Princess Luna proved to be a fair hostess to the merchant royalty despite her not completely unearned reputation as a stern and aloof ruler. She had provided a modest meal of garden fresh salad and fine wine from her own reserve for the three of them. The cordial mood was short-lived however as there was no ignoring the accusation leveled at Blueblood. Once again the Merchant Prince told of what had occurred behind closed doors with his companion and Night-Captain Knight chiming in occasionally. The Alicorn of the Night listened to their report intently, her stern expression belying her many thoughts.

"Grey is back in Canterlot for only a few hours and he has already uncovered a conspiracy." The nocturnal Princess thought. "And to think Celestia didn't want him here."

"He certainly has a nose for trouble." An imperious side voiced its approval. "The inquisitors of old would be impressed."

"Speaking of trouble, who is this little tramp clinging to our stallion?" A jealous whisper asked.

"Bah, probably just some lonely lady-of-court he's humoring." A prideful voice huffed dismissively. "As if anyone could compare to the majesty that is an Alicorn."

The Lunar Princess was inclined to agree but, nevertheless, she wanted to be able to hear herself think without commentary. She took a glass of wine in her magic and downed the whole thing. The bracing bitterness silenced the bickering voices but she knew they would return in time. Where they once only plagued her in the Dream World, they now pestered her in the waking world with worrying frequency. She wanted to attribute it to the stress she had been under since the fall of the Crystal Empire but her skeptical side had voiced doubts to that theory, citing that the Princess had heard some of them long before the incident in the Frozen North. The navy Alicorn pushed the unpleasant thoughts aside as she refocused on her guests.

"...under the impression we would cooperate." The vanilla stallion finished with an indignant nicker. "I've told the good Night-Captain here much the same."

"So he has, your Highness." Knight confirmed. "For what it's worth, I believe these ponies are telling the truth."

"Indeed." Luna nodded slowly. "You were right to bring this to my attention, my fair merchants. Rest assured that these traitors will face justice."

"...and many a nightmare in the near future." A venomous whisper added. "They'll beg for the axe before the end."

"Long overdue, if what I've heard about the knave is true." The Merchant Prince said over the rim of his glass.

"With our civic duty out of the way, can we please talk about something else?" The ivory mare suggested with an exaggerated sigh. "I grow tired of wasting breath on those fools."

"Do let's." The Alicorn agreed. "What would you suggest, merchant mare? A tale of one of your ventures, perhaps?"

"Well..." The Merchant Princess tapped a hoof against her chin in thought. "There was this one time I was being held hostage by brigands..."

What followed was a grand retelling of some of the autumn-maned equine's adventures. Luna initially took her stories with a pinch of salt but quickly upgraded to a whole lick as the merchant's tales grew increasingly fantastical almost to the point of absurdity. Knight, unable to turn a deaf ear to such tales, visibly struggled to keep his composure and even the Prince seemed to bite his tongue for his companion's sake. That was until she mentioned a dragon.

"...nearly took off my leg but the beast was no match for my magic!" The boastful unicorn said proudly.

"You murdered a dragon?" Luna asked with an arched eyebrow.

"In self-defense." The vanilla stallion clarified. "It was a rogue; exiled from the flights for heinous crimes against its fellow drakes. A vile creature, really."

"Ah, I see." The Alicorn nodded in understanding. "Then you've done both Equestria and the Dragon Lords a service."

"That I did plus I got a nice set of..." The Merchant Princess trailed off as she caught a warning look from her companion. "...trophies."

"Trophies?" The navy mare repeated with a slight grimace. "As in the remains?"

"Ghoulish as it may sound, there is a market for things like dragon bones, scales, teeth and the like." The tall stallion explained again with a slight edge in his voice. "Although my lovely companion here just wanted a memento of her victory much like you, Princess Luna."

"Nopony would believe me otherwise." The ivory mare huffed indignantly before her ears pricked up. “You also collect trophies, your Highness?"

“An old habit from my younger years, yes.” The former warrior-princess confirmed.

"Which so happens to include a dragon now." She mentally added.

“Is that so?” The unicorn asked with a competitive air. “Do you have the bones of a runic dragon? The celestial pelt of an Ursa Major? The essence of dem- ow!”

"Don't get into a horn measuring contest with an Alicorn, my dear." The Merchant Prince said calmly but firmly after none-too-subtly kicking his companion from under the table. "It's rude and you will lose."

"I'm not- oh!" His companion composed herself and bowed her head. "Apologies, your Highness. I forgot myself."

"Aw, and we were just about to put this skank in her place." A caustic whisper pouted. "We have a whole gallery to rub her slovenly face in."

“Ohh~ there’s an idea!” The lustful voice returned. “Send a strapping guard with her to tour the Trophy Room! Get Grey alone with us!”

"All is forgiven." Luna bid the unicorn to raise her head. "In fact, it is fortunate to meet a fellow collector. I've been meaning to downsize my gallery and need some items appraised."

