Anything for My Princess

On into the night, Luna cracked the whip over Pip's back while dripping hot candle wax onto him. Every so often, she'd have to peel it back and reshape it around a fresh wick, but by four-thirty, his skin was buttery smooth and soft, having been exfoliated through the night. It was more a rough spa treatment masquerading as a punishment, just to make him feel pain in response to his actions.

The carpet had accumulated a wet spot, filled with tears, snot and saliva that had dribbled down his chin. Unable to wipe his face, they had been leaking out of him all night long.

His parents would be awake in the next hour or so, so it was time to clean up. She spun him around to look at her, wiped down his face with a hoofkerchief, and took off his gag and blindfold. "Do you want to spend the rest of your life in the dungeons, Pip?"

He shook his head.

"Answer me verbally, Pip. Do you want to experience that pain every day for the rest of your life?"

Pip was still for a time, not saying anything. Luna began to consider asking him again, but he slowly whispered, "N-no..."

"That took you some time to answer, Pip. Are you sure?"

Pip shook his head. "I don't know."

Luna leaned forward and kissed his forehead, then gently pet his neck. "Why would you want to spend all of your time in the dungeon, Pip? If you go into one of the cells, we can't ever, ever be friends."

Pip sniffled. "I don't want to go to the dungeons," he whimpered. "I'm sure this time."

Luna smiled. "There's a good lad. Come, let's see you to the shower."

After untying him and storing away everything she'd used, Luna escorted Pip to the bathroom and helped him into the bathtub. Being kept in an uncomfortable and unfamiliar position all night had left his joints very stiff, and his hooves were shaking. He needed some help, and she was willing to offer that aid. She even helped to scrub his back, making sure to remove every trace of candle wax for him. He had to look like he'd just had a bad night, not like he'd been tortured.

He was obviously very sensitive where she'd been dripping on him, and he winced at every touch of the loofah. Still, he sat there and let her scrub, knowing that he wouldn't be able to do it himself. He didn't have the stomach for that sort of pain.

Of course, there were things he had to do himself, regardless. She wasn't going to touch his underside at all, but he had no trouble reaching it himself. She even gave him the courtesy of privacy, closing the curtain for him when it came time to scrub his balls.

It was a quarter to six when they finished with the shower, toweled Pip off, and returned to his room. "Princess Luna?"

"Yes, Pip?"

"Do you do this sort of thing with other colts my age?"

Luna shook her head. "Other colts your age don't have this problem, Pip. This is something that, while an issue now, will be a blessing when you become older. That's why I'm doing this for you. I want you to have the best chance of successfully navigating through this problem so you can reap the benefits on the other side."

Pip lowered his head. "Am I a freak?"

Luna placed a hoof on his shoulder. "You're not a freak, Pip. You're just a bit misguided. Everypony needs help sometimes; even me. Right now, you need my help, and I'm doing my best to see you through. But you have to listen to me, okay?"

Pip nodded. "Okay."

She gave him one more kiss before moving to the window. "This goes without saying, but let's keep tonight's session between us. There's no need to tell your parents that I came here to administer a punishment for your actions. As far as they're concerned, you're a good boy, and you just had trouble falling asleep last night."

Pip gasped. "You want me to lie?"

"Not lie, no. Just don't give them any details. You were up all night, that is true, and you could not sleep because you couldn't find a comfortable spot on the bed. It's the truth, but it's a version of the truth that paints you in a good light. You can tell them that you didn't sleep, but not why you didn't sleep."

"Okay."

"It's for the best, Pip. What you've been doing is wrong. This was just a taste of what will happen to you if you continue down this path. It was a warning, to prevent any future problems." She slipped out the window and turned around. "Have a good day at school, Pip. I will see you very soon."

As she flew back to Canterlot, Luna felt her stomach drop. She'd just spent the whole night lying to Pip about what life in the dungeons was like. It wasn't nearly as bad as she had described, as she didn't like seeing her subjects suffer, even the worst of them. She'd personally taken steps to increase the funding for the rehabilitation programs that saw prisoners return to society if applicable. She had also pushed for better treatments by the guards, as they were to be an example of how to behave. These programs were showing promise thus far, though it was too soon to see the long-term effects.

She landed at the castle just in time for breakfast with Celestia. She wasn't going to sleep today. She'd essentially forced Pip to go about his day with no sleep, and she would suffer the same punishment. The difference was, Pip could go to sleep right after dinner. She would have to wait until nightfall, as she had to raise the moon.

At any rate, she didn't feel like sleeping at the moment. Even knowing that what happened last night had to be done, she still didn't feel right about doing it. Even if she hadn't caused any permanent physical damage, she had caused Pip an unbelievable amount of pain, and that was something she never wanted to do. She hoped she would never have to again.