In The Days Before The Upheaval

Moonlight River's parents lived in a cave tucked away in the mountains, some distance away from the Crystal Empire. The location was known to few, since the married couple that lived there chose to be a 'neutral party' that lived a humble life, despite the riches and status Queen Cadance once tempted them with in return for their services. The bat mare stood at the mountain's foot, dressed in a Wonderbolts uniform like Midnight Blitzer and Lightning Spark, who were with her. Sure, she'd never become a Wonderbolt, but she couldn't deny how nice the costume fit, like a second-skin.

“It's so thin,” she observed, and pulled on the zipped up chest portion, thankful that while it put all their curves or muscles on display, nipples, labia, and anuses were kept obscured. “But durable! Wonder what it's made from? Must be enchanted, so it can stretch like crazy but won't rip at top speeds?”

“Yep! They're so cool!” Lightning slapped her own uniform-clad butt with a smirk. The costumes seemed to emphasize their assets, to display an idealized female, or in Midnight's case, male form.

Midnight had bulked up a tad after he'd lost his virginity, unaware he'd awakened his latent 'hyper-stallion' side. “They are pretty awesome, aren't they?” He flexed a bicep with a chuckle. “Race you to the top, sis!” In a blur, his massive plume spread and zipped him up into the air.

“You dick!” His twin shot up after him in an electric blue blur.

“Wait, you two! Do you remember what the map says? And the air's thin up there!” Moonlight cupped her hands and called after them, to no avail. With a sigh, her bat wings parted and carried her up, too. Unlike most of the Crystal Empire since Sombra's overthrow, pockets of snow still reached these mountains. Known as the 'Nocturne's Peak', it was said to be a birthplace of the thestrals.

The rumors that this place was cursed had to be horseshit. At least, she hoped so!

The Wonderbolt uniform she'd requested proved comfortable and insulated, despite the chilly air while she rose above the formations of rocks. Ice formed on some of the stones, and laced the paths, while on occasion a snowflake trailed in the low winds that howled around her. She perked her sharp ears with a watchful bat-like eye, and noted few animals made their homes here.

Without rest, their ascent lasted over an hour. She didn't want to think how long it would take on foot, or how easily one could slip down the ice-slicked paths. A maze of caves hollowed out the mountains, some of them interconnected, a perfect place for anyone to hide, were they able to survive here. She didn't visit her parents much, due to a difference in their opinions.

Finally, she touched down at a mouth-like entrance in the mountside where her friends waited. “Looks like this is the one,” she noted as she double-checked her map. “Don't tell anyone, okay?”

“Of course! I'm not a snitch,” said Lightning with a grin.

“Me either,” promised Midnight with a balled up fist over his heart. “So, do we head inside?”

“I'll take point,” offered Moonlight, who brushed aside. “My eyes are better in the dark.” It was true, bat ponies born in the darkness. The children of Luna, unlike the ponies of Celestia. She decided to take their hands and said, “Stay close.” Then, the three of them set off into the natural labyrinth.

She could hear impatient snorts and taps of her foot from Sparks sometimes, or scratches at the back of his head from Blitzer, but she refused to speed it up, aware they could end up lost or injured, were they careless. There were a number of pits carved into the caves over the centuries, sheer drop offs where they could blindly tumble into the dark, panic, and meet a terrible end.

Her parents took every precaution to make sure no one ever discovered their home.

Several minutes later Lightning whined, “How much further? You know I hate to take it slow!”

“Not far,” replied Moonlight. “And keep it down. Hear that echo? I don't want to risk a potential avalanche or cave-in. Who knows how much snow is packed up there between the rocks?”

Midnight said, “So we shouldn't talk unless we have to? Gotcha.”

A few more minutes passed, and they arrived. When they entered a more spacious cavern, where a waterfall softly trickled in the distance over a cliff, on the earth stood a simple cabin. “Home sweet home,” murmured an ambivalent Moonie to herself, who quietly rapped on the door.

Moments later, it creaked open. A bat mare with a flower in her mane peeked out. “Sweetie?”

“Yep, it's me. Friends are here, too.” She nodded at them behind her. “Can we come in?” The mother stepped back to allow them inside, past a welcome mat, even if Moonlight felt anything but welcome. Especially when she saw her father up ahead, his face drawn while he observed them.

“My name is Moonflower,” said their hostess. “I'll make you comfortable, so settle in.” She set the hearth ablaze, then hurried off to the kitchen where she started to prepare food and drink.