"O-oh!" The Merchant Princess blinked a few times in surprise. "I... would be honored."

"Excellent." The Alicorn smiled as she signaled Knight. "Night-Captain? Escort her to the Trophy Room and lend her your knowledge; give her a tour."

"As you command, your Majesty." The thestral saluted. "Follow me, please."

Both merchants stood to leave only for the Princess of the Night to keep the vanilla stallion in place with her magic.

"Just her!" Luna nearly shouted, earning looks from the three other equines. "*Ahem* There are a few more things I would like to discuss with you, Merchant Prince."

"As you wish." The stallion said neutrally as he adjusted his coat. "You remember our rendezvous, my dear? I don't know how long this will take."

"I do." The ivory unicorn nodded with a sideways glance at the navy Alicorn. "I'll see you later... my handsome stud muffin."

Before the vanilla earth pony could react, she leaned in and nuzzled against his muzzle affectionately. The autumn-maned mare then made a show of tickling her partner beneath the chin with her tail as she turned to join the bat-pony at the door. Her brazen teasing did not go unnoticed by the navy Princess.

"Am I supposed to be impressed by such a pitiful display?" The Alicorn scrunched up her nose as the smaller equine shot her a coy smile.

Despite her burning desire to show the uppity unicorn just how outclassed she was, Luna returned a forced smile as she opened the doors with her magic. The thestral and mare had barely crossed the threshold when the Princess of the Night slam the doors shut behind them, spanking the ivory merchant in the process. Her surprised neigh was overridden by the click and thud of a latch and deadbolt.

"Alone at last." Luna let out a contented sigh. "It is good to see you again, Grey."

“Likewise.” The former animus dropped the Mareterranean accent in favor of his more neutral dialect. "I was beginning to wonder if you knew it was me."

"I did not send any invitations to the Mareterranean so it was either you or an interloper." The Princess explained lightly. "Although the identity of your 'plus one' eludes me."

"Do you remember the unicorn I found in the Everfree?" Grey asked rhetorically. "She cleans up nicely."

"So he decided to keep that conjurer of cheap tricks." Jealousy hissed.

"Lulamoon, was it?" Luna ignored the venomous whisper but still arched an inquisitive eyebrow. "I thought her encounter with bandits sounded familiar although I doubt there were hundreds of them."

“Embellished truths aside, she has proven to be a valuable ally in my travels.” The stallion said earnestly. “She had always wanted to visit Canterlot so when the time for the Gala arrived, I took her along as a guest.”

“A rather kind gesture.” The navy Alicorn thought. “Maybe Equestria is starting to rub off on him.”

"I am sure she appreciates that but I cannot help but question your decision to bring an equine of her reputation here." The nocturnal Princess said critically. "Not many would welcome the unicorn who bested a heroine of Equestria... particularly my sister."

“Oh, We can think of some that would roll out a red carpet for her.” A sinister voice whispered from the darker corners of her mind.

"She is not so villainous now but the thought had occurred to us." The vanilla earth pony nodded his head in partial agreement. "Hence why she has taken the guise of another, my late wife in fact."

"His WIFE?!?" Luna stiffened as a myriad of voices made their disapproval known. "What game is that little slut playing at?!"

"That must have been a pleasant surprise." The navy Alicorn struggled to keep her voice level. "Curious, just how close are you two?"

"We are friends, Luna." Grey said neutrally. "The 'Merchant Prince and Princess' is an act."

"So all that affection was-" The Princess pressured for more only for the salt-and-pepper equine to cut her off.

"A show for you and any other prying eyes." He said simply. "She may have overdone it but she was just playing a part. We did something similar to get a room in Hollow Shades."

"That looked like a lot more than acting." A suspicious voice insisted.

"Lulamoon was a stage magician; spectacle and illusion were her stock a trade." A logical side countered.

"Hmph. Then she played it well." Luna said with a short huff. "Do you truly trust her?"

"To Tartarus and back." Grey affirmed. "Er, to use the idiom."

"Very well then." The Alicorn of the Night shelved the conversation and moved on. “I do apologize if it seems I am interrogating you again. It has just been so long since we last spoke.”

“That it has.” The tall stallion agreed. “I have been so busy these past few months, I have hardly had to the time to sleep, let alone dream.”

“So have I.” The Princess of the Night concurred. “The fallout from the destruction of the Empire was bad enough but it had scarcely begun to settle when the Breach occurred…”

The Nocturnal Alicorn trailed off as something occurred to her. The official story that had given the populace was that something attempted to escape from Tartarus only to be thwarted by an unknown party. Given the normally shadowy stallion's affinity for the more eclectic arts such as anti-magic, she could not help but wonder if he played a role in the infernal affair. Grey must have read her inquisitorial expression as he shook his head.

“If I recall correctly, I asked you if the Infernal Pits were secure." The vanilla stallion said pointedly. "Count your lucky stars the damned were incompetent."

"He's not wrong, o mighty guardian of the night." A caustic whisper belittled. "To think you placed so much faith in a few wards and the training of the Guard. Pathetic!"

