The Heart of Pleasure
By Haunter Rayne
Chapter 101 - Bright Days & Dark Nights

Memories of a voice lingered in Rayne's mind, long after the source of those words were gone. "You may touch my neck… and no other part of me." Chrysalis whispered as her teeth shined in the dark hotel room.

Rayne lay beside her on the bed, eyes closed, as his lips trailed along her neck. He kissed from just below her ear down to her collar and back again, savoring the gentle moans that escaped through her lips. All the while he struggled though, fighting the internal battle for his desire to what he sought after.

"Careful now…" Her snide voice rang out as she opened just a single eye to stare down at him pitilessly.

Looking down Rayne saw that he had leaned his torso toward her just a little too far in his subconscious desire to hold her. Carefully he leaned back and kept himself to his side of the bed.

"I said you may only touch my neck. Another slip up like that and you won't see me for a week." She chastised him. Rayne nodded before returning to his affectionate administrations to her neck. But the joy that gave him, which she happily fed upon, ended all too soon and just like that Rayne found himself alone again for the rest of the evening, pining over the lost of her company.

- -

Daily life was well underway by the time that Rayne got his late start into town. Shops were open, ponies were bustling about, and the lunch bell was ringing at the school house reminding the stallion that he would have to pay a visit to the CMC's and soon. But before he could lend a hoof for whatever they required of him, the stallion had a few errands of his own that needed his attention.

"Oh well, hello again Rayne! I was wondering when you were going to happen back into my shop." Mr Garbsworth stated as he watched Rayne stroll in through the door to his costume store.

"A pleasure as always good sir." The black stallion said to him with a smile. "So, how are all of the preparations coming? I'm not working you to hard am I?" He asked with a charming smile.

"Oh fiddlesticks." The older tan stallion waved at him before stepping around the counter. "You sure know how to make a doozy of a request but I'm not so old that you need to start worrying about me like that! Come on in the back and I'll let you have a look at what we have together so far." Rayne chuckled because the zippy old shopkeeper was as energetic as ever.

After stepping into the storeroom where customers were not normally allowed, the two of them took a gander through a pile of boxes that held holiday decorations gallore. There were ghosts and ghouls, skeletons and witches, all the typical furnishings that a Nightmare Night celebration ought to offer.

"So you have the six eight yard spool of webbing?" Rayne asked.

"Three twenty four spools to be exact! Thatta'way you can get yer decor up in different areas even faster!" The shopkeeper nodded.

"And the two hundred piece set of jiggly-leg spides?" Rayne continued, going through a mental checklist item by item.

"That plus the mini springing Bufogren hoppers and the flapping bat hanging decorations!" Mr Garbsworth assure him. "Don't you worry. All the items you requested are located among these boxes somewhere. But the real question is what do you intend to do with all this stuff?" The tan stallion cried out, knowing full well that this would be over twice the number of decorations needed to cover all of town hall twice over.

Rayne simply grinned and led the other stallion back into his store front. "Well for that my dear friend, I'm going to have to ask you to meet me a little later down at Hard Hat's hardware store. I've been working out a little surprise for the town with him which is the other half of my surprise for Ponyville."

Mr. Garbsworth just looked up to the dark stallion curiously but without another word he nodded and followed along.

- -

Another night was spent by the stallion alone, laying on the hotel bed while stroking the absence of the changeling who hadn't visited him this evening. Rayne closed his eyes and thought of Chrysalis in the darkness. He thought of her hair and how it always draped so beguilingly like a mare fresh out of the shower. He thought of her voice and the stare in her eyes, always so confident and proud of herself which radiated beauty every time he looked at her.

Rayne buried his face into the sheets taking a large inhale of breath imagining that he could still smell her slight bitter acidic taste of her smooth changeling body. She was so much more than he had ever expected now that he could see her for real. He wanted to tell her all that he felt, that she dazzled him and his desire to please her was genuinely, but not through this farce of slavery that had been concocted.

And yet, Chrysalis had taken the bait just as Anansi said she would. Everything was going according to plan. Everything except for Rayne's dwindling self control as night became a torment for him, not knowing which was worse… when Chrysalis didn't visit him at night, or when she did.

