For the most part, things had calmed down among the rest of the elements and Luxure. While everypony else headed back to Ponyville, Fluttershy insisted that she stay behind in the Crystal Empire for the moment to pursue and comfort Rainbow Dash. Though the rest of the elements were reluctant to leave Fluttershy to deal with this dilemma on her own, she remained firm as she didn’t want to overwhelm Rainbow in her fragile state. In the end, they respected her decision and returned home, hoping for the best.
The train to Ponyville ripped through the Frozen North at breakneck speed, thankfully heated so the ponies inside would not feel the blistering cold outside. Luxure had not said too much during the trip, most of her focus being on sitting in her seat, levitating a quill and scroll in front of her with her magic and appearing to be deep in thought.
Curious, Twilight sat in the seat next to her. “You look like you’re concentrating pretty hard. What are you trying to write?”
“An apology to Princess Luna,” Luxure replied, tapping the feather of her quill on her chin. “I’ve been ruminating a lot about this. The things I said to her on our first meeting were uncalled for. Having my own hangups about villainy is one thing, but tossing my baggage on other ponies with a similar history was a line I should not have crossed,”
“How could I forget? That meeting did go pretty sour. But I’ve gotta say I’m impressed you came to this conclusion yourself. May I see what you have so far?” Twilight asked, leaning her head over to see what she had written so far. To the discomfort of Luxure, the scroll was blank.
When given a questioning stare from Twilight, Luxure awkwardly smiled. “Eheh…the keyword is ‘trying’. This isn’t what I would call my field of expertise,”
“Oooh having trouble expressing your thoughts, are we?” Rarity asked, looking over from the seat behind Luxure, Applejack doing the same.
“Y’know, ya could ask us for advice if ya don’t know where to start,” Applejack added.
Luxure groaned and put her hooves over her eyes. “Please help, I have no idea what I’m doing,”
“Alright! Time for a real heartfelt apology!” Pinkie gleefully shouted, squeezing herself in between Luxure and Twilight, much to the former’s discomfort as she had taken the window seat. “First off, you’ll want to let Princess Luna know that you realize now what you said wasn’t nice and you’re really super-duper sorry for it,”
“Indeed. And something to the effect of ‘I may have plenty of work to do on myself at the moment, but I should not have taken out my frustration with destiny on you like I did’ wouldn’t hurt,” Rarity added as well, watching as Luxure wrote along with them.
“Sounds about right. Go on,”
“Right, now there’s always the chance she might not be too keen on talkin’ to ya just yet so might be a good idea to include somethin’ like ‘Ah understand if you don’t wanna reply, or even if ya don’t forgive me. Ah jus’ wanted you to know ah’ve realized my mistake’ “Applejack said with a sincere smile.
“And that you hope despite everything that maybe you can be friends!” Twilight continued, sporting a similar smile.
Luxure didn’t look at any of the elements as she wrote, only listening. After a few more seconds of writing she completed her letter, signing it with her name in cursive. “It’s done...hm. That felt nice to get off my chest,” Luxure sighed in relief. Said relief did not last long though, as Pinkie all of a sudden snatched the letter from her. “Uh hello?”
“Hmmmm” Pinkie stared the later over with a thoughtful expression and rubbing the bottom of her chin. “It’s missing something...oh I know!” Pinkie cheered, quickly snatching the quill from Luxure as well and drawing a smiley face at the end of the letter next to Luxure’s signature. “Now it’s perfect! It’s the little details that really help it feel real!” she giggled, handing it back to Luxure.
“Erm…thank you?” Luxure said, somewhat confused at how two dots and a curved line could make her apology feel more genuine. Nevertheless, it wasn’t worth the death of her brain cells to ponder it. With her letter complete, she contained it in a green bubble of her magic and within a second, it vanished from sight.
“You did great, we’re all very proud of you!” Twilight exclaimed with probably the biggest of grins she’d seen her sport since Luxure met her formally.
“I was able to convey my emotions like something that at least resembles a normal pony without crying or yelling, don’t oversell it,” Luxure said resting her head on her seats headrest with her eyes closed. “But at least I can rest with a clear conscience where that’s concerned,”
“Give yerself some credit sugarcube, at least yer tryin’. More than Ah can say for a couple other nasties’ we’ve dealt with,” Applejack said patting Luxure’s shoulder.
“Lovely, just please don’t touch me right now,” Luxure said prompting Applejack to pull her hoof away. Wanting this train ride to be over quicker Luxure poofed up a glass of whiskey that levitated in front of her face, preparing to suck it down. She only stopped herself right before the alcoholic liquid touched her crystalline lips. “Mmph. Damn it, again with this,” she growled, making the glass disappear in a flash of fire.