“I fear that might be a small number but let's not spoil this night with such talk.” Luna abandoned the topic as she teleported the empty dishes away, leaving only the wine and glasses. “I would much rather hear about your quest to find your home.”

“A quest that has been completed.” Grey said as he poured out the last of the wine for them. “I found it near Hollow Shades. That is to say, what was left of it.”

The salt-and-pepper stallion went on to tell her of how he and Lulamoon discovered his old home in ruins. All that was left were the foundations, a few crumbling walls and long dried riverbeds. His story got interesting when he explained that he uncovered the catacombs and found a sealed crypt within. Luna's eyes widened as the incredible implication set in.

"You found your body?" She asked in clear amazement.

"That I did." The once disembodied stallion confirmed as he looked over himself. "I can only assume my guard recovered it and brought it back for proper internment."

"Incredible!" The Alicorn made no attempt to hide her awe. "Do you know what this means?"

"He won't have to rut us through a proxy." An amorous voice answered for her as the mare's wings fluttered in excitement. "And we are no longer limited to freaky wet dreams."

"I am back from the dead, yes." Grey said with a slight grimace. "It is not as simple as the tales make it out to be; the embalming fluid had to be flushed out of my system and I spend an agonizing amount of time coughing up corpse dust. Not to mention the splitting headache."

"Yet you look none the worse for wear." Luna unconsciously bit her lip as she looked him over appreciatively. "In fact, you appear, hmm, I hesitate to say 'younger'."

"Ah, like Lulamoon, I am also in disguise." The resurrected stallion explained. "I've been told my true self is somewhat 'vampiric' in appearance and I did not want to cause a stir."

"I honestly prefer tall, pale and handsome." The lustful voice cooed. "Try to get him to shed that glamour along with his clothes~"

"Perhaps but you would be in good company along with Discord, my thestrals and I." The Princess of the Night said with a thoughtful sigh. "In that vein, does this resurrection mean you are now immortal?"

"I have not had the time nor the inclination to find out." The incognito immortal answered lightly. "I suspect I will no longer age at the very least."

"Sparkle would have a field day with this." Luna thought with a muting laugh.

"If you're still a 'handsome stud muffin' in a decade or two, we'll know for certain." The navy Alicorn said coyly. "At the very least, you can trot out in the open, imposing physique aside, instead of lurking in the shadows like a fiend."

“You flatter me, Princess.” Grey said plainly. “Nevertheless, I am not quite ready to reveal myself to the world at large. In fact, one of the reasons I came to the Gala was to test the waters with this 'Merchant Prince' identity.”

“Oh?” Luna lidded her eyes as she swirled the last of her drink in her glass. “What else did you come for?”

The vanilla equine looked at her and let another faint smile play across his lips.

“Well, I was also invited by the Princess of the Moon.” He said keenly. “What type of fool would I be to decline such a lovely mare?”

“A very foolish foal, indeed.” The Lunar Diarch finished her drink and glanced out the window to check the time. “I am supposed to join my fellow Alicorns at the Gala soon.”

“Apologies, I did not mean to keep... you…” Grey trailed off as he noticed a cobalt glow loosen the collar of his dress shirt.

“I said soon, not now.” Luna said smoothly as she began working on the top few buttons. “We have just enough time to enjoy a midnight delight… or two.”

“It’s about time!” Her lustful side whispered eagerly. “But why did he have to wear so much?!”

One by one, the Alicorn undid the stallion's buttons until a plain undershirt was revealed. With an impatient nicker, the Princess of the Night was about to just tear off her would-be lover's clothes when he suddenly stood up from his seat. With his expression set in a serious frown, the Alicorn briefly feared that she had offended him in some way.

"Are you certain, Luna?" The vanilla stallion asked as he patted out her magic with a hoof. "This may not be the best time."

"Shut up and take your pants off before we do it for you!" The amorous voice demanded impatiently.

"I beg to differ." The navy mare countered as she stood up as well. "We are alone with plenty of time and I am more than willing."

"I am aware but-!" Grey hesitated as Luna approached and renewed her assault on his clothes with her magic.

"Is something troubling you?" The Alicorn was now close enough to nuzzle against his cheek. "We have already known each other in your dreams."

"That we have." The stallion muttered as she undid his sash and links. "I am just..."

"Are you worried that not 'all of you' returned from the grave?" The Lunar Diarch suggested as she shot a glance below him.

The salt-and-pepper equine did not respond but Luna could almost hear the gears working overtime in his head. She decided to help him out of whatever conundrum he had put himself into by pressing her lips against his. There was a moment or two of resistance but the bearded stallion ultimately relented and returned the kiss.

"My fears may be unfounded." He said in a low tone of resignation once they pulled apart. “Shall we retire to your bed chambers?”

The Alicorn glanced behind her at the doors leading to her place of rest. She thought of just what she wanted to do and the state her chambers would be left in as a result. It was then that a delightfully devilish idea crept from the darker corners of her mind.

