Author's Note

Once again, I do so hope it was worth the wait. Hopefully chapter 3 will not be so delayed. Thanks to https://www.fimfiction.net/user/119244/shadow+wolf1573 once again for their extensive help workshopping this piece. And even more thanks to everyone giving this story such a positive reception. I cannot express how glad I am that I've yet to (really) disappoint you kind and patient people.

Unequal by Design

Chapter 2.
Unequal By Design.

Another summer night in Ponyville, another evening of combing through taxes and bills and expenditures. Umbra wore slight glasses in the light of a pink lamp in the upstairs office as she delicately calculated tax rates and balanced the family budget for the month. Red magic moved two quills at once across her ledger whilst an abacus clicked and shuffled about to keep track of her math. A slight hum and a sip of her tea broke her focus for the slightest moment and let it glide toward the clock mounted on the wall.

So late in the evening and you still weren’t home from work. Again.

You had warned both mares that you’d be busy that week, so much so that you’d miss dinner and have to come home after the sun had already set. Clearly communicated and anticipated as your absence was, it still burned your wives to go without their husband for so long. Just as it did for you to go without soft mares and loving attention.

Derpy became antsy and skittish after dinner had been served, each night she would pace and tirelessly fuss about the house waiting for you. Despite the regular arrival at eight every night, the pegasus still acted as if you might never come back to the family. It wasn’t unusual for the door to croak open with your sweating and exhausted bulk filling the frame just for Derpy to charge forward and demand every detail of your day and any method she could deploy for making you feel better.

Dinky, though not nearly as worrisome as Derpy, also didn’t appreciate the lack of her father in the evenings. The young mare was forced to listen to her Mother and Aunt talk at the dinner table about their less-than exciting stories without her brash and humorous human to save her. Every joke and little prank was quickly quieted by her doting mother, and her outbursts of wanting to play fell on her Aunt’s deaf ears when she simply told her to relax and do her school work. Umbra would tutor her in the evening and Derpy would read her a story, but you weren’t there to play with her. No human to wrestle with, no one to make rude jokes with and not a soul to start fires with left her with rather dull evenings after school.

Umbra struggled just the same despite her being the best adjusted in the family. She could busy herself with painting and with educating Dinky in magic, but there never was as much entertainment in such things as laying with you and drinking the thrill of a stallion. Her painted visages of an otherworldly realm formed a grey and twisted image on her latest canvas, a work started just that morning. The oil paints of grey and brown and washed out hues dried in the waning light of the evening, another piece of her husband and her family in regal posture. She delighted in creating new places for you to dominate, though there wasn’t much imagination outside of dreary castles and broken worlds. The summer greens and brilliant blue skies outside failed to inject a happier atmosphere into her work, but at Dinky at least tempered her desire to craft scenes of horrific warfare. Less blood and guts and heads on pikes. More of you and her in Armor with Derpy serving as your loyal, if not somewhat hidden concubine in the background.

Sighing to herself and listening intently to the door, the unicorn was deeply pleased to hear the familiar beats of tired footfalls against the stoop. Your modest home suppressed sounds quite well, but an intent listener would never be surprised by an arrival. Thus, Umbra was already halfway down the stairs when you opened the door and discovered an oddly empty living room.

“Welcome home, Anonymous.” You were greeted with a sweet voice soothing the ringing in your ears.

“Hey, Babygirl.” You answered simply with a cloud of sweat and filth hanging around you.

“Let me take those, your Majesty.” Umbra kindly took the shirt and lunch box from your hands in her magic, though she always expected payment for the slight service. You welcomed the affection and happily knelt down to meet her lips in a gentle kiss.

“Where’s Mushy?” You asked as sweat rolled down your exposed upper half and washed visible tracks through the dirt plastered across your skin.

“Derpy retired early tonight. Dinky was quite restless and drained the poor thing.” You smirked at the idea of your daughter running someone else out for a change, her explosions in manic energy often leading to entire days of you and her rushing about Ponyville. You swore she could run for hours without taking a breath, a trait she no doubt inherited from you.

“Sounds about right… what about you, Sugar? You alright?” Umbra grinned as she set your lunchbox near the sink and your sodden shirt in the laundry room, her focus quickly turning back to her husband when her tasks were complete. You fished around the icebox for a drink to replenish the hydration lost under this accursed sun. Even after years of companionship and exploring your body, Umbra found it utterly fascinating. The way you moved, the way your muscles fitted together and the precarious way you walked all tantalized her analytical mind. She could watch you simply drink and stand for hours on end, especially when your hunky scent hung heavy in the air.

“I’ve seen to cleaning the family room. Bread is rising for this weekend and the finances have been computed. Just as you desire, my King.” She said with a haughty pride while approaching you. Leaning back against the counter and sighing in satisfaction as cool alcohol washed out your system, you made yourself quite the helpless snack for a hungry mare.

“Excellent. I’m happy to hear, Sugar… but you know I don’t demand that kinda stuff.” She snickered and kissed your filthy stomach to admire your flat, firm pectorals.

“Nonsense, my Love. You slave away for this family day after day. It is a wife’s duty to maintain the home how you see fit.” Such talk wasn’t unlike Umbra, though she was more in it for the thanks and compliments you made sure to shower her with.

“I guess I oughta’ just hush up and appreciate it then. Not like I’m gonna do it.” Derpy would clean the house from time to time before, but you mostly enjoyed doing it with her. Umbra however, would do just about anything to be told “good job” from you. If she weren’t so cute in a bandana with a duster in her teeth, you might’ve said something. But a clean house and fresh clothes were things you couldn’t possibly complain about.

“I suppose the engine is still giving you issues?” She said into your navel as dirt and sawdust clung to her sensitive snout.

“The mill’s still limping along. And without Gear Grinder there, I’m making this up as I go along.” Umbra nodded knowingly and accepted a scratch against her cheek. You might’ve been the sawmill’s supervisor, but that didn’t mean you were immune from the back-breaking labor. The chief engineer was on holiday during the same week your precious steam engine decided to break down, leaving you as the only some-what experienced hand to tend to it. Until he got back then, you were really and truly working like the old days. Shoveling coal, managing steam pressure and sweating like a pig in the heat. Your wives enjoyed the masculine pheromones, but the sunburnt shoulders and scattered steam burns were certainly wearing thin on your patience. Umbra grinned ear to ear when she smelled that familiar blend of intoxicating masculinity and earthen filth once again.

You had played right into her plan.

“Then, my King, I think it best I see to your hygiene. You’ve done more than enough for the day!” Your calloused and lifeless hand was stolen in her red energy and pulled along with the coy Queen.

