“Oh my… I do believe you have become a shade lighter. I also believe your wings are smaller and your horn is larger. How peculiar,” Princess Luna said as she looked at the colt at her side. The colt yawned, revealing to Luna a mouth full of little needle teeth. She saw his eyes, an odd shade of yellow-green. She saw that he was awake, alert, aware, and currently staring up at her.
The colt’s tummy gurgled, squelched, and then growled in protest of being empty.
“Hungry?” Luna asked as she looked down at the foal. She rolled over onto her side, kicked out one leg, and pulled the colt closer, gently turning him so that his head rested on her inner thigh. A second later, she felt several needle-like teeth sink into her flesh. Luna hissed but did not cry out. Lunar pegasi were far better equipped for nursing little lunar foals, with thick leathery skin that was too tough for the needle sharp fangs to pierce too deeply.
Not only was the foal suckling, but it felt as though the little monster was chewing.
Gritting her teeth, Luna endured. This was not the worst she had suffered. She had been mauled by griffons, savaged by some of the foulest demons in Tartarus, brutally hoof-noogied by her sister Celestia, and she had once endured the drudgery of the Day Court. This was simply feeding a foal and nothing more…
“OUCH!”
Her eyes going wide, Luna’s head lifted away from the cushion and shot upright. She bit down upon her lip. An odd trio of sensations was going on. There was the feeling the foal suckling, the pain of little needle teeth nipping into her tender skin, and the curious sensation of the foal lapping his sandpapery tongue against her rendered flesh.
“You continue to debase me,” Luna growled softly.
There was a knock upon the door and it opened just a crack. “Mistress?”
Forcing her teeth to unclench, Luna inhaled sharply. “Enter,” she said as she exhaled.
Grimglammer stepped through the door and cautiously approached Luna, who was curled up in the big bowl shaped chair. The big lunar pegasus mare could see the pain that was evident upon Luna’s face. Grimglammer frowned. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to get my medkit. There is a useful salve in there that will ease the pain once you are done feeding.”
“Will the salve leave a bad taste or hurt the foal?” Luna whispered.
“No, it will not harm him. It should be absorbed before he feeds again. We can always clean you off before you feed again. You certainly seem dedicated to this course of action,” Grimglammer replied.
“I have made a terrible mistake. The mare who nursed him on the Shetlands… I said terrible things to her accusing her of weakness… I was wrong Grimglammer. She was strong… she was strong and I should have commended her rather than berate her,” Luna confessed in a rare admission of wrongdoing.
“She’s probably had plenty of little teeth give her a nip down there and that’s probably toughened up her skin. Still, Lunar pegasi foals like a little blood with their milk if they can get it,” Grimglammer responded. She felt a deep sense of concern for Luna as she stood near Luna’s place of rest. “I will return.”
Standing in the shower, Luna allowed the steaming hot water to rain down upon her back, trickle down her sides, and run rivulets over her belly. She could feel the sting of hot water on her wounded flesh. She rested her cheek against the steam warmed tile. She could feel the water trickling over her dock and down her plot furrow, soaking into secret places hidden within.
She had left the foal in Grimglammer’s care.
Unseen in the deluge caused by the showerhead, tears ran down Luna’s cheeks. Not just from the pain of having her flesh chewed, but from the beauty of the moment she had endured. A powerful blend of hormones now flooded Luna’s body.
As the water poured down in streams, droplets of crimson blood dribbled down, running red streaks through the water, and circled down the drain. As Luna stood in the shower, droplets of blood oozing out from her savaged flesh, she felt the bitter pain of hypocrisy, a pain that hurt much worse than little needle teeth nipping at her flesh. She was so quick to pounce upon others for moments of frailty, to chide them, to berate them, to chastise them for expressing pain or weakness.
Standing there, with blood seeping from her gnawed upon flesh, Luna suffered a painful thought. She hadn’t even given birth to the little monster. All she had done was feed him. Rubbing her cheek against the warm wet tile, Luna slowly began to gain a new appreciation for the many mares in her life that had foals. Equestria needed a holiday celebrating the courage of the many mares that had given birth… some sort of celebration of motherhood… some day set aside as a holiday specifically for mothers.
Standing upon the deck of The Phobetor, Luna stared off at the distant stars twinkling in the black velvet night. Hung from a sling around her neck, the foal burbled and mumbled, swaddled in blankets to protect it from the frigid night air.
Feeling the cold breeze of night upon her feverish injured skin, Luna stood proud, her ears erect, her nose turned into the breeze. Beside her stood Grimglammer, the long hairs of her shaggy pelt rippling in the wind as the airship raced towards home.
“It bothers me… Trottingham. I do not like what is done there,” Grimglammer stated.
“It continues to worsen,” Luna responded, turning to glance at Grimglammer for a moment and then she resumed looking ahead. “When one looks at our own unicorn problem and the banishment of our noble houses, I suppose I can understand some small part of their fear.”
Shaking her head, Grimglammer snorted.
