Just keep putting one hoof in front of the others. Knowing what she had to do and actually doing it were proving to be two very different things, even with somepony supporting her and helping to guide her. Even as she struggled to keep upright some small, deeply buried part of Luna’s mind dispassionately assessed her condition and the causes for every sensation.

The reasons for the dull, throbbing ache between her legs and under her tail were obvious, as was the raw, sandpapery feeling in her throat and her aching jaw. The lightheadedness and general feeling of disconnect between her mind and her body was just a result of the endorphins flooding her system. Her weak, trembling legs were another result of those, as well as from having been locked in one position for quite some time. The small, sharp pin-pricks of pain from the hairs on her coat being pulled at was just due to the drying fluids coating a generous portion of her body, and blanketing all these sensation was deep feeling of euphoria.

This was quickly processed and ignored, save for a quick internal giggle at how the part of her giving the report sounded like a mixture of Starsong and Mi Amore. She knew why she felt so good and so sore, she’d been repeatedly fucked by so many males she’d lost count, used as nothing but a convenient slut for them to milk their cocks with. And it had been glorious!

Sure she knew she could power through the hazy contentment blanketing her thoughts, but why would she want to? It felt so good, so relaxing, and she had a wonderful, sturdy, and very warm stallion guiding her steps, keeping her from even having to focus too hard on tha-

“Watch yer step here.” Luna paused on reflex at Wood’s murmured warning. She looked down to see she was one step away from bashing her leg into the stairs leading up to the building they’d been heading for. “Here ya go, let's get you up ther’ nice and safe.” The stallion slid his foreleg under her barrel and raised it up, not quite far enough to fully lift her off the ground, but enough to take a good deal of the weight off her hooves and guide her in a general upward direction.

She leaned closer to him for added support as she took the steps slowly, barely having to put in any effort as her companion helped her along, though always letting her control the pace. She knew there were only half a dozen steps or so, and yet it felt like she climbed several flights by the time they reached the top of them.

She stared blankly at the door for a few seconds as Wood finished helping her fully climb onto the porch in front of it. There was something wrong about it, something that she knew had to change. Something… Ah right, ‘tis closed. She reached out with her magic, a dim but steady aura surrounding the latch before she pulled it open. Wood pulled her back just enough to avoid the swinging door from clipping either of their muzzles before nodding towards her “Thank ya kindly. Not much further now, just through this door and ta the end ah the hall.”

She murmured what she thought sounded like appreciation and pushed closer to him as they stepped through the doorway. She gave the interior a quick glance, it looked run down, filthy, and just a few good blows from total collapse, yet she knew it had to be far sturdier and cleaner then it looked. She pushed further consideration of the decor from her thoughts as they moved deeper into the building, content simply to enjoy the trip, only half hearing the deep, low “Yer doin good.”s and “Just about ther’.”s

She looked up again as she felt her hooves landing on tiles rather than wood. The bathroom looked less run down than the rest of the building; the tiles were stained but not cracked, and all of the facilities appeared whole, if discolored. She felt Wood lean away from her and let out an annoyed grunt before she tried to follow his motion, only for him to return before she could figure out the best way to do so. “Now then, ready ta get in the shower and get cleaned off?” He twisted to face her, giving her a calm, reassuring smile, though something was off, he looked… different then before. Still, she nodded in reply. Her coat really was becoming rather uncomfortable, and she could feel the layers of dried fluids flaking off her as she moved. Why did removing such things have to be so much less pleasant than having it applied?

“Alright, just wait right here while ah get the water ready, then we’ll step right inta tha stall and get ya all cleaned up. Ya alright with that?” As he spoke he carefully leaned her away from him, staying in contact but moving her enough that she could lean on the wall for support. She didn’t want him to leave, he felt so warm, so secure. Luna closed her eyes and forced herself to take a deep breath, ignoring the ache in her throat as she did so. Her euphoria was starting to eb and she knew he wasn’t going to leave her for long. She nodded and shifted to take her weight off of him to make sure he knew she was ready.

“Just wait here a moment. Ah’ll be just a bit ahead ah ya. You’re doing so good, and we’re going to get ya good and takin’ care of.” She smiled at him and nodded again as he stepped into the large shower stall, easily big enough for three ponies, four if they didn’t mind being crowded. It was discolored like the rest of the room, but there were no cracks or rough edges in sight.

