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Get Him 3 | Chapter 31: Filling in the Blanks and a Place to Stay | Filling in the Blanks and a Place to Stay
Their conversation continued......
"Soooooooo you aren't going to put me in a cage? Locked away somewhere? Experiment on me?" he asked with trepidation.
Both princesses' heads rose quickly. "No!" Celestia said.
"And that purple menace won't be trying to do any experiments on me either?"
This time Luna answered in the negative.
"What of the others?"
"None will harm you or try to take advantage of you in any way!" Luna said with conviction and honesty.
"What of your subjects. What kind of panic am I going to cause just by my very existence? There are bound to be ponies that will try to increase their social standing or see me as an offense or some kind of abomination to their beliefs and I must be done away with before I spread corruption and whatnot?"
Both Celestia and Luna marveled at his perception and insight. He had stated almost verbatim what Doctor Hoofson had stated in the hospital when Alex was recovering.
"Should any attempt be made on your life, they will pay with theirs!" Luna said in anger. "We almost lost you once to those mangy curs! I won't let that happen again...Ever!
"What? Wait a minute." Alex interjected. What do you mean 'again'?
"Alex? What do you remember after the battle at our old castle?" Celestia asked.
"Very little really. I remember the black pony creature showing up which turned out to be Princess Luna and her easily kicking those dogs butts and then waking up in a hospital. Why?"
"Sister, I think we should tell him the rest of the story. Don't you?" Luna asked.
"Yes. Alex, after you fainted from loss of blood..." Luna began, "I summoned two of my Night Guardians to get help. I stayed by your side until an emergency medical carriage arrived soon after. From the castle you were flown to Canterlot Hospital and straight into the emergency room. Since you were a creature not native to this world, there was some concern by the medical staff how best to treat your wounds you received. You had lost a lot of blood in the aftermath of your battle with the Diamond Dog pack. It was decided that you would need a blood transfusion or risk having you ....Well... You get the idea. The next problem that had to be addressed was whether your blood would be compatible with someponys here. Since you are the only one of your kind in our world, the doctors were very afraid that it might possibly kill you but it was for sure that you would have surely died if a donor wasn't found and soon." Luna paused a moment to think of how to tell him the next part... "A possible donor was found."
"Really?" Alex said in surprise. "That had to be a one in a billion chance that there would be someone compatible! Who was the lucky donor?"
"Me." Luna said as meekly as if it were Fluttershy herself saying it herself and turning away from his gaze sheepishly.
"WHAT?!" He cried. Luna winced a little at his outburst of astonishment.
Celestia continued. "It is true Alex. It is as she said. Luna donated some of her blood to you. It was the only way we could save you from certain death. Her blood was the closest in compatibility we had available to your own. At first things seemed to go well during the transfusion procedure but then they took a turn for the worse."
"They... did?" Alex said with fear.
Yes they did. Your heart stopped and we all thought we had lost you. The doctors tried everything they could but nothing worked. Everypony was saddened by your passing but were overjoyed when your heart started beating again and you came back to us." Celestia said with a tearful smile as she continued to relate the tale.
"The good Nurse Redheart especially was happy you returned to us. You seem to have a very strong will to live."
Alex looked at the floor before him and went silent as he placed his right hand on his chin as if thinking about a puzzling question."
Alex looked at the two royal sisters in awe. "Since I have pony blood in my veins now, what does that exactly mean? Can I do magic tricks like you all do? Can I fly? What exactly?"
"Alex, we don't exactly know how it will affect you. Just know that at this stage we are just glad that you are alive." Celestia said. "Also there is one other thing you should know. Yes, you have royal alicorn blood flowing through your veins and by the laws of our world, you would be considered a royal." Celestia said with a smile.
Alexs knees began to feel a little weak and he began to wobble a little.
"I gotta sit down." He said as he fell backwards. Princess Lunas horn lit up and slid the chair, that they had summoned earlier, underneath him and saving him a potentially painful fall on the throne rooms marbled floor.
Both princesses quickly decended their thrones and swiftly came before him.
"Alex? Are you ok?" Celestia said with concern in her voice and a worried look on her face. Princess Lunas own expression mimicking her sisters.
Alex was silent for a few minutes. He seemed to be deep in thought but then his expression went neutral and he Rose from his chair.
"Princesses, I thank you for your time and for filling in the blanks as to what happened to me." He said with a bow. "May I be excused?" He said curtly.
Both Celestia and Luna were confused by his sudden change.
"Yes?"
"Thank you." He then did an abrupt about face and headed for the throne room door.
"Alex? Where are you going?" Celestia called after him.
"Back to my home in the forest." He replied as he went out the throne room doors and closed them behind him.
With a single flap of their wings, both princesses were airborne and flying after him. They landed at the throne room doors and they were immediately opened by the guards stationed inside. Once out the double doors, Alex was nowhere to be seen.
"Guard, did you see which way he went?" Celestia asked. The guard pointed an armored hoof down the hallway but remained at attention.
"Thank you." She said with a smile and off at a gallop the two sisters ran in the direction indicated.
"How can anything with only two legs move that fast." Luna mused aloud while heading down the hall.
"Apparently the hunt is on again." Celestia responded. "But not as it was before."
Rounding another corner they found him. He was just standing there staring out an open window into the royal gardens below.
"Alex, why did you run off like that?" Celestia asked.
"I was going to go back to my home at that old castle but after some thought, I realized I didn't know how to get out of this place. I don't know my way around." He scoffed at himself.
"Um... About that." Celestia began. "We were thinking that if you would like, you could stay here in our home."
Alex turned to look at the two sisters with a raised eyebrow. "Really? Are you serious? Stay here in your home?"
"Yes." Luna answered. "We have more than enough rooms. "We have entertained many guests and dignitaries throughout the years we have lived here. You would be most welcome here."
"Ok, what's the catch?" He said bluntly and a look of suspicion.
"Catch? What do you mean?" Celestia asked.
"Catch. Y'know. Angle. Something you get from me in return. Tit for tat. What do you get out of it?"
"Honestly Alex, We want no tit. We want nothing from you." Celestia responded.
Alex snorted with a smile on his face at Celestias response and the fact that he was able to put one over on her without her knowing. "Well, I guess I can cross Celestia saying "tit" off my bucket list while I'm here." He thought to himself.
"Alex, please let us treat you as an honored guest in our house. It is what we should have done all along. Also instead of sleeping on a cold stone floor, you will have a warm bed to sleep in. How does that sound?"
"That doesn't sound too bad in all honesty." He said as he turned towards them. "It's been such a long time since I slept in a real bed that I honestly can't remember what it feels like." He said while looking down in thought. "Ok. You sold me on the idea but I have one last question?"
"Yes?" Both sisters said at the same time.
"How the heck do I get around? This place is HUGE! I could starve to death if I got lost in here!"
Both princesses smiled at his assessment of their home.
"Alex, you need not worry. You will have an escort with you. They will make sure you are safe at all times. You will want for nothing. All your needs will be taken care of. You have but to ask."
"WOW! Sounds like a pretty sweet deal! I've never been in a castle before much less lived in one! Very well, lead on."
The princesses turned on their hooves and said, "Follow us."
They led Alex through one hall after another all the while keeping an eye on his reactions. As Alex followed behind the princesses his eyes wide with amazement at his new surroundings.
As he walked down the hallways he noticed several guards at seemingly key positions. All of them stood at attention and were still as statues. Only their eyes gave away that they weren't as their eyes followed Alexs every movement. Alex noticed this and surmised that their curiosity had been piqued seeing as they had probably never seen a tall lanky creature walking on two legs before.
Rounding a corner and down another hallway, they stopped in front of a rather ornate looking door. Celestias horn lit up with its trademark golden aura and the door opened revealing a room more beautiful than Alex had ever seen before. Here will be your room from now on Alex. I hope it is to your liking." Luna said with a flourish of her front hoof. "If you need me for anything, my chambers are just down the hall. You shall have servants assigned to help take care of your needs as well."
"I GET TO STAY HERE!" Alex exclaimed in disbelief. He then took a nervous step inside and walked up to the bed before him. He tested the springs and the softness of the bed. He then turned around and let himself fall backwards on its coverings. It was like he was laying on the softest cloud ever. "It's been so long!" He said with a sigh. Both princesses snickered with a hoof over their mouths at Alexs antics.
"I am assuming that this room meets with your approval?" Celestia asked.
Alex looked up from his supine position to see the princesses still standing in the doorway threshold of his new rooms doorway with smiles on their muzzles.
He quickly stood and brushed the wrinkles from his clothes and then stiffly and formally bowed to them while saying. "Yes your highnesses. This will do nicely. I thank you for your hospitality."
Their smiles dropped a little as his formal gratitude.
"Very well, we will let you get all settled in. If you need anything, you have but to ask." Celestia said as both she and Luna bowed their heads and withdrew, the door closing behind them as they departed. -*-
Both sisters walked down the hallway in silence, each lost in their own thoughts but undeniably both their thoughts were directed at their new human guest.
"He is afraid of us still, sister." Luna said in a slightly sad voice.
"You noticed too?" Celestia responded.
"Yes indeed I did sister."
"I also noticed that he doesn't quite know how to act around us since we are royalty. That, I fear, is yet another reason he is afraid of us. He is afraid that he will do something that will insult or offend us and we would snuff out his life for his insolence or some minor infraction. What are we to do sister?"
Celestia was again silent for a moment. She let out a heavy sigh. "We did terrible things to him sister, it is going to take him a long while I fear. We are just going to have to be patient. Let us continue to show him the better side of our kingdom and its ponies."
"Luna?"
"Yes sister?"
"I couldn't help but notice that the left side of your muzzle is a bit swollen. Are you alright?"
"Ah... Yes... That." Luna answered. "Let us just say that Alex and I had some meaningful dialogue whilst in the dream realm." She said as she raised a hoof to her still somewhat tender muzzle. I must say he has a very good right cross!"
"He struck you!? Are you alright? Why haven't you used a healing spell on it?" Celestia said with concern in her voice.
"I am well sister. You need not concern yourself with my wellbeing. He and I have reconciled somewhat. He struck me out of fear and anger for my part in contributing his misery. He struck me so hard it knocked me off my hooves! He also held out his hoof to help me back up and gave me a hug in gratitude for saving his life too.
I am not using a healing spell so as to remind me of the hoof I had in all this. I will let it heal in its own time and without magic."
Celestia marveled at her sisters sense of honor and especially her humility. She was willing to take some of the pain that she had inflicted upon this human. She truly did want to make things right with Alex. Both humbled and inspired, Celestia decided to also redouble her efforts to make things right with Alex as well.
Slowly she began to formulate a plan that she hoped would do just that and she would need Lunas help with this. |
Get Him 3 | Chapter 32: Night Excursion | Night Excursion
The weeks slowly rolled by as Alex stayed in the two sisters castle home. True to their word, they saw to it personally that he had everything he could possibly need. He had maids that took care of his living quarters every day along with his clothing. At first they were afraid of him due to his tall stature and his canine teeth, but soon warmed up to him as time went by. Speaking of clothing, (his were NOT made by Rarity. He didn't feel like he was ready to face the main six just yet.)The food, however, was better than anything he had had in a very long time. Everything seemed to be going well, although much to the princesses dismay, it was reported back to them on more than one occasion that it had been discovered, that Alex hadn't been sleeping in his new bed. Instead he had been sleeping on the floor with the blankets and pillows in a makeshift bed next to the fireplace in his room. When the princesses asked him why, he said it made him feel safer. They decided that rather than convince him he was truly safe otherwise, they would just leave the situation be and let Alex come to terms with it in his own due time.
Once again, the princesses were again true to their word and didn't inform any of the mane six about where he was and how he was doing even though Twilight did try to contact the princesses a few times to get any kind of information about him and how he was doing. That was until Princess Celestia sent a parchment back telling her that he didn't want to see any of them.
"Whats it say Twi?" Applejack asked Twilight as the elements sat around the map table in the Ponyville Castle. The mood of the mane six was less than happy. Even Pinkie Pie wasn't her usually overly bubbly self.
"We are not to ask about Alex any more until further notice. He does not trust us after what we tried to do to him and he does not want to see us." Twilight sadly replied.
"I can't say ah blame 'im. We all were pretty awful to 'im."
"Yeah. Some Elements of Harmony and Friendship we turned out to be." Rainbow Dash said. Her usual bravado currently not present.
"How could we sink so low and hurt him like that?" Fluttershy said meekly. "It's been three years since he came to Equestria and I feel just awful for what I've done."
"You are not alone in this dear." Rarity chimed in. "We are all at fault. Why I even heard he had some new clothes made and he specifically asked that it be somepony else other than me."
"All I wanted to do was turn him into a pony so other ponies would stop chasing him and he wouldn't have to keep running away and hiding. That way he would have lots of friends and he wouldn't be sad anymore." Said Pinkie.
"I read that book he gave me several times and practiced some of the routines in it and it got me noticed by the Wonderbolts. Sorin said that he had never seen maneuvers like that before and wondered where I got them from. I just told him it was from a book that I had from somepony. I mean I'm finally getting noticed by them and I feel like I hurt somepony and was mean to them just to get the attention of my heroes. It just feels so wrong! I didn't earn it the right way!" Cried Rainbow Dash.
"Twilight? You seem to be awfully darn quiet. Are you ok?"
"Yes. Yes I'm fine. Just fine. I... No. No I'm not." She said as her head drooped. I-I'm supposed to be the Princess of Friendship and I screwed up ROYALY! I had a golden opportunity hoofed over to me on a silver platter, to show just that and I blew it! I'm a FAILURE! I don't deserve to be the Princess of Friendship anymore!" She wailed. "I messed up ROYALY and I don't know how to fix it!" She yelled in sadness and frustration as her head fell and thumped on the map table with a loud bang. -*-
Alex continued to live in the castle. He was slowly getting used to the hospitality but was still wary a bit, waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak. The guards that were assigned to him both day and night were always there. At first they did their jobs out of duty and loyalty to their lieges, but as time went by, the guards had warmed up to him considerably and genuinely liked being around him. He had some incredibly amazing things to say about his home world that they found very fascinating. There were a few times that he had seen Capt. Skyfire and was always greeted with a warm welcome from the one winged peagasus.
"Skyfire! It's great to see you as always my pony friend! How goes things?"
"You as well my human friend!" Skyfire responded in kind and bowing before Alex. "Been busy training the new recruits for the castle guards." He responded while looking out a window down at the training grounds below. There Alex could see the earth ponies working hard on their strength training drills and combat maneuvers. The unicorn trainees perfecting their defense and attack magic spells, and the pegasi recruits going through their aerial maneuvers. Skyfire let out a quiet sigh as he looked longingly as the pegasi in the sky and then went back to his professional demeanor. His eyes revealed his thoughts for only a subtle moment, but it wasn't lost on Alex. In that moment he knew what was eating at Skyfire.
"How has things been going for you Alex?" He asked.
"Well... I guess ok so far."
"Have the princesses been better to you?"
"Oh yeah! Really good to me. They seem to be trying really hard to make up for their mistreatment of me. I'm......Just.....
"Just what."
"I don't want to speak ill of them. They are trying in earnest to make amends, but I just can't let my guard down. I fear that if I make one wrong move or say one wrong thing then its game over. My life will be snuffed out like a candle in a hurricane. I've never been around any kind of royalty before, here or back on earth."
"They would never do that to you Alex!" Skyfire said in a shocked voice. "The princesses aren't evil y'know right?"
"I know. I know. Sky. I'm just having a hard time of it now. I am trying to trust them and give them the benefit of a doubt. I really am, but it's just very hard to do so."
"Try and look at it this way Alex." Skyfire began. "In the military we all face certain death in one form or another all the time. Fear is natural in all creatures. Especially for us ponies. We are a prey species and therefore very guarded around others we might consider a danger. We have had to overcome that fear or at the very least control and face it instead of it controlling us. You know what I mean?"
"Yeah I guess you're right." Alex sighed. "If I screw up in front of the princesses and they decide to do away with me, at least it will be over and done with. I should just suck it up. Hope for the best. Expect the worst, and just take what comes. Eh?"
"Now you got it buddy!" Skyfire exclaimed.
"Alex?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you trust me?"
"You are one of the very few ponies I do trust Sky. Why do you ask?"
Skyfire turned and looked Alex dead in the eyes. "I would never lie to you Alex and I am telling you the honest truth. The princesses won't hurt you. I promise."
"Thanks Sky."
"Any time buddy. You ever need somepony to talk to, I'm always around. I gotta go work with the newbies some more so I will see you later ok?"
"I'll be seeing you around too ... Oh and Sky?"
"Yes?"
"Would ya quit bowing at me every time you see me please? I aint that special and it just doesn't feel right."
"Ok. I'll see what I can do your highness." He smirked. Then he turned and went on his way.
Alex let out an exasperated sigh and turned to his escorting guards. "I'm getting a little hungry. Do you guys know where the dining hall is from here?"
"Yes your highness. Right this way." The unicorn and Pegasus guards said with a bow.
"AW C'MON, not you guys too!" He whined in frustration. -*-
After dinner was consumed, Alex and his guards walked about the palace some more. The guards weren't allowed to eat in the royal dining room as per protocol and that didn't quite sit right with Alex so on more than one occasion snuck some snacks from the dining hall and give it to his escorts of which all were grateful. He even looked after the bat ponies that were assigned to him when he was up and about at night. He found the bat ponies, in particular, to be most fascinating and the bat pony guardsmares in return found Alex to be a most fascinating creature as well.
Lately, he was just wanting to wander around the palace. It seemed like no matter which way he went or what corner he turned, there was something new to see. Eventually he made his way back to his room and entered, the guardsmares resuming their post just outside his door.
It wasn't long before there was a knock at his door. "Enter."
In came the Princess of the Night, Princess Luna. "Alex, how are you doing this fine evening?" Luna asked as she walked out onto the balcony of his room. She had found him there staring at the sky seemingly lost deep in thought. It was almost time for her to bring forth the night. At first he didn't respond but then looked over his shoulder.
"Hello princess. I'm doing ok I guess." And then looked back to the sky.
She didn't like it, being called by her title and frowned inwardly. He was still being a little too formal with her. "Alex, please, just call me Luna okay?"
"I'm sorry your highness. Luna Okay it is then." He snickered. "Although that's a pretty weird last name, even for where I come from." Luna blew a piece of her mane out of her face in minor exasperation and stuck her tongue out at him. He had a quick sense of humor and was pretty good at teasing her at times. She smiled inwardly. She really liked this human.
"I was just wondering...." She paused for a moment looking down and pawing at the balcony's floor with her right hoof. "....if you would like to..... um..... watch me bring in the night?
Alex turned to her with surprise in his eyes. "Really!?"
"Yes Alex. Really."
"I read back at the old castle ruins that you and your sister could do that, and I watched the night and day change, but I've never seen you two actually do that." He said. "Sure!" He said excitedly.
Luna had a big smile on her face. It was very rare to have someone to demonstrate her talent to and she'd never done it for a human before. This would be a personal first and she'd also be able to tease her sister a bit at being able to show off for their guest before Celestia was able to.
"Please, Alex, stand here next to me." Luna said. Alex did as he was bidden and stood on her right hand... hoofed....? side.
Luna began to sing. It was a very soft and kind sounding lullaby. Something a mother might sing to her child to frighten away the monsters so the little one could sleep. Her horn began to glow with its familiar blue hue. Alex looked back and forth between the princess and the sky. Gradually the sky darkened as her sister set the sun to rest.
As Luna continued her song the stars became visible one by one. They seemed to swirl and dance in time to Princess Lunas enchanting song. Her angelic notes continued until it reached a crescendo and at that point she bowed her head and slowly rose it up again. At this point her horn began to glow a bit brighter and at the same time the full moon arose in time with her song. Slowly the stars stopped their dance across the night sky as Lunas song faded away to its ending. She opened her eyes to see Alex reaching up to the sky and waving his hand out as if trying to touch or capture the very stars in her night sky, just as if they were a little colt or filly chasing fireflies. She smiled to herself at his innocent childlike gestures.
She lit up her horn again and Alex found the same glow around his outstretched hand as it was gently lowered back down.
Alex turned to stare at Luna, slack jawed. Unbridled awe and wonder pouring out of his eyes, only for Luna to give him a coquettish smile and as she pointed a hoof to her head, "This crown is not just for show, you know?"
"WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO?!,"he shouted in surprised excitement.
Luna's fur was nearly singed from the excitement coming off of Alex, his eyes wide with childlike wonder. Giggling and blushing a bit at the opportunity of having an audience to truly appreciate her nightly efforts, Luna decided to put on a little show for him, "Well... aside from assigning them their stations in the sky, I determine their levels of brightness," she bragged, the words barely leaving her mouth before the evening began to shine even brighter, the stars seemingly burning that much hotter for a few seconds. "Their numbers, and most importantly, the positioning and phases of my station," she explained, pointing out her namesake in the night sky as it began to cycle through all of its variants, running the full range from waxing to waning and everything in between.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Alex found himself moved to the point of being overwhelmed. All his thoughts and feelings had been clocked to full capacity, trying to fully process the world around him, burying everything else beneath the barrage of sensory input. Truly making it feel as if the hell he had been through was nothing more than a bad dream.
A terrified shout and some violent shaking finally brought him back to Equestria, as he found Luna sitting in front of him and gripping him by the shoulders with her hooves, fear and shame carved into her features of her face. He, shaking his head, showed Luna that he had snapped out of it, that he was alright, and that she could ease up in her not so gentle ministrations.
"Oh thank the stars! We thought We had shocked thee senseless," she said, relief washing the fear away from her face but leaving the shame, as she refused to make eye contact with him, choosing instead to stare down at the marble floor of the balcony, "Please, We beg thy forgiveness, We had simply wished to give thee a demonstration of our talents, We had no idea it would frighten thee so." In her fear she had inadvertently reverted back to her ancient Equestrian tongue.
Alex reached up and cupped both her cheeks gently and nudged her face up so she could look him in the eye. It was a bold move on his part, but considering she was currently feeling very vulnerable, he did so without thinking.
Once he had her full and undivided attention, he gave her a warm smile and shook his head back and forth.
"No, no, no, that was spectacular! That display had to be the most awe-inspiring sight I have ever seen!"
Luna's tenseness began to subside some with his reassurance, "Truly?"
He nodded. "Thank you." It was then that he realized that he was touching the night princess. Not only touching her but petting her! He withdrew his hand rather rapidly. "Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to!...Please don't..."
