In The Comfort of Her Majesty

The faint rays of the morning sun shone through the heavy drapes over the windows, turning Thunder's vision into a blur of darkish blue as he stirred from his slumber. He sat up in bed and silently stretched his legs while his eyes attempted to focus. The heady scent of sex hung around them in a haze, the sheets still damp with sweat and other fluids.

Next to him lay the still sleeping Luna, her horn faintly lit with magic and her eyes moving rapidly beneath their lids. Her face held a look of pure focus, a master of her craft bent to delicate and demanding work. He kept his breath quiet as he watched her sleep, feeling awed by this opportunity to watch the sleeping alicorn as she exercised one of her most remarkable powers. 'She must still be dreamwalking. Better not disturb her, especially since I had no nightmares last night, just as she promised.' He laid back down and closed his eyes, attempting to grab whatever rest he could before she woke.

Alas for that potential rest, it was only a few minutes later that the magic of her horn dimmed and her eyes fluttered wildly. She let out a mighty yawn and lifted her head and shoulders up from under the warmth of the blankets.

"Morning, Luna." said Thunder, his smile gentle and genuine.

Luna let out a mighty yawn, then looked down at Thunder with a warm smile. "Good morning, Thunder. How was thy rest?"

"Good, thanks for asking." he replied. His eyes drifted to her mane, its strands so tangled and sticking up in places that he could not help but grin.

"Is something wrong?" inquired Luna with a raised eyebrow.

Thunder could barely hold back a small laughing fit as he said, "You've got a little bed mane going on there..."

Luna glanced at herself in a nearby mirror, examining her messy mane and tail with a critical eye. "Hmmm. Tis rather a bit unkempt."

"Gee, I wonder why?" quipped Thunder with a devilish smirk.

Luna gazed at Thunder with narrowed eyes, though she couldn’t keep a grin from sneaking onto her face. "Thou art developing quite the waggish tongue, oh consort."

"What can I say? I learn from the best."

Luna let out a chuckle as she shuffled out of bed. "As you say. At any rate, we should tidy up." she said, giving her wings a quick stretch.

Thunder did a quick inspection of himself as well. His own mane was slicked up in a few places and his wings were a clustered pile of tangled feathers. "Agreed. I could use a preening myself. I'll go clean up and meet you in the dining room." He rose from the bed and walked towards the bedroom door.

"Thunder." The pegasus stopped in his tracks and turned back towards Luna. She blushed ever so slightly and pawed innocently at the floor. "W...We thank thee for a wonderful time last night. Tis rare that somepony listens to our plight."

Thunder smiled gratefully, his soul brightened by her compliments. "My pleasure. If you ever want to talk, you know where to find me."

"We do. Again, thank you."

After offering Luna a slight bow, Thunder made his way out of Lujna’s chambers. He quickly trotted down the stairs, taking care not to run into any curious guards or maids, and headed towards his room. Once inside, he dashed into his bathroom and turned the shower faucets to full, a cascade of perfectly temperate water shooting out. After a shower and preening, Thunder made his way down the stairs to the dining room. Inside, Celestia and Luna were already there enjoying their small mountain of food, dressed in their morning robes.

"Good morning, Thunder. How are you today?" said Celestia as she nibbled on a slice of grapefruit.

He took his place at the table and smiled up at Celestia. "Good. Could be a little cooler, but can't complain." He then ordered a bowl of cereal and tea from a nearby maid.

Celestia took a sip of her grape juice and turned her attention to her sister, a knowing look in her eye. "And you Luna? Everything alright this morning?"

Luna’s cheeks were flushed with redness, and a few audible slurps escaped her mouth as she drank her orange juice. "Indeed. T'was an... ordinary night. Nothing too serious." she said, her eyes darting around the room anxiously. A waiter then came trotting in and set Thunder's food on the table, receiving an appreciative nod for his trouble.

"Why are you speaking in the Old Equish dialect? Are you having a relapse?" Celestia said concernedly.

Thunder rubbed the back of his head in awkwardness while taking a sip of his tea. "Yeah, that's all on me. We were... together last night, and I told her she didn't have to try so hard. Whatever makes her happy."

Celestia’s face then lit up like a Hearth's Warming Eve tree. "Really?" "Is that all that happened?"

"Uh... YES!” said Luna quickly, her chewing growing louder. “He...he complemented us on our night sky, we talked, and enjoyed each other’s company." The squishing of food in her mouth was now echoing around the room. "Oh! Our consort hath given us a nickname!" she exclaimed, desperate to change the subject.

"What is it?" Celestia inquired.

"Lulu. I thought it was cute." answered Thunder.

Celestia began to giddily clap her hooves together, looking more akin to a filly millennia younger than herself. "It is! I should start using it!"

"Tia..." Luna groaned in frustration.

Celestia gave Luna a playful nuzzle, her voice now dripping with cheeriness. "Oh little Lulu! Don't be so embarrassed! You know I love you with all of my heart!"

Luna could only roll her eyes and grumble in mock protest.

The three continued to eat and talk, their bellies and spirits both being filled. After their plates were cleared away, Luna announced, "We should return to our room. Thunder, would you accompany us? We would like to spend more time with thee this morn."

Trying to ignore the enormous smirk on Celestia’s face, Thunder drank the last of his tea and gently set his cup down. He cleared his throat and said to Luna, "Sure. I'll meet you upstairs."

The two rose from their seats and Thunder headed out the door. Once he had left the room, Celestia noticed a slight swaying in her sister's step and called out to her. "You're walking with a bit of a wobble, there."