“Come, come. I’ve a full regiment to get through with you!” You accepted this out of a real lack of energy. No smart remarks or playful gestures could leave your mind when it was drained from a week of tiresome work and your wife was so giddily galloping up the stairs. You were actually quite excited to see what the conniving and plotting Queen was up to. This time around, you found yourself very pleased with what she had crafted. A full bath of steaming and relaxing water laced with her own blend of rejuvenating oils and herbs and spices. She stopped you just after entering the bathroom and went about preparing you for the night ahead.

“You ran a bath?” You asked stupidly as the mare pulled at your belt and undid your meddling bootlaces.

“You always arrive on time, Anonymous. T’was a simple matter of anticipation and planning.” Umbra grinned smugly and pulled away your sweat-soaked garments, accepting your aid in the efficient process. Before too long at all you were stripped off the heavy and worn clothing that protected you. Chewed up and ratty denim, crunchy socks and boots gnawed at by all manner of debris were cast into the nearest hamper to prevent their rancid aromas from escaping and ruining the otherwise sweet atmosphere of the bathroom. Umbra delicately inspected your body for new knicks and cuts and burns, though her eyes naturally wandered across your manhood longer than anywhere else.

"My, my. You look even worse than yesterday, my King." She commented with a solemn kiss to one of your buttocks, causing quite a jump in you.

"I’ve got mares to feed. You know how demanding they can be." You grumbled with a smile, letting her guide you into the sloshing tub full of all manner of particles and oils. Your mare delighted in the sight of your tall and imposing frame so easily mantle the steep edges of the tub and gracefully fall apart into the steaming, clean broth.

"OOoooooaaaugh... that's nice." She snickered and helped to push more of the soapy water over your body, each little lap taking off another layer of filth and wood chips.

"I crafted it specially for you, Anonymous." She added with an adoring kiss to your cheek, her rotund and squishy body making use of the nearby step stool to climb in alongside her husband. A slightly awkward move, Umbra's added mass nearly overfilled the basin with the perfumed and soothing water.

"Whoa, Baby! Easy now!" You grinned and helped her along with caring hands catching her and letting the fuzzy mare dive below the cloudy surface. While you weren't one for luxurious and girly baths, you couldn't say no to an Umbra made wet and heavy by scented bathwater. Her mane washed through the water and replaced any hint of color with an infinite and stellar darkness. Long and tangling locks of mane saturated throughout the entire tub to curl and dance around your body in a way more intimate than any other creature could achieve. Umbra looked as if she had reverted to her old and ethereal state when she bathed, as her body could hide behind the monolithic shape of her ebony mane and morph into something entirely ghostly. Rising from the water with a flat sheet hanging over her head and two ears poking out, you delighted in parting the waterfall of soggy mane to reveal her piercing, loving eyes.

"Kinda smells like tea..." Words failed to really reach Umbra when she reclined across your front and let you touch her face so carefully. Stroking and kneading thumbs worked out the tired sag in her eyes and moved about the dripping fur with such skill. The pony melted into a jelly that clung to your skin greedily and rubbed soapy suds into your muscles.

"There is tea in it, yes." She grunted before sinking somewhat deeper and resting her chin millimeters above the waterline.

"But it is largely sunflower oil, lavender and allspice. Good for the skin and heart." You took in the majesty of such a weighty pony cuddling against your naked body, especially when her bulging belly rubbed rather roughly against your half-hard length and teased you with a softness unrivaled in the world.

"Usually soap and water works just fine for me. I didn’t plan on drinking this stuff." The dark sorceress rolled her eyes and kissed between your flat pectorals. Both hooves glided across your chest and arms with the ease of greased ball bearings, both of them smooth to the touch and exploring your body intently.

"These oils are essential for proper skin health, my King. I would be remiss to see you with a terrible rash or some awful infection." You wiggled at the touch of her teats dragging up your girth and the weight of her chest breathing deep against your own. So intimate was the contact that even you, after years of loving your mares and experiencing what they had to offer, blushed somewhat.

"Essential oils?" You laughed, earning a scoff from your Queen. Floating soap bars and washcloths fell into the pool of cloudy water, soaking and preparing for their use.

"And what exactly is so humorous, Darling?" Umbra berated with an exaggerated expression of offense, meanwhile lathering her cloth and scrubbing a fine brush against the soap.

"Don't worry about it. It's a human thing." She fought to contain her snide little laugh as she set about the delicate, drawn-out and in-depth course of cleaning her human.

Derpy cared for your health in terms of nutrition and affection, but only Umbra could ever make you feel so clean and refreshed. The chubby mare must've worked out an entire scientific system for this sole purpose and practiced by some equally ridiculous means. Bit by bit, part by part, Umbra cleansed your form of any filth and discomfort in soothing strokes and gentle scrubs. After so many washings and becoming so involved in her little project, you were more than comfortable to simply lay back and limply present whatever limb she desired next. Many times you were so relaxed and comfortable with the devious temptress, you even allowed her to shave your face and throat with a straight razor. A practice she enjoyed so thoroughly that the pony delighted in seeing your masculine beard grow thick and ragged.

Starting with your rough and powerful hands, Umbra slathered them with soap and scrubbed down each nook and cranny. Each finger was cared for and made to sparkle with your natural skin-tone once more. Your wife held a tiny brush in her teeth to remove any dirt from beneath your nails as well, the process stretching out for several minutes when you constantly interrupted her progress with boops and prods and pets. Moving down your arms and across your chest, both her hooves would rub and squish soapy swathes across the broad surface of human muscle. Small circles grew into rings of bubbling white that inched down your sun-burnt skin like thick paint creeping down a wall. The dark mare took particular interest in cleaning your neck and face, as every time she rinsed off one layer of soap she could dive in and have a taste. Maybe she judged her progress by your flavor, maybe she just enjoyed scraping against your jugulars with her vampire-esc fangs. It didn't really matter, as each occasion made you twitch and huff in the most satisfying of ways. At one point, she became distracted whilst sucking on your neck and had to be broken from her trance. Playing with her hair all the while was allowed, but Umbra would always play as if she didn't want your fingers sliding between her flowing locks and combing the kinks out.

