//------------------------------// // Lay Thy Mare // Story: Luna's Story: Rise of the Lunar Stallions // by Aegis Shield //------------------------------// Luna’s Story: Rise of the Solar Stallions Epilogue: Lay Thy Mare Aegis Shield lay on his back, gasping as his lifeblood pooled heavily around him on the throne room tile. Nopony had seen the griffon assassin coming but he. There was no time to react, he’d only leapt into the way. The spear had buried itself in his throat, under the flap of the armor. He fell gagging and clutching at himself, red fountaining from his neck. Stalwart Hide leapt to protect the princess, but the enraged alicorn had other ideas. Rising from her throne on all fours, she lifted her horn mightily and grabbed the fleeing attacker by magic. Heaving the treacherous bird-lion bodily to the ground, she gritted her teeth in effort as he squawked and fought back and forth. “Princess! We’ve got him!” Stalwart offered. “Send for aid, Aegis needs you more than we!” Luna roared, sending the stallion running for help. As his hoof-falls faded and the midnight court grew more still, ponies peered out from behind columns and under tables. The alicorn quivered with rage, eyes flicking down at her fallen stallion, then up to the assassin. “Throw spears at us, will you?” she gave a cruel twist of magic, gesturing with her horn. “Will you?!” The griffon flew, screaming, skyward. Tumbling end over end until he was a dot in the sky, ensnared in the princess’ will, soon nopony could see him. She made a harsh gesture. The dot in the sky popped like a zit. No feathers, or even drops of blood, came back down. The ponies all around the room stared in horror. Luna panted a bit, a bead of sweat going down her temple. Whirling around she rushed down the dais to the dying Aegis Shield. “Prin--- *gargle*--“ The stallion said through the blood gushing out of his neck. “Do not speak.” She said, shushing him. She lifted her head, looking towards the open double doors. Stalwart Hide would not be quick enough. He would bleed out on the floor. She squinted, eyeing the aura of the armor he wore. It gave him some healing ability, yes, but this was a mortal wound. “Aegis! Aegis!” she flung herself o’er his chest, his blood soaking into her ethereal mane and turning the starry night in it red. Blots of his lifeblood floated in it. A spray of golden sparks and a crack of parted air announced Celestia’s presence. “Sister! I sensed violent magicks! What’s—?!” she stopped with a gasp, taking in the scene. “Dear Faust!” she ran quickly with her wings all the way open, propelling herself across the room. “He is dying, Tia!” Luna whimpered, pressing her hoof to his gushing neck. The stallion shuddered wildly, staring at the ceiling with tears rushing out of his eyes. “I don’t know what to do! I’m not a doctor!” she whimpered and shook, trying to comfort her dying love as his eyes began to glaze over. “His armor will not save him!” “His armor?” “The power we embued in his armor has some healing effects, but even if he were the ONLY Lunar stallion, he wouldn’t have enough magic!” Luna said, still crying. Celestia peered over the stallion’s regalia, squinting at it on the plane of magic. It glowed like a bright star. “Then perhaps he needs a super-charge.” The alicorn said. There was a clopping of many hooves when a gaggle of medical ponies, a handful of lunar stallions, and Stalwart Hide came stampeding into the room. “Everypony stand clear!” she said, horn igniting. “T-Tia what if it doesn’t work?!” Luna said, pulling his head into the crook of her arm. His heart was slowing. His whole body was shaking. The blood was quietly spreading. “The same power that struck me down at the royal wedding can save him, Luna.” Celestia said, gritting her teeth as greater layers of magic cocooned around her horn. “Aide me.” She said, wings spreading like antenna. “Its lunar magic, I cannot do it alone.” Sniffling quickly, Luna ignited her horn as her sister’s way. “I can be the conduit, please, give me everything you can.” She begged her sister. They locked eyes for just a moment. Celestia knew. This was the stallion her sister had fallen in love with. The white alicorn studied his sweating, terrified face. Panting with effort, Luna leaned down over the fallen Aegis Shield’s breast plate. Closing her eyes, she set her jaw and concentrated on the armor itself. She’d helped create it, she knew exactly how it all worked. The nature of the beast was complex, but not unconquerable. She moaned in