The Only Painless Path

Dismay at their destination was rampant in Luna’s mind. While she appreciated the gentle force her carrier used to transport her there, she was appalled that the room of the palace he entered was immediately across from the one occupied by Ivangir. Her thoughts were quickly drawn back to the more important matter of the caribou who was setting her down on what she assumed was his bed. Even without the usual throwing of her body as if she was a doll, the contact with the mattress reignited the agony on Luna’s flanks causing her to wince - but she forced herself to not make noise. The caribou noticed despite her attempt to not show pain. “I’m sorry, that was foolish of me, here.” He then once more lifted her naked body and set her down on her stomach.

Luna was incredibly confused; the night mare didn’t expect what appeared to be concern for her pain from a caribou. Not wanting to somehow set him off, she remained silent. Turning his back to her, the caribou spoke again in an almost friendly tone, “My name is Alseric by the way” he rummaged through some drawers as he spoke.

Assuming that his words were an invitation to reply, Luna did just that with a simple “I am Luna”.

Alseric turned around and walked towards her holding a small glass jar as he spoke “I always liked pony names; they sound so much more gentle. The names of a race that is attempting to establish a society, not an empire.” Luna didn’t know how to respond to that so she remained silent as he opened the jar and began to apply its contents - a white cream - to her flanks. Instantly the pain began to dissipate and she unwillingly let out a long sigh of relief. She turned to Alseric and only then did she catch a real glimpse of the branding on her cutie mark: chains, identical to the ones her sister bore. Not seeming to notice the horror in Luna’s eyes, Alseric continued “Barbarism. This used to be standard practice for brandings, leaving females like this is just unnecessary barbarism.” Luna silently agreed with his judgment. “Now,” Alseric stated, placing a hand higher on her flank close to where Luna did not want his hands to go, “if you want me to remove these plugs I’m going to have to ask you to relax your muscles. I’m not surprised that you’re tense but it feels like cast iron back here.” The young warrior punctuated his sentence with a light laugh that Luna found slightly inappropriate but she attempted to comply, loosening the unintentionally tense muscles in her backside. One by one her benevolent captor removed the causes of her discomfort; their effects leaving her squirming and mewling on the bed.

Despite no longer suffering their touch, Luna was still somehow subject to the effects of the plugs. Alseric, as if he sensed her unvoiced question, answered the prompt, “the effects of the runes will last for a few hours, or until they’re cured naturally.”

The obvious implication was not something Luna preferred. He didn’t push it so she remained silent. She attempted to rise on shaky legs but as soon as what she was doing became apparent Alseric put his hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back down. “You’re not permitted to stand, Luna, I’d advise against outright disobedience.” he warned as he walked to the bathroom to wash his hands.

Luna stared at him dumbfounded, “why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?” he called back.

“You are the first of your kind to treat me with a modem of dignity, yet you still seek to enforce the rule of save law?”

Alseric stepped out of the bathroom to stand in front of the bed, his form looming over her. Dainn was an entire head taller than Celestia was, and Alseric seemed to have a height advantage over the king, though he was nowhere near the giant, Ivangir. Still his eyes bore none of the raw hatred Luna’s former master had gazed upon her with day after day, and the somber authority in his dark brown orbs projected a feeling of comfort. It was with this feeling washing over her did Luna hear his next words, “I am a caribou. We are enlightened to the fact that females: cows, mares, hens, et cetera are below us males. It is the natural order of the world for males to be above you. Because I am a caribou I am also loyal to my king, despite anything I disagree with him on; Dainn is the savior of our people and he has led us in the formation of this new empire. From the north we have come to dominate not only Equestria, but the Imperium Griffonun, Minos and most recently, Zeebabwe - all because of Dainn. If I were to renounce my loyalty to him, what then would I be?” Alseric now moved to sit next to Luna on the bed and attempted to place a hand on her shoulder from which she recoiled. Ignoring her reaction, he continued his speech. “Despite all of this, I am free to do with my property whatever I desire as long as it does not go against the laws of our people. You are my property, you are my pet, but what other pet do I have that I would wish to see harm done to? I do not whip my war hounds, I do not strike my falcon and just as I do none of that to them, I do not wish to cause pain to you.” He placed his hand under Luna’s chin and gently moved her head to face him. “I wish to be fair to you, to be a kind master, but do not forget that I am still your master. I like that name: Luna, but I shall rename you. You are no longer Luna, Princess of Equestria; you are now Luna, property and pet of Alseric.”

