Max watched curiously as Luna made her decision, moving a rook out of danger instead of using it to take out his queen. It was an oddity about how ponies played. Luna attempted to get through a game with most of her pieces instead of just winning. Apparently it must have been some sort of ingrained instinct or value driven into her very soul, not just some propaganda used to make ponies look better. It made sense in retrospect. When they had the opportunity Celestia and Luna had stood before Discord personally.

Another oddity was that Equestrians played to the end, till there were no pieces left. Again, part of that made sense as just because a ruler is removed doesn't mean the followers disband. Still, it was odd to put her king in checkmate just to have her move through it, causing him to take the piece. When he did, she moved another piece, causing the changeling to stare at her in confusion. The two had then spent a good half-hour discussing rules and the differences in the their species ideas of chess, differences they'd not thought about after discovering the pieces moved the same in both of their versions of chess.

The mare was a bit miffed that his overly aggressive play-style had left him the victor for the first three games, but she'd quickly started making changes to her own style to attempt to head him off, trying to make him pay in spades for even a pawn. Unfortunately, this left her turtling quite a bit, so she didn't have much room to move her own pieces. Thus he'd surrounded her, moving a knight around to pass his own turned while waiting for her to make a mistake. She wrecked most of his pawns, but then again he wasn't too worried about those. His other pieces were untouchable with her current strategy, eating her forces alive even as she tried to keep him back. It drew a smile from him, thinking of his soldiers as zombies or orcs, trying to overcome the last bastion of humanity and plunge the world into darkness.

'Okay, so I'm not a good guy. Not like I'm actually going to try and raise an army to overthrow the two of them.'

"What is it you find so humourous? You've lost more soldiers than I this round," Luna said, moving a pegasus knight in the familiar L-pattern.

"Just thinking about the two different styles" Max explained. "I was taught that because it's a game, the loss of a few pieces is not something you should worry about. It says something about our mindsets. I say the ends can justify the means, to a point. I won't justify something like genocide, but a little discomfort for the betterment of all can be justified in most cases. In the case of survival, sacrifice is to be expected. My country's military played such things up. There are few soldiers who received the medal of honor that didn't die in the line of duty and I don't think there are any who left the field unscathed. Their sacrifice allowed victory in the most unlikely of places, saving the lives of hundreds of others. They're remembered as heroes.

"I believe my favorite story was the single soldier who held off an advancing enemy line while his unit retreated. He used a...the closest thing you may have with your technology would be a ballistae, I believe. He used it on the advancing forces until it's ammunition was depleted, then used his personal bow until it was out as well. Running out of options, he engaged the enemy with a trench blade, a small weapon that could be held in one limb and proceeded to kill even more of the advancing enemy before he was finally brought down."

Luna nodded.

"At the end of the day though, Tia and I have always tried to keep those we can safe. It's our duty to defend those who are unable to defend themselves."

"That's something else," Max added. "Magic and those who wield it are nothing but a story where I'm from. We know of it, tell stories of it, some even dream of it, of having such power. It's just not something that's ever been discovered, as far as the general populace is concerned. Thus we stand alone. We are the only species on the planet, with no physical deities to direct us. I know you don't think of yourselves that way, but you and your sister are a step up from ponies. Many will look to you as higher beings and be more accepting of your rule because of this."

"Your highness, there's an earth pony farmer here to speak with you," a guard said, approaching with a bow. "He questions the tax on his crops."

The changeling chuckled as the guard returned to the main doors to admit the supplicant.

"Death and taxes, the only things guaranteed in life."

"Tis a very dark view of the world, Max" Luna chided.

"Humans don't have any guarantees of a better tomorrow besides what they rip from life," the stallion responded with an easy grin. "Many of us have developed a lot of dark humor. It's even called gallows humor, gallows being a place criminals were executed."

Luna nodded in understanding.

"Yes, the minotaurs and diamond dogs have their own execution methods, though in Equestria it's mostly banishment that ponies fear."

"Separation from the group. For most of the herd animals back home such an outcome would result in death. Well, unless they found another herd to accept them. Kinda hard to find a substitute for a couple of demigoddesses standing watch over you and your family, though."