effort, and the wild sparks of magic between the sisters sent arcing bolts of blue magic between the two of them. The ancestors in the back of Aegis’ head lifted their muzzles. Somepony was talking directly to them. Standing in their usual organized rows, they perked their ears back and forth. The voice was female, desperate and pleading. The princess! They’d served her in life and now she spoke to them in death! They raised their voices in song, a deep and vibrating brass bell of power. No words, just emotion. A hundred upon a hundred stallions, joining in one long and answering note. Heal him, she willed. Yes, yes princess, they obeyed. Ignited by the powerhouse of two alicorns giving them extra nourishment, they spread their wings and took off into oblivion, exploding into countless dark blue sparks. The space between spaces, inside the armor, was alive with magic and furious activity. Celestia peeked with one eye through her concentration. Aegis Shield’s neck was closing up slowly, the muscle filling in. The puddle of blood was slowly retreating, like somepony had turned a video on reverse. Reverse-waterfalling up around his neck, it flooded back into him until the spear-wound was gone altogether. Not even a scar. Luna continued to linger over the stallion, though. “Luna, he is safe now.” Celestia said gently, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “Luna? Luna!” The dark alicorn kept going, kept pushing, not wanting to let up until everything was more than okay. She would not lose her beloved stallion. She would give everything she had. She would not lose him. Dark sparkles of magic and the aura of lunar magic continued to rush back and forth over him. Every cut, bruise, and mark he’d ever gotten would vanish before she was done with him. Very suddenly she ran over her limit and passed out, flopping over like a limp ragdoll. Celestia gave a short shriek, and the lunar stallions rushed to aid her. =-=-=-= Luna lay on her back in her bed, sleeping soundly. Celestia was on her belly, a book hovering in front of her while she waited for her sister to awaken. The dark alicorn moaned, turning on her side and slitting her eyes open. “Tia?” she whispered. “You pushed yourself a bit too hard there, dear sister.” Celestia smiled a little, putting the book down. Opening her wings and getting up onto the bed with her, she settled to nuzzle her sister. “I’m glad you’re alright.” “Aegis Shield—?!” “--Is fine. He woke up before you did. He’s outside right now, no doubt with his ear pressed to the door.” Celestia snickered softly when both sisters heard a loud shuffling outside. Luna swooned a little with dizziness, but managed to right herself and stand. Even after exhausting herself like that, she could still get up and move normally. She was an alicorn after all. Rushing to the door on foal-like shaky legs, she threw it open to find her stallion. Aegis Shield beamed at her, and she threw her hooves around his neck, her whole mane flopping over him in the rush. “Well then.” Celestia smiled emusedly. “I can see I’m the third wheel here.” She teased, rising gracefully. Neither pony noticed that the white alicorn just happened to take the other two guards stationed at the door with her. That left Luna and Aegis alone. She practically dragged him into her room, slamming the door shut behind them. He chuckled ticklishly while she examined his neck with her muzzle, nodding up and down to get under the fur. He wasn’t even spattered with blood, or marked with a scar. She smiled widely, kissing him. “Thou art okay!” she crushed him to herself and he smiled, hugging her back. “Thou took a spear for me! In the neck!” “S’my job.” Aegis Shield said, smiling weakly. “It’s been, what, a couple of hundred years since the last assassination attempt in Equestria?” he couldn’t recall the last one, but it had been ages ago. “I’m gonna be in the history books!” the stallion threw his chest out and she chuckled, leaning into him and nuzzling. “Ah yes, all glory to you my stallion.” Luna chuckled playfully. She peered at the tinted windows of the balcony. It was early evening, technically their sleeping time. “Come to bed, Aegis.” She whispered, nosing his cheek a little. He nodded, tapping the eyeball on his armor. It retracted with the sound of drawing swords. Her brown, blonde stallion followed her to the alicorn sized bed and she threw herself upon it. She reached for him needily, and he clambered in after her. Smiling, she took off his medallion and set it on the bed