- -

"I really want to thank you for meeting with me under such short notice." Twilight said as she took a seat at the study table in her bedroom. "I'm sure that since the new broke out about you last week that you probably have your hooves full with requests from ponies all over town."

"And then some." Rayne smirked as news from about his abilities had already traveled far across Equestria. "But let's not worry about that for now. I am here with you now and that is what matters." The clever stallion reassured her making Twilight smile to know that she had his attention.

"Alright well as I mentioned to you previously, Princess Celestia is still awaiting a response from me about the theme to this year's Grand Galloping Galla. She did say that it would be fine if I took my time on making a decision but to tell you the truth I've already been putting off dealing with this issue for far longer than I feel comfortable with." The stallion smirked as she gave an uncomfortable smile. "So I was hoping that you-"

"Could take the pressure off by coming up with an out of this world idea for you and to save you from this uncomfortable predicament that you have found yourself in?" The stallion gave her a grin that was just a bit too smug for her liking.

"I never said that I was uncomfortable about it." The princess pouted. But then shaking that off she nodded saying, "But in a sense, yes. That is exactly what I am asking you for."

Rayne nodded and calmly paced around the room a bit. In truth he knew exactly what he wanted to say already but at the same time thought it best if he did not seem too eager. "Oh I suppose that I might have something in mind. Assuming of course that it's no problem that my suggestion might sound a little obvious, coming from a pleasure pony and all." He replied with a sly debonaire tone to his voice.

Twilight didn't express that she minded in anyway as she nodded to him and said, "Oh please, any input that you have I would be happy to consider. As long as it is within reason of course."

"Of course." Rayne replied a bit cheekily. "Well then my idea is how about giving the galla a holiday theme for once? I was thinking... maybe a Hearts and Hooves Day theme could be fun?"

That certainly threw Twilight for a loop as she looked at him and asked, " You... want to do Hearts and Hooves Day for the Grand Galloping Galla?"

With a nod the stallion explained, "Oh well I'm not suggesting we move the holiday or anything. But I think that a nice romantic setting could make for an inspired change instead of the usual motif that everypony has come to expect. We could add some new games to the galla of a flirtatious sort. Nothing too risque of course but still novel nonetheless. And perhaps there could be a singer, serenading the guests with tones sung from the heart as opposed to merely a choir providing background atmosphere as I heard the galla has had in the past."

Rayne had tried to make his ideas seem impromptu but Twilight still narrowed her eyes with a smirk as she sassed out, "Oh a singer, huh? Romantic serenading? And just how do you suppose would be qualified to provide such entertainment for the guests? I don't suppose that anyone but a pleasure pony would be so suited for such a roll?"

Portraying surprise even at the risk of coming across a bit pretentious Rayne gasped, "Oh why Princess! I was only trying to brainstorm with you what possible thoughts I could conceive for the party. I am simply honored that you would think of me to fullfil a roll for such an event in any compacity. I would be delighted to sing for for everypony in attendence, what an absolutely splendid idea you've had."

"Mmhmm..." She mumbled, not buying his act for a moment. "My idea huh?" She almost chuckled. But suppressing the urge for an eyeroll, Twilight lifted a quill and a parchment all the same. "Well regardless of who came up with it, the idea does have some merit to it. As long as things don't become too uncouth for behavior in front of royalty then I agree that a Hearts and Hooves Day Grand Galloping Galla could be a lot of fun. I will go ahead and write the proposal up to send to Celestia just as soon as Spike gets back from an afternoon date he is having with Rarity."

"I am merely happy to have been of service to you Twilight." Rayne said with a bow, now with his tone being very cheeky indeed.

"Mmhmm." Twilight mused again, this time allowing her eyeroll to proceed. "You can expect your ticket to the galla to most likely arrive in time with those of my friends." She said as if there were any question to his attendance at this point.

- -

Rayne had only just closed the door by the time Chrysalis dropped herself out of her disguise and plopped herself face down onto the bed. The stallion stepped over looking to her with concern as rain pelted against the window from a hot summer night shower.

"Chrysalis…? Are you okay?" Rayne asked her tentatively as he sat beside her.

It concerned him when she spoke back through the pillow in a huffy voice. "How dare you address your queen so formally!" But despite her protest she had not even raised her face to scowl at him.

