NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

CRAAAAAAAASHHHHHHHHHH

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Thunder awoke from his nightmare with a gasp, his heart pounding in his chest. As he regained his senses, he could feel the last threads of pure terror leaving him. Looking around, he saw that the afternoon sun hung low in the sky, the room glowing golden in its wake. His forehead was slick with a thin layer of cold sweat, and his legs trembled as he shuffled out of bed.

Shaking himself awake, he wandered into his bathroom and turned the faucet on full blast. He then splashed the cool water on his face and looked at his reflection.

'OK Thunder. You're alright. Just...nerves about being with Luna. You can do this.'

As calm gradually came to him, he took out his brush and ran it a few times through his mane. Using meticulousness to drive the last of his lingering dread away he gave his coat a thorough brushing, taking his time as he evened out his fur and smoothed his tail. His grooming done, he took a deep breath and checked his appearance in the mirror. He nodded once to himself before heading out of his room and up the stairs towards Luna's chambers. As he went down the hallways, he noticed the changing of the air guard from Celestia's pegasi to Luna's bat-winged regiment.

Thunder quelled the mix of curiosity and nervousness Luna’s guards gave him as he came to Luna’s door and gave it a few knocks. "Luna? It's me." he called out.

"Come in." her voice called back faintly.

Entering her room, he went inside to find the princess nowhere to be seen. He glanced into her bedroom cautiously, not wanting to embarrass her, but there was no sign of her.

"Uh, where are you?" he said inquisitively.

"On the balcony." she replied. "Come join me."

He turned around and finally spotted Luna through the balcony curtains. She was sitting on her balcony, dressed in full regalia and looking every inch the Lunar Princess. 'Alright. Do NOT mention the nightmare. This is her time with you. Make her feel good.' he thought determinedly. He opened the balcony door and walked out to stand next to her. "Hey Luna. How are you?" he said with a friendly smile.

Luna did not turn her head but smiled in kind as she felt his presence next to her. "Fine, thank you. I am just about to raise the moon for the evening. Would you like to watch?"

"Of course." he said while taking a seat next to her.

The lunar princess nodded then closed her eyes and flared her horn with a bluish glow. The last beams of the sun vanished and the horizon’s color shifted gradually to a soft bluish purple as the moon came rising up in its place. In majestic silence it glided up to take its place in the sky, its glow limning the castle and its environs in shimmering silver. Once it was in its proper place the stars began to appear, first one by one and then in groups and clusters, their soft twinkling accenting the moonlight like tiny jewels on dark velvet.

Her nightly task complete, Luna turned to face her audience of one. "What did you think?" she asked with a slightly hesitant smile.

Thunder was still speechless as he slowly closed his mouth, which had dropped open in awe during the presentation. "That...that was magnificent." he finally managed to whisper.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Few ponies ever notice the intricacies of creating the night sky. I know it isn't as impressive as Celestia's sunrise..." said Luna with just a small hint of sadness in her regal voice.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with a clear night. I've sometimes taken a flight to clear my head after work when the sun went down. Nice and cool, hardly anypony out, it's nice."

Luna smiled down at the pegasus, an unfamiliar but welcome warmth spreading into her soul at his presence and words. "You really enjoy the night that much?" she inquired.

"Yep. Maybe I'm in the minority I guess, but I just like it when things are still and peaceful." he responded kindly.

Luna felt her heart skip a beat as the consort sang her praises. Her smile faded, however, as old memories crept into her mind, and to Thunder’s consternation she hung her head low, a long sad sigh escaping her.

"Luna, is something wrong?" Thunder asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just...thinking about the past. I do that a lot..."

The consort tilted his head ever so slightly. "What in particular?"

She looked back up at her beautiful night, the land now aglow in the moon's white gleam. "Thunder, are you knowledgeable of the history of weather control?"

"Well, I'd like to think I know as much as any other weather pony..."

"What do you know of Snowdrop?"

Thunder answered the lunar alicorn with confidence. "The blind artist? Are you kidding? She only wrote the book on snowflake design. If you're trying to be on the snow team, you have to take an entire separate course to make them properly."