"Alex, its ok. You need not worry. I was not offended by your physical contact. In fact it felt rather nice." She let out a heavy sigh. "Alex, you need not be afraid of myself and my sister. I know that you still fear us and that you are afraid that you may offend us in some way and that it may cost you your life or at the very least imprisonment, but I want to assure you that that is not the case. You are our guest and we would be your friends if you would let us. Do you understand?"
"I...I am trying princess. I really am. It's just that..." His sentence dropped off there.
Luna then stood up. "Alex, would you please follow me?" as she went to his chamber door she opened it with her magic. Alex got to his feet and followed.
They were both quiet and all that could be heard was the steady sound of foot and hoof falls on the polished marble floor and the sound of the crackling fires in the braziers that lined the hallways. Eventually they found themselves at the doors of the royal throne room. The thestral guards standing guard at the doors stood at attention upon their approach. Luna then turned around and spoke to the two thestral guards who had been silently following behind them the whole time and ordered them to stay with the two door guards and then walked inside with Alex following close behind.
The double doors closed behind the pair with a soft low rumble. Luna then walked to the two sisters thrones and stood in the moonlight at the base of the raised dais. Luna inadvertently (or perhaps advertenly) struck a pose that made the moon reflect off her fur and made her look very stunning in the moonlight. Alex was taken with how beautiful she looked but did his best not to show it.
"Alex, I brought you here to ask you a favor. A request if you will." She said as she sheepishly pawed at the floor with her forehoof. A thought had been on her mind ever since she had first encountered Alex.
"Alex, would you please mount me." She said.
"What... What?! He said in surprised confusion.
"Please mount me. Climb on my back."
Alex shied away. "No." He flatly stated. "No way." Shaking his head.
Luna slowly walked up to him and gave him her best puppy dog eyes. "Please Alex?"
I...I can't princess. I mean you're a PRINCESS! It would be unseemly. What would your subjects say! Its beneath your station!"
"Alex, my subjects are asleep at the moment and there is nopony here in this room but you and me." She smiled mischievously. She could see his resolve starting to crumble.
With a resigned sigh, Alex shoulders sagged. He was opposed to indulging her request, in actually he would hate for anypony to see him riding atop the princess, lest it create some sort of scandal amongst her subjects. Raising one hand, he extended a finger and gave her a serious look. If they were going to do it, he had one condition.
"Only if we do this in private," he said sternly.
Noticing his stern expression and tone, Luna examined the area. The throne room was fairly big, easily able to accommodate dozens of ponies comfortably, so it likely would suffice; it was, after all, a first time for the both of them. Looking back at him, she nodded.
"Very well then," she agreed while hiding her enthusiasm for this new experience, she beckoned him with a wing. "Well, since that's all settled, come?"
Walking over, Alex looked at the mare's frame from muzzle to tail. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he slowly exhaled.
"You ready?" he asked, resting a hand on her neck.
Luna nodded and laid down on the floor and spread her wings so they would be out of the way to make it easier for him to climb on her back. Alex swung his leg over her back and Luna stood up folding her wings securely over his legs.
Shifting only slightly, she adjusted to his weight. And there it was, that feeling from the first time Alex had jumped on her back and threw his coat over her eyes so she couldn't see. She shuddered under his weight and much to her amazement, having the young man atop her was remarkably comfortable. She felt the unusual feeling that he was now somehow her master and that she must obey. Not only obey but willingly obey, She WANTED to, yet at the same time that she must protect him at all costs from whatever perils that may try to harm him.
Feeling his hands glide over her neck, as he settled into place, she considered it as good a time as any to begin. Moving a hoof forward, followed by a second, she leisurely began to walk around the perimeter of the throne room.
Keeping silent, Alex rocked back and forth with her movements. Her slow, methodical gate made it easy to adjust to her movements. Stroking the back of her neck, his fingers glided through her ethereal mane. Luna found she loved the feeling of his fingers doing that.
"Enjoying yourself back there?" Luna giggled, making a gentle turn and peering back up at him.
"Yeah, this is really nice. It feels incredible," he cheerfully responded.
Seeing his enjoyment, the Princess grew more excited. Speeding up slightly and breaking into a canter, the man lightly bounced and swayed upon her back. The sensation, while a bit odd, was strangely very comforting. She found that it wasn't difficult for her to warm up to this feeling. With her silver clad hooves steadily clip-clop-ing across the polished marble floor, she continued circled the room.
"W...woah," Alex said involuntarily, being unprepared for her change of pace. Absentmindedly he leaned forward and placed his hands on her shoulders to steady himself.
The abrupt shift from above, feeling of him gently holding her, sparked something within Luna. As unusual as the whole situation was, everything about the situation felt extraordinarily natural, no, more than that; it felt organic. As though something had been missing from her very long life. She was positively inspired by the whole situation subconsciously transitioning into a full gallop, all the while feeling every movement and emotion from her rider. As she approached the exit, she came to a screeching halt, her silver shod hooves coming to a sliding stop.
"Holy crap!" Alex exclaimed, having gotten just the barest taste of what the Night Princess was capable of. He had little doubt that, given the proper space, she could possibly move even faster. Unfortunately, she could not go any faster, since they were relegated to the throne room, she'd have no way to be sure.
"Alex," Luna spoke, causing the man's attention be drawn to her face, "do you trust me?"
"What?" he confusedly countered, taken off guard by her question?
"Do you trust me?" she repeated.
Slowly but surely, with an uneasy look in his eye, the man nodded. "Yeeeees?"
The corners of her mouth turned up, as she spun around to face the far end of the room towards the two thrones. She walked to the drapes on either side of the thrones and walked through them out on to a balcony behind the thrones. One last time she asked her human rider. "Alex do you trust me?"
Alex had several thoughts go through his mind as he looked into the eyes of the pony whose back he now sat upon. The words of his one winged Pegasus friend came to mind. In that moment he knew he had to make a leap of faith.
"Yes."
The sound of her hooves impacting the marble was all the warning Alex got, as the Princess surged forward. He draped his torso over the alicorn's neck. With precious little ground to cover, she'd have to slow down, that was unless...Forcing himself to look up, he opened one eye and "No, no, no no no no no no, OH CRAP!" he rambled as his grip on the magnificent diarch of the night tightening! |
Get Him 3 | Chapter 33: Night Flight | Night Flight
"No, no, no no no no no no, OH CRAP!" he rambled as his grip on the magnificent diarch of the night tightening!
Just beyond the thin fabric covering the two archways was a perilously small platform, followed by nothing but open air. Canterlot had been constructed on the side of a mountain, after all. As she galloped towards the edge of the platform, his fears were confirmed.
"Hang on!" Luna shouted, her heart pounding in her chest and over the edge she went!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Alex yelled as they fell towards the ground at an ever increasing speed a thousand or so feet below. "I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA THROW UP AND THEN I'M GONNA DIE!!" he screamed as he buried his face in Lunas neck.
"Luna, I'm afraid of heights!" Alex quickly blurt out, keeping his eyes closed and his face planted in the back of her neck rather than dare to look down. His heart was pounding in his chest, as he tried to focus on his breathing and not completely hyperventilate or pass out.
Lunas massive indigo swan like wings gracefully flared out on each side of Alex, each one as wide as he was tall opened on each side of the Night Princess and slowly Alex felt gravity take over as he felt himself press deeper into Lunas back as she leveled out. With two broad flaps of her wings, Luna launched herself and her rider into the night skies.
As the Princess changed course, pulling up from her power dive and soaring into the night sky, Alex was at a loss for words. Without releasing his grasp around Lunas neck, he watched the landscape and city lights race by beneath them. A few seconds passed and his nerves started to calm - if only just a little bit. Feeling the night alicorn's pulse against his fingers and being reminded of whom he was holding so tightly to, his grip eased off.
"You ok back there?" Luna loudly inquired, her voice cutting through the rushing wind. She had felt his grip around her neck loosen just a little.
She'd be a horrible mount for not checking on him, given what she'd just put him through. Though the reality of it was, even if he had fallen from her back, she could have easily saved him with her magic. And even if for some inexplicable reason her magic had failed, he still would have been caught by her two ever present night guards flying silently behind them just out of sight, yet she knew she had likely given him an awful fright. As she leveled out, slowly flapping periodically to keep her altitude steady, she turned her head to get a better look at him.
Gulping down a breath of fresh air, because he had forgotten to breathe, Alex found his voice. "I'm still alive?" he croaked.
"My apologies for scaring you by taking to the skies like that," she smiled sheepishly, "It was not my intent to terrify you so."
The Princess' calm demeanor did wonders to help assuage his panic, which had been steadily rising within Alex, thus putting his mind at ease. "Just warn me next time, ok?" he nervously laughed, but still continued to hold around her neck tightly.
"Next time you say? Am I to assume that you would like to do this again?" turning her head a bit more to make eye contact with Alex. A devilish smile on her muzzle.
"I...Well... That is..."
"Alex, please speak your mind. I promise you that I will not be offended." Luna reassured him. Alex let out a sigh.
"...Well you are a princess and I just don't want your subjects to be offended or create some kind of scandal and cause you problems... and..."
It warmed Lunas heart that he was more concerned for her station and appearance before her subjects than his own life at the moment.
Drifting and banking lazily from side to side, feeling the breeze through his hair, Alex let out a sigh. From their altitude, he could easily make out several structures of Canterlot behind them with their lights twinkling in the night. As frightening as it initially was, being atop a magical flying pony, there was something remarkable calming yet exhilarating about it all. He was, as far as he knew, the first and only human to have such an experience; the thought filled him with an incredible amount of happiness, slowly overriding the fear inside of him. Leaning back slightly he closed his eyes.
"This is incredible," he muttered.
"What? " Luna said back, cocking an ear in his direction.
"I said this is incredible!" Alex spoke up, with a big smile on his face.
"If you think this is something, then watch this!" she shouted, suddenly stricken with the urge to take off.
"What are you going to do?" he shouted in surprise.
Let me show you something to ease your nerves, just let go of my neck first."
"Are you CRAZY? No way in hell am I letting go," he yelled. His grip tightening in anticipation of what she might have in mind.
"Please, just trust me, Alex," Luna pleads, flashing him with her sad eyes as extra encouragement.
"No. Stop, Quit looking at me that way!" He sighed, relinquishing his grip. "I hate it when you do that." He grumbled. Without warning, Luna rolled over until the two of them are flying inverted, leaving her giggling gleefully.
"AAAAA! Luna, what the hell are you doing?" he screamed, his heart feeling like it's going to explode as he hung upside down on her back.
"Proving to you that you need not be fearful of flying with me," she calmly replied. "You're not holding on right now, but are you falling? As long as I have my magic, you need not be afraid. I wasn't even casting an active spell to hold you on,"
"I.... huh, what" was all Alex managed to say, as Luna rolled right side up again and gleefully, pulled up into a loop.
Alexs' grip on her, while snug, wasn't nearly as white knuckled as it had been when they'd plunged off the side of the mountain palace. Steady and controlled, their pace quickened as they sailed over the landscape below. The palace and Canterlot itself all but gone in the distance behind them.
The wind whipped gently against his face, the moon shining brightly overhead, and for the first time in many, many years, he felt like a kid again. The wonderment and excitement of it all, riding on the back of the majestic and beautiful night princess, was like something out of his wildest dreams. Gone was any trace of fear only to be, replaced by the warmth and reassuring comfort of the indigo mare.
Even with all the thousands of flights Luna had taken in her very long life, this one was like no other before or since. The absolute faith Alex had put in her, trusting her with his very life, was beyond moving. It was very humbling. How he just relaxed as he rested on her back, his weight affording her some unfathomable form of happiness she had never experienced before. It all just felt so right to her. It was almost as if there was some mystical bond that linked the two of them together. Positively beaming, sailing along, she climbed a little higher into the night sky.
Alex continued to look around at the night sky. Everything was so amazing! The stars, the moon, the warmth of the night air as it brushed past his skin, all of it, even the princess whose back he sat upon. "Beautiful." He whispered softly. Luna heard his assessment of her work and felt his emotions for her. She smiled and blushed deeply at his feelings over it all but remained silent as her smile continued to grow on her muzzle.
"Where are we going princess?" Luna was brought out of her internal reverie by his sudden question.
"I would like to introduce you to another part of my kingdom." As she veered toward a fast approaching mountain peak.
"What is there?" He queried.
"You will see." Was her simple response.
"It looks dangerous" He replied nervously. As they approached a large cave opening in the mountain.
"It can be but fear not. You are safe with me."
Punching through the threshold of the caves opening, Luna slowed incrementally as Alexs' vision went completely dark.
"Luna! I can't see anything! Slow down before we crash into something!" he said in fear as he hunkered down against Lunas neck once more.
"It is ok Alex. I can see in the dark. The night is my realm after all. We are almost there.
Whether it was a few minutes or an hour, Alex could not tell. Soon the human could see dim lights in the distance. As they got closer he could make out a wooden platform with glowing green crystals marking its perimeter and two dark pony guards at the entrance of a tunnel that seemed to go farther back into the mountain. Princess Luna gently slowed down and landed on the platform, Alex barely felt her transition from flight mode to land mode. A few steps and she came to a complete stop in front of the two guards whereupon they immediately went into a bow before the princess. Princess Luna strode forward with an air of authority, Alex still on her back as her two escorting night guards landed silently on the wooden platform at either side of their liege and just slightly behind her.
One of the stationed guards spoke up. "My princess! We are honored by your presence!"
"Thank you guard." Please rise, then looking over her withers. "Alex, would you please dismount me." At the same time spreading her wings. Alex did as he was bidden, getting off the night princess and standing next to her.
"Princess Luna? What is this place?" He whispered softly to her ear.
"This is The Night Realm a voice spoke from the opening of the tunnel as a blue grey bat pony stallion came into view. "Princess Luna! To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?" The stallion said as he gave the princess a polite bow. "And who is this creature you have brought with you?" He queried giving a fanged smile at Alex.
"This is Alexander. A friend. I brought him here so that he may learn of my children of the night and so that you may also learn something of him. He is my royal ward and thus in my personal charge. I wish all to see him so that all may know of his presence and his appearance so that none may mistake him as an enemy or ...prey. |
Get Him 3 | Chapter 34: Kingdom of the Vamponies | Kingdom of the Vamponies
"This way your highness." The bat pony stallion directed with a sweeping point of his hoof and a polite bow of his head to which Princess Luna began to walk forward, Alex close at her side, and her two escorts coming up from behind.
Alex marveled at the glowing green crystals that lined the tunnel in hanging wall sconces, their glow gently illuminating their path as they continued on. As they went farther into the tunnel, it gradually became darker and darker until it reached a point to where Alex couldn't see any more. Alex instinctively reached out to find the wall with his hand but couldn't feel anything, "Princess Luna, I can't see. Where are you?" He said quietly with a slight twinge of fear in his voice. "Fear not young Alex. I am here." Luna responded in kind at the same time a gentile blue glow appeared where her horn was while at the same time another blue aura appeared around Alexs wrist. "Lay thy hand upon my back and I will guide you." Alex didn't struggle against her magic and did as he was told. The softness of her fur and heat from her body giving him some small reassurance that she was there.
How long they walked down said corridor, Alex could not tell, but he noticed, using his other senses, that the air was getting slightly cooler and a touch more damp. It wasn't too much later that he could hear the faint roar of a waterfall in the distance which steadily grew louder as they continued. Soon the sound resonance changed, and Alex had the sense that they had just emerged into a great cavern. There were again, glowing green lights dotting the interior sky as if they were stars in the above ground world as well as seemingly floating in the midst of the darkness before him.
"Alex? What do you see?" Luna asked in a kindly tone.
"Green points of light. Almost like the fireflies of my world. It looks like stars at night."
Princess Lunas voice came to Alex once again. "Alex, please remove your hand from my back." While at the same time he felt her move away from him.
"Luna, I cant see you. Where are you going?" Alex said with a slight panic rising in his voice as he reached out into the darkness. "Fear not Alex, I am right here. Focus your eyes on my horn." At the same time Luna lit up her horn.
Like a moth to a flame, his eyes were naturally drawn to the blue glow, at his right-hand side, emanated from the princesses horn. Lunas voice became almost hypnotic as she softly encouraged Alex to keep focused on her horn. He could feel Lunas magic gently wash over his person and settle around his face "Just keep looking at my horn. Stay focused on my horn. Everything is fine. You have nothing to fear. I will always be there for you. Just keep looking at my horn." Lunas voice was very soothing, and Alex did as her voice, which suddenly seemed to be coming from everywhere, commanded. "Just keep watching... and now close your eyes." Alex closed his eyes but questioned whether he had or had not because he could still see the blue glowing of her horn. It was then the azure glowing started to fade away to darkness, almost like an after image from looking too long at a bright light.
"Alex, now open your eyes slowly." Princess Luna said. Again Alex did as he was told and the sight that met his eyes was absolutely astounding!
The cavern was vast! Giant stalagmites and stalactites hung from the ceiling and jutted up from the floor. A river of water wound its way through the town that was nestled in the center of the cavern. Two additional rivers ran around the outside perimeter of said town. If he were able to describe the site laid out before him, he would have to refer to Rivendell from the Lord of the Rings crossed with that of the legendary city of Atlantis, but heavily modified to suit the bat ponies that lived there. Towards the far end stood another castle like structure. But instead of it being all white and brightly colored, like the Canterlot Castle, it was decked out in blues, blacks and purples. On the tallest spire, there was a crescent moon and way off in the distance he could see another cavern that housed what seemed to be an impressive waterfall.
"Who?... What?... How?... When did you turn on the lights? Just look at this place! It's ASTOUNDING! As he laid eyes on each one of the bat ponies around him, his eyes finally landing on the Night Princess.
"Alex, it is still pitch dark in here. I cast a Night Vision spell upon your eyes. Now you can see what my Children of the Night see... What I can see." She said and smiled coyly at him. "Welcome Alex. Welcome to the Night Realm!" she said in a rather theatrical voice as she swept her forehoof in a broad gesture towards the towns panorama.
"Come along Alex. Let us enter the town and have a look around. Sargent, lead on."
"Yes my princess. As you wish. This way please." The sergeant motioned toward a nearby stone bridge.
Alex was in awe of the sight laid out before him. Crossing the bridge, Alex found himself on the outskirts of the town. Everywhere he looked he could see bat ponies flying and walking, going about their daily (nightly?) routines. There were Bat ponies selling and buying fruits from the various vendors pedaling their wares, a vendor selling a red-looking liquid in wine bottles, a big burly looking blacksmith using his wings and hooves to hammer away at a metal project by using his wings bones like a humans fingers. Alex noticed that it looked as if he had burned a few holes in the membrane of his wings. No doubt due to the sparks that flew off his brightly glowing work. Bat pony children ran and flew about playing with each other laughing and giggling as they played.
As the entourage made its way up the cobblestone streets towards the castle, all present stopped whatever they were doing and bowed before their Night Princess. A few of the little ones either ran up or flew up to the princess excited to see her. All of them completely and innocently oblivious to the proper decorum that should be directed to royalty. Princess Luna would greet each one of them, asking them their names and giving them a kindly smile and gentile nuzzle to which each would squee and giggle at the attention she gave them.
Alex smiled at the little ones antics but soon found that he was starting to draw more attention to himself. The little ones, ever innocently curious, flew up or walked up to Alex and looked him over.
And the question bombardment began. Alex tried to answer them all as best as he could before they started landing on his shoulders, back, and head going from being a human to being a living jungle gym. Princess Luna covered her mouth with her hoof to hide a giggle that came forth from the foals playing with Alex.
Alex, being the good-natured human he was, was gentile with the little ones while playing with them.
"Come along Alex, We have much to see and little time to see it." Then turning to the foals, "I'm sorry everyone. It was good to see you again but we must be off now." All the colts and fillies let out a combined "AAWW!" and gave her their best puppy dog eyes as they left. "Do not worry little ones. We will return again soon. And you may play with Alex here some more if you like, ok?"
"Ok Princess Luna." They all said in unison and off they scampered or flew.
"Cute little crib lizards." Alex quietly said to himself.
"Alex. They're ponies not lizards." Luna said with a raised eyebrow.
"It's an expression on my world used as a term of endearment for small children."
"Is that so?" Luna questioned. "Hmm." And left it at that as they went on their way.
Alexs head was on a swivel as he took in his surroundings. Luna discreetly would look over at him and smile as she noticed the wonder in his eyes, something akin to what she witnessed when she showed him her talent as princess of the night.
As they walked through the town, they eventually ended up at the gates of the castle. Two guards were standing at attention at the entrance. The small entourage that had been escorting consisting of the Sargent, Princess Luna, Alex, and her two escorts that had flown with them to the mountain kingdom. Entering the castle, Alex once again marveled at its interior and its architecture. It was as if the whole castle was night themed and upon entering the throne room there were again, two thrones for the two royal sisters. It looked to be a duplicate of the throne room in Canterlot Castle with the exception that it was more night themed. Tapestries hung behind and above each throne showing the cutie marks of its rulers. Inside there were several bat ponies that looked to be some sort of nocturnal nobility. A batpony announcer suddenly cried out. "HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS LUNA! RULER OF THE NIGHT...! And then a long list of praises and accolades followed. As they walked down the red carpet in the center of the room, all present looked with curiosity at the tall two legged creature that walked closely by the night princesses side while others looked at him rather hungrily. The looks on their faces was not lost on Alex and he moved slightly closer to Luna. Luna picked up on his growing nervousness and softly spoke.
"Fear not Alex. You are safe with me. Nothing will happen to you. Stay by my side." Luna walked up to the thrones on the raised dais with Alex following close by her side.
"My Lords and Ladies. Fillies and Gentilecolts. My Children of the Night. How happy I am to see you again on this most wondrous night. No doubt you have seen the tall creature standing at my side. His name is Alex. He is what is called a human." Quiet murmurs spread out through the assembly at the princesses' announcement. The princess continued. He is from a faraway land and he is my friend. As such he is under the protection of the Crowns. No harm is to come to him! He is to be welcomed with open hooves. This is the will of myself and my sister and as such is beyond contestation!" All present bowed their heads at the night princesses' words. "Guards."
"Yes my princess." the door guards at the end of the hall said as they both snapped to attention. "Please escort my friend to the royal dining hall and see that he is well taken care of. After which see to it that he is escorted around the Night Kingdom, that he may learn of us and from us." Then turning to Alex she spoke in a calm voice. "Alex, go with these guards, I am betting you are a little hungry after our journey. I have some matters to attend to here for a while. I will find you once I am finished here."