"No." Luna turned back to her lover with a mischievous teal glint in her eyes. "I know a better place."

---

"Either Luna is really in the mood or Moon wants a conjugal visit." The incognito Theoi thought as the Alicorn’s horn ignited in a cobalt glow. "More than likely both."

In a flash of lunar magic, the two immortals vanished and reappeared in a different room. Unlike Luna’s benighted quarters, the decorum was made up of soft pastels trimmed with polished gold. A short dais held a large bed surrounded by sheer pink curtains. The sunburst emblazoned on the headboard clearly denoted the room’s owner.

“Your sister’s chambers?” The vanilla stallion looked at Luna curiously.

“Indeed.” The Nocturnal Princess smiled deviously. “Seeing as I have found many an exhausted pony in my own bed, this seems only fair.”

"Seems rather petty." Grey thought as the Lunar Alicorn locked the doors and drew back the drapes, allowing the silvery light of her moon to illuminate the room.

The salt-and-pepper stallion was about to point out the irony of their light source when Luna pounced on him. The two fell through the curtains and onto the cushy bed as their lips met in a kiss. The amorous Alicorn wasted no time in seeking entry into his mouth with her tongue. Grey refused her admittance for a few teasing moments before his teeth parted and his own tongue met hers in a familiar but far more passionate duel for dominance.

“I suppose it will be naive of me to assume that she will be satisfied with just foreplay.” The vanilla stallion thought as Luna wrapped her forehooves around his head. "Still, this beats the dream by a longshot."

With memories of their encounter in the Dream World refreshing themselves, Grey kept his tongue away from Luna's teeth and rubbed the space between her wings with a hoof. The Princess's wings flared in response as she intensified her assault on his tongue. As the need to breathe became too hard to ignore, the enamored embrace was broken with a wet smack. The navy mare rested her muzzle against the stallion's as she caught her breath, her eyes aglow with desire.

"Take off that damnable ensemble." Luna commanded breathlessly. "All of it."

"All of it?" Grey repeated as he felt the changeling horn in his pocket.

"Yes, you romantic fool!" The Alicorn of the Night's horn sparked intently. "Handsome as your mask is, I want the stallion beneath it."

"I'm actually flattered." The Dark Lord thought genuinely. "Very well. Could save some of the magic while I'm at it."

After motioning the navy Princess to ease off of him, the vanilla stallion shrugged off his overcoat and tossed it aside. Luna's eyes sparkled in anticipation as Grey's features became muddled and faded. Suddenly her lover was enveloped in the tell-tale emerald flame of changeling magic as his facade burned away. The Alicorn lept back to the floor in surprise as the Lord of Shades' imposing countenance was revealed.

"Wha-? A changeling?" The Princess of the Night asked as she felt a preternatural chill run down her spine.

"Close. An illusion concocted by Lulamoon." The pale horse explained before he hid his face behind a foreleg and adopted a thick accent. "All ze better to conceal mine vampiric appearance. Ah, ah, ah!"

The act broke the pall of unease that had suddenly engulfed the room. Luna giggled softly as Grey finished undressing, leaving him only in his dress pants. The Alicorn then took a moment to look over her revealed lover, a lustful smile growing ever wider across her lips.

"She must be comparing the reality to the fantasy." The Theoi thought as he checked over himself. "Look's good from here if I say so myself."

"It's impolite to stare, Princess Luna." Grey reminded her coyly.

"I make no apologies." The younger Diarch shot back. "Amazing. I don't even see a hint of scarring."

"I can thank a healthy constitution and the best morticians in the land for that." The black-maned stallion muttered as he rubbed a temple. "I get the occasional ache though."

"Oh, nonsense!" Luna said half teasingly half threateningly. "You do not get to say 'not now, my love, I have a headache'."

"Well, worth a shot." The Dark Lord mentally shrugged.

"Perish the thought." Grey said with a small frown. "Now, I believe it is my turn to watch."

"Fair enough." The Princess of the Night lidded her eyes as her horn ignited.

The telltale cobalt glow of Luna's magic appeared not on her dress but underneath it. The Alicorn hummed to herself as she tugged and pulled at something. She then let out a gasp of relief as something snapped followed by an audible jiggle. With a sly smile, the navy mare slowly withdrew her undergarments from beneath the hem of her dress and waved them teasingly.

"Now that's a neat trick." The Theoi thought as Luna tossed her brassiere and panties at him.

He caught the impeccably designed cups and straps in a hoof but the rest smacked against his muzzle. The stallion froze as he saw and smelled the mare's desire glistening on the warm fabric. The Princess giggled as her lover tried to compose himself and set her unmentionables aside. Approaching the bed with a graceful sway in her hips, she kicked off her decorative shoes with far less care as she magically tugged on the drawstrings of her gown. The silky garment cascaded off her frame like water, leaving the Alicorn of the Night with only her tiara.