“Rrgh! Get your claws out of there! Do you wish to be cleaned or not, fool?” You didn't let her go unwashed either, as her pudgy little form crawled all over you whilst she worked and begged for attention. Wash cloths and brushes were discarded in favor of your reliable hands, both of which were far more effective in relaxing and cleaning. You always started with her rump, as the mountainous hills of pony flesh screamed at you against the white background of the bathroom wall. Deep, rough and penetrating pressure kneaded soap into her fur and pushed around her healthy fat so it would snap back into shape and kick up droplets of water. You'd pull her tail up and expose her nethers to the water, just to teasingly wash the top of her dock and slowly let her flagging backside down. When the grinning and humming Queen turned her back on you to wash your tired and sore feet, you'd return the favor with duofold thumbs melting her hooves into useless nubs. Resting her belly on your thighs and letting her legs splay out on your chest, both the dark and polished hooves received a thorough seeing to. Around the hardened exterior, right between her muscular bulges and all across her frog your thumbs went about pressing and rubbing and kneading until everything felt like jelly in a plastic baggy. Umbra crooned and groaned in appreciation when you found her weak bundles of nerves and muscles, sometimes she'd be so lost in the delight of it that her snout would dip below the waterline and her satisfaction would literally bubble up around her smile. Laying back and drinking in the pristine serenity of her contact, you let your eyes close and your mind wander to more mundane topics.

"You don't know what 'diamond dogs' are, do you?" Absentminded fingers parted the sea of her hair so you could see her back move in time with her soft breaths, all ten fingers coming to rest on the rounded shelf of her wide hips.

"Mmmh... why does my husband ask me such things?" Umbra spoke like she had been shocked awake from a deep sleep and settled her face against the wall of the tub.

"They jacked half the lumber on one of our deliveries. Bush Whacker came back hollerin' and yellin' and carryin' on about them." A pause made the bubbles in the water and the steam rising off the surface seem deafening. Umbra thought for a moment as she rubbed herself against your legs and gracelessly stretched a hoof outwards.

"Diamond dogs are but a lesser race hungry for gems and jewels. Like wolves, but just wise enough to jabber on in their stilted tribal speak."

"What do they want with Everfree cedar logs, then?" You asked between kisses on Umbra's hoof, your hands holding her leg like it were a priceless treasure.

"Most likely for use in building their little hobbles underground. Or perhaps their natural urge to steal simply- oooh! Oooh, my King!" She giggled and sloshed in the water when you bravely licked across her sensitive frog and sent sparks of sensation up her leg. Her dark eyes cast a playful glare back towards your naughty expression, though most of your face hid behind her dark hoof.

"You know any way to keep 'em off our product? You know, besides hiring an escort?" Umbra licked her lips when you kindly switched hooves and lavished the other with equal affection. Despite their solid build, you found pony hooves to be highly vulnerable to any kind of pampering. Derpy herself preferred her wings preened and her belly rubbed, but your pegasus wife couldn't deny a passionate hoof rubbing on any day.

"Hire a friendly one from a trading post or wherever those beasts hide. Diamond dogs won't risk a tribal war by attacking another clan." Once again, Umbra proved herself to be useful in another odd way. Rough and nasty and bratty as she could be, the near-infinite pool of knowledge her long life and ambition proved indispensable at times. For some things there truly was none other more qualified than Umbra to judge. And for you, the price of her advice was very "reasonable." Kissing her hooves and squeezing her rounded thighs was a tiny cost compared to the revenue you'd save.

"Thanks Babygirl. I knew you'd know." Umbra let out a rare giggle of girlish excitement when you complimented her. Such was one of the very few things that utterly shattered her abrasive façade.

"Continue that divine rubbing and I won't demand compensation, my Husband." You intended to do far more than simple rubbing. Both hands were already gripping at her haunches and pulling her closer to your face. A slow and even drag that wouldn't outright alert her to your intentions brought her jiggling and all encompassing bottom mere inches from your nose.

"How about this, Sugar?" You punctuated the words with a firm kiss on her butt, one that made it warp and bounce against your face with a joyful energy.

"Ah- Anonymous!" Umbra let out another giggle when you debased yourself for her.

"What? I thought you liked my kisses?" More smooches were delivered between each breath to further tease and tickle the Queen. Her body writhed atop yours and attempted to swat your face with a tail, only for its enormous length of wet fur to weight it down and make the action entirely vain.

"Don't toy with me-EEEEHEHEHE!" Her fits of pleased laughter rolled through the halls of the house like belts of thunder crashing across a helpless countryside. Nipping and kissing and kneading her butt always made Umbra completely helpless and stupid to your whims, especially when simultaneously peppered with compliments and loving diatribes. Muffled by her buttocks and spoken in a hazy tone of lusty play, they still hit hard as ever.

"But your butt's so fun to kiss. How’s a man supposed to ignore something so big and soft and round?" Umbra buried her face behind her mane and kicked her rear legs in denial of such giddy, silly notions. Even if she batted your hands away and dragged her tail across your face, that was no indication that you were to even think of stopping.

"So round and soft and big and heavy- no mare's got a seat like yours, Sugar." Umbra narrowed her eyes to slits of sultry nastiness as more and more kisses beat her behind. You threw them without caution or care and lovingly buried your face into her plush curves. Touching fingers near the crease of her duofold orbs was a recipie for insanity, as Umbra's needy sex would immediately bulge and pump and wink for you without fail. Staring at her husband while he worked, the Queen licked her teeth and sank deeper into the moment.

"Not even the royalty? The ones so many desire?" If there was one thing your wife could do, it was hold a grudge. Years and years of affection and loyalty and love still couldn't remove that vitriolic and spiteful portion of her soul. No matter what you told her, she still wanted to know she was the very best. You could promise up and down that she was the most beautiful mare in the world and she truly stole your heart, but it didn't sink in until some other pony was put down. Umbra had to know she was better than someone else. She had to know that you shunned others for her and ridiculed lesser beings begging for a chance to even look you in the eye. And if there was a chance to dump on the Monarchy, all the more spicy.

"Celestia has a flat rock compared to you. I’d probably break every bone in my hand spanking a butt like that." You said surely, clapping both hands onto her hips to make her jiggle and to slam your point home. Delighted whines and knickers goaded you on, as well as her cheeks clenching and relaxing in rhythmic bounces against your face.

"Your butt could crush Luna’s. It’s not even a contest. Hers is so small I bet she’s got back problems from the lack of cushion." Your words got sharper and deeper when she approved so deeply of them and squirt gentle teardrops of arousal. The steam of tea and lavender and soap was now just a pleasant background to the main course of marish, equine lust and pheromones. Your eyes had to fight in order to see past her all consuming butt and spot the deliciously nasty glare your Queen shot back. The expressions she made were simply impossible to describe when their sweetness and alluring sexuality left you without words. Derpy and Umbra both said so much with so little whenever you gave them their daily doses of affection and care. Umbra turned into a sneering villain that had finally slain their worst enemy stood over their quivering corpse in sick glory.