Alex bowed respectfully and spoke. "I serve at the pleasure of the Moon and the Sun." As he walked down from the thrones and to the other end of the throne room. The assembled ponies' eyes followed him out as the doors closed with a low rumble that echoed throughout the hall. The princess was caught off guard a little but managed to keep her composure. Those present were stunned that a foreign creature would show such respect to their princess. -*-
"This way sir." One of the vampony guards gestured.
Alexs head was, once again, on a swivel, taking in the sights. The night realm castle was lit up by flaming braziers along the hallways and corridors. Along the walls there were paintings tapestries, and portraits of Princess Luna, Celestia, and various famous batponies and events from their history. One painting caught his eye in particular and he stopped in front of it. His escorts halted when they didn't hear his footsteps behind them. They turned to look at their guest to see him carefully observing the painting before them. Each came back to stand on either side of him and also looked at the painting before them.
"This painting depicts the battle between the two sisters long ago and the banishment of our beloved night princess and her one thousand year slumber." One of the guards spoke with reverence. "We have been very happy that she has come back to us since then and that the two sisters have mended their differences between them."
"I am familiar with the story." Alex said. Both guards looked at Alex with a surprised expression on their faces. How is it you know of out princess' history? I thought you were new to our land?"
"It's a long story. Something I will let Princess Luna tell as it is her right should she feel so inclined." Alex replied.
"Say no more. We understand sir." And with that they dropped the subject. "Follow us please. Let get you something to eat."
"Thank you good sirs. Please lead on." He said with a smile.
It wasn't too much further and soon all three arrived at the royal dining hall. Upon entering, Alex found a seat and soon a waitress emerged from the kitchen. What may I get you, OH! Who is this?" she suddenly said in shocked surprise as she spied Alex sitting quietly in his chair.
"This is a guest of the princess. He is here for some food. Treat him well. After he is done, please inform us and we will escort him back to the throne room One Wing."
Suddenly one of the guards let out a yawn.
"Isnt it past your shifts now?" One Wing asked with a bit of concern.
"It is but we are under orders."
"Oh pish posh. You two look as if you are both about to fall over from exhaustion. Off to bed with you both. I will see to it personally that he is safe and sound and that he gets back to the princess in good order." The guards tried to protest but One Wing would have none of it. "Come now. Off to bed with you both or you won't get your favorite food tomorrow evening!" And with that she shooed them out of the room. Once the door had closed she turned around and approached Alex, then asked. "Now what can I get you to eat?" She said while licking her lips and giving Alex a somewhat seductive look and fanged smile. |
Get Him 3 | Chapter:35 One Wing | One Wing
Alex looked at the mare in stunned silence. Something about her had caught his eye although he couldn't put his finger on it. She was pretty. Supermodel pretty. Well, whatever constituted pretty to another pony he guessed. He then realized that he was staring at her and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry." He said while averting his eyes. I didn't mean to....It's just that this is all new to me. Where I come from is quite different from here.
"It's quite alright good sir. Now what can I get you to eat?"
"Um... Do you bat ponies eat meat?" Alex asked.
"Fruits, vegatables, and yes meat too. Why do you ask?"
"I can eat those same things as well. Could I have some steak and eggs? I mean if it isn't too much trouble...?"
"You eat meat too? That is very interesting! Yes, I'll get right on it sir. To which she promptly returned to the kitchen and got to work.
In no time at all she came out pushing food trolley with his meal and set it out before Alex.
Alexs stomach growled in anticipation. "Here you are good sir. Eat up!" and Alex did just that. It smelled heavenly and the taste was better than anything he had had before. One wing just sat opposite of him and watched him devour his meal with a smile on her face. It didn't take long for him to finish his meal. Once finished he wiped his mouth with a silk napkin and set it on the table.
"One Wing? That was some of the best food I have ever tasted!" Alex exclaimed. Please thank whoever the chef was for me if you will?
"Your welcome!" was her reply. Her green cat like eyes shining brightly with happiness.
"That was you?!"
"Sure was. A craftspony is always happy to know her work is appreciated." she said with a toothy smile.
"Come now. Let's hear a story. Tell me about yourself. I have never seen a creature like you before. What exactly are you?" She asked while putting her elbows on the table and resting her head on her hooves.
"Well, to begin with, my name is Alexander but you can call me Alex for short and I am what's called a human"
"And I am Midnight Rose. But you can call me One Wing if you want." She said happily. Then she stopped for a moment. "Human? Human you say? I have heard of a human before but they don't exist. They only exist in mythology and pony fairytales! Are you sure you are a human?" Alex chuckled good naturedly at the bat ponys enthusiasm. "Have been one all my life and last time I checked I still was. Also you wanna hear something really funny?"
"Sure! What is it?" Said the bat pony.
"Where I come from you don't exist either. You are a myth and a fairytale among my people."
"WHAT!!" The bat pony exclaimed!
"It's true. Where I come from, which is a very long ways away from here, you don't exist. You. Batponies, unicorns, pegasi, even alicorns. Oh and the animals can't talk. We do have earth ponies but they can't talk either. Humans are the only sentient creatures. And we don't have any magic. It doesn't exist where I'm from." Then Alex paused. "Wait, I thought your name was One Wing. If Midnight Rose is your real name, then why do they call you One Wing?" Alex asked with curiosity.
Midnight Rose let out a sigh and looked down to her left and raised her wing. It looked normal to Alex. Then she looked to her right and raised her right wing and Alex was stunned. Her right wing looked fine except that the wing bones looked normal and strong, but the leathery membrane was missing in between them. Alex could only stare in shock. "Where...What...Happened?" He asked.
"It happened long ago when I was a little filly." She said. There was an accident and it tore my wing to the point that the membrane in between couldn't be repaired by the doctors. They tried, but it was no use." So now you can see why they call me "One Wing." She said with forced cheerfulness.
"I am soooo sorry!" Alex exclaimed. "I didn't know. I didn't mean to..."
"Tut tut tut. Don't you worry about it my dear?" She said with a wave of her hoof. "Think nothing of it. It happened a long time ago. But enough about me. I want to know all about you! Come on. My shift has ended so let's go for a walk." She said. Her cheerfulness coming back more genuine this time.
And so it began.
Alex told her everything that he thought she should know while omitting details like the Human Hunt. Princess Luna, he thought, had been trying really hard to make amends for her part in it all, even going so far as to let him ride on her back like a common mare and true to his word, didn't want her to face any problems or repercussions from her subjects for doing so.
As they continued their conversation, they wandered around the castle. Midnight Rose was a good guide and seemed to know her way around as she led Alex through one corridor and down another. Finally they arrived at a balcony with a picturesque view. Rose reared up and placed her front hooves on the railing and the two of them looked over the town.
It was a surreal sight. Most of the buildings had a medieval flair to them and well maintained. It was a reminder to Alex of simpler times in his own worlds history. All the night ponies below went about their daily (nightly?) tasks of shopping, working, and conversing with one another while others were flying to and fro busy going about their night. Night guards either walked or flew about doing their appointed tasks and keeping its citizens safe. "Beautiful sight isn't it." Rose said.
"Yes it is." Alex agreed.
"I come up here sometimes because it's the highest point one can go to look over the town." A bat pony flew past them and waved. Alex and Rose both waved back and Alex noticed that her wings twitched as though she wanted to take to the night skies herself and join them. The twitch was not lost on him and suddenly an idea started to form. He then mentally filed it away for future possibilities. She let out a heavy sigh and said. "Come on dear, let's go down to the town and I'll show you around a bit. It's almost time for Princess Lunas Night Court to end.
"Ok. Sounds fun." Alex said with a smile. "I'd like that."
Midnight Rose hopped down on all fours again and looking back at Alex said, "Alright come along. This way." She said looking back over her withers. Alex followed the bat pony without question through the hallways and corridors passing guards and night watch personnel as the changing of the guard took place till finally they walked out of the main entrance to the castle. From there, she led him out into the town proper and off down the cobbled road.
The town was bustling with activity. There were stores of every kind that the bat ponies would need. Vendors waved to the two of them as they passed by. Llittle ones ran to and fro or flew about playing games with each other. "It looks much different down here than from up on the castles balcony. Doesn't it?" Rose said.
"Yes, it does." Alex agreed as they continued to meander around. Their path led to them to the waters edge of the great underground lake and waterfall and Alex marveled at its beauty and power as it fell through a hole in the ceiling of the cave. He picked up a flat smooth stone and flung it out over the water. Midnight Rose was astonished when it landed on the water and proceeded to skip across its surface about six or seven times.
"How did you do that?" Rose asked in surprise.
What? Skipping rocks? He looked at her. "Like this." He picked up another flat-ish rock and repeated the process with much the same results.
"That's amazing!" she said excitedly. "Teach me how!"
"I don't know if that's possible." He replied. "No hands." He said while showing her his hand and wiggling his fingers.
"I can do it with my good wing! Show me!"
"Well, ok. If you think you can do it..." He said as he picked up a rock that he thought would work and handed it to her. She took it in her wing and flung it like a catapult to which there was an expected "PLOP" in the water.
"No. Not like that. Try throwing it more sideways and give it a spin. You don't want to throw it in the water. You want to lay it out on the surface of the water with a spin and it'll work." Alex handed her another rock and watched as she, once again, took it in her good wing and flung it as hard as she could following his directions. To her joy and his astonishment, the rock proceeded to land on the surface of the water and skip a total of seven times before sinking into the depths.
"I DID IT! I DID IT! I DID IT!" She said excitedly as she jumped up and down.
"Good job! I'm impressed!" Alex responded while picking up another rock.
"Thanks! I had a good teacher." She said with a smile. Alex then flung his rock out over the surface and then winced in pain crying "OW!"
"What happened?" the bat pony asked with concern.
Naw, nothing really. There was a sharp edge on that rock and it just cut me a little bit" Alex said while closing his hand into a fist.
"Let me see." Rose said in a professional manner. Alex opened his hand and showed her his palm. A thin sliver of red began to show itself slowly.
"NO! NO! NO! This is bad as she began to back away while shaking her head then sitting on her haunches and holding her nose with her fore hooves.
"Rose its nothing really."
"No. You don't understand! The smell of blood! It has an effect on us! We're VAMPONIES! We like the taste of blood!"
"What? You are a vampony too?" Alex said with growing concern.
"Yes! I am! We can eat other foods but we drink blood also! We love the taste of blood and I can smell y-yours. It is unlike anything I have s-smelled before. Quick! Wash your hand in the water NOW! It will attract others if you dont!"
Alex did as he was told quickly and then let his hand air dry. He could tell that there was a change coming over Midnight Rose as her eyes began to dilate and take on a feral look. "Rose slowly began to walk towards Alex. It was like she was under a spell. "Rose! ROSE! Alex yelled and he took a fearful step back as he bent down and splashed a handful of water in her face. The sound of his voice and the coldness of the water seemed to break the spell. She shook the water from her face and looked up at Alex. "I-I'm sorry." she said sullenly. "Please don't hate me. I-I didn't mean to..."
"Midnight! Stop. Its ok. It's ok. Everything is fine. And no, I don't hate you. You are still my friend. As a matter of fact. You're my first vampony... uh... bat pony friend I've made!"
"Really?"
"Yes. Really." Alex said with a smile. He then reached over and gave her a scratch behind her ear. Midnight Roses cat like eyes grew wide and then she got a dreamy look on her face. "Mmmmmmm." She purred. "That feels good." She said with a goofy grin on her muzzle. Alex stopped his ministrations and the vampony opened her eyes. She gave herself a shake all over and looked at her new friend. "That was nice. Are you sure you humans don't have any magic?"
Alex smiled. "Nope."
They both chuckled a little and then "One Wing" said, "Well, come on. It would be wise to leave here now. Just in case others picked up on the scent of your blood. I would feel horribly responsible if anything happened to you. Night Court should be almost over. Princess Luna will be wondering where you are. Let's get you back to her shall we?"
"I agree. We better get going."
As both human and vampony headed back down the path towards Lunas castle, they passed three vamponies headed in the opposite direction. They nodded politely to each other as the trio headed towards the lake. Alex looked over his shoulder and noticed that said trio were sniffing the air as they got closer to the waters edge.
Midnight Rose had been right. |
Get Him 3 | Chapter 36: Return Flight | Return Flight
Alex was deep in thought. It was getting near morning as Luna flew them both home to Canterlot Castle. His trust in the lunar princess had grown some since the journey to the Night Realm. He thought that the kingdom of the bat ponies was a stark contrast to the daytime of Princess Celestia and her pegasi guard. What Midnight Rose had quietly whispered in his ear when they were parting ways had caused an eerie shiver to run down his spine but he knew she was just messing with him. At least he hoped so and that despite him accidentally cutting his hand a little when he was teaching her how to skip rocks. He appreciated her sense of humor and the fact that despite his wound and the smell of blood, she was able to control herself after he splashed water in her face and that she was able to keep him protected. Luna still had the wards and protections over Alex in place so she was aware at all times of his safety. Had any of her night subjects tried anything to harm him she would have been at his side in a flash! Literally!
As they continued their return flight home, Princess Luna once again felt that same feeling as before as Alex sat comfortably upon her back. Luna found she was loving this new feeling more and more and secretly looked forward to doing this with him once again.
"Alex? You are very quiet this night. Art thou feeling well?" Her concern with him being so quiet had caused her to inadvertently revert back to the old tongue again.
It was a moment or two before he answered. "Wa, Huh? Or sorry princess. I mean Luna Ok, I was just thinking." Princess Luna rolled her eyes and looked back at Alex then stuck out her tongue at him, with a smile. He had gotten her a second time with that same pun. She briefly thought of scaring him gently while they were in flight but quickly squashed that idea, due to the fact that she didn't want to damage or destroy what little trust she had been able to build with him, so as much as she wanted to she let his gentile ribbing slide.
"What were you thinking about if I may ask?"
"Nothing really important." He began. "Just kind of a review of my life and how I got to this point. I do that sometimes."
"Please continue." Princess Luna gently prodded. Hoping to gain a little more insight into her passenger.
"Well, first, how I got here and the whole magic thing I mean MAGIC! REAL HONEST TO GOODNESS MAGIC!! As I told you and Princess Celestia, magic doesn't exist in my world. It's the stuff of fantasy. You and your sisters very existence, along with all your subjects and whatever other creatures that live here don't exist in my world, but here you all are in real life. You have incredible powers and could easily delete me with a thought and here I am riding on your back like I would a common steed in my world. We do have ancient stories and legends about you in my culture which has gotten me to wonder where exactly DID these stories come from?"
"You have ponies in your world? Luna queried. Her interest piqued.
"We do. Both horses and ponies. Horses are bigger and more powerful strength wise than ponies but no pegasi or unicorns. We do have what you call earth ponies but none of them can talk or are sentient."
"Interesting!" Luna responded. "We have ponies here as you well know but no horses. The term "Horse" is considered rather derogatory here and is an insult!"
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Not in my world! Horses are considered noble creatures and have been the companions and helpers for humankind for thousands of years.
"Interesting."
"There is a legend among my people that the gods took the East wind and gave it form to help mankind. The form was that of the horse. We even refer to the strength of our machinery in terms of horsepower. The symbol of the horse has been used as a trademark for various companies and manufactures and aristocratic families. Even the names of horse breeds we have used to name some things that we have used throughout history."
Princess Luna found herself listening with great interest. "What are some of the things named after equines in your world?" Luna asked.
"Well." Alex thought. "Just a few that I know of just off the top of my head is a weapon that was called the Colt Peacemaker, there is a car, which is like a motorized carriage that is called a Mustang. There was also a warplane that was called by the same name."
"What is a "Warplane?" Luna asked.
It's a flying machine that humans built out of metal and was used in aerial combat about 80 years ago during the second great world war. It was a very horrible time in our world's history. But that is a story for another time, and not a very pleasant one either."
"War is not unknown to our world as well and you are right. It's not a very pleasant subject." Luna agreed. Wanting to change the subject to something a little more pleasant.
"Alex, if I may ask... "I serve at the pleasure of the moon and sun?" You are not one of our subjects. Why did you say that back at my night court?
"Well, I got to thinking that it might be a good thing to show others that I may not be a pony, but if I showed the same kind of respect, it might maybe put your subjects that were present at ease a bit since they had never seen anything like me before and so might have been fearful. I came up with what I said at the spur of the moment. Now I think that word will spread throughout your kingdom there about me and the proper respect I showed" Then under his breath he mumbled, "that and not being eaten!. I would have said the same thing to your sister except I would have said "Sun and Moon for her day court."
"Alex, you wouldn't have been eaten by my bat ponies." Luna said with a smirk. "I would have not allowed it and it was very thoughtful of you thinking on my behalf. Thank you."
"You heard that?" Alex said in surprise.
"Yes Alex. I did."
"Stupid pony hearing superpower." Alex grumbled folding his arms in a huff to which Luna giggled at his behavior.
"Princess Luna? How much longer till we are at your castle?"
"Not much longer. Why do you ask?" His question saddened her a little bit and she internally sighed. He was still thinking that the castle was their home and not his too.
"Was just wondering." He replied with a yawn.
"Tell me about the legends you have in your world about us." Luna queried trying to keep him awake a bit longer but Alex once again fell silent. She looked over her shoulder to be greeted with the sight of Alexs head drooping down at the same time she felt him start to slide off her back. Luna immediately ignited her horn and righted him back upon her back. She smiled to herself as Alex quietly snored. It had been a long night and he had been over stimulated this night and was completely worn out. She had learned much about him during their trek to and from her Night Kingdom. Her smile grew just a bit more when she thought about the possibility that he might have even made a friend or two while there. Then her smile faded a bit as her conscience, once again, got the better of her remembering how she had torn him from his home and world, how she wanted to turn him to stone, Chasing him. Hunting him. She let out a heavy sigh and shook her head. "NO! She thought. I won't think like that." She liked Alex. He was a gentle soul and had a kind heart. How could she have been so unkind to him upon his arrival? She knew that she and her sister had really screwed up and that she had to make things right with him however long it took she thought as she vowed to redouble her efforts in this endeavor.
As the castle approached, she veered a little to the left towards the balcony that went to her room. She gently alighted on to its marble flooring again carefully transitioning from flight to ground with hardly a bump.
At first she thought of allowing Alex to sleep in her own bed but thought that might not be a good thing when he awakened. Next was to teleport to his room but she realized that humans aren't used to teleportation and it might startle him out of his sleep. Once again she looked back to the slumbering human still upon her back. His head was now resting upon her neck and mane and with a smile she would take a third option... To extend this experience a little longer and continue to carry him carefully to his room upon her back.
It was only a short walk to Alexs room, by pony standards, as she walked carefully down the marbled halls to his room. The bat pony guards posted outside the door snapped to attention as she approached carrying the slumbering human. Lunas horn began to glow its familiar blue and the door opened. She entered and when straight to Alexs bed then carefully levitated his sleeping form from her back into the air. Another small spark of magic and his day clothes became his sleepwear to which she lowered him into his bed. Alex stirred a little and rolled into a semi fetal position and began to gently snore. She thought he looked so cute as he lay there. She used her magic to pull the blankets over him making sure he was warm. Her final act was to smooth his hair from his face and plant a gentile kiss on his forehead. "Sleep dear Alex. Heed no nightly noise. Sleep till mornings light. And with that she quietly walked out of his room closing the door behind her. -*-
"Luna, how was your night?" Celestia asked her younger sister. "And where is Alex?"
"Oh dear sister!" Princess Luna replied excitedly. "It was a most wondrous night indeed!" The Night Princess replied excitedly. "And our dear human Alex is currently asleep in his chambers if you must know."
Celestia had not seen her younger sister this happy since, well if she was being honest with herself, she couldn't really remember the last time.
"Indeed dear sister do tell! What has you so giddy this fine morning?"
Luna got an evil yet playful gleam in her eye. She recognized that she had an opportunity to tease her older sibling a little and this was just too good to pass up.
"Oh nothing too terribly important really. I just experienced something last night with Alex that I have not ever experienced before." Luna said as she turned away nonchalantly and headed towards the exit of the royal dining hall with a smirk on her muzzle.
Celestia fell for it hook line and sinker as Luna knew she would. She just couldn't stand not knowing a good and juicy bit of royal gossip especially if it was coming from her sister!
"Well, what was it?" Celestia asked excitedly.
"Sister, it has been a long night and I am very weary from the evening's events. Allow me my royal rest and I shall perhaps regale you with my wondrous happenings when I awake this evening." To which she let out a long and very fake yawn afterwards.
As Luna made her way to the dining halls doors, a golden glow formed around her and she felt herself being levitated back into her sisters presence.
"ENOUGH TEASING SISTER!... SPILL!" Celestia cried as she pressed her muzzle against Lunas with a mock look of anger on her face. Luna knew her sister was just dying inside to know what happened between herself and Alex last night. "What... Happened?!"
"I took him to meet the denizens of the Night Realm last night." Luna said.
"The Night Realm? Really? That's wonderful Luna! How did it go?" The white princess asked.
"It went well sister. He was well received by my children of the night. I think he may have even made a friend or two as well, while we were there."
"That is indeed wonderful news Luna! I am so happy to hear that he seems to be warming up to us ponies!"
"I wouldn't go quite that far sister. But I do believe it is a good start." She replied.
Then something occurred to Celestia. "Wait, Luna. If I remember correctly that mountain is many hooves away from here."
"That it is." The Night Princess replied. "That it is."
"That is a very long distance to teleport to with somepony Luna, even for us! It could have been very dangerous!"
"We didn't teleport dear sister."
"Then how did you..."
"I carried him." Luna said with a smile while holding up her hoof and inspecting it rather nonchalantly.
"Carried him? How?"
"On my back."
"Oh. That makes sense. That would be a.....Wait. You let him RIDE on you?!" Celestia said with a shocked voice. "...As in RIDE ride?" Eyes wide in disbelief!
"Yes, it is true dear Celestia, I asked him to ride on me and with a little convincing he agreed. Apparently equines on his world, while not sentient like us, are ridden for fun and sport. At least that is what he told me."
Princess Celestia just stared at her sister in disbelief. Her jaw hanging open. Such a thing had never before been heard of in all the history of their kingdom!
