Luna’s Story: Curse of the Black Stallions
Part 4: A Loyal Pegasus

Pip found himself on a charred, blackened field. He peered around fearfully, then felt the clank of armor on his body as he moved. His fur was black, and he was clutching a long spear in his hooves. He looked around, bewildered. He walked slowly along, and saw a terrible sight. Ponies. Ponies everywhere, carpeting the ground in a sea of death. He recoiled with a gasp. Most wore golden armor, the rest wore purple and silver. Their eyes stared at nothing, glassy and cold. He was on a battlefield. Gulping and watching his step, he tried to avoid the puddles of lifeblood and the broken weapons sticking out in all directions.

Thunder boomed overhead and the young stallion flinched. It might rain soon. Boom. Boom-boom. No, wait. That couldn’t be thunder. It was too close and there was no lightning with it. Tilting his head upward, he saw a pair of winged figures thrashing about in the sky. They parted, circled, and crashed together again. The concussion of air was palpable, and he winced against it while his mane flapped in a banner. Squinting up into the sky, he saw flashes of brilliant magick lancing back and forth. Clouds were swirling in a terrifying maelstrom, back and forth, threatening a tornado.

Suddenly, wings. Pip had wings and knew how to use them. Spreading them and holding his spear tightly, he launched himself skyward. He could hear voices as he rose high into the sky. “—and an eternity of darkness to shroud the land!” a female voice boomed across the landscape as he drew nearer. His heart lifted. Princess Luna! He saw the black alicorn, armored and furious, gathering magick to her cause and blasting a sphere of liquid night across the sky. The spell bomb attached itself to its target, a white feathery creature who screamed in mortal agony again. Feathers flew in all directions and golden blood flowed. Princess Celestia!

Fighting out of the globby mess, Celestia’s wings unfurled with a wild snap as a flash of magic cleansed her. “Thine treachery against our little ponies doth shroud your heart beyond mine reach, sister! Come back to our light before thy misplaced jealousy consumes you!” she shouted, even while she spoke seizing her own feathers out of the air with magic. The massive feathers turned, sharpened their tips into razors, and then pelted Princess Luna in a hailstorm of fury. The black alicorn shrieked ferally, then conjured a spherical shield around herself.

Princess Luna needed help! Pip pumped his wings hard. That white, sun-slinging bitch would hit the ground so hard her skull would shatter! He would toss her brain out and drink the blood with his Princess for the evening meal! He would carve his place in history as being the last Black Stallion standing, the one to slay Celestia!

Luna shrieked, pulling feathers out of herself as quickly as she could. As though by some silent command, the feathers shifted in material until they were metallic, and exploded! She cried out, pitched across the sky until she was able to halt herself upon a cloud. Barrel-rolling in the air, the dark alicorn unfurled her wings and launched herself forward again. “Thou said we would rule as equals! But no, they shun us and appreciate naught of our beautiful nights!” Boom. Boom-boom. Cracks of parted air and smashes of blows and fighting pitched the now-pegasus Pip. “They were supposed to understand! I’ll MAKE them understand after we art through with thou!” Luna’s muzzle was full of metallic fangs, and she slathered like a wild beast when she spoke. Pip fought through the hard air currents, whinnying to his Princess. He wasn’t close enough for her to hear. His wings were on fire, but he would not let his Princess fight alone. The beauty of her night would last eternal! He need only aid her to make it so!

Lithe muscles of battle flexing, Celestia parted the darkness with a light from her horn, blasting Luna with a beam of concentrated sunlight. The Princess of the Night belted out a cry of pain, rolling out of the blast and flinging her horse shoe right off of her hoof. Celestia hadn’t expected that and yelped, blinded by the silvery piece of moonsteel. A bruise rushed over her eye and she held her face.

Luna rushed forward, taking advantage and seizing her sister around the middle. Pinning her wings, she rushed to the ground to smash her sister headlong into the ground. Roaring the entire time she reveled in her sister’s cries of pain. Pain! Yes! Let her suffer for all the negligence and lies she’d weaved into their Equestria! Soon it would all be Luna’s!