"Ooooooh, a butt is no place for a King's face..." She grumbled before sinking below the water to re-wet her billowing mane.

"I can't help but disagree. If there was a man who could keep his lips off this butt? I'd tan his hide with a belt." A spank helped to make your point all the more clear. Wet fur and flesh made an especially jarring noise and threw off tear-drops of steaming water like a bomb blast. Umbra delighted in every last taste of the sensation, her teeth grinding and her hips wriggling backwards to grind against your masculine expression.

"Yessssss, discipline the ignorant, Anonymous!" Between the glimmers of her shining fangs and the licking mass of her pink tongue, your eye happened to catch an altogether different color. That medical blue and feminine pink put an instant burn in your heart that broiled with an uncomfortably familiar character. Stopping mid-slurp across her ass cheek and slackening your grip on her birthing hips, you took in the sight of a pile on the bathroom sink. A dozen pregnancy tests stacked a foot high with all their paper and plastic wrappers haphazardly surrounding the basin. A cardboard case was left open and gaping in their wake, one of the three that Derpy had bought some time ago. The very sight was enough to chill hot blood flowing through you and fire an icy harpoon through your heart.

"Mmmh... m- my King?" Umbra said with some hint of worry in her voice. She lifted her head from the water and caught your intrepid stare. A moment of thought later and she followed your gaze toward the most concerning scene. Perhaps far more alarming for you however, was your wife's reaction to your expression. Rather than reflecting your serious concern, the dark mare simply grinned and wiggled herself even tighter against you.

"Not to worry, my precious husband." Umbra cooed and hugged her legs about your neck to carefully cradle your skull between buxom thighs and ballooning buttocks.

"I've discussed the matter with Derpy and consulted several sources in my research. Persistence will see us through, most likely." Smooth and sweet and calming as Umbra's voice could be, there was no magic in it at this moment. It failed to console your racing mind and quiet the worried thoughts plaguing each word.

"My King?" The simple question pushed through to you and pierced the veil of hazy fog deep thought that confounded you and still there wasn't anything you could respond with. Your wife had to stop her sexual momentum and come to the aid of her human, turns and fumbles and grunts migrating her adoring snout from your toes to your nose.

“Before you say anything-”

“You’re really gonna make me go through this again?” You interrupted her and pressed her back with a hand against her shoulder. It was a dark move, one that sapped all the giddy and needy energy from your wife quickly as a bullet to the heart.

“Of all people, Umbra, you oughta’ know better.” You scolded with a sigh more than a breath. The weariness the mare had worked so hard to banish was back in full force and suckling your playfulness away. Fretting and fussing Umbra scoffed unconsciously at the very notion that her man wasn’t pleased with her concerns.

“What in Equestria do you mean, M’lord? Has your will to please dwindled beyond even the slightest care?” You shot the adorable mare quite a look when she playfully slapped your cheek with a hoof, a stare that communicated just how done you were with this discussion.

“I don’t know what you expect out of me, woman. We’ve been over this.” Umbra rolled her eyes and went in for another kiss on your jaw. Expertly, she dodged your second attempt to see her off and let her fangs nip at your delicate veins.

“You doubt your own power. This is not fitting of a stallion like you!” She chided you with an equally parental tone, albeit with a message that was far from reasonable.

“A stallion that may father a child as gorgeous and brilliant as Dinky surely has the ability to create at will. I’m sure of this, my Darling!” You rolled your eyes at her overly excited conjecture. Despite how annoying this could truly be, an arm couldn’t help but snake about her back and pull the pony snug against your barrel.

“Not even a pony. I’m pretty sure you know this ain’t gonna work.”

“My stallion wouldn’t even try?” Umbra shot back as she drew small circles across your chest with a hoof.

“He would drive himself to the brink of madness for Derpy, but not for me?”

“Don’t you play that game, Sugar.” You scolded once again, pulling her in for a kiss. The flavor of her lips and buttocks were evaporating, thus you had to replenish it.

“If I knew how to do it, you know well as I do that this place would be swarming with screamin’ little rug-rats by now.” Umbra pouted and flipped a sheet of dark mane from her eye to assure she could stare at you clearly as possible.

“Persistence, M’Lord. Not a thing in this world was accomplished in one half-hearted try.” You cocked an eyebrow at her words, perhaps just a little offended by the implication.

“After last month, I’d expect you to be pregnant in your brain.” The Sorceress blushed at the memory of your wedding night and the spirited madness that had filled her to the brim. That beautiful morning of sticky and stinking aftercare would forever stay with her, even if it was somewhat excessive and revolting.

“And we nearly had it!” She insisted with a strained smile.

“I believe it simply takes time for your essence to find its purchase in a mare. I’m not sure how, nor have I found it in my research, but I’m beginning to suspe-” One finger was all you needed to finally make her stop talking. Much like another mare you knew in this town, Umbra cooked off and spoke at a rate far too fast and annoying for you to handle right now. Her lips puckered for a moment before relaxing back into a displeased frown. She always preferred a whole hand to the mouth, none of this degrading and chiding finger business.

“Umbra. Babygirl. Sugar. Please listen to me.” The tone of your voice lowered and lowered until it finally reached a serious pitch. The joyfulness, lighthearted and eager music of it was replaced by a dower and grim shade.

“I would- in no unclear terms- love to have all the foals in the world.”

“With me?” She corrected, more just to hear you say it.

“With you. And Derpy, absolutely.” You huffed, letting your finger curl about her chin and stroke the scruff of dark fur there.

“But please… I don’t want you to be disappointed. With me- or especially yourself.” Your admission took the Queen of guard, instantly turning her face from a judgmental glare to a softened shock.

“Disappointed?” She questioned whilst nuzzling tightly against your palm. You nodded solemnly and sank somewhat lower in the water, allowing it to cushion your exhausted body and stave off the slow crushing sensation of that familiar failure.

“I can’t give you what you want. Maybe because I’m human, maybe magic- it could be some weird Equestrian crap I haven’t figured out yet. But I don’t want you chasing this ghost.” Umbra’s mouth attempted to form words of protest, perhaps weak reasoning and light begging trying to come forward as well. However, the utter seriousness in your expression shined through. Sun beams of genuine anguish cut through the fog of doubt and showed her the painful reality of the situation clearly as crystalline water.

“It’s… I wish I knew the answer, Umbra. God knows how many letters I sent to Canterlot about it. But I’m not gonna make the same mistake twice.” Your wife took in this bitter news with a prideful refusal to sulk. Rather than allowing the weight of his confession to hamper her progress, your resourceful and ambitious mare simply viewed it as another small obstacle in her greater scheme.