Wood twisted a few handles and water shot out of several shower heads placed around the stall. He adjusted them a bit, while staying clear of the downspouts, reaching a hoof to check them after every additional turn. “You prob’ly should keep yer gear on, it’ll need a good washin’ as well.”

Gear… gear… She lifted a hoof to her neck. Oh, right. Her hoof ran across her collar, feeling something thick and congealing smearing along it. Looking back to Wood she paused, “Oh, that’s what it was.”

“Pardon?” He looked over his shoulder at her as he stuck his hoof under a freshly adjusted water stream.

She smiled and cleared her throat, surprised she’d voiced that revelation aloud, less so at the continued scratchy rawness in her throat that made her keep her speech to a whisper. 'Twould be quite rude not to answer, would it not? “Neigh, our pardon. W-I noticed something seemed different about you.” She saw him freeze, a small flash of worry crossing his face before quickly being forced away. “I just noticed you’d taken your mask off.”

Looking to the side she saw it sitting on a shelf near the door, turning back as Wood replied. “Oh, that. Yeah, not much point in wearin’ it in here. Ain’t dirty and tends ta slip a lot when it gets wet, ya don’t mind do ya?”

“Neigh. Not at all.” She looked him over, actually focusing on his face. His broad, plain face was still sporting a wide, reassuring smile, his eyes soft, looking at her with clear care.

He stepped aside and gestured into the water filled stall. “Well then, water’s ready. Might be a bit on tha warm side at first, but it’ll help us get most ah that gunk off ya faster. Need a hoof gettin' in?”

Luna braced herself and pushed off the wall. She wobbled, her legs still feeling weak, but they supported her. “I should be quite alright.” She took a tentative step into the stall, then another. She could feel the tension coming from the stallion as he stood ready to catch her if she slipped.

She flinched as the first sprays of water started to hit her but lowered her head and continued on. As she moved under the nearest of the shower heads the unexpected blast of water caused her hoof to slip on the wet tile; before she could even worry about falling Wood had his hooves on her shoulders, helping her regain her balance. “Ah got ya.”

She leaned into his grip for a moment and then steadied herself. With his help she got fully under the three sprays of water. It was warm, and Luna considered that to other ponies it might even be uncomfortably so, or not, she could admit to herself she hardly had a good frame of reference; this was nothing compared to being enveloped in dragonfire was all she could be sure of.

Still, it did feel good. She lifted her face into the stream in front of her, feeling the warm water wash over her, stripping away the layers of caked fluids. Her sides twitched as she tried to spread her currently non-existent wings to better catch the falling water till she forced them to stop.

“Too warm?” Wood’s hoof was already on the handle to the water as he asked.

Luna leaned down and nudged the hoof away with her muzzle. “Neigh, ‘tis quite enjoyable, ‘twas nought but a small muscle spasm.” She moved closer to the downpour in front of her, lifting her head high to let the water wash down her neck and chest.

“Alright, if ya say so. Once ya get rinsed off, there’s a sort of bench on yer right ya can lay down on while ah help clean ya off proper like.” Luna twitched an ear back towards him, it was hard to tell under all the falling water but she thought there was a hopeful tone to his voice. She tried to twist her head to get a better look at him while making it seem like she was simply trying to adjust herself under the spray but only ended up with an eyeful of water.

Luna shook the water from her eye and more carefully looked back over her shoulder. Though a large portion of the drying spunk had already been rinsed off, a good scrubbing was certainly called for. “Thank you, ‘tis most generous.” She carefully lowered herself to the shower bench, having to take several tries before finding an adequately comfortable position.

Wood grabbed a long handled scrub brush in his mouth and moved over to her. “Aww, ain’t needed, ah’m supposed ta be taken' care of ya ain’t I?” She could almost hear him blushing. “Now, ah might need ta scrub a bit hard in some places ta get all tha gunk off, don’t be afraid ta tell me if it’s too much, okay?”

Luna nodded and closed her eyes, enjoying the soothing, relaxing warmth of the water washing over her as she let herself probe her condition again. The moist air was doing quite a lot to help her throat and she could breath deeply with nary a twinge. Her rear was still a dull, throbbing ache all over, yet it was fading. The water had done a remarkable job cleaning off the bulk of the various fluids that had been clinging to her already, she still felt a bit worn out and tired but that could be as much from the warm shower as…

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…” Her train of thought derailed in a long, soft moan as Wood went to work, the brush scrubbing along her withers and down her shoulders. She stretched her neck out as he moved upwards, twisting it back and forth without needing to be asked to help him reach as much of it as he could.

