Moonstone 16 - "Ex"

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’Fancy Pants? What is he doing here?! Don’t tell me...’

Fleur could hardly believe her eyes. She was hundreds of miles away from home, standing in a VIP lounge at Equestria's biggest BDSM convention, and preparing to hopefully receive the grand prize for her performance as the disguised sub of an equally disguised Princess of Equestria...

'And somehow, he shows up.'

Her ex-husband, Fancy Pants, strode into the lounge with his head held high and his teeth clenched around the end of a leash that led to the collar that was fastened almost too tightly around Melody's throat. At least, Fleur assumed it was Melody; she had never seen this mare before, but a vague recollection of her parting conversation with her unfaithful ex-husband brought to mind the name.

"No way." Luna breathed beside her. "Cerulean," The princess turned to her, both of their gazes meeting intently. "If you want to leave, we can."

"Wait a minute." Fleur frowned up at Luna then across the short shadowy space between her and Quill. "What did you just say? You've never won this before?"

Luna opened and closed her mouth without uttering a sound. Her expression turned pensive for a moment as she struggled to formulate a response. "Hmm... So, you did hear that..."

"Yes, I did. Are you serious? All the years that you've been coming to this expo, and you've never won once?"

"No, Cerulean." Luna sighed, glancing at Quill. "I've come close once before with Quill, but just last year..." Luna's voice drifted off as her expression turned dark; she seemed to be lost in thought, as if her mind were replaying some very unpleasant memories.

A pang of guilt flashed in Fleur's chest at the sight. 'Whatever it is, it's clearly painful for her... I should never have brought it up.' She glanced again at Quill, and then back to Luna. 'Still, something happened between these two, and I have to know what it was. It may be key to understanding Luna's motives now.'

Fleur sat in silence, her gaze fixed on her dom. After a few more moments, Luna sighed and turned to Quill. "Would you mind showing her?"

"Not at all, Pr-... Aurora." Quill began fumbling with the buttons on his coat and shirt, and it was then that Fleur actually noticed that Quill was wearing a full business suit.

'That's odd. Nopony here is wearing clothes that aren't designed to highlight their sexuality, so why would Quill wear a busin—'

Fleur's train of thought derailed in an instant as Quill finished opening his shirt, revealing most of his chest and flanks. The color visibly drained from her face as she looked on.

Scars of various sizes criss-crossed Quill's chest; even longer ones drew parallel lines across his flanks like crude tattoos, their lighter coloring marking the spots where his coat had refused to regrow. In the middle of his chest was probably the worst scar of all, a knotted cord of flesh that ran across his entire breast, standing in stark relief to the rest of his body.

Fleur raised a hoof to her mouth in a futile attempt to conceal her shock. Quill, however, didn't seem to mind, returning Fleur's astonished look with a soft, albeit sad, smile.

"What happened?" Fleur managed to breathe, finally closing her mouth.

"My one foray into being a sub didn't end well." Luna explained softly.

Would you like to tell the story, or shall I?" Quill asked Luna.

"I will." Luna sighed and glanced about before helping Quill shrug back into his clothing. He buttoned his shirt and re-fastened his tie as Luna continued. "I returned to this expo two years ago. It was my first visit here since my release from the Nightmare, and I had decided to change my seemingly old-fashioned way of thinking about BDSM."

Luna placed a gentle hoof on Quill's shoulder. “Quill had been a good friend of mine in Canterlot, a confidant of sorts in my little forays. While the two of us were both more-or-less doms, I expressed an interest in changing my domineering way of mind. Quill and I... Experimented a little bit. Our private endeavours went over well, so we thought 'why not?' I assumed a disguise and allowed Quill to... Escort me."

"You were her dom?!" Fleur breathed, glancing at Quill once more.

"For all of two glorious weeks." Quill nodded, a slightly happy smile on his face. "I remember them fondly."

"Ahem," Luna cleared her throat, drawing Fleur's attention once more. "We were well-received at the expo that year. As a dom, Quill was as unorthodox as I am; in fact, I owe much of my disposition as a dom to him and his decidedly outside-the-box tactics. Our relatively new way of going about a session was drawing heads, but unfortunately not enough to win us the competition. We were a close second. After the award ceremony... Well..." Luna sighed and hung her head. "The unexpected happened."

"As it turns out," Quill stepped closer, whispering into Fleur's ear. "The Princess' magic doesn't take too kindly to being subjugated."

"You lashed out." Fleur surmised, looking sadly up at Luna.

"Not of my own volition, no." Luna shook her head. "My magic acted on its own. Not unlike when I... Well, you know. A thousand years and whatnot."

"I see." Fleur sighed sadly and went to nuzzle Luna's neck. She glanced at Quill, who nodded stoically. "I'm sorry you were hurt."

"Don't," Quill shook his own head slowly. "Don't apologize. Lu-... Aurora and I have discussed it plenty of times since then, and we've come to an understanding about what happened. I'm just glad that I was able to reveal a new facet of her power. The wounds I sustained were mostly superficial, but we both understand it could have been much worse."

"And I'm glad it wasn't." Luna nodded, wrapping up the point as she turned to Fleur. "Needless to say, I didn't win that year, nor the year after."

"Poor Lyra." Quill chuckled. "She couldn't even live in Canterlot after that whole ordeal."

"I told her to wear a disguise." Luna huffed. "But that is definitely a story for another time. So, to answer your question directly, no, I have never won this contest before." A sly grin tugged at Luna's mouth. "But, one could say that I've certainly made my mark here."

"That much I gathered." Fleur chuckled. "But we stand a good chance this year."

"As good a chance as any." Luna nodded. "We had their attention, and we had it hard."

"About that..." Quill cleared his throat and glanced at Fancy Pants, who was steering Melody roughly in their direction, though he was moving slowly. "You two didn't see any of their performance."

"You're joking." Luna deadpanned, looking seriously at Fancy Pants. "Him?"

"I almost didn't believe it myself." Quill stepped up next to Fleur, the three of them forming a front in the shadows. It seemed Fancy Pants hadn't quite seen them yet. "He's rough, but he's good. If I were being fair, Aurora..." He glanced at the princess over Fleur's back. "He's just as good as you. Maybe better."

"Forgive me if I find that difficult to believe." Fleur felt the heat rising in her cheeks. "I was married to that bastard for several years."

"I forgot about that," Quill muttered. "He didn't… Do anything with you?"

"Not even once." Fleur snorted derisively.

"I figured that's where you got the taste... He looks like he's been doing it for years."

"Oh, I'm sure he has..." Fleur growled. "Just not with me."

"I see..." Quill muttered. "No wonder you kicked him out."

"I'm glad we see eye-to-eye on that, Quill." Fleur turned to look up at Luna, her expression set like stone. "Aurora, Mistress... We're not leaving."

Luna looked at her seriously, her own expression drawn. Their eyes bore straight into one another's, not wavering for even a moment. Luna seemed to be mulling something over seriously, but in the end she heaved a sigh and nodded.

"Alright, Cerulean. We're staying."

"Thank the heavens for disguises," Quill gestured to the barmare. "This'll be awkward enough even with them. Whiskey."