“It was not always this bad. One of our own Black Cloaks came from Trottingham. She worked for the government, hunting down the resistance and subjugating those unwilling to obey. For a time, she honestly believed she was serving the public interest. She had been made to believe that what she was doing was for the public good. Witching Hour was just making sure that society was well served,” Luna said as she fondly thought of Witching Hour.
“What changed her mind?” Grimglammer asked as she turned to look at the foal slung from Princess Luna’s neck. She gently nosed the foal and her ears perked when the foal cooed in reply. “I mean, she came to Equestria for a reason.”
“One day, the Unity Enforcers announced that the resistance was almost over. Not long after, a group of unicorns under geas came for Witching Hour. They attempted to subdue her. They wanted to drug her and turn her into one of the near mindless servants like all of the others who use their magic for the greater good, to serve ponies and make their society great,” Luna answered as one ear twitched in the wind.
“What happened?” Grimglammer questioned as she lifted her head away from the foal and looked up at Princess Luna. “I mean, she got away, that much is clear.”
“She killed them. Witching Hour killed them. She killed her former companions, her former friends, she killed those she had once called brother and sister. She began a killing spree that started in the center of Trottingham proper and ended at the seaside, where she commandeered a ship and sailed away. Wisely, they did not pursue her,” Luna replied as she turned to look at Grimglammer. “As for Tiddlywinks, she rescued him shortly before boarding the ship. He was her friend and she discovered him just before she detonated the asylum where she held previous employment. His brains had been scrambled, but just enough of him remained that he begged her for help. The rest of the residents were busy trying to kill her. They were all under geas and quite mad.”
“I knew Witching Hour was dangerous…”
“You have no idea,” Luna interjected in a low voice. “When she came to Equestria, she was a broken raving mess. She sought asylum. This was before my return. My sister gave it to her. Celestia had to work hard to fix Tiddlywinks… she does not have the same degree of control that I do regarding mental manipulation magic. She also had to seal off Witching Hour’s memories. It was too painful for Witching Hour to bear and she begged Celestia to make the nightmare end so that she might find some peace.”
“She’s still a raving mess… randomly shouting in the middle of a sentence,” Grimglammer said as she felt a feeling of pity settle into her mind. “It is unnerving to be around her for any length of time.”
“Her whole life has been betrayal, death, and danger. It is surprising she still functions as well as she does,” Luna responded as she reached out a wing and touched Grimglammer. “Never forget, she survived the purge of the Black Cloaks as well her betrayal in Trottingham… both she and Tiddlywinks. They lived where hundreds of others died. This speaks volumes of her abilities, her capability as a Black Cloak, and she has proven time and time again that she is a staunch protector of Equestria.”
Staring out into the starry blackness, Grimglammer did not reply. They were approaching clouds. Still off in the distance, the clouds had a silver hue in the moonlight and starlight, they were dark below and became lighter near the tops where the faint lights of the night shone down upon them, giving them the promised silver lining.
“The moon is only half full,” Luna stated as she stared up at her night sky.
Nodding, Grimglammer silently agreed.
“I strongly suspect that this colt will be a full unicorn when the new moon comes around and is a black disc lost in the night sky to all except for those who know how to look for it,” Luna speculated.
“And when the full moon comes around again, do you believe he will be a lunar pegasus once more?” Grimglammer inquired as the wind whipped her mane around her face and neck.
Nodding her head, Luna angled her gaze downwards to look at the foal hung in the sling that was looped over her neck. “Yes. I do believe he will follow the cycle of the moon.”
“Funny how magic works,” Grimglammer sighed, She stuck out one wing and gave it a flap to relieve a cramp in her central knuckle, a painful reminder of an old battle injury.
Saying nothing, Luna found herself in agreement. There was still so much they did not know. New and wondrous things, miraculous things, new discoveries. Even Luna, who had lived for a very long time, could still be surprised by random facets of magic that appeared, previously unknown and now begging to be studied. Magic still had deep dark depths which waited to be explored.
“Will you allow Twilight Sparkle to examine him?” Grimglammer inquired as she continued to flex her wing. Audible clicks and pops could be heard from the knuckle and she waggled her grasping digit in a small circle.
Still distracted, Luna thought about Grimglammer’s question for a few moments. “In time. For now, I want to bond with him. I find myself filled with a desire to keep him close.”
“Mommy hormones. Getting your teat milk flowing filled your body with a cocktail of all manner of hormones. You are going to notice some changes in your mood. As a physician and your friend, might I recommend taking a little time to yourself and allow this bond to happen?” Grimglammer responded as she looked over at Luna and saw she was staring down at the foal.
“I intend to. I will pass some of my tasks on to others. I think I will spend some time in Ponyville,” Luna answered in a somewhat uncertain voice. “I will take this time to bond and reflect upon my inner darkness as well. Perhaps sort out a few issues. Find some way to break the cycle, so to speak.”
Drawing near Luna, Grimglammer leaned her head down to have a look at the foal, who was now waking up and yawning. “Have you thought about a name for this colt?”
Smiling a soft smile that revealed the edges of her teeth, Luna nodded. “I do believe I shall call him Erebus.”