"Little colt. Little colt. Tell me, why you seek me so vigorously? Don't you know who I am?"
The silence ended once I resumed my deliberate trot through the ruined corridor.
I knew I needed to be silent, but had decided to risk a little noise if it meant luring her to me. The castle Itself wasn't very large when compared to Canterlot, but made up tenfold when it came to hidden rooms, making the whole ruin nothing short of a confusing mess for the unprepared. Namely me.
By now I've visited these ruins enough to navigate them without getting lost, but with each visit I continue to realize just how little I know about the old castle.
The more you study, the more you learn about a particular topic or in my case subject, and she was worth every effort. But to discover these secrets meant I had to expose myself to the whims of the hunt; to lose myself and become the predator at the cost of what I am, or become the object being sought. Rarely did I ever find the time for much physical activity besides the occasional run with my older brother, but these past several months had mentored me in the importance of proper physical exercise.
I didn't struggle to breathe nearly as much from the constant trot, much less from the running when required leaving myself proud of this little achievement.
I stopped as my ears picked up the sound of metal being scuffed against stone, but because of the vast empty space of this old castle I couldn't pinpoint it. But, given the knowledge of my previous encounters with her, I could guess she was one or two halls behind me. I learned early on there wasn't a rush to find me, and much as a predator would do, just let the prey wear themselves out.
I was doing all of the work for her, so why put in any more effort than was needed?
Ruffling my wings not only readjusted them to a more comfortable position, but it allowed me to expel some of this building energy within me. I knew the game she played, but it didn't make the experience any more calming; the excitement, and fear were all very present as I reached the end and made my left turn, nothing could quell the sensation of being hunted.
It was this understanding that pushed me to be more pronounced in my movement instead of trying to dampen the noise. It was meant to draw her closer, and while a terrible idea most of the time, it did allow me a sense of relief knowing she was likely following behind instead of lurking ahead of me. This wasn't a given fact as Nightmare Moon is a wise pony, and there is no guarantee she would even follow my hoofsteps knowing it would be a trap.
Instead, I'd wager she would be using my hoofsteps to predicate my intended path using her superior knowledge of the old castle.
"Plans within plans." I huffed at the thought, but knew it was likely true. I would have done the same if I were hunting the alicorn.
The hallway looked much like all the others save for its location near the easternmost wing of the old castle marking it of some importance since it housed the Two Sister's personal Library, and the remains of their old battle standards desperately clinging to their old hooks. On a better day than this terrifying night, I might have taken a quick peek through its shelves..to make sure the spells on the books were still in place of course. Tonight I was on a mission to Nightmare Moon, and unfortunately had to postpone my personal desires until the threat to Equestria could be dealt with.
I dropped to the floor to make my outline less visible in the dark hall as I swore a sharp scoff of rock scraping the ground came roughly 40 pony strides away. The moon seemed purposely stationed high in the sky to cast back the shadows of the night, exposing what didn't belong out in the cold, but this meant the shadows had been forced into the very castle. I don't know how she didn't it, but these shadows weren't ordinary for I heard her whisperings with every step I took, and only when I found that rare moonlight did they stop.
"She's playing with me. I thought of only the sound of my heart beating against the stone floor, and it was this sound that made me realize something very important. "...a geas."
I'd barely whispered my revelation when the faint whispers clinging to my ears fell silent.
She was fast. My magic barely sparked to life and casted teleport when her silted eyes came rushing forth! In that flash of magic I saw her glistening fangs as her mouth opened up before being taken and forcibly dumped into the middle of the old throne room, just off the side of Luna's old seat.
"Crimety! That was a piece of marble I landed on." Given the state of the castle it could have been much worse for my body, but my back in the meantime would suffer.
Rolling onto my hooves, I quickly began casting mild spells meant to saturate the area with my aura then to serve any actual combative purpose. Sure, I may have been telling Nightmare Moon where I was, but if she didn't already sense the magic from my teleport already, then it was a pure fluke we beat the alicorn the first time.
My plan was cut short when a literal dark shadow fell upon the throne room with an intensity that left me breathless; the visual difference was instant, and would compare to somepony blowing out a candle or turning the light off, forcing me to rely on my hearing once again.
I heard nothing like before...
Clip
Thump
"She's here." I thought while straining my ears trying to pinpoint where that sound was coming from, but every noise made reverberated across the room. "It must be a spell.
For a Queen of the night, I wouldn't put it past her to have discovered a way to use the very shadows for some alternative purpose than to blind a pony. I considered testing this hypothesis by lobbing a small pebble to see if the sound would be carried much like it did with The Nightmare, but thought better when I heard her snarl. Its throaty pitch did echo around me further disrupting my ability to pinpoint where she was as her warning came from the left, and then from the right.
Still I did not move from my spot behind Luna's throne because I knew her vocal aggression was another attempt to flush me from hiding, else she would have already pushed the attack. Yet, I was unwilling to completely rule out that she already knew my position, and had been developing a plan of attack when the noise ceased.
"FOUND YOU..."
I'd just managed to drop to the stone floor and roll toward the wall when Nightmare's massive form landed where I'd been, cracking and breaking the stone base of the throne with nothing but the force behind her hooves. I caught and corrected myself, rolling onto my hooves and casting a low level light spell; my wings were spread, ready to take flight should the need rise, but as suddenly she appeared The Nightmare had vanished.
"She's playing with me."