He stopped short of her face and shifted back down towards her barrel again. “Ya doin' alright?”

“Oh yeeeees~” Luna half crooned. She knew this wasn’t nearly as exquisite as a good, proper massage but right now it didn’t matter. She looked back to see a calm, contented grin on Wood’s face as he worked the brush further along her body.

He stopped just as he reached her rump, shifting to scrub along her leg instead, the brush digging in harder as he reached the most heavily defiled areas. On reaching the bottom of her leg he stepped back and looked her over. “Okay, doing good so far, but now ah gotta take care of some places that are gonna be a might delicate. Again, ah’ll try ta go easy as ah can. Now, can yah roll onto yer back for me?”

Luna did her best to roll over on the slick bench, needing Wood’s help to actually do it without falling off in the process; his large hooves gently holding her shoulder as he gave her just enough leverage to do it mostly under her own power. The tile, or whatever the thing was made of, dug into her back and the position would grow quite uncomfortable rather quickly, but it was good enough for what was needed. She kept her legs spread without needing to be reminded, feeling just the slightest twinge of excitement as the stallion slipped his head between them. She braced herself as he leaned in, flinching at the first touch of the brush before she could force herself to be still.

Wood started on her legs, moving down them in long, gentle strokes. He made it nearly to the base of her thigh before moving over to the next one; if she didn’t know better she’d half suspect he was teasing her. Out of curiosity she let her eyes drop down to look underneath him. She wasn’t surprised in the least to see he’d dropped out of his sheath, the warm shower alone was enough for that, but other than that the beast didn’t look to be twitching in the slightest.

She did notice something else moving; his short tail was twitching back and forth, not quite enough to really count as ‘wagging’ but it was close. She watched it for a bit longer till its owner finally moved down to start cleaning off her recently well abused marehood. Luna had to bite her tongue to prevent letting out a hiss as the spongy brush pressed down on her still delicate and sore flesh. Either sensing her reaction or just anticipating it her companion let up slightly. “Ah know, this area’s gonna be sore for a while, but it’ll be a lot worse if it ain’t taken care of. You gonna be alright while I finish up?”

“Aye, we’ve had far worse pain and survived.” Why did his tail stop moving when I said that?

Wood flicked an ear and nodded. “Ah’m sure, but still ah’ll make this as quick as ah can.”

He proved true to his word, taking no more than a minute to fully clean her groin before moving on up her belly and chest. As he shifted to getting the side he’d missed on the first pass, Luna thought she could hear a low, tuneless humming just under the sound of the water. She watched his face as he worked to scrub clean the last few blemishes on her coat; his eyes were focused on his work and his mouth was still turned up in a content little smile, behind him she could see his tail twitching back and forth once more.

“There we go, all done.” Wood stepped back from her and set his brush aside as Luna rolled back onto her stomach. “If ya stand up ah can look ya over once more, make sure ah didn’t miss anything, but we should be good.”

“Mmmmmmmm, it already feels so much better,” She stretched out and slipped off the bench in a single fluid motion, “Thank you, Wood.”

The stallion looked almost shyly aside, and though hard to tell in the warmth of the shower, Luna thought she saw a small blush spreading over his cheeks. “No need ta thank me.” He turned to the side and gestured at an odd assortment of nozzles in one corner of the shower stall, speaking just quick enough to make clear he was trying to change the subject. “Before we finish up, ya want ta…?” He trailed off and waved his hoof at the apparatus again.

Luna moved over to examine it, two nozzles stood out from the wall, one above the other, both just about even with the bottom of her barrel and facing upward. Below them a hoof operated switch sat on the floor. She pushed down lightly on the pedal and as expected water came shooting up from the nozzles.

She heard Wood chuckle awkwardly and looked back to see him rubbing one hoof behind his head. “You um… you ever used one of those before?”

“Unless this device is some form of drinking fountain, which I cannot fathom why one would be inside of a shower, then neigh.”

“Oh… well it’s umm…” He shook his head and moved closer, one hoof pointing towards her backside. “It’s ta help finish cleaning up from... messy? Yeah, ‘messy’ sessions. You um… turn around and it, sort of helps keep you from leaking afterwards…”

She looked at his face, which was most definitely redder than could be explained by just the shower, and back to the device, reassessing its height and where the nozzles would be pointed. “Ah, I see. Most ingenious.”