Pip panted, dive-bombing from his high location to join the fray.

Celestia righted herself, and suddenly Luna got a very close look at the yoke her sister was wearing over her armor. “Forgive me!” The white alicorn cried, and suddenly the Elements of Harmony ignited in a fiery rainbow of creation magic. Luna’s pupils shrank as the fantastic blaze of colors overtook her, launched skyward. Her roar of fury and pain faded rapidly with distance. Pip barely had time to dive out of the way as his Princess went higher, higher, higher! She was soon a dot in the sky, heading for the moon, pressed into the massive satellite by a beam of prismatic light.

Roaring in a rage, the young stallion brandished his spear and dive-bombed like a mighty falcon. “What have you do-ooone?!” he shouted as the air whistled around his ears. He squinted, his cheeks flapping about as his speed went increased and he seemed to blur. A mach-cone started to form. His body began to stretch, the whine of parting air warned he was about to break the sound barrier. Shouting a scream of battle he set his spear-point for Celestia’s chest. The bitch would die! He’d kill her! He’d KILL HER! SHE’D FUCKING DIE!

Pip’s neck snapped.

The recoil was enough to give him only moments to live. Shouting at one’s enemy in a blind rage was not a smart way to fight a goddess. He felt his body tumble gently upon the ground. Celestia’s magical grip had been enough to stop him, and cast him aside like a rag-doll. She didn’t look down at him, but rather up at the moon. There was a strange silhouette over its pale face now. The profile of a mare’s head, sleeping. Her face was beautiful… as Pip felt himself begin to slip away, he heard the sun goddess bawling and casting her armor aside. The golden yoke she’d been wearing shattered into six pieces.

Before his vision turned to blackness, he found himself looking across an endless field of his dead brothers. Solar Stallions and Lunar Stallions, tangled together in a carpet of death miles wide. None moved, for none had survived. Glorious, glorious battle. “P—Princess…” Pip whispered as death took him.

That’s enough for now. Wake up, Pip.

Pip awoke with a yelp, once again without wings, startling the poor mare that had been scrubbing his hooves. She skittered back, along with the other four ponies that had been washing him in his unconsciousness. “O-oh my!” she said, coming back to him a little cautiously. “S-sorry! I thought the sponge was soft enough!”

“I fell asleep…?” Pip said it like a question, scratching at his throat. He still wasn’t used to the deep dark voice he seemed to be inflicted with.

“You did.” Said the one other stallion present, a washing assistant named Bubble Bath. “We just didn’t have the heart to wake you. You were soaking in the bath and nodded off, so we thought we’d get a few things done while you slept…” he trailed off, smiling gently as the Black Stallion inspected himself. They hadn’t been able to remove his armor, but his mane had been cleaned and lovingly brushed. His legs and flanks had all been scrubbed. His fetlocks were trimmed and perfectly even, and even his tail looked wonderful. Though it was awkward to bathe in armor, they’d certainly done their best.

“Thank you…” Pip said a little bashfully, sitting on his haunches.

“Your hoof, sweetheart?” asked the mare, gesturing. He gave it to her, hunching a little and blushing despite himself. He could wash himself, thank you, but after Princess Luna had sent him away to be professionally groomed—well, he couldn’t say no. She smiled kindly while Bubble Bath oversaw them all.

“I thought it would be a good idea to use my most attractive mares, to soothe the savage beast.” Bubble Bath smiled. Pip smiled painfully. “At least your back to your mind now, right?” he asked. The young stallion wilted at him, and the cleaning stallion turned his ears back. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean it like that…” he looked to one side, and motioned at another mare on the team. “Get a mane oil for him? If we can’t get his armor off, we may as well make sure that he looks great from the neck up.” Pip noticed his armor was all dry. How long had he been asleep, and how had they managed to haul an armored stallion out of the bath to do other hygiene… things, with him? He blink-blinked when a mare came forward with a bottle of the desired chemical. It stank, badly, but Bubble Bath insisted. “You’ve got foal-fine hair, I’ll give you that. But, if you’re getting prepared to be seen by the Princess, you need to look your best!” he teased, working some of the gunk into Pip’s mane.