I'd never liked the dark with good reason as a young colt, my brother would use it to scare me at random times during the night, forcing me to either stay in my room or bring a candle. With Princess Luna's return, most of my fear had dissipated as Celestia 'encouraged' her to spend time in Ponyville for a couple of months, but our interactions were awkward a solid 65% of the time. We never really bonded besides our discussions of the moon, night, and of her life in the past, but I wasn't blind to Luna's growing affection toward me as some ponies might believe. She still visits my dreams once a week, and I'm thankful she hadn't learned The Nightmare still lived else it would only cause even more problems.
Turning to my left, I focused the light spell into an orb before launching it into the mass of shadow amassing there, and using the opportunity to make an escape to the right. My reward was hearing her cry before hearing the sharp intake of breath noting her premiant use of the Royal Voice...
"INSOLENT WHELP! WE ARE THE NIGHT, AND YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A CRAVEN SKITTERING AMONG THE FLOOR WITH THE OTHER RODENTS!"
Of course, I responded with my own taunt.
"IT TAKES A RODENT TO KNOW ONE!" Taunting was never my strong suit, but it served well enough on the playgrounds, and occasional scuffle with Applejack when he had a chip on his shoulder.
My reward for the lite taunting was a deep snarl to announce the deadly beam of magic she fired my way. I rolled out of the way, but cried in shock as the heat of the magical spell flew too close for comfort. She was fast. I'd barely gotten back on my hooves when I heard her iron shoes galloping toward me, and my training with Shining Armor came into effect as I summoned one of his most basic shields meant to deflect physical mass. Instead of avoiding the shield, or attacking it with another spell as I had assumed The Nightmare would, she decided to collide with the shield with enough force to send me on my flanks. I forced more power into the shield as she used her forelegs to stomp the weakening shield into submission.
"What's wrong little colt? Are you already feeling the strain of your misgivings?" She cackled while pounding on the shield once more. I didn't respond to her taunting as the power behind her physical attacks were forcing me to pump more mana into the shield, yet at the current rate I will exhaust myself before she tires out.
"You try holding off a pony that's 3x your weight, and see how out of breath you'll be."
I managed to smile as she bore her fangs at me, but soon felt her wrath as her iron shoes glistened in her blue aura as she reared up high...
Not wanting to find out how much power she had, I teleported just as Nightmare brought her full might down onto the now vacant spot, and the impact of that force dug a crater big enough for an alicorn to sleep in. The teleport only dropped me on the other side of Celestia's old throne, but it was enough to provide the distance while not wasting too much of my precious magic.
"YOU LITTLE..." I interrupted her with a mild concussion blast meant to unbalance the mare, but the light from the spell alerted her to my plan. "...LITTLE BRITTLE HORN UNICORN! YOU BELIEVE YOURSELF BETTER THAN A MUD PONY? HA! YOU ARE ONLY HALF AS USEFUL."
"Celestia, that hurt."
The spell didn't even make it half way before fizzling out from a counter spell, and once more I was dominated by the darkness of the shadows. In any other circumstance, I would have found her control over the Umbra shadows worthy enough to interview the self proclaimed alicorn queen for the minute chance I could discover her secrets. That methodical ship had sailed the moment The Nightmare started hunting me.
The one advantage I'd going for me was Nightmare Moon deciding to 'play' with me instead of seeing me as a threat, and therefore could retain the element of surprise for another 5 minutes before she finally went in for the kill.
I decided to make my escape by bolting toward the location I'd assume was the entrance of the Throne Room, deliberately creating as much noise as I could that didn't involve me shouting. The idea was to further enrage The Nightmare further in the hopes she would become blinded by her anger, thus buying myself some precious few seconds...
"BUCK!"
Nightmare Moon materialized from the shadows in front of me with her horn wrapped in inky tendrils of the very shadows. She cackled madly as her lowered horn nearly pierced my face forcing me to duck my head to the left to avoid being impaled, but it was partially what I wanted the alicorn to do. As I ducked, it put me just under her barrel, and into position to offset her-literally.
I couldn't see her reaction, but I did take satisfaction listening to her assured gloating morph into shock as I unfolded my wings, forcing her to lift her legs to avoid getting tangled up. It was risky, but "Fortune favors the bold." or so I read once in Daring Do: Uncharted Destination.
With my wings unfolded, and in her way I did the second dumbest thing a pony could do when fighting an alicorn god...
"Going up!" I cried, remembering how heroes always said something along those lines when fighting their nemesis or stuck in some sort of predicament.
Now, it wasn't exactly how I envisioned it, but the end result was nearly the same. I heard Nightmare squawk as I lifted her enough to bring her hooves off the ground, and capitalized on the initiative tapped into my earth pony strength to heave the alicorn some 60 hooves away. Her grasp over the shadows weakened, either from the surprise of my attack or her aura finally being drained, but the shadows lost their deep shade to saturate the old throne room with moonlight from outside. Our confrontation had indeed left the historic castle in a worse state than before, and my heart went out to the Princesses for needless destruction of their former home, but this fight was important for multiple reasons beyond the immediate ramifications.
This was a fight for survival.
With the moon's glow starting to fight its way through the shadows, I could begin making out the room just enough to see the damage, and the alicorn I'd just thrown. I'm ashamed to admit I hesitated after seeing this once great alicorn looking less like a pony worthy of power, and prestige, and more of creature that deserved pity; I did nothing but watch as she picked herself off the stone floor while madly flapping her wings to beat the dust off her coat, but all it did was to kick up what loose particles of dirt, and stone that'd accumulated in this castle over a millennium. It only further enraged the alicorn as it formed a cloud around her thick enough to distort her outline, but her frantic coughing, and wing flaps only made my perception of the alicorn worse enough to consider the possibility of trying to help her.
