//------------------------------// // Mercy // Story: What Princesses Need // by Aegis Shield //------------------------------// What Princesses Need Part 13: Mercy “My… my… my…” the sultry, seductive tone of Nightmare Moon caressed Shining Armor’s down-turned ears. “Our sister sends me gifts often, but thou may take the cake.” She grinned, jowls lifting to expose all of her hellish fangs. “And look, bare-shouldered!” she gripped one part of his uniform, pulling at it a little. His rank-insignias were no longer there, and the purple bits of his guard armor were gone. Shining Armor stood there. Dishonored though he may have been, and sent into shadow for further punishment, he would take it like a stallion. He stared straight ahead, his face a careful mask of annoyance and mild anger. He huffed just once, carefully controlling himself while the black alicorn moved about him. His shining Princess, Celestia, had thrown him into the lion’s den. He’d been following orders! Those Lunar morons, foals or not, were stalking his sister! They’d already pony-napped her twice, he would not allow it a third time no matter what. Mhh, if Celestia didn’t like his methods, he could only pray she would send someone just as capable as he. Though he did sting with guilt of tying up a foal in disguise… he looked at the floor. He’d felt justified at the time. The heat of the moment. The thrill of the capture… and the ease of the torture. Sure, games of ‘got your nose’ and eating treats in front of the Lunar Stallion wasn’t exactly nasty torturing techniques, but the capture and holding had landed him in hot water. Such hot water that Celestia had hoofed him over to her sister, the foal’s mother figure. The white unicorn stood stoic, waiting to see what the Princess of the Night would do to him. He heaved a big breath and then spoke softly, “Princess Celestia says that you’re going to punish me for what I’ve done.” He said with a tone of finality. “What is--!” he was halted when she stepped close, putting a huge hoof over his mouth. “Shh-sh-sh-shhhh… dost thou hear that?” Nightmare Moon crooned, casting her eyes to the ceiling. “Dost thou?” she whispered in his ear, gesturing upward. They were in the furthest reaches of the palace, near the Royal Apartments. No servants went there unless summoned. It was as quiet as a tomb. “I don’t hear anything.” Shining said before he could stop himself, ears perked. “Exactly.” She lowered her voice into an amused, black giggle. Her hoof rose, stroking the tenderest part of his adam’s apple… down the tenderest part of his neck… his chest. The sound of tearing fabric sent up a lot of red flags in the stallion, and he made to retreat. A warm rush of dark magic melded his hooves to the floor. He stood there, bare-chested, his uniform parted to show off his snow-white chest. Nightmare Moon moved about to stand in front of him. Her platinum-gilded hoof traced up his chest, stopping firmly at the base of his neck. “Nothing at all.” She confirmed, nodding slowly. “We could choke the life right out of thou,” she whispered, her nose almost touching his. “For harming our foal. And none would hear thou scream.” She pressed her massive hoof into the softest muscles of the front of his neck. Icy fear rushed up Shining Armor’s spine. He leaned back, his hooves still magically stuck to the floor. Clenching his teeth and breath caught in his throat, he looked at her in terror. Would she really do it?! “I was just following orders!” he said, trying to put on a brave face. Her long, spindly foreleg wrapped about his shoulders, then gently rested around his neck with its own weight. “I was protecting Twilight from YOU!” he barked, turning and savagely sinking his teeth into her leg. She grunted a little, but did not release him. “It seems we art at am impass about Twilight Sparkle.” Nightmare squeezed his neck rather violently. Shining’s eyes bulged comically out of his head for a moment, but then she loosened her assault to let him breathe. “We assumed her our lover when we awoke with her nestled to our teats in the dead of night.” She told her. The stallion stared at her with a dumbfounded expression of disbelief. She nodded in a sagely way, her anger fading for a moment. “Tiz true. Luna invited her to a sleepover, and we ended up in a rather… intimate position, in our slumber. When we awoke, Twilight was nestled into us like she were a suckling foal.” Shining watched in revulsion as Nightmare Moon’s eyes turned big and soft at the memory. “She was so adorable, we doth not lie. And so tempting too, pressing up to us like that--” the goddess of the night paused to give a lovesick sigh, which made the stallion gag miserably. “We thought to seduce her since Luna already had, but neigh, t’was my misunderstanding of Twilight’s intent toward us.” she rolled her eyes in an impatient way. “She is quiet foal-like when she sleeps, did’st thou know that?” she stopped her fawning to consult the brother of her love interest. Shining Armor groaned, almost wishing she