Luna stared at him, awestruck, “You are a worse monster than any of them.” she said softly as if she were speaking to herself.

Alseric cocked his head in amused confusion. “How do you figure? Would you rather remain under Ivangir?”

“At least he is honest with his intentions!” She yelled back at him. “You seek to lure me in, lower my guard with your pleasantries, yet you will still think of me as an animal, you will still rape m-“

“No.”

“I have no intention of raping you.”

His admission caught Luna off guard. She curled her knees up to her chest and scooted away from the caribou; she didn’t like the uncertainty of his words. At least with Ivangir she knew his intentions. “But… why else would I be here?”

Alseric smirked but his amused face betrayed none of the condescending pretentiousness often displayed by his peers. “You are here to pleasure me, but I derive no pleasure from your pain. I will not take you until you ask me to.”

Again, Luna stared at him in bewilderment. “You’re insane…” she remarked.

Alseric laughed a long, hearty laugh, “you’re not the first to tell me that and I doubt you’ll be the last, little mare.” He stood up before continuing. “That being said, I need to go out for some amenities; I trust that I don’t need to chain you to anything while I’m gone?”

Luna lowered her head before replying softly, “I have nowhere to go.”

Alseric shrugged, “I guess that’s true. In any case, there’s guards constantly patrolling but I trust you won’t try anything. I’ll be back in a few hours.” With that he stepped out the door, the sound of the lock turning reverberating throughout the now silent room.

Left alone, Luna had no clue what to do. The best she could come up with was to just sit where she was and wait. She was no stranger to isolation - the loneliness she endured locked in cages as a caribou slave was nothing compared to the agonizing isolation she had endured for a milenia as the Nightmare. So the caribou’s pet remained curled up on the bed contemplating her current situation. She didn’t know what to think of her new master. Treating her with kindness had caused more problems for Luna than any previous treatment. Her inherent lack of trust called forward the possibility that it was all a front, that he would come back and use her like an object. The residual effects of the runed plugs caused some part of her brain to want that option but she quickly stomped it out. No matter what he said she was Princess Luna of Equestria; she would not yield.

The sun outside the bedroom had long set by the time Alseric returned carrying with him a small metal safe that rattled with contents and a large doggy bed with large, bold letters reading “Luna” embroidered onto it. He flung the bed with perfect accuracy to land next to his own and set the safe down on a desk. He then stretched, popping multiple joints, and began to remove his armor and clothes. “Whelp,” he sighed “I’m tired half to death and it’s getting late. What do you think about calling it a night?” He punctuated his final statement by gesturing to the doggy bed.

Luna glared at him, “I am not sleeping in a pet bed.”

“But you’re a pet.”

“I am a mare, and beyond that I am a princess of Equestria! I will n-“

“You are a pet, Luna, you are my pet, and you can either accept my gift or sleep on the floor.”

Luna promptly accepted the latter option, swiftly crawling off the bed and curling up on the floor. Alseric looked at her as if questioning her very existence, shook his head, and finished removing the final parts of his outfit. Luna glared at him as he undressed and though not a word was shared between them she was certain he could feel the contempt radiating from her eyes. Witnessing him removing his undergarments brought horror to the mare’s mind, his flaccid cock sprung free to Luna’s alarm, causing her to wonder if every caribou carried a mare-breaker with them under their pants. “You sleep naked?” She questioned.

Alseric turned off the light and began climbing into bed. “You’re naked.” He responded succinctly.

“I am being forced to be naked - by you!”

He shrugged and laid down on his mattress, pulling the blanket over himself. “Then I don’t see what the issue is.”

Luna thought about it for a second and decided that there wasn’t an issue worth arguing about so she let the topic drop. Though she could no longer see him from her spot on the floor, his voice still carried over. “Luna, it is mid-January; if you stay there you’re going to freeze.”

Not one to succumb to simple temperatures, Luna stayed firm, “I’ve suffered worse.” she retorted.

“Suit yourself.” he sighed back. Luna heard a bit of rustling of blankets, and only a few minutes later - snoring.

A couple of hours later the shivering alicorn reached over to the blanket covering the pet bed and, finding the blanket was sewn to the bed, climbed in and let out a content sigh as the fabric’s warmth surrounded her naked body.