The blue mare giggled at the title.

"In spite of what you say, we are not goddesses. Merely...stronger than most ponies. Our connection to the sun and moon provide a good amount of our power. Alicorns are merely extremely rare...it is very difficult to become an alicorn."

Max tapped a hoof against his chin for a moment, feigning deep thought. Afterwards he shook his head.

"No, I don't see it. After all, only a goddess could embody that kind of beauty," he complemented, gesturing to Luna.

The mare giggled once more, this time sporting a blush, before schooling her expression as the farmer approached. Her mouth was curved into a small smile though, so Max counted it as a victory.

The rest of the night passed fairly quietly. Only one other peasant had shown up during the entire night and by Max's guess it was likely because they couldn't afford to wait for day court than an actual desire to seek Luna's counsel. Neither of the petitioners had commented on his presence, though the first one did stare at him for a bit.

'Not that it was mean. I'm certain he's just never seen something like myself before.'

Now, with the day beginning and Luna turning over the kingdom to her sister, the two were set to meet for breakfast soon. The prospect of sitting with her sister again had killed Luna's mood however, leaving the changeling to make a face. Saying someone's mood is souring is funny until you learn that you might as well bite into a lemon when it happens.

Turning to her shadow as she made her way down the halls Luna cocked her head in curiosity before beginning to giggle, realizing what had caused him to make that face.

"Truly it is strange, to have one so influenced by our emotions. We apologize, we are not looking forward to meeting our sister again."

"Never apologize for feeling bad, Luna," the stallion reassured. "It just caught me by surprise. It's also strange, tasting that. I mean, I spent most of my life eating regular food and now I'm like this. It's a trip for me as well."

"We must apologize, we are unaware of your context for that word."

He bit his lip in thought, flinching a moment later when the fang pierced the fleshy inside of his lip. He'd need to get used to that, it seemed.

"It has a few meanings. In this case, it's a drug reference; to experience an altered state that is induced by chemicals. The experience of tasting emotions is something I'd relate to the hallucinations experienced by individuals using mind-altering substances. Magic as well, once I learn of it. It would be a sense I've never experienced before, likely leading me to question how many things are connected. After all, I'm currently surviving off of something I didn't know could be quantified. I'm curious how my biology does that. How it works."

"Your people, your previous species. They had an in-depth understanding of how their bodies worked, correct?" the alicorn asked.

"Absolutely. Without magic we relied on science and knowledge for all of our medical needs, from small scratches to a person losing a limb. We did quite a bit with what we learned. We'd even managed to create artificial organs. An artificial heart was a real thing back home. A heart that was built by human hands. It's kind of strange to think about. There were some who wondered just how close we were to immortality being achievable through technology."

"I see. Ponies are doing better without Discord constantly changing the laws of the world around them, but we're still lacking in many technologies. At one point we had them, but...tis difficult to keep information through the generations when the words run off the page."

At his chuckle, the mare looked at him with a deadpan expression.

"We mean that literally. We have watched as words fled from ponies the moment they opened a book, screaming nonsense about the pony stealing their wisdom. You will find that many ponies fear any type of change, some even reacting violently. For now though, the wounds caused by Discord's reign are still too fresh."

"I think I understand. There have been disasters that did things like that back home, be they engineered or natural, that drove people from certain ways of life. As it stands, I'll need to know where you are in terms of science as well as how magic changes the rules before I can give you anything of value. Some things you may not even need. Would knowing how the body repairs itself have a direct impact on how well a healing spell works? I have no idea at the moment."

"It does, actually. If one were to attempt to uitilize a healing spell without the proper knowledge of both the body and the damage it has suffered one can cause the body to regenerate the wrong parts. It is one of the reasons healing spells are so difficult to master. If one misuses one, the patient can be killed."

Max nodded in understanding.

"Basically a healing spell can cause cancer."

At the mare's request to explain, he went into detail on the subject.