stand. “This night thou art merely Aegis Shield, my stallion.” She whispered in a sultry way. Her hooves hooked around him and they lay next to each other, nuzzling affectionately. “Not a lunar stallion, just my stallion.” Reaching, she pulled the tiny knotted rope to close the curtains of her bed. They fell like liquid velvet, enclosing them in darkness. Aegis smiled at her softly, but finally worked up the courage to speak. “Something changed while you were out, Luna.” He said softly, his eyes shifting to one side. “I dunno how to say it…” he whispered, face turning a little pink. “Merely say it then, and end thy misery.” She said, cupping his cheek with concern. “My bits grew back.” He blurted. Her brow rose and her eyebrows vanished into her bangs as her jaw dropped a little. She stared at him, stunned. What a thing to say! He curled a little, pulling his hooves in towards his under carriage. Without word or warning she seized one of his back legs and lifted, peering at him. “What is it with you and doing that?!” he laughed, red-faced. She looked embarrassed and quickly released him. Sure enough, the ugly stitching scars were gone and all the… equipment, was there. Like it had never been taken from him. “But how…?” she whispered softly, trying to keep her eyes on his face now. “Thy stallionhood is restored!” she gulped a little, looking back and forth with a little heat in her face. “I asked Celestia.” He said in a low murmur, scratching his mane a little. “She said that since the lunar stallion armor is designed to treat injuries on its own through magic… well, missing something like that would probably make it think I was injured. When both of you super-charged the armor, it used a chunk of that energy to… well… make me whole again.” He blushed, barely able to say such things out loud. “How didst thou pee without one?” Luna suddenly blurted, for the question had been bothering her for months. “Squat like a mare?” he threw his head back and laughed aloud, hooking his hooves around her neck. He nodded in earnest. “But now… whole again.” She mumbled, flicking her gaze down at his belly. “Why princess!” he said, pulling away to look miffed at her. “Thou art not thinking to make me a harem slave, art thou?” He mimicked her old tongue and she shoved his shoulder with a snort. “Do not tease us!” she laughed as he leaned over her. Slowly, slowly, their smiles faded. The quiet question passed between them. Aegis Shield returned to lean over her and, before his eyes, he saw her wings quietly rise to display themselves. Despite her laying on her back, her powerful span pushed pillows and rumpled blankets away. The ancient gesture of open courtship was heady and erotic, something that only pegasi really understood. Sure, the other pony races knew what it was, but truly it mattered most to other winged ponies. Luna hadn’t seemed to notice she’d made it, for she was looking deeply into his eyes. Breathing in her scent, the stallion let himself down and kissed her quietly. For almost an hour they shared the bed quietly, neither daring to go beyond their usual fare. Heady kisses and quiet nuzzling was all they could ever do before. A stray nip of the teeth or giggle were highlights. “Luna…” Aegis Shield whispered while she nibbled strongly on his ear. The heady musk of desire was starting to be more and more prevalent in their bed. Luna shuffled just a little, pulling her stallion atop her. He went for her neck with quiet teeth and she would yelp now and then, a bead of sweat crossing her forehead as her mouth made a perfect o-shape. There in the darkness he finally said it, “I want you.” She shivered as he returned to kiss her again, a certain something growing between them and pressing at her belly. “Oh my stallion…” she whispered, giving a shy chuckle as his arousal showed off his masculine wingspan for her. It was preened and very, very attractive. Basic instincts were rising in both of them, and the stallion’s scent was growing stronger. He’d not had it before. It was like… salt, and sweat. The ache of earth and the spice of fire. A heady, stinging scent that made her moan quietly. Shifting her weight awkwardly, she gave a little yip of effort until finally he held himself up so she could shift properly. She hugged a pillow to her chest and meekly looked over her shoulder at him. Be gentle my love, her eyes said. Her haunches lifted for him, meekly. Aegis leaned over her as a stallion should his mare, rearing up to mount her. She gave a quiet cry, setting her back