Luna stopped in her tracks and turned to glare at Celestia, her eyes narrowed at her upstart sister. “ Not another word out of you...” she said severely.

"Just making an observation... Lulu." said Celestia slyly. Luna just shook her head and walked out of the dining room, unable to stop the small twitch of her thighs that accented her every step.

Just after Luna departed a maid darted into the room, a letter enveloped in her yellow magical field. "Your highness, you have a letter from a Mr. Sky Hopper." she said.

"Thank you." said Celestia. Picking it up in her own field, she quickly opened the envelope and gave the letter inside a thorough read. "Hmm. I should let Thunder know of his friend's next visit."

Back in Luna's chambers, Thunder was sitting at the base of the bed as Luna came walking in. She took a seat next to him and levitated her dream notebook from the dresser drawer. She grabbed a nearby inkwell and began to jot down last night's observations onto the simple paper of the journal.

"Faust, sometimes I don't know how you two manage to stand each other for five minutes, let alone thousands of years...." said Thunder.

Luna continued to write down her most recent experiences, dreams of all sizes and kinds, as she answered him. "Tis all in good fun. We've been at it for our entire lives. We are sisters, after all."

"I guess. It's just weird to think about the both of you as actual sisters, warts and everything, you know?"

"Such is your fate when you are looked upon as an icon." She continued to jot down her most recent dream impressions until one in particular stood out: that of the wife of a deployed soldier on the frontier pining for the love of her husband. The sentimentality of the dream touched Luna, and a few small tears ran down her cheek as the dream played over again in her mind.

"Lulu, is something wrong?" said Thunder worriedly when he saw her tears start to fall.

Luna quickly wiped her face with her hoof and looked down at the pegasus. "Thunder, may I ask thee a personal question?" she said, the usual grandiosity of her voice completely gone.

"...alright."

With a quiver to her lip, Luna asked the now bracing pegasus, "Do... do you love me?"

Surprised at the question, Thunder struggled to answer. "Well, I-I like spending time with you, and with Celestia, too. I mean, you're both funny and kind..."

Luna brought her hoof to the pegaus' mouth, silencing his short ramblings. "No. What we mean to say is...art thou...in love with Tia or myself?"

Luna waited patiently as he bent his head, pondering. 'Huh. Now that's a good question...' he thought as he processed his feelings and his reactions to the princesses. His brow creased as he searched every fiber of his soul, seeking the truth so that he could give an honest answer. Finally, he came to the truth hidden deep within himself.

"...No. I'm not. I'm just...not. I don't have that feeling when I'm with you. I’m not sure that I could feel that way about you or Celestia." He reached out with a hoof and stroked Luna’s back. "But know this: I care about the both of you very much. I would never do anything to hurt you or Tia. I'm here for you both, and that is NOT going to change anytime soon."

Luna leaned into Thunder’s touch, her eyes welling again with tears. "Thank you for thy honesty. Tell us, do you ever wish to have somepony of your own?"

Thunder sighed heavily and shrugged his shoulders, remembering Flitter and other mares that passed him by. "I don't know. I've tried but... after everything I've been through, especially recently, I just don't think romance is in the cards..."

Thunder felt Luna’s strong hoof on his shoulders and looked up to see her looking at him with a confident smile. “You are wrong. We believe that you shall find a mare who loves you with all of her being. You are far too good of a pony to be alone."

"You think so?" he inquired while cocking his eyebrow.

The lunar princess gently nodded. "We know so."

Thunder couldn't help but smile. "...Thanks, Lulu." he said while giving her a pat on the back.

Luna levitated her notebook back into her dresser drawer and turned to address Thunder again. "Thank you for spending time with us this morning. We have duties to which we must attend. You may return to your room."

"Yes, your highness." Thunder politely bowed and made his way out of her chambers. He walked down the stairs towards his own, stepping inside and locking the door behind him. He went into his bathroom and ran the sink full of cold water, splashing it onto his face.

Looking up, he gazed at his reflection. His mane hung low over his shoulders, and with all the exercise he had been getting recently his body was now plainly more tone and sleek, his wings now arching up in a more powerful display. As he took in these developments his mind chewed over recent developments.

'Well, that's both princesses I've been with now. No turning back at this point.' Memories of the previous night came to him in a rush, his eyes widening as his behavior caught up to him. 'What am I doing?! No, seriously, what am I turning into?!' He began to pace back and forth across the marble floor, his breathing becoming more rapid, almost hyperventilating as anxiety filled his mind. 'And what was with that sex talk last night? It looks like a small moon?! Oh Faust, am I really that perverted?!'

He came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the room and took a few deep breaths. After calming his nerves, he looked back in the mirror, attempting to make sense of these new feelings inside him. 'No, I'm not perverted. I'm just getting better at... comforting. And, in all honesty, it does feel really good.' He touched his hoof to the mirror and looked intently into his own eyes. 'Maybe... this is what I was really meant to do too, like this is my... second destiny or something. But why?'

He took his hoof off of the mirror and walked a few steps back. Looking at himself from across the room, he considered his past and contemplated the seriousness of what his life was becoming. 'Why? Because I am that kind of pony. A good kind! I listen when nopony else can. I help them bear their troubles, their pasts, their worries. I care for them when they are in need. I believe in them when they have trouble believing in themselves.'

Thunder felt a surge of confidence as he truly began to accept his fate. Spreading his wings, he struck a triumphant pose in the mirror, feeling the mantle of his position settle onto him fully.

'I am Thunder Shock. And I AM the consort.'