"Make that two." Luna nodded to the barmare. She glanced down at Fleur. "I'm gonna need it to make it through tonight."

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The award ceremony was surprisingly more formal than Fleur had been expecting. She and Luna had managed to evade Fancy Pants and Melody in the VIP area by hugging the shadows and generally seeming off-putting. The one time they had come close, Luna had fixed Fancy Pants with her signature scowl and that alone had seemed to deter him enough from engaging in conversation, much to Fleur's delight. She didn't feel like a face-to-face confrontation with her ex-husband, even if it was in the shadowy VIP area. Still, as the two of them went around chatting, Fleur kept her eyes on them.

Fancy Pants hadn't changed much. He was still as incorrigible as she remembered him, if not even more so. He joked lewdly, drank rather heavily, and half-dragged, half-yanked Melody around behind him. 'She doesn't seem to be enjoying herself at all.' she thought as she watched Melody be dragged across the room for at least the tenth time in the last few minutes. 'Or perhaps it's all part of their act. Either way, that's certainly no way to treat a sub.'

"It's nearly time." Luna whispered, drawing Fleur from her reverie. "We're all going to be called up on stage, and they'll call out pairs one-by-one until the finalists are left. Then the winner is presented a riding crop, to signify their victory."

Fleur nodded tentatively. She quickly swallowed the last of the Hay Island Ice Tea that Luna had gotten for her, while the Princess quaffed the last of her whiskey. The drinks had taken some of the edge off of her nerves, but Fleur couldn't repress all of the apprehension that was building in her gut.

Her efforts to stay calm were made even harder by a clearly half-drunk Fancy Pants, who noisily boasted of his inevitable victory as he tottered through the lounge half-drunk.

Movement near the entrance of the stage caught her attention though, and she turned her gaze to Quill, who was now standing near the lounge entrance, clipboard in hoof.

"Alright, everyone. Your attention please." Quill spoke up, drawing the eyes of everypony in the lounge. Luna led them forwards, keeping Fleur close to her side. Quill waited until silence had descended among the gathered ponies before speaking once more. "We're going to go ahead with the awards ceremony. As we call couples up, enter the stage and walk as far to the other end as you can get. There were a fair amount of you this year, so don't be afraid to squeeze in a little. You all will be taking the stage momentarily. Once there, we'll call couples down in ascending order, starting with last place and moving up to the finalists. Any questions?" He looked around as ponies shook their head or muttered quiet 'no's and 'uh uh's.

"Alright then. We’ll mount the stage now, starting with Featherfall and Oasis Glimmer..." He began calling out pairs, each of them advancing through the stanchion and around to the end of the stage. Fancy Pants and Melody were within the first five couples to mount the stage, and Fleur and Luna were called out in the tenth spot, close to the tail end of the contestants.

The stage was full of thirteen pairs by the time they had finished. Fleur had to squint to see past the stage lights, but it was obvious that nearly everypony had shown up for the ceremony. Quill mounted the stage last, smiling out at the crowd as he accepted a microphone from one of the assistants.

"Welcome everypony to the Trottingham BDSM Expo's 'best dom/sub pair' awards! Earlier this evening, you had a wonderful opportunity to watch all of these pairs perform for you. Using a combination of your tallied votes and a panel of judges, we have determined who among them was the best in a combination of three fields – Eroticism, Technique, and Boldness.

The field of Eroticism is based on how provocative their display was, or how arousing it might be to a viewer. Technique judges how well the specific harnesses or methods used were implemented, taking into account things like complexity, time spent in individual binds, and how well any transitions were executed. And lastly," Quill chuckled a little. "Well, it's safe to say that most everypony here has explored at least one facet of BDSM. Boldness determines how fresh or interesting the specific techniques used were.

Our judges use these three categories, each scored out of one hundred points, to determine who amongst our competitors placed highest. This only counts for half of their 'score,' however. The other half is awarded in the form of anywhere from three hundred to one hundred points, in descending order, based on popular vote.

"A maximum of six hundred points is available between the judges' scores and popular vote totals. The pair who scored the highest amount of points will be presented our highest award:" Quill gestured to the side, and a cushion was passed to him. Atop the cushion rested a very slender-looking rawhide riding crop. Fleur watched the crop as it was raised for all to see, a sense of desire building in her throat.

'I want that crop. I want it bad.'

"This crop signifies a stable of the BDSM culture. The ability to give pain, and the inclination to enjoy it. The couple awarded this crop will hold it until next year's expo, where they will forfeit it to that year’s winners. After a thorough cleaning, of course." A ripple of laughter rolled over the audience, and Quill handed the cushion back to a rather cute-looking assistant. Fleur watched it go with a slight ache in her breast. She was loathe to let it out of her sight for even a moment.

'That crop is mine. So help me, I'll have it. I don't care if I have to sway the judges’ decision and tally another six hundred votes right here on this stage.'

"Without further ado," Quill shook her from her obsessive trance, even as he hoisted a clipboard. "Let's begin."

"Relax, love." Luna breathed into her ear. Fleur tensed a little as a tingle of pleasure shot through her core. "Remember. this is a friendly competition; no point in getting all worked up over it. Win or lose, we still put on an amazing show."

"I know." Fleur whispered back. "I just really, really want that crop, mistress."

"You and me both, Cerulean." Luna kissed her ear tenderly. "You and me both."

"In last place, with a combined score of two-hundred and twelve points, Iron Ingot and Holly." Quill smiled as a rather unassuming pair shuffled forwards, both of them seemingly embarrassed with being last place. Quill smiled warmly as they exited the stage to modest applause. Quill continued for a short while, announcing scores and names of pairs. The scores only got closer as the remaining pairs of contestants dwindled. The tension in the air was becoming palpable as the fourth place couple left the stage, leaving only three pairs in their wake.

"In third place, with a combined score of five hundred and forty-two points, Mint and Tenderleaf!" Applause broke out as the third-place couple smiled. Fleur and Luna shook their hooves, followed by Fancy Pants and Melody. It was only the four of them left. Fleur spared one quick glance at her ex-husband, who only smiled at her in an unassuming way. 'Remind me to thank Luna a hundred times over for the disguise.' Quill waited until silence fell over the audience before speaking once more.

"So we're left with our two finalists. But, before we reveal our winning couple, let's have a few words, shall we? We'll begin with our two newcomers, Fancy Pants and Melody.”

"That's right, Quill." Fancy Pants nodded warmly. "This is my first rodeo, so to speak, though Melody and I have been practicing for a few years now." Fleur felt her eye twitch. "We only recently stepped into the field of exhibitionism. Previously, we were only able to see one another once every few weeks. But I was finally able to move to Trottingham a few months ago, and we were able to be much closer. Isn't that right, Melody?" Fancy Pants led her forth, pulling firmly on the collar.

"Y-yes, Master." Melody stammered into the microphone.

"And what is it you two do for your profession?" Quill asked.

"I work mostly with charities." Fancy Pants alluded. "Melody here is a caretaker for the local museum."

"I see… Very interesting! Well, good luck to you both in this final round." Quill smiled warmly at the two of them before turning to Fleur and Luna. "Aurora," He grinned at her. "It's good to see you again, Mistress."