"We had something like that occur naturally, in fact it was one of the more known ways people died back home. Cancer was a big issue, that and a few diseases that were difficult to stop but there were many plagues that were nearly driven out of existence by proper medical technologies as well as understanding of nature and our own bodies. One example was the Black Plague. In its height, it wiped out more than a third of the human population, but more recently there was a little girl that came down with it. Once it was identified, they treated her and I think she was back home before the month was out. In its hay-day, contracting that disease was a death-sentence. Now it's dangerous but with the proper resources it can be dealt with."

"I see. We believe this will suffice as a topic of discussion tonight. We are certain we can arrange for the relevant tomes to be delivered to the throne room. While it will be some time before your understanding of magic is advanced enough to attempt to use it, it is still good to know," Luna said, opening the door to the dining room.

To their surprise, the room seemed empty aside from the plates and furnishings still present in the room. As they stood there in confusion, a pegasus maid came flying down the hall towards them.

"You're highness, I apologize. Your sister has asked that you join her in the new dining room down the hall. Somepony was supposed to deliver to you the information while you were still in court, as Princess Celestia asked us to prepare this last night."

"We understand. Thank you, though we ask that the one responsible for seeing this information to us is brought to both mine and mine sister's attention," Luna responded with a bit of irritation. "Lead us to our new dining room."

As the two followed the nervous maid down a side hall, Max winced at what he was feeling from the serving mare. Luna bit back a giggle at his face, the changeling looking like he bit into a lemon.

"We hazard that fear is not a pleasant emotion to taste?"

The maid stopped in her tracks at the comment, staring at the two in horror. Seeing the pony's terrified expression, Luna smiled kindly at her.

"Peace, mine subject," the alicorn assured her. "Max will not leave you some empty husk devoid of happiness. We have been learning about his form while we find a place for him. At the moment it is as our friend. The nights become quite...tedious I believe was the word you used, was it not Max?"

"Mind-numbingly so," he confirmed.

They continued for a little longer down the hallway and upon reaching the destination, the maid opened the door and stood aside with a bow. Entering the new dining room, Max was less than impressed.

"So I asked the young stallion what he was doing on my property, and the little foal starts going on about how he was lost in thought. Well I wasn't going to have some ruffian wandering around in my front yard so I told him he best-"

The chattering at the table slowly died out as the two larger beings stopped in the doorway. Max didn't need to see the look of irritation that was painted all over the dark alicorn's face; it was perfectly mirrored on his own. He knew damn well Celestia understood his reasoning for this kind of dining room. Privacy and a place to get away from the hustle, a place where the two sisters could relax and be themselves.

This wasn't going against that sentiment. This was setting the aforementioned sentiment on fire then throwing out the window. Judging by the irritation and fatigue he was sensing from the princess seated across the way though, it wasn't something she wanted any part in. Every seat was filled with a noble, some opting to have their own chairs brought in as they chattered amongst themselves. A clearly uncomfortable Celestia sat at one side of the table, looking about the disaster as if she herself was uncertain how it had begun. The guards were stoic, but he could taste the frustration and anger that, if he guessed correctly, was directed to the ponies who had taken over the now-cramped dining room.

Unlike Luna's anger, Max's expression soon shifted to a devious smile as a terrible idea occurred to him. Nudging the blue alicorn mare, he nodded to the table and smiled widely enough to bare his fangs. Luna soon nodded as realization struck her and she motioned the waiting staff to cover their ears before she did so as well. Celestia, being so distracted by the nobles, barely had time to notice the servants and guards were all covering their ears before she saw the large changeling jump onto the dining table as he took in a deep breath.

The noise emitted by the stallion wasn't so much a roar or shout as it was a screeching hiss that echoed horrifically in the close quarters. The nobility instantly began darting about in confusion and fear, a few firing off random spells to slow their attacker. One hit Max in the foreleg and another struck his chest, though they did little more than push him back a step or two. The real issue came from the spells striking other nobles. In such tight quarters cramped with individuals, the likelihood of friendly fire seemed to have been unaccounted for. So it was that three nobles fell to spells of their compatriots.

After most of the unruly guests had nearly broken down the doors in their haste to flee and the guards assured there was no monster attempting to eat the princesses, the incapacitated were removed from the dining room along with the extra chairs.

"Well that was certainly something. Did they not get the memo either?" Max asked casually, looking to Celestia.