“My daughter's told me all about you two,” said the bat stallion. “I'm Night Blade.” He kept his toned arms crossed over his chest, and like his wife, they adorned themselves in clothes that were of a more ancient, traditional style, like the married couple were people displaced out of time.

“Good stuff I hope?” Lightning snickered, then shut up when he remained withdrawn. “Um, nice place you have here! Very cozy!” She and her brother had taken an offered seat on the couch.

“Hey,” said Midnight, who widened his emerald eyes at the weapons and armor on a wall. “That's like some of the armaments we saw at the championship! Are those replicas, or-?”

“They're real,” he answered. “Let's cut the pleasantries. Why are you here?”

“I wanted to see my parents,” replied Moonlight. “There's nothing wrong with that, is there?” She voiced it more defensively than intended, reminded how they hadn't parted on the best terms.

“You know ponies are a bad influence,” he stated sharply.

“I don't feel that way! Most of them have been very kind and supportive! Besides, they'll always be prejudiced against us if we hide away in dank caves all day! I have to shome them we're not blood-drinking monsters, but we laugh, love, and weep like anyone else!” Moonlight poured out her heart, moved to tears herself while she balled up her fists and her pent up frustrations exploded out.

She huffed as the tears rolled down her face, while the brother-and-sister rose to support her, tears wiped away by a napkin. After an awkward silence, Night Blaze relaxed his stiff posture and uncrossed his arms. The aromas of freshly baked pies filled the air, as Moonflower made her return.

“...I'm sorry,” he finally said. “I didn't mean to reopen old wounds.”

“It-it's fine,” sniffled Moonlight, who covered her face, ashamed she'd balled her eyes out in front of everyone. “All I want is for ponies to like and accept us! The war between Celestia and Luna ended thousands of years before my time! Why the hell can't Equestria move on...?”

“Bad blood,” he replied, also for the benefit of the other arrivals. “Thestrals are cursed.”

Moonie's watery eyes met his stare. “All the more reason we need to heal our reputation, not stay cooped up in a cave! You say this isn't your war, but why? Just because you came from a different time? You helped take down Sombra! We need you to deal with Chrysalis and her army, too!”

“It's always one villain or another. It never ends,” he lamented.

“So we throw up our hands and surrender like cowards? I don't believe this! This is why I left!”

“You don't understand,” he muttered darkly, and tried to blot out the memories.

“I know you were the 'Fourth Sword!' One who served Cadance!” She words tumbled out of her, and the brother-and-sister perked up in shock. “Oops! I'm-I'm sorry-”

“No, it's fine. You trust them, so it's better they know. I'll explain it all,” he decided, pulled up a stool by the hearth, and cast a shadow over the wall while the fireplace crackled. “Where to start? Thestrals were once normal ponies, too. We'd chosen to worship Luna instead of Celestia, and in return, our 'Goddess' altered us with her dark mysticism. We were altered forever, but at a cost.”

Moonflower stroked his shoulder. “My dear-”

He squeezed her hand back and continued. “We drank the blood of our enemies to empower ourselves. Not directly, like the vampires of myth, but from blood spilled into bowls. I was one of Luna's elites, with few able to match my swordsmanship. I lost track of how many I'd slain. But all for what? Luna ultimately lost, and our kind were forced to hide, or be eliminated by the victors.”

“That's terrible,” said Lightning as she tried to picture the bloodbath.

Midnight asked, “Surely Celestia wouldn't punish whoever surrendered...?”

“It was a darker, more primitive time. I can't blame Celestia. She couldn't risk an uprising from a bunch of fanatics. I would've fought her forces to my last breath, but when I retreated to protect Moonflower, pregnant with my unborn daughter, a magical explosion leveled parts of 'Nocturne's Peak' we took shelter in. My men were pulverized under tons of stone. We were the 'lucky' ones. We ended up frozen solid, like a miracle, and woke up in modern times, where Moonflower's unborn child was miraculously preserved. I never weeped harder than when she was born, and knew I couldn't continue in my old ways. For a time, I'd considered a place in the Crystal Empire-”

“-but we'd be pulled into another senseless war,” finished Moonflower for him.

“I'm listed as only a year older than you two,” said Moonlight to the twins. “But really, how do you count the years when I came from a different era? I used to wonder, is there a place for me anywhere? So I made myself a purpose. I'd mend the divide between ponies and thestrals!”