The fighting itself left me tired, but finding the courage to address The Nightmare left me weak in the knees more than anything else I could recall in recent years. More than my ascension, or having to fight Lady Teri.
"Nighty?"
"YOU DID THAT..." She cut off as another violent coughing fit sent her stumbling out of the cloud and into open moonlight where her ashen body was on full display. Nightmare Moon didn't seem too happy, but I barely managed to stifle a laugh seeing the mare that had hunted me through this old castle looking so foolish.
"I can assure you it wasn't how I'd imagined it would work..." I carefully trotted over to her as the coughing subsided enough to allow the alicorn a chance to breathe. "...but here, let me help."
Before she could protest my assistance, my horn was already casting the spell that had saved my flank numerous times when one of my overzealous experiments got too wild for my tastes. It was a simple cleaning spell, modified to better meet my requirements, but effective enough in application to suggest free distribution for general mass adoption.
The light of my aura grew as the power was gathered at the tip of my horn and in the blink of an eye, it had leaped from me and onto the alicorn who raised her wings and took a step before succumbing to its effects.
"There you go Nighty." I was feeling good with myself for victories against her were scarce, and this one had kept the both of us on our hooves. For me, I found the whole matter exhilarating as a wonderful training experience to further sharpen our abilities in a moderately safe environment.
"I WOULD HAVE WON IF YOU HADN'T CHEATED WELP!" As for Nighty, she took our games a little too seriously, but from my own experiences had exposed a softer side the alicorn kept hidden for one reason or another. Her name calling was superficial. Another weapon she used to prop up this vengeful ponysona of the 'Chosen Night'.
Yet her anger was real, and I still approached with an extra layer of caution as her punches were very much real.
She seemed oblivious to my approach, but I knew this was farce for her ears were alert, and body was tense, wanting an excuse to strike me if I was stupid enough to provide one. To avoid that, I made the great effort to approach from the side near her head so she could see me as I took each step; her eyes were looking away trying to feign lack of awareness, yet when I stopped her ears rotated toward me breaking the image she was trying to project. It wasn't worth the effort to call Nighty out, and thus ignored it for my own peace of mind.
A pony could tell there's a height difference, but it became noticeable when standing next to the angry alicorn, further highlighting her muscular, pronounced figure sculpted from centuries of fighting, and magic aura being dripped into her very bodily system. But it was the height difference that really drilled the notion home of our vastly different power scales. Celestia and by extension Luna would be the only comparable creatures to match Nightmare Moon's power and ferocity, but centuries of inactive (peace, and banishment) had left them severely underpowered to match the dark alicorn's temper.
Equestria was lucky I knew how to cool that anger.
"I might have performed some... unorthodox tactics during our fight." I was just under her neck, listening to her growl in frustration. She always worked herself up for matters most ponies would find insignificant, or lacking enough value to stress over, yet Nightmare was different.
She would never admit to anypony, me included, but she thrived on these emotions. I have good guesses as to why she lives for these feelings, but none were conclusive enough to even broach the subject let alone do anything then to let the matter fall by the flanks. It was why I'm doing what I'm doing in the first place to see if I was right in my assumption all Nightmare Moon really needs is positivity derived from ponies that cared about her as a pony.
From ponies that might love her...
She was still growling when I buried my nuzzle into her neck, but the fangs were hidden now indicating my Nighty would allow me to continue. It's these little details why I've based my entire thesis explaining Nightmare Moon's often violent mood swings- just add love.
"Nighty..." I started by appealing to her curiosity by intentionally saying nothing else but her name, while rubbing myself into her neck for the added stimuli.
It worked.
I didn't have to step back and watch, for I felt her body begin letting go of that prior tension and animosity that never was directed at me. My guess is Nighty uses her memories to fuel the hatred she conjures up for our 'fights', using it as her own way to vent the negativity inflicting her body. Again, I can't stress the accuracy of these claims, but I can stand by how her entire demeanor has gradually shifted from the mare my friends and I had first fought nearly 4 years ago to the mare currently waiting for me to praise her; the shift is more align with Rainbow Dash's ponyality, where the anger and her boastful nature that were derived from pride have become more modest. Her pride is still there, but like everything else about Nighty, this has taken on another meaning altogether, as if her attitude is more of a part being played on stage by an actor, then that of a literal nightmare trying to end the world.
It was the pony playing the part I was trying to reach, and having spent the better part of a year participating in these secret 'fights' with The Nightmare, I developed a reasonable approach to finding this pony.
"You know I only learn from the best don't you?" Feeling bolden by my victory, I tried playfully nibbling along the length of her neck to provoke a favorable response.
As expected, Nighty's demeanor grew less agitated as I nibbled along her neck, even earning me the beginnings of a moan! What I'd expected was her right wing to suddenly shoot out, and smack me in the ribs before clamping down over my back to better drag me to her side until I was firmly pressed against her. I looked up and what greeted me was her fanged smile oozing with a delight that left my throat dry from the fear, and euphoria of what followed closely after.
"You've learned very well little colt. So well in fact, that anymore of that and I might have forgiven your transgressions..." She squeezed me further against her side as I felt the tips of her silk feathers trailing down the side of my ribcage. "...not fully of course, but enough to show my favorite follower how much he means to me."
I lost my ability to perform speech after that declaration as the statement and her actions confirmed what we both had wanted since our 'fight' earlier this afternoon- love. Everything leading up to this moment had been an act, mostly, as our whole fight was meant to perform two very important duties: training, and foreplay.