"Now you are staring." Luna teased as she placed her forehooves on Grey's still clothed legs. "Still captivated by this vision of beauty?"

"More than a vision now." The pale stallion said as his previous trepidations slowly became a distant afterthought. "You do yourself a disservice in the Dreamworld."

"So have you." The Alicorn whispered as she enveloped his last vestige of decency in her magic. "Let us see if the trend continues..."

The navy Princess tugged on his pants only to be defied once more by Grey's adherence to the formal dress code. With a deft hoof, the pale horse spared her any more frustration by unfastening his belt and loosening his slacks. With an almost triumphant neigh, Luna whipped off the pants and undergarments in one motion and beheld the pallid pony in all his glory.

"Finally." The Alicorn whispered breathlessly as his emergent yet still listless stallionhood swayed and twitched in the cool air. "Hmm~, you certainly are no braggart."

"I was honestly more focused on preserving what I looked like." The Dark Lord thought as the Princess of the Night knelt down, her predatory gaze now transfixed on his loins. "Disembodiment has a way of shifting priorities."

Luna hummed softly as she nuzzled against his blunt head and breathed deeply. Her wings fluttered in delight as his masculine scent flooded her nostrils. She then planted a kiss on his tip before slowly traveling down his length, her progress marked by her lipstick. Her journey ended at the base of the stallion's pride where his family jewels hung heavy and hot. The Alicorn hefted the orbs in a free hoof, her lust addled mind concocting all manner of possibilities if their contents found their way within her.

"A new moon of my own." The moonlight Princess muttered absently as she marked each churning sphere with a kiss. "And why stop at one?"

"Luna?" Grey attempted to cut through her haze by tapping her horn. "I just got this body back, I'd rather not poke any more holes in it."

The moon mare glanced up to see her horn aimed precariously at her lover's barrel. A devious smile crossed her flushed face as her horn ignited. The pale horse made to smother her magic with his hooves only for the spell to encircle his torso and lift him into the air. With a deft flick of her head, Luna tossed her lover back against the golden sun-emblazoned headboard and the many pillows piled beneath. Before the stallion could even begin to recover, Luna flared her powerful wings and lunged after him with carnal hunger in her eyes. The amorous Alicorn of the Night pinned the seasoned stallion beneath her frame and captured his lips once more.

"I'm sensing more Moon than Luna here." The Theoi thought as he felt her sharpening teeth graze his tongue.

"Is this more to your liking?" The navy Princess asking breathlessly after breaking the kiss. "We are in Our rightful place and you can adore Us without fear of impalement."

"It is but was the spell nec-?" Grey's complaints were silence by one of Luna's hooves.

"Hush." Luna commanded as she propped herself upon his chest. "There is something We wish to try; a technique not just any mare can do."

"Oh, really?" The stygian sovereign arched an inquisitive eyebrow.

The Lunar Diarch shifted her hips until the stallion's length became nestled between the valley of her magnificent mounds. Squeezing her shapely legs together, the Alicorn held her lover fast and began sliding back and forth. The normally erudite Theoi found himself at a loss for words as Luna's supple flesh caressed his being. The soft rustle of their heated bodies was joined by the Alicorn's soft moans as her aching teats dug into Grey's barrel.

"Hah~ Doth thou enjoy Our bountiful bosom?" Luna asked in a lustful haze. “Our silken flesh is beyond compare; firm and perfectly formed. Unlike Celestia’s sagging udders.”

"Sibling rivalry makes odd pillow talk." The ancient Anax made a concerted effort not to compare the sisters' heavenly proportions.

"Verily." The Dark Lord said in a low tone. "Thou art phenomenal."

The navy Alicorn giggled as she rewarded his answer with another kiss. Even as Luna continued to service Grey in her buxom embrace, he decided to return a measure of the favor by rubbing her twitching wings. This earned a muffled whinny from the Alicorn as her starry tail flagged on her dappled flanks. The hot nectar of her desire coalesced and dripped from her winking lips, anointing the Theoi's loins with each pass. This proved to be the drop that broke the proverbial dam as eons of lifelessness was undone.

"By my Throne, what a rush!" The stygian stallion thought as he emerged from between the Alicorn's voluptuous valley.

"Huzzah!" Luna cheered as her lover finally roused and stood at attention just shy of her chest. "Thou art- *ahem* -And you were worried."

"To be fair, it has been well over a thousand years." Grey said pointedly as the former Mare-in-the-Moon stared at his pride as it throbbed against her. "But I guess I'm preaching to the choir."

"Useless moonrocks." The navy Princess muttered as she stood on all fours to straddled the pale horse. "We need this, Grey. Both of us."

"Then let us dispense with the foreplay." The Theoi said simply as Luna enveloped his length in her magic. "Careful now."

The Alicorn gave him a playful tug as she aimed him at her swollen lips. More of her desire rained on his being as he brushed against the entrance of her most precious chamber. Her breath hitched in her throat as Grey's broad head flicked past her peeking pearl.