The lunar princess' mind then flashed with images of her small friend. "I knew her before she found her destiny..."

The consort shook his head in disbelief. "No way."

"I'm quite serious. She was one of my only friends."

The pegasus mouth hung open with astonishment. "Wow. What was she like?"

"She was nervous, shy, and eager to prove herself useful. She came to Celestia and I during the Spring Sunrise Celebration. When she showed off her first snowflake, she compared it to the beauty of my night sky. She..." Small tears began to run down the princess' face, twinkling as softly as her stars.

Thunder wrapped his foreleg around her lower back, rubbing it ever so softly. "She understood you."

"Probably the only pony who ever truly did..." The lunar princess then sighed despondently and looked up at her stars. "Thunder...if I tell you something personal, do you promise to keep it secret?"

"Of course."

She turned her head and stared into his eyes. "I mean it! Not even Celestia knows this! If anypony were to find out-!" she said with her voice rising with every word.

"Luna! Calm down! I said I promise." he exclaimed, holding his hooves up between them to show that he was serious.

Luna hesitated, but she could see the sincerity in his eyes. The idea of trusting another pony after so long made her tremble inside, but she found herself believing in him.

Reassured, Luna's gaze softened as she hung her head once more. "The night I became Nightmare Moon...I saw her..." she said, her just above a whisper.

"What?" Thunder couldn’t keep himself from muttering in surprise.

"It was after Tia and I had a very heated argument..."

Luna was splayed out on her bed, crying loudly into her hooves. "Tis not fair! Why can't our night be just slightly longer just this once?! We only want them to see..." She screamed in wordless anger and frustration, the walls reverberating against her mighty voice as her wails echoed through her room.

"Luna? Why are you so sad?" said a small voice seemed to come from everywhere in the room

Turning around, Luna saw the small snow white pegasus with glazed-over eyes staring back at her. "Snowdrop? What are you doing here?" she said with confusion.

"I saw that you were upset and wanted to see you. What's wrong?" she friendly asked.

Luna dried the tears from her eyes and rose from her bed, moving over to stand near the filly. "We...we just had an argument with Celestia. All we asked is that our night come one hour earlier, even just once, so that our subjects may have more time to appreciate our night sky." Her voice became livid as she stomped in a circle around Snowdrop. "She talked down to us as if we were a foal! As if one hour would destroy the world! But NO! The entire universe has to revolve around our sister's word or else it has no meaning!"

"That doesn't sound very nice," said Snowdrop quietly, “or fair.”

Her anger boiling, Luna shook out her mane and glared in the general direction of Celestia’s chambers. "Tis typical. She always was the better. Always loved more, always adored more, always worshiped more openly and often than us; even the consorts care for her more." The Moon Princess spat loudly on the floor. "It makes us sick."

"You don't need her." her friend said innocently.

Luna looked into the filly's eyes, bewildered at her comment. "Excuse us?"

"You don't need her. The only reason that she yells at you is because you're more powerful than her. Yet she is the one who gets all the attention." Snowdrop said, her quiet voice starting to warp with distortion.

"Y...Yes. It isn't fair! We walk through the very dreams of our subjects! We see their hopes and desires, and taste the very essence of their fears! We have far more of a connection with them than our sister!"

"Right! So go march in there and tell her how things are going to be from now on!" the filly commanded, her voice carrying strange echoes that resonated in Luna’s mind.

Hesitating, Luna remembered the spark of love she had for her sister. She hung her head low in shame. "She doesn’t understand. We have tried to tell her..."

"Then make her understand. Make them all understand." said the blind pegasus, her voice now dripping with menace.

"Yes...we...we should...We will!" declared Luna fiercely. As her rage twisted and wound around her heart she realized how much she hated her elder sister. Her eyes narrowed and filled with determination, and she smiled savagely, her anger filling her mind.

"We believe it's time to pay our sister a visit..." said Luna as she strolled out of her room, a sinister look in her transformed eyes.

Behind her, the white filly faded from view.

Thunder's jaw was nearly on the floor at Luna's confession. "Was...was that...?" he managed to say.

Luna nodded and turned her face away. "The beginning of my downfall. By that time, it was far too late to stop..."

