Twilight nuzzled Artemis and cuddled into his side before noticing how tense his muscles were. She sat up and looked down at him, frowning.

“Twilight?” Artemis asked “What’s wrong? . . . Oomph . . . What . . . Ooh.”

His questions were stopped with a grunt as Twilight used her magic to flip him onto his stomach. When she spread his wings and ran her magic over the feathers, he tried to ask what she was doing. When he felt her magic warm his feathers and the rest of his wings, starting at the base of each wing and moving to the tips, he moaned. I don’t know what she’s doing, but this feels amazing!

She paused, used her magic to close the balcony doors and cast a soundproofing spell around Artemis’ room. Then she went back to work.

With her magic doing its job on his wings, she used her hooves to massage from the base of his wings up to his shoulders. When she was satisfied with that, she went back to his wings and worked her way down his back. Her actions got her several sighs and moans of pleasure from Artemis, especially as she got to his back.

That done, she paused to admire her work. He lay next to her, still on his stomach, stretched out on his bed. The look on his face was one of pure relaxation. Now for the next part.

She giggled and levitated him into the air, turned him over, and laid him on his back. She was careful not to move or fold his wings because her magic still working on them warming and aligning his feathers.

She climbed onto his stomach and massaged from his chest up to his shoulders. She left light kisses as she worked this time, moving up to his neck. She continued her massage, lighter here because she didn’t want to hurt him, and kisses as she moved up to his face.

There, she stopped her massage and just kissed him.

“I know I’m not as good as the Aloe sisters, but I hope that helped.”

He let out another sigh of pleasure “You have no idea.”

She giggled and kissed him again before attempting to roll off of him.

He noticed this and wrapped his hooves around her. “Oh no you don’t.”

“What?” she asked, surprised as she suddenly found herself flat on her stomach, still laying on his.

He chuckled as he moved his hooves to her back and applied a bit of pressure in one particular spot. “It’s my turn.”

She gasped as her wings flew from her sides before letting out a low moan as she felt a sudden warmth running through them. She could also feel one of his hooves working in little circles at the base of her wings, while another hoof did the same to her shoulders. The combination of the three left her speechless and unable to do anything but lay there, moaning lightly in pleasure.

After a few minutes, he stopped and just held her as she recovered.

“Thank you. That felt really good.” She raised her head and kissed him

Surprised, he just blinked for a moment, before he returned her kiss and held her tighter.

A few moments later, Artemis broke the kiss and looked at Twilight. “I enjoyed the fireworks you made for me earlier. However, right now, the only thing I want is my real gift.” He whispered huskily “I want the mare that I love.”

“I’m right here” she whispered back, desire clear in her voice.

That was the last straw for him. He pulled her as close as possible and kissed her deeply. His forehooves stroked her back, finding their way back to the base of her wings.

She broke the kiss with a moan and stretched so that she could reach his horn. Running her tongue along its entire length, she stretched a little further so she could take the tip in her mouth and sucked on it for a moment. It was too long for her to get the whole thing in her mouth, like he did with hers, so she had to go back to running her tongue over what she could reach.

He gasped as he felt her tongue run the length of his horn and shuddered in delight as he felt her take the tip of it in her mouth. The sensation of her tongue on his horn sending a pleasurable warmth spreading through his entire body.

Having her stretched out to reach his horn, meant that he had access to her neck. He began to lick and nibble at her throat, still rubbing the base of her wings, causing her to stop licking his horn with a long low moan and bury her face in his neck.

She was beginning to pant as she buried her face in his neck. The combined sensations she had received from his teeth at her throat and was currently getting from her wings rendered her unable to speak. It was then that she felt something hard and hot poke her from behind. She moaned and squirmed a little, trying to back up so that he could reach, wanting him inside her. She felt him shift under her before she gasped and shuddered with pleasure as she felt him enter her.

He was surprised when he felt her squirm and back up a little but, before he could ask, he felt his tip touch her backside. Understanding rushed through him and he shifted a little. He smiled, hearing her gasp and feeling her shudder, as he entered her. He wrapped his hooves around her and thrust up, as far into her as he could. This action got him another shuddering gasp before he heard her whisper “Oh yes!” Those two words echoed in his head as he began bucking his hips, thrusting in and out of her. He felt her grip on him tighten and heard her moans grow louder.

After a few minutes of his intense bucking, she buried her face into his chest and let out a scream of pleasure as the orgasm that had been building finally overcame her. Her passage clenching and pulsing around him pushed him over the edge as well. He groaned in pleasure as he thrust into her once more before releasing his seed. Both of them felt their minds go blank with pleasure.