Celestia, still in a bit of confused shock, turned to him with confusion painted across her face.

"What do you mean?"

"Max is referring to the fact that we were not forewarned of the changes to the dining arrangements," Luna said as she took her seat. "We would ask that you find the one responsible and properly discipline them, but it also seems that some of the nobility do not care for proper decorum. This must be...rectified. Immediately."

"I don't know if I'll agree with what your planning if your tone says anything, but I do agree that this needs to stop. If these guys are anything like the politicians and nobles back home, not stopping them tells them they can keep going and they'll find even more obnoxious ways to ruin your day," Max said, hopping off of the table while being careful not to step in anything edible. "Maybe next time this happens let them know the next breakfast will be at another noble's house. Just pick one of the group, like the first one who shows up and lets himself in. That's what happened, right?"

Celestia nodded as the two newcomers took their seats, Luna sitting opposite of Celestia while Max once more sat at Luna's side. The blue alicorn snorted in irritation as she cleared away the dishes of the nobles that had attempted to take over the room and left them in a pile towards one of the doors. A maid, the one who had led the two of them to the dining room in fact, nervously approached and began laying out clean dishes and silverware for the two of them.

"What would h-her highness be interested in for her morning meal?" the mare meekly whispered.

"We believe we shall stick to our usual fair for the morn'," Luna responded. "And for our companion, we request a bowl of oatmeal and pan-cooked cakes."

"Just the pancakes, no oatmeal," Max said flatly. He gave the mare beside him an irritated look. "I know you'd enjoy seeing me make a fool out of myself trying to eat oatmeal with my lack of precision, but I'd like to avoid that until I have either a decent understanding of magic or more control with that, thing you guys do with your hooves. I nearly stabbed myself earlier."

"Drat. Here we were looking forward to being entertained during our morning meal," the mare countered as a grin blossomed across her muzzle. Turning to the serving pony she nodded, conceding Max's point.

"Just the, pancakes? I do like that name, you have something similar from whence you originated?"

"We do, at least I assume it's the same thing," the changeling answered. "As I said earlier, I need to know what you have access to before I can make proper judgment calls. I could tell you all the things you need to build a flying machine, but you likely won't have the ability to even create the tools needed to make the materials, and that's not taking into consideration the fact that some of your subjects can fly by their own power. By that same token though, if you start telling me about magic I'll likely get lost pretty quickly. Saying that we come from two different worlds doesn't even begin to describe this situation... Luna, thank you for doing this for me. I'm still scared about tomorrow, but I may just survive this yet. If I do then I can have myself a proper freak-out about this situation and you can laugh at me afterwards. Deal?"

Luna just smiled warmly at the stallion, her happiness spiking sharply as well as a few hints of something much more powerful. He blinked away the strange sensations, idly noting the mare had brushed his side with a wing. While he would have dismissed it for a comforting touch on a friends shoulder, the spike of shock from the white alicorn across the way told him he'd have to ask about it later.

"So question, I thought petty nobility was something that developed over centuries. This kingdom is just starting out, right? Where'd the goon squad come from?"

"Many of the nobles from Paradise Estates journeyed to Equestria to escape the Windigoes and the cold they brought," Luna explained. "Some were able to retain their wealth through the journey, though how they managed to keep it secured during the Reign of Discord is beyond us."

"Many are not as well off as they would have us believe, but it is not their wealth that gives them power. It is the fact that they command respect. I understand you may not have experience with ponies in such positions, but we ask that you exercise caution in their presence. They are quite capable of making your life difficult at best. At worst, they could be dangerous," Celestia added.

"I bet they would...and I just scared the piss out of half of them. My luck, those will be the trouble makers, too," Max groused as the serving ponies came in with the requested dishes.

Luna giggled at his complaint as she seasoned her oatmeal, added milk and sugar to her tea and buttered her pancakes. Simultaneously.

"Fret not, Max. Should the nobles decide to get rid of you, we shall keep the bad ponies away."

"I really need to learn how this magic stuff works," the stallion muttered as he bent down to nab a pancake with his teeth.

Seeing his predicament, Luna's smile only grew.