"Ah!" Luna gasped as a shock of pleasure ran up her spine. "Take me, Grey!"

The hitherto passive stallion did not need to be told twice. He slapped his hooves roughly on the Princess' twin moons and eased her down onto his member, parting her dripping folds and entering the furnace-like heat of her marehood. Sparks flew off the Alicorn's horn as her mouth gaped in a silent cry of passion. The walls of her love canal reflexively squeezed around his length, guiding and coaxing him ever deeper. His journey came to a halt once her dark flanks meshed with his strong hips, his head pressing against the final barrier of her most precious of chambers.

"Ahh! Stars- uh -above!" The navy mare's voice returned between shuddering gasps of both pain and rapture.

"It might be a trick of the light but I think I can see it!" The Theoi thought as he moved a hoof from Luna's flanks to a slight bulge above her teats. "Nine Hells, she's like a vice!"

The Alicorn of the Night looked down and caught Grey's eyes. No word was spoken between them; there was no need. The Diarch slowly ground her hips against her lover, alternating between clockwise and counter-clockwise as if sculpting her velvety tunnel to his being. Once pleasure fully surpassed discomfort, the starry mare leaned forward at the same time the grayscale stallion pulled back. As soon as they felt his head catch between her dark lips, they slammed down and thrust upward in unison.

“Haah! Yes! Yes! Aah!” The amorous Alicorn panted in time with their now rhythmic rutting. “Uh! Faster!”

Luna fell forward, bracing her forehooves against the headboard as she bounced on Grey’s pride with increased frequency, adding the creak of straining metal to their salacious symphony of moans, grunts and magical sparks. The stallion added his own measures by adjusting the angle of his member between thrusts, hunting for the ever-elusive sweet spot within his lover. His hooves busied themselves with both her flanks and tantalizing teats, caressing and occasionally spanking the former while teasing the dusky tips of the latter.

"Mmph! Ha! AAH!!" The navy Alicorn's cries grew louder as her timing grew erratic. "That's it! Right there!"

"She's close." Grey deduced as Luna shoved off from the headboard and resumed bouncing upright. "Let's see this through."

Planting both free hooves on her dappled flanks, the Theoi Anax arrested the Princess of the Night's momentum and held her fast. Luna let out a confused neigh as he popped out of her depths, his length glistening in the moonlight just beyond her dark lips. Before she could assault him with a tirade of pre-equestrian curses, the pale horse brought her down and thrusted upward with as much strength as he dared use.

"FFWAH!!" A burst of magic blew the canopy off her sister's bed as the ancient king rammed against and nearly breached her innermost chamber.

Pleased with both her reaction and the fact that she appeared unharmed, Grey manually ground the stunned Luna's hips against his before bringing her up again. Once more, the stallion struck deep as was rewarded with another shower of sparks and an inarticulate moan from the Alicorn. Again and again, the grayscale equine slammed in his lover, pausing only once to allow Luna a chance to recover.

"Are you still there?" The Theoi asked carefully.

"Stop again and We will moonbeam you again!" The Alicorn half moaned, half snarled. "We are not made of glass, Grey!"

"I'll take that as a 'partly'." The stallion thought as he picked up where he left off.

Heedless of the sparks of magic threatening to ignite the sheets, Luna began flapping her wings in time with her lover's thrusts. Wall hangings fell from their anchors and the chandelier jingled like a wind chime as the two immortals shook the room with their passion. Once again, the Alicorn neared the apex of pleasure and she was bound to reach it.

"Ugh! Yes! Grey, We are close!" Luna gasped breathlessly. "Do not stop! AH! Let it out! HAH! Uh! Ah! AH! ALMOST!! YES!!! oh-!"

In one final perfect moment, the Princess and King met in unison. The Alicorn let out a sharp gasp as Grey broke through and entered her fecund forge. The mix of raw pain and pleasure long forthcoming sent the mare over the edge as she pitched forward, beaning the stygian stallion with her tiara as she fell. The Theoi wrapped his forelegs around Luna as she writhed and convulsed against him, her impassioned screams muffled by Celestia's pillows. Her velvety canal squeezed around him, desperately attempting to wring his seed into the Alicorn's fertile garden. A mortal would have done so, adding a new branch to the Royal Family Tree. But the Dark Lord endured as his attention was drawn to the windows. The once brilliant moonlight had faded, plunging the Princess of the Sun's chambers into darkness. In time, the Alicorn settled as her screams morphed into moans and then into muffled laughter.

"Princess Luna?" The Theoi asked as his lover began to stir.

“Guess again, Dread Lord.” The Equestrian Usurper Nightmare Moon cooed softly as baleful moonlight streamed back into the room, casting the scene in a sinister aura. “Surely you recognize my majesty?”

"And there she is." The Necroarch thought as the fog of lust melted away. "I knew this would happen yet I did it anyway. Damn it, I'm more like my brothers than I thought."

“Not at all, Nightmare Moon.” The Lord of Shades said neutrally from beneath her. “Save for your voice and eyes, you are still very much Luna.”