Luna turned around and positioned herself over the cleansing device. “So, I simply stand here and press the switch?”

“Uh-huh, though go slow, those things can be kind of po-”

Whatever else Wood was saying was lost to Luna as she slammed her hoof down on the pedal-switch, pressing it flat to the floor and unleashing the full force of the water directly at her most sensitive areas.

As a long time, though often overlooked and unobtrusive, patron of the arts, Luna had a fairly solid grasp of musical theory. She knew from the few times she’d been moved into joining in a Heartsong her own voice was a husky contralto. What she had not known till now was that under certain conditions she could hit and hold a near perfect ‘high C’.

The echoes of her impromptu performance were still bouncing around the bathroom, or perhaps it was just her ears ringing it was hard to tell, as Wood helped her out of the shower stall. She stepped gingerly, nearly on tip-hoof with her rear legs as she walked, her rump held high up in the air.

“Are ya sure yer okay?” The stallion’s voice was tinged with quite a bit of concern.

“Aye. ‘Twas most uncomfortable, but We have endured far worse.” She did her best to give her companion a reassuring smile while also seeing if her rear would consent to being lowered; it did so slowly. “However, I do believe that I may state with some certainty that We have been most effectively cleaned. Indeed, far cleaner than ever most likely.”

Wood chuckled and Luna felt his tension ease a bit. “If ya say so. Now how about we get you dried off,” he gestured with his head towards the drying stall in front of them, “then let me look ya over, make sure there ain’t anything wrong ya ain’t feeling?”

Luna nodded and took the clear offer for her to use it first. “That would be proper procedure, yes.” She checked the simple set of controls before very, very slowly, and very carefully depressing the activation pedal. She most certainly did not flinch nor utter any kind of undignified sound of surprise that the uncharitable might describe as a ‘squawk’ as the cubicle came to life with a rumbling hum and warm air washed over her from every angle.

It only took a few minutes for her to get suitably dried out and vacate the booth to allow Wood his turn; the stallion taking noticeably less time to dry before vacating the dryer, moving to collect his mask from its shelf and nodding towards the door. “Need any help still, or just wanna follow me ta one of the bedrooms?”

“I believe I can walk adequately well now thanks to your wonderful care. Please, lead on.”

Taking her place behind him, she followed him back out into the run down hallway, taking the time to actually look around this time. The building did indeed look like somepony would picture such a thing after years of neglect and abuse. Holes dotted the walls, cracks ran over everything, dark spots in the corners hinted of growing colonies of mold. The ponies who designed this had done a remarkable job to instill such a sense of disrepair without compromising any of the actual structural integrity.

“This one looks empty.” Luna turned from her examination of the decor as Wood pushed open a warped looking door. A familiar and wholly out of place scent hitting her as he did so.

Wood paused halfway through the door with a puzzled ‘huh’. Luna leaned around him to look inside, entirely unsurprised at seeing a very familiar tea set sitting on a table in the middle of the room, steam rising from the already filled cups.

She half sighed, half chuckled as she bumped Wood’s rear with her own. “Go on, we do not want to let the tea get cold.”

Wood looked back at her then at the tea set again before shaking his head and stepping into the room; Luna quickly followed after and closed the door behind her. She reached out with her magic, taking both full cups and carefully levitating them over, holding one in front of her muzzle while keeping the other hovering within hoof’s reach of Wood till he took it.

The stallion sighed and shook his head again before leaning over the cup sitting on his hoof and giving it a careful sniff. “Given all tha stories, ah know ah really shouldn’t be surprised at this, and yet…”

Luna sipped her tea, one of her favorite lavender blends, while giving him time to process things as she moved over to the room's bed, a broken down looking collection of metal bars and springs with a single mattress perched in the center, and settled herself. While hardly what one might call ‘luxurious’ the mattress proved to be far more comfortable then it looked.

As the springs squealed from her shifting weight, Wood looked up from the tea cup. “Sorry, guess ah got a bit distracted.” He moved to the other side of the bed and settled his cup on the nearby nightstand. “You alright with me looking you over a bit? Make sure there’s no sores or cuts or anything hiding somewhere?”