A thousand years of constant avarice and malicious plotting left her with a remarkable ability to change her course of action and adapt, no matter the situation. Umbra could slide in between plans and actions and strategies without so much as a twitch in her face, never showing her true intentions or inner workings. You had somewhat figured out what to look for after years of staring into her plush and snarling visage, but you still couldn’t quite pin down how or what she was feeling when such things struck her.

“T’was a time, your Majesty, that I thought the very notion silly. Indeed.” The cold chill of your real and honest talk was met with her sweet and velvety voice. Sharpened and stoic ice melted under the flowing silkiness of warm chocolate as Umbra combed her hooves over your hair and looked to your face with stars in her sickly eyes. Especially now, with her mane draped over her face and the water making her fur sparkle, you couldn’t stop yourself from petting along her shoulders and feeding off the womanly softness of this gorgeous creature.

“Had I not seen your work first hoof I too would’ve thought the idea completely idiotic. There was a time when I considered it a fool’s errand to try and claim your seed.” A brief pause let the two of you share a kiss in the silence of the bathroom, one formed from the purity of gentle contact between lips and the slightest smacking sound of affection.

“I never ruled out intervention. Mayhaps the Princesses did lend their will to Dinky’s creation. Perfect as she is, I cannot totally discredit those fat cows and their tainted magic.” You tried to say something, but quickly you found that her tongue dragging up your neck was far more distracting than it had any right to be.

“With my knowledge and your… 'virility,’ shall we say, I think we could defy them once again.” Her whispers in your ear put both unusual fear and shocking arousal into your heart. A bolt of conflicting emotions fired off into your most sensitive depths and cooked off stores of doubt within. This was that side of Umbra you knew existed, but never wanted to address. That insane, driven, intense and focused ambition that led her to her old path of slavery and murder. It dwelled inside your wife and waited just behind the lazy, dower and bratty disposition like a spider bearing its ebon fangs. You feared and loved it all at once, for at any time she could transfix herself on an objective and stop at nothing to achieve it.

All a man could do was wonder why it had to be this. Why it had to be an impossible demand of you. An impossible demand of the very world you weren’t meant to exist within. Umbra’s proclivity for brazen defiance had finally gotten the better of her, as nature itself was rarely insulted like this. And when it was, the consequences could be nothing less than absolutely dire. Silent reflection on all this left you vulnerable to more of her kisses, her plush lips peppering your face waking you from this existential stupor.

“Play your part, my King. Bide your time and hold fast to me. I will give you heirs if it is the very last thing I do in this life of mine.”

“Umbra-”

“I will make us worthy of history if you simply give me a chance.” She said sternly, pushing her nose against your own and covering your contact with walls of impenetrable hair. Sheets of mane hid away this exchange and blanketed you in an eerily comforting darkness.

“It is my purpose, Anonymous. My final goal.” Both eyes stared intently into the other to find a weakness. A break in the armor, a chink in the facade or any hint of distracting falsehood that might shatter resolve. But there was only genuine desire in Umbra and true dedication in you. Umbra’s eyes burned with fire’s ferocity and spoke clear as one could without words. For the first time since you had first laid with her in that open field just outside of town, you felt as if you could see right through her complex shielding and right into her most wild heart. In turn, Umbra sensed your willingness to be hers. The hard work and loyalty and fierce urge to be a good husband lived in your heart with Derpy, Dinky and herself constantly nourishing it into an overwhelming drive. Much like herself, you struggled in a world that didn’t want you there and bested odds others would’ve considered utterly unreasonable. Your very presence was defiant of Equestria, encapsulating all things she loved in alien shapes.

You two shared one last kiss before the door creaked open and let in the squeal of hinges sans oil. Snapping her gaze to the darkness of the hall, Umbra spied a grey lump lurking just behind cover. Human eyes struggled through the blackness of a dark house as well, though the harsh white of the bathroom’s lamp soon illuminated the yearning figure.

“Wha- Mushy?” You called out, hoping dearly that it wasn’t your daughter. Both mares insisted that in Equestrian culture, it wasn’t unusual or considered totally unhealthy for a foal to see their parents both naked and more intimate. Understandable as that was in a society where no one considered clothing necessary, human instinct still drove you to bar her from witnessing you and the wives tangled together in moments of adult affection. Similarly, you’d sooner be lashed with a bullwhip rather than strip bare in front of Dinky. That modest fear faded instantly however when the shy shape poked out further and revealed crooked eyes that refused to focus hovering just above a wild blush.

“Bubby?” A tepid voice whined in a girly and needy tone. Umbra scoffed at first, her tail lifting and her nostrils flaring in territorial defensiveness. Derpy was nothing short of a simple, angelic soul. But she could be awfully greedy with the shared snuggle time. And of course, because she was top mare…

“Mushy? What’re you doin’ over there?” You asked to the door, watching as it slowly opened and revealed your bashful pegasus fully. She scraped at the floor with a hoof, her feathers splayed out and her mane messy from a lonely pillow. Holding her head low and refusing to speak, Derpy very clearly communicated what it was she needed. Umbra wouldn’t hear it, instead climbing higher up your body and raising her head high.

“Derpy, he’ll be just a moment.” She said sharply with both hooves stroking your broad chest.

“Anonymous still has matters to discuss with me.” You sat up in the tub and shifted Umbra awkwardly. She protested in clingy grabs at your body, but was ultimately powerless against your innate strength.

“Why’re you standin’ around lookin’ all sad and lonely and pitiful?” You huffed with a quickly changing tone of voice. In an instant, you went from a deadly-serious mumble to a goofy and playful invitation. Your sickening “snuggle voice,” that let Derpy know you were ready to see to her needs and hold her close. Just the sound alone was enough to make her perk up, a simpering frown exploding into a giddy smile as you beckoned her closer.

“Get over in this tub right now ‘fore I come over there and kiss that squishy nose!”

Derpy quickly became a gliding mass of flapping wings and clopping hooves hell-bent on reuniting with her precious husband. Against the wishes of her dower herdmate, the pegasus happily threw herself toward the basin and clamored at the edge noisily.

"Rrrg, Derpy- !" She protested weakly before the shifting mass of her enormous human threw the mare off her balance. Umbra was passed about by the thrashing ocean of cloudy water when you moved to seize your wife in both hands. Burly grabbers latched beneath her arms and abducted the helpless pudge from the floor in a swift, practiced motion. The dark sorceress had to scramble for a spot on your body when Derpy smashed into the water and flailed about to find her proper purchase in the melee. Splashes and giggles and groans of displeasure crashed and squished together until finally settling together into a compacted and compressed symbiosis.