"If anyone else had said that, I would have smote them." The corrupted Luna smirked as she aimed her horn between his eyes. "Alas, my full glory is still confined to the Dream World... for now."

"The prison is open but the chains remain, to borrow your metaphor." The Dark Lord said plainly as he pushed her horn away. "So I take it then that the Princess is..."

“Lost in a storm of passion.” The Mare in the Moon answered with a tap to her head. “And, may I say, what a mighty rod that was used to conjure it.”

The Usurper shifted her hips and moaned softly as she felt the stallion's pride throb within her most precious of chambers. While a small part of his mind urged the Theoi to blow out the Nightmare's back, the mood had already drained out of him. He brought a hoof to Moon's flanks and steadied her, much to her displeasure.

"You stroke my pride well." The pale horse glanced down at the union of their sexes. "I hate to be a tease but I fear conjuring storms was not my domain."

"A pity but I suppose one could grow tired of this..." The fallen Princess straightened up and looked over herself critically. "...inferior form."

"Where I so shallow, I'd prefer Luna with your proportions." The Theoi mentally frowned.

"Still better than that old, saggy cow we call Celestia, yes?" Grey deadpanned.

"Mmm, I do love that silver tongue of yours." Moon gave him a toothy grin.

She slowly eased herself off of his member, gasping slightly as his flared head slid free of her inner core. Moon teasingly left him lodged in her full lips before allowing him to fall free along with a deluge of the mare's scented nectar. It did not escape the abyssal Alicorn’s attention that her lover had not reached the same climax as her host had.

"Oh, poor thing." Moon shook her head as the pallid pony's pride receded. "Did your resurrection have side effects after all or is little Luna that poor a lover?"

"Godly endurance has its drawbacks." The stygian stallion said evenly before changing the subject. “So, is this a social call or is there something I should know?”

"I was about to ask you much the same." The corrupted mare said as she traced small circles in his chest with a hoof. "Why does the vanquisher of Tartarus trot amongst mortals? Surely not for these frivolous festivities or to entertain the flights of a foalish Princess."

"How could she know about that?" The Warden of the Pits wondered before mentally kicking himself. "Think, old boy. You're here, the demons are not and the Breach was not exactly subtle. She can put two and two together."

"Is it so hard to believe I came here for nothing other than the pleasant company of your host?" The pale horse ventured rhetorically only to receive a knowing smirk from the Usurper. "You know me too well. I seek an old friend whom I believe to be imprisoned below this very mountain."

"Ah, how exciting." Moon perked up her ears as she nuzzled against his muzzle. "And who might this friend be? A replacement for that hubristic witch of yours, I hope."

"I really wish I had my bident right now." The ancient King fought the urge to give the mare a 'love tap'.

"No, the consort of our mutual friend the Lady of the Stars." The Theoi explained with a slight edge to his voice. "We know him as the Shifting Lord of Darkness but his newest moniker may have been that of the Black Dragon Suneater."

“Suneater?” The fallen Princess ceased her light teasing as the Necroarch had her full attention. "I know of this beast. It was the driving force behind the Dark Ages. You think it is right beneath our hooves?"

"That is what my research has led me to believe." The ancient King answered as he motioned for the mare to let him up. "If so then I must release him and bring him back into the Khthonic Pantheon."

"Thus bolstering the already mighty strength of your realm." Moon added as the stallion slid off the bed to retrieve his clothes. "Our benefactor is right, you are committed to your domain."

"Could I call myself King if I was not?" The Theoi mused.

"I do my best." The pale horse said after finding his pants. "Once he is back in the Underworld, I hope he can expedite my search for his fair Lady. Can you offer any insights?"

"A few." The Usurper nodded as she watched the seasoned stallion dress himself with interest. "I do not know the location of her prison and, truth be told, I doubt she does either. Yet she can observe both the waking and Dream World as can I."

"Makes sense considering Moon was born from Night Sky's power." The Dark Lord thought. "She's likely the Lady's only agent and means of escape... unless Shifting Darkness proves otherwise."

"Well, one Primordial deity at a time." The pale horse sighed as he slipped on his greatcoat. "Is Luna about to wake up?"

"You have a while yet." Moon scoffed. "You should see the saccharine fantasies you sent her to. Bleh!"

"Not something I can do with just any mare, Mistress Moon" Grey said coyly as he adopted his Mareterranean accent once more and retrieved the changeling horn. "I should at least see her off before continuing my quest."

"Ever the gentlestallion." The Usurper waved lazily as the stygian pony pressed the gnarled horn against his head.

The appendage ignited in a sickly emerald fire that began to spread over the Dark Lord. It had just reached his beard when the magic suddenly flickered and faded. He gave the horn a few shakes and tried again only to receive a few pitiful sparks. Concerned, the Theoi inspected the horn just as it crumbled to dust in his hoof.

"I take it that was not suppose to happen." Moon arched an eyebrow as her lover frowned.