Frowning in consternation, Thunder shook his head before asking, “How could Snowdrop have made something like that happen? It doesn’t seem like...”

Luna interrupted him. “It wasn’t actually her.” she said uncomfortably. “I still do not know the truth of how she, or rather her image, came to be in my room that night.”

Thunder edged closer to the princess, leaning gently against her side. "I...I'm so sorry. I can't begin to imagine what that was like for you." he said, attempting to soothe her pain even though it was far beyond his ken.

Luna took a deep, shuddering breath as she felt Thunder’s compassion. She rested her head on his for a long moment, then quietly said, "Let's go back inside."

The two made their way back into Luna's chambers, her magic shutting the balcony door behind them. Luna stood just inside, a haunted look on her face. "Even to this day, I see the fear in everypony's eyes when they look at me.” she said, her voice shaking. “They still think of me as the lesser sister, the mad mare, the scourge of Equestria."

Luna’s gaze was locked on the floor between her hooves, her wings drooping as she took another ragged breath. "Perhaps they are right. Perhaps I will never escape Celestia's shadow..." Her final defense broken, Luna began to weep loudly, tears now flooding down her cheeks.

Seeing her distress, Thunder moved close and draped one wing over her. He raised one hoof to softly stroke her cheek. “Luna,” he pleaded, “may I...will you let me tell you something that may help?”

After another sob Luna sniffed and slowly raised her head, at first unable to meet his eyes. She wiped her damp cheeks with a hoof, then looked at him and gave a tiny nod.

Thunder held Luna’s gaze with him as he spoke earnestly. “I believe in the holy maiden Faust. I believe in Elysium and know that ponies who follow in the maiden's light will gain their rewards. And I know that Snowdrop - the real Snowdrop - is looking down on you from there and wanting you to be better."

Luna felt a faint hope appear in her heart, a star in a field of darkness. She clung to that hope as best she could, but the weight of her despair brought her head back down to hang in shame. "I...I don't know how. I've caused so much pain, so much destruction."

"Everyone has moments of anger and fear, Luna, and we all make mistakes." Thunder softly replied. "We're all jerks and saints and everything in between. We all cause pain in our lives, sometimes by accident, sometimes intentionally. I know I'm not the best consort or the best pony out there, but I try to see what I've done wrong and atone for it. The only thing we can do is work to recognize when we've caused pain, and do our best to learn enough that we don’t do it again."

"Is it really that simple?" Luna whimpered, her wings ruffling as her shoulders shook.

"It's the only way I know how to live." He brought his hoof to her chin, lifting her head up to look her in the eyes. "But know this, Luna: I don't think you are lesser or mad. You feel remorse and ask for forgiveness; I'm sure they have been ponies who haven't. And you are certainly NOT in your sister's shadow. You're different, and that's not a bad thing."

The spark of hope in her flared to life at his kind words, and Luna felt a crack in the chains around her heart. "We...I-I mean...I..." she stammered.

Thunder smiled softly and nestled closer to the lunar alicorn, nuzzling her neck gently. "Luna, you don't have to try so hard when you're around me. Just...be yourself. I don't mind."

With a sob of joy Luna swept up the pegasus in a loving embrace, holding him tightly as her tears dampened his fur. "We thank thee, young Thunder Shock. Thou are a very sweet pony." Relief flooded through her as she felt the bonds of her sorrow loosen, and she kissed him deeply, celebrating and thanking him all at once.

As Luna continued to kiss Thunder, the starry effects in her mane faded until it was a solid blue that fell naturally over her shoulders. Her tail followed suit, snaking around the pair on the floor. The rush of emotion and the touch of his lips brought out another feeling in Luna: a heat that began as a tingle in her nethers, then moved through her whole body.

Feeling Luna’s shiver in response to his touch, Thunder managed to break away and whisper in her ear. "So, what can I do to make you feel better?"

Feeling still too fragile to indulge in pride or bravado, Luna flicked her ears as whispered back, "Thunder, you have been so good to us. We...we wish to show you a new way of pleasing a mare. Will you indulge us?"

"I will."