Nighty had been insistent that I needed to be trained if I were going to assume the title of 'Crown Prince Of Equestria', and her natural inclination toward violence made her the perfect teacher, or so she claimed. I agreed of course. Curiosity to learn more about this strange mare from another time, and partly out of selfishness to keep this mare's secrets all to myself as the Princesses would have willingly answered my questions without severe alterations to the truth.
The alicorn currently groping my privates with her wing knew I preferred the whole context to make decisions, and to some degree she'd been very forthcoming with that knowledge if my own research is to be believed. Even with our current arrangements, I wasn't completely overcome with lust for the alicron to toss out all suspicions this was an elaborate plan of some sort.
'I live in shadows to protect those in the light.' It was something that Luna told me during her time in Ponyville, and a statement that had resonated with me to this very moment.
My reasons are my own, but to declare they're purely for the good Equestria would be lying to myself...
"Your generosity is welco..! Wel..comed." I had to force myself not to elicit a moan as her silk feather tips kept rubbing along the length of my sheath. She knew how wonderful her feathers felt, and loved the power it gave her.
I looked up once more as Nightmare guided me to her favorite place in the castle, and even though she wasn't focused on me, her attention was only on me as she continued to rub her wing tip along my underside. It made walking awkward, but never had anything before made flying seem so mundane.
Our routine had been private for nearly an entire year since discovering the separated entity stalking these halls, and it wasn't her weakened state, or disheveled body riddled with dirt, ticks, and fleas that drew me to her. It was the way she looked at me with a fear I couldn't claim to have known, as it was derived from a desperation I'd never seen come from a pony before.
Reflecting over that encounter continues to elude me as I can't properly explain why I felt the way, or did what I did knowing who the mess of an alicorn was, and capable of...
Looking at Nighty to see the fire in her eyes, and the merriment outlining her repressed smile only confirmed the decision to reach out to the mare had been one of the best choices I'd ever made. Pinkie Pie's cupcakes really do brighten a pony's outlook on life, and it was why I always bring a dozen to every official meeting. For it was Pinkie's party centered belief that eventually won Nightmare Moon over to the idea of accepting my outreached hoof in the first place.
It's why I try to bring at least one of her baked treats with me with every visit, but this time had been an exception as her Pinkie Sense had been acting up- she claimed a friendship will change, but refused to elaborate any further.
Following the contours of our newly minted tradition of using battle as a precursor to our love making, I was led to Nighty's favorite wing of the castle, which belonged to Luna before her attempted coup.
That fact shouldn't have escaped my notice during our first several interactions, and even the lulls in our meetings only further deepened the mystery behind his mare who claims to be her own pony, yet has continually exhibited qualities that parallel Princess Luna. My efforts to bring this up in the past were met with severe hostility that eventually led to mild fallout where Nighty refused to accept me in 'her castle' until I could sufficiently appeal to her need for sentient communication, and desire for refreshments not from the tainted forest.
Looking back on this, those two months became pivotal in laying the foundation of our current understanding.
Celestia and Luna themselves have noticed enough change in my mannerisms, and overall physical attributes to bring up the matter numerous times during our annual tea times, or lessons in rulership. My efforts to simply downplay the changes have mostly worked, but Celestia in all her wisdom knows this isn't the whole truth while Luna seems more alert to my recent changes; certain alterations in my sleep schedule has so far managed to elude her, but it remains unknown how long this will last as the mental scarring from her time on the moon as well as the increasing displays of interest in myself might drive her to an extreme.
"Here we are my little prince." Nightmare cooed the state as I watched the dead end fizzle in and out of existence before disappearing, simmering out completely to expose a passage I never recalled being there.
"That is certainly new Nighty! When, and how were you able to expand without the necessary materials?" I tried wandering forward, but her wing clamped down harder in order to keep me pinned next to her. My displeasure was made known as I scraped the stone floor with my right forehoof, but the act only amused her.
"My little prince might not be so little after all if he's willing to bite..." Nighty punctuated this by tilting her head down toward me so her fang tips were exposed just enough to remind me they existed. "...but he might get bitten back if he isn't careful."
Our walk remained much the same after that as she continued leading me down her hidden chamber that excreted an odor entirely composed of every rotten and/or foul scent excluding decomposition.
"This place reeks with a foulness of an unspeakable design." The air quality was terrible and made casual breathing harder for the simple fact you had to fight the natural urge not to get sick.
Nighty seemed oblivious to my plight, but nearly a year of our ritual had exposed me to sides of the alicorn I never considered plausible; From the slight angle her right ear titled when stressed, or how her walk would shift in stride to reflect her current mood. It's these little facets of a pony's collective consciousness that their partner begins noticing the longer and more frequent they spend together, and it was from this gathered experience I understood this meant something to her.
Our stride had fallen in speed, yet each step seemed more purposeful than our earlier trot through the castle, reminding me more of those plays where the hero returns to a place after a length of time. It's what I had assumed to be the correct answer as her head would linger on certain spots of the stairway leading us further down into the castle than previously known.
"Did you seal this place off on purpose?" an innocent question with an answer I might already know, yet it was meant to break whatever was taking hold of Nighty.
There was no immediate response, but her ears had already given her intentions away as her horn dimmed to be replaced by a set of magic candles. I almost laughed when we reached the bottom of the stairs, and saw the cliché single stone hallway that led to a wooden door as I recalled several Daring Do books that had used this very hallway. I never did laugh even if I found the irony funny, but now I was questioning if some of the locations in the books might be based on actual places instead of pure fantasy?
Nightmare Moon relinquished her grip over my underside by this time, and that shook me from my thoughts as it signaled her shift in mood, and desire to speak.