Rayne smiled down to her feeling unphased by this and replied, "Although it may be my desire to serve you, I myself am not a changeling. So there is a limit to how far I'll go to heed your word. And when I see you upset, disobeying you for your own good is definitely where I draw the line. What's wrong?" He encouraged her softly.

Quickly she turned her face giving him one scowling eye from beneath her mane for his disobedience. But when his supportive smile didn't waiver she simply scoffed and rolled her eyes before turning her back to him. "And why should I tell you how I am feeling?" She snapped bitterly.

"Well… who else are you going to tell?" Rayne asked her with a gentle tone. He watched as she lay in the bed and slowly wrapped her limbs around herself curling into a ball.

"It's the rain… it's gloomy weather. It's enough to make anybody sad, okay?" She pouted while still sounding choked up. The lie was wasted against Rayne's better sensibility but he decided not to press the issue.

"Are you hungry, my queen? Would eating make you feel better?" Rayne tried but his attempts were quickly cut off.

"I'm not hungry!" She screamed at him before holding onto herself tighter.

There was a long pause now as Rayne sat with her in silence and only the odd sniffle could be heard from her now. After what felt like an appropriate amount of time he sighed and decided it was time for him to climb fully into the bed.

"Wh-what do you think you are doing? Hey?! What is the meaning of th-?!" Chrysalis started to scream until she froze and blinked, finding herself now supported into Rayne's arms with her head near his chest. "Really? A cuddle? And is this supposed to be amusing to me?" She sassed at him while her dumbfoundment had not fully evaporated from her yet.

"Just shut up and let me do this for you." Rayne said in a blank hushed tone.

"Shu-?! You dare?!" She screamed. "I am your Mistress! You can't tell me to-" She started to berate him until she realized that his grip was like steel around her and she had no idea where he had gotten this strength from. What really quieted her down though was the look that he was giving her with his eyes. Something subconscious in her relented under it's intensity as, while partially humiliating, the look he was giving her was dominant without being threatening. "I- I don't… want you to see me like this." She whined to him, defeat heavy in her voice.

"Then I will turn away." Rayne replied immediately, but his hold around her shoulders didn't waver.

The changeling sighed and pushed weakly against his chest. She could feel a pressure welling up behind her eyes and she did not like it. "What is this? I feel… Rayne, stop it." She pouted at him. But he could see the dam of tears in her eyes as her lips contorted with the deep emotional pain that was overwhelming her.

"You don't like the rain? Then fine… I will block it out for you. I will block out anything that you want me to." Rayne told her as she found herself with her head resting upon his torso and his hoof gently placed over her ear.

But Chrysalis' face scrunched up as she sobbed. "But you can't…" She wept. "You can't block this feeling away from me!" She babbled out with a sorrowing voice as the dam in her eyes broke and she began to son heavily into his chest. She didn't even care about his hooves being around her at this point as she held onto him, releasing a torrent of emotional pain.

Rayne took this moment to look down at Chrysalis and really see her. "I will remember…" He thought to himself. He supported her lengthy body with his own and kept her shoulders around in his arms. He saw the shape she took while leaning into him and listened to how her chest heaved as she cried her eyes out. Chrysalis could hardly breathe through the ferocity of her crying. The onslaught of her tears streaming down her face left a turbulence running through her that shook her to her hooves. As Rayne watched, seeing her shaking and sobbing without end, he reminded himself while ingraining this image into his head so that he would never forget. "I will remember this always… the hurt that you've felt. And the love that you've never known; that this world has never shown you." He stroked her mane gently with a hoof as she emptied her soul out through her eyes until she passed out in his arms. "You be cruel to me all you want, love. It will be okay. I'll show you a different world where you will never have to cry like this again."

With that Rayne closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her laying against him. Her sleeping figure actually nestled closer for his warmth and didn't shy away from his touch as he stroked her hair and cradled her back in their sleep. Eventually morning came as the first rays of sunshine were just barely drifting over the horizon. However at this time, the panther rose out of the bed grabbing one of the bed posts and tore it from the ceiling fixture before hurling it violently into the far side wall. "NNNRROOOO!!! She's gone AGAIN!!!" He roared looking down to the empty bedsheets beside him.