She nodded, taking one more mouthful of tea before setting her cup down next to his. “Aye, as said, ‘tis expected, though I do feel much better already.”

Wood smiled at her, but made no move to lean closer. “Well, it’s also kinda important ta check these things. You ah…” His cheeks flushed just a bit and Luna saw his leg twitch up a fraction of an inch, as if he caught himself before rubbing his head. “You mind taken off yer gear? Just so I can make sure there’s no bruises or anything under them.”

“Oh… right!” She felt her a small bit of heat working its way up her own face at forgetting this. She lifted a hoof and looked over the cuff still strapped onto it, having all but forgotten they were even there. “Just a moment.” She quickly unlatched each of them and set them aside before undoing her collar to add to the pile.

“There we go.” She rolled onto her back and gave him a playful smirk, “All yours.”

Wood gave her a quick look that reminded Luna of a nervous school colt before he slid further onto the bed, his large, solid form looming over her. He took one of her forelegs between his hooves. While her ‘Fading Crescent’ disguise was smaller than her true form it was hardly what one would call ‘scrawny’ or any other such term, and yet her limb looked like a brittle twig between his hooves. Despite that, they moved with amazing care and gentleness as he slid along her leg, probing for unseen injuries.

Luna watched him work for a time; as he shifted to her other foreleg her gaze drifted up to his face. His eyes were focused on his task while a small, contented looking smile rested on his muzzle. Her own eyes traveled down his body; down his bowed neck, his brown and green mane still slightly damp and clinging to it; across his broad, light brown shoulders, the muscle rippling as he moved; quickly slipping along his chest; and then focusing on the shadowed area below him, which sadly remained shadowed, his position on the bed blocking her view of what she’d been hoping to find.

“You okay?” The sudden question caused her to look back up and blink in confusion, “You look, kind of disappointed.”

Had she? Yes, Luna realized she had in fact started to pout. She quickly forced the expression away and shook her head. “Sorry, I apologize. ‘Twas but a passing thought, nothing wrong with your care at all. Quite the contrary.”

The stallion looked clearly relieved and let out a small sigh. “Alright, just tell me if there is anything wrong, alright?” She nodded her agreement as he got back to work, his inspection moving to her chest and then down along her body. By the time he reached them her hind legs were spread quite a bit further apart than would be needed, though Wood seemed to take no notice, moving along to inspect the spread limbs without the slightest pause.

Part of her wanted to start pouting again, but she quickly pushed that aside. Besides, the clear care and attention he was paying to her was rather satisfying in its own way, and she probably should let him finish his inspection before anything else.

He finished her last leg and leaned back from her. “Okay, it’s looking good. Bit of redness along yer belly from getting rocked on that bench for so long, but ah wouldn’t even call it chafing, let alone somethin’ serious, likely be gone by tomorrow. Can ya roll over and let me check your back?”

Luna complied with the request, turning her head to watch him as he worked. She watched in silence as he finished up. Only once his hooves had gotten close to her rump did she speak up. “Thank you, again, your care has been most exceptional.” She grinned at the blush that started to spread over his muzzle. “We are feeling much recovered.” She shifted her rear legs, moving her rump a bit higher off the mattress and ‘coincidentally’ shifting just enough so his hooves slid a bit further down. “How about you,” She paused, quickly tried to come up with an appropriately seductive and yet playful modern bit of vernacular to use, started to panic as the pause began to draw out long enough to be awkward, thought on what her niece would do in this situation, forced aside the image of Mi Amore laughing at the position her aunt had gotten herself into, realized his hooves had moved off her rump, mentally facehoofed at herself, gave up on getting the ‘perfect’ term and tried to come up with anything at all to say, debated not saying anything else at all, and finally had her mouth reject that option and go with the first term that Luna had ignored at the very start as being far too cliched and trying to find something better led to this entire chain, “stud?”

The room filled with a long, awkward silence. Wood sat near the edge of the bed, his forehooves nervously tapping on the mattress while he looked away from Luna. Luna kept her rump in the air a bit longer before finally lowering it and sitting up. She lifted a foreleg towards the stallion, her mouth opening then closing as she lowered her leg back down. She closed her eyes, focused on the calming exercises Mi Amore and Starsong had taught her, pushed aside her mind’s attempts to go back through the last few moments and find where she had screwed up, and forced herself to focus on what to do now.