legs rigidly. Leaning slowly, romantically, he kissed her rump and then laid more kisses forward along her spine. She shuddered softly. His hooves hooked slowly around her as his weight and masculinity came forward. They made quiet, flushed, yipping love. He clung to her, panting her name in his efforts of passion. It was all she could do but whimper his name and set her teeth so she didn’t scream and fill the room with guards. Luna was no virgin, but ohhh… her stallion… mmm… He moved within her, sweat slowly dripping from his flanks and hot gasps wetting her wings as he worked at her furiously. All of the tension of not-so-secret sexual desire melted away between them. The sweating, gallant stallion grunted with each forward motion, rolling himself into her larger, slender body. =-=-=-= On the other side of the palace, Celestia recoiled when her tea suddenly turned bright pink in her cup. The taste had gone off the deep end of sweetness, tang’d with something like… oranges? It was hard to tell. Somepony had just gotten REALLY happy, she saw in her tea. Blink-blinking, realization swept o’er her face and her nearby butler asked if she was alright, for her face was flushed. She dismissed him and put her head under a pillow, trying NOT to think about her sister getting furiously rutted. There was a knock at her door, “Your majesty, a stallion from Ponyville is here to see you. He said he had an appointment with Princess Luna about restocking the palace’s fruit supply, but she is nowhere to be found for the moment…” he trailed off, hoping Celestia could help. The solar princess rose with a pleasant nod, wiping the embarrassed expression off of her face. She emerged out into the hall and followed the butler to a small meeting room. None other than Big Macintosh Apple sat awkwardly in a chair, waiting for his audience. Celestia’s brow rose. He was a large pony, almost as big as her. And such a great big barrel chest… The princess felt a certain warmth in her cheeks and she stood there in the doorway, staring at him for a long time. Well wasn’t he a handsome thing? “Welcome to Canterlot, Big Macintosh.” She smiled quietly. He turned, smiled, and bowed with a slow bob of his head. “Yer Majesty.” He said. Ohhh, his voice was like a twangy bell of masculinity. She liked it. A lot. “YEEEEEEAAAAAAS!” A female voice exploded across the sky like an apocalyptic crack of unholy thunder. Flying ponies fell out of the air for miles, struggling to right themselves. Glass panes cracked here and there. Windowsills shuddered. All of Canterlot vibrated on its foundations. Never had there been such a booming cry of ecstasy in the history of the city. Celestia stood there slack-jawed. A few curls of hair sticking in odd directions, her eyes had turned into tiny prick-pupils. Big Macintosh looked around in confusion. “What in your name was that…?” he mumbled to the princess, looking at the coffee table in front of him. The tea set, kettle and all, had melted into a sheet of gooey porcelain and then re-hardened into a blank sheet. Tea dribbled this way and that, bright pink. “Nothing. Nothing at all to be concerned about.” Celestia said a little robotically, mentally shutting down all of her magical radars. She didn’t even want to know what her sister might or might not be during at this point. Big Mac wasn’t sure he believed her. =-=-=-= Luna lay on her side, flushed and purring. Aegis Shield smiled softly, pulling her head to rest on his chest. She shifted a little, her long legs bicycling a little as she huddled up to her lover. “Mhhh, how do you feel?” he whispered softly, kissing the top of her head lovingly. “Mmm… sticky.” She said softly, then giggled a bit. He snickered softly, flopping down at last to rest. “We promise not to do that each time. We do.” She smiled embarrassedly as he looked around the room in shock. The balcony windows had all blown out, the furniture collapsed into itself, and the vanity had mirror exploded into oblivion. Her crown was hanging from the ceiling, somehow pressed into the stone by one of its little spikes. The curtains that had hidden them were long gone, and a poor homeless pony in Manehatten suddenly found himself with some nice blankets. Where they’d come from and why they were so fancy, he’d never know. “H'ohhh, my stallion…” Luna purred, leaning into his petting. Aegis Shield smiled wider, nuzzling his lover. END OF EPILOGUE/b] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A/N: Be sure to read the sequel, "Wrath of the Moon Champion"!