"There was not enough magic to reapply the disguise." The well-dressed Necroarch realized. "Not a major setback but it will make exiting through the Gala a bit more difficult. Not mention sneaking down to the temple."

"Temple?" The corrupted Luna asked.

"Suneater's prison is a temple Discord probably dropped this mountain on." The pallid Theoi explained quickly. "I don't suppose you could teleport me down there."

"Not without a clear idea of the destination." The dark Alicorn shook her head. "But I can send you to the lower levels of the dungeons. I am very familiar with those."

"I am not surprised." The Anax thought.

"I would appreciate it, Moon." The stygian stallion offered a small smile as the mare beckoned him back to the bed.

“I will have to borrow Luna's magic but you should be unharmed.” The Usurper said slyly as she stole a quick kiss. “Oh, and do not worry about the little foal. I will whisper to her sweet romantic nothings to excuse you.”

"Then until our next encounter." The Dark Lord nodded his head in farewell.

“I look forward to it.” The corrupted Alicorn cooed as she ignited her horn and sent a small orb of magic at her lover. “Good luck, Silent King.”

The cobalt ball of lunar power connected with his nose and in a flash, the Dark Lord was gone. Nightmare Moon quickly fabricated some memories for her other half and flopped back down on the bed. Before long, she felt Luna being to come down from her protracted orgasmic high. The last thing the Usurper did before she was confined once more to the darker corners of the Princess’s mind was to drive a spiteful hoof into the headboard, cracking the gold gilding and splitting the sun emblem down the middle.

“We look forward to doing that to your skull, you self-righteous cow.” Moon thought as Luna finally returned to the waking world.

The Lunar Princess groggily opened her eyes, her mind foggy and muddled. She lifted her head to find herself lying in the thoroughly demolished bed of her diurnal sister. The air was heavy with a pungent musk and a dull pain throbbed in her core.

“What happened?” Luna asked aloud as she slid off the bed onto unsteady legs. “I was eating dinner with Grey and then…oh!”

As she caught sight of her crumpled dress and the conspicuous wet spot on the bed, it all came back in a flash of clarity. The two of them had made passionate love in Celestia’s room until she nearly collapsed. They enjoyed each other’s embrace in post-coital bliss for a time until she realized that she needed to attend the Gala with her fellow Alicorns but could not in her current state without causing a scandal. Grey, ever the gentlestallion, had offered to excuse her tardiness while she recovered.

“I hope I am not too late.” Luna thought as she toweled off any lingering moisture from her body with one of the bed’s curtains. “Ugh. I gave Celestia grief about keeping the schedule and now look at me.”

The navy Alicorn recovered her undergarments and gown and redressed while checked her composure in the bedside mirror. After clearing off some smears and reapplying makeup borrowed from her sister's store where necessary, she was about to leave when she realized she had misplaced her tiara. Finding it under the bed, returned to the mirror to double-check everything. Satisfied that she looked every bit a proper Princess, Luna took a moment to consider how to best enter the Grand Ballroom.

“A royal entrance is customary but in the current political climate, it may be for the best if I just appear without fanfare.” The Nocturnal Alicorn planned as she visualized where she wanted to appear at the VIP table. “I hope I have not missed anything important.”

A flash of magic later and the navy Alicorn was gone, leaving the room in silence.

---

Beyond the scope of Canterlot, the bemused Lady of the Stars watched the ongoing Gala as if it were grand theater. She had some reservations about her apostle manifesting, if only for a few short moments, in the mortal world but she ultimately decided to let the Equestrian Usurper have her fun with the Khthonic Theoi. The poor fiend needed a break from plotting and scheming after all.

“Did you enjoy your rendezvous with the Hidden One, my apostle?” The primordial power asked lightly.

“Very much so. We only wish it could last longer.” Nightmare Moon sighed from her mental prison. “Wait, you were watching?”

“I am always watching.” The Lady said half in jest, half in warning. “But for the sake of modesty, I gave you and the Dark Lord some privacy once you went to Celestia’s room.”

“Ah, so you missed the part when he told me why he is here.” The usurper whispered conspiratorially. “He seeks your consort: the Lord of Darkness.”

“Is he now?” The malevolent presence perked up. “Well, well. I had long thought he had been consigned to oblivion. So he is imprisoned in Canterlot?”

“The Silent King thinks he is below the palace.” The dark Alicorn relayed what little her lover had told her. “I sent him to the dungeons.”

“Muh huh huh huh huh. How thoughtful.” The malevolent entity laughed regally. “The Hidden One has not forgotten his friends, even after an eternity in exile. To think, I may embrace my beloved once again in these strange eons.”

“It appears the magic of friendship is not as pure and righteous as Celestia would have the little ponies believe.” Nightmare Moon said with an air of vindication. “Does this development change any of our plans?”

“No.” The dark mare's benefactor answered. “If anything, it may expedite them.”

“Most excellent.” The Usurper said excitedly. “Those pitiful, insignificant, expendable little foals have no idea what is coming.”

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