“We… I… I apologize, if I was out of line just now. I am not very good at… would that count as ‘flirting’?” She forced her ears to perk up and to give her best attempt at a cheerful smile as she spoke.

Wood sighed and shook his head before turning to look at her, what Luna could only describe as a ‘pensive’ expression on his face. “No, no… Ah mean yeah, ah guess that counts as flirting but, this wasn’t you. Ah’m just, not in the mood right now.” He gave her a smile that looked just as forced as Luna was sure her own did.

Luna shifted closer to him and placed a hoof lightly on his shoulder. “Is there anything you would like to talk about?”

He shook his head again and took a deep breath before replying. “Nah. Ah’m glad you’re feelin' better but don’t let me ruin yer night. If yer good, head on back and have yerself some fun, ah’ll be fine. It’s nothin new, just...” He trailed off and gave her another forced smile. “Ah’m fine.”

“No, clearly you are not.” Luna moved till she was sitting shoulder to shoulder with him, regretting her current lack of a wing to wrap around his back. “The end of the last hour may be a bit hazy, but I do clearly recall how you looked when you and Gregor came over. ‘Twas not just due to your skill that he sent you over here with me, was it?”

As Wood let out a sigh, Luna could feel his shoulder slump. “No. But it’s nothin’ you need ta worry about. Ah just need a bit of time, and helping ya out has already got me feelin’ better.”

He sounded quite sure, almost as if… Luna’s ears peaked up as things clicked into place for her. “‘Tis not the first time thou has suffered such a melancholy.” He shook his head, even though her remark had not been meant as a question. “Thou wert fine when I saw you depart. Something happened during your hunt that caused this malady? Something that has happened before?”

He nodded again before shaking his head and pulling slightly away from her. “Yeah, but, again this isn’t somethin’ ya need ta-” His words were cut off as Luna put a hoof to his lips, her other foreleg reaching around to pull him back to her.

“Neigh, thou has helped me greatly and thy care has been extraordinary. Fain would I return the favor, even ‘twere it not mine duty. Even if all that I might do is listen to thy worries.”

His hoof reached up to remove hers from his muzzle and he took a long, slow breath. “Ya ain’t goin’ ta give this up till ah talk, are ya?” She shook her head quite emphatically. “It... it really ain’t nothin’ new and… and ah mean…” He took another deep breath and closed his eyes. “It just, feels weird ta complain about something most other stallions would brag about.”

Luna felt more pieces of the puzzle click into place, her eyes darted down under Wood, his rather generous package still mostly shadowed but not hidden. As she looked back up she met his gaze and he nodded, looking equally ashamed and embarrassed. “Ah, I take it something happened while you were out ‘hunting’?”

He nodded and looked away from her. “Yeah. But like ah said, ‘tain’t nothin ah haven’t dealt with before. Normally ah don’t mind if some mare clockfaces cause she can’t take well…” His hoof gestured vaguely downward. “Ah get it, ah do, ain’t their fault. But, every now and then it just…” He trailed off with a shrug.

“It hurts, to be reminded you are different, to be denied that which others take for granted because of who you are.” Luna leaned in closer to him, one hoof calmly running down his short mane.

Wood looked over at her, a confused mix of emotions on his face before a genuine, if slightly sad, smile spread across his muzzle. “Yeah, somethin’ like that.”

Luna took the tea kettle in her magic, pouring him a fresh, still warm cup and levitating it over. “Here, it really is quite a good blend to help soothe the nerves.” She waited till he had accepted the fresh cup and began to sip it before floating over his mask. It was solid red with only a few orange colored trees embossed on it for decoration.

“I know one is not supposed to make judgment or assumptions about another’s preferences within the Society, and please do not take this as such, but I must say, if not for our previous encounter I would have believed gold to suit you better.”

He gave her a noncommittal shrug as he kept his focus on the teacup. “Maybe… ah mean, don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy this Borderlands play, ‘specially with the boss around, he always makes sure things don’t get out of hoof… or I guess claw? Really makes sure everypony is taken care of right. It’s just… well, at least out here, mares are looking for a bit of a rough time.”

Luna nodded encouragingly while refilling her own teacup and letting Wood continue. “It’s not that ah only like being rough or anything but well…” He trailed off, taking a sip of his tea before continuing. “It’s just, hard ta not be with,” his free hoof gestured downward.