After what felt like hours, they regained awareness. Twilight shifted a little before she realized something important. Not only was Artemis still inside her, what she felt in her was still hard. Her own desire rising again, she raised her head and was met with a fierce kiss. She let out a gasp of surprise as it broke and Artemis suddenly rolled the two of them over, leaving him on top of her.

“I . . . I” Artemis found that he could say no more and pulled her into another fierce kiss.

She moaned into the kiss and held herself to him as it broke. “P-please!” she managed to gasp out, bucking her hips up against his, suddenly desperate.

Immediately, he began thrusting again. Her moans, louder than before, spurring him on. He knew he would not last much longer so he sped up, drawing a gasp from her.

Her moans were growing in number and volume. Her entire body was extremely sensitive now, his every move making her moan and shudder with pleasure. She gasped as she felt him speed up. It didn’t take long for her to reach another peak. The scream that she let out this time penetrated the soundproofing spell she had placed around the room. As she shook and screamed under him, she felt him clutch her tightly and release more of his seed into her.

After his second orgasm ended, he collapsed onto her and couldn’t do anything but lay there, gasping for breath. After catching his breath, he found that he didn’t want to move or remove himself from her. They lay there like that for several minutes before he felt her magic surround him.

She felt him collapse on top of her but didn’t mind, she was still trembling herself. However, after several minutes passed with no movement, she lit her horn. As much as she loved the feeling of having him inside her, he was getting kind of heavy. She gently pulled him out of her and placed him next to her on the bed before snuggling to his side, as close as possible.

Immediately, his hoof wrapped around her and hugged her tight. After a few minutes, he rolled onto his back and placed her head onto his chest.

She sighed in pleasure. “I love you” was the last thing she was able to say before her eyes closed and she fell into a deep sleep.

His eyes lit up and his breath caught as he heard her say that she loved him. Even though she had already said it before, he loved hearing it. He knew that she was already asleep, but that didn’t stop him from replying. “Oh Twilight, I love you too.” He used the last of his energy to pull the blankets over them before joining her in the world of dreams.

On the other side of the door, Silver Shadow and Midnight Fang were getting worried. They hadn’t heard anything from inside the room for a long time. That changed when a sudden scream pierced the calm of the night around them. They jumped, turned to the door and stared at it for a couple of minutes. They both knew what that scream meant as well as who made it.

Midnight Fang suddenly began to laugh, causing Silver Shadow to look over at him. “Don’t you remember what our princess said yesterday morning at breakfast?”

Silver Shadow still looked confused “She said a lot of things during that meal. What are you talking about?”

Midnight Fang nodded, still laughing “She said she was going to cast a soundproofing spell around her room.”

Silver Shadow smiled “You’re right, I bet that’s what she did tonight.” He paused and laughed “And she was still loud enough for us to hear her. Must have been some night.”

Midnight Fang was finally able to stop laughing and shrugged “Can you blame them? Our prince was afraid that he was going to be sent back to the moon today and our princess was afraid that she was going to be forced to send him there.”

Silver Shadow shook his head “Not at all. I bet they’re asleep now, though. It’s been a long and stressful day for both of them. At least it’s all over now.”

Midnight Fang looked at his boss “It better be.”

They both nodded and went back to guarding their prince and princess.

The next morning, the time to lower the moon came and went with no change. Silver Shadow and Midnight Fang looked up at the sound of hoofsteps to see Celestia walking towards them.

“Is my brother awake? The moon should have been lowered almost ten minutes ago.”

Silver Shadow bowed “We don’t know, princess. We haven’t heard anything from his room since last night. Would you like to check on them?”

Celestia nodded and watched as Midnight Fang opened the door. The three of them stepped into the room and looked around.

In bed, still sound asleep, were Artemis and Twilight. They were cuddled together and showed no sign of waking. Celestia walked over and nuzzled them both. “Artemis? Aren’t you going to lower the moon?”

There was no response from either of them. Celestia checked both of them over carefully and smiled. “I thought this might happen.”

She raised her head, lit her horn and lowered the moon and stars before raising the sun. Then she nuzzled Artemis and Twilight again before she and Artemis’ guards walked out of the room, closing the door.

“Princess Celestia?”

Celestia turned to find that Silver Shadow and Midnight Fang were looking at her. She smiled at them “They are both fine, just asleep. He is in such a deep sleep that even the pull of the moon was not able to wake him. It will likely be several more hours before they wake up.” She paused “The two of you should go get some breakfast and sleep. I’ll have a couple of my guards posted here for the day but I’m sure my brother expects to see you both at moonrise. Report back here at that time.”

