Long Night Moon Rookwood thought to himself. The one who controls the cultists. It was getting frustrating not finding a location on his foe. It was as if he simply didn’t exist. Or she. Nopony really knew who or what Long Night Moon was. Something was protecting him, shielding him, blocking him from scrying. Or her. Rookwood acknowledged it might be a her.

Harvest Moon was secure in his fortress of ice at the bottom of the world. Taking on a nest of vampires was not going to be an easy task, even with a dedicated army of the undead at his own disposal. Rookwood did not look forward to that confrontation. Hades had been teaching him all about vampires and those who cheated death.

Crescent Moon, who had the horn of Nightmare Moon, was also hard to pin down. He had been spotted in several places, and then had simply vanished without a trace, protected from scrying much like Long Night Moon was. There was no telling where Crescent Moon was, and for all Rookwood knew, both Crescent Moon and Long Night Moon might be hiding together, which worried Rookwood to no end.

Lenton Moon had the Temple of Nightmare Moon in the middle of dragon territory. Rookwood wasn’t sure how a unicorn kept dragons at bay, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out. These were wild dragons too, and no amount of reasoning or diplomacy would allow Rookwood to pass through their lands with an army unscathed.

Rookwood realised he had no means to take on any of these foes. At least not yet. The only one he had any hope of dealing with currently was Harvest Moon, but even that was doubtful. Dealing with the dragons was an unknown, and the last two, he still had to find.

“Oh fuck,” Rookwood swore, no longer having to worry about paying penance for filthy language. He was beyond such things. Letting the word escape his lips was therapeutic and comforting.

“You let slip such an utterance around our foals and I will force feed you one thousand bars of soap,” Luna threatened, raising her eyebrow.

“That sounds like it would be an interesting experience,” Rookwood replied, staring at a large map of the world and not really paying much attention.

“Potty mouth,” Violet accused. “Father has a potty mouth.”

“Yes he does,” Luna agreed. “And I will do the same to you if you ever utter that word.”

Violet’s eyes went wide with fear, the milky white deadened eye highly visible in this state. While something resembling an eye had grown back, she was unable to see out of it and no matter how much she was loved, it never seemed to get better than it currently was.

Luna kissed the frightened filly on her nose and patted her with a wing.

“I am this immortal being with amazing powers and I don’t know what to do with or even how to find some of my enemies. This is immensely frustrating. I’ve been in the dream realms looking around, I have my burning dead and undead guards out dream walking, and nothing! Not a damn thing! All we know so far is that the vampires far down south have figured out a new trick on feeding on their victims through the dream realm,” Rookwood said.

“That is immensely worrisome my love,” Luna replied.

“I am more worried about you actually, you’ve been practically bedridden lately. I am surprised you are up and about this night,” Rookwood said.

“I am feeling a bit better tonight,” Luna admitted.

“If you are feeling better, you should let Rookwood lick you and make you happy,” Violet suggested.

Luna turned a dark shade of maroon along her neck and all over her face while Rookwood froze, not quite certain what he had just heard coming out of Violet’s mouth.

“What, did you think I had any sort of innocence left? I know what you two do. He licks your labia like it was a lollipop,” Violet said. “And it makes both of you happy.”

“Have you been talking to Hades again?” Luna asked.

Violet nodded.

“Damnit,” Rookwood cursed.

“Potty mouth!” Violet snapped.

“After what just came out of your mouth you have no room to talk filly!” Rookwood retorted.

“I am the witness to the tortures of Tartarus and I’ve been inside of I don’t know how many wet dreams already. I might look like a filly, but I am not a filly, and don’t you forget that,” Violet returned. “Also, squeaky bunny sex. Hades explained everything that happened.”

“You must never talk like that around Celestia,” Luna warned.

“What is the worst that could happen?” Violet asked.

Rookwood coughed, had a full body shudder, and said nothing.

“My sister believes you be an eternal foal, and she loves the idea of mothering you endlessly,” Luna explained. “Hearing you talk like that would hurt her badly. She finds the little slips of your innocence amusing, but to hear such blunt language would destroy her. Do you want to hurt her so thoroughly?”

“I understand. I have no desire to harm her,” Violet replied.

“Good, because she loves you, probably more than you will ever know or understand,” Luna answered.

Violet fell silent and sat down upon the carpet with a “thwump” sound as he backside landed. She nodded, saying nothing, and fluttered her wings. A single feather fell out bloodlessly and drifted down to the carpet lazily.

“You should go to Celestia and cuddle with her,” Luna suggested.

“So you two can fool around?” Violet inquired.

“No, so we can get work done,” Rookwood returned.

“I am not opposed to fooling around,” Luna mentioned, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m going, I’m going,” Violet said, standing up and hurrying off, scooting out the door of the room.

“As much as I want to fool around, the last time didn’t go so well. So you must excuse my hesitance,” Rookwood stated, once he was certain Violet had gone.

Luna shot Rookwood a hurtful look. “I am still a bit sensitive back there. I can’t help that. I have needs though.”

“Which I cannot in good conscience help you with,” Rookwood protested. “I took your pain away, I will not add to it further.”

“It is because of you that I am in this condition!” Luna snapped.

“Ouch,” Rookwood replied, beginning his retreat.

“And you have a body again and we aren’t doing anything with it,” Luna insisted. “We should be doing something with it.”

“Not if it hurts you,” Rookwood retorted.

Luna’s lip protruded in a pout. “You are right I suppose,” she admitted.

“We are having one of those awkward married moments right now, aren’t we?” Rookwood queried.