The young stallion fidgeted while he was fussed over. The memory of the dream was fading fast, but the other presence with him had imprinted the vision of the past in the back of his head. It was enough for now, to show him what had happened and what was ahead.

=-----=-----=-----=

Aegis Shield heaved a great breath when at last the doors were closed and he and Luna were alone. He cast off his armor and hung the medallion from a special peg. “Why didn’t you tell me beforehoof, in private?” he asked, sounding wounded. “Why in front of a crowd of strangers?”

Luna turned, taking off her crown and regalia with a flick of magic. They hovered to the vanity, sitting on their little velvet pillows. “I thought you would be more receptive and joyful. Able to celebrate and spread the good news.” The dark alicorn scuffed her hoof on the ground a few times, looking guilty with her ears turned back.

“It’s a private thing!” Aegis Shield said, going to her with a worried expression. They nuzzled, and she could feel a certain desperation in his affection. “What if something ever happened to you and I hadn’t known about our foal? Or what if I had to be called away suddenly, and I came back to see you several months pregnant?”

Luna stared at him. “Months?” she asked. “Why would we be pregnant for months?”

Aegis Shield stopped in his tracks and worrying. “Wh… what? Doesn’t it take eleven months, like everypony else?” he realized what he was saying as soon as it came out of his mouth. Luna was not everypony else. He scowled at her bemused expression, and they sidled towards the bed.

Luna stretched out on the bed, laying on her side while her companion came down to have a look at her belly. There was no sign of swelling yet, but he still wanted to nuzzle and inspect. She smiled, heaving a slow sigh that only an expecting mother can. “Oh my stallion, alicorns don’t need nearly so long as the mortal races to bear our young. We are near unto gods, in most meanings of the word.” She stroked her belly and he looked up at her with questions in his eyes. “Why, if it took more than two weeks I would be surprised.”

“Two WEEKS?!” Aegis exploded. “B-but! That’s no time at all! You couldn’t possibly bear a foal in just two weeks!” Guiltily, in the back of his head, the stallion tried to trace exactly what night he may have impregnated her. Their lovemaking was always passionate and heady, but… no particular night stood out to him. Atop that, they’d never actually used protection. If the gestation period was so short, how had it taken him more than ten years to-- wait. He looked up at her slowly. “You wanted to get pregnant.”

Luna smiled gently, giving a slow nod. “Alicorns also choose when we wish to become pregnant. Our magic is potent enough to regulate out fertility. It is why we do not get moon flows like other mares do.” She said in a low voice, like it was a secret.

“You should’ve included me in the decision!” Aegis Shield said, stroking her mane on both sides of her head. Clearly the father to be was having a nervous meltdown. Not only was he going to be the father of the Princess’ foal, but he didn’t have eleven months to prepare himself. No, he had less than one!

“Its erm… not something that normally gets a lot of discussion.” Luna blushed a little, looking to one side. “To put it bluntly, we may only decide during… uhm…” she turned a little redder. “The-- the best part. And during that time, an alicorn’s mind may not be one hundred percent straight.” She mumbled. He blushed comprehendingly.

“This is a big step for us.” Aegis Shield sighed, laying his cheek on her belly as they lay there. There was a long silence, and the Princess stroked his mane. He lay there breathing, listening to her abdomen like he might hear something. She watched him worry, and nuzzled him for comfort. He looked up at her, and she kissed his lips tenderly.
There was a knock at the door. “Enter.” Luna said whispily, giving Aegis Shield an encouraging smile. The doors slowly swung inward, and none other than Princess Celestia stepped through the double doors. “Tia, you’re just in time.” The Princess of the Night stretched lazily out onto the bed, releasing Aegis from her embrace. “Come to see my swelling belly?”

Celestia smiled bemusedly, closing the doors with a flick of magic. “I didn’t think I would see the day you allowed yourself a foal, little sister.” The white alicorn came close and nuzzled her sibling lovingly. “Congratulations.” She set her eyes on Aegis Shield, who wilted like she might strike him with lightning. “And to you too, Aegis Shield. Congratulations.” She leaned and slowly kissed his forehead. The brown stallion felt an electric current rise through his blonde mane, and he felt the rush of magic go through his body. He shuddered. Celestia’s blessing was far less subtle than Luna’s.