The Day Princess was utterly speechless! It was at this moment, the dam broke and Luna began to regale Celestia with all the events that had happened the previous night. How it had felt to have the human ride on her back in the throne room, how he had trusted her with his very life, how he was more concerned about what their subjects might think of her and her station rather than his own safety, how it felt as though she had found something that had been missing from her life all this time, and how she felt that she willingly wanted to obey her rider yet protect him at all costs no matter what. "Sister. It was indescribable! All of it! I would do it again in a heartbeat if he but asked me to! The only way you could possibly understand how this all felt is if you were to experience it yourself! It was absolutely AMAZING!!" She said excitedly.
Still in shock with her mouth slightly ajar, Celestia was still trying to process what her sister had just described to her.
Then suddenly Celestia noticed that her sisters' head had dropped and that she had gone silent as if deep in thought. "Luna, what is it?"
"I don't know sister. He is also hiding his feelings. There is something on his mind, something he doesn't want to reveal just yet. I cant quite put my hoof on it. Its just a feeling I have." Then she suddenly changed the subject.
"Celestia, what of our project? How goes out project?" |
Get Him 3 | Chapter 37: The Contest | The Contest
It was taking quite some time but Alex was getting pretty much used to his new life in Equestria. The princesses seeing to whatever it was that he needed. He still hadn't been introduced to the general population just yet. The princesses had been very careful to keep him carefully within the confines of the castle so as not to create any kind of a panic. He was right in telling them his concerns about their subjects panicking about his presence. They had been introducing him to the castle guard and staff to get them used to his presence there. That is not to say that he was confined to always being indoors. Both princesses had given him free run of the royal gardens so that he could still get some sunlight and to be able to enjoy Lunas nightly... handywork?... Hoofdiwork? Whatever... TALENT! Ah there we go!
The batponies in the Night Kingdom had accepted him well enough and the Palace guards and staff had grown rather fond of the human. They never grew tired of the stories from his world. The guard allowed, with the princesses permission, Alex to use their training facilities and grounds to keep in shape and to teach him their ways of fighting and defending the castle. Captain Skyfire was always present and close by his side encouraging him and pushing the young man to do better. The one wing Pegasus was always happy to see the human and had made it his personal goal to help Alex reach his physical and mental best as Alex had requested of him. All while under the watchful eyes of the princesses in general and Princess Luna in particular.
It pleased the captain how his friend had seemed to come to trust ponies, just a bit more. On the downside, however, he could still sense Alexs lingering apprehension over his mistreatment by said ponies.
But as always, there was at least one pony who would eventually challenge Alex in a contest of some sort, thinking that they were superior, due to the fact that they had four legs to his two. It was only just a matter of time.
Word had circulated around the guard about his living in the Everfree Forest for all those years and his fight with the Diamond Dogs and how many he had personally taken out in battle. Of course, the number had continued to grow with each retelling of the tale as the story was told and retold by others over time.
On this particular day, Alex was challenged by a young raw recruit earth pony. That was shortly followed by a Pegasus mare and a unicorn stallion also eager to make a name for themselves out of Alexs hide.
"Very well." Alex said with a sigh. "I accept."
"Alex, no. You don't have to do this!" Skyfire said with concern. "I can put an end to it right now."
"Sky, no. I have to do this. It would be inevitable that something like this would eventually come." Alex replied. "I have to, somehow, put this to rest once and for all. If you keep running interference for me, it will make me look weak and what's worse, you."
"Alex, you know I don't care about that!"
"I know you don't care Sky, but I DO!"
Captain Skyfire let out a long sigh. He liked this human and he knew Alex was right.
"Ok buddy. But just know that if I feel things are getting out of hoof that I will stop it immediately. Is that understood?" Skyfire spoke with authority.
"Agreed." Alex responded. "And Sky?"
"Yes?"
"I had to take on all the Elements of Harmony and the two princesses and I managed to evade them all, I think I'll be ok. Besides, you have to take into consideration, all these contests are for you ponies, not for humans. I'll do my best." Alex said with a smile. And with that Alex walked out onto the field to meet his first opponent. "Ready to lose human?"
"Yes."
OPPONENT 1
Opponent one was a tan-ish brown earth pony stallion with a blonde mane. He was somewhat burley and eager to prove himself. "I'm Thunder Kick." The stallion said with an aire of arrogance. Alex approached his opponent not showing any signs of fear or apprehension. "You'll soon see why."
"First contest is Rock Put." Skyfire announced. "The farthest rock wins! Human goes first!"
Alex walked up to the boulders that were on the field. Alex walked up to the smallest one. It looked like it might weigh about 250 lbs. Alex reached around the stone as best as he could and just barely was able to get a grip on its surface. The pony trainees and soldiers watching cheered Alex on. Alex planted his feet solidly on the ground and began to lift. The stone came away from the ground easier than he had expected and he hoisted it up to his shoulder. Then with all his might he threw the boulder as far as he could Olympic shot-put style. The rock sailed through the air and landed with a thump about 8 feet away creating a dent in the ground where it landed.
The crowd laughed and jeered while some covered their eyes in shame and shook their heads on Alexs behalf.
Thunder Kick walked up to his throwing stone and trotted around it with a haughty type of dance whereupon he turned around and with not much effort he used his right hind leg to effortlessly kick his throwing stone about 15 feet thus winning the contest. Thunder Kick sat on his haunches and clasped his forehooves together as the crowd cheered him on. Alex walked over to the stallion and stuck out his hand to congratulate his opponent on his victory. "Good kick! I think you'll be going far here!" The stallion looked at the humans' outstretched hand and placed his fetlock in the offered appendage with a smirk on his face. "Congratulations are in order I guess." Alex said politely with a smile on his face.
"It was no contest as far as I am conserAAAAAAAAA!" The instant Alex took hold of the blond ponys forehoof He felt what he could only describe as a "blue strength" surge through his muscles as he threw the pony one handed thirty feet or so down the pitch to which he landed in a small haystack and cloud of dust.
"WOAH!" the crowd said in unison and fell silent at the display that had just taken place. Alex walked over to the side of Captain Skyfire and folded his hands behind his back. Skyfire looked up at the human with his jaw hanging open. "A bug is going to fly in your mouth again Sky." Alex said with a little half smile.
There was an audible "CLOP" as he shut his mouth.
"HOW?" The captain asked in shock. "I told you captain. I'm a human not a pony. Your training is for you ponies. Your hindquarters are the strongest point on your bodies. Our strength is in our upper bodies."
"I'm going to be rethinking some of our training curriculum I think." The captain said as he noted it down on his clipboard.
"Hey Sky? Could you find me a tube about as long as my arm and about the inner diameter of a green pea? Oh and also some dried peas or beans that can fit inside?"
"Yeah I think I could. Why?"
"I have a feeling it'll come in handy against that pegasus mare. She can fly. I can't. I need to level the playing field if I am even going to have a chance."
Skyfire signaled to one of the guards ponies who trotted over and saluted the one wing pegasus. The captain gave the necessary orders to the guard concerning Alexs request whereupon said guard saluted one more time and ran off to fulfill his orders. While waiting for the guard to return (blondie) came back from his haystack landing past the captain and Alex with his head hanging low.
"You ok there? I didn't hurt you did I?"
The stallion looked up at the human. "Yeah, I'm ok. Wasn't expecting that!" the stallion said.
"Don't feel bad cadet." The captain said. "LEARN from it! ALWAYS expect the unexpected!"
"Yes sir!" The cadet said as he saluted his instructor and went back to his seat next to the other two trainees.
Contest 2
The cream colored Pegasus came up next. "Name cadet?" the captain asked in an authoritative tone.
"Misty Cloud Sir!" She said with a salute.
"Cadet Cloud. Let me see what you can do" Pointing at an obstacle course that seemed designed for those who could fly.
"Yes sir!" To which she immediately took off and began to fly through the obstacle course. During the course of her run, the guard that had been sent to acquire a long tube and some dried peas arrived with said materials.
"Sir." The guard said with a salute and retreated to his assigned post.
The little contest was beginning to draw a small crowd of onlookers.
"Cadet, return!" the captain barked, to which Misty Cloud promptly did, landing at attention while saluting Captain Skyfire. "Are you ready cadet?"
"Sir yes sir!"
"Alex are you ready?"
"Sir yes sir!" Giving the captain a human version of a pony salute.
"Cadet! To the skies!" To which Misty followed her orders pulling her flight goggles over her eyes.
"Alex, what are you doing?" Alex was trying to jump up in the air trying to get airborne. The now larger crowd giggled and snickered at the humans antics.
"Following orders as best as I can sir!" Alex shouted with a teasing smile on his face.
Skyfire just rolled his eyes. "Alex stop. You look like an idiot!" The captain said slightly exasperated.
Captain Skyfire then shouted. "BEGIN!"
The airborne Pegasus had been watching Alexs antics and laugh to herself. "This is gonna be easy." She thought as she dove straight at Alex.
Alex stood still in the combat field looking at the winged pony as she dove right at him. When he thought she was close enough, he calmly put a handful of peas in his mouth and then took aim at the diving pegasus mare with the tube.
Misty Cloud didn't know what happened. One moment she was about to tackle the human at high speed, and the next there was a green hailstorm coming up at her. The well-aimed peas bounced off the leading edges of her wings and her goggles protected her eyes but her muzzle was left without protection. The velocity of the peas being shot up at her and the speed with which she was coming down produced a nasty sting on her muzzle and the edges of her wings.
Alex continued to pelt her with the dried peas and just at the last moment stepped aside as the flying mare pulled up just in time to hit the ground and Wylie Coyote roll along the pitch a dozen yards or so. Dirt and feathers flew everywhere in the air in the tumbling ponys wake.
Alex strode to the downed pegasus mare picking up a length of rope along the way.
Walking up to her he checked to see if she was alright at the same time he began to tie her legs and wings together while she was still dazed and confused.
Misty Cloud shook the stars from her vision and then looked up at Alex who was still standing there beside her with his hands behind his back.
"You alright?" Alex asked.
"Yeah. We pegasi are tougher than we look." She then said as she tried to stand. She couldn't stand and quickly while struggling suddenly realized she had been hogtied. "Wha..? What happened?" as she looked around.
"Congratulations. You are now a prisoner of war." Alex said as he looked down at the fallen pegasi." ....Or supper." Alex smiled showing his small canines. The pupils of Misty Sky shrunk to pinpricks at his comment. Alex then bent down and untied her freeing her wings and hooves allowing her to stand albeit a bit wobbly." Thinking you are superior to others is a sure way to get yourself and your teammates killed or captured." He spoke. "Think on this." As she continued to stare at Alex with her jaw hanging open and the look of shock on her face. "Return to your teammates." To which she promptly followed his order.
"Alex, you really scare me sometimes. You know that if you get hurt, the princesses are going to take my other wing, right?"
"Relax Sky. They won't do anything to you. I'm still more terrified of them than you are, remember? Besides you are a decorated veteran. They won't do anything to you. Let's get number 3 dealt with, shall we?
Contest 3
"CADET!" Captain Skyfire shouted out. "FRONT AND CENTER!"
"Sir yes sir!"
"Name?"
"Saphire Spirit sir." The unicorn stallion responded and saluted as he trotted up to his position.
Alex walked up alongside the unicorn.
"This is an endurance race. Go til you cant go any farther."
"3-2-1 BEGIN!"
Off the unicorn shot easily out pacing the human. The human starting off slower but steady and consistent. The unicorn passed Alex 2 times then 3 times. Alex just kept his continued pace. By this time the two contestants had drawn quite a crowd of military and staff ponies. The ponies cheered their own on as he pranced past Alex each time. Alex kept up his constant pace.
On and on the race continued until Alex noticed what he was looking for. The unicorn stallion was slowing down eventually as Alex caught up to him and passed. The unicorn had gone from a fast gallop to a canter, then a trot, then to a walk. It was easy to see that he was very tired and was just about to drop. Again, Alex passed his opponent and continued to keep his constant pace. Once again Alex passed the unicorn and this time for the last time. As he continued on, the unicorn was using the last of his remaining strength to crawl along the racetrack.
As the human rounded the last turn of the track, he reached out and grabbed a practice spear laying along the track and closed in on the exhausted unicorn stallion. The human caught up with the fallen unicorn and raised his spear high over his head as a primal yell left his throat!
"Alex! NO! DON'T DO IT!" Skyfire yelled while running towards his human friend! All the ponies that had been watching the days events unfold, gasped in shock while others in the stands covered their eyes in anticipation. The unicorn, in fear for his life and pupils as small as pinpricks, raised his forehooves over his eyes, tried vainly to use his magic to erect a protective barrier but failed to do so as the spear came down and lodged itself in the ground next to his head.
You could hear a collective sigh of relief from all present when it was discovered that there wasn't a dead pony recruit laying on the track.
Captain Skyfire slowed his pace to a trot as he came up alongside Alex who was still breathing heavily (although less so since they had stopped) and looked at the prone unicorn then back at Alex.
"My ancestors, from ancient times, used a similar weapon for hunting and for protection. Although our prey might be fleet of foot, sooner or later they would have to stop and rest. We humans would continue to track our prey even while it rested. The one thing we all have in common as a species.... No matter how bad or dark the situation is, we humans NEVER, and I repeat, NEVER give up." He stated. He then looked to the other recruits and in a loud voice so all present could hear. "We aren't as strong as you earth ponies. We can fly but not under our own power like you pegasi. We have NO magic like you unicorns. We have had to learn to adapt rapidly to any and all changing situations. If we do not, we die!" He then reached down offering his hand to the unicorn stallion. With a little hesitation the unicorn took the offered appendage and stood up Alex helping him to his hooves. The unicorn took two steps and fell again to the ground grabbing his right hind leg and gritting his teeth. "AARRGG!" The stallion groaned. "Alex crouched down on his knees in concern. "Whats wrong!" He asked worriedly. "Charlie Horse!" He said through gritted teeth. Alex looked at the downed unicorn stallion with a raised eyebrow. Inside he was trying, really hard, not to laugh at the absurdity of it all. "Ok. Come on. Helping the fallen pony to his hooves once again.
Alex then positioned himself on the unicorns' right side. "Lean against me. Stay off that leg. Let's get you to the infirmary and get some ice on that."
The unicorn looked at Alex in disbelief. And did as the human had requested and the two hobbled to the barracks infirmary. "...That's another thing about us humans." Alex said as they went along. "We will always protect our own..." He smiled. "...to the death."
Captain Skyfire shook his head in amazement and pride as the two walked to the infirmary. Slowly and gradually there began to be the sound of stomping hooves getting louder and louder. Those present had heard what Alex had said to the injured unicorn. There was much, MUCH more to learn about this human and his ways.
Above it all, in the castle looking out over the grounds, two princesses looked down on the training field with pride at Alex as he helped their injured subject to the medical ward.
> Chapter 38: Time Spent With the Sun
Time Spent with the Sun
The following day after the events that took place on the Royal Training Grounds, Celestia decided to spend a little one on one time with Alex. Up to this point she had kind of been keeping her distance and letting Luna, Captain Skyfire, and the guards escort him around the castle. She still didn't feel it was quite yet time to introduce him to the Canterlot populace just yet but she felt that the time was drawing near. She had listen to her Day Guards and Lunas Night Guards talk amongst themselves about the human and how fascinating his stories about his homeland were. The fact that his people didn't have any kind of magic and yet were able to build such a huge and powerful civilization was so fascinating as to be almost beyond belief.
But that was not why she had been keeping her distance.
She had been deeply troubled over his view and fear of her being so powerful that she could easily end his life if he did anything wrong. Add to that the fact that his nightmares of her invading his world and killing his people indiscriminately had troubled her soul yet deeper still. In all her time as princess, she had never known that she could be so intimidating, nay, so terrifying! It had affected her to her very core and she felt that now was the time to at least try to put things right between them and to rest if possible.
Alex showed up in the throne room as he was bidden, at Celestias request, with his personal escorts at his side. "Guards, you may leave us." She ordered. She saw the apprehension in Alexs eyes for a brief moment as he looked to the guards. One of them also seeing this quietly whispered to him. "Don't worry Alex. Everything will be fine. We got your back." To which the two guards both saluted their princess and promptly turned around and left.
"You summoned me your highness?" Alex formally spoke and bowed.
Celestia, looking all regal, looked down upon him from her royal throne. Suddenly she let out a heavy sigh as her head sank and eyes closed. Alex was stunned as she seemed to appear to age right in front of his very eyes. "Is there something the matter princess?" Concern in his voice. He still might be a little frightened of her and her power, but it didn't stop him from at least being a little bit concerned. "How may I be of service? I'm not in any trouble am I?" She could sense his growing fear.
"Alex, please just call me Celestia. When we are in public, you can call me by my title if you want, but in private, like we are now, there is no need to be so formal. Celestia will suffice and no, you are not in any kind of trouble. She replied.
"Then why am I here?"
Celestia rose from her throne and descended from the raised dais that her and her sisters thrones sat. Alex was somewhat nervous as she approached but tried his best not to show it.
"If you would, please walk with me." She said as she passed by. Her ever flowing tail gently wrapping around his opposite shoulder and turning him to face the same way.
Princess Celestia was again silent as she walked down the halls of the palace. Alex at her side and flanked by two solar guards once they has exited through the throne room doors. Alex, not knowing if he should say anything or not, continued to walk beside her with his hands in his pockets as he casually looked around the walls and ceiling albeit he was also subtly side eyeing the princess to try to get a feeling as to what she might be thinking. He noticed that she seemed to be lost deep in thought as they came to a glass door with what appeared to be a solid gold frame. The doors magically opened when Alex noticed a golden aura surround them and the same soft golden low emanating from the princesses horn.
Alex took in the sight that lay before him. He had been around the castle for some time now but had never seen this place before. It was a beautiful sight!
"What is this place?" giving voice to his thoughts. "It's beautiful!"
"This is the private garden of the royal sisters." She said as she spread a wing and fanned it in a panoramic sweep. "You might view it as our sanctuary for when I and my sister need to get away from the daily grind of ruling. We come here to find peace and solitude. A respite from out daily duties and to just be ponies. To just be ourselves."
"I can see that." Alex answered. "It must be hard doing the job you have. It never occurred to me that despite the vast power you and Luna have, that you might need a break every once in a while."
"Indeed it is." She replied as they walked further into the garden.
Celestia looked up at the noon day sky and let out a heavy sigh as she dropped her head. Alex, ever alert, picked up on this and asked her if everything was ok.
Celestia was going to say she was but then suddenly said "No. No Alex. I am not fine. I have been deeply troubled for some time now." She said with a hint of sorrow in her voice. You may have noticed that I haven't been around you much for a while now."
"Yes I have. I just figured that you were just very busy with your job and all."
"Yes and no." She replied. After that she was silent for a bit longer as they walked along the gardens winding path. Alex took this time to admire his surroundings. The royal gardens had beautiful flowers and blooms everywhere. Alex ran his hand along a flower bush and savored the softness on the petals as he walked past them while at the same time taking in the lush greenery and the birds and squirrels he saw running and flying about the garden. Princess Celestia suddenly turned to her left and continued to walk off the path. Alex followed her off the path as well and marveled at how soft the grass felt even through his shoes.
Celestia suddenly spoke. "Alex, I need to tell you something." She had been trying to come up with a way to talk to him about her feelings, about his nightmares and the one about her in particular.
"Yes princess? What is it?"
"As you know, my sister has the ability to see into our subjects dreams."
"Yes. She came to me in disguise and tried to help me with them. She was very kind and I called her Sarah which means princess in my world. I suspected it was her because I could smell the scent of lavender, even in my dreams... I like her." Celestia smiled at that. It warmed her heart if only a little that things seemed to be getting better. Then her face became more somber once again.
"I have seen the dream you had of me. Luna showed it to me."
"Oh."
Alex bit his lower lip. She looked at him with tear filled eyes. "Now, please understand that I am not angry. In fact... I am ashamed that you came to see me as so threatening, so unforgiving. That to think that I would be so cruel and heartless as to kill your people so indiscriminately. Perhaps some of our problems could have been avoided if you had seen me as somepony you could trust instead of such a threat."
"I was unable understand you then, Princess. After Luna and I talked a few nights ago... maybe I now can see and understand a little bit better." "Still... I'm sorry for all that happened. I never wanted to..."
She shook her head. "You have nothing to apologize for Alex. We've all made mistakes, suffered from misunderstandings. Me most of all. I believe there is much we could all learn from what's happened, to make ourselves better creatures... and that's a far better result than some others that could have come about. Still, I want to apologize for my mistreatment of you and I just have to ask if there is anything I can do to allay your fears of me and to perhaps in time gain your trust as well." As she turned her head away from him.
Here she was. The ruler of a vast kingdom. Seemingly humbled because of her misdeeds towards him.
Alex fell silent for a moment. Celestia turned to look back at him as he looked at the grass deep in thought. Then he looked at her with a determined gleam in his eye. Then he spoke.
"Princess. Lay down. Please." |
Rise of the fallen | pre | He sighed, "It is a big deal. What is something broke and it fell on you? Then what would you have done?!?"
She hung her head in shame. Richard groaned. He had always had a soft spot for the women, weather pony or human.
"I am sorry but you cant do this kind of stuff out here. This isn't like Ponyville. Things here arnt as inviting as they seem. So watch your step. Everything extremely dangerous and you could have gotten hurt. With help a mile back that way... Agh! I just wouldn't have been able to live with myself." he sighed and returned to hitching the conveyer machine behind the traction engine.
The pin dropped in and he then checked every bearing and smooth running surface for wearing. Noticing that it had gone with out oiling for some time he grabbed the little can from the engine and oiled every part, moving or not.
Twilight just watched the man work. She had never seen anypony fuss over one piece of equipment for so long in her entire life. It made her ever curious. Richard called for her to climb back onto the engine and with that the tractor groaned into motion with the contraption and its accompanying trailer clattering along behind it. The only thing weird was that nothing was moving, well except for the wheels. The chain of buckets hung lifelessly a few inches above the dry ground when she thought they should be moving. The axles were solid as far as she knew. There were a few levers on the machine that she hadn't ventured to move or even touch for that matter.
"Alright Twi. Here is where you get to see some real human engineering." Said Richard with a massive shit-eating-grin on his face
Leaning back over the contraption he grabbed a rope and pulled it hard. With a snap and a smash the heavy scrapper head hit the ground, making the chains clatter together. It scared the mare to the point of backing into the hot firebox door behind her. She pulled forward fast enough so that her flank didn't get burned to a crisp against the hot door. Richard just laughed, hard, at the pony which she glared at him for but he still went right on laughing. After he recovered from his fit of laughter he grabbed yet another rope, but when he pulled it only snapping sound was made... Nothing clattered or went bang, much to the astonishment of Twilight.