"And you as well, Quill." Luna gave a slight smile. "I trust things have been well in my absence?"

"As well as they've ever been. Aurora, as you all know, is somewhat of a crowd favorite here from last year. She and I have worked relatively closely in the past."

"Shame to say a certain mint-colored unicorn was my sub last time around." Luna chuckled into microphone. "Had it have been you, we very well might have won."

"I think I'm done subbing or being a dom for a while," Quill returned. "Last year before the competition was my last time."

"Such a pity," Luna winked at Quill. "I missed the way you squirmed."

"Haha. Well, as many of you know, Aurora owns her own BDSM boutique in Horseshoe Bay. Now, perhaps we could learn about about your new sub? I don't think I've seen her before."

"Introduce yourself." Luna quipped, pulling Fleur forwards. Fleur stumbled to the microphone, blushing a little.

"I am known as Cerulean, mistress." Fleur panted. She was actually a little riled up, despite the wearing session earlier that evening. She didn't think she'd be able to do anything without some repercussions, but she was feeling rather heated.

"It's good to see you here, Cerulean. What do you do?"

"I-I'm a wedding planner in Horseshoe Bay..." Fleur glanced over at Luna, her blush intensifying. "I met Mistress Aurora while trying to arrange a... A specialty ceremony. Needless to say, I was intrigued, and with her insistence, I got hooked... Literally and figuratively."

"I see. So you're new to the experience?"

"Only a few months green," Fleur nodded."This was by far the hardest and most daring session I've ever done."

"Well it must have been good! You made it to the finals after all. Best of luck to you, Cerulean, and you as well, Mistress Aurora." Quill gave the two of them a surreptitious look of concern before turning back to the crowd. The silence was palpable. She nearly started when Fancy Pants leaned over to whisper in Luna's ear.

"No hard feelings, Aurora, but I do believe that crop is mine."

"We'll see about that." Luna replied, glancing at him. Fleur and Melody met gazes for a brief moment. A flash of anger rose inside of her, but she managed to buck it back down.

'Poor girl. She probably didn't even know Fancy was married when he started fucking her. I wonder if she even wants to be here...' Pity quickly took the place of anger, and Fleur returned her attention to Quill.

"Not only did this year's expo produce the largest field of contestants yet, it also produced the smallest margin of victory that we've ever recorded. Mares and gentlecolts, our final two couples are separated by a scant two points overall!" A chorus of 'oohs' and 'ahhs' rang out from the audience, along with a brief round of applause.

"In fact," Quill continued, "to make it even more interesting, these couples split the judges and the popular vote, taking one half apiece. Fancy Pants and Melody won the popular vote portion, while Aurora and Fleur garnered a higher score from the judges' panel."

'We did it, we did it, we did it...' She chanted in her mind. 'We won. I know we did; we had to have. There's no way I came all this way with Luna to lose by two points… Especially not to my ex-husband and that damn hussy. There's no way we lost; no way in all the heavens.'

"So you can all tell how close this is," Quill continued. He accepted the crop and cushion from the assistant once more. The four contestants looked at it expectantly. Fleur could feel the tension from Luna; she was brimming with it, practically overflowing. Fleur felt wound-up like a spring, just one nudge away from exploding into pieces.

"With a record grand total of 570 points, the winner of this year's 'best dom/sub couple' award is..."

The tension was squeezing her more than the collar ever could Fleur could have cried. Instead, she drew her lower lip between her teeth.

'Please... For the love of everything under the sky-'

"Mistress Aurora and Cerulean!"

Relief like a wave washed over her. Quill beamed as he presented the cushion to Luna. Her magic wrapped around the handle, lifting the crop into the air as the applause reached a fever pitch. Ponies stomped their hooves, hollered, and whistled as loud as they could. Fleur felt every eye on her and Luna, watching the two of them as they graciously bowed. Through all the applause, a voice carried through, drawing her attention back to the stage. Fleur barely had a chance to really appreciate the attention before Fancy Pants squared himself opposite them.

"That's bullshit!" He snarled, glaring at both of them. "We both know the judges’ panel is rigged! There's no way you two beat us! Not in a million years!"

"Fancy Pants, calm down ol' boy." Quill gestured calmly, glancing at the audience before squaring his gaze on the frustrated unicorn. The applause died down in a smattering as Fancy Pants huffed.

"I'll not calm down! I beat her! Fair and square!"

"In the popular vote, sure..." Aurora cooed, waving the crop lazily. "But the judges... The experts... Say otherwise."

"You two," Quill mumbled. "Let's move this elsewhere, shall we?" He furtively glanced back at the audience once more. That, more than anything, seemed to deter Fancy Pants. He glared at the crowd before nodding stoically.

"My room." Luna smiled.

"Ten minutes." Fancy Pants agreed. He spun on his hind hoof and pulled Melody along off the stage, spreading murmurs and concerned whispers through the crowd. Fleur was so shocked at what had just occurred, she didn't even know how to respond. 'Why the buck is he taking this so personally? Luna wanted to win badly too, but I doubt she'd have reacted in the same manner if she had lost.' Another part of her was outraged that he would call them out like that in front of such a large audience. The applause and praise was shot through with worried whispers and gossip. Fleur was no stranger to that familiar murmur of a crowd. They were being doubted. Their victory had been soured.

Somehow, her ex-husband managed to make her triumph miserable.

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"How dare you!" Luna was livid. She brandished the crop at Fancy Pants the moment he slipped into her room. "How dare you call me out like that!" Fleur was nearly terrified at the tone of Luna's voice. She may have been in disguise, but Fleur knew that the same indomitable Princess lay beneath the mask; if she wanted, she could crush Fancy Pants like an ant under her hoof.

"You know as well as I that the judges decision was biased!" Fancy Pants spat, throwing the leash down roughly. Melody gasped a little as he advanced on Luna, his eyes aflame with anger. "We won the popular vote! We were the better couple! You can ask anypony!"

"Fancy, ol' boy." Quill interjected calmly. "I can assure the judges are as impartial as they are experienced. I hoof-picked them all myself, and all of them can provide evidence of their expertise. They are unparalleled."

"That's bullshit too, Quill. You were her sub last year. I know, I've asked around."

"I wasn't her sub." Quill blinked. "Lyra Heartstrings was."

"In the competition, sure." Fancy rolled his eyes. "But she did several sessions with you beforehoof! She's got you in her pocket, just like all the other judges! She's been all buddy-buddy with half of them since her arrival!"

"Please," Luna scoffed, tossing her braid over the other side of her neck. "Quill and I are no more sub and dom than you and Cerulean are." Fleur felt her eye twitch once more. Melody shot her a nasty look, one that Fleur was happy to reciprocate. Fleur didn't feel very intimidating in her short stature, but she could muster an ugly look with the best of them, disguise or not. Melody didn't balk, though; if anything, the tension between them only intensified.

"Fine then." Fancy Pants growled. "I've got a dispute with your panel of judges. How do you suggest we remedy this?"

"Eer..." Quill deadpanned, his brow furrowed. "I... Don't know. We've never had a dispute before..."