"We did. You are not the first pony besides us to learn of this secret, but you are the first to do so without the usual requirements."
"What kind of requirements? Pledges to the Moon?" It wasn't meant to be condescending in any way, and thankfully the alicorn understood. She wasn't even angry, but appeared more inviting under this strange candle light as if she were eager to share her tale.
"Something like that young prince." I didn't hide my surprise at calling me 'young prince' instead of 'little colt'. "Mostly ponies from our Night Guard were ever shown this place, but there were a very few select ponies over the centuries, but that number steadily decreased leading up to my departure. I was a lonely mare on more accounts than physical, and it was that desire to overcome not only myself, but Celestia, I constructed this room in secret with the purpose to do both. A chamber where I rewarded my followers, and in turn they repaid that kindness not to a princess, but a simple pony looking for their love."
There were a great deal of words I could have said to better express my feelings properly, and it is not with malicious intent that I condone my friends' behaviors for who they are, but Rainbow Dash is a bad influence on us all.
"You built a sex dungeon?"
Now, I will repeat how my friends have become somewhat of a terrible influence on me, but the blame can't fully be placed on them for I myself allowed it to take root, and grow. Does this mean I wanted that question to be asked? No. Do her punches still hurt? Yes, they do.
Needless to say, I learned a valuable lesson on thinking before you speak.
"I know who you once were, but do you know who you are? Perhaps we can discover this answer together?"
I kept my mouth shut after that as she finally lead me through the mysterious door that wasn't a sex dungeon as she claimed, but a communal room for her and her followers. Until I could actually see the room, I didn't press the issue as my sides still hurt from her displeasure, but now my training excuses will hold more credibility back in Canterlot.
Luna was more critical of my 'outings', and while never directly pressing to learn more of them, there were at least three distinct moments I swore she'd tried following me- from a distance of course. I'm not sure if she really did try, but the circumstances were odd enough, and she was the only pony that could pull it off which left me paranoid for a couple months during the transition into Fall. I did eventually inform Nighty of this strange, but valid concern one night, and I shouldn't have been too surprised by her response.
"Let that whorse of a pony arrive then! We shall show that mare once again how her weakness persists!
I found that declaration more amusing than anything even if she was sincere, and for that was a little flattered as well. Still, I suggested we not talk about the Princesses that way if at all possible, and after exchanging some words (thankfully that was all) she relented her claim, but still held her position on Luna's actions.
"We derive from a time of absolute rule dear Dusk Shine, of a belief the word of a princess is truth. Your own actions, and tellings of the princess suggest this is no longer true for you, but my sisters will remember it. There is no doubt they will remember. For it is they themselves who wielded this power in the open as a reminder to the populace and nobles which pony was the sovereign. Our memories are not our own, but will serve a great purpose: Luna was always a lonely mare as you now know for who else would build this 'love chamber' as your brash tongue loves to call. She once took a stallion in the presence of the court to demonstrate her power and dare any pony to act- none did of course, but..."
"I can't imagine such a display happening today, but I can only assume it had the opposite effect?" I asked, and Nighty nodded.
"Indeed. It only perpetually slandered our name further as a lust demon who would steal ponies while they slept."
It was of course with further context that the whole reason for her love chamber as I called it came into existence as the shadows really became a home for Luna/Nightmare to escape the hated glances and sharp words of a society that didn't want her.
"You are more quiet than before Dusk, maybe we were too aggressive with the physical discipline. We did not take kindly to thy words young prince for their possible implications."
"You were doing very well for a while, Nighty, but I will apologize. I meant nothing by them, but the way you described it mirrored our modern interpretation of what is considered more of the kinky side of love making."
"Kinky? We are unfamiliar with how a communal chamber is viewed with a stiff body, or why the association has to be hidden from the general populace?"
Nightmare asked as her horn flickered to life, and mimicking the hallway forced nearly three dozen candles to spark alight for the first time in ten centuries. Hanging high above the chamber was an old chandelier made of stained glass in the shape of Luna's cutie mark with the remaining candles buried into their own dugouts, and from here they projected their dim light into the chamber. Yet none of this was enough to fully illuminate the entirety of the chamber for anything practical like reading, but it was enough for a pony to sufficiently see the ground and the few objects such as old pillows that had faded with age. All of this was enough for the alicorn to see without causing any discomfort.
I watched as she began exploring the chamber, and noted how her ears were erected, as her movement was stiff- agitation carried her limbs as she prodded a pillow, huffing as it disintegrated.
"There is another meaning associated with the word when you add the letter Y to it. It shifts the meaning from a conversation of stiff joints to seeking pleasure in unusual ways." She stopped to turn her head.
"Unusual how?"
Before my relationship with Nightmare Moon, the idea of casually talking about private affairs was enough to make me clam up, or withdraw much like Fluttershy did when I first met her. Presently, I found it less intimidating as my experience in the matter has grown, and to my surprise have had to teach Nighty some things as they simply didn't practice the acts during her time.
"A good comparison would be when you or myself would derive pleasure from licking each other..."
"NOT SO LOUD!" Honest to Celestia, I blinked in surprise as her agitation morphed into embarrassment as her ears pinned themselves to her neck, and feathers seemed more fluffed.
"That is one example." I continued with my explanation. " Oral pleasure is viewed with more acceptance in pony culture, but is still regarded as inappropriate to discuss."
"We would certainly agree! For the more you teach us of current Equestria, the more we conclude sister is a deviant." Nighty may not have caught it, but I've been noticing her casual use of the words sister/s over the course of the past few weeks.