"What did that do?" she asked
"Its what we call a clutch. You noticed that the buckets wern't moving when we were right?" she nodded
"Well it engages teeth on a drum on the wheels. Now when we move this time you'll hear another click when it locks into place." he replied
After adjusting his leather gloves he grabbed the throttle and opened it slowly. Steam rushed forth from the boiler and into the valve chamber, forcing the piston back with 100 psi of pressure. The engine shot black smoke out the stack with a loud bark as it lumbered into motion. With a metallic snap the clutches engaged and the chains and buckets rattled into motion, gathering up rock, dirt and gravely as it slowly sunk into the ground. The soil advanced up the angled conveyer and dumped into the waiting wagon at the rear.
Again Twilight was amazed that all of this stuff worked! How they did this with out any magic she will never know. Yet somehow they managed to survive harsh conditions and wars that would have brought Equestria to in knees, without the service of magic. The humans were surly remarkable creatures that astonished any living being but themselves. They had a machine for just about everything! Even to talk to each other over a long distance! Since the ponies had taken over though they had lost most of the accomplishments to the sands of time. Much to the disappointment to the young unicorn.
It still made her gaze at the steam powered beasts they used in wonderment. If these were considered old tech to them... what was new!?!?!?
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The traction engine clattered into camp at half past 9 with a full wagon of gravel trailing behind it. Once the engine had been parked under a hastily built shelter Richard pulled a lever that dropped the fire and ashes to the ground beneath it.
The pair jumped off the machine with sleepy legs and eyes. They walked to the bunkhouse without dinner and fell into their respective beds and fell asleep almost instantaneously. |
Rise of the fallen | Chapter 6: Of brass and iron | When steam was king people stood in awe of its power and sheer size. Now is a completely different story...
I speak for the machines that built this country for they will be back to aid us in our time of need, relinquishing the past in favor of the future...
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The shrill whistle howled in the morning air. Waking all the sleeping crews and making them rise from there slumber with groans and sighs. Slowly but surely the camp awakened and turned a whirling mass of bodies as they went back and forth from the showers and the rough sawn wooden mess hall. If you could see this in person you would have thought it was a ghost town by night and a huge city by day. One by one humans and ponies alike filed into the light wooden coaches coupled behind the Jupiter. The ever vigilant engineer saw that the crews had taken their respective seats and with another blast of the single chime whistle he tugged the throttle open, spewing wood smoke and steam into the morning air, powering down the line towards their tracks terminating end.
Twilight had been up for the past 4 hours helping Richard steam the massive blue steam engine. It was slow work that was for sure. She was tired but sat in the fireman's seat with confident smile on her face. At the present time, the ends of the tracks were a little over 4 miles ahead. With a wicked smile Rich flung open the brass throttle and let all the steam from the boiler flow endlessly into the pounding pistons. Gaining speed steadily with each cracking report of the labored exhaust they arrived in mere minutes. With a hiss the air brakes came on and the train came to a screeching halt 10 feet behind the construction train.
Richard let out a satisfied chuckle; His reflexes were still tuned to this kind of stuff. He sat there waiting for the human and pony brigades to disembark so he could back the train down the line to Lazarus to gather much needed supplies. After 5 minutes the train was completely empty. seeing the clear opportunity he pulled the reverser all the way back and started the lumbering beast backwards to uncouple from its train at the spot which was aptly named Gladstone for its conveniently located gravel pits which had been worked by Twilight and Richard the day before. Slowly the engine and its track clacked down the hastily laid track, rocking back and forth all the way.
The young engineer grabbed hold of the brake handle and pulled it into the application position and stopped the train on a short siding that was built only a few days ago. Richard hopped out of the wooden cab and made his way to the rear of the engine to unlock the knuckle couplers on the engines tender and the first car on the train. With a clunk the massive fists opened, relinquishing their grasp on each other. He didn't even bother to unhook the air lines, and just climbed back into the roomy cab.
The engine slowly pulled forward before the air hose came apart with a snapping whoosh. These couplings were meant to do this so he didn't worry. The air pumps thumped along, making up for the lost pressure as the engine maneuvered over 2 switches and coupled to a waiting train of 5 boxcars. With a solid clunk the couplers locked and the engine and train were now one. He asked the young pony to go connect the air hoses as she had seen him do in the morning when he had coupled the Jupiter onto the passenger coaches.
With a gleeful smile the mare jumped down with enthusiasm, Richard had no idea why, and proceeded to let the air flow through the entire train. It took the unicorn 10 minutes to figure out how to connect the 2 hoses. Once she did that she just appeared in the cab with a flash of purple light, scaring the shit out of Richard...
"WHAT THE HELL TWI!!!!" He yelled, flailing his arms about
"What? I figured this would be easier then climbing up here myself." she stated
Richard just glared at the young pony, "At least warn me when your gonna do that next time."
"Don't worry, I won't." she replied with a smile
Richard just shook his head and grabbed the whistle cord, without letting the mare know. It scared her nearly out of her own skin. She turned her head towards the laughing human and rolled her eyes; "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." She muttered
"Hey twi. Could you pull on that rope above your head please?" asked Richard, pointing to the braided rope
Complying she surrounded the rope in her magic and gave it a good yank. Attached to the other end of the rope was the brass bell which clanged in delight at its first ringing in 2000 years. Once the pony got the rhythm down it clanged nonstop until Richard was forced to tell her to stop. He shook his head and opened the throttle slightly. Seeing an error, he quickly pulled a lever on the floor that released a whooshing sound that was near in sync with the exhaust beats of the locomotive.
After a few revolutions of the massive red driving wheels he pushed the lever closed with his foot, silencing the sound. He opened the firebox door and tossed in 5 chunks of wood before closing the gate to the mini hell.
It was 10 miles to Lazarus and the engineer was going to use every inch of it to let the lumbering behemoth stretch her legs in an all out run. With a wicked smile he glanced at the unsuspecting mare who returned the look with confusion. Jerking open the throttle the drivers spun wildly as they fought for grip on the cold steel rails. Slowly the engine regained its grip and chugged backward, advancing in the direction of the small city. With another pulled of the whistle it let out a wild shriek as the blue locomotive charged down the line at 40 miles per hour.
With a grin the engineer motioned for Twilight to look at a gauge bolted to the middle of the back head. With only a glance her jaw hit the floor. She had only seen pegasi move at speeds this great. Slowly the speeds built up the the point where it was traveling at 50 mph; an astonishing speed for something so large and heavy.
"What makes it able to travel at such speeds?" asked the quizzical pony
"Remember what I told you yesterday?" he replied
"There are no gears on this engine though..." she pointed out
"That's true, but the same thing applies here." He took a quick glance behind him before continuing, "The rods are bolted to the driving wheels at a point where it can travel at these speeds but have a good amount of power as well. Say if the rods were 3 inches lower from center on the wheels it would go slower but have a great amount of power. But if the rods are closer to center it would go faster but have an extremely hard time pulling anything at all."
"I guess I can see how it works." she said, placing a hoof to her chin in thought
"I was taught how to understand it, not how to teach It." he said with a smile
He turned around to see the first of the outlying buildings of the expanding town. Turning serious he grasped the shiny brake handle and swung it into emergency. With a sharp hiss the brakes clamped down, hard, on every axle of the train. Somehow, some way, the train ground to a halt a scant foot before the end of the tracks. He wiped the sweat from his brow with his arm before replacing his Stetson. With a slight laugh at his luck he leaped to the ground and walked to the storehouse were the supplies, such as apples (of course), meat (we needed protein), and the rest of the food stuffs were kept. He lifted the heavy cast iron latch and pulled the heavy oak door open. Inside were mounds of produce that could feed an army for a while year, it had to. At least until the crops came in.
With a groan at the task ahead he started the arduous work of transferring the food from the storehouse into the boxcars. Before he reached the location of the first crate it was surrounded in a purple aura and slid into the air with ease. Twirling around he found a smiling Twilight with her horn shining with the very same color aura. They worked for hours, loading crate after crate into the wooden boxcars. It was slow and tiring work but by 3:00 PM most of the food had been moved. Throughout the work Richard had kept the fire hot but not hot enough to make too much steam and send it out the safety valve.
"Time to go back..." Richard said flatly
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"When I asked you if I could help you I did not mean like this..." growled the grease covered unicorn, trying to wipe the grease and grim from her face
He laughed, "Well, this is how you maintain a locomotive like this Twi; though it doesn't help when you trip and have all the grease and oil drop on your head."
Twilight threw the soiled rag at the laughing human but he dodged it. He went about greasing and oiling ever joint and pivot on the massive locomotive like he was tending to a newborn child. Grabbing the oil can he proceeded to fill the little reservoirs that sat atop the piston rods. Finishing the oiling process he grabbed little white sticks of solid grease. He motioned for the unicorn to grab the little bundles of fat and had her follow him to the first of the giant red driving wheels.
Pointing to what looked like a screw above the main crank pivot he said, "This is where the grease sticks go." He pulled a wrench out of his pocket and undid the little bolt, "Now all you have to do is mash the grease in and replace the bolt." He then placed the stick in the hole and mashed it down as hard as he could. Placing the bolt back, he threaded it down a little before cranking down on it with the wrench. He repeated the process for each of the wheels until grease had squeezed out around every pivot.
Glancing at his watch after the maintenance he realized that it was 6:00, quitting time for the crew. Climbing into the wooden came of the hissing locomotive he grabbed the whistle cord and let out 2 long blasts, signaling for the crew to get back to the train before it left in 10 minutes. As time slide past the men and ponies filed back to the trains and one by one boarded. Like clockwork, 10 minutes passed and the labored chugging and clanging of the brass bell echoed across the flat landscape. The Jupiter powered backwards down the line with the twilight sun glinting off its polished brass that adorned its massive girth.
"I have a friend that would think this machine is truly beautiful." Stated Twilight, gazing at the sheer beauty of the beast
"She isn't the only one." Richard pointed out with a smirk while he looked over his shoulder at the rising silhouettes of the camp. "Some people could never grasp just how beautiful these machines were. They didn't when the humans ruled at least." he sighed
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The next day was nearly exactly like the first except for the fact that the rails had reached a point were they couldn't go without help. Upon seeing this, the leviathan had been pulled back to camp with its train of flatcars yesterday before Richard hit the sack. Steaming silently, it sat directly between the Jupiter's passenger train to the right of it and the string of boxcars to the left. With a roar the safety valve popped open and spat searing hot steam into the air. It was restless after sitting for the past few days and wanted to move out. Richard had been known to talk to his machines for some odd reason but no one ever questioned it.
Walking up to the red giant he spoke, "I know you're angry at me for not usin ya for the past few days, but you'll be able to stretch your legs today."
Twilight had spoken with Richard earlier that day and said she was needed back home. She wanted to stay and see if she could learn more from the weird human but she could hardly understand any of it. Before leaping into the cab she asked for several locomotive mechanics book.
"All right... So you want mechanics books? Why?" asked the quizzical engineer with a look of confusion
"I guess I want to learn as much as I can about these machines." said the studious unicorn
Rolling his eyes he replied, "Still don't understand but you can have them if you want. I got copies in storage. Your gonna have to wait till we get back to Lazarus before you get them though."
She shook her head, "I don't mind."
(A little video for your viewing pleasure :Leviathan and no, this has nothing to do with the story.)
Feeling time was of the essence the young engineer started the empty train backwards towards its destination. Traveling at 30 miles per hour for the duration of the trip they quickly found themselves among the hustle and bustle of the small wooden city. It looked very much like your average western town that you would see in a Clint Eastwood or John Wayne movie. Most of the buildings were of the false front verity that was incredibly simple but exponentially strong. Richards engineering mind kicked in and it was like X-ray vision; he could see the skeleton of the buildings around him. Mentally flicking a switch in his head he turned to the pony and said Goodbye, after giving her the books of course.
Once Twilight left on the pony train he walked to the spindly construct at the edge of town. The rails needed to cross a deep creek and to do that they needed lumber, and lots of it. Luckily Richard had seen this coming and had a saw mill delivered via rail over a month ago. Somehow it had been thrown together in a matter of days, much to the satisfaction of the engineer. The only problem was... they didn't have a way to run it. The mill needed to be belted to something in order to get the circular blade spinning at the right RPMs but that wouldn't happen. Not with the Traction engine in Gladstone anyhow. The problem was puzzling to the engineer but he knew there was a way to get it to work. He was trained to do this stuff after all. Slowly he scrolled through a list in his mind of the supplies still in the Storehouse. There was the 8 barrels of fuel left and the engines from the military vehicles. His eyes widened at the realization. He could weld together a frame for the engine and somehow bolt a pulley to the flywheel.
'Hmm... Yes! That will work!' he thought and ran into the empty storehouse with the plans in his mind...
The hours ticked by as the bright lights of an arc welder flashed from the double doors while Richard cobbled together something that would work. Piece by piece it came together and soon it was ready for the 6.5 liter V8 engine. Sadly it was fuel injected which meant it needed electrical power in order to run. Rich wasn't an electrician, even though he was everything else, so he asked one of the maintenance crews to build a wiring harness for the saw mill's power plant. With the engine hoist positioned over the V8 the man pumped the hand operated lift cylinder and the engine slowly took to the air. It swung from side to side as he pushed it over to the stand and lowered the heavy engine into its new home. A few bolts later and it was ready, ready for more work anyway. |
Rise of the fallen | Chapter 7: MINNESOTA BOUND! | Iron ore is something that every country needs, but few actually have strikes within their borders. Equestria is one such country. They relied on dealing with the diamond dogs for the iron they had but soon relations grew hot and the connection was severed. That was 100 years ago and nothing has been done to help the situation since. The solution was to evict the beasts, which would be a job for the remains of the US army. While the railroad pushed through Iowa unicorn ponies were busy with their human mechanics trying to convert the gas guzzling vehicles to magic power. A tough task to say the least.
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Back in Lazarus, the machines or war were being taken apart for refitting.
"Up just a bit further." said a young man, motioning for the engine hoist to pull up a few more inches
With a grating sound the heavy V8 engine tore free of the ancient Humvee and swung lazily from the chain it was suspended from. It was a turbo diesel. It would be set aside for some other project once they had the means to drill for oil or something like that. The helicopters on the other hand were being ripped apart piece by piece. The jet engines had already been torn out the day before in preparation. Un-needed electrical parts lay strewn about the complex and an organized chaos fashion. Separate piles for different things with different uses.
"Hey boss! You think we need this here temp gauge anymore?" asked a greasy mechanic from inside the cockpit of the heli
"I don't think its unnecessary but I suppose we should keep it just in case. Throw it in the misc pile." ordered the head engineer. He turned around to consult with his unicorn counterpart,
"OK Mr. Spark. So tell me, what do we need for all this stuff to work?"
"Lots of magic and lots of gems." stated the blue, stocky unicorn stallion
The engineer went wide-eyed and asked, "You mean diamonds, rubies and stuff like that?"
Spark looked at him with a smile and said, "Yep!"
"You know how hard it is to get those things in North America?!?!?! Those were all IMPORTED!!!" shouted the irate engineer
"Calm down Jack! It isnt even that hard to get them, hell their scattered all over the place in abundance!" said Spark
"What do you mean you crazy pony?" asked a quizzical Jack, still slightly angry at all the wasted hard work
"I could go outside and dig some up with a shovel."
"They take MILLIONS of years to form! I can take the magic thing but diamonds everywhere? Cant happen." stated jack, crossing his arms and looking at all of his men tearing into the equipment
With a determined look on his face the pony stood up and cantered out the nearby service door. After finding a shovel he lit up his horn with a spell. With a grin spread across his muzzle he walked forward to a glowing chunk of earth and released the spell. Grabbing his shovel, he dug a foot down before the iron tip connected with something that was, indeed, much harder then the tool. A strenuous grunt later a floating clutch of about 5 diamonds, 6 sapphires, and 8 fire rubies floated alongside the stallion. He walked through the door and dropped the gems in front of a now extremely surprised human.
"Told you." stated Spark before sitting down with a satisfied smile
The astonished engineer stared at the pile of priceless rocks for a minute before snapping out of his stupor, "Ha.. how... how did you FIND all of these?"
"Right out there." said Spark, pointing to the said location
Jack blinked his eyes a few times before turning back to the progress of the other equipment. Without turning his head Jack asked, "So when is all of this going to be done?"
Putting a hoof to his chin the unicorn took a moment to run some numbers. After about a minute he threw out a rough number, "I would have to say... about one to two weeks."
"Hmm, I have learned to not ask questions. Especially if it concerns ponies." said the engineer with a chuckle
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Smoke drifted across the open plains of Iowa, 5 miles from the boarders of Minnesota. Every crew member was extremely nervous. Hostile territory was close. They could smell it. Every inch that the rails pushed forward was another inch closer to conflict, a conflict that no one wanted to see. Sentries stood at the corners of the camp with their assault rifles, primed and ready for action. Each man wore his military issued ACU clothing, covered form head to toe in camo. The rest of the crews worked tirelessly on the railroad.
Richard was currently sitting in a tent waiting for something to happen, something exciting. Though he was sure it wouldn't come for a few days he took it upon himself to plot the rest of the route. At this time the head was just outside what used to be Fort Dodge. The next leg of the trackage would take them to Humboldt Iowa, a scant 30 miles straight north. If the crews kept up their 10 mile a day pace they would be there in 3 days time. In the past month the railroad had progressed greatly. 269 miles lay between Fort Dodge and Lazarus. A good many miles that could be traveled in only a day. In that time Richard had instructed rookie firemen/fireponies and engineers on how to fire and control one of the precious iron steeds.
He took great pride in his teachings and soon there was a couple towns along the line that were serviced daily by a mixed freight headed by the Wood fired Inyo. The train consisted of 4 boxcars and as many passenger coaches. All of this was held together by the settler ponies that in fact payed to ride the train to the new towns. Farms began to be built by the ponies and ranches started by the humans. Sure the little 'test tube' cattle had yet to mature but the fact still remained that once they were fully grown there would have to be a place to keep them. All of this happened in only ONE month. True expansion if I do say so myself.
Sitting back in his make-shift chair, Richard collected his thoughts. Closing his eyes he decided to take a quick cat nap. Everything was going according to plan. After only a moments rest a loud shriek of the damn inyo's whistle snapped him out of his sleeping state. Grumbling, the engineer threw on his duster and his Stetson before storming out of the tent with an angry look on his face. The Inyo had been sent back an hour ago. What was it doing back.
Walking up to the hissing locomotive he climbed into the cab and confronted the sooty engineer and firepony.
"What are you two doing back so early?" he asked sternly
"I hate to say it but the tracks have been torn up." stated the clam engineer
With a look of shock Richard responded, "What do you mean 'torn up'?"
Crossing his arms in front of him the human leaned against the cab side, "I mean just that. The rails were ripped right out of the ties. Looked like a bunch of paw prints scattered around it of all things."
"I was afraid of this." sighed Richard
"Afraid of what?" questioned the brown firepony who stopped midthrow of chucking a log into the fire
"Diamond dogs." stated the young mechanic.
The log hit the floor while the pony stood wide-eyed in shock, "DIAMOND DOGS!?!?!?"
"Calm down Ash. We'll keep you safe." said the stoic engineer with a down motion of his hand
"These are Diamond dog Dave! They could kill us all in ONE SWIPE!!" retorted Ash
"We got a few things they don't." Said Richard with a grin
"Oh ya? And whats that?" asked the pony
"Guns and explosives." replied Richard with a smirk
Ash raised an eyebrow, "Your gonna blast them out?"
"Maybe, we aren't really sure what we need to do yet, but if they continue to sabotage our line we will have to take 'action'." said Rich with 'air quotes', "but ya, that's the idea."
"Can't argue with that logic." said Dave with a mischievousness grin as he turned back to the locomotives back head
"Well, you ARE the man in charge so its your decision." commented Ash with a roll of his eyes and picked the log up off the floor and chucked it in the fire
"I need to catch a ride back with ya guys. First things first though. We need to fix the tracks and I am guessing we need new rails, right?" asked Richard
"Yep, the gone and bent them around the trees." said Dave with chuckle
"Huh, sounds like what the rebels did in the Civil War." replied Richard
"What's the 'Civil War'?" asked Ash with a questioning look
"That is something I will not tell you about. Look in one of the Libraries back in Lazarus. Tons of books on it." stated the young historian/engineer
Richard leaned out the cab and called out, "LENNY!! DANIAL!! WE NEED ABOUT 4 RAILS AND A SPIKE MAUL!!"
"YES SIR!!" Yelled 2 burly men in the track gang
They broke off of the mass of moving bodies and headed for the equally crowded stack of rails. These men walked around all buff and tough but they were the nicest guy you could ever meet. Hell, sometimes you would even see them having tea with the mares!! They were that well mannered and civil. Surprised the hell outta me the first time I seen it.
Each man took one end of a rail and heaved it into the air with a grunt. After a few minutes they quickly loaded 4 into an empty boxcar. With that through they threw in some complementary spikes and last but not least, the maul itself. A wave of hands later and a hoot of the whistle the train was backing down to a small why track to turn around. Once that was done Dave threw open the throttle and the 2150 year old locomotive lurched forward. Loosing grip for a moment the wheels quickly regained it and it chugged loudly out of camp with the wooden cars clacking on the rail joints.
A full hour passed before the train reached the torn up section. Richard jumped out and walked to the coaches to let the occupants know of the delay and that it would be over shortly. He shut the coach door and leaped off the vestibule (the platform at the ends of the cars). With a chuckle he asked Dave and Ash to come help him with the repairs. Dave climbed into the boxcar and dragged the rail out far enough for Ash to position himself under one end and Dave on the other. Rich took his position in the middle and they slowly moved the heavy rail over to the bad section.
"How did those two do this all by themselves?" asked the pony as he panted from the exertion
"I may know allot of things but that aint one of them." Replied Richard with a slight smirk, he wiped his brow with his Stetson and retreated back the boxcar with his makeshift team in tow
One by one the rails were brought over and hammered into place. An hour after beginning the process they had finished and were on their way. Taking the time, Richard clambered over the wood in the tender, over the boxcar roofs and into the lead passenger coach. With a sigh he sat down in the plush seat. Leaning back, he covered his eyes with his hat and drifted off to sleep
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Sorry for the long wait guys. Been struggling with writers block, but I have some through with something. And as mentioned in the chapter there WILL be explosives used! |
Rise of the fallen | Chapter 8: surprises and planning | Richard stood before his good friend, the president. Something was on the young engineer's mind, but Tyler could not quite place it. When Rich wanted to hide his feels or intended purpose he could put forth an awesome poker face.