"Good. Let us...get things ready." She looked up over Thunder’s shoulder and lit her horn again. The room’s doors locked with audible clicks, and the drapes dropped over the windows, only allowing the faint moonlight to shine through them. The room secured, her magic wrapped around her regalia, unfastening the heavy jewelry and levitating it into an open dresser drawer.

Nodding in satisfaction, Luna walked over to the bed and curled up on one side, a faint tremble in her wings betraying her anticipation. She set aside her fear as she looked at Thunder, wanting only to feel the pleasure she knew they could share.

"Now, come to us Thunder." she said, her voice dripping with seduction and desire.

Thunder quickly flitted over to her and landed on the bed, laying down beside her with a smile on his face. “As you wish, my princess.” he said playfully.

Warmed by his closeness and his open appreciation, she nuzzled his ear, filling it with her breath. “Such a handsome gentlecolt.” she murmured to him. “Now let us show you what we desire.”

Luna kept herself against him as she turned onto her back, the feel of his fur rubbing against hers adding to the tingle she still felt. “Now, place thyself at our flank, betwixt our thighs.” she softly commanded. He complied with a grin, sliding against her as he moved down her side. Careful of her tail, he nestled himself at her rear and looked up at her expectantly.

Seeing Thunder eager to please her sent a shiver down Luna’s back, and she caught her breath as his hooves brushed her legs. She waved them a bit as she instructed him further. “Kiss up and down our hind legs, and rub them tenderly. We would like that very much,” she said, her voice soft and wavering ever so slightly.

“Of course, my princess,” Thunder husked, his warm breath stirring the fur on her thighs. He smiled as she let out a tiny gasp in response, then reached up to bring her right leg down to rub his cheek against it. Marveling that her coat was perhaps slightly softer than her sisters, he turned his head to kiss just above her hoof, then continued raining soft kisses down to her shivering inner thigh.

Luna had started moaning softly as Thunder’s lips caressed her leg, and as he made his way down her left, his kisses getting closer to her now moist slit, her hips started shifting on the bed. When he slid one hoof down to rub her cutie mark she quivered and cried out.

Thunder could scent Luna’s arousal as he looked up at her cry. He glanced down at her moist folds, then met her gaze with a smile. "Feeling better?" he whispered up to her slyly.

Breathing hotly, Luna smiled back at the pegasus, enjoying his compliance and his eagerness. “Y-Yes,” she answered with a delighted shiver. “Now...take thy tongue...and lick..." she gasped out, her eyes full of desire as she twitched her hips up, presenting her marehood to him.

“A-alright.” he said with a slight hesitation. He looked at the moist slit that glistened in the soft light, a scent of black cherries and longing tickling his nose. Smells good. he thought as he took a deeper sniff. How is this gonna taste is the question, though. He cautiously ran the end of his tongue along her folds, smiling slightly at her answering cry.

Luna pushed up against Thunder’s exploring mouth, demanding more. He obliged, marveling at the rich flavor, accented with cherries, that rolled over his tongue as it slipped between her folds. Encouraged, he pressed his muzzle against her slit, lapping over, around, and into her opening, and he was rewarded by more and louder moans and cries from Luna. As she grew more and more wet, covering his nose in sweet nectar, he felt his stallionhood stiffening and unsheathing.

Luna brought one hoof down to tangle in Thunder’s mane. "Ah! That’s…good! A little faster now...and a little to the right..." she moaned. He quickly complied, increasing his tempo and moving the focus of his probes and licks to the right. He was learning when to breathe between the movements of Luna’s hips when his jaw started to feel sore, but still he pressed onward.

Luna’s gaze was unfocused as she stared off into space, her wings quivering at her sides. It had been so long since she had been touched like this. Pleasure surged through her on lightning wings, and her legs wobbled in the air beside his head as she continued pushing herself up against his questing tongue.

Thunder lifted his head to get a deeper breath, and Luna gasped at the sudden cessation of his touch. "D...Doing good?" he said as he gulped air.

Luna’s ears twitched at the sound of his voice, and she turned her head toward the moon, its light streaming through the drapes and bathing them in its cool glow. "Yes...we are so...ready for it now... " she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“What was that, Luna? Is everything… good?” Thunder asked as he strained to hear her.