They both nodded and saluted her “Yes, Princess!” before they walked down the hall, headed for breakfast and their beds.

It was just after three in the afternoon that Artemis opened his eyes and shifted his body a little. He felt something move and looked down as Twilight’s head slid off his chest and onto the bed.

The sudden movement woke her and she, too, opened her eyes. Then she stood and stretched.

Artemis stood and was about to stretch as well but paused as he saw her wince. “Twilight? What’s wrong?”

She nuzzled him “Nothing. Honestly, I expected this.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, putting a wing over her and pulling her close. “Why would you have expected pain?”

She giggled and kissed him “Last night was wonderful, but it got a little rough towards the end. No, don’t apologize, I really enjoyed it. I’m just a bit sore right now.” She blushed “The books that I borrowed from Rarity say this is normal.”

She stopped as her stomach growled “What time is it?”

She looked over at the clock and just stared. “We slept until three in the afternoon?! I never sleep that late!” She paused and thought for a moment “Well, we were pretty tired after the events of last night.”

She walked over to the door and opened it, catching the attention of the pair of Day Guards stationed there.

“Ah, Princess Twilight, you’re awake. Would you like something to eat?” asked one of them

She smiled “Yes, please. Enough for two, though. Artemis is awake as well.”

They both bowed “Of course, princess. We’ll have it sent in right away.”

She thanked them and closed the door “Food is on its way.” She told Artemis

He nodded “After we eat, I was thinking that we should take a long hot bath. Will that help?”

Twilight smiled and nodded “It should. I’m pretty sure the rest will fade by tomorrow.” She nuzzled him, anticipating his next comment. “It doesn’t matter to me how sore I get, I think it’s worth it. And, no, I don’t want you to hold back next time.”

Before he could respond, the door opened to reveal Celestia. She had two trays of food floating next to her in her magic. “What are you two doing up?” she asked as she walked in.

Artemis chuckled and stretched his wings. “We just woke up, sister. After being asleep for so long, we needed to stretch a bit.”

Celestia nodded and placed the trays of food on Artemis’ desk. She smiled as she watched Artemis and Twilight practically inhale their food. After they were done, she just looked at them.

Twilight noticed the expression on her face. “What? Is something wrong?”

Celestia gave her a look “Aren’t you two going back to sleep?”

Artemis shook his head “We’ll do that later, sister. Right now, we decided that we could really use a bath.”

Celestia was about to protest but stopped as Twilight stood. She noticed that Twilight was wincing a little as she walked and her hind legs were a bit stiff.

She grinned as she suddenly understood “I see. Had fun last night, did you?”

Twilight turned to her, shocked, before she turned bright red.

“Sister . . .” started Artemis

“Oh hush, little brother!” Celestia pulled him in for a hug “I’m allowed to tease you two a bit.” She paused for a moment and nuzzled him before she continued in a whisper. “Of course, now that you have started, I expect you to continue until the two of you provide me with at least one little niece or nephew.”

“What?!” he nearly shouted as he turned almost as red as Twilight.

Celestia just laughed as she walked out of the room “Well, I’ll just leave the two of you to your fun. Try to be awake so that you can raise the moon, little brother.”

With that said, she closed the door behind her, still laughing.

His face was still rather red as he looked over at Twilight.

She noticed this and turned to nuzzle him “Is everything alright? What did she say?”

“It seems she wants a little niece or nephew.” He answered, still blushing “She said that she expects us to continue until we give her at least one.”

Twilight immediately turned bright red again. “I-it’s too soon for that!” She looked off to the side. “I-I mean, I do want to bear your foal. We should just wait awhile. We may have been good friends with each other for almost four years, but we’ve only been dating for almost a week.”

He stared at her, stunned. “Y-you want to bear my foal?”

She smiled and kissed him “Of course I do. I love you and want the two of us to start a family.”

She headed towards the bathroom and paused, looking back at him “Aren’t you coming?”

He nodded and walked over to her. Together, they walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind them.

Artemis’ bathroom was decorated in several different shades of blue, mostly the darker ones. In the center, was a large tub sunk into the floor. This one was even larger than the one in Twilight’s bathroom.

As Artemis started to fill the tub, Twilight looked up at the ceiling, not really sure what drew her attention. She gasped in astonishment, unable to do anything but stare, wondering how in Equestria she could have missed this last time she was in here.

Hearing Twilight’s gasp, Artemis looked over at her. He saw her staring up at the ceiling, mouth open in shock. Smiling, he looked up as well. It was one of his favorite things about his room. The ceiling of his bathroom had an enchantment on it so that it resembled the night sky, as seen on a clear winter night.