- -

The next morning the entire town was in a buzz of excitement as there were announcement posters hung up over every corner of Ponyville. On lamps and on store fronts and even near the town fountain were fliers that had seemingly sprung up overnight. With a quick duplication spell and an army of Obsidianwolves at disposal, the informational fliers were posted from the town hall all the way out to the furthest sitting benches on the edge of town. And upon each of the vibrantly colored holiday propaganda was a message that read as follows:

"Dear citizens young and old,
It may still only be early in September but please prepare yourselves for Nightmare Night festivities at the end of next month like you have never seen in Ponyville before! A secret benefactor has prepared for you a series of surprises for the town that are sure to thrill and amaze. Attractions will include never before prepared spooktastic fruit treats, a haunted maze 'for adult ponies only' that could be sure to scare the wings off a Wonderbolt, and endless games galore for the younger attendees to party until they drop. All attractions, music, and consessions with be provided absolutely free and will be located at the newly developed construction site for Ponyville's Celebration Auditorium!"

All through the morning and at every corner of the town ponies were asking each other if they had heard the news. Everyone was excited to know more about the surprise event or to discover who was the mysterious benefactor for the town plans.

"Oh come one!" Lyra begged while BonBon pleaded along at her side. "If there's food involved then you simply must know who it is!"

Mrs. Cake just giggled lightly as she kept her eyes upon an order of glazed rolls she was boxing up for a customer. "I'm telling you girls, you two are the fifth and sixth ponies to ask me this morning! Yes, I knew about the event but no I simply can't say who the mysterious benefactor might be!"

That was when a bounding ball of excitement came from upstairs screaming, "Even I didn't know about it! And I'm the biggest party planner in Ponyville!" Pinkie screamed. "Ooooh, the excitement is just welling up! I can't wait to find out more about it! I'm going to rush off and go order my Nightmare Night costume right now!" Then the party pony zipped out the door only to run right into the line which had already formed outside Mr. Garbsworth's store and was stretching around the block. "Awww, it looks like I'm not the only pony who felt inspired to get a head start after reading the flier."

However that was when three little heads turned around from in front of her. "Oh hi Pinkie! DID YOU HEAR?! DID YOU HEAR?!" The excited voices of the Cutie Mark Crusaders called out in unison.

"Oh, well good morning girls. Are you three in line to do some Nightmare Night shopping after reading the big announcement too?" Pinkie asked as the three little ponies looked up at her.

"We sure are!" Applebloom nodded. "This year's event sounds like it will be super fun!"

"Yeah but it's a shame the haunted maze says it will be for older ponies only." Scootaloo sulked.

"And I wonder why anypony would go through so much trouble and then not even want others to know who was responsible for all the hard work they put into it?" Sweetie Belle asked.

With a healthy giggle Pinkie smiled to them and said, "If you ask me, it sounds like somepony who cares a lot more about making others smile than they do about getting recognition for themselves."

"Golly, well when you put it like that it sounds as if it could be you who is the secret benefactor Pinkie." Applebloom said to her thoughtfully.

The pink pony smiled but then she spoke softly as she looked up to stare at somepony else who was at that moment walking towards them. "Aww, that's sweet of you to say Applebloom. But no, it isn't me. Although I'm pretty sure I have a good idea as to who else might be willing to pull off something like this."

As Rayne stepped up to greet them he was met with a warm smile from Pinkie Pie. "Well hiya girls. How are all of you doing today?" He cheered while kneeling down to greet the fillies but also exchanging deep smiles with Pinkie Pie as well.

"We're so excited!" The three fillies shouted which instantly made Rayne laugh.

"Yes, I saw the announcements posted all over town. It really is exciting. It seems like there will be something special for everypony." Rayne was certainly enjoying the sight of everypony in town getting all worked up over the news. But he had a soft spot for the CMC's and how infectious their positivity could be.

"We really wanna find out more about what's been going on but no pony else seems to know anything about it." Scootloo pointed out.

Applebloom nodded and added in, "We talked to Mrs Cake but she won't give up any details even though we know she probably has to be involved in the food preparations. And some of my cousins are workin' for the construction crew that's been putting the Celebration Auditorium together so I already knew all about that."

Now Sweetie Belle concluded with, "But the rest of it is just a big ol' mystery and we can't find a single hint to help us solve it."