"You need only ask, you know. We shan't ask much in return..."

The changeling stared at her, his expression flat as he chewed his pancake, the fluffy cake slowly being pulled into his mouth as he ate to the best of his abilities. Just because he could get the blasted utensils to work with his weird ankle-wrist things didn't mean it was easy. In the case of pancakes, he wasn't even certain he wanted to try messing with buttering them.

"And just what would be your price, you irritating little ma-"

Max's response was cut off as his eyes bulged and he gagged, some instinctive reflex that felt like nausea causing him to choke on his words.

"Bucket."

Celestia responded first, levitating a nearby wooden bucket to the stallion who wrapped a foreleg around it. Backing off the cushion and muttering an apology even as he urped a second time, he breathed deeply as he tried to keep down whatever was angry at him.

"-have that thing destroyed, that's what we'll do. Princess, we demand you leash your pet before it attacks somepony!"

It was at that moment that one of the scattered nobles decided to make her entrance, nearly bowling over a serving pony who was attempting to distance himself from Max. The mare pine green coated and baby blue maned unicorn was dressed in flowing clothes that likely would cost a small fortune even with plentiful materials, let alone in a world that had seen the hardships Equestria had just come out of. Seeing the heaving changeling she scowled, stomping up to him and slapping away the bucket.

"I'll not be made a fool in front of my fellows, monster. I'll have you strung up by your balls from this castle's highest tower! What do you have to say for yourself? Answer me!"

The alicorns were watching with very different expressions. For Luna, was in giddy anticipation of what was about to happen. She knew that while the noblemare would be angered, she would have only herself to blame. She also knew that the mare would likely be a problem in the future, considering where this was going.

Celestia was staring at the situation with horror, watching as the large changeling urped again, his hooves pressed over his muzzle in a desperate attempt to stop himself from vomiting on the mare. The stallion leaned left, then right, but both times the nobemare moved to remain in his path. The situation was completely lost on the infuriated unicorn. All she could see was the object of her ire standing before her.

After a third and final shout for an answer, she received one.

Luna cocked her head in curiosity as the changeling didn't so much vomit as launch a wad of green gunk from his maw at an explosive velocity, pinning the smaller pony to the floor in a thin layer of the mucus-like substance. Even as she began to flail about and scream, albeit in a much more muffled volume, Max rushed over to his bucket and hacked again, this time aiming for the bucket.

The blue alicorn's eyebrow rose as this time, the green gunk punched a hole in the bottom of the bucket, splattering over the stone floors while containing the splintered wood to the impact zone. Seeing the male standing over the gunk with a both confused and relieved expression, she wandered over and noticed that there was no stench of a pony getting sick. In fact, the only thing she could smell was the breakfast still on the table.

"Are you well?"

"I...I really don't know. I've gotten sick before, but that wasn't the same thing. There's no- no sensation of bile. I also don't feel weak," Max answered in a daze, his gaze wandering over to the flailing noblemare before wincing.

"Oh, this isn't going to end well."

"She confronted a visibly distressed individual. T'was nopony's fault but her own. We must wonder why you reacted in such a way. Was it the food? Was it tainted?" Luna asked, looking over the food cautiously.

"Perhaps, sister, the answer may be found in the difference of his species?" Celestia suggested from her seat. "He is empowered by emotions, correct? Perhaps he does not possess a way to eat in the same way as ourselves."

"We suppose that would make a certain form of sense, though we will certainly be interested in studying this substance. Was the food merely destroyed, or does this substance have a second-" stopping as she looked back to the noblemare as some maids began attempting to remove her from the floor, Luna tried again "third use? The first would be disposal, Certain Fortune seems to be proof it can restrain ponies, oh we are curious now! Come Max, we will turn in early this morn', we have much to learn come the night!"

Before he could say anything in response, the stallion was lifted into the air in a shimmering blue aura, his confusion soon giving way to irritation as he realized what was going on.

"What about breakfast? I know I don't need the pancakes, but you need something to eat. You can't live off of some bizarre, intangible energy, remember?"

The Alicorn of the Night slowed, turning and nabbing her breakfast in her aura before continuing on her way with a spring in her step.