“I was just explaining to Aegis about how our bodies work in these things.” Luna said daintily, sidling so that Celestia could lay on the bed too. In a moment of mischief, the Day Princess went around to the other side of the bed and settled by Aegis Shield. Luna pouted at her, and her sister smirked a little. Leaning over the nervous stallion, she puckered her lips and kissed Luna’s belly. The dark alicorn coo’d a little, then squawked aloud when Celestia blew a sloppy raspberry on her belly. “Sister!” Luna flushed, squirming away. Aegis chuckled a little, face-hoofing.

“Well, don’t worry Aegis.” Celestia said soothingly, looking down at the stallion. The white alicorn settled on her belly, gracefully folding her wings. “Throughout the ages I’ve bore several children. There are procedures and such to go through to ensure everything goes smoothly.”

“You had children?” Aegis gasped.

“Why do you think Prince Blue Blood exists?” Celestia’s chuckle was a tinkle of merriment. “His great-great-great… many greats, mind you, grandmother was my daughter. Her name was Princess Sunbeam.” Aegis felt himself easing down just a little while the Princess told the tale. “She ran off with a griffin at a tender age. It was quite the scandal. But, she was deeply in love, so I could not find it in myself to retrieve her.” She smiled a little embarrassedly.

“Prince Blue Blood has griffin blood in him?” whispered Aegis with wide eyes, like he was uttering an atomic secret that might destroy the fabric of society.

“Oh yes. How do you think he inherited such arrogance? Or the massive frame of his chest?” Celestia chuckled. “There’s a few drops of griffin blood in him.” Aegis was spellbound by this, turning back to Luna for confirmation. She nodded, chuckling.

They spent the next few hours talking, Aegis Shield planted squarely between the two Princesses. It was easy to see there was some preplanning that had happened there, for they were mostly addressing Aegis. Him being so caught off guard, Luna had wanted to make sure that he was eased into the idea with as much education as possible. They talked of how royal offspring were treated like royalty, how society would probably react, and many other things. How it would be very likely that the foal would be one of the mortal races-- not a full alicorn. It would be a filly, Celestia foretold to him, because all alicorn children were female. Creation-magic, after all, was a feminine trait. That was the magic that could create life and all the other things in the universe. Even if the foal got only a fraction of Luna’s powers, it would be an incredible soul with a great range of powers none of them could even guess at. But, female. It would certainly be female, for all alicorns were female as well. Slowly, steadily, the stallion worked his way away from fear and worry. He was going to be a father, after all. That was cause for celebration! (And the fact that he’d mounted an alicorn so skillfully she’d lost ALL control and wanted to be pregnant said something about his virility, after all… though, neither Princess said this explicitly.)

“A little birdy told me that the Lunar Stallions were already celebrating you, Aegis Shield.” Celestia said, leaning over to run a tender hoof over Luna’s belly. The stallion blushed a little, nodding. They’d taken him out drinking and then showered him with gifts of money and advice, but he wasn’t about to voice that. “No doubt they’ll want to close ranks around you in this delicate time, Luna. When I was pregnant with little Sunbeam, the Solar Guard wouldn’t even let me go to the bathroom on my own.”

Luna winced at the very thought, but sighed, “I imagine so, sister.” She said, sounding resigned. “But given how weak I will be for the next few weeks, it’s for the better I’m sure.” Both sisters nodded at each other.

“Weak?” Aegis asked.

“When an alicorn is pregnant, she loses most of her powers.” said Celestia. “Our bodies focus on bearing the foal and making it perfect, without deformation or flaw, leaving little magic for anything else.” She winced at an old memory. “Even flying is off limits.”