A minuted went by before the impatient official finally asked, "What are you doing here Richard?"
"Well, seems we have run into some 'difficulties' in construction." answered Rich
Tyler was growing frustrated, "And what might that be?" he asked, rapping his fingers on the desk top
"The diamond dogs." he replied, "They ripped up a small portion of the tracks 30 miles from Fort Dodge. Gone and wrapped the rails around the damn trees!"
Tyler was now extremely interested. The fate of his new country rested in the hands of his crazy friend and his railroad. Without the steel and iron the country would surely die. "What do you propose we do about it?" he asked
"Explosives are always the answer young Tyler. I wanted to ask your permission before I blew them sky high!" said Richard excitedly. He has always liked TNT and everything of the sort.
"Did you try diplomacy first?" responded the president
Rich shrugged, "They attacked us first Ty. Nothing I can do about it."
"We should ask the Princesses about this 'plan' of yours before its acted upon. They might not like it." commented Tyler
With a straight face Richard responded, "You do what you think is best Sir."
"You bet I will. I will send a courier pony tomorrow with a message. For now you can go relieve Jack Mallard. He is currently head of our refitting effort." said Tyler, waving his friend out
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Richard slowly walked through the steadily growing city with hast. His first stop was a recently built garage on the north side of town. Every once and a while some random pony of human alike would wave in his direction. He really wasnt used to the recognition but nervously waved back. A few minuted passed before Richard finally made it to the garage. It looked HUGE from the outside. He guessed it was taking over for the underground storage house. The building was built like the normal pole barn using rough cut 4x4 pieces of timber and hand hued log siding. Measuring out to be about 100x100 feet, it massive for a pole barn which was normally longer then it was wide. The large sliding doors were currently open, exposing the hustle and bustle of humans and ponies who feverously worked away at the human equipment. The bright flash of arc welders nearly blinding anyone walking through the building. He noticed 2 beings, a pony and a human, standing next to one of the helicopters undergoing refitting for what was to come.
As far as Richard could tell, these two were the leaders of the effort and soon decided that talking to them was the best idea at the present time. With a slight air of authority he walked over to Jack.
"Well, it seems that the job has been going smoothly?" said Richard, sneaking up on the unsuspecting pair.
They both jumped around, charged for an assault that wouldn't be coming anytime soon. They glared at the laughing cowboy wannabe for a few moments before collecting themselves and standing straight and throwing piercing stares at the still laughing human. The looked like twins, meaning as alike as things from two different species could get.
"And just who might you me?" asked Jack, raising an eyebrow
"I have to ask the same thing." commented the blue unicorn stallion
"I am pleasantly surprised to find 2 'beings' that don't know who I am." Rich extended a hand, "I am Richard Mattson, chief engineer here in Lazarus."
Jack immediately got a huge grin on his face. Almost like he was meeting royalty. He enthusiastically grabbed the offered hand a shook it. "It is a PLEASURE to meet such an iconic man in our, less then good, situation!"
"It is nice to meet you Mr. Mattson. Though I am sorry, but I still haven't the slightest idea as to what you do here." said the Unicorn
Jack facepalmed, "How can you be here and NOT know about him?" he exclaimed, "He is just the guy, you know, that guy that is SAVING ALL OUR ASSES!"
"Now I wouldn't go that far but that's the gist of it, yeah." said Richard, with stupid grin
The offending unicorn turned up his nose, like he was trying to look DOWN on the 6 foot tall human in front of him, and walked away. Jack grew angry and ran after Spark.
"Well that was stupid." muttered Richard, dragging a hand down his face in frustration. Today was going about as smoothly as the rock mountains. He now had to wait for a letter from the princesses before he could 'deal' with the offenders to the north. As he stood around the building he got whispers of some great beast to the north. Everyone/everypony said they called it the 'sun eater' what ever that meant. But the moment that said something about gold Richard was all over it. He ran up to a group of 3 ponies and a human and asked various questions about what was going on to the north. They all just said something was eating ponies and that was it.
If you haven't been able to tell by now, Richard is a frontier man. There are 3 things that utterly fascinate the young man. one is mechanics in general, two is mining and the 3rd is the well know trains disease. All of those can go hand in hand with each other any way you think of it. After thinking about the next big thing he could bring about, he decided a walk was necessary to clear his mind. He walked out of the large building and into the waning sunlight and stared at the growing city. It had expanded a lot since he was last down here. There was now a saloon, filled with drunk ponies and men alike. Richards inner party-er took over and drove him to the beer hall. The iconic butterfly doors were hinged to the sides of the doorway, much to the marryment of the wannabe cowboy. With a massive smile plastered to his face he walked bow legged through the doors and mock spit into the spittoon to the right of the door. After he let his laughter die down he noticed no one in the building had noticed his natural stupidity.
He threw his hands out in front of him in disbelief, "Come on! That was funny!" Everything stayed eerily quiet for a saloon.
Grumbling, the engineer sat down on a stool bolted to the floor in front of a bar and asked for a shot of whiskey. The bar keeper brought over the bottle and a small shot glass. The man filled the cup and was about to take the bottle back when Richard told him to leave it. The bar keep shrugged his shoulders and moved on to the next drunk down the bar. It wasnt long before Richard was stumbling around the building hitting on every female around. Yes that did include some ponies.
Everyone he tried his 'magic' on laughed at his drunken manner before telling him to go home, to bed. After a few more tries he decided it was a good idea and trudged towards his house. Before he made it further then the couch he was out cold on the floor. Leaving the door open.
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The next morning, birds were chirping, and a small breeze blew through the dusty town, taking up dirt and sand from the streets. Near the entrance to the large, concrete government building sat a gold carriage, with gold clad guards hitched to the front. Back at the log house, Richard woke up with a pounding headache. The moment he opened his eyes he was staring into purple orbs of Princess Celestia. He jumped back a few inches.
"WHAT THE HELL!?!?!" he yelled
The face of a white pony, clad in gold, barged in and glared at him, "HOW DARE YOU YELL AT THE PRINCESS!"
"Seeing as this is MY house! I am in charge! And I would like your regal monarch to speak for herself before you try and spit out something." Richard spat back, rubbing the sleep from his tired eyes. He walked to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and some left over fried chicken from the ice box before returning to the living room. With a mouth full of food he looked at the ponies in front of him. They were all staring at him in shock.
"What?" asked a confused Richard
The appalled princess pointed a hoof at the offending meal, "Your eating meat!"
"Ya? so what?" he replied, spitting chunks of flesh and meat out of his mouth as he spoke, "I don't judge you because you eat hay."
The princess thought about it for a moment, "I suppose your right. But next time, please don't eat it in front of us." She sat down on the dusty couch next to Richard.
Rich shrugged his shoulders, "I guess I can handle that. Now on to the elephant in the room, why are you here?"
"Your president notified me that you wanted to 'blow the diamond dogs sky high'," She glared at him, "Didn't my sister tell you to try diplomacy first?"
The human waved a hand in the air, "Yes she did. But they attacked us first. Well, not really ATTACK us but destroyed our hard work which I had to fix."
"You should still try diplomacy." replied the white Alicorn, "The Diamond dogs were hard to deal with all those years ago and they are even more so now. I have no idea how they govern themselves but you should still try to figure it out."
"Celestia, you forget I am an engineer! Not some political bush beater." declared Richard, crossing his arms in front of him
"Then should I have your dear friend Tyler deal with it?" asked Celestia with a wink
A wide grin spread across Rich's face, "I think that is a WONDERFUL idea!"
"Then I will be taking my leave. I hope to see you soon Mr. Mattson." With that, the regal pony strode out of the diminutive house, followed by her guards that glared at him with ill intent.
"I got guns ya know!" Richard called out with a smirk before slamming the door. Walking over to the table that sat in front of his tacky couch, he snatched up the meal and devoured it hastily. A few gulps and gasps of air later the water went streaming down into his gullet. After cleaning up his dishes and putting them away he walked to his bed room to take a LONG nap, which would hopefully dispel his hang over from the night before.
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A week had passed by while Tyler was sent off to the north my pegasus chariot to deal with the offending dogs. The moment he returned he threw up his hands, and much to joy of his young friend, shouted "I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!!! BLOW THEM UP!" and walked into his office and slammed the door.
The smile on Richards face would put every pony out there to shame. It couldn't be measured in mere inches. With a case of C4 and good old fashion dynamite, he boarded the next train and made his way to the end of the line. By the time he reached the end he was extremely tired, almost to the point of collapsing. His giddy jumping around in the baggage car had worn him out and the mail ponies had laughed their asses off at the childish human and the unicorn levitated him out and into the sleeping car. Since the train would stay in camp til tomorrow they decided to lite the pot bellied wood stove and leave the tired engineer for the night.
The next morning was a hectic one to say the least. Richard was busy preparing for his excursion to the Diamond Dog tunnels. He made sure to have the gangs supplies well stocked and his will written before he made the journey. To help with the burden of hauling the massive amounts explosives needed to infiltrate and expel the dogs a pony by the name of Rig was contracted to help. He was a heavy built Earth Pony, about the size of Big Macintosh, who knew how to rig anything to explode. Hence his name. He was dark grey in color with a black mane and tail. A fuse, or a white squiggly line, depending on your mindset, stood for his mark.
With a grunt, Richard lowered the heavy saddle bags onto Rig's back. They were filled with C4 and detonators. When they had infiltrated the lair of the dogs, they would locate the major load baring supports and strap c4 to them. Along with the tremendous power of the plastic explosives, they would add to it with about 5 sticks of dynamite. Richards motto was, "If its worth doing, its worth OVER doing!"
Once they were rigged for the biggest bang for their buck (hehe, explosive puns) they would quickly extract themselves from their location and get miles away before setting the bombs off with a remote detonator. After a few hours the crew of 2 were packed for the trek, 3 days, to where Tyler had said the main chamber was.
They started their journey at 10 AM. With a could grunts they strode out of camp, loaded down with explosives. They walked through thick brush and wide expansion of open fields. While the pony slept, Richard would go on a hunt for a rabbit or something small to feed his nearly bottomless gut. This sequence repeated itself 3 times before they arrived at their destination. The majority of the place was barren rock, the foliage long since burned or taken away by the greedy dogs. This was northern Minnesota at its finest. If you were to look on a map, the lair would reside in one of the numerous open pit mines that dotted the hills surrounding the shores of lake Superior.
"So whats the plan boss?" asked the pony with a questioning look
Richard took the opportunity to explain his incredibly detailed and well thought out plan to the demo expert to his right, "Well, we are going to blow it up!"
"Sounds like a plan to me!" exclaimed Rig, thumping a hoof to his chest |
Rise of the fallen | Chapter 9: Explosions applenty | Richard and Rig sat, hidden behind a pile of rock and dirt, looking over the milling pit of activity before them. There were hundreds of Diamond dogs scattered around the old mining site. The only was to describe an open pit mine, is a hole in the ground. A 2 foot wide spiral wound itself up from the floor of the hole all the way to the top. Thousands of years ago this would have been the road the HUGE mining trucks used to move the iron ore from its resting place at the bottom. Over the years the wind and rain had worn the rock ledge so much that is was only a few feet wide now, a foot path more or less. If you squinted enough you could see the extremely rusted hulks of steel that once were cranes, loaders, and dump trucks from yesteryear. You would have thought that the iron hungry Diamond dogs would have cut them to pieces by now right? Wrong. Everything about those machines was heavy. You needed a crane and a massive loader to change ONE tire. Just one. Richard just sat there with his thinking face plastered on. He was thinking of how to get their two clumsy hides into the fortified mine at the bottom.
Rich looked to his cohort, "Well Rig, you got any ideas?"
The pony put a hoof to his chin in thought, "Well, I say we try and use crates of old explosives to our advantage. There is one to the extreme right and one halfway up the side of the wall. You can use the bottom one to distract them and then set off the other, creating a rock slide and burying them all under it."
The human looked at the pony with an astonished look on his face, "I think your right." replied Richard as he started to feed cartridges into his Henry .44. As he fed the last one in he shouldered it and fired at a seemingly harmless crate of ancient Dynamite near the extreme right side of the mine. There was a second crate about halfway up the side of the pit, ready to be set off.
The dogs, frightened by the explosion, all ran towards the site. They all looked at the crater with confused looks on their faces, like they had ever seen a crate of TNT explode. Stupid dogs...
Richard took aim and again fired at the other crate. Over the years, the walls had become extremely unstable, making for the perfect chance to cause a rock slide. The explosion vibrated the wall enough to send a couple rocks down, but not the entire wall. The dogs looked around to see the source but came up with nothing and resorted back to the investigation.
Rigs face twisted in anger and was about to yell out before Richard stopped him, "Just wait for it..."
Rig looked at his boss and calmed down slightly. Just then the ground shook violently, causing the engineer to grin with satisfaction. Rocks and rubble started to fall from the side, crushing the unsuspecting dogs underneath. It was quite a sight to say the least. Boulders millions of years old tumbled down and smashed into a group of cowering miners and converted them into pancakes. Soon the once hundreds of dogs outside the mine had been turned into 3 lone wolfs, running for the mouth of the mine, their tails between their legs.
Seeing their chance,Richard and Rig took off down the slope towards the bottom. The human soon lost his footing and tumbled down, head over heels towards the hard bottom. His face slammed into the shale floor with a solid smack and just laid their, still as a rock. Rig galloped down after his boss and stared at the limp body before him.
"This cant be good." The pony muttered to himself, "Hey boss! wakey wakey!" he prodded the human with a hoof.
"Eh... 5 more minutes..." sighed Richard, batting the hoof away. Rig rolled his eyes and poked him again. "Ugh! Fine, Ill get up!"
The lumbering, and slightly confused, human stood up to his full height and glanced around. He found their pack of food stuffs and swung it over his shoulder, but something was missing.
"Where is it?" he asked Rig
The stallion looked at him, "Where is what?"
"The rifle." Richard said flatly
The pony pointed a grey hoof in the direction of said gun. The brass casing sparkled in the sunlight, indicating its location. With a huff of annoyance, Richard strode towards the rifle, snatched it up and swung it around his shoulder along with the pack. Nodding to Rig they made their way to the opening of the mine. Just as they got to the entrance they could hear howls and barks. They scampered into the mouth and hid behind a wooden pillar just as a brigade of dogs marched past them. The demo man and pony looked at each other and wiped the sweat from their brows in relief.
Now it was time to make their way to the main cavern, 100 feet below from what their sources told them. Slowly they moved from rock to rock and pillar to pillar, trying to keep out of sight of the extremely vigilant guard dogs scattered through out the mine. Most had weird metal helmets atop their heads, that covered their eyes for some odd reason. Richard looked at one for a few seconds before ducking back behind the rock.
"Rig, you think they got echo location somehow? You know, like bats?" inquired the engineer
Rig took the chance to take a look for himself and came back down with a 'thinking face' on. "You know, I think your right. Other wise they would just bump into each other. It could be because they are always down in these mines."
"So like termites. They cant see at all. In fact, I don't think they even have eyes anymore. The dogs up on the surface have eyes though, and don't wear the helmets."
"From what I can tell," Started the grey earth pony, "the ones up top are the managers. The ones down here are the grunt workers, never really getting out into the sun light."
"Little observations aside, I think the hall that that big one is guarding is the main hall to the cavern." observed Richard, pointing to the oil in the wall with dirt covered hands.
"Lead the way then." replied Rig
Richard grabbed a duffel bag from the pony's back and dug his hands inside. When he pulled them out a large cloth covered a long object. When it was unwrapped it was found to be a gun. But not just any gun, and tranquilizer gun, complete with elephant darts. Richard smirked at the confused earth pony. Rig thought it was a real gun, one that went BANG! when it was fired. The human opened the firing chamber and slid in a dart. He snapped it shut, shouldered it, aimed and fired in one smooth motion. It was near noiseless and the dog went down right when the dark hit. It rolled around on the rock floor for a few seconds before being knocked out cold by the tranquilizers that were injected in to its blood stream moments ago. The obstical taken out, the pair proceeded to their destination. 500 feet and a couple close calls later they walked out into the MASSIVE underground mine. It was nearly a half a mile across the bottom but as it went up it turned into a cone, making a rounded point at the top. Made up of about 100 floors, with Richard and Rig being on the 3rd from the top. Each floor had around 100 or so tunnels that had been drilled into the walls, excavating out as much rock and minerals as possible while still being structurally sound. Large lodge pole pine trees, debarked and nearly 8 feet across had been dropped in from the top to act as supports for the very top. With about 20 jutting up from the bottom, they shot up and were cabled to the roof. Their engineering was a wonderful sight to Richard, but sadly, it would all have to be ended if they were to achieve their goal.
"Woah..." was all Richard could say.
Rig just stared into the huge space between them and the floor below. Luckily the crew of demo beings had ended up on the 3rd floor, the floor were the poles came right up through the middle of the floor. It would be easy for them to blow the thing up.
Rig and Richard slowly made their way to the first pillar. They strapped the Dynamite and the C4 just above the floor and covered them up with dirt, not before inserting the detonator first though. These detonators were powerful transmitters that could beam through rock and dirt with very little power being used. Quite the innovative device it was. Made demolishing stuff easy to say the least.
it took about 2 hours to get the explosives strapped down and hidden and once it was done, the 2 infiltrators quickly fled the arena of pending destruction. They dodged guards and sentries, hid behind rocks and boulders. They did just about everything they could think of to keep just out of the dogs vision. It took them 2 MORE hours just to get to the rim of the old pit mine, Once there they hid behind a pile of over Burden and panted from the strenuous climb.
"Ready Rig?" sighed Richard, still trying to catch his breath
"Ready when you are Boss." replied the demo pony
The human reached into his pockets, looking for the detonator. He began to panic when it wasn't in his right front pants pocket. He frantically searched each and every pocket, sweating as he went. Rig noticed his companions panicking and chuckled, prodding him with a hoof.
"WHAT!?!?!" yelled Richard in frustration
"Ah, the detonator is still in the pack..." he said, pointing to the saddlebags
With a deadpanned face expression, Rich reached into the bag and pulled out the red button of death.
"Heh, here it is." he pointed to the button, getting a facehoof from Rig in return.
Richard just stared at the button in his hands.
"So you gonna just sit there and stare at it, or are ya gonna press the damn thing and get this over with?" commented the pony sarcastically
With a sheepish expression, the human flipped open the safety lid and counted down.
"10... 9... 8... 7..."
"WILL YOU JUST PRESS THE DAMN BUTTON!"
*click*
*BOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!!!!!*
Half the pit caved in on itself and into a hole that wasn't there before. Rocks and boulders clattered around, hitting the stray dogs on their way into the depths of the earth. What had once been a giant, circular hole in the ground was now an oval, since half of the one wall had filled in the cavern, suffocating the dogs within...
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Authors note:Damn it, almost made it to 2000 words. Well, here it is, the next to the last chapter. |
Rise of the fallen | Chapter 10: Homecoming | The Leviathan, recently awakened from its 2 month slumber in the newly built shops in Lazarus, pounded down the rails with its victory train in tow. They were still about 5 hours north of Lazarus and about a half hour away from Gladstone. Right behind the locomotive was a sleeping car. Berthed inside were the two heroes, Rig and Richard. How they survived the daring feat was unknown to anybody/pony. They slept soundly all the way from the railhead in Minnesota to their present location. They were tired, very tired. The physical stresses of walking 1000 miles north, blowing up an occupied mine, and making the trek back would take allot out of sentient beings.
The shrill single chime whistle of the red behemoth broke a deathly silence, waking up the human. Richard slowly sat up from his bunk and yawned widely, trying to wiggle his body free from the clutches of sleep. He was currently on the top bunk on the plush wooden Pullman car. With a heave he jumped down, landing on the soft carpet of the normally unused car. He smiled warmly, feeling the fibers of the hand made carpet just made a man feel at home. Glancing around he found his hat and his boots next to the bottom bunk and a few minutes later he was dressed for success, in his normal western Duster and a pair of caterpillar work boots with a red T-shirt and blue jeans to compliment the outfit that would make Rarity scream in terror. He chuckled at his terrible fashion sense and strode out the door at the rear of the sleeper. The next car in the 8 car lineup was the dining car which was equally as unused as the sleeper. It was Filled to the brim with travelers returning from there forays into the new frontier. The way everyone/everypony sat and chatted reminded the young engineer about his school days in history class.
Unlike most kids, Richard as a young boy loved history. It was just such an interesting topic. Naturally his favorite was the heavy industry brought by the revolution but the next was westward expansion. This scene he was witnessing right now was straight out of those thick text books. Men, women, ponies and children of all shapes and sizes sat in their booths as they dined on nicely cooked meals. The males wore wide brimmed stetson, mostly of equestrian make, while the women wore the general jeans. That was really the only difference between then and now. Women played an equal part in society now and they would for the rest of time.
Richard sat down in the soft booth as the waiter, a man dressed in porter clothing just like the old days, meandered up to his side and set a menu down on the table. "Evening sir, what can I get you for a drink?"
"Id like a glass of Pepsi please." returned the engineer with a smile as he opened up his menu
"Will that be all?"
"You betcha."
As Rich skimmed through the paper menu, he spotted some interesting meals like a wide assortment of flower sandwiches and fried veggies. He cringed at them and flipped to the meat section and was astonished to see a nice steak at the top. With out a moment of thought he threw down the menu. "WAITER!"
The regal man strode up to him, "What is it sir?"
"A nice juicy steak with mashed potatoes and gravy. said Rich with a needy look
The waited snatched up the menu and nodded, "Right away then Mr. Mattson."
"God I hate that name..." breathed Rich silently. He leaned back and stretched out his limbs and searched the car with his peepers. Nothing stood out to him except for the vast majority of the occupants of the car were equine which surprised him. It seemed that expansion was bringing in humans as well as ponies which was great. They had skills that the humans lacked since urbanization took place when the humans still ruled the world. It wasn't uncommon for a pony to build their own house in equestria and that was a great thing to know how to do out here in the frontier.