With a jovial grin Rayne looked down to the three and said, "Well perhaps that's part of the fun, not to know?"

The three fillies looked down in contemplation as they were certainly not the type to give up on a challenge so easily. "Hey I've got an idea!" Sweetie Belle said. "Even though we know Mrs. Cake is going to be helping with the food, there must be other ponies around town who are helping with the other parts of the party."

Applebloom's eyes opened wide as she cheered, "You're right! And if Pinkie wasn't involved with the planning then maybe Mr. Garbsworth will be able to tell us something?!"

Then Scootaloo hopped up and down in place saying, "I wonder who they are going to get to do the music? The flier did say there would be music and somehow I don't think that the Ponytones are going to be the band that was selected." The other three nodded while Pinkie Pie and Rayne snickered together at the thought. But that was when Scootaloo blurted out something that Rayne certainly did not expect. "Hey you guys! Wouldn't it be crazy if somehow Faceless came to Ponyville to do the music for our Halloween event?!"

"Oh yeah it would! They're totally awe-" But Applebloom did not get to finish her thought as a large black hoof stepped forward between the three fillies.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa there. Wait a minute you three. What are all of you talking about?" The stallion asked with concern while Pinkie gasped silently in the background.

Sweetie Belle chimed in before the others could as she loudly exclaimed, "Faceless is the name of this band who came out of nowhere just a few months ago. Their musical range is absolutely stunning because they've released songs ranging from dance music to jazzy hits to even rock and roll songs! They're reaching near the top of the greatest hits charts for Equestria right now!" Meanwhile the other two fillies nodded along before all three of them shouted together, "FACELESS ROCKS!"

Rayne wasn't angry at the three of them but he did give a loud snort through his nostrils to show the girls that he was very serious. "Now how did the three of you young girls even find out about Faceless? Yes I know about them too but some of their lyrics can be very mature and I'm not so sure that Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash would approve of you listening to bands like that!"

The three girls looked around a little nervously now and Applebloom was the one who answered saying, "We heard about their music from my cousin Babs Seed who lives over in Manehattan. She wrote all about how great this new band was and sent us a copy of one of their albums along with her letter."

Rayne sighed and looked up to Pinkie PIe. "So much for musical exclusivity." She just shrugged not knowing what to tell him. "Okay girls well I won't tell your sisters about this but you be careful about what artists you decide to listen to. Sometimes song writers will make lyrics that are intended for adults to enjoy but they don't always stop to consider how younger audiences might misinterpret their words."

The three looked like they didn't entirely understand what Rayne was trying to say but they all nodded back to him just the same. "Alright well I think we're going to go do some more brainstorming about who this potential benefactor might be for Nightmare Night." Applejack stated and the others looked happy to follow along.

"You go ahead and have fun." Rayne told them. "Oh and I haven't forgotten about your summer camp issue. You last meeting is still this weekend, right?"

Applebloom nodded. "That's right. After that we're off for the whole fall and winter season."

"Don't worry Applebloom. I wouldn't miss it for the world. You can count on me." He waved as they ran off.

However that was when Pinkie Pie smiled at him. "You're so nice Rayne. Look at you being all protective over the little fillies in town. And you're always so exciting to be around. I mean you come up with the absolute funniest ideas ever!" Pinkie cheered.

"Aww well shucks Pinkie. I'm just doing what I think any pony would do in my situation." Rayne smiled toward her bashfully.

"Yeah, but the way that you look out for others is really sweet and caring. Just like making sure to let ponies know that the haunted maze is too scary for the fillies in town. But is it REALLY going to be that frightening? Those three sure have grown up a lot within the last year."

"Oh I don't doubt that they have. But there's no way that fillies could be allowed to do the haunted maze this year. This Nightmare Night is going to be like no other and the special effects I guarantee are going to be terrifying." He said with just the slightest hint of pride to his voice.

"Awwww so then that must mean you know all about it since you are the mysterious benefactor, aren't you Rayne?" Pinkie asked with a smug voice and a smirk.

"Ugh... you got me." Rayne choked out guiltily as he looked around to make sure no pony overheard.

"Don't worry, I won't tell. Party planner promise. But really Rayne, you should have consulted me if you were going to throw something this big. Maybe I might have been able to help?" Rayne was relieved that Pinkie didn't sound offended in any way. Her offer sounded genuine and kind-hearted which he was happy for.