Luna cupped her still-flat belly. “But, suffering for two weeks is nothing compared to a lifetime of joy.” Aegis smiled lovingly, finally completely on board. Leaning, not even minding Celestia’s eyes on him, he kissed Luna’s belly again, then her lips. Luna met her sister’s eyes, perhaps looking for approval. The Princess of the Sun smiled gaily, unfolding her wings and leaning. Aegis let out a little grunt as he was suddenly pressed between both Princesses. Celestia embraced Luna and Aegis, heaving a great and happy sigh. “I’m so very happy for both of you. It’s been centuries since there’s been a royal foal in the palace.” Luna blushed. Celestia only used her wings in a hug when she really, really meant it.

=-----=-----=-----=

“Alright, one more time.” Twilight Sparkle said, smiling genuinely. “Then we’re done, I promise.”

“Promise?” Stalwart Hide scowled. The purple mare nodded, and he heaved a sigh. With absolutely no pride or emotion, he spoke the words. “In the dark we tear and rend to end all evils with spines to bend. Lust and power, hunger and might, by Luna’s will and dark of night.” There wasn’t a shred of excitement in his tone. He gasped a little as the magic rushed over his body. He twinged to grey, grew his bat wings, and so on. The armor appeared, blah-blah-blah… Lunar Stallion. It would’ve been more exciting if it had been the first time he’d performed the transformation for Archmage Sparkle. But no, this was the twenty-third time, and it had more than lost its charm. For the past hour and a half, she’d been sitting on a bench across from him and asking him to transform over and over again. The royal gardens were nice and private, so it was an ideal place to study the flow of magic that a Lunar Stallion underwent when his regalia took over. Twilight had written pages and pages of notes and little charts for it all. “Finally.” Stalwart Hide sighed, flopping forward onto his belly.

“Are you fatigued?” Twilight asked eagerly. “Does transforming take energy from you?”

“Yes. And no.” Stalwart Hide answered the questions in order. His belly suddenly growled loudly, and he cocked his head. “We done? I’m hungry.” He complained, rising to leave.

“Oh wait, please.” Twilight raised a hoof, hurriedly stuffing her things into her saddlebag. “I’ve been studying with you all night, at least let me buy you dinner.” She said, smiling. “I can drop my things off and I’ll treat you, anywhere you like!”

“Really?” Stalwart Hide said, cocking an eyebrow. “Lunar Stallions eat a lot, I wouldn’t wanna drain your purse. My tab is prolly better.”

“Oh nonsense!” Twilight said, chuckling. “I’ve been poking and prodding at you all night, you deserve a tasty reward!” She donned her pointy hat, jingling the shining bell mysteriously. Pushing it back so it was behind her head and not dangling in her face, she smiled at him genuinely.

Stalwart thought for a few moments, then shrugged inwardly. Eh, what was the harm? She was offering him food for all his help, and he was certainly hungry. Once she’d stopped being such a twa-- er, stopped looking at him like a science experiment, she hadn’t been half bad. She was genuinely curious, organized, and always spoke aloud so he could follow along with anything she found out. “Alright then. Lead on.”

The pair of them ended up at a place called the Spice and Fire, a rather nice Mexican place. The dim lighting and candles strewn about gave it a very cultured look, and the bright colors on the spackled walls were certainly a nice change from all the dark stone and such they’d been around all day. “This is nice.” Twilight commented, looking around. After the waiter had taken their order, the purple mare smiled across the table at him. “So how did you get mixed up into the Lunar Stallions?”

“Princess Celestia sort of fired me from the Solar Guard, after I made an inappropriate comment about her sister.” Stalwart Hide said. Twilight gasped, her eyes widening. He smiled a little bashfully, and told her the story. Princess Luna had been in a coma, and he’d called her Sleeping Mare. The stressed out and worried Princess Celestia had cast him out of the group of guards that had been watching over the dark alicorn, and his demotion followed soon after, followed by his dishonorable discharge. Nopony wanted to be around the one that Celestia herself had cast down. “And then, I found out that Princess Luna was looking to hire a singular Lunar Stallion. This was back before all the others showed up. It used to be just Aegis Shield.”

“Wow, that’s fascinating!” Twilight Sparkle said, leaning forward with her chin on her hooves. “So what happened?”

“Luna gave out a series of qualifications to this big crowd. Then, some tests. I was the last one left standing, and she invited me to become the second Lunar Stallion in a thousand years.” His chest had inflated with pride.