Luna turned quickly to face him. “Oh, yes!” she answered around her panting. “Now let us tell you…how to make…true pleasure begin!”

Luna took a trembling forehoof and spread her folds as Thunder watched, entranced. “There... there should be a nub at the top of our slit. Dost see it?”

Before Thunder’s eyes a glistening pearl emerged at the top of her folds. “Y...yes. I see it. It’s tiny, but...” he grinned at a sudden inspiration. “It shines like a little moon.”

Blushing deeply at his comment, Luna found herself barely able to articulate her next instruction. "Take thy tongue... and stroke it. Please...be gentle," she begged.

Gazing curiously at the small nub, he thoughtfully considered its probable fragile nature. 'Alright. Best if I don't let my teeth scrape it. Don't want to know what would happen.' He leaned down and slid the tip of his tongue over it, pausing as Luna jumped and gasped at the touch. When he felt her hoof return to the back of his head to urge him on he pressed a little harder, wrapping his tongue around it and rubbing it tenderly.

“Oh Thunder yes!” cried Luna, her wings opening beneath her to spread out on the bed. Her back arched as she writhed beneath Thunder’s tongue, and she pressed his muzzle against her mound with hoof and hips. “Yes! Right there!”

Thunder continued to rub and flick the little pearl with his tongue, slowing down then speeding up his lapping to follow the rhythm of her responses. As he did so, he couldn't help but be amazed at the moans and screams of delight coming from Luna. 'So that’s a clit. he mused as one particularly good lick brought a burst of sweetness into his mouth. Never thought I’d be able to do this to a mare...'

Luna’s gasps started coming fast and hot as the tide of pleasure moving through her came nearer to breaking. She shook violently, sweat breaking out on her face and chest as she ground herself against Thunder’s face. Finally she could hold back no longer, and she screamed aloud as wave after wave surged and crashed with every tongue-stroke.

“OHHHHH THHHHUUUNDERRRRRR!” Luna’s mighty voice shook the room around them as she flooded Thunder’s mouth with liquid. Her folds grasped at his tongue and lower lip, desperate to draw him inside her. Her final convulsive shudder pulled her slit away from his mouth, and as she cried out a squirt of her juices splashed on his shoulder to drip down onto the bed.

Luna collapsed on the bed, drained and quivering, her sweaty, tangled mane strung around her head. An exhausted smile was etched onto her face and she sighed happily, delighted that she could feel this good again after so long.

Laying in the aftermath of Luna’s climax, Thunder looked up towards the giddy princess. "Luna, are you alright?" he asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Mmmmmhmmmm." replied Luna with a drunken slur.

Luna’s fervent pleasure and joyous cries had kept Thunder's erection steel hard for what now felt like an eternity. He put a tentative hoof up to stroke Luna’s side, which also moved his aching crotch closer to hers. He kissed her belly just above her mound, then asked gently, “Luna, would you like me to-"

"OH YES, PLEASE!" cried Luna pleadingly, her marehood wet and winking. She then blushed brightly before taking a deep breath in an attempt to regain her composure.

"Just...let us rest for a moment..." she managed between breaths. After a short silence, Luna looked up at Thunder and wiggled her rump into a more comfortable position. “Now then.” she said, opening all four legs invitingly. “You may continue.”

Still rock hard, Thunder carefully clambered atop the princess, a delighted squeak escaping Luna as his length brushed along the inside of her thigh. He canted his hips, trying to enter her, only to slide the shaft along her wet folds, making them both cry out in surprised pleasure.

Luna looked up at Thunder and whispered, “Hold still...” as she shifted beneath him, arching her back to bring her slit up against his tip. She moaned as he responded with a gentle push, parting her slowly and moving carefully.

“Oh...Oh, please Thunder...do it! Fill us!” Luna pleaded, her eyes locked on his as she shuddered beneath him.

Thunder watched Luna’s face as he obeyed, burying himself deep inside her in one smooth thrust. She gave a tiny yelp as he hit bottom inside her, but the gasp that came with it and the feel of her walls clenching around his cock made it clear how much she enjoyed it.