"But that hasn't stopped us from enjoying it? You even admitted to performing Oral before your confrontation with Celestia." I didn't wait for an answer as her body posture told me everything I needed to know. "That is considered more modest if you will believe it, as the act itself can be viewed as an extension of traditional mating. We haven't even broached the more risque acts."
"Dusk Shine..." She huffed my name out as she collected her composure. "...you surprise me with each meeting. Perhaps I have grown older to not have seen it from our first meeting those years ago when you were a little colt trying to act brave."
"Act brave? I was brave." My statement earned a deep laughter from the mare as she stalked toward me, and I didn't need a written letter to recognize her intentions, for it was the precursor to the more pleasurable entanglements. Not saying I don't enjoy our sparring matches, but these sessions often meant less soreness...
Well that depended on a great many factors.
"Foolish I would say, but you have grown enough to catch our thoughts." Her eyes were reflecting the dimming candle light in an unnatural, clinging way to create this mass of shadows being led by the two snake-like eyes. "If you were born a few centuries earlier, we might have claimed you for ourselves, and not that game Celestia loved playing with the common folk. Did you know dear Dusk she would lead a pony on just to play coy with them? Oh yes, she did. Celestia doesn't know it, but Luna, and by extent We know of her favorite interest..."
By now she had covered half of the chamber, and this only further amplified the size difference between us. I took a step back unintentionally, and this only encouraged the lustful mare stomping toward me.
"What kind of interests?" I asked hoping to distract her as I abandoned my bravado to retreat toward the door. I could see the candle light glistening off her fangs as her smile widened with glee.
"Oh Dusk! If only you knew what we did, but fret not for you will! We are brash to call Luna a whorse as We meant the insult to prick her only, but Celestia..." I didn't even realize Nighty had closed the distance to be breathing down on me."... she would disguise herself and slip out under the cover of night. It is only in our realm did the piteous alicorn devour stallions and mares alike with a hunger enough to make us blush. It is our home. Our comfort, but Celestia loses herself in it!"
It was at that moment Nightmare struck and barely offered any resistance as she dragged me toward her grinning eyes, and before I knew it, she had picked me up and slammed me on my back. Thankfully my wings were already flared out, so I skirted any real damage save for shock of impact and wind being expelled from my lungs. I only had a single second to process this before I felt her weight upon me, where she practically bit my lips trying to steal a kiss before using her brute strength to push me along the floor to better position herself for what was about to come next...
I laid still as Nighty's muzzle pressed firmly against my sheath with enough force to elicit a sharp inhale of breath from me. She loved doing that, pressing her chilling nostrils just under the sheath where it connected to the scrotum, and deliberately inhaling loudly so I may hear as well as feel the intake of air.
This fascination had always confused me, and every attempt to learn of its place in our lovemaking was met with stern refusal to talk, or in rare circumstances, she might bare her fangs long enough until I dropped the question. All of that wonder and mystery was answered when she revealed more of her past, and this formerly hidden chamber tonight, yet all it did was further open our relationship to the whims of more questions and answers.
Until a designated time can be agreed upon, I will not bother her needless talk. This was Nighty's ritual, and having spent enough time reading and experiencing it in practice, I've learned it was best to allow her the time uninterrupted.
The cooling floor and Nighty's warm breath melding together in a strange pleasure that covered me like a warm blanket on a cold night. It never took long for my own breathing to slow down, and I used this natural response to focus on the attention I was receiving. Because she was beginning to make her move, and I was eagerly awaiting for it.
Nighty's muzzle moved down the raphe of my scrotum in a way it forced each of my testes to their own pouch, giving herself free access to each one. She always focused on the left teste first, where she would leave a single kiss before rediscovering my right testis, and place another kiss as well; This process usually repeated on average one minute total, with the longest having lasted (by my calculations) eight minutes before...
I almost kicked her on reflex! I caught myself and my right leg just as the dominating alicorn I called my lover opened her mouth to allow the tips of her fangs to caress the skin of my scrotum. Use of the fangs were very rare amongst our numerous sessions, and even then the act was nothing more than a tool to further enhance the sensations of passion between us.
This time was different, and I could tell by the prolonged nature of her movements this was meant to be more.
Nighty had crawled forward so her forelegs were resting on top of my rear legs to pin them flat against the stone floor. This new position gave her greater access to my body which she took full advantage of by laying down her head on my exposed stomach. I lifted my head so I may look upon my lover, who made no effort to hide that predatory look from her eyes, or lips as they curled up, exposing the glistening points of those unnatural fangs Nighty loved fawning over.
'Her best quality next to her eyes.' I thought just as my lover shifted back until her head was laying directly over my sheath and partly exposed penis.
I always tried watching Nighty when she got like this as I enjoyed the feeling, and watching how she seemed not to suck on my penis, but tended to it with a care seldom seen from the misunderstood alicorn. I never understood how the Elements of Harmony did it, but when they blessed Nightmare Moon with a body of her own had to use Luna’s memories as template for the barest of basic instincts; learning more of her (Luna’s past) only a modest couple hours ago, had turned this act of pleasuring into another effect derived from loneliness.
To simply take pleasure from performing oral sex is more to sate her desire for affection, touch, and desire to share a moment with another pony- even if the act often was one-sided.
“Thankfully it's not…” I moaned softly as her fangs dragged along the surface of my penis, from the bottom of my raphe where it connected to my testes along the entire length of my penis until she reached the ridge of my corona glandis.
Here I fell silent once more as her fangs traced the outline of the ridge flare and over, leaving their sharp points resting on the tip of my penis. Our eyes met, and groaned as her long tongue left her smiling mouth to wrap itself around the girth of the tip, where she reversed her ascent so her fangs would drag along my penis length with her tongue following close behind.