"Thanks a lot Pinkie, but maybe I didn't ask you because I want for you to be surprised too? You are such a great party planner and I wanted to see if I could impress you. I'm not trying to replace you as the town party pony or anything, this is just a one time thing. But you can bet that when the night is over I'll be looking for your critique most of all to make sure everypony had a blast!"

The two high fived each other in the air as Pinkie cheered, "You've got it mister!" However after that Pinkie stood there looking confused as Rayne stayed by her side instead of walking away. "So, what actually brought you over here anywhere? Did you need something from me?"

Rayne laughed as he told her, "Oh not at all. I just saw you in line for Mr. Garbsworth's and wondered what you were doing here? I mean I'm sure you saw one of the fliers and decided to get a jumpstart on your Nightmare Night shopping... but don't you already have all your own party supplies that are stocked up for like the next forty years?"

Suddenly Pinkie's pupils shrank to tiny little pinpoints of surprise before she shouted out, "Oh you're right! I DO!" Then she jumped into the air before zooming off in a pink blur all the way to Sugarcube Corner.

"Heh, you're adorable Pinkie." Rayne just chuckled to himself and then moved on to deal with the rest of his day.

- -

It took two evenings before Chrysalis finally returned again to the room. Unlike before, her posture was bold and her movements were graceful. She was remaining quiet this time as she stepped in with Rayne closing the door behind them. This time she did not take her usual spot on the bed nor did she change out of her unicorn disguise.

"TWACK!"

The orange maned mare had moved her hoof so fast that Rayne did not even get the chance to see what she was holding. But he felt it as the object placed a burning sting upon his cheek. "Tell me pony, who is it that you seek to serve?" She asked him, her voice once again dripping with contempt for him.

"You my Mistress, the majestic and beautiful Queen Chrysalis." Rayne answered immediately.

"TWACK!"

The sharp whistle through the air came once more but Rayne refused to recoil from the blow, instead taking the sharp sting across his over cheek this time. "And how deep is your devotion to me? Do you truly comprehend what it means to serve? Would you really go through any lengths of pain or humiliation just to achieve the modest goal of amusing me?" She asked him dryly while raising a single brow and awaiting his answer.

"Yes." Rayne said assuredly, knowing full well what was to come.

With that Chrysalis finally dropped her disguise and the tall teal maned changeling grinned whined while holding a leather tipped riding crop in her grasp. "MmmMm… prove it." She grinned at him sadistically.

Rayne looked up and controlled his facial expression carefully. In his eyes he still saw the same wounded heart that he had held in his arms just a few nights ago. Yet here in front of him was the culmination of her spite, fury, and pain. That of course changed nothing for his resolve as one knee after the other he kneeled down and wholeheartedly said, "Yes Mistress." Then he watched as she grinned and raised the riding crop again.

Author's Notes:

So I think it's important to point out that the passage of time has had some jumps here. It been about a week since Twilight's orgy by now and we're coming up upon that weekend. Not every scene here with Chrysalis has necessarily been the following evening. This chapter has more been showing her visiting Rayne on and off as the days go by. And the interactions that Rayne has had with her have been far from uniform as well.

The one night that Chrysalis broke down in front of him was not exactly about anything in particular. It was more about everything that has ever happened to her as a whole finally coming to a boiling point and her emotions overflowed her. Rayne had managed to put her in a state in which her body was comfortable enough to finally let all that tension out. But of course... two days later her pride got the better of her again and felt that she needed to reassert her sense of dominance for herself.

It's clear that Chrysi doesn't view Rayne as a confidant yet. It's hard to tell how much healing actually happened for her when there was nothing actually spoken about yet. But at the very least Chrysi's subconscious recognises Rayne as a safe space to be around. So that's at least some amount of progress for him.

Alright so the chapter with the CMC's us on it's way. We have maybe one more chapter to go and then we'll be there. But who's excited for the Nightmare Night chapter now? Rayne bringing all the knowledge he can muster from our world to really frighten the hell out of some ponies haha! Hopefully he won't overdo it on accident.

Oh also, the new building that Rayne is funding the construction for has finally been announced to the town! The Ponyville Celebration Auditorium!