Moonstone - Moving Forward

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Ruby Star grimaced as her brush caught another snag in her mane. She had been battling the long crimson and mauve strands for fifteen minutes already, and despite repeated curses and a crushed bottle of frizz tamer, she felt no closer to taming the unruly mess of hair. Her mane finally yielded though, and after a few more minutes of work, fell into its signature wavy style.

She moved quickly onto smoothing out her normally luxurious coat, wincing a bit as her hoof rubbed some tender spots along her sides. 'I'm going to be sore tomorrow...' she thought as she continued to even out her coat. The cream-colored fur was full of kinks and cow-licks in places she would have thought impossible.

'Then again, is anything impossible when you're being ravished by—'

“Enjoying yourself?”

“Gah!” Ruby nearly jumped out of her chair, and it took every bit of self-control to keep her wings and her pulse in check. “Why do you always do that, Luna?!”

“I couldn’t resist.” The Princess emerged from the shadows, a faint smile across her lips as she closed the distance between them. Despite the soreness radiating from Ruby’s nethers, she couldn’t help but give a thin whimper as Luna approached. “Did you enjoy the session, Ruby?”

"That was amazing." Ruby had to admit, the past hour 'Or was it three?' spent at the mercy of Luna’s delightfully rough tastes was probably one of their best yet. She turned her head up and gave Luna a quick peck on the lips as the Princess came to a stop next to her. "We've been doing this nearly a year and a half, and it only seems to get better each time."

“I could say the same about you as well,” Luna added with a wink. Gone was the harsh, domineering voice of Luna the mistress; now, Luna’s true voice – soft as silk, and smooth as the night itself, took its place. “Still, was there anything you want to change? Anything that you'd like me to do differently?” Luna continued, as her horn burst to life. Ruby sighed contentedly as she felt the princess’ magic slide over her and wrap her entire body in a tender field of energy. Ruby knew Luna was checking on her, making sure she was unhurt. 'Amazing... She can be so dominant, yet so caring, all at once.'

“Not at all.” Ruby closed her eyes, surrendering herself to Luna’s exam. She had grown used to the princess fretting over her after their sessions. “If anything, I’d say you could be a little rougher next time…”

"Are you sure?" Luna asked as she continued to examine Ruby with her magic. "In truth, I was worried that I was being unnecessarily hard on you this time around."

“Hah!” Ruby chuckled. She turned and smiled warmly at the princess. “Trust me, Luna, you were perfectly fine.” Smiles of any variety were hard to come by for the normally-brash pegasus, especially in her less than glamorous line of work. The other ponies she could reasonably call her ‘friends’ were actually quite brash and unforgiving.

But around Luna, things didn’t seem so… Tense. 'Hmm, tension. Funny that tension is what got us started in the first place...' Ruby's mind wandered a bit as she felt Luna's magic creep lower on her body.

Indeed, it was a moment of tension that brought her and Luna together. A shipping mix-up had left her with a package intended for the Princess – a fact she had not realized until she had already opened the package. Instead of the wing restraints and nipple clamps she had ordered, she found a well-curved dildo, a set of silk sashes, and a hoof-written note from her longtime friend, Crimson Mark.

Ruby had no clue what to do with the package, but her fear turned to near panic when Princess Luna appeared at her home, bearing of all things, the package that Ruby had been expecting.

She expected to be banished to the dungeons... If not for opening the package, then for revealing her rather extreme tastes to a Princess of all ponies. Instead, Ruby was treated to an hour-long conversation with one of the rulers of Equestria on the finer points of wing restraint as a means to draw out an orgasm.

A few weeks and a hoof full of dinner dates and conversations later, Ruby found herself tied up in Luna's basement, her wings restrained in an entirely new manner, and her body rocked with orgasm after orgasm.

But lately, Luna’s devious bedroom tastes had given way to something a little more… meaningful. She couldn’t quite put a hoof on it, but Ruby could see Luna’s softer side coming out more and more with each session. ’But why?’ As the field of magic slid off her flanks like a silk bathroom robe, Ruby smiled up at Luna. 'Around Luna, I actually have a reason to smile.'