"Hnf- huhp- hmmp... there we go." You grunted with a mare in either arm and warm bath water splashed all over the floor. Both heavy ponies lay against you and snuggled up against your neck in territorial pushes for dominance. While it was spectacularly comfortable for you to just lay there and let them scrub you with fur and bulging pudge, the herd took specific time to make themselves as relaxed as possible.

Derpy pressed herself against your cheek and kissed rapidly, her legs bolting about your arm and body to reclaim her man for herself. Her wings unfurled into the water so her waxy feathers could soak in some of the relieving brew, likewise mixing and tangling them with the billows of dark mane flooding the basin. Umbra had to scour your body for a place still comfortable, yet with access to your face. Evicted from her favorite roost right on top of your front, she had to make due with your shoulder and arm as a bedding. The unicorn possessively held your head in her arms and rested her chin atop your skull, glaring at the sleepy Derpy below.

"Ooooooh... that's so nice." You hissed, squeezing the assets on both your wives with a lusty and domineering strength. Ten fingers sank deep into pony cheeks and massaged the feminine fat within until both your wives were pudgy puddles engulfing you in love. You were caught in a heavenly fold between equine kisses and bodies, so blissfully unaware of the silent war raging.

"Bubbbbbbbbbbbly..." Derpy giggled through the water, making bubbles that burst in your face and drew your stare away from the ceiling.

"Muuuuuuuuushy..." You replied and squeezed, making her squeal and wiggle against you even more.

"Hi Bubby." Derpy said mere millimeters from your nose, her warm breath tickling your lips with the minty freshness of her toothpaste.

"Hi Mushy." You returned with both tired words and a loving kiss. Just leaning in slightly was enough to beckon her forward and meet you halfway. Her laughter tickled down through your rigid jaw bone and sent her energy throughout your body in a fashion perfectly relaxing and arousing at once. Soft lips smushed and molded around your own until the mare broke away to plant another quick smooch between your eyes.

"Hi Bubby!" She said again, her voice growing higher in pitch as you excited her. Before another dim-witted reply could escape you though, Umbra forced your hand with the hooves draped about your neck. She turned your chin upwards and made your face vulnerable to her own kisses. The Queen's far more mature and passionate smooches took you by surprise and prompted quite a squeeze from both hands. Molding ass-cheeks caused each mare to jump and pay much more attention, something to heighten the already growing tension. Derpy watched needily as Umbra kissed you and rubbed along the length of your delicate neck with her hooves. She watched as your tongues danced together in an altogether lewd fashion and listened to your breathing grow heavier with need. Umbra fluttered her eyes open to meet Derpy's skewed glance, the contact of irises like the spark between two copper contacts. Both equines felt the zap of jealousy in their hearts, despite this arrangement being as natural to their species as walking or talking. Derpy held a strained little smile as Umbra molested you and ground herself into your helpless body. She suffocated you with her kisses and refused to let you recover under the pressure of her affection. Derpy couldn't appreciate such aggressive work, as it was no way to treat her precious Bubby. Snorting quietly to herself, Derpy nosed her way in and took your head in her grasp. Holding you by the cheeks rather than the throat, she was able to just barely wiggle your mouth into range of her attention and away from the pearly fangs of her herd mate.

"Oooooooh! I give the Bubby my keeses!" Derpy squealed into your face before diving toward your helpless gasp. She locked her mouth to yours and pawed at our chest with both hooves scraping for traction. Still breathless from Umbra's aggressive affection, you were nowhere near prepared for the onslaught pouring from these hungry mares. The entire upper half of your body became their jungle gym of manly muscle, struggling limbs and smooth skin. Hooves and chests and snouts and bellies rubbed and clung all around you, submerging you in a vortex of swirling black, grey and gold. Every now and again you might catch a breath of air, but it was from an atmosphere of exhalations and pony scents. Derpy's sweet and motherly aroma saturated her wet fur and infected your lungs with her ultra-familiar and calming presence. Umbra's naughty and mystic taste of ash and allspice mixed with her custom blend in the tub to create a toxic potion of attraction in your male brain. You surrendered to the mares and let them have their fun, but that didn't mean the battle was anywhere near over. If anything, your willingness to comply and be their plaything caused further competition for your open affection.

"Kiss the Bubby here- MWUAH! And here- MMMMWUAH! And here!" Derpy mumbled to herself as she slathered you with wet lips and licks and nibbles. Umbra scoffed at such a humiliating thing, for it was no way to treat a King. A stallion of your stature commanded proper love and adult affection, not this puppy-dog syrup of indulgent buffoonery. She dipped in between one of Derpy's nuzzles to your nose so she could press her cheek to yours.

"Huhffff, Derpy! You must kiss the King like this!" She warned with a scathing tone moments before she too lost herself in the exchange. Her mouth found yours and sealed the huffing, sucking orifice shut with a wet smack. Sideways and hovering over your head, Umbra dominated the kiss and held your head in her arms. Your face became a babe for her to pamper and nurture however she saw fit, both kisses and bites and strokes of your hair thrown together into a masterful blend. Derpy felt you tense at first as the dark mare shrouded you in her mane and rested you against her legs, but soon that was followed by a total and utter relaxation. You went so slack that your iron grip on their backsides degraded into a weak pat barely registering through thin fur. Derpy whimpered quietly, fighting to keep her cheerful grin as Umbra took her turn.

"But the Bubby is my kissy-muffin-colt! He needs lots of smooches so he can sleep tight!" She whined with her snout smearing into your neck. She took in the pulse of your exhausted heart through her sensitive nose, the bare flesh there picking up on each tiny tick and twitch of life that made you you. The pegasus jealously licked at your neck and suckled on your jugular as she waited for another opportunity to have her man. You were so drunk off mares and fatigue that it hardly mattered who or what, just so long as something was loving you it was good enough. Thus, Umbra sneered and growled as she took your face for herself. Her rotten eyes floated up from the intense scene to peer past her blinding mane, just a slight look to confirm a suspicion.

There, buried in the fluff of her round ass, was your hand. And on that hand stood her ring. The dark black and shimmering blue stood out so well that it was impossible to miss. Soaked in the bath and drenched with sweat from a workday in the summer sun, the eternal ice still remained solid and the tungsten still shiny. Her heart swelled with pride when she saw it digging into her flesh, a knowing groan leaving her throat when you used that hand to pull her closer. Whilst another, far simpler band of pure gold sat on your other hand, hers was still competing with it. Running right alongside Derpy's marriage piece, Umbra's outclassed it in every technical way. It was bigger, more valuable and by any mark, more fashionable. But that didn't change the fact that you wore both on either hand. Umbra was proud to have you to herself and honored to be chosen as your wife.