“Quitting the alcohol?” Rarity asked.
“Fluttershy could have died from my stupid mistakes with this stuff. If I don’t quit now, who knows what will happen later,” Luxure said with a depressed frown and looking down at her fidgeting hooves. That look they’d all had in the hospital when looking at Fluttershy’s sickly body, the anger from Rainbow Dash that came in the fallout, none of that was something Luxure could take happening again. Something had to give.
“I might not know much about addiction, but maybe we could help you quit by finding something else you enjoy to use as your new outlet!” Twilight suggested.
“That sounds great!” Pinkie said, bouncing directly in front of Luxure seat, making her sink back in it a bit more just to get away from the pink ball of endless energy. “Just think about it, what’s something else you like?”
Luxure tried looking just about everywhere else except for the big blue orbs of excitement that took up most of Pinkie’s face. “I-If I told you, you wouldn’t like it,”
“Tell us your secreeeeets,” Pinkie continued, pulling Luxure’s face to her own and looking her dead in the eyes.
Having been forced to face Pinkie Pie head on now, Luxure simply sighed in resignation and looked straight ahead at Pinkie as she gave her answer as straight-faced as she could.
“Sex,”
That answer shut all four of them up. Pinkie let go of Luxure’s face and seemed to not be doing any better than the other Elements in responding to that. All of them exchanged some very awkward and flustered glances.
“Ya…don’t say,” Applejack said with a beet red face, attempting to hide it a little by tilting her hat downward.
“Don’t any of you give me those looks, I’m the Goddess of Lust. You had to have seen this coming,” Luxure said rolling over in her seat to face the train window.
“I-It’s not that we’re surprised darling, it’s just most ponies would not be so…bold about this,” Rarity replied with a stutter and an equally flustered face.
“Yes, well, I haven’t had a release in over a millennium, so excuse my lack of subtlety,” Luxure did not turn again to face the Elements as she spoke, somewhat out of self-consciousness.
“Wait, over a millennium?” Twilight asked trying to get over her own embarrassment at the situation. “I would’ve thought when you were ruling the empire you-“
“My reputation precedes me it seems,” Luxure interrupted, not looking at any of them. “When I used my magic to allure ponies to me, it was strictly business. The idea of using mind-controlled ponies for THOSE purposes is a tad too gross,”
Twilight winced a little bit, filled with immediate regret. “I’m…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” Twilight apologized with a pair of drooped ears.
“Forget about it. The point is after being in the Crystal Heart for so many years, I have gone a very long time without release and being a dysfunctional ball of stress and misery ever since I returned has not helped,” Luxure said in a frustrated growl.
“Couldn’t you have…well” Pinkie struggled to find the right words. “Done it yourself?”
“It’s not anywhere close to the same. My hoof is incomparable to the passion a stallion or mare could give me. Not to mention I wouldn’t have anypony to-” Luxure was very quick to stop herself, almost as if she seemed too embarrassed to speak her mind for once.
Pinkie, having suddenly realized what Luxure was trying to get at, clapped her hooves onto her own cheeks “Oooooh that’s so cute, you like to cuddle afterwards!” she squeed.
“Mmph, shut up,” Luxure grumbled, crossing her forelegs with her face having turned her own shade of red. Her eyes wandered briefly over the remaining elements with her, Twilight especially. She’d never really thought much about it until now, but in the looks department, all of them were indeed pretty. Just the right balance between cute and beauteous. That was something Luxure could appreciate in a mare, especially after so many years going without relief.
“You know…“ Luxure started, her face still red and an ever-growing smirk beginning to appear, very clearly eyeing up Twilight. “You DO look relatively above-average, princess. You wouldn’t happen to want to give me a little…’help’ would you?” she asked, slowly putting a foreleg around Twilight and not-so-subtly pulling her closer.
Unsurprisingly, Twilight was not mentally prepared for that and she nearly lost her breath. “A-ACHK. E-Excuse me, what?!”
“I mean, I know you’ve wanted to help PLENTY already so shouldn’t I also respond in kind? Don’t lie Twilight, your stress is killing you. Celestia puts so many expectations on you after all. I can’t imagine putting up with me has made things any better. Do you not wish to relieve yourself of it? I promise you I can make it VERY pleasurable for the both of us,” Luxure continued while slightly nuzzling her neck and cheek, making Twilight shiver a little.
“N-Nnn L-Luxure I-I don’t-“ Twilight stammered, only to be interrupted by Luxure herself.
“Oh? Is this attention unwanted?” Luxure asked, giving a genuine questioning look instead of the smirk she’d been wearing.
