weight, then squeaked once more as Ruby climbed up to stand over the stop of the Alicorn, gazing down at her as Luna began to shrink back. With a growl, she sat down and pressed her already wet pussy against Luna's stomach, rubbing it against her!

Leaning down, Ruby's horn flared once again, arcs of magic crackling up and down her horn. Luna let out a gasp as her owner's magic wrapped around her hooves, pulling them spread eagle. Ruby's magic then flowed down her own body and cascaded over Luna with a tingle, before reforming around the Princess's aching cunt!

"You, ah," she whispered, closing her eyes, "You're more forceful than I thought you would be, mistress."

Luna squirmed beneath Ruby as she felt that magic rub and tease her. It flowed over her marehood and ass, tingling as it gripped her tightly, massaging itself into every corner of her rear. With a whimper, she could feel that the magic was slowly growing in strength, vibrating harder.

"Buck!" Luna moaned while her hips twitched and her arousal leaked out onto the sheets.

Ruby leaned down and nuzzled deep into Luna's floof, audibly inhaling her scent and shivering in delight. "mm, enjoying yourself, I see," she giggled, sliding herself back and forth, leaving Luna's stomach a wet mess.

It didn't take long for Ruby's body to shake each time she rubbed herself and she held onto Luna tight. She pushed herself off of the mare, though, and stood there panting as she stopped her own orgasm.

Luna's own snatch was dripping and twitching still, and it was driving her crazy! "Mistress! Please, I can't," she whimpered, pushing her head back and clenching her eyes shut as her fur grew damp with sweat.

Ruby, still breathing heavily, pulled her magic away from Luna's marehood and reformed it into a magical replica of a stallion's rather sizable cock!

Well, it would be sizable for Ruby, but for Luna, it was simply 'above average'. Yet, despite that, it didn't stop the mare from gasping and bucking her hips towards the construct once it pressed against her slit.

Ruby only held it there for a few seconds before beginning to slowly slide it in, her magic slowly stretching Luna's tight, silky walls out as it throbbed away.

Luna tensed up and pulled at her bonds while low moans leaked from her mouth. Her head fell back as Ruby pressed herself back against her stomach, rubbing herself once again to breaking point!

"You're so amazing, Luna!" Ruby cried, feeling as if she was in heat! Moving up, she pressed her lips to the mare's own and kissed her as passionately as she could, front legs wrapping around her neck to hold her tight!

The second her lips touched Luna's, her toy slammed into Luna's lower lips forcing its way up to its base, causing Luna to writhe and squirm as she became used to the size of that shaft. Ruby could feel every inch of her magical cock as it entered Luna's warm depths, stretching her tight walls around it!

Ruby pulled back and let out a soft mewl of pleasure and nuzzled deep against Luna's neck as her breathing picked up once again. The mare didn't want to simply come first. She wanted her first time in charge of the Princess to be special, to be memorable! So, once her shaft was inches from completely inside Luna, Ruby began to slowly slide it back out, feeling herself shake.

"Pet," Ruby purred, nipping and grinding herself against her princess, which was made easy from how damp their bodies were. She pressed her drooling folds down against Luna once again and rubbed it raw over Luna's stomach. "Ah!" she moaned, feeling her clit being brushed against by Luna's fur. "I love using you to get off."

The crystal sitting in front of Ruby was pulsing harder and harder as she drew nearer to the pleasure she so wanted! With each run, she felt herself inch closer, with each moan from Luna it spurred her on!

"Thank you, mistress!" Luna moaned, "Thank you for fuck-"

The mare's nerves burst to life and her pussy clenched down around the magic, trying to milk it for everything it had as she cried out! The magic dispersed from the sheer strength the Alicorn possessed as Luna's world flashed to white! She arched her back and came, her pussy squirting out her excitement over the sheets as she fought against her bonds!

Yet, as suddenly as her orgasm hit her, Luna was left with her tingling afterglow and a very affectionate pony on top of her.

Ruby removed the magic and let it fade away as she nuzzled and licked Luna's cheek, holding her close as her own orgasm subsided. Ruby tried to get closer to her mare, but found that she couldn't and so settled with cleaning her, unable to stop herself from showing her love!