A few minutes passed before the waiter showed up and placed Rich's food and drink in front of him along with a freshly printed, as of 2 days ago anyway, news paper. The jack of all trades thanked the waiter, sipped his drink and flipped open the paper. The first think Richard noticed was that some well to do ponies had showed up and were advising the construction of a smelter in Lazarus, much to his enjoyment. Some of the railroading ponies had even taken charge and started constructing a roundhouse to keep the iron steeds in and work on them. It had been official for some time, but the Railroad was the first business in Terra to have any species employed by them. A grand feat that Rich prided himself with.
The shriek of the leviathan's whistle signaled that the train was approaching Gladstone, the place that had been basically leveled by Richard himself. Since the railhead had moved, a town sprung up in place of the "Hell on Wheels" camp. Small shacks had been built along with a brightly painted yellow of brown station. It looked like one out of the railroading books Richard loved so much. Thankfully he had found a man like himself who knew how to construct these buildings and set him to work providing the infrastructure to sustain the railroad.
As the train pulled into the station, Richard noticed that the building now served two tracks as well as a small yard, wye, turntable water tank and coaling tower. Some other buildings like a water tank and coal transfer facilities were in the process of being built. Things were progressing quickly. It helped a good bit that the ponies were so forward in wanting to help them. Recently he had shipped off some plans for a batch of locomotives to be built. They were going to be the new main work horses of the line so the 4-4-0s like the leviathan could be relegated to just passenger and mail trains.
The Leviathan's cylinder cocks opened up as the brakes came on and brought the train to a stop right in front of the station. On the far side of the station sat a tiny Equestrian train though it looked... different. It now actually had cylinders, rods and proper running gear. Sitting behind it was a tender piled high with coal. It seemed that it was a mutual thing between the ponies and humans as they had took pictures of the human machines and built a new type of engine around those ideas. Hitched behind the engine was a line of coaches also patterned off the human stuff.
When the conductor, a man by the name of Greg Sanders, had given the passengers the all clear signal they all stampeded off the train in a slightly less then orderly fashion. Most stretched their legs from the long ride while others ran to embrace their families. Richard on the other hand decided to stroll through town and take a better look at the servicing structures and the engines using them.
The engineer took off at a dead run as he saw what looked like a prototype to his locomotive's he had ordered. Everything about them looked the same, but smaller... They actually looked like the Denver and Rio Grande's narrow gauge C-16! He ran around the locomotive taking a careful look at everything. It was then he remembered he borrowed out one of his books to a pony who said he ran the Marechester locomotive works. Richard never really did think anything of it but now he realized why the pony wanted it.
It wasn't long before the engineer of the locomotive poked his head out the window and glared at him. "What do you think your doin crazy?"
Richard pulled his head out of the frames and tipped his hat, "Hello Mister. I am Richard Mattson, designer and head mechanic for the Lazarus and Northern. I was just admiring your fine machine here."
"So yea like 37? She was just recently built if ya didn't notice." said the stallion with a proud expression.
"I noticed." Smiled Richard, "She looks like something out of my books back home."
"I did hear tell that it was inspired by a human machine. A C-16 something or another." spouted the pony, waving his hoof. "But I am not completely sure."
"It does look like the originals that's for sure. Even down to the paint on it. Its even got a name that one of them would have worn. Empire, by the way, is a very good name for one of these engines." replied Richard as he tapped one of the bearings with a finger. "In fact, it looked like a scaled down version or the engines I ordered from your shops."
"Is that so? I certainly wouldn't be surprised. When I first ran this girl there was a line of 5 engines in the bays one their wheels just waiting for the finishing touches." surmised the pony
It was then that Richard heard the warning signal from leviathan saying that it was 2 minutes till departure. "That's my Que, gotta go." he said as he sprinted off leaving a chuckling earth pony behind.
******
2 hours earlier...
Back in Lazarus the humans and ponies alike were putting the finishing touches on the roundhouse and engine servicing equipment. The lathes and Bridgeport mills had been moved out of the dark cavernous underground and into to shops to make working on the Iron Giants easier. The road building equipment like the steam traction engine and the steam shovel, along with their water tenders and other attachments, had been placed in a large pole barn to keep them out of the weather. The guy overseeing all of this was a top notch builder by the name of Ellis D Wherhouser. He was almost exactly like Richard but a little less "get up and go" and more "take your time and plan it out".
Ellis was dressed in a plaid shirt, jeans and a brown stetson to top off the western look much like everyone else. The tall man had been stressed out of his mind for the past few days as he had to oversee numerous projects. One such being the Equestrian State Railways had expressed interest in gaining access to the shops to work on their own equipment which meant making everything dual gauge... This made it possible for the smaller pony trains to use the human stuff with little hassle. In reverse it made it a grand undertaking for Ellis. The man somehow kept a cool head and made sure everything was ready.
The final 3rd rail was laid down when the first Equestrian freight train rolled into town with a load of various goods to sell. It steamed up next to one of the now numerous warehouses and workers soon started unloading it. Box after box of food and textiles were moved inside to be sorted and moved to stores through out Terra. A scant 10 minutes later the Leviathan, the flag ship of the Lazarus and Northern, rolled down main street. With a single hoot of the whistle the passengers began unloading. One such passenger stepped down from the coach and nearly fell on his face from the sheer sight of his city. His hazel eyes gleamed with delight. A dream he had long held in his mind from when he was a boy was now being realized. He had a railroad at his command and the crews loved him. |
Rise of the fallen | Question from the Author | No, this isn't a chapter, but a question to those of you that actually care. I have put some thought into it and figure that my writing skills have improved over the past few months and I think I can do better.
So, my question is this: Do you people think I should try and rewrite this story or leave it as is? Course all this will be passed through "inspection" before it even moved a muscle.
So, what to you guys think? |
Hard Life Growing Up | pre | The unicorn left, leaving her to work out how this cloth worked. She wrapped it around her head, waiting for her fur to dry but it was taking to long. She hung it over her back, but also nothing happened.
Shrugging, she tossed it aside and shook her entire body, spraying water in every direction until she was dry. She felt strange all of a sudden. She looked around and saw another unicorn in the room with her. When she tried to approach her, the unicorn approached her too. Getting closer to the unicorn, she realized that they looked just like her. When she lifted a hoof to reach out and touch her, she also reached out to touch back, but instead of a hoof, she just felt a cold surface.
"Oh... a reflection?"
She was looking at herself, but it was strange, she had never really seen herself, so clean before. Her orange fur, black hooves and ears and bushy tail really did look different from other ponies, but everything else was the same.
Deciding not to dwell on her looks again, she left the shiny room and headed back downstairs. As she reached the bottom floor, she saw the white unicorn, walking around a small table with a fake looking pony standing on top. She was attaching fabrics and sowing pieces together, seemingly zoned out before her eye caught hers.
"Oh, you're done already, good. Now I thought to make you a dress to apologize for knocking you over earlier, but most of my dresses are big, showy and fancy. I didn't think that would suit a pony like you. You have, such a unique coat, your hooves stand out from the rest of your body, your tail is so bushy and soft..."
She took a moment to pick up her tail and stroke it gently.
"...So I thought a more, minimalist dress would suit you best, something to show off what you have that other ponies could only dream of."
She undid the dress from the fake pony and brought it over to a tall box.
"Come on, try it on."
As she approached the box, trying to inspect what it was, but the unicorn thrust the dress into her hooves and pushed her inside. It was quite large and along three walls were reflections of herself. Sure that she wouldn't be allowed to leave without doing as she said, she crawled into the dress, fitting her hooves into the holes like the fake pony had.
Standing in front of the reflections, she looked on as a silky, red dress hung over her body, exposing her hooves and tail. Although ponies commented on how weird those parts of her were, she somehow saw them differently with this dress on.
Opening the door to the box, she stepped out to show off to the unicorn.
"Almost done."
She grabbed her hoof and brought her over to another reflection that sat above a large table with a single chair behind it. Taking a seat in the chair, the unicorn began brushing her mane, spraying it with strange smelling mists and brushing it some more. As she watched the unicorn focusing on her mane, she also noticed her levitating another brush by her tail as it too was brushed.
"There. I think you're done."
When the unicorn stepped down from in front of her, she saw her reflection once again. But she looked completely different. Her mane was clean and brushed into a windswept look as the rest of her mane bounced on her shoulders. Her tail, no long a giant bushy mess but a smooth, thick tail. She was beautiful.
"How did you...?"
"It's an art darling. I see what other could be and transform them. No one has to be who they are when they can be fabulous instead."
'I can be what I want to be...' She thought as something in her head finally fell into place. She was always worried about how others saw her. What others thought of her, but this unicorn has shown her, it wasn't what they think that mattered, it was what she thought.
There was a glow that began emanating from beneath the dress, catching both of their attentions. Getting up off the chair, the white unicorn circled her, lifting up the dress and gasping. On her orange flank, where it had been bare for as long as she had lived, a Cutie Mark had formed. A palette with a brush, covered in blank ink standing behind it sat on her flank. It reminded her of her own brush tail. As she lifted it up to admire, she quickly noticed the tip was now black, much like the brush on her mark.
"What an unusual occurrence. I've never seen a pony actually change with the appearance of their Cutie Mark before."
"Thank you so much, for everything you have done for me..."
"Oh, you may call me Rarity and I may call you?"
She didn't have a name. She wasn't given one like everyone else, but with her newly formed Cutie Mark, it dawned on her that she wasn't meant to receive one, she was meant to make a name for herself.
"Artistic. Artistic Palete."
With a smile she had not felt in a long time, she left the shop, her head held high as she strutted down the street. She could see the difference as ponies turned their gazes towards her. Unlike before where they whispered cruel things towards her, they instead murmured their disbelief in her coat, her beauty. For the first time ever, she walked down the street, the centre of attention and it wasn't a bad thing.
After a quick detour back to her shelter, to grab her things, she was certain, today was the day. She returned to the station, where guards roamed, still on the look out for her. As she approached the booth to buy a ticket, she saw another one of her posters attached to the inside of the window.
The picture was of a messy maned, dirty faced unicorn with no name. She leaned in closer, seeing her reflection on the glass in front of the poster. The reflection showed a beautifully kept mane, clean unicorn who knew who she was.
"Where to?"
"The end of the line."
"25 bits."
Palete poured her bits out onto the counter and began counting, finding herself short at only 19 bits. She didn't expect this; she thought it would only be 12 bits. Had the price gone up over time or was it because Canterlot was an expensive city?
'You are who you want to be...'
That line ran through her head as she stared at the stallion behind the booth. Leaning in closer, she lowered her eyes and spoke softly.
"I seem to be a bit short at the moment. Is there any other way I could cover the cost of this ticket?"
The stallion was flushed red as he struggled to speak.
"Umm... Come around to the door and maybe we could work something out..."
He got up from his seat and walked over to the door that Palete had already made her way over to. As he opened the door, he held out a ticket. Palete tried to grab it but he pulled it back, shaking his head. He then leaned closer and pursed his lips.
"Alright... but you'll have to close your eyes."
He followed her instructions and shut his eyes as he waited for his kiss. Palete turned away from him, flicking his face with the tip of her tail before pulling the ticket out of his hoof with her magic.
"Wow! What a mare..."
He rubbed his cheek from the slap, unaware of the ink trail that was slapped across his face from cheek to cheek. With her ticket in hoof, she approached the train where two guards stood. Without any hesitation, she walked past them, boarding the train with a smile on her face.
"Last call!"
As she took a seat in a cart where many other ponies sat, most turned to look at her, awestruck by her. It was a welcomed change from their usual reactions.
"Tickets please."
A bearded stallion entered the cart, taking ponies tickets and punching a hole in them. As he approached Palete, she already had her ticket out, holding it before him. Punching a hole in it, he gave it back but stopped before moving onto the next pony.
"Hey, haven't I seen you before?"
Palete smiled before looking up to the pony.
"No, I'm new here."
"Oh, then have a nice day miss."
Palete enjoyed the trip from Canterlot. Slowly, the cart dropped off a few ponies here and there as it stopped at station to station. Eventually, the speaker spoke the words she was waiting for.
"End of the line."
Gathering her things, she exited the train onto the station. She could see, the town was small, but clean, modern. The streets were cobbled, there were no guards and there was many less ponies roaming the streets than Canterlot had. As the train departed from the station, Palete could see the other side of the tracks; a lush forest grew beside the town.
She took one last look around before nodding in agreement. She might look like a fancy Canterlot pony now, but deep down; she just wanted the peace and quiet of a forest to call her own. As she took a few steps towards the forest, a little filly approached her, holding some pamphlets in her hooves.
"Hi! Welcome to Alicorn Springs. What brings you here to our little town?"
Palete lowered herself to the filly's height, although that didn't mean she had to lean much, but she smiled and patted the filly on the head.
"Just heading home."
With that, she leapt down from the station, walking off into the forest to make a new, permanent den. |
Gardening with Rose | pre | I had a sudden vision of her working the piles by lantern. "How far behind are you?"
"A lot less than I was. You've been really helpful, Sam."
I blushed slightly at the compliment, and she noticed. "No, really. I don't get a lot of help."
"I don't see why not," I said, not entirely in jest. She paid quite well.
"Ponies just don't want to shovel manure. Well, a lot of Earth Ponies don't mind, but the ones that have farms of their own never have time to help out. Sometimes when I'm really behind I give a discount to ponies who will help turn compost piles."
"Back on Earth--where I come from--there are always people worried about their jobs going overseas. I guess that's something you'll never have to worry about."
"I would like to travel," she said brightly. "I've heard in Neighpon they have bespelled toilets--I'd like to see one of those."
I thought about saying that she'd missed the point, but if ponies hadn't started offshoring jobs yet, I wasn't going to be the one to put the idea in their heads. •••
I hadn't slept as well as I thought I would, due to entire new muscle groups aching. Once again, I thought of Mike Rowe, and how he'd get along in Equestria. Would he be waiting in line at Sugarcube Corner, his body aching and his mind fuzzy?
And thinking about television got me to thinking about Gordon Ramsay--what would he make of pony cooking? I had yet to see any of them wearing any kind of hoof glove or mane-net.
"Sam?"
"Sorry." I turned my attention back to Pinkie PIe. "I was lost in the clouds."
"Really? Your feet are still on the ground." She leaned over the counter to verify.
"It's a human expression. It should be a pegasus expression, too. What do pegasi say when they're distracted thinking?"
"I've heard Dashie say one of her weatherponies was off gathering mist."
"Hmm. I like that." I glanced back down at the display case. "Do you know if Honey Dipper has a particular favorite breakfast snack?"
"Ooh, she loves the raspberry oat bread."
I nodded, and Pinkie Pie cut off a thick slice and wrapped it in paper for me. It was heavier than I'd expected; it felt more like fruitcake than bread.
Hopefully she hadn't eaten a big breakfast. Although if she had, she could save the bread for lunch. •••
Honey Dipper ate the bread while I was loading up her wagon. It felt a little strange to not have her hitched to it while I worked. Still, it would be a nice break for her, and I'd gotten accustomed to my new job and didn't need as much instruction any more.
The same held true when we got to our worksites. That was strange to think about, how a couple of days ago I hadn't had the slightest idea how to empty outhouses and now I was practically a pro at it.
We filled the time which had formerly been occupied with instructions with conversation, although I stayed away from one topic which interested me, but which I thought it might be rude to ask about: how did Honey Dipper get her cutie mark? How did she get an interest in composting poop? Some ponies were more than willing to talk about how they got their cutie marks, while others seemed more reluctant. Her job didn't seem like the kind of thing a pony should aspire to, even if it was necessary.
Back on Earth, were there people who aspired to be ditch-diggers or garbage men or septic tank pumpers? Or did they just take the job because it was available? For most people it had to be the latter. Didn't it?
Then again, a hands-on job like this was nearly recession-proof, and it couldn't be offshored. Even back on Earth, job security and higher wages covered some unpleasant careers.
"Do ponies import things from other places?" I frowned--I knew the answer to that; Cherilee had implied that they did.
"Yeah." Honey Dipper nodded. "I got my wagon from an outfit in Manehattan, Bittmeyer and Small. 'Cause it's got a patented dump mechanism, which is really convenient. Before that, I just had a plain wagon and had to shovel it out myself."
"We have self-propelled wagons and carriages," I told her. "And they all get sold on big lots, sort of like the market."
"I found mine in a catalog. I took some of the boards off the side, 'cause I didn't need them to be that high. I kept the original sideboards, though, so if I want to sell it I can put them back on. I'd probably have to have the wainwright replace the floorboards, though. I don't think that anypony would want to use it like it is right now."
"Probably not." I bent back to my task, imagining that there were wagon detail shops. "Do ponies like to show off their wagons?"
"Sometimes." She grinned. "Especially if somepony's got a new one; that's the talk of Ponyville for a while. I didn't use mine for work until after the Plowpony Parade. Decked it out with flower garlands and that was a lot of fun. I'd never been in a parade before.
"It wasn't as fun as watching the parade, though, 'cause I could only really get a look at the tailboard of the wagon in front of me. Do humans have parades?"
"Yeah, for holidays like Canada Day and sometimes just for fun. If the Canucks ever win the Stanley Cup, there'll probably be a big parade for them. I've never been in one, though. There's a really famous one in New York City for Thanksgiving, that's on the TV, and I've watched that a couple of times. They even have giant balloons that they tow along."
"Giant balloons? That sounds fun--is that for the pegasi?"
"We don't have those," I said. "Humans are all just like me. Well, except for Courtney, the Vancouver mermaid."
"Mermaid? Is that like a merpony?"
"Arms and a fishy tail?"
"Yeah."
"You have merponies in Equestria? Real merponies?"
"You just said--"
"Courtney's fake. She has a fake tail."
"Oh."
I scooped the last big shovelful of manure into the bucket and climbed out of the pit. There was a little residue left on the walls, but that would be covered again soon enough.
"I've never seen a real merpony," Honey Dipper said. "Or a mermare as some ponies call them. But they're real! I heard that there was a travelling show that came to Ponyville once that had merponies who swam in the lake and did all sorts of tricks. And you could swim with them after the show."
"We do have seahorses. They're really small, though, and don't look too much like actual horses." •••
The showers felt as good as always.
I hadn't even bothered with panties this time--it wasn't like the ponies would care. Besides, the ones I'd worn for work were sweaty, and it wasn't worth dirtying another pair.
What if I wore my bathrobe to the spa? I considered it, but that wasn't really something to wear around town, was it?
This time, I'd almost invited Honey Dipper in, but changed my mind at the last minute, my old human instincts of playing good host nagging at me again. It felt less rude to have her wait outside than to stand awkwardly in the living room while I was upstairs in my bedroom changing.
Of course, I could have changed right in front of her and it wasn't like she'd have seen anything she hadn't already.
I didn't feel as comfortable nude around any other pony except Rose. What did that mean? Was it the bond of two people who had to do a dirty job together? There was certainly a bit more camaraderie with my fellow painters than I'd ever felt with classmates, so that might have been it. Or maybe it was just the vibe I got from her that she trusted me and believed in me since I could and would do what most other ponies wouldn't. How many applicants had she gotten who were gone by lunchtime, never to return?
Would this wind up being my place in Ponyville? The pay was good, I couldn't deny that. Ponies might not trust me to work in the spa, but they could trust me to empty their pailhouses without getting manure all over the grass.
What if that was the life I was destined for? Was that the punchline of a cosmic joke?
I let the hot water beat down on my back and looked around. There were ponies clustered around showerheads, some of them washing each other, and now that I really looked, now that I'd gotten over my initial apprehension, I wondered if Honey Dipper would have had a friend wash her normally. If I hadn't been there.
Or would she have been on her own, regardless?
What would she say to a stallion if she was on a date? Assuming that the stallion in question didn't already know what she did for a living, that is. I wanted to ask, but I wasn't sure I wanted to hear the answer.
Was the right thing to offer to wash her mane for her? Or to keep my hands off, to maintain a proper employer/employee relationship?
"Sam?"
I snapped back to the present. "Sorry. Just had my head in--just gathering mist."
She snorted. "Not from down here you won't."
"I suppose not. Although there is plenty available." I crouched down to get at her level. "Do you need me again tomorrow?"
"If you're willing." •••
I wound up working two more days with Honey Dipper, which got her completely caught up on her schedule, and I went home at the end of it with more bits in my pocket than I'd ever had before.
There were a bunch of little things I could have spent them on, but I wanted to save as many as possible for the wintertime. I knew that historically winters were tough, and I was a bit worried about running out of food. That probably wouldn't happen, but there certainly could be an increase in food prices, and having more money saved up would really help out.
That was something I could ask Tenderheart about. If the ponies had it handled, if they brought in fresh food by train during the winter, it might just come off as a silly human worry to her, and if not, I'd know.
After Honey Dipper and I finished our evening shower, I stopped by Rose's house. Lily eyed me suspiciously, but relaxed a bit once Rose and I sat on the couch and went back to her flower catalog.
I don't think she meant for me to notice, but I saw when she sniffed at me, no doubt to make sure that I'd completely washed off the day's labor.
"Do you need help in the garden tomorrow? Honey Dipper's all caught up." Lily twitched at the mention of her name. "I could still look at the job board, I guess, but I don't really feel like it."
Rose nodded, then glanced over at Lily. "We--I'd appreciate that."
A thought was forming at the back of my mind. "What's the weather supposed to be like tomorrow? Is it going to be cold or rain?"
"No, it's going to be sunny and warm."
"I could, maybe, since your garden is kind of private, I might--" I thought about Honey Dipper and I showering alone. I could push myself a little bit more; I'd be somewhere safe, with a friend close.
What was the best way to phrase it?
Lily, I noticed, had one ear focused on us even though she was pretending to read a seed catalog.
"Well, I could not . . . I could go--" Why beat around the bush? "--nude."
That got Lily's other ear to pay attention.
"Really?"
"Sure," I said with more confidence than I was feeling. "It's no big deal, right? All of you are--" as naked as the day you were born-- "you know, so why not?"
"You don't have to," Rose said. "If that will make you feel uncomfortable."
"It won't." That wasn't likely to be true, and I was already regretting what I'd said, but it was too late to take it back. I couldn't back down. Even if I wasn't sure I was actually ready for it.
It would have been smarter to just offer to help and then see what kind of mood I was in come tomorrow, but procrastination didn't make progress. And she was my friend; it was a silly thing to get worked up about. If I could take a shower with Honey Dipper, surrounded by a bunch of strangers, what did it say about me if I couldn't do this? |
Gardening with Rose | Second Thoughts | Gardening with Rose
Admiral Biscuit
When I got home, I got undressed out of habit and went into the kitchen to make something for dinner, even though I didn't feel particularly hungry. I'd spent the whole walk home getting more and more worked up about the idea of gardening with Rose in the nude.