“I-I don’t know if I’d say that, i-it’s just we don’t know each other that well and-OH HEY LOOK” Twilight shouted, pointing out the window and showing they were pulling into Ponyville station. “WE’RE BACK NOW, GUESS WE’D BETTER FOCUS ON GETTING YOU SETTLED IN RIGHT?! E-Eheh,” she nervously motioned to the door as she’d unwittingly caused enough of a ruckus to catch the attention of the other train passengers.
The flustered, nervous smile and reddened face on her let Luxure read her like Twilight read her books. On some level it did give her a bit of pride knowing she still knew how to make a pony squirm. ‘Heh, still got it old mare,’
“I suppose you’re right,” Luxure said as she got up and stretched a bit after being in the train car for so long and heading for the exit herself.
Twilight’s friends were all too shocked to know what to say, all their mouths hanging agape as they saw Luxure head out.
“Woah nelly. She sure don’t beat around the bush none,” Applejack said, taking off her hat and fanning herself with it.
Twilight meanwhile was inwardly a frantic mess of mixed emotions. ‘Oh great, get her to open up and one of the first things she says is ‘Lets sleep together, it’ll be fun Twilight’, AAAGH WHY ME EVEN?!’ she mentally yelled.
“Um, Twilight? You’re looking rather conflicted. You’re not…considering Luxure’s offer are you?” Rarity asked.
“NO!” Twilight shouted, becoming self-conscious again almost right away. “I-I mean, no. I’m not. We’re trying to help her be a better pony and have a more positive life outlook. We’re going to try to be friends with her, and not the ‘with benefits’ kind,”
“Well that’s a disappointment,” Luxure said, having been listening and sticking her head back in the train door. “It’s rude to keep a lady waiting you know. I have living arrangements to make, come on now,”
“R-Right sorry, we’re on our way!” Twilight said as she led the rest of her friends out of the train. ‘Sweet Celestia, please let us find that mare some healthier habits’
Luna yawned as she prepared herself to head off to bed at about noon. As she worked the majority of the night in the dream realm, this was the only time she really had to get some rest and mentally prepare herself for the night of nightmare battling that was to come.
Though when preparing for bed, Luna never found letters sitting right smack in the middle of her pillows. And said non-existent letters also didn’t come with roses to go along with them. Tonight was the exception.
“What is…” Luna said to herself as she lifted both the things up with her magic. Eyeing the letter curiously, she unfurled it and began to read it outloud.
Dear Princess Luna
I’ve had a lot of invasive thoughts for the last couple of days. Among them being the nasty way that I treated you on our first meeting. I should’ve realized it sooner, but the feeling I’ve felt in my black hole of a heart of which no light can escape had to have been guilt over the way I treated you and your feelings about your past. I might have my own frustrations with the destiny of ponies like us, but you’ve moved on. Truthfully, I don’t know the real reason I said what I said. Maybe I was just jealous? Jealous that other ponies in a situation like mine could function normally but I just…can’t? Maybe that’s just a luxury I don’t have, knowing what I do, I don’t know. This isn’t about me though.
I can’t imagine what you’ve been feeling since we met proper and frankly, I’m sorry. I get it if you don’t want to talk to me ever again, but above all else I just wanted to make that clear to you. Don’t feel like your feelings don’t matter just because someone screeches it at you. Never let anypony tell you otherwise. And maybe if you DO decide to speak to me again we could…I don’t know, be FRiEndS maybe? I know I screwed things up quite badly but it would still be nice to have acquaintance with someone who is my equal and not practically my therapists like the Elements have in mind.
Just a thought. Hear back from you later. Or not.
-Luxure 😊
Luna simply stared at the page for a couple of moments after reading it, almost not knowing how to react. “It would seem she struggled to write the word ‘friend’ quite a lot. Perhaps she truly does mean it,” Luna said to herself as she took a bite out of the rose that came with the letter, contemplating the apology.
Truthfully, Luxure’s words did sting. The whole reason she had changed into Nightmare Moon so many years ago was her feelings towards her sister. Envy, anger, and inferiority especially. Never had she been told before that it all just meant nothing to her face.
However, clearly Luxure’s stance on Luna’s feelings at least had changed. And extending the olive branch (Or rose rather) no less. Her apology did seem genuine after all. If Luxure was legitimately willing to make an effort and admit her mistake, perhaps she should respond to it as such. Luna had learned a lot of things over the years since returning from the moon. Holding onto a grudge is very unhealthy for instance.
Luna placed the letter on the table next to her bed as she climbed under the covers. She would respond to Luxure’s letter for certain, she decided. Just not in a way Luxure would see coming.