But there was always going to be another rump in the tub.

~Meanwhile~

In the highest chambers of the Canterlot castle, protected by the imposing walls of stone and the vigilant Guard of Equestria, voices chittered and chattered in an unending chorus of confusion and debate. Words flew back and forth between agitated parties, though a slight break might force through to silence them all and let only one speak. Just as it had been done for centuries, the council's debate floor was alight with passionate politics and intense exchanges. Not one pony in attendance would remain seated for the entirety of the three hours, for they would either get their chance to add their issue or debate another's.

Celestia and Luna presided over all of it every week, wisely watching and judging and making the final calls on every vote. Just as they had done for so many years, they brought order and organization to an otherwise tangled web of needs and desires. Luna used her more disciplinarian tactics to retain a sense of posh grace among the elected officials from the states and cities in Equestria while Celestia goaded ponies into peaceful agreements with motherly warmth. She never had to raise her voice, as Luna would always quickly see to the more rowdy council members. Regardless of their practice and skill in their art, both sisters looked forward to the end of this session. The sun was hanging low in the sky and the words growing less captivating on every issue. Every pony grew more and more fatigued, some simply waiting to go home and process the events of the hectic evening. Celestia herself yearned for her late dinner and a bath, as such gorgeous things would no doubt cool her nerves and ready her for a restful night's sleep. She smiled cheerily as the last issue was wrapped up and only a few traditional words remained to be said.

"Then we agree! Manehatten's municipal waste department will mandate that all river run-off from its sites shall meet the standards of any principality it flows into. If there are any further concerns please speak?" Not a voice rose to add unto the boring matter. So many eyes had already glazed over and hooves tapped impatiently on the rounded table all gathered around.

"Wonderful. I shall now take any final issues and suggestions for topics of our next meeting before we conclude." Celestia never intended for anyone to speak, as it was so astonishingly rare. These meetings were so long and thorough and heated that hardly anyone had the energy to lengthen them further. Her banana colored magic was already lifting her gabble to declare it all officially over, just for an usual sound to cut her off.

"Yes. 'Tis one issue we would like to discuss ‘fore we retire for the evening." Luna huffed in her stiff and official voice. No one dared grumble in distaste when the Night Princess spoke, though they all thought the very same thoughts of irritation. Celestia cocked an eyebrow toward her sister before gently setting her piece down.

"Oh? Then the floor recognizes Princess of the Night, Luna." She said with a palpable frustration in her voice barely concealed behind courteous sweetness. Luna inhaled sharply and nervously fidgeted for a moment in the spotlight of so many aggravated politicians.

"We should like to bring before the council the matter of the human and his progeny." The moment those words left her lips, every pony in attendance dropped their facades of respectful patience.

"Uuugh..."

"Not this garbage again!"

"Princess, please."

"How many times are we gonna go over this?" A myriad of voices chastised Luna and complained from every angle, making the dark Princess blush in embarrassment before she could gather herself.

"Silence in the court! If you please?" She bellowed sharply in her olden and righteous voice, failing to wipe the dark scowls off the faces of her constituents. To once again have all these judgemental glares upon her, each eye watching with scathing focus for what she would do next, Luna felt a familiar chill. A burning from eons before returned to her ancient heart and shouted for her to hide away from the fierce scrutiny she was now under. But, in a certain way, that sensation of alarm also helped to push her past the intrepid barrier her own awkwardness imposed. Swallowing hard and letting her gaze dance from pony to pony, the Night Princess let voice be heard.

“I beckon ye to reconsider this crucial moment. Our lack of decision has been most concerning to Us, for it sets a precedent most disturbing to not only Us, but Equestrian society!” She huffed with flamboyant bravado, perhaps laying her political voice on a bit thick.

“Umbrial Daze is within her rights to expect a young one of her own. What savage race are we to withhold the gift of motherhood from one that is now part of our glorious society?” Several growns rung out from dropping heads. Hooves scrubbed against tired brows and ruffled brilliant hair cuts in the strain of such a statement. Not only was this a frustrating debate, but it was perhaps the seventh time Luna had brought it before the court in the last year.

“Your Majesty! If I may?” A representative grunted as she stood from her seat, a look of utter fatigue weighing on her muzzle.

“I have been attempting to bring before the court a comprehensive budget reform for my state, yet we’ve refused to reach a conclusive vote for over three months! How in Equestria are we expected to take this institution seriously, if topics are picked exclusively at your whim?” Before Luna could reply, an even more aggravated voice cut through the air like an arrow.

“Oh, you WOULD bring up your budget reforms! The most unequal and embarrassing piece of law I’ve EVER seen in this building!”

“How dare you say that before our Princesses! Your voters should be ashamed for supporting such a tyrant!” A chorus of voices then erupted from the gathered mayors and dukes and duchesses and senators, one that quickly drowned out any other noise. Luna, flustered beyond speech, could only panic and shout into the meaningless melee once more.

“O- ORDER! Order, damn you! Remain on topic!” Celestia simply sat there in regal waiting for this storm to pass, as she was more than settled on this matter already. Luna’s insistence on its discussion was only serving to grind her patience down.

“It was you, Mayor, that plunged Fillydelphia into a recession with your hard-headed financial policies! How could we trust you in this court to make wise decisions?!”

“A pony that supports Spirit Strider WOULD say something so profoundly stupid!”

“You Red Party ponies are all alike! Trying to derail our discourse and make everypony forget how you botched the taxation system!”

“If the Iron Party would simply open their eyes, then we might be able to move past this awful deadlock they’ve forced us into!”

Rambling and shouting only dissipated when an exhausted and impatient Celestia rose from her seat and left them to their business. The very moment a pony perceived they no longer had to uphold the charade, all quietly gathered their things and made for the halls to mingle and talk and joke. Luna, defeated again, shifted through the vitriolic and combative politicians that chatted and laughed together as if they were all life-long friends. She never appreciated the duality of their personalities, but that concern was beyond her at the moment. She- as many stallions did in the old days- chased after the bobbing white mountain of her sister’s rump. Trotting stiffly to catch up to her, Luna hardly disturbed Celestia’s prim and proper walk away from the crowds.

“We thinks that you avoid our concern, Sister.” The alabaster alicorn smiled sweetly and tilted her head upwards aristocratically.

“Nonsense, Sister. The council simply had no time to discuss the issue again. I’m sure it will come up again at the next gathering.” Celestia shot back as their surroundings grew quieter and more secluded. The royal passageways and routes were often out of the public eye, for they were some of the rare places that the Sisters could have some modicum of privacy. Thus, Luna’s frustration shined through in the deafening silence of the castle’s inner sanctum.