Shaking his head in irritation, the changeling called back to the serving ponies who were having little luck freeing the now sobbing noble from the green goop.

"Try peanut butter, I hear that works on removing sticky stuff."

As the changeling disappeared from sight, the servants looked to Celestia in confusion.

"How does one make butter from nuts?"

Luna was scowling as she relaxed in her bed, the changeling currently humming contentedly from his position on her back. She imagined his request from his victory to be much more...explicit. Instead he'd opted to cuddle with her, nuzzling and nibbling her neck while buzzing his wings every now and again. She didn't even feel him prodding her flank, even though she was certain he knew what she had been expecting.

It certainly felt wonderful. She had hummed in contentment as his wings buzzed, the vibrations massaging her back in a most wondrous way. The nuzzles and nibbles were cautious and unpracticed, but she understood their meaning. It was the cautious touch of a stallion who was wary of causing discomfort to his mare, or perhaps it was the touch of a being who wasn't certain what was intimate affection in his new form? In either case it was an appreciated gesture, just one that wasn't as intense as she'd expected. Especially when she considered that first night.

"Does it really bother you that much?" Max asked, his forelegs wrapped around the mare.

"It is not what we expected," she answered. "We anticipated some joke or prank after thy victory, perhaps even a...request of a more intimate nature."

"Like the one you were planning on making?" he asked with a smirk. As the mare blushed he chuckled.

"It's no telepathy, but you can tell a great deal about people based on the shifts of their emotions. Well, you can once you learn what emotions taste like what and are able to identify them. When I made that wager, your lust spiked. That was something I expected you to think of in all honesty, but that doesn't mean it's my goal. When you were speaking with me both in the throne room and at breakfast I felt energized, more so than after that entire binge I indulged in. I think it has to do with the complexity of the emotions. The more there is to them, the stronger they are. In this case, lust was very weak while the happiness and companionship was much more powerful."

She hummed thoughtfully at the explanation.

"Most stallions would be rushing to claim a mare, though."

"Perhaps, but I have a vested interest in the connection I've made with this mare. Of course, if you'd rather this go down that path..." he whispered leadingly, shifting to grind against the mare's flank.

He smiled as her lust spiked and her wings flared. Nipping a perked ear, he whispered into her ear.

"...I'd be more than happy to oblige. Just be warned that I'm not starving like I was yesterday. This time I'd like some give and take."

Rising in such a manner as to drop the stallion off of her back, Luna gave the changeling a view that left no doubt as to her desires. Her flank was raised in the air while her legs were spread slightly, leaving her flanks parted enough that he could see her marehood peeking out at him. Her tail began flagging, bobbing as if to wave him forward. With a quick flick, it was cascading over her right leg, giving Max an unhindered view of her backside. "Shall we repeat the previous morn's activity?"

"You really liked that, didn't you?" he responded. Approaching her with an almost reverent pace that made her shudder in anticipation, he once more caressed her flank.

"Good thing I've always found butt's more appealing than breasts. Teats just don't have the same effect."

Using his hoof to knead the flesh, he began massaging it in easy circles, watching was the mare's muscles twitched, watching as her moistening flower began to invite him in both pulsing winks and powerful pheromones. He smiled as her tail hitched every few moments, listened to her gasp as her trailed nips from the cheek of her flank to the emblem of the moon. Just shy of nipping it, he instead kissed it in a feather-soft way that left her staring at him pleadingly.

Max stared back, giving her moon another kiss without breaking eye-contact.

"If something makes you uncomfortable, please don't hesitate to tell me, okay?"

Luna nodded with an almost undetectable mewl, her lust spiking to such a degree that his vision actually tinted for a moment. Forcing it from his mind, he returned his attention to her nethers. He used his hooves to spread her flanks wide and gave her flower a deep kiss, slipping his tongue inside her even as her breath hitched at the sensations that began to flood her mind.

The lust was still powerful, still saturating her fluids and burning his tongue but this time he wasn't being drawn in by the need for sustenance. He was calmer, instead choosing to savor the mix of flavors she emitted. He tweaked some points inside her with his tongue, enjoying the spikes of pleasure and happiness, tasting her joy and lust even as something deeper bubbled beneath the surface. It was strong, the same level of power that he'd tasted hints of earlier when she'd stroked him with her wing. Humming and writhing his tongue around inside her, she squealed as she approached her first peak.