“I love you, Luna.”

“I love you too, Ruby. And I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

“So…” Ruby kicked a hoof, blushing a little. "Any plans for tonight?"

Luna paused for a moment. Ruby had done this almost weekly now for the past month or so. She and Luna would indulge in a session, chat for a while afterwards, and the talk would inevitably move around to the subject of Ruby’s developing feelings. Then, she would ask if she could spend the night. Not as a sub being tied up and gagged in imaginative ways, but rather as a friend and a lover.

And every week, it had been the same answer. Luna would suddenly turn shy and reserved; she'd say that she had an important committee meeting, or there was pressing magical business to tend to. She'd even used Princess Twilight Sparkle as an excuse once, claiming that the castle was in grave danger due to the youngest princess' desire to cook a meal for Princess Celestia.

Ruby knew that Luna was dodging the issue, but despite her normally brash instincts, she hadn't called Luna out for it. If she had learned anything since becoming Luna's sub, it was patience. Indeed, the two of them had grown very close over the last eighteen months; close enough that they could openly admit that they had feelings of love for one another.

Yet for all they had done together, and all of the nights she had slept in the still well-appointed guest rooms on the lower level, Luna had never invited Ruby into her bed.

“Ruby, I don’t think…”

“I get it.” Ruby sighed. “Maybe next week?”

"Ruby, It’s..." Luna's voice trailed off with a mild grunt. A response formed in her head, but it died in Ruby's throat when she met Luna's gaze. Her normally vibrant cyan eyes were nearly glassed over, as if her mind had shifted to an entirely different world for a moment. Ruby's amber-gray eyes stared back at Luna, trying to read something, anything in her lover's stare. 'It feels like she's looking through me and past me at the same time.'

Nearly a minute passed before Luna so much as blinked. Ruby let go a breath she didn't realize she had been holding when she saw the princess' eyes turn again to her. Gone was the pensive, withdrawn look she had seen mere minutes ago. Now, there was only a warm smile on Luna's face, and a look of serenity...

...The kind of serenity that can only come when a threshold is crossed.

"Ruby, please follow me."

“Thank you!” Ruby beamed, throwing her forelegs around Luna’s neck. "This means so much to me, Luna. Thank you!"

“Still a foal.” Luna chuckled as she embraced Ruby. Together, they turned towards the door and left the expansive underground bathroom. Like the bathroom, Ruby had become very familiar with the the long, richly-appointed hallway that stretched out before her. Her first few trips to this level of the castle had been quite imposing, and in some ways intimidating. But now, she felt quite comfortable with nearly every room. Making for the lift, Luna led her inside and began taking them up. Ruby took a half-step forward out of habit as the lift neared its usual stopping point, but quickly backed up when she realized that the lift was indeed still moving. She couldn't stop a blush from coloring her cheeks as she gave Luna a sheepish grin.

“Eerm…”

“Sit tight, Ruby.” Luna chuckled, taking them to the last door available. Ruby hadn’t been up here yet. She had always met the princess in the empty quarters just below the top level of the castle's western wing, going down to the basement from there. Tonight, it seemed, would be the turning point. Tonight, Ruby would finally step deeper into the princess' life than she ever had before.

The lift came to a slightly squeaky halt at the very top floor, and Luna gently opened the lift's doors with her magic. Ruby inhaled softly as she followed the princess off the elevator, and into terra incognita.

It was a luxurious room, and probably twice as comfortable as any other Ruby had had the pleasure of staying in. Her job as an assistant at the Royal Observatory was adequate, but just barely; the minuscule salary afforded her few luxuries to liven up her cramped apartment on the vast city's western side. These little forays into Luna’s latex and cum-soaked domain were some of the best nights of rest - and the best orgasms - of Ruby’s entire life.

This room, though, transcended that. Luna’s massive four-poster bed could easily have slept eight ponies her size and at least all four of the Princesses. On either side of its headboard were two double doors leading out to what she assumed was one of the many balconies dotting the outside of the castle’s towers, but every other wall was lined floor-to-ceiling with bookshelves.