“Thou cannot ignore this forever. Else Umbra shall find a solution herself.” Luna chided with a failing seriousness. Her taller and yawning sibling cast off the heavy burden of worry that often fell on Luna’s neurotic and uptight shoulders.

“Oh yes I can.” She shot back with quite some intensity, as if she were offended by Luna’s attempts to speak. The dark ruler of the night scoffed at her equal, bumping against her in an aggressive and childish display of anger.

“Ugh! The Council should not even be considered in this matter! Why must you complicate Our efforts?!” The Princess demanded of her Sister, finally getting the alicorn to stop in place. Celestia blinked as if she had been slapped, her face frozen in an ambassador’s neutral and cold position.

“Why do you think this is so important now, of all times? It was my impression that we were in agreement about this.” Luna stomped a hoof in protest, fighting the subtle displays of insecurity Celestia would no doubt see in her.

“Before, I was ignorant. Yes, it’s true that I cared little for the matters of fair Anonymous and his wretched wife.” Luna stopped herself with pursed lips, her eyes shuttering from Celestia’s and falling to the floor in thought.

“But… upon reflection? We see error in our ways. It is not our place, as the monarchy, to determine the matters of one’s progeny.” Celestia raised a curious- albeit judgemental- brow to her Sister. Such talk was unusual, to say the least.

“Luna, we’ve held Umbra under no wards or curses or spells. Her inability to bear Anonymous’ children is simply nature doing as it will.”

“But we assisted in the creation of one daughter-”

“Yes. As a reward.” She interrupted with a hoof, shaking her head in disapproval.

“And that was already a difficult decision for us to make. The Council still hasn’t forgotten how we failed to consult them.” Luna stood more defiantly, her posture defensive as a beast protecting its home.

“If we can, then we should.” Luna said stiffly.

“In this case, with all considered, I believe Umbra should be given a child if she so chooses one. It is only right that we-”

“Where is this all coming from, dear Luna?” Celestia cut through the spiel and the talk, the olden ways of direct and brutal politics resurfacing in her expression. Luna was taken aback somewhat, but her iron will powered through and allowed her to speak.

“Our natural sense of righteousness and love of peace hath planted this seed in our mind from the very beginning, Sister. It is the right thing to do.” Celestia appeared less than convinced, if her beguiling glower was anything to go on.

“Luna. If one is suffering from an awful cancer, does the surgeon work to spread it further?” The dark sister didn’t respond, simply standing there with her eyes to the ground.

“Or, do they attempt to contain and eliminate it?” She asked sharply with a scolding force hammering behind each word.

Solemnly pinning her wings to her side, Luna could just barely force her words through.

“Is that what we are to you?” Celestia did not respond at first, waiting for Luna to expand on her curious response. She was only greeted by an intense reaction of silent offense.

“Surely if Umbrial Daze is too foul and horrific an evil… then Nightmare Moon cannot be allowed to breed as well?” The words hung in the air for what felt like hours of grinding, shredding and dry silence. Neither sister was willing to cut in until the other spoke, as such an idea burned both to their very cores. Celestia held an expression somewhere between offense and shock, whilst Luna cowered under the foreboding shadow of this fear.

“Luna… dearest Sister…” The Princess started, moving in to comfort her equal with an equine hug. Their chests touch in a secure and warm bond, each one’s neck folding against the other in pursuit of safety.

“You and Umbra are not the same. Not one bit.” She said sternly, forcefully and surely. There was no ambiguity in her sentiment, as Celestia would surely slap the fire out of any other pony’s mouth for daring to make Luna think this way.

“Umbra is a soul swallowed by evil and just holding her nose above water. To even imagine you two being somewhat similar is… disgusting. I scorn the pony that put the thought in your mind!” Luna kept her eye closed and her lips still as Celestia did her best to comfort her, for there was still always going to be doubt wedged in her heart.

“Nightmare Moon dwells within me. Just as Equestria shelters many hidden evils, so too doth this body hold limitless tragedy. She is always looming just in Our shadow.”

“She is not. Nightmare Moon is vanquished and you have bested her. WE have bested her.” Luna pulled back quickly from her sister, shooting her a serious stare of caution.

“Comforting as denial might be, you know as well as I that our ponies will always see it in me.” Luna breathed deep to hold in her draining sadness, as this fact of her return hung heavy over all that she did like a stinking fog.

“They are wrong, Luna. Give them time and they will remember the kindness and justice you bring to this nation.”

“If there is fear, then there is little thought. They will see in me the same awfulness that defines Umbra. And when we tacitly approve of this fear through our inaction? When we treat Umbra as if she is… ‘cancer,’ then they will follow suit against any perceived evil.” The Princess squared her posture and chewed her lip, perhaps fearful to say what she truly wanted.

“If we forgive, we must be willing to go beyond a cold and dispassionate acceptance. Nay, we mustn’t break our backs to please Umbra. But if it is within our powers to grant her single wish, then we only mimic her spite and malice by withholding it.” Celestia stared into her sister with a twisted mixture of confusion and revelation, the two opposed emotions swirling together like water and oil.

“Our family knows tainted magic. You and I both have tasted the allure of untold power. The only true difference between Us and her is that we were blessed with each other.”

“Temptations by dark magic are not the same as what she has done.” Celestia shot back darkly.

“Whatever Umbra produces would be nothing short of wretched evil that we would one day have to imprison or destroy just as we did her. How many times are we willing to go through this cycle and endanger our ponies?” Luna was not fazed, for many a baron and politician had tried to frighten her over her ancient career.

“How many times must our ponies watch us fall to the forbidden realms of evil magic… Daybreaker?”

Now, she had truly stepped over an unspoken line in the sand. Celestia restrained a dam of emotions and furious comebacks with a twitching eye and pursed lips. That cursed name was never to be spoken in these halls again, for the very idea of that atrocious mare achieved something no dragon, army or pestilence could. It struck a deep and very real fear in the Royal’s heart.

“Never forget, Sister. You and I both could very easily be Umbrial Daze. And perhaps she would not look so kindly on our actions, either.” The enormous alicorn pushed past her sister rudely, butting their chests together and warming the room with a radiating and passionate rage.

“This discussion is over.” She growled, a fiery energy building in her horn that made nearby torches thrash and dance furiously with unbearable heat.

“Goodnight, Luna.” An enormous door slammed behind the Day Princess to assure she wouldn’t be followed, leaving the petite alicorn alone in her thoughts.

“Ugh… Luna. You and your legendary tact strike again.” She mumbled to herself, exhaustedly making for her chambers.