“An ambitious endeavor,” her father said. “But an admirable one!”

Moonflower looked more pensive. “About how we drank blood and were altered by the dark arts...our children were supposed to be cursed with limited lifespans. It rarely applies to thestrals these days, since the bloodlines have thinned over thousands of years as we've mixed with other races, but we worried our poor Moonie would suffer for the mistakes her ancestors made!”

“Well, I'm fine so far. Healthy and spry,” the bat mare announced. “I had the mystics in the Crystal Empire run a physical. Just in case. They couldn't find any trace of illnesses?”

“Good,” he replied. “Let's hope it stays that way. We can't afford to lose you.”

“We'll take care of her sir!” Midnight rose and saluted him.

“Yep, me too!” Lightning also shot up and offered her own clipped salute.

“I'll hold you to that.” He chuckled. “Oh, and if you plan to court her...”

“Dad~!” She blushed darkly at her parents, and decided it unwise to share all the trouble they'd partaken in. Which included how he'd messed around with them, and had her cherry popped.

Moonflower tittered and her face colored too as she beamed. “Well, at least he's cute. Go ahead, have some pie! I'm afraid there's not much to entertain yourselves with here, but we do our best!”

Around the kitchen, they could spot a number of spaced out flower beds, which blossomed even in the darkness. The botanist tended to them as a hobby. Many of the plants on display were on the cusp of extinction, preserved by her tender, constant care as she spread them around the mountain.

By contrast, Night Blade continued to polish weapons and armor he didn't use anymore. Almost like he feared they'd be pulled back into another conflict. As the 'Fourth Sword', any army would seek his services, be it by the riches they offered, or forced conscription. So he'd requested his identity and family connection be kept a secret that only Queen Cadance, her 'Three Swords', and possibly Sombra knew...with the latter thankfully executed at the last all-out war's climax.

“We've been upkeeping your bedroom,” said Moonflower with a wink. “In case you needed to crash here!”

“Good to know,” she replied, and tried not to read between the lines as her parents looked at her, like they expected she'd turn frisky with her crush under their rooftop! “But I only intended to drop in and catch up. Didn't plan to stick around, since we don't want to miss the championship.”

Lightning interjected, “But that's the same every year! Besides, our spots in the games are over-and-done with! Even took home a trophy! We can be back by midday tomorrow and not miss much!”

“I don't mind either way,” said Midnight with a shrug. “It's pretty nice here!”

Moonlight considered it. “Fine. Thanks, mom and dad.” The four of them relaxed in the living room, ate slices of pie, and drank fresh spring water that Moonflower collected from the mountaintop. They chatted about the Crystal Empire, and the events they'd witnessed.

Some time later Moonflower's keep eye peeked into one of the open packs they'd carried here. She sniffed the air. “Hmm? Is that booze?” She reached over to open the strap.

“W-wait mom...!” Yet she couldn't snatch it away in time.

“Huh, booze it is!” Moonflower pulled the bottle from the pack, the liquid a hot pink, unaware that this was from Cadance's stash and had also been spiked with aphrodisiac venom. “Bottom's up!” She uncorked it and poured drinks for them all, while her husband looked on in disapproval.

“I suppose it's a special occasion,” said Night Blade, who sipped from his glass. “Where did you find this? And how many times have you three drank before? In my time, a father had his son down this stuff to help make him a stallion. Mothers had their own rituals to help their daughters reach marehood.

“A-a few times,” confessed Moonie.

“To be fair it was to celebrate my brother's victory!” Lightning brandished the Rainbow Dash silver trophy, the lean athletic mare in her Wonderbolts costume. “As for her drink, it's from the queen's personal stash. Uh, she decided to offer us a personal reward, she was so impressed!”

Night Blade shook his head. “Well, drink up. But pace yourselves.”

“Yes sir!” Midnight took a drink, and already, they all felt a warmth in the bellies. While none of them were remotely aroused, so the effects were much slower than usual, they talked and continued to down small sips, until between the four of them the bottle was finished.

The clock chimed, to warn them of the late hour.

“About time we all turned in,” said Night Blade. “I'll help you clean up, sweetheart. The rest of you, feel free to stay up until you're ready to retire.” He helped Moonflower pick up the dishes.

In truth he'd partially decided to cut this short since he felt unusual, and worried stress had made him ill, unaware it was the venom's effects the heat continued to spread across his extremities.