"If I may suggest something, then." Fancy Pants' vicious glare dissipated, replaced instead with a smug grin. "Another competition, solely between the two of us."

"Oh?" Luna arched her eyebrow curiously. She seemed to be entertaining the idea, but one glance at Fleur discouraged her. "I refuse. Cerulean is exhausted, and I'll not pressure her into another-"

"Mistress!" Fleur's voice rang out above the room. "I'll do it."

"What?” Luna gave Fleur a wide-eyed stare. “No, Cerulean. I'm putting my hoof down. No more session-"

"Tomorrow." Fleur was adamant. "We rest up tonight and tomorrow morning, and tomorrow evening we have the competition."

"I..." Luna looked shocked, halfway between incredulity at being bossed around by her sub, and half admiration for her strength and resolve.

"Fine." Luna sighed, shooting Fleur a look that almost said ‘you’re going to pay for that.’. "Since Cerulean's so eager to be punished, we'll have another competition tomorrow evening. Can you wait that long, Fancy Pants?"

"I'd wait a week if it meant putting you in your place." Fancy Pants scoffed. "Honestly, a female dom? Having Equestria ruled by two old nags is bad enough. The last thing we stallions need is mares taking over our bedrooms too." He looked derisively at Luna. "Especially ones that could only dream of reaching my level."

Save for a gasp from Quill, the room fell completely silent at Fancy's words. It took a second for Fleur to realize that she was staring slack-jawed at the scene in front of her. 'Oh heavens, he didn't...'

Luna slowly drew a deep breath, her face still enough to successfully bluff even the best gamblers from Las Pegasus. Only Fleur could see past the mask though, and she clearly recognized the hellfire that was boiling behind the Princess's diplomatic facade.

Fancy continued to sneer indignantly at Luna, as if he were daring her to respond. Luna continued to fix him with a glare that could have frozen a wendigo in place. 'Yep, he's a goner.' Fleur thought as she struggled to remember to breathe.

Finally, summoning every bit of height available to her disguised body, she stepped up to Fancy, towering over him as only Luna could do. Instead of brandishing her magic, Luna shook the crop at Fancy

"Of that, we shall see, little one." Luna growled, shaking the crop for emphasis. "Sleep well, Fancy Pants, for I promise you, tomorrow night will be spent with your face at my hooves, begging for mercy like a foal. And your sub will see just how hollow her dom is in both word and flesh." There was a tone to her voice, an underlying current of power laced with intent. Luna dipped the tip of the crop under Fancy Pants’ chin, drawing his gaze into her eyes. "Remember this, for I do not make promises that I cannot keep – you will regret ever challenging me."

"I– I'm sure you will." Fancy's voice faltered a bit under Luna's piercing gaze, a slip which he failed to cover with forced sarcasm. "Come, Melody." He yanked her along, getting a choking sound in response. "We have to practice."

"We’ll meet back here tomorrow afternoon at four o’clock to discuss terms." Quill called after him. Fancy Pants lifted a nonchalant hoof in response before exiting Luna's room. They all waited until the door was closed and Luna had quietly cast another silence charm before speaking. Quill looked at her incredulously. "You were married to that plothole?!"

"Don't remind me." Fleur glared at the door.

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Luna remained mostly silent through the rest of that night and the next day. As tomorrow was the last day of the expo, Fleur and Luna allowed themselves plenty of rest and a large, leisurely breakfast. After their meal, they spent most of their time perusing the expo's merchandise room. The merchants were eager to give things away at a discounted price, since they were loathe to drag too much inventory back home with them. Luna ended up spending a fair bit of money, but received maybe twice as much as she would have with what she spent. She shared some quiet words with Fleur as she gave one merchant the address to be shipped to. Luna accepted the receipt from the merchant and walked away, their eyes peeled for the next interesting stall of gear.

"Obviously, it would raise quite a few eyebrows if I had any of these purchases sent to the castle. So, I have them shipped to the real Aurora, who lives in Horseshoe Bay. After this, we'll go visit her so we can complete this year’s arrangement."

“And how did you come to this agreement?” Fleur asked curiously. “It seems awfully complex…”

“Well,” Luna rolled her eyes patronizingly. “To anypony but us, it certainly might seem confusing. But that’s understandable, since it’s meant to be… You see, I met Aurora through Quill, shortly after my return. Ordering our gear from the Canterlot shops would have raised some eyebrows here and there, so we outsourced to her. After several larger orders and a rather healthy business relationship, we decided a meeting was in order.

“It was then that I learned of the expo, but we were met with the quandary of my appearance. Quill originally suggested I go as some random pony each year, but what if I drew an audience? Some of them might want to come visit me.” Luna gestured out of the window to the rolling countryside.

“So, Aurora very graciously agreed to allow me to use her likeness. It’s kind of a win-win scenario, since she gets some nice business after the expo, thanks to my… Sorry, our performance. Additionally, she effectively gets to take a four-day vacation AND attend the expo at the same time.” Luna smiled warmly.

“When the expo is over, I return to Horseshoe Bay and give the real Aurora the memories and experiences from the event.”

"Really? You can do that? Give somepony memories?" Fleur whispered in wide-eyed wonder.

"Of course." Luna nuzzled her ear lovingly. "It's part of my agreement with her. Aurora gets to vacation at Diamond Beach for four days, and she gets the memory of all the fun 'she' had during that vacation. In return, I get to use her likeness and represent her accordingly."

"But..." Fleur whispered quietly, eyeing a passing couple. "There isn't a real Cerulean, is there...?"

"Afraid not." Luna returned. "I try not to allude too much to your alias' daily life while we're here. The fact that you're a wedding planner in Horseshoe Bay is usually enough to throw anypony off, though an avid pursuer might get frustrated."

"I see. Well, here's hoping nopony seeks Cerulean out..." Fleur sighed and kissed Luna's cheek softly. She wore her collar, but it was more of a formality than anything else at the moment, since she was supposed to be resting. Luna didn't even have the leash with her. They resumed walking the merchandise stalls, staying until everypony began breaking down and packing up. It was nearly four in the afternoon when they returned to Luna's massive suite, where Quill was waiting for them.

"Are you two ready?"

"As we'll ever be." Luna nodded. "Is Gypsy here?"

"Right here, love!" Gypsy emerged at the top of the stairs, beaming warmly. She carried saddlebags with her, helping to diminish the effect of her poofy mane and tail.

"Thank you for staying over an extra day, Gypsy." Luna smiled at her old friend, ushering the four of them inside.

"Anything to get another look at your pretty Cerulean here." Gypsy winked. "Were I not working, I might just take some time to enjoy it."

"Nopony is saying you can't." Luna winked at Fleur. "As long as she doesn't mind."

"Oh. Uum..." Fleur felt her cheeks heat up as she and Gypsy met one another's gazes. She glanced at Luna briefly, arching an eyebrow as if to say 'Really? You're okay with somepony else... Doing things with me?' Luna lifted her shoulder as if to say. 'Why not? Could be fun.' Fleur smiled at Gypsy once more.

"As long as Aurora gets to watch, I'm okay with it."