would go back to choking him. He didn’t like hearing anypony talking about his sister that way. “You’re sick, Princess.” He spat, turning his face away from her. “Sick, if you think Twilight will ever love you.” The arrow stuck a liiiittle too close to home, for she gave an angry neigh and slapped him. Crack, across the face. Remembering herself at last, Nightmare Moon switched back to threatening mode. “Perhaps sick, perhaps a monster, stallion. But that is what I have a therapist for. And when he-!” “You’re seeing a therapist?” Shining Armor blurted, staring at her in shock. Had she not told him before? She could've sworn she had, during their other encounters... her mind was addled. Perhaps she hadn't told him yet. Who knew. Nightmare Moon conjured and then CLANKED a pad of metal over his mouth so he would shut the buck up. The stallion crossed his eyes helplessly, wondering where the plate had come from, and how the rivets in it weren’t digging into his dental work. He tried to magic it off, but it did no good. “Yes, yes we are.” Nightmare said, more than a little annoyed at him. “When he gives us a clean bill of health, we shalt go back to seducing thy sister.” She smiled nastily. “And when she lies shrieking in extacy in our bed, I shalt remember your ‘never’ statement and laugh.” Her draconic eyes flickered a sterile white for a moment. Shining Armor then proceeded to wig right the buck out. His horn glowed powerfully. He tugged at his hooves, still stuck. His mouth grunted and whinnied against the metal plate. His eyes glowed with ragged, raw hatred. She stood back, watching him writhe in frustration and anguish. Not Twilight! NOT TWILIGHT! The monster! He would die before he let her—his hooves came free, the metal plate vanished, and his uniform sewed itself up again. Frazzled, he staggered forward onto his face with a short cry. “Wh… what?” he looked up at her, his anger replaced by confusion. She’d let him go? Nightmare Moon leaned down into his face, until they were eye to eye. “That terrible, icy feeling of frustration and agony thou just felt?” she said slowly. “When we taunted thou about thy sister, fair Twilight? That is what you were doing to my little foal.” Shining Armor gave a slight gasp, his irises expanding. “An eye for an eye was common in our era long past.” She turned from him, showing him her back. “Away with thee, and do not go near my children again.” She commanded, glancing over her shoulder with glowing white eyes. “Or we shalt actually choke thee, next time.” Shining Armor seized the opportunity and galloped. “Shining Armor.” Nightmare called as he reached the doorway. He stopped and turned. There was a short silence. “We would not molest Twilight Sparkle.” She said, genuinely, after some hesitation. “We really did think Luna brought her to our bed. We merely wanted to partake as well.” He stared at her, confusion and hatred on his face. He didn’t run, but rather cantered, from the room. As soon as he was gone from the room, Nightmare Moon smiled on one side of her mouth. Shining Armor gave a loud grunt when suddenly a Lunar Stallion appeared and bucked him in the flank! The stallion gave a shout of surprise, almost knocked over. “Hey!” he shouted angrily. “What was that for?!” The Lunar Stallion grinned wickedly, pointing to Shining Armor’s armored butt. There was a taped on piece of paper that said ‘kick me’ on him. He blanched. Turning to pull it off, he found it was stuck. Igniting his horn, he--- it was really stuck. He squinted at it on a magical level. Nightmare Moon must’ve stuck it to him and then enchanted it to stick no matter what. But when? Ka-buck! Another Lunar Stallion had appeared and kicked him in the tooshie. “Ack!” he said, rubbing his sore butt. “Stop that!” “You picked on our little brother, Melancholy.” scowled a third Lunar Stallion, who had melted out of shadow and lowered his horn agressively. “The Princess says we can kick you all we want while you’ve got that sign on.” “No you can’t!” Shining Armor shouted angrily. He turned back to the door to confront the dark goddess, but it was locked. “OOF!” he’d turned his back on them, and got another kick for his trouble. Pressed to the door, he rubbed himself sorely. He turned around quickly, not to expose his butt to any of them. He looked over at nearby columns, in the shadows. Eyes. Eyes everywhere. Golden, glowing eyes. They’d been waiting for him. The stallion suddenly bolted, an entire herd of grey armored ponies chasing him and kicking him in the butt as they went! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Meanwhile, back in Nightmare Moon’s Office =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Deep Psyche slowly turned, feeling like a Con Mane villain, in the swiveling desk chair. He’d been hiding there during the entire meeting, carefully invisible thanks to a spell he’d picked up as a teen. “That was very merciful of you, Luna.” He said, leaning forward and steepling his hooves together under his chin. Nightmare Moon jerked about. “A spy!” she shrieked, even though she knew perfectly well who he was. “Dost thou also root through my sock drawer, doctor?!” she demanded shrilly. He really had caught her off guard. “I wasn’t aware you liked lingerie, Princess.” Doctor Psyche smiled easily, letting her demanding tone run off of him like so much rainwater. “I’ll make note of it.” He teased. Nightmare Moon scowled at him angrily, opening her wings and sweeping across the room to shoo him out of her desk chair. “Seriously, though.” He smiled at her as she took her seat back. “You could’ve ripped him in half, but you didn’t. Why?” he wanted to know. “Are you not Luna’s deepest, unrepentant urges?” he challenged the dark half of his Princess with her very definition. “He did not deserve it.” Nightmare Moon shrugged. He quirked an eyebrow with interest. “Our sister stripped him of his rank. The scandal alone could ruin his life. We need not kill him to make it worse. The political nightmare with Princess Cadance alone would never stop haunting us.” she turned her muzzle up like Shining Armor’s life meant nothing to her. “This situation has grown tangled because of our madness and misinformation between so many ponies. If it were up to us, I would call a meeting of those involved to make sure everypony was on the same page.” Deep Psyche stared at her, wide-eyed and mouth agape. “Wh… what did you say?” he whispered, his eyes a-glitter with excitement. It was Luna who spoke next, the image of Nightmare Moon faltering for a moment before she became the meeker side of the night time Princess. She still had a mild edge in her tone when she repeated, “We said that we would call a meeting--!” “Oh no. No no no.” Dr. Psyche shook his head, smiling grandly. “You said ‘I’. I would call a meeting.” Luna's cheeks pinkened happily and she scuffed a hoof on the floor a bit in embarrassment. He pushed his hoof through his mane, laughing a little. Progress was being made. This was a milestone. Two personas, but a singular pronoun. Luna stared at him, cocking her head. Her memories were overlapping. She could remember a little of what Nightmare Moon was conversing about, and she was starting to say ‘I’ instead of ‘we’. Phenomenal! =-----=-----=-----=-----= Twilight Sparkle studied herself in her bathroom mirror. Rather un-ceremonially, she turned sideways and lifted her tail and right back leg. Like any mare in the privacy of her own bathroom, she inspected her privates with a critical eye. Her perky little teats were nothing special in her mind. Her sex was virginal and bashfully cared for, the dark purple pubic hair hiding most of it. The purple mare studied her most intimate areas meekly. Those marks—she stared at the two red little marks on her lower pelvis. She sighed in a troubled way, rubbing at them self-consciously. You couldn’t see them unless Twilight was on her back with her legs splayed open, which never happened, but it didn’t keep her from feeling like they were on full display all the time—like some raunchy tattoo that everypony could see. Thy belly is so sensitive! Even Luna knows this! She thrust her leg down again, angry and confused. Twilight didn’t like Luna anymore, much less Nightmare Moon. She was still having nightmares of the Goddess violating her, as what almost happened in the cave. Shuddering, she stomped her hoof with a grump. Then… she slowly lifted the back one again and stared at herself. She’d debated going to nurse Red Heart to see about the little scars. But she was too embarrassed, she couldn’t. Sighing in distress, she went back over Luna’s confessional letter. She saw the face of her therapist in her mind’s eye, the handsome caramel-colored stallion with the brain and question mark on his flank. “She’s seeing a therapist.” Twilight mumbled at her reflection in the mirror, staring at the two little scars on her lower pelvis. “Maybe she’ll be able to get better.” She whispered. While there was no chance of romance like Luna(Nightmare?) wanted, perhaps there were amends to be made when she was well. Twilight could only hope. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Meanwhile, in Canterlot… =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Shining Armor’s wallet and keys were missing so he had to knock on the door of his own home. His wife Princess Cadence came to answer. She startled in the doorway, staring at her husband. “What happened to you?!” she thrust her hoof over her mouth, trying not to laugh. Shining had bright play-doe in his mane, dings in his armor, happy faces drawn on his cutie mark, hoof prints on his face and chest, bruises on his butt, and a kick me sign attached to him. There was even chewing gum in his tail. He looked positively miserable, his mane frazzled and his eyes dead. Cadence couldn’t help it. She burst into voracious laughter. “Oh-hoh-honey! Did you get attacked by some giant kindergarteners?!” she howled, leaning against the door frame. “Yes.” said Shining Armor in a dark voice, “Yes I was.” She stared at him. End of Part 13