Hundreds, even thousands of books made their home here. Several cases had gaps in the tightly-organized rows, the missing books laying open on one of the three tables scattered around the room. Candles were placed throughout, casting the whole room in a warm, flickering light. A fireplace played host to three wide, plush couches, and was crackling merrily as Luna padded towards her bed.

“You can look around a little if you’d like, though I’m sure you’re exhausted…” The princess pulled up short at a bedside table, opening the top drawer. As much as Ruby wanted to peruse the titles of all these wonderful-looking books, she was indeed exhausted and would just as soon have fallen asleep on top of any book that she might try to read. A beautiful yet simply designed writing desk sat against the near wall, its surface covered in scrolls and partially-used inkwells. The wall space above the desk was home to a small array of framed pictures, including a group portrait of all of the Princesses, a smaller picture of Luna and her sister as fillies, and a rather candid shot of one of Equestria's heroes, Starswirl the Bearded.

She stared in wonder for a moment as her eyes landed on a beautiful harp that dominated the adjacent corner of the room. Ruby stepped over to examine it more closely, and her jaw nearly hit the floor.

The entire instrument was seemingly made of solid gold, polished to a perfect mirror shine. Exquisite silver filigree adorned the column and soundbox, lending an almost shimmering quality to the entire piece.

Ruby paused again as she peered at the sheet music that sat patiently atop a music stand, awaiting its next evocation. 'Mon bien-aimé...' Her high school Prench was rusty, but the words 'My Beloved' finally broke through the fog of yet another class that she skipped more often than not.

She again turned to Luna, and her eyes widened at the object that the princess held in her magical grip.

“That pendant…” Ruby stepped up to Luna’s side, looking down at the small jewelry box her dom held. “I’ve seen it before.”

“I don't wear it during our sessions, for obvious reasons, but I'm sure you've seen me wearing it at other times.” Luna affirmed, lifting the graceful piece out of it’s velvet-lined box. “It’s… Well, it means something special to me.”

“Was it hers?” Ruby nodded to the only decoration on that nightstand, a single picture of a lovely-looking white mare with beautiful pink hair. Luna stood by her side, a beautiful view of the sea behind them.

“Fleur De Lis.” Luna affirmed.

“The Director of Charitable Affairs?” Ruby perked up.

“You know of her, then?”

“Eer, of course! The Moonlight Committee donates frequently to the schools, to help fund astrology programs… Her successor,” Ruby gestured to the picture. “Mentions Miss De Lis frequently…”

“Technically, Missus.” Luna sighed, her eyes straying towards the picture. “She was my wife.”

“You were married?” Ruby wasn’t sure whether she should feel shocked or amazed. She settled on sympathetic. There were tears in Luna’s eyes as she nodded quietly.

“We were. The first marriage like it in Equestrian history… Not like Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, as you can probably tell… No, we kept our relationship secret… For seventy-six years.”

'Seventy-six years?' Ruby thought as her mind struggled to process Luna's words. 'And they never told anyone?'

“Luna,” Ruby laid her hoof on the back of the princess’, leaning in to nuzzle her neck. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you, Ruby. She was… She was my first love.”

“Though not your last?”

“No, certainly not.” She chuckled, nuzzling Ruby back. “I made a promise to never forget her, but I also promised to move on when I was ready.”

“Let me guess, about a year and a half ago?”

“Heh. You remember.” Luna nudged Ruby towards the bed, still carrying the box with the pendant inside. “It took me some time, but as she said I would, I moved on, and I found love anew.”

“Luna…” Ruby jumped up onto the plush mattress, crawling halfway across so Luna could follow her up. When they had both settled, Ruby met the princess’ eyes directly. “I… Could you tell me more about her? What she was like? What your life with her was like?”

“To be honest, Ruby…” Luna smiled as she lifted the pendant out of the box…

And wound it around Ruby’s neck. Luna leaned in, her lips brushing the edge of her ear as her magic began to envelope the glimmering symbol of her departed wife.

”I’d rather show you.”

Author's Notes:

Inspired by Indigo Eclipse.