I wasn't sure why.
Being nude was normal here. There was nothing remarkable about the idea, but this felt different than taking a shower or bathing in the river or relaxing at home. It felt--not exactly wrong, but weird.
If Nurse Tenderheart did house calls, I could ask her what she thought, although she probably wouldn't be happy to have me interrupt her dinner, and by the end of it, she'd most likely tell me I was being silly. Still, it would have been nice to talk it through with her.
I cut off a slice of bread and leaned against the kitchen counter, imagining myself sitting on the couch in her office. 'What bothers you the most?' she might ask. I thought about that as I nibbled on the bread. What did bother me the most? I didn't have an answer for that.
Maybe it was because humans put so much stock into clothing, to where what I wore was a reflection of my personality. Would removing the final few pieces of my clothing be giving up what humanity I had left? Would that be the final step in me becoming a pony, although bipedal and without a cutie mark?
Or was it something else? I wasn't so shallow to believe that it required clothes to make me me.
And even without clothes, I could still wear makeup if I wanted to. The ponies had some, and I'd bought a little bit for when I wanted to feel pretty. Hoof polish worked like nail polish, and interestingly enough rather than coming in standard colors, it got mixed to specification, much like paint.
Mascara and eyeshadow and lipstick were also things ponies had.
The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that makeup was an idiotic idea. I'd be working outdoors all day, and most of the makeup would sweat off by lunchtime. There'd been a girl who had started working on our paint crew that got all prettied up before her first day of work and she'd looked the worst of us at the end of the day. That wasn't an impression I wanted to give. What would Rose think if I showed up to work in the flowerbeds all tarted up?
Then I had another idea. •••
Maybe the kitchen wasn't the best place for personal hygiene, but it was either that or the living room, and I was going to want to have the stove nearby.
There was some kind of special wax that beauticians used for hair removal and that was something that surely wasn't available in Ponyville. Wax was wax, though, so I figured any kind ought to work.
I was going to try it on my arm first, just to be safe. I'd rather wind up with a burn on my arm than someplace sensitive.
I used my kitchen knife to shave a bit off a beeswax candle, and put it in my frying pan. I'd thought about burning the candle and letting it melt the wax that way, but then I decided that the wax might be flame temperature. On the stove, I could stop as soon as it liquefied, which would be safer.
It didn't take very long to melt, and then I was standing there with a frying pan containing a puddle of liquid wax and realized that I didn't have a good way to pour it on myself.
This was everything that my mother had warned me about when I was a kid.
It was hotter than I'd anticipated. Too late, I realized that I could have stuck my finger in to make sure of the temperature before I'd committed myself.
Even worse, it was more runny than I'd expected. The stuff that they used in salons must have had something added to make it more syrupy: I wound up with a trail of wax down my arm, some of which dripped on the floor.
The wax contracted as it dried, which felt really odd on my skin.
When I thought it was dry enough, I hooked a fingernail under the edge of the wax until I'd pulled up enough to grasp it between my fingers. Just like pulling off a bandage.
Much to my surprise, it actually worked, and I now had a mostly bare patch about the size of a Toonie on my arm, with a little bit of a tail. More importantly, it didn't seem to have burned my skin. Maybe if I let it cool off a little bit more before pulling it loose.
I leaned back against the counter and thought. I'd want to find a better way to apply the wax, but I could use a spoon or spatula for that. I'd need some way to keep it where I wanted it as I poured, unless I let it thicken up some.
No matter what, it was going to be a long project, but it was doable. I could open a bottle of wine, and it would even be sort of pleasant in a getting-ready-for-Prom way.
But was it worth it? What would ponies think?
"Nopony would trust you because you haven't got a coat." "Is a tattoo like fleas?" "Did you lose your coat by using soap?" Those were all dumb questions, but made sense for the ponies to ask. They'd probably assume that I had mange or something if I was hanging out with Rose tomorrow and all my body hair was gone.
It works for hippies. That wasn't really a satisfactory answer, but I poured the leftover wax into a glass jar and decided that I'd spend some more time thinking about how the ponies would react to Sam-without-body-hair before I did anything stupid. I didn't want to give up my humanity, but I also didn't want to alienate the ponies.
I did use scissors to neaten up as well as I could. That, at least, was reasonably safe. Ponies groomed and brushed their coats, after all. •••
Normally, the idea of working at Rose's house wouldn't have given me insomnia. It was simple work--just do what she said. We were friends, I could trust her, she had my back.
But the idea that I'd committed myself to doing it naked--that still scared me when I got up, and as I made breakfast I kept thinking of excuses I could give for not doing it.
I shouldn't have. I tried to turn my mind to the positive. I'd been worried about giving a presentation at the school, and that had gone well. I'd been worried about the drawing that Cheerilee had, and that was just fine. Going to the hot tub at the spa? Nothing had come of that, nor had there been an issue with the group showers. Even going to Sugarcube Corner drunk and naked, that hadn't been a problem at all.
My mind was still conditioned from human experience, and I couldn't entirely eliminate that from my thoughts. Even though I knew that the rules were different here.
Knowing and knowing, those were two different things.
Berry Black hadn't liked me taking off his harness at first, he hadn't trusted me. He hadn't trusted strange hands getting intimate, and of course I'd not considered that when I'd offered to help. In hindsight, I'd probably never twigged to the reason for his hesitation at all.
Other offers had been rebuffed, from my initial attempts to braid Rose's tail, to the more recent offer to help Honey Dipper with her harness.
I just went around barreling through pony taboos like a crazed pinball. No wonder they didn't know what to make of me. And in response, when Rose suggested I do something that every other pony did every single day, I'd worked it in my mind into a gigantic unclimbable mountain and I was done with doing that. Tenderheart had been pushing me in this direction, and so had Rose, and they had my best interests in mind.
I was going to go over there, I was going to get naked, and I was going to embrace my inner hippie.
After all, I had the body hair for it.
That got a giggle fit started. •••
I was never sure how early ponies were up and about, so I hesitated at Rose's door before knocking. It was so much more convenient to text somebody and make sure they were ready rather than just knock on their door.
I'd never liked looking into windows to see if anybody was home; it made me feel like a creeper. So I went around back and looked in the flower garden, but it was empty. So much for that idea.
There weren't any other options, so I knocked lightly on the door.
Daisy answered. "Rose is in the bathroom," she said.
"Can I come in?"
She considered that, then nodded, moved back from the door and turned her head towards the kitchen. "Lily, Sam is here."
"I--uh, I'll be in the garden." I heard the clatter of hooves on the floor and then the back door open and shut.
Daisy got an apologetic look on her face. "I ought to go back there and make sure she doesn't panic. Go ahead and sit in the kitchen I guess."
"I can wait out front, if you'd rather."
"No, you can come in. Lily needs to learn some better manners." •••
Both of their breakfasts were half-eaten. I felt bad about that. Next time, I'd have Rose come over to my house when she was ready, and that way everybody would get to finish their meal before I threw a wrench in the works.
When she came into the kitchen, she didn't ask me where Daisy and Lily had gone. It was obvious anyway.
"I thought you wanted to . . . to not dress up," Rose said.
I nodded. "I did--I do--I just didn't want to walk over here without wearing anything."
She scrunched up her muzzle. "Well, you're here now." Her eyes went to the small bald patch on my arm. "What happened?"
"I was experimenting." I wasn't sure this was a conversation I wanted to have, not right now--although it did at least serve as a delay in getting undressed. "It's complicated."
"Will it grow back?"
"Couple of weeks."
She stuck her nose in close and sniffed.
"It was wax."
"Were you trying to make candles? You could have put it under cold water right away and when it was cool combed it out carefully, and most of your fur would have stayed. And besides, there's a chandler in town, you didn't have to--" Her voice trailed off and her eyes got big. "I didn't know how hard it's been for you. I should have thought, Berry Black, Honey Dipper . . . If you need a place to stay, or food, you can just ask. You don't have to go and try and save bits by making your own candles, that's dangerous."
"It's not like that. I wasn't trying to save money by making my own candles, I was trying--look, Daisy and Lily are going to ask the same thing, aren't they? Especially if they notice that I--"
"Notice what?"
"Never mind." They'd probably notice, but surely ponies trimmed their coats sometimes. Real horses, not even show horses, had to have their coats trimmed if they were working, and a lot of ponies in Ponyville worked harder than Earth ponies usually did. Of course, they might have been better at pacing themselves.
In a story, this would have been a heroic moment, but it didn't feel heroic. I reached down and twisted the button loose on my shorts and then there was no going back.
I took my shorts off and folded them and set them on the kitchen counter. It took me a bit longer to remove my panties, but I motivated myself along by thinking about how the showers at the spa had gotten less weird each day, and how Honey Dipper had only hesitated having me take off her harness the first time. Once you realized that it was just a molehill after all, it got easier.
She must have noticed; even as focused as I was on the moment, I saw her eyes following the movement of my hands and I saw her ears move as I slid my panties down, but she didn't say a word. Maybe she was embarrassed for me, and didn't want to say anything.
The kitchen counter really wasn't the best place for my clothes. I could have gone up to her bedroom and gotten undressed there--why hadn't I thought of that? "You don't mind, do you?"
Rose shook her head.
This was out of my experience. I had places I put things in my own house and I had my own rules for what should go where, and I was her guest. "Are you sure?" I picked them up and looked around. Back in the living room, I could set them on the coffee table or even the couch. It would be easier to know where clothes ought to go if ponies weren't habitual nudists; I could have set them in their mudroom or coat closet or wherever.
It wasn't my first time being nude in Rose's kitchen, which helped. But the door that led to the backyard, to their flower gardens, was as formidable an obstacle as a bunker door. I sucked in a breath and walked across the kitchen.
"Will I scare them if I go into the backyard first?"
Rose snorted. "Probably. Especially if you run out there."
"I could."
"It would serve them right," she muttered. "I'll go first, and you can work with me and carry flower buckets and when they want help they'll ask for it." |
Gardening with Rose | Gardening with Rose | Gardening with Rose
Admiral Biscuit
I'd thought that their backyard was the perfect place to practice going clothesless, but as I stood in the doorway I started to have second thoughts. It wasn't as secluded as I'd originally thought; across the back fence I could see a stallion in the street pulling a wagon, and he hadn't turned to look at me yet but it was only a matter of time. And of course there would be pegasi flying overhead, although that didn't matter. Surely some of them had seen me before in my backyard or when I was bathing in the river and it hadn't really bothered me then. I was just trying to rationalize.
Lily and Daisy were also staring. It was probably just curiosity. They didn't faint on the spot or gallop off in terror.
I followed Rose over to a row, and we started working. Once I'd crouched down a bit to help her, the other two sort of lost interest in me and went back to their blooms.
We worked in silence at first, with Lily and Daisy occasionally studying me whenever I walked by with a loaded bucket. Lily was still tense; she kept flicking her tail and one ear was always pointed at me, no matter what she was doing. Daisy focused more on her tasks with only occasional glances in my direction.
I'd never noticed before, but while Rose and Lily exclusively used their tools with mouth and hoof, Daisy occasionally wrapped things in a green aura of magic even though she didn't have a horn. That was something I'd never seen another earth pony do; that was something that just unicorns could do, or so I'd thought.
Obviously, Rose and Lily knew about it--how would they not? And even if it was rude to ask, I still wanted to know. "Rose? How come Daisy's using magic?"
"She's half unicorn," Rose whispered back. "That's why she's kind of scrawny, too."
"Technically, I'm three-quarters," Daisy said. I hadn't realized that she was close enough to overhear us.
I set my bucket down. This was interesting. "How does that work?"
"Well, when two ponies love each other very much--"
"Not that. I know how sex works."
"Um." She glanced over at Rose, who was blushing at the mention of sex. "Well, I don't know exactly, other than it's genetics and chromosomes. Dominant and recessive, just like plants.
"I had some magic surges when I was a filly, and most of the time it was making plants grow and stuff, but sometimes I did horn magic, so my Mom sort of helped teach me and encourage me to use telekinesis. Since almost everypony else in my family could, I didn't think it was that odd, even though I didn't have a horn. I do sort of have a little knot on my forehead, though." Her ears drooped. "A lot of ponies don't like it, and I guess it takes a while to get used to seeing. I don't do it much in town."
"Ponies don't like the idea of unicorns growing plants," Rose added. "When we're all alone though, nopony knows."
"The pony caste system at work," I muttered.
"Huh? What's that?"
"Never mind."
Daisy's ears perked back up. "Since we're asking personal questions, how come your flanks and belly are kinda pale and the rest of you is more dun colored? Are humans piebald? Is that why you wear pants all the time, to hide it?"
"It's a suntan," I said. "My skin turns darker when it's exposed to the sun, but if it's under clothes that doesn't happen."
"Is that like a sunburn?"
"Not exactly, but I can get those, too." In fact, there was a chance that that would happen, but I was going to take that chance. "This doesn't hurt like a sunburn does. People that live in really sunny places on Earth have naturally darker skin; those of us that don't have dark skin get a suntan, and only if we stay out too long, a sunburn." •••
By lunchtime, Daisy had warmed up to me at least, and I'd mostly forgotten that I was naked. With each passing minute, it felt more natural, and I didn't worry any more about ponies going by on the street looking over and seeing me. Maybe if there had been a crowd gathered at the fence, I would have sung a different tune, but there wasn't.
In fact, it was feeling right, like I was some kind of forest nymph returning to my natural state. Or maybe that was just the onset of heatstroke.
In the back of my mind I knew that there was still going to be a mental fight when it came time to leave the relative safety and seclusion of the backyard, but that was a problem for later. For now, I'd get used to this, and that would make the next steps that much easier.
A shadow crossed over the garden--a low-flying pegasus. I looked up just in time to see her circle back around and swoop past in the other direction, back towards town. Was that coincidence, or had she wanted to get a second look at me?
I guess I'd find out if a bunch of her friends suddenly showed up to gawk.
"Sam?"
"Sorry." I turned my attention back to Rose. "Just saw a pegasus fly overhead and I was trying to remember if I knew her." That wasn't exactly true, but it was a reasonable excuse. "Kind of a medium blue with a lighter blue mane and tail."
"That's a lot of ponies," Rose said. "Did you see her cutie mark?"
"Not all that well. I'm sure I've seen her around town, though." •••
It was a market day, so after we'd eaten, Daisy hitched herself up to their market wagon and the rest of us loaded it for her, and then she and Lily left for the market.
Rose and I should have gone back to work. Even though neither of us wanted to say it, I was sure I'd slowed them down just by being there and being a distraction.
"I never knew that about Daisy," I said. "You never told me."
"She's kind of shy about it," Rose told me. "I'm surprised she said anything; usually she just puts her head down and ignores the conversation.
"It must have been hard for her growing up to be a half-breed. Unicorns wouldn't want to have anything to do with her, 'cause she didn't have a horn, and earth ponies would think she was too skinny and weak and wouldn't like her casting magic."
I thought I knew exactly why Daisy had warmed up to me, but I kept my mouth shut. Rose might have made the connection in her mind, too, but she didn't say anything.
Before we could brood, I changed the subject. "Since they're at market today, you're supposed to cook dinner, right?"
Rose nodded. "But there's still plenty of time to work in the flowerbeds."
"I've got an idea I think that they'll like. Remember that stir-fry I made for you? What if I make that? Have you got enough vegetables?"
"We don't have bright peppers, only the green ones," she said. "Does it matter what kind of vegetables you put in?"
"Not really." In a stir-fry, the vegetables all tended to get along with each other. "When it's time to start making it, show me where all the food is. You've got cooking oil and a big pan and a knife, right?"
"Of course. What kind of kitchen doesn't?"
"There are people on Earth who only have a pot and a bowl and a spoon in their kitchen," I said. "You'd be surprised how many boxed meals you can make with just that." I got up and walked toward the backyard, with Rose following, and we settled into place along the flowerbeds.
"How are you feeling?" Rose asked. "If--you can put your shorts back on if you're uncomfortable."
"I'm fine." And that was the truth. "This is really nice, honestly. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. And it's lots better than cleaning outhouses with Honey Dipper."
Rose stuck out her tongue. "Anything would be. She sells really good fertilizer, though."
I hadn't thought about that, even though she'd told me that was what she did with it. I reflected back on the stinking pits and barrels, and the less smelly rows of composting waste, and then the rich loam that made up the flowerbeds. Maybe one day, some of the fruits of my labor would be added to the soil.
"She said that ponies in Canterlot and Manehattan don't want to see manure wagons during the day, and some ponies in Ponyville don't want to, either."
"'Cause they don't want to think about where their food comes from," Rose said. "All of us farmers know, though."
"Do any farmers make their own compost?"
"Sure, especially if they've got animals." She leaned down to a blood-red rose and snipped the stem off. "Not in town, though; nopony wants that." •••
Squash and radishes and carrots provided plenty of color for the stir-fry. Since it had been so popular with Rose, I made plenty, alternating between cutting and frying. There wasn't really a big enough pan to cook them all at once, so I put the cooked veggies in a casserole dish in the oven to keep them warm.
I sliced the vegetables as thin as I could manage, which took a little bit of extra time but was totally worth it.
Being out of the sun was nice, although the kitchen got hot, even with the windows open. The stove had very little insulation on its outside, which I suppose was typical of wood stoves.
Aside from the heat, I had to be careful of the hot oil. Rose offered me an apron, which was more of a bib on me, so I turned it down. Still, I had plenty of practice from cooking at home, and only got hit with a few drops of hot oil.
When the four of us sat down to dinner, Daisy and Lily looked at the vegetables admiringly. "You didn't have to have somepony come and cut them," Lily said. "Thicker vegetables would have been fine."
"Sam cut them," Rose said.
I half expected Lily to push her plate away, but she didn't. "Really?"
I nodded.
"That must have taken forever."
"It didn't take all that long." I was no expert chef, but even so I could chop up a vegetable in under a minute.
"It's good." Daisy was admiring her dinner the proper way, by eating it. "It's really good. Rose, did you have Sam cook dinner for us?"
"We were behind on cutting flowers, and I can do it better than Sam can."
"I'm surprised you don't have a knife cutie mark."
"Humans don't get cutie marks," I reminded her.
"No coat, no tail, no cutie mark, big udders . . . I'm glad I'm a pony."
Daisy frowned. "That was rude, Lily. Sam can't help being born a human. Maybe if she got to choose, she'd be something else, but she's not and so she has to make the best of what she is."
"I don't want to argue at the dinner table."
"You shouldn't have brought it up, then." Daisy pounded her hoof on the table, rattling the dishes. "Why not appreciate how many buckets of flowers she can carry at once or how she can cut the vegetables really thin instead of saying mean things about Rose's--about our friend."
"I wasn't trying to be rude, you're the one who's got burrs in her tail." Lily stuck her nose in her bowl and took a mouthful of stir fry. Once she'd finished chewing, she looked in my direction. "We get along fine, don't we?"
"Yeah, of course we do." That wasn't true, but if it stopped the argument, it was worth saying.
I turned to Daisy. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't know if I'd want to be a pony. I like having hands, and I don't know how I'd feel about having a tail or a coat. Seems like it would be hot all the time and take forever to dry."
"I'm sorry." Daisy hung her head. "I was being rude. I shouldn't have said anything."
"Your heart was in the right place. And that's what matters. There's plenty more stir-fry, so you can have seconds if you want." |
Gardening with Rose | Evening | Gardening with Rose
Admiral Biscuit
I didn't have to wash the dishes. For starters, I was a guest. More importantly, I'd made dinner while Lily and Daisy were at the market, and they had a rule that whoever was at the market was supposed to clean up after dinner.
That was an interesting insight into their idea of which was more of a task. I could have seen the argument that it was harder to work the stall than to simply make dinner, but their priorities were different. Maybe it had to do with the difficulty of cooking and cleaning with hooves.
Why was Lily so bitchy? Could it be PMS? I didn't know if that was a thing that ponies got; I'd never really asked.
Was she scared of me? That idea had possibilities. I couldn't think of any particular reason why she might be, but I knew that ponies sometimes shied away from me when I was out and about.
Lily'd been friendly enough when I'd run into her at market, so I didn't think it was racism, or whatever having a fear of a different species was. I hoped it wasn't--if it was deep-seated, it would be nearly impossible to overcome.
Maybe she was just uncomfortable with me being in her house, with me being in her flower gardens. I could understand that. But what to do about it?
I could only come over to help when she was at market. I could invite Rose over to my house more often, I could not spend the night here. I didn't like that; it didn't seem fair to me.
Pony counters were too short for me, so after I set the plate I'd been washing into the drying rack, I arched out my back and rolled my head around to work some of the kinks loose. As I did, I happened to glance over at my shorts and panties, still sitting on the end of the kitchen counter. I'd almost forgotten I wasn't wearing anything, but of course that brought it back.
I distracted myself by looking out the window. Rose was back in the garden, cleaning off all the tools--she hadn't done that before dinner.
What if Lily was just afraid? Not of me, specifically, but of what I might represent? I might change her relationship with Rose, and that could be something that scared her. As ridiculous an idea as it was, she might think I was trying to usurp her place in the house. Taking Daisy's side in our dinner conversation wouldn't have changed her mind, either.
I couldn't just tell her that things weren't going to change, either. Neither of us would believe that. Certainly back on Earth, friendships ebbed and waned as people entered and left the mix or as jobs or hobbies changed, and I couldn't imagine that things would be different here.
I didn't want to give this up. Lily was just going to have to learn to deal with it. I could hope that once she got more used to me, she'd get more comfortable around me. •••
"Were you planning to spend the night?"
"I might."
Rose and I were in the living room. As soon as I'd entered, Lily had said she had a headache and was going to go to bed early, and Daisy had followed her upstairs. Neither of them had fallen asleep; I could occasionally hear them talking. Rose had an ear on the conversation as well.
"Might?"
"It's up to you. I don't want to create friction."
Rose rolled her eyes. "Lily will get over it."
"Can you be sure of that? Sometimes people are really set in their ways and don't change even when they should."
"Sometimes they fight about Daisy using her magic. It's silly. Sometimes I wonder if Lily's only happy if she's mad or scared about something."
I'd known people like that back on Earth. "So maybe if she's constantly annoyed by me, she'll get along with Daisy better."
"That's not a solution."
"I know. Maybe she should see Tenderheart, too. We could have back-to-back sessions. She