Luna's breathes were coming in short gasps as she squirmed on her bed, the overwhelming pleasure being introduced via changeling tongue leaving her unable to do much more. She looked back at him, watched as he buried his muzzle inside of her cheeks. He was more deliberate this time, he didn't seem to be so...wild. Desperate was another word she could have used to describe his feeding. A brushing against her vulva made her eyes widened as she recognized the contact. His fangs, those wicked looking things that could punch through her flesh so easily. He was brushing them against her most vulnerable spots. She squirmed, her heart pounding at the thought of such danger. Did changelings produce toxins? Did he even know how to utilize the venom if he had it?

Surprisingly, she soon realized it wasn't fear that she was feeling at the contact but excitement. She trusted him. She knew he would do her no harm. All of this, all the touches and brushes, even the little nip to her nether lips that drew a gasp from her muzzle were for her benefit, to drive her to higher levels of pleasure. It was all for her.

It was the first time in too long that she'd felt so wanted. She felt him extract himself just as she'd begun to grip his tongue, her body claiming its preparation nearly complete. She whined pitiably as she turned to watch him, finding him staring at her clenching need with both a kind smirk that spoke only of a desire to make her happy as well as curiosity. Before she could sound out her own curiosity and ask what he was waiting for he lunged forward, catching her clit in his lips and humming strongly, even buzzing his wings as he suckled the sensitive nub. With a wordless scream, the mare climaxed.

The world fell away for a moment, nothing actually having any meaning other than the pleasure coursing through her body. Nothing mattered other than the stallion delivering the pleasure, and the fire that was running laps on her spine. Her wings were twitching in their full display, the barest of breezes through the room feeling like fire over the sensitive feathers. Her horn glimmered slightly as the mental overload threatened to cause her to eject mana from her horn. She shuddered as she felt him back off, a gentle brush of her flank the final contact she felt before turning back to look at him once more.

She couldn't contain a sigh of disappointment as he gently stroked her back. The feeling of him feeding on her the night before, it was just so dirty. It made the experience feel so much more arousing. She wanted him to do it again, wished he would-

"So you enjoyed what I did last night, you dirty little girl?" he whispered huskily into her ear, having used the mare's distraction to climb onto her back.

She eeped in surprise, feeling his strange rod pressing against her lower back and tail.

"I suppose we all have things we like," Max continued softly. "I'd be happy to try that again another time, just for you. For now though, I want to know if you're ready."

Luna's ears perked at the question, the meaning being instantly clear. He wanted to rut her, to mate with her. But despite the fact he'd just left her a whimpering puddle of pleasure, despite the fact that he was likely painfully hard and pressing against her he was still asking for permission before actually attempting to penetrate her.

With no hesitation she nodded, feeling him begin to shift as he lined himself up with her still sensitive lips. Just as she felt the tip slide in, she remembered what it had looked like when she'd stumbled across him the other day. There wasn't a flare like there would have been with a pony stallion, but-

'Five rings...oh heaven five of them!'

The tip and first one slipped inside of her wet marehood easily, spreading her open only enough to cause her to shudder as he shifted further inside. The second and third rings followed in a similar fashion, though Luna's mouth was hanging open now. The fourth brought out a low moan of pleasure, the four rings all sliding farther into her tunnel and brushing against her still quivering walls as Max slowed in his movement. For Luna, the anticipation was too much.

"Please!" she whined while bucking weakly, her legs still splayed on her bed after her first orgasm. She had no leverage, but her point was made. The stallion suckled her neck before clenching his body, his forelegs pulling her down even as his hips thrust forward. Her eyes were staring vacantly ahead after the final thrust. It wasn't as though that much more of his length had entered her, as the final ring had been resting against her outer lips only moments before. No, what caused her to feel so complete was the act as a whole. He was gently nipping at her neck now as his forelegs held her close to his chest. She could feel his wings buzz every now and again, the sensations being transferred directly into her vaginal walls by his presence inside her. His body was perfectly conformed to hers, from shoulders to croup. He kissed her shoulder and shifted again, the rings scraping against her as he pulled out in an agonizingly slow pace. One ring slipped out, then two, three, four. He stopped with the first ring just inside her body, then he thrust forward and her world exploded.