“That’s quite an honor!” Twilight said, smiling grandly. “You must be very proud!”

“Oh yeah.” He said, nod-nodding. “What about you? How’d you get to be Archmage?” he pointed at her with a curious hoof. “There’s only one per Equestrian region.” Twilight blushed and told him her story, about how she’d saved not only Equestria, but her home town on multiple occasions with the help of her friends. Also, how she’d helped prevent a changling invasion and prevented the downfall of the nation with only her wits to guide her against a fake Princess Cadance. “Wow.” Said Stalwart Hide, impressed. Their food arrived, and they dug in. Stalwart Hide with ghusto. It was only after he’d cleared his third plate that Twilight Sparkle began to stare. He hadn’t been lying when he’d warned about the Lunar Stallion appetite, it seemed. The flicking revelation made a connection in her mind. Lust and power, hunger and might. It was literal. Interesting! (What was the difference between power and might? She’d have to inquire later…) She found herself smiling at him wider and wider, until he paused and cocked his head. “What?” he asked.

“Nothing.” Twilight said, fighting the slight warmth in her cheeks. It was a little disturbing to see a stallion with such piranha teeth tearing away at a burrito, chimi-changa, tortilla rolls, tacos, chips and so on. He had to tear his food with teeth shaped like that, he couldn’t bite it off like a normal pony. She considered suggesting that he transform back to normal—but she knew she shouldn’t. She’d made him do it over and over that night, so if he was comfortable like that she wouldn’t push the issue. She did notice, however, that the more he ate the happier he became. The vague notion that the fastest way to a stallion’s heart was through his stomach, but this was on a far larger scale. By the time Stalwart Hide had reached the sixth plate, she found herself staring at his chest and belly. S… surely his legs were hollow or something?! Where was he putting it all?! While the stallion was distracted by interesting cultural Mexican wall decorations, the Archmage gave his body a brief scan.

Stalwart Hide’s body was in hyper-drive, her senses saw. It was quickly breaking the food down, sending energy to all parts of him. The armor was connected to him on a magical level, and it was like looking into a fuel tank. Whatever he put into it was turned into a common sort of energy, and stored as a rather literal pool of power. All ponies had energy pools like this, but the Lunar Stallion’s seemed to be on a much grander scale. It was almost like a unicorn’s mana, or magic potential, but he was a Pegasus so… it was all the armor. It drove him to eat a lot to power itself. Interesting! “Twilight?” she heard him ask loudly.

She blink-blinked out of her scanning, looking up at him guiltily. “Uh-whuh?” she said, rubbing her eyes a bit like she’d gotten dust in them.

“I said are you okay? You’re staring at nothing.” He said.

“Oh, yes! I’m fine.” She quickly took another bite of her food, which had grown cold over time. Chewing thoughtfully, she watched him polish off the last of a grouping of nachos. She wanted so badly to puzzle it all out. If the armor literally used his body like a battery, it’s no wonder he had to eat so much. Perhaps the hunger and might bit of his mantra went together? Lust and power, hunger and might? Maybe if he fed the hunger he received might from the armor, in return? She frowned at her plate in thought, and the purple mare of course ran the rest through her equation. If slaking hunger granted might-- perhaps, then, having sex granted a Lunar Stallion power? Oh, dear Celestia! “Erk!” Twilight flinched like she’d been slapped, and her soda cup LAUNCHED itself into the stratosphere! Her jolt of emotion had sent it into the heavens. Her face went scarlet and her back knees pressed together as her tail tucked.

“Good one!” Stalwart Hide said, watching the cup go until it was beyond even his sight. He put a hoof to his brow to block the moonlight, grinning. Crunching the last chip out of the chip and salsa basket, he smiled at Twilight Sparkle. That had been impressive! His smile fell a little. “You okay?” he saw her red face. “You’re not choking are you?”

“I-I’m fine!” she said, forking food quickly into her mouth so she wouldn’t be able to talk. The Lunar Stallion cocked his head, suddenly unsure she’d done that for entertainment.

End of Part 4

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