The image of the stallion gratefully embracing and thanking the disguised Mi Amore for her work as a Den Mother flashed through Luna’s head, ‘Tis not likely he has not tried and things did not go well at some point. She tried running through her knowledge of the various guilds and establishments she knew of within the Society, trying to find one that might be able to provide what he seemed to desire.

“Ah mean, ah know there’s mares out there that are really into that sort of thing.” He set his now empty cup down and closed his eyes. “But, well, ah nevermind.”

A second empty cup joined his as Luna leaned over, one hoof lightly turning Wood’s face to meet hers, hoping her expression showed her interest and concern properly. “Please, continue your thought, there are mares specifically looking for well endowed paramours but?”

He held her gaze a few more seconds before blushing and looking away. “But well, it’s just that… and now ah ain’t saying they’re all like this, ya hear… but the ones ah have met it’s, it’s hard ta explain ah guess but, when ah was with them it felt like they didn’t really care much about anything beyond well,” Another quick hoof gesture downwards.

“Ah, I see,” she leaned closer, wrapping her leg around his shoulders in a half hug, or at least as close to one as she could manage with him. “You felt as if what mattered was not yourself, but simply the service you provided, what they could gain through you? That they saw you not as a pony, but a pr-a product.” Luna mentally scolded herself for the near slip.

It was hard to tell in the dim lighting but she thought she saw Wood’s cheeks blush a bit deeper as he nodded. “Yeah, something like that. You… yeah you would…” He shook his head and looked back at her, a genuine looking smile on his muzzle. “I mean, thank you, for understanding. Ah know it’s not fair, and ah know there’s likely plenty that won’t and, maybe it’s just all in my head but-”

“But that does not make it feel any better nor invalidate the pain it causes.” She leaned up and kissed his forehead while grabbing her collar in her magic and floating it over. “Aye, ‘tis something I have come to understand all too well as of late. You wish for closeness, for intimacy, not just physical entertainment.”

“Well, ah ain’t saying that part can’t be fun too sometimes.”

“True, but you struggle finding a partner who is both interested in such a gentle, intimate session, and would not be scared off or hampered by… shall we say certain physical limits. Would that be fair to say?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Ah wouldn’t say it that fancily but, yeah ah guess that sounds about right.” Luna held up her collar, one hoof tracing along the golden colored band that encircled it. It took a few seconds before she saw things click into place and understanding spread over his face. “Oh, well, ah mean… you… you really don’t have ta, plus well, you're here for something’ else…”

She put the collar down and placed a hoof over his mouth again. “Shhh, I am not suggesting we do anything immediately, I merely wished to point out that I am not adverse to such a liaison, and that I have already quite suitably demonstrated my ability to, I believe ‘Handle the beast’ is the appropriate euphemism.”

She started to pull her hoof away and stopped with it still hanging in front of his muzzle. “Furthermore, let me state clearly that this is not something I am saying out of pity or a sense of obligation. I have genuinely enjoyed my time with you so far and am sincere in being open for more.”

This time the blush was unmistakable as he visibly struggled to find the proper response, finally hanging his head with a sigh. “Thank you, for tha offer and, well, it’s mighty tempting. Can’t say ah ain’t interested. Probably will take ya up on it just, well not right now. Ah’m feeling better and you’ve more than helped already. Ah really don’t want to take up more of your night.”

“I understand, and by all means take your time.” She looked around the room, hoping to find, ah there it is. She pulled a box off a nearby shelf and brought it over with her magic. “Perhaps later tonight, it would not do for a slave such as I to gainsy one of my masters if he wished for me to attend him. If not, then some other time.”

“Alright, and again, thanks. So, you ready ta get back ta your fun?” He looked up and gave her a grateful smile, his eye darting curiously to the box as she set it down on the bed.

“Yes, though it would be most unseemly for a slave to return unkempt. I should look my best, if for no reason other than to give my masters the added joy of making a mess of me again.” She opened the box of mane and coat care tools. “If it is not an imposition.”

Wood’s grin widened and he slipped one of the coat brushes onto his hoof. “Not at all. Why don’t you just lay down and let me take care of that.”

She did so, stretching out and sighing deeply as he began his work.

Author's Note

So sorry for how long this took, mixture of 2020 and just general issues, but I'm back on track and more chapters are ready to come very soon. A little interlude with Luna and Wood as she recovers from her introduction to the crew, hope you all like it, and more sexy fun times are on deck for the next chapters.