"Wouldn't have it any other way. Excuse us, Quill. We're going to have a little shower time." Gypsy beamed as she half-dragged half-guided Fleur into the bathroom.

"Take your time, ladies. Just don't get too worn out, Fancy Pants looked like business."

"Oh, I'll make sure Gypsy takes it easy." Luna gave the poofy-maned pony a devilish grin. "On threat of dealing with me."

"Ooh, spooky. I've seen how you work." Gypsy licked her lips teasingly, nudging Fleur into the bathroom. "We won't be long." Fleur had previously been unable to take a look into this place, but what she found had her feeling excited. The bathtub wasn't quite as expansive as Luna's was back in Canterlot, but it was definitely a close second. The shower was a large square of sunken tile encased in glass, set up against a wall that sported two distinct shower heads - one directly overhead, and one aiming downwards out of the wall. Fleur felt a blush build up as Gypsy began cranking the water on and testing for temperature. After a few more moments, Gypsy shrugged off her saddlebags and tossed them into the nearest corner. "Hmm... Won't be needing these today." she then stepped into the shower stall, beckoning the other two mares to follow her.

"I'll be watching you closely, Gypsy." Luna cooed, finding her place against the glass wall opposite the showerheads. "You get her nice and clean, and don't forget to enjoy yourself."

Gypsy guided her under the hot stream of water, groaning a little as she slipped around behind her. "Eat anything today?"

"No, not since last night after the ceremony." Fleur admitted.

"And you've passed since then?"

"Twice." Fleur nodded.

"Nice and empty, then... Good." Gypsy smacked her lips a few times before leaning in, her hot breath washing over Fleur's backside.

"Oh!" Fleur gasped as Gypsy immediately laid her tongue against the pulsing rosebud of her anus, burying through the strands of her tail with an eager amount of precision and grace. The earth pony's tongue pulsed smoothly, drooling onto her backdoor. Fleur felt a shudder pass through her, the pleasure already spiking in her gut. Gypsy wasted no time in sliding her tongue inside Fleur's anus, massaging the insides of her walls with ease. She moaned now and then, but from her vantage point, Fleur couldn't tell if she was doing anything other than licking.

"Y-your tongue feels amazing, Gypsy..." Fleur whimpered, shuddering under her touch.

"Gypsy here has a rather unique trait about her." Luna groaned; from the strained sound of her voice, she was definitely enjoying the show. "She has no sense of taste."

"R-really?" Fleur panted, as a familiar wetness began to ooze onto her haunches. Gypsy gave a confirmatory moan, sending a shock of vibrations through Fleur’s rear. "That's different... So you can't taste anything back there?"

"Not a bit." Luna confirmed for the otherwise occupied pony. "She does it for the texture, and the sensation of tight flesh around her tongue. That's why she has such an appreciation for a well-structured anus..."

"Pwah. She's right, you know." Gyspy moaned, licking her lips. "Can't taste a thing. And I do love a well-made butt... Yours is magnificent, I must say..." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm so going to miss doing this..."

"Well then," Fleur wiggled her rump a little, swishing her tail aside to give Gypsy unrestricted access. "You'd best get your fill while you can."

"Too right." Gypsy licked her lips once more before diving in again, her tongue much more eager this time around. Fleur panted as waves of pleasure rolled through her. None were intense enough to set her over the edge, but she was getting awfully riled up. Anal stimulation seldom was enough to make her cum, but if anypony could come close, it'd be Gypsy and her incredible technique. 'Oh heavens, I'm right there on the edge. Just one final push, Gypsy, just one more push...'

"Oohh..." Gyspy moaned into her anus, drooling and licking harder. Fleur looked back to see Luna touching herself against the wall of the shower, and Gypsy's eyes screwed up in concentration. Unless Fleur was mistaken, there was a sound other than the patter of hot water falling on the tile. When Luna met Fleur’s eyes, she mouthed the words 'She's soaked!'

’Is… Is Gypsy really getting off just from tonguing me?’

"Keep going, Gypsy." Fleur encouraged her, flexing around the writhing tongue inside of her ass. "I want to feel you cum."

"Uhhn," Gypsy nodded as her hot exhalation washed over Fleur's rump. She panted again and again, growing faster with each new breath. Luna's own hooves were rubbing against her crotch faster and faster. It seemed that Gypsy and Luna were tracking towards a simultaneous orgasm.

"UGH!" Gypsy shoved her tongue deep into Fleur, holding it there as she quivered with release. Luna's front was spattered with liquid, and not from the showerheads. Fleur moaned as she watched her dom get sprayed with release, her own core dying for an orgasm of its own. Luna tensed against the wall, her eyes screwed up with pleasure as she too fell off of the brink into a sea of orgasmic bliss.. The only one left wanting was Fleur.

"My goodness," Gypsy sighed. "That was incredible... I don't think I've ever came that quickly..."

"Aww, done so soon?" Fleur teased, wiggling some more.

"You forget, darling." Gypsy kissed her rosebud tenderly. "I'm an earth pony. One is plenty for me... Fast as it was."

"Boo." Fleur stuck her tongue out. "Am I clean at least?"

"Very much so." Gypsy nodded warmly, kissing Fleur's fake cutie mark. "There's nothing in there. You're good to go, darlin'."

"Good to hear." Luna interjected, cranking the water off. "We have a bit of a competition this evening. Are you ready, Cerulean?"

"Yes, Mistress." Fleur nodded eagerly.

"Good. Let's get to it." Luna's horn glowed as she lifted Fleur from the shower and plopped her on the tile. At least four towels flew out of the cupboard in the bathroom, wrapping tightly around her and rubbing the moisture away. Gypsy followed after, drying herself off with the practiced dexterity and precision that nearly every Earth pony seemed to have to make up for their lack of wings or horns. Luna ran a cursory towel over her own form, wiping away Gypsy's cum and what little water she had caught gingerly. Quill was waiting for them outside of the bathroom, an expectant look on his face.

"Enjoy yourselves?"

"Thoroughly." Luna nodded, her horn still glowing as she towed Fleur along. "Go put your collar on, pet." Luna pushed her towards the bedroom, and Fleur bounced along happily. She retrieved her collar from the bedside table and slipped it on, sighing happily as the device cinched around her throat. The aftermath of her shower romp with Gypsy, and the adrenaline rush from her imminent performance, had Fleur wound-up like a top.

All traces of soreness were gone from her muscles, but she knew the fatigue was there, just ready to rear its ugly head and throw a wrench into the evening's plans. 'But I trust Luna to not push me that far. We're going to impress the judges, but not without pressing our limits in the process.' When she re-emerged, collar and leash worn proudly, Luna smiled at her.

"Shall we wait for Fancy Pants, or will you explain how this works now?"

"I think he's nearly here," Quill twitched an ear. Hardly a moment later, a soft knock came from the door. Luna's face shifted into her dom expression, and she took the leash from Fleur smoothly.

"Enter."

"Good evening, ladies. Quill." Fancy Pants entered smoothly, looking a mirror of what he did just yesterday. Luna scowled as he yanked Melody in behind him. "I do hope you're ready for this, Mistress Aurora." Fancy nearly spat the name out in disgust.