Thunder slowly rocked his hips back until just the tip was inside her, and once more with eyes and gasps she begged him to fill her again. Rocking his pelvis back and forth he built up a steady rhythm, his own moans of pleasure now echoing around the room with hers.

Remembering his experience with Celestia, Thunder started rolling his hips to slide his cock along every part of her walls, massaging every nook and cranny. Luna threw her head back with a rapturous howl, her hooves shaking on his shoulders.

After a few minutes more Luna’s breath once more came in short bursts, and she raised her head to look at Thunder, her eyes wide.

“Thunder...we...we are...!” she cried, biting her lip in a desperate attempt to survive the oncoming storm.

"Me...me too. I’m so close..." he replied, his cock getting harder as it started to pulse.

"Yes!...YES!...YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!" she screamed as another orgasm rocked her body. Her walls pulled and stroked at Thunder’s cock, milking every drop from it as he spurted his pleasure inside her.

The pleasure crackled and surged between the lovers, the world turning to a blur around them. Then the tension snapped, and they collapsed exhausted on the bed, their bodies covered in sweat and fluids.

After a small eternity of recovering from the intensity of their lovemaking, Thunder carefully slid onto his side beside the princess, his wings flopping limply onto the bed.

"I... hope that I...pleased you, Luna.” he said, his voice slurred and hoarse.

Lifting her head to peer at the disheveled consort, Luna smiled gently. "Thou didst spectacularly. We think thou art improving greatly in thy skills."

She lifted a hoof and ran it gently down the consort's cheek. Her eyes were bright in the filtered moonlight, her cheeks damp with tears. "When we were sealed inside the moon, we felt nothing. No pain, no anguish, no love." She leaned forward to plant a small kiss on Thunder’s lips, looking into his eyes with appreciation. "Thank you...for letting us feel alive again."

"Any time, Luna." he replied, small tears running down his face as well.

After taking some time to recover, Luna whispered into the pegasus' ear. "By the way, why didst thou call our sister by 'Tia'? We thought that we were the only pony to call her that."

"It just came to me. It's like a nickname I use to be more casual around her."

"Oh." She ran her hoof through his sweaty mane, a look of contemplation coming over her face. "It may be petty for us to ask, but...may we have a nickname too?"

"Sure." He looked up at the ceiling for inspiration as his battered mind tried to come up with something suitable. "Let me think...um...how about...Lulu?"

A small giggle escaped the princess' mouth. "We like that."

Thunder let out a laugh himself. "Great. My little Lulu. I like the sound of that."

After the two shared a loving chuckle, she looked deeply into his emerald eyes, noticing a faint but chilling disturbance within her bedmate. "You seem very tired." she asked worriedly.

"Well, after we just did..." said the pegasus with a chuckle.

"It's more than that. We can tell." replied Luna, her voice sounding serious and concerned. She leaned forward and attempted to restore the regal nature to her voice. "Thunder, have thy nightmares returned?"

Thunder looked away from her, then sighed in defeat. "...Yes. I took a nap before I came here tonight. It was really vivid this time around..."

"Thunder, if you'd like, we could enter into it and..."

"NO!" he shouted in a panic. Embarrassed at his outburst, he took a deep breath and reached up to softly rub the back of her head. "I mean...that's alright. I've lived with this for a while. I can handle it." he assured her.

Not wanting to make a bad situation worse, she gave in to his demand. "Very well. Just know if it becomes too much to bear, our offer stands."

"I'll keep that in mind."

She cradled the tired stallion in her forelegs, running her hooves tenderly down his back. "Know that tonight, no nightmares will haunt you. We shall make sure of it."

"Good to know. Sleep well, Lulu." he said, the feeling of exhausting beginning to overtake him.

"And you as well, my consort." the Moon Princess replied. The two then closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep, their bodies basking in the glow of the pale moonlight.

Author's Note

The character Snowdrop belongs to Silly Filly Studios.

http://sillyfillystudios.com/

The short animation "Snowdrop" belongs to Silly Filly Studios.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do6RDSwaWek