When the tub was full, he walked in and lay down with a sigh of pleasure. He looked over at Twilight to find that she was still staring at the ceiling. Chuckling, he lit his horn and brought her over to the tub, gently lowering her into the water and placing her by his side.

Twilight was so captured by the beauty of what she was seeing that she didn’t even notice that the tub was full. She also didn’t notice that Artemis had levitated her to the tub. Only when she felt the warmth of the water, did she realize what had happened and look up at him.

“Sorry” she said, blushing “I’ve never seen anything like this inside a building.”

He laughed “It’s alright, I reacted the same way for the first few months after Celestia put the enchantment there. There were days that she had to push me into the water to get my attention.”

Twilight laughed as well, snuggling next to him and just enjoying the warmth of the water.

Artemis looked down at her, his mind still on the conversation they had right after Celestia left his room. “Twilight?”

She stirred and looked up at him “Hmm?”

“When did you start thinking about the two of us starting a family?”

She blushed and looked down “The day after the attack, during our spa treatment.”

She frowned, that particular part of that night was not a pleasant memory. “That night, I almost lost you. For a moment there, I was actually afraid that I was going to have to watch you die. That’s why I reacted to the attack the way that I did. It also made me think of things that, under normal circumstances, I probably wouldn’t have even considered for months.”

He just looked at her “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t say anything because of how early we are into our relationship.” She responded, still looking away “I wasn’t sure of how you would react to that topic, so soon. I had planned to wait five or six months before bringing it up.”

She kept her head down, not willing to look at him, in case he was angry at her. She was surprised when a blue hoof suddenly entered her field of vision and gently lifted her head. Looking up at him, she was shocked to see that there were tears in his eyes.

“Throughout history, most ponies feared me as they feared my night. They saw me as the evil that chased the sun away.” He paused to get his voice to stop shaking. “It was even worse after my return because ponies only saw me as Night-Terror Knight. Those that did approach asking to court me, in the last few years, didn’t actually care about me. They just wanted access to my power and, more importantly, my throne. They thought I would be an easy target due to my recent return.”

“Twilight, you are the first one to ever tell me that you want me to be a part of your family. You are also the only one, aside from my sister and our parents, to tell me that you actually love me.”

He pulled her close to him and kissed her. “You are right that we should wait awhile, probably at least a year, but that time will come soon enough.” He made sure he had her attention. “When that time does come, you are the only one that I want carrying my foal.”

Twilight’s eyes widened and filled with tears, before she buried her face in his chest and just cried. Her tears were of happiness and, more importantly, relief that he wasn’t mad at her.

He tightened his grip around her, confused and concerned. “Twilight, why are you crying?”

“I thought you would be mad at me for thinking like that when we’ve been together for such a short amount of time.” She sniffed “I’m just relieved that you aren’t.”

“Why would I be mad at you, the mare that has saved me more times than I care to count, just because you want to start a family with me? Yes, we have only been courting for a week, but much has happened in that week. We’re just moving a bit faster than I think we both planned, that’s all.” He nuzzled her and wiped her tears away with a smile. “But I’m not complaining.”

She smiled and laughed a little “Neither am I” She let herself sink a little lower into the warm water and sighed happily, snuggling closer to Artemis’ side.

After a long time of just relaxing, Artemis used his magic to pull over several bottles of shampoo and soap, before pausing. “None of these scents are particularly feminine. Do you want me to ask Celestia to bring something up for you?” When she didn’t answer, he looked down to find her studying the bottles. “Twilight?”

She pulled one of them to her, opened and smelled it. Smiling, she turned to look at him. “I usually prefer lavender scented products, but this peach scent is nice, too. Do you mind if I use this one?”

He smiled and nodded I’m having several lavender scents brought up, first thing in the morning. “Of course not.” He paused, looking at the bottle. “I’ve never even seen that one. From time to time, I find a new scent in here that somepony thinks I might like. However, I normally go with something ocean related or citrus, if I must.”

I’m finding a good ocean scent to have in my bathroom for the next time he visits. Twilight thought as she opened the bottle and pulled a wash cloth closer to her.

They took their time, relaxing and making sure they were clean. When they eventually returned to Artemis’ room, they found Celestia, Silver Shadow, Midnight Fang and a bat pony stallion that Twilight didn’t recognize waiting for them. In the doorway, there was a bat pony mare, carrying a small foal in a baby sling.

Next Chapter: Chapter 29 Estimated time remaining: 32 Hours, 34 Minutes