She repeated this another three agonizing times before settling her attention to the flare of my penis where she began to suckle on with a tenderness that caused my rear legs to buck and squirm as the sensation began agitating my muscles. Here she used her fangs to keep my penis from moving, pinning it between her fangs so her tongue could snake itself along the length while gripping and twisting.
Nighty is an export of her craft, and I don’t mean it in a derogatory sense, but as a way to mark her skills are comparable to a master in their field. You will find no half hearted attempts like the mares and occasional stallions in Canterlot will flaunt during a nightly run down the street, for they perform out a necessity, or desire for a quickie.
Here, under the care of my lover will be another moment those street walkers will never understand, and it was unfortunate I was reaching my limit so suddenly. This didn’t mean we were finished. I still had to return the favor, and after a quick rest roughly 3 hours long we could resume our love making in earnest further demonstrating an alcorn’s regenerative abilities were unmatched.
One of the earliest rules we created was the usage of the unspoken word using gestures with our hooves, and wings to signal a multitude of commands to alert the other. It was this agreed upon gesture I began tapping my left foreleg on the ground in a pattern of two quick taps. Silence. Two more taps. Silence and repeat. This was meant to alert Nightmare Moon that I was reaching a critical point. Sometimes she would retract her effort to create a momentary rest period to provide me enough time to get my focus back…
“Ooooh!” I couldn’t fight back the lust in my voice as she proceeded to see how much of penis she could engulf. I had to lay my head down as my eyes couldn’t keep focus as my body diverted the energy to hearing and touch to process what Nighty was doing.
Her sharp fangs rubbed up and down the length of my penis as her tongue twisted and constricted around my girth in a way I’d never felt her do before. I lost control of my legs as the instinct to buck my hips overwhelmed my mind, and Nightmare countered this by further pressing her barrel into my groin effectively pinning me to the stone floor- she said nothing. I couldn’t even hear the wet smack of her lips, nor the slurping one makes when drinking through a straw! Even my wings were limp from her technique as I found it impossible to be startled by the unrivaled bliss she was bestowing upon me.
After becoming an alicorn, I was greatly relieved to have discovered the dread ‘wing boner’ was nothing more than a neuromuscular condition meant to lock pegasi wings during mating to prevent potential damage from excited flapping. The fact Nighty’s exceptional oral skills hadn’t even triggered this condition only proved the alicorn is in a league of her own, and somehow I was chosen to be the recipient of her gift.
I was at my limit, and did our conceived hoof signals to alert her of this boiling climax, and all I got was the fear eliciting fangs speeding up as she now began making a thick gurgling noise as a response. All of these stimuli proved too much to my overworked body, and I felt myself give in to her demands- there was no grandiose celebration as in the books. One moment I felt a tickle, and an increasing build up of pressure, and next there was a feeling of relief as the pressure was released. My only knowledge of what happened next was from knowing how I reached that feeling in the first place, and the sensual way Nighty continually exaggerated the gurgling as a presumed mixture of saliva and seman moved along my already softening penis.
Risking more temporary blindness from an ocular migraine due to overstimulation, I raised my head to see Nighty panting over my softened penis laying in a pool of seman and saliva with her adding to the growing pool. Somehow she looked more beautiful and that wasn’t from the hormones still coursing through my bloodstream either let me be clear, but this increased attraction stemmed from how soft her features appeared in the dim candle light, as if under their cover she could be more of the mare I thought she wanted to be.
“Nighty…” I panted out as a statement and not the question I had wanted, but she still responded.
“I..let us finish…”
What came next surprised me for a second as she began adjusting her resting mass to crawl up my body while making sure she didn’t put too much pressure on me as she did so. She quickly did so not even showing regard to the pull of bodily fluids as she smeared them along my lower stomach all the way up my barrel; by this point her head was hovering only a hoof away, and the scent of sex and her consumed my smell in a way that left me further entrenched into the moment.
She leaned in and bit the top of my muzzle, not enough to draw any blood, but enough to leave an indent in the skin before morphing the bite into a drunken kiss as she tried rubbing what was left catch over my muzzle. I didn’t fight it, but instead tried making it into a game of sorts to see if I could catch her writhing tongue, and twice I nearly did, but she would grind her soft underbelly against my penis and content testes to distract me.
“They will know…” She muttered before freezing opened mouth against my muzzle so I could once more smell myself in her.”...we are mated. Not them Dusk. WE are mated.”
“They will in time, Nighty.” I seized this chance to return the favor and licked the side of her cheek, causing her to withdraw. “I promise you that much, and then after that maybe we could do something together?”
She was still, and silent as she continued looking down at me, save for the closing of her jaw. I continued.
“We will show Equestria you are a mare of your own, and I’m proud to be with you. We could see the world, just the two of us. What do you say?”
Her silence worried me for good reason as Nighty had always been a fickle mare when it came to certain triggers like Luna, Celestia, dirt, and losing to name the biggest offenders, but this was me opening myself to her critical judgment of my proposal. My heart was beating faster once again as she carefully arced her neck down so our noses could touch, and eyes could stare directly into the other’s soul, and my heart nearly beat itself to death at what I gleaned from those soft teal eyes.
“You are a very big dreamer lover colt, and lucky for you…” She withdrew enough so our noses no longer touched, yet enough for the dim light of the candles to illuminate her eyes till they shone like stars in the night sky. “... we like dreams.”
Epilogue: An apple, a prince, and a talk.