“Something very much like that,” Luna admitted.

“We’ve survived and endured so much. Can we survive boredom?” asked Rookwood, a smug looking smile upon his face.

“Bored? With me? Already?” Luna teased.

“Oh, with you, never, just this situation. You and your fat pudgy puddin’ plot will always have my interest,” Rookwood explained.

Luna’s eyes began to tear over. “You remembered. On the stairs. In that foal’s mind. Hearth’s Warming Eve. Out of every event that took place on that horrible night, you remember those words,” she gushed.

“We’re not getting anything done,” Rookwood mentioned, looking around the room, his eyes resting on stacks of papers, maps, books, and communication scrolls. “We should do something, even if we are not doing each other.”

“Like what?” Luna asked.

“I don’t know, what do immortals do for fun?” Rookwood asked.

“Get drunk, screw…” Luna said, shrugging her shoulders.

“We could go out somewhere,” Rookwood suggested.

“Like where?” Luna asked, sounding intrigued.

“I have no idea,” Rookwood admitted.

Luna heaved a sultry sounding sigh.

“Oh no you don’t, I’ve already said I wouldn’t do that to you. Seeing you hurt is a boner-killer,” Rookwood retorted, responding to Luna’s sigh.

“I have other means… other parts…” Luna sighed in exasperation.

“What? No… no, I have been inside of your head and I know what has been done to you. There is no way I am allowing that to happen,” Rookwood protested.

“It isn’t degrading if I want to do it,” Luna argued.

“No!” refused Rookwood, shaking his head as he did so.

“Look, you’ve had your tongue lick places on my body that I didn’t even know existed. It would be wrong if I didn’t return the favour,” Luna reasoned.

“Yeah, but nothing is being done to make you happy,” Rookwood returned. “And I am not sure you want a mouthful of what currently comes out of there,” Rookwood warned. “The black shadow spunk is kind of weird.”

“So you’ve mentioned. I get that,” Luna said, her horn flashing brightly.

They were both suddenly back in their quarters, standing there looking at one another, Luna looking defiant, Rookwood looking defensive.

“Oh, so that’s how it is going to be,” Rookwood announced, getting his bearings and looking around.

“Get on the bed,” Luna demanded.

“Oh no you don’t, I am not some confused colt trying to sneak a peek at your teats anymore,” Rookwood grumbled.

“Oh, those, you know, they’ve gotten bigger,” Luna said, climbing up onto the bed, rolling over, and laying supine. Her teats were large and swollen, and they slid off to each side, following the curve of her belly.

Rookwood edged closer to the bed, leaned in, and nosed Luna’s belly, pressing his snoot right between her teats and inhaling her scent. “Warmth and life,” he breathed. He could smell her. There was a faint whiff of arousal.

“We could still try it, just be gentle with me,” Luna offered. “I didn’t know you were skittish about me returning the favour. This is very hard for me, I waited so long for you to come back to me and now everything going on down there is causing me troubles, I just want to feel you close to me, I want to hear you breathing, I want to have your body entwined with mine, the way that it was, when you were so taken with me and worshipped me, and made me feel the way that only you made me feel.”

“I could just hold you,” Rookwood offered.

“No, it isn’t the same, you were always so eager to please, so loving, the fact that you wanted to please me, that is what I got off on, I miss feeling that,” Luna admitted.

Rookwood looked down and saw Luna’s glistening swollen folds.

“Ugh, must you look at it directly? I don’t feel attractive right now. I am fat, and everything is weird and misshapen down there. And there is this horrible layer of fat making everything look awful, just awful,” Luna complained.

“How could our foal come from something ugly? You once broke my nose because of my own self depreciation and how it made you feel,” Rookwood said, remembering something from what seemed like a lifetime ago.

“Am I to be punished then?” Luna asked.

“Oh, I don’t have the cruelty to do that. Uh, well, I do have the cruelty actually, depending on who you ask, just not towards you,” Rookwood replied in lawyerly tones.

“But I am such a bad mare,” Luna purred, switching tactics. Garnering Rookwood’s sympathy had failed and Luna was ready to move on.

Luna settled herself on the bed, kicking out her hind legs and spreading wide, and she began to rub her belly with her forehooves. She flexed and clenched, making wet slick sounds that made Rookwood gulp and swallow. Luna watched her spellbound love interest as she put on quite a show, and watched his lips quiver with desire as she flexed and heaved her pucker. “Well, if you won't let me satisfy you with my mouth, we could always see how sensitive I am down there and give that a try. I am sure you would attend to it with every bit of loving care as the rest of me,” Luna said.

“No, I couldn’t, I’ve seen too much of your past, I remember things that were done to you there,” Rookwood protested.

“Look… Rookwood, all of me has been abused at some point or another, and you have lavished your affections upon me, making me feel loved. I wouldn’t offer myself up to you if I didn’t feel comfortable with you trying something. Perhaps I want to feel loved where I once felt abused. Perhaps I want to give love in such a way where once there had been an act of force and what I had to offer was taken from me against my will. If I want to take you into my mouth it is my business to do so, or if I want to try new things, I have that right. I trust you. Don’t shut me out just because you share my memories and my hurts,” Luna explained.

“You are right of course,” Rookwood admitted. He lowered his head and planted a kiss in a place that made Luna’s legs kick and caused her to exhale in a shivering heaving hiss.

“You had better finish what you started!” Luna shouted.

Author's Notes:

And I've gone and left you all in such a teased state.

We know what comes in the next chapter, right?

Past hurts are always the hardest to overcome sometimes, even when they are shared. Especially when they are shared.