His wife, too, whistled and tittered while she worked, her cheeks rosy.

After her parents disappeared to their own bedroom, Moonlight announced, “I'll show you to my room. Don't laugh.” She took them down the hall, as although the cabin wasn't too large, she was thankful her room and her parents' weren't close by...especially if anyone was a 'screamer'.

Her room proved pretty spare when she turned on a lamp. A bed, a desk, her old tools she used to construct her weapons, which her father had taken care of. Even a poster of a shirtless Shining Armor had been preserved, which made her blush as she took a side-step in an attempt to cover it.

Lightning snickered. “Well, we all know which of the 'Three Swords' you fancy!”

“It-it was a marehood crush,” she replied, and stared at her feet. “It's different now! I still do look up to him, but there's, um, only one stallion for my heart.” She evaded Midnight's eyes.

“At least it's spacious,” said Midnight at the bed. “Guess I'll have to sleep on the floor!”

“W-we can make room,” murmured Moonlight, her mind dulled with a spike of arousal, when she'd looked at the shirtless depiction of Shining Armor, and pictured an older Midnight in his place. Slowly, she started to unzip and peel off her Wonderbolt costume with a flush.

The twins more speedily unzipped and threw off their uniforms, now stark naked. Lightning bounced onto the bed with laughter while it creaked, and Midnight did the same without a care in the world, until the now denuded bat mare also slipped atop the sheets beside her friends.

The venom made them all fuzzy-brained and slutty, induced an effect similar to estrus in mares. A similar effect took Moonflower and Night Blade, as she practically tore off their clothes and tackled her husband into bed. Creaks resounded when she straddled her stallion and furiously rode him.

They made love at least once a day, around and outside the cabin to keep it fresh, but Moonflower hadn't felt this desperate since the first time they'd woken up from hibernation...or maybe the day when he'd knocked her up! She fluttered happily, each time she speared herself on his cock.

Meanwhile, Lightning crawled over and met her brother's snout. “Why don't we continue where we left off last time we properly celebrated, champion? You haven't popped my cherry~!”

“It's too risky,” lamented Moonlight, who watched the mares wet wink of her pussy, her holes on display and practically thrust in her face, which made her own moist cunt wink.

“Nonsense! Got some contraceptive potions on hand when I raided Cadance's storeroom!”

Midnight chuckled nervously, yet his cock raised and bobbed at the wanton display from his twin, and the nakedness of two fertile mares. His hyper-stallion side, now awakened, couldn't be quenched without proper sex. He returned his sister's kisses and scooted closer.

Instinct took over for the stud, and he spread Lightning's legs, before he prodded at her slit and slowly sank into her depths. She twisted with a throaty mewl, her limbs wrapped around him when he started to pound her amidst more bed creaks. Plaps filled the air with each thrust.

He appeared more masculine, more studly all the time, as his musculature expanded in subtle ways with other mare's cherry claimed. His snout closed around one of her perky tits, suckled and pulled on it while she moaned and arched her chest, then he released the saliva-soaked tit and repeated that with her other titty. She drenched the sheets, the bed now ruined with the stains.

“So much for sleep,” said Moonlight, who nonetheless lost herself in a crazed masturbation session. She pictured herself beneath the stallion. Taken, bred, and cummed inside as they climaxed.

A perverted smile stretched her snout when he reached out and played with her tits and ass while he continued to rail his sister, who she occasionally shared kisses with. Midnight would occasionally shift positions, took Lightning sideways, then on all fours, while he drove orgasm-after-orgasm from his lover. They'd never felt more alive, sublimated to the venom's unsavory effects.

Eventually, he hilted and pumped into her, his volume also increased since his hyper-stallion side awakened. She creamed herself too, marked his crotch as she released a continuous wail, her belly bloated double the size of the best feast she'd ever eaten while he packed her to the brim with cum.

The pair of them collapsed, spent and asleep in moments.

Moonlight snarled a little in annoyance, but at least she'd reached climax a couple times. “Rest well,” she whispered, curled up in the cleanest sheet she could find, and blotted out the lamp.

By this time Moonflower and Night Blade were also tuckered out, as she'd ridden him until he'd buckle, sore from how many times he'd cum. They too cuddled up in the darkness, their natural habitat. By the time the sun rose, and they ate breakfast, they'd see their guests off.

Like they intended, the three of them flew back to the Crystal Empire by noon.