"More than ready." Luna nodded. "Shall we explain the terms?"

"I trust they're subject to change?" Fancy Pants quirked an eyebrow.

"Within reason. Here's how this will go:" Quill stood between the two of them, his expression serious. "We'll use a personalized panel of your own hoof-picked judges. I'll leave it to you to determine the amount each gets. I myself will volunteer a final judge, whom I know to be impartial to the both of you. This way, the judges are a mix of partial and impartial to either party, with one for the tiebreaker, just in case. Then, the two of you will engage in a session for the judge's benefit, and they will rate you using the same points system from yesterday. Do you agree?"

"Sounds fair." Fancy shrugged. "I'm fine with that. You?"

"I'm no stranger to this format." Luna nodded. "I might not have won the major competition until now, but I've several of these more intimate sessions under my belt, so to speak. I have two ponies in mind for my judges. Does two work for you?"

"Perfect, I've two friends here in Trottingham who've attended the expo. So, with Quill's one, that makes a panel of five?"

"Sounds right." Luna nodded. "Quill, please send for Crop and Malachite. They will be my judges."

"Oasis Shimmer and Hoof Cuff for me, please." Fancy Pants grumbled. It seemed almost as if he recognized the names of Luna's two judges.

"Very well." Quill made for the door. "I'll return with those four, as well as my own judge. We can begin upon my return. Oh, and play nice you four. I don't want to come back to a fight, or worse, an impromptu orgy."

"Hardly." Fleur grumbled underneath her breath. Quill left them behind, and when she was expecting to get at least a moment alone, Fancy Pants spoke up.

"I propose a wager." He said calmly. Luna and Fleur shared a look before Luna nodded.

"Alright, let's hear it."

"We're competing, not just for the crop and bragging rights, as would be customary the victory of yesterday's competition..." He grinned wickedly. "But our subs too."

"What?" Luna seemed taken aback.

"Don't play coy with me, Aurora. I know you heard me. I win, I get at least one session with Cerulean there. My rules, my way. You win, the opposite. Melody here doesn't mind, does she?"

"N-no, Master!" Melody squeaked. She might have been able to muster a nasty look when it was her and Fleur, but Melody literally cowered before the intimidating Aurora; she seemed truly fearful of Luna's alter-ego, 'And rightfully so.' Fleur added in her mind. Fleur could understand a bit of how Melody must have felt at that moment. Being subject to Fancy Pants again, and not just in the form of traditional wifely duties, was a terrifying thought. She never wanted to touch this despicable pony again, let alone have to endure a session with him. 'And if the way he treats Melody is any indication, I would enjoy it even less than I did when I was married to him.

"I'll leave that decision to Cerulean." Luna said firmly. "I'll not force my sub to be with somepony, especially one as crass and unpracticed as you."

"Hah! Petty insults, I see... Fine then; dear Cerulean, do you agree?"

'No. I'm putting my hoof down. I will never subjugate myself to you again, oh dear ex-husband of mine.' Fleur looked up at Fancy Pants, meeting him dead in the eye. Confidence welled over as she spat the next words at him with as much venom as she could muster.

"Aurora and I are going to wipe the floor with your pretentious flanks anyways, so it matters not. To be honest, I'm going to enjoy watching Aurora fuck Melody so thoroughly, so completely, that she'll be reduced to a blubbering, whimpering mess, wallowing in a puddle of her own cum, as one orgasm after another rips her apart from the inside-out. Maybe at my master's hooves, she'll finally feel some real pleasure."

Fancy Pants stood there with a look of pure shock on his face; both he and Melody were taken completely aback by what Fleur had said. "Oh my dear, sweet Cerulean." Luna groaned as she pulled on the leash, tightening the collar around her throat. "You're going to pay for that comment..." Luna's voice conveyed obvious anger, but the slight twinkle in her eye told Fleur that inside, Luna was laughing her flanks off over her verbal assault of her ex-husband. Silence ruled in the moments following her little outburst, but she didn't care.

'I'm going to beat you, Fancy Pants. Luna and I will show you what it means to be a real dom/sub couple. And this time, it's on your own terms. You won't beat us. Never in a million years. Not yesterday, not today, not ever.'

"Here we are." Quill entered the room with five ponies in tow. Fleur recognized three of them, but the fourth was previously unintroduced. She went to stand by Fancy Pants and Melody, along with the one she recognized as their fellow competitor from yesterday. The other, Hoof Cuff, she could assume, frowned at her and Luna, and she got an equally nasty look in return. But when Luna's two judges stood by her, they received a curt nod, which was akin to a warm hug from Aurora.

"Always a pleasure to watch you work, Aurora."

"I'll try to remain as impartial as possible." The two judges seemed kind enough, if a little gruff and business-like.

"Very well. I'll leave it to you all to judge fairly, and most importantly, enjoy yourselves." Quill respectfully bowed out, leaving them to it. Fleur had to appreciate him for that, since he was obviously partial to Luna given their past. This way, it was perfectly even. The fifth judge stood between them all, giving a curt nod to both parties.

"Alright then. Hoof Cuff, Oasis Shimmer, Malachite, Crop and I shall watch both pairs simultaneously. The pair that is better rated among the five of us will win the crop and bragging rights, as per the competition rules from yesterday. Whenever you're ready." The five judges stood in a line, waiting for them to begin.

Fancy Pants wasted no time. He yanked Melody forth, eliciting a rough cough from her and a wince from Fleur. It took him maybe three seconds before Melody was stretched out on the floor, panting heavily with each strained breath.

"Come, Cerulean." Luna nudged her hip. "You got nice and riled up in the shower… Let's show these judges how much you enjoyed yourself." Fleur obeyed immediately, rising to her hooves and turning her back to the panel. She lifted her tail eagerly, exposing her pulsing rosebud and dripping slit. Luna gave a soft moan of approval as she ran her hooves over Fleur's cutie marks. "Already so wet? Goodness, you're naughty."

"AHN!" Melody cried out from the floor, her voice high and thin. Fleur managed to glimpse Fancy Pants' hoof buried between her thighs, moving much faster and rougher than anything she had seen, even at the expo. 'He's just aimlessly pounding away at her. What the buck is he doing?'

Meanwhile, Luna moved slow and easy, her hooves massaging tight circles on their way to her vagina. Fleur was dribbling by now, her arousal slowly running down her thighs. A few drops came directly off of her winking clitoris, landing somewhere in the carpet. She couldn't see the panel, and they were completely silent. Then again, she didn't think she could hear them over Melody's near-pained cries. Each new glimpse she got of her fellow sub showed the poor pony in agony. 'Heavens, I can’t even tell if she's in true pain or not...'

Luna's hooves finally found her glistening labia, peeling her apart smoothly. Her entire core flexed at the first tingling bit of pleasure; she was still riled up from Gypsy's previous ministrations, and Luna quickly had her on a razor's edge. Every fiber of her being was ready to explode in bliss, but with Melody's pained screams ringing in her ears, her body simply refused to cum, as if it too were protesting the other mare's treatment at her dom's hooves.