Author's Note
I had almost 1,200 words left before breaching Dezmo's 10,000 word limit, which forced me drastically consolidate this scene to make it fit. Hopefully, its interesting enough to wet the appetite while potentially setting up a possible sequel in the future.
Comments and questions are encouraged!
Epilogue: An apple, a prince, and a talk.
“You’re seeing somepony aren’t cha?”
I knew the question was coming right around the second game of chess with Applejack, when the farm pony had casually noted a supposed change in my demeanor. I’d managed to avoid the question by ignoring it, and focusing on the game, but the stallion wasn’t one to buy a pitiful attempt at deflection. Seeing no way to hide it, I nodded as I moved my guard piece forward two spaces.
“What gave it away?”
“Well you aren’t the most subtle pony per say…” Applejack’s tongue was sticking out as a common trait of his when deep in thought, but eventually he made a similar move by moving a guard piece one square up. “...but ya lucky most ponies are too distracted by you to notice. Who is it?”
“That’s a bit forward there, don't you think Applejack?” I asked to hide the growing pit in my stomach as I didn’t expect to tell anypony about Nighty just yet.
“I would say so buddy, but I’ve been mighty curious as of late when ya started struttin’ like a roster in the hen house. Rarity is practically drooling at the implications, while several mares are asking me questions about cha.” He looked up and crossed his arms as he adjusted his posture to properly sit on his flank.
I sighed and knew what was to come as he only did that when he expected Applebloom to come clean with something. Of course, as a ruling prince of Equestria, I could avoid the question entirely if I wanted by waving some ‘royal decree’ excuse to escape this interrogation…
“She’s not what we would consider normal by our standards, but there is a genuine connection there.” The admission was more to free myself of this secret as it was to test the waters of a proper reveal down the road. Applejack’s ears pinned, but he remained mostly still.
“So she’s a griffon or something? Not completely surprisin’ given you being the Prince of Harmony and all, but whoever they are we’ll support your decision within reason Dusk.”
“And it's that ‘within reason’ I’m worried about, Applejack. She’s had a complicated path and let's say it strained her current image…”
“It's that Tempest mare isn’t it?” His statement caught me unaware, and I almost choked on my own saliva as I never viewed the domineering mare in that manner. It took some convincing to get Applejack to believe she wasn’t my special somepony.
Our game of chess was forgotten as he tried to pry open who and where I would meet up with my lover, but grew increasingly frustrated as I skirted his questions just enough to answer them without revealing anything more than what he knew. I will have to thank Celestia again for the lessons in Statecraft if myself or Nighty aren’t banished or forced to flee the country. It was around the fifth inquiry that he lost his temper, and almost slammed his hooves onto the crystal wood table.
“Consarn it, Dusk! I shouldn’t be prying like I am, but when my best bud is acting like a show pony, and avoiding my questions I start gettin a bit worried. This mare has you wrapped around her hooves, and for a royal that’s dangerous business!”
“I’m aware…” I partially lied as I cursed myself for not really considering how my attitude could be perceived by others, and Applejack must have picked on my insecurities because I sooner felt his left forehoof wrapped around my shoulders. I returned the gesture by wrapping a wing around his back.
“You’re not only a prince with a heap of responsibility, but more importantly our best bud. I for sure am worried about you getting in too deep with some pony that might be taking advantage of you, and leave you hanging out like the laundry. Sure, the country might suffer a tad bit, but it's you that will suffer in the long haul.”
“For a country bumpkin, you do offer some sound advice, Applejack.” Night’s training had been working for I barely flinched when he removed his hoof and slugged my shoulder.
“It’s called having some common sense brother!” He laughed, and I found myself joining in that moment as it seemed the air was finally beginning to clear. I was feeling confident enough to tell my best friend about Nighty, but not without requesting a Pinkie Promise if only to keep word from spreading.
“Pinkie Promise you will keep it a secret until I’m ready?” I must have said too seriously for his playful mood departed and the stern older brother made a return. After a moment of consideration he nodded, and made the gesture cementing there was no going back. So I told him everything.
It was therapeutic in a selfish way to export this secret onto another, and I knew it was the promise alone that held Applejack’s tongue as he listened to my tale of midnight romps in the old castle. It must have been only 20 minutes of explanation, but the entirety of our relationship had forever changed. I was exhausted, and he looked more stressed than any Applebucking season I’d ever seen, but like the good friend I knew he was had kept his cool, reluctantly thought it all.
“Whoa Nelly, that is something fierce. You really dug a deep hole this time Dusk, and I can’t for the life of me figure out how I should feel about it.” His posture was still tense as he made his way back to his seat on the opposite side of the table.
“I really do love her, you know?” I asked, like I was seeking his approval, and that in hindsight made me look more foalish.
“But does she love ya more than herself?”
“Do you love Rainbow Dash more than apples?”
I hit too close to home, but my point had been made. Even if they hadn’t officially announced their relationship, it was easy to tell the two were a bit more than friends that loved competing against each other. But the question proved a point, for my two friends had vastly different goals in life that would require equal sacrifices from each if they were to remain a couple. My question told Applejack, I knew the price I would have to eventually pay, and it was enough for him to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“I still don’t like it.” He finally said. I nodded
“I don’t either, but as Cadence once told me ‘Love has a funny way of bringing ponies together’.” It was funny, but I felt myself smiling and I didn’t know why. Applejack watched me and would go on to ask a question that I will never forget in my entire life, and only reinforce our friendship for many years to come.
“When do you think I could meet her, Dusk?” He looked unsure, but the look in his eye showed a determination I recognized as an ability to overcome. My smile only grew.
"When do you have time?"