Shoving himself in and out of the mare below him, it was all Max could do to keep himself from drinking the lust and passing out. It was tantalizing, the overwhelming amount of emotions the alicorn was directing at him. Joy, friendship, lust, longing, even the growing flavor that he'd labeled as love. Growing sensations that were beginning to burn more and more brightly as he pounded her to bliss.

That wing touch, it was more than just a reassuring presence. That much he was certain of now. The burn of love was getting stronger but that had been the first sign of it. Now it was showing itself again, taunting him with its power. If he tried to taste it he'd likely either feed on too much or lose track of his rhythm, ruining the experience for the mare who'd been willing to help him.

'Don't want her, thinking I'm not going to, take care of her,' he mentally recited as he continued to thrust in and out of her canal. The tightness was getting to him, sapping his concentration. It seemed the longer he went, the more lust he pulled in and the foggier things became.

Stranger still was the sensations that he was feeling from his lower body. The rings were extremely sensitive, relaying every quiver of her walls back to him and letting him feel every time her body shuddered or twitched. It was mind-numbing pleasure, but the best part was the fact that the mare was actually gripping and pulling him deeper. Every time she winked or shuddered he felt her pull on his penis. The velvet grip combined with his sensitive rings actually seemed to be allowing him to drive deeper into her body, giving both even greater pleasure. It was actually a small miracle he hadn't found himself driving into her cervix.

Max suddenly tensed, a weird churning sensation from just above his shaft causing him to jerk forward, his legs locking onto his mate and holding him snugly against her flank. He twitched a bit, Luna's lust peaking as she prepared to receive his seed. Both knew it wouldn't be long now.

He felt the sensations traveling up his dick, the pulsing warmth of her walls coaxing it up and out even as his entire body clenched up in orgasmic bliss. Luna moaned as the first spurt fired from his tip, painting her inner walls with his seed and causing him to lose his defense against her emotions. Suddenly the emotions came rolling into his mind, lust and love, joy and friendship, all washing over him and leaving him dazed from the overload.

He lost track of time for a few minutes, only moving when Luna buzzed with unheard words. She repeated them, and he finally realized she was asking if he was alright.

"F-fine. Fine, it was just- it was just really intense, that's all. I managed to, to keep most of the emotions back for a while but once I finished, it just washed over me."

Licking his lips he noticed a powerful taste in his mouth. Looking down, he found he'd actually drooled some brightly colored liquid over Luna's neck, bright pink with red tints swirled in for good measure. She gave a weak giggle as he licked the pink gel, eyes widening as he realized what it was.

"We, we were worried when you began to drool the pink liquid, however we believe it is due to an overabundance of it," she whispered, dipping a hoof into the gel and looking at it. "It's love, isn't it? Our love...tis beautiful to behold."

"You taste and feel wonderful, Luna," he assured her softly. "I don't know how much I need but if I'm drooling it, I'm fairly certain I'm full, and that means I'm not going to starve when Discord cuts me off. Thank you."

Attempting to pull out and finding an odd resistance, he noticed the mare seemed a bit wider. The second he finally managed to remove the plug from her nethers, white fluids began to pour out, spurting every now and again as the mare twitched at the feeling of relief. Luna sighed as the pressure dissipated and her belly shrank, the mare collapsing limply onto the bed.

"We were unaware changelings were so, virile," she panted. "We were worried for a moment, that we would burst. Even after the flow, ceased we found ourself unable to, to loosen our grip on thy siring staff."

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked softly, nuzzling her as he settled back into his position on her back.

The alicorn smiled softly as she shifted, causing him to slip to her side. Before he could ask what she was doing, the mare pulled him into her forelegs with her magic, holding him tightly against her body and laying her head on his neck. Cuddling into the stallion, she giggled lightly before yawning.

"We have not felt better in a long time."