Fancy Pants had graduated from his hooves and was now uncoiling a length of rope. 'At least she stopped screaming, but what in Tartarus is he planning now? She can't handle much else as it is.' Fancy Pants was all business as he began winding the rope around her hips and legs. The way he was going with it, her back would be bent at a very uncomfortable angle. Fleur almost said something, but the words died in her throat as Fancy hoisted the end of the rope up over one of the ceiling's beams, lifting Melody into the air.

Her haunches were bent backwards over her head, while another length of rope underneath her chin kept her chest stretched out, so she was effectively laying on her stomach with her legs up over her head, but with no support from the floor. She was one hundred percent suspended, all of her weight resting on the rope on her chin and one more around her chest. Her legs were pulled backwards, her tail spilling over her face.

Luna was still tenderly massaging her soaked marehood, but Fleur's ability to cum drained away as she took in the shocking display before her. 'This isn't BDSM... This is sick, self-gratifying abuse... I do hope-'

*pop*

Everypony froze. Fleur stared at Melody, whose eyes slowly went wide. Even Luna didn't move, didn't breathe. Fleur had taken enough yoga classes to know what that sound implied. There were only two possible outcomes to this; the first churned her stomach instantly... The other she refused to even think about at the moment. 'By the heavens, what has Fancy done...'

"Melon." Melody was barely able to whimper her safeword, her voice every bit as broken as she was. "Melon. Stop. Please, Fancy, stop. I... I can't feel my legs."

A flurry of activity broke out as everypony moved at once.

"Get her down!"

"No, don't move her! Careful!"

Luna and Fleur stepped aside as Malachite strode forth, roughly shoving Fancy Pants out of the way.

"You fucking idiot." He snarled at Fancy, his horn glowing. "Somepony call the medics. I'll keep her spine from moving. Crop, get the ropes. Quickly!"

"Right." Crop’s own horn glowed as he quickly and carefully cut the ropes holding the poor pony in place

Melody began crying, but Malachite kept her from moving with his magic.

"Shh. You're going to be okay." He whispered to her. "You just slipped a disk. I can feel it with my magic. It's an easy fix, but you can't move right now."

"We need the medics in here! Call an ambulance!" Somepony called out into the hall. Fleur and Luna continued to step back, neither of them believing their eyes. Crop's horn finished untying and cutting the ropes, and Melody whimpered as her weight left the ropes, instead resting on Malachite's magic. He held her there, afraid to move her any more than absolutely necessary. It took maybe two minutes before two ponies in white coats with red crosses shoved their way into the room, talking with Malachite smoothly.

"Alright, we'll put her out. You're going to go to sleep now, Melody-"

"No, please!"

"Shh… It's okay. We can fix your back, but it's going to be painful. We're going to make it easier on you and us by putting you out. When you wake up, you'll be fine. I promise you."

"O-okay."

"There you go." The medic's horn glowed, wrapping around Melody's head. Her eyes closed, and her forelegs slumped listlessly. Malachite passed her off to the medic, both of whom carried her out of the room. Fancy Pants went to follow, but Oasis Shimmer laid a hoof on his chest, stopping him. Fleur and Luna watched, shocked, as the rather sturdily-built pegasus mare wheeled back and clocked Fancy Pants right across his smug, monocled face.

"You're a disgrace." She spat, standing over his shocked form. "I was a fool to think that you were different. Clearly, you don't know your limits or your sub's. I'm sickened to call you one of us!" She spat at his hooves and wheeled around. "My decision falls to Aurora and Cerulean. Now, I'm going to go see that poor mare's okay." Fancy Pants stood up, only to be approached by Hoof Cuff.

"You disgust me." Was all he spat at Fancy Pants. He glanced at Luna and Fleur before leaving after Oasis Shimmer. Only Malachite, Crop, and the fifth neutral pony remained. They both stared Fancy Pants down for a long, long while before shaking their heads and leaving. In the end, only Quill, Fleur, Luna, and Fancy remained. Quill slowly walked forwards, looking seriously at Fancy.

"What did you do, Fancy? Tell me now or so help me..."

"I... I don't know!” He stammered. “We were practicing most of the day, getting ready... She... She didn't say anything before, and I wanted to try this new tie-"

"Never..." Quill cut him off, raising a hoof to emphasize his point. "Never practice a new tie without first getting a sub’s consent! And practicing for a whole day?! By the heavens, Fancy, did she get any rest last night at all?"

"Of course!" Fancy looked appalled. "She slept three hours-"

"THREE HOURS?!" Quill roared, looming over him now. "You had her practicing and engaging in a full-blown session ON THREE HOURS OF SLEEP?!"

"Hey!” Fancy tried to yell back. “I'm not incompetent! I know what I'm doing!"

"If you did, poor Melody wouldn't be on her way to the hospital right now!" Quill growled at him. “You're very lucky that it's only a slipped disk. A scant few inches either direction, and you could have paralyzed her, or worse, killed her instantly! If I had my say in this matter, I'd send you to prison for attempted murder." He spat at Fancy's hooves once more. "You're a disgrace and a shame to all ponykind. I never want to see your face anywhere near this expo again. You don't deserve to be here, and you definitely don't deserve a sweet mare like Melody - as a sub or as a partner!"

"B-B-But I paid, and I-"

"For the expo." Quill checked his pocket watch smoothly. "Which is over in two hours and fourteen minutes. After that, I don't want to ever see you again."

Quill turned to Luna and Fleur, sighing softly. "Ladies, I'm so sorry you had to see that... I thought he knew what he was doing. His performance yesterday was quite good, after all.." He shook his head with another sigh. "I'll leave him to you, ladies. I dare say you've earned your victory. Not that you'd have lost to this pathetic fool anyways." Quill shot Fancy one more seething glare before stalking out of Luna's room. Fancy sat there, looking completely defeated. Luna walked up to him, looking down her nose at the disgusting excuse for a dom.

"Fancy..."

"Don't." He choked. "I know... I fucked up. I fucked up real bad."

"Oh, of that I have no doubt." Luna growled as she lifted his chin. "But, you don't realize what you've missed out on. Part of me was happy to see you at this expo. I thought maybe you had entered this little world of ours with a mindset similar to my own. But then I saw the way you treated Melody, always yanking her around like that, and showing little to no regard to her well being or safety. And you didn't even have the good grace to lose with dignity.

Luna leaned in even closer, her eyes still trained on Fancy. "Instead, you made it personal by directly challenging me. But when you challenged me, Fancy, you didn't just challenge Mistress Aurora..."

Fleur gasped as the illusion spell on Luna disappeared. The Princess loomed into existence, still cupping Fancy Pants' chin.

"You challenged your Princess."

"P-P-Princess Luna?!" Fancy stammered, his eyes wide. "H-How?! I thought... You... And you were..."

"A Princess is allowed her dalliances now and then." Luna chuckled. "I was practicing BDSM techniques before your ancestors were born, Fancy. Had you performed more admirably, I may have seen fit to give you a few pointers as well." She glanced at Fleur, arching an eyebrow inquisitively. Fleur understood the implied question. She nodded and stood up, standing opposite Fancy.

"You see, dear Fancy Pants." Luna crooned into his ear. "Had you been a little more open with your desires, and a little more understanding of one's limitations..."

The image disappeared. Fleur stretched to her full height, her white coat emerging in a shimmer of magic. Her pink mane flowed down her neck, hanging just as beautifully and naturally as ever. Fancy Pants froze in place, as if he were another statue from the Royal Gardens.

"You might have saved your marriage... And had a little fun in the meantime."

------------

The train coasted down out of the mountains, the brakes squealing now and then as they rounded a corner. Fleur and Luna were once more disguised, since there were still a number of attendees from the convention elsewhere on the train. Chances were slim that anypony would recognize Fleur, but Luna was another matter entirely; without the disguise, she'd be recognized instantly. Luna had taken the extra - and by now customary - precaution of placing a sound-blocking spell on the train car, further ensuring their privacy.

"I wonder if he'll think it was all a dream." Fleur mused, referring to Fancy Pants.

"I never expected he'd faint like that. Poor bastard." Luna chuckled. "But I hope not... Else he might go back to mistreating Melody."

"Any word on her, by the way?"

"She's already healed." Luna nodded. "And divorcing Fancy Pants too. She won't press charges, though everypony else thinks that she should. It'd be a hairy debacle one way or another. Consent and assault are two strange things to mix... She's probably saving the both of them a lot of time and stress by not pressing charges."

"That's good... I'm glad to hear she's doing okay. But about the wager...?"

"I'm not about to have a session with a recently-released sub." Luna shook her head. "The crop and the bragging rights are plenty. With Fancy's official ban, I won this year's competition by a veritable landslide. Thanks in no small part to you." Luna smiled at her. "You performed incredibly well, for having little to no training."

"Maybe not in exhibitionism, specifically," Fleur blushed. "But I was certainly well-trained by you."

"True." Luna smiled and leaned across the short space between them to kiss Fleur's cheek tenderly. "And a good pet you made, Fleur. I do love you very much."

"And I love you." Fleur turned into the kiss, pressing their lips together sweetly. She was still sore from the past few day's dalliances, but the kiss was warm and lovely. She moaned as it broke, her cheeks a little flushed. Something nagged her, though. Something Quill had mentioned, and a name she had recalled. "I have a question..."

"Do tell." Luna chuckled.

"Lyra Heartstrings... What was your relationship with her?"

"Oh. That." Luna sighed, sitting back in her seat. "It was a brief courtship that was ended prematurely, though understandably, by her own embarrassment." Fleur remembered Lyra as a moderate socialite. She had been a Canterlot Symphony hopeful just last year, but had suddenly and inexplicably moved to Ponyville, with nary a word to anyone else in Canterlot. It wasn't that large a shock, as Fleur knew Lyra had a few friends in the small farm town, but she was so close to playing for the symphony that her move had come as a shock. Lyra's family were well-to-do musicians and socialites themselves, and Fleur had the pleasure of knowing Lyra if only slightly. She had been a rather pleasant pony to chat with.

"I met Lyra at a rehearsal for the symphony. Her family are all good friends of the throne, and as a favor to me, her father introduced us. She was flustered, of course, but got over it when we discovered our mutual taste in stringed instruments. Our mutual interest was further advanced when I learned of Lyra's repressed... Desires. She attended the expo as my sub just last year, but couldn't quite perform as well as SOME high-brow Canterlot socialites." Luna gave her a teasing wink. "There were a few other of her social circle in attendance, and she couldn't face the shame of dealing with them in Canterlot, so she moved."

"I see..." Fleur sighed. "At least now I know what happened to her... There were a few of us who were curious where she went."

"I think it'd be best to keep this one a secret." Luna said a little quietly.

"My lips are sealed." Fleur smiled and drew her hoof across her mouth.

"Not for mine, I would hope." Her demeanor shifted a little as she grinned at Fleur.

"Never, mistress." Fleur leaned in as Luna met her midway for another heated, deep kiss. Her soreness twinged a bit, and she pulled away breathlessly. "S-sorry... I don't think-"

"Say no more, my love." Luna waved her off. "I'm a touch sore myself. Let's just enjoy the train ride." And so they did, coasting down out of the mountains around Trottingham towards Horseshoe Bay. The gigantic U-shaped city sprawled beneath them, offering a fantastic view of the busy port city, the sea, and all of the ships riding the waves just off the coast. The sun was setting by the time they arrived in Horseshoe Bay proper, and the moderate walk to Aurora's boutique had them there by dark. Luna didn't bother knocking as she swept into the store, setting a bell above the door to jingling.

"Welcome to Aurora's Boutique, I'm gonna need to see some identi- oh." Aurora, the real one, blinked as her perfect mirror walked through the door, tailed by Cerulean. Fleur looked around at the racks of BDSM harnesses and gear, display cases of dildos and vibrators and strap-ons, and one filled to the brim with different ropes. Another glass case that the register sat on held bottles of assorted colored liquids, many of which were marked with cryptic labels that made little sense to Fleur at the moment. She only got a glance as the real Aurora swept around the counter to stand over her.

"So this is who you picked out for me." She remarked, scowling at Fleur. Somehow, seeing the real deal was much more intimidating than seeing Luna disguised as her. "A touch short."

"Hey!"

"You are," Luna chided her, smiling a little. The real Aurora began to walk a circle around her, giving a soft 'hmm' here and there. She wasn't unused to being surveyed like this, so she settled into the swing of being ogled quite easily. After a while, Cerulean stopped in front of her.

"I approve." She said at last. "You're nice and curvy, not scrawny and tight like the last one. What was her name?"

"Lyra." Luna offered, chuckling a little. "I'm afraid we've got a train to catch, though... Shall we?"

"Of course, of course... No time for pleasantries, I suppose..." Aurora sighed and turned to Luna. "You sure you can't stay the night?" She glanced back at Fleur. "Maybe make it a menage..."

"Not this time, I'm afraid." Luna chuckled and grinned at Fleur. "Tempting as it might be."

"Fine then. I'll have your things sent to you when they arrive."

"You can keep this, though." Luna's horn glowed as she conjured the crop they had won from seemingly nowhere, smiling at the real Aurora. Her counterpart had frozen, her eyes wide.

"You didn't."

"Oh, we did indeed." Luna chuckled, passing the crop off. "I've got plenty of riding crops back home. You can keep this ratty old thing."

"Luna, I-"

"Aah... Don't thank me yet." Luna chuckled and gently kissed the real Aurora on the lips to silence her. She blushed furiously. "I haven't even shown you your performance."

"Let's get to that, shall we?" Aurora set the crop aside and closed her eyes. Luna leaned forward until their horns touched, a spark of light shooting between them. Another spark shot off, followed by a quick jolt of arcing magic. The scintillating sound came more often as the light jumped between them, sparking and shivering through the air. After another short while, a thin cord of glowing light joined their horns. The memory transfer spell was going through, until Fleur was certain the whole weekend had been transferred. Luna pulled away with a smile, and Aurora's eyes were wide. She looked down at Fleur incredulously, and after a short pause, she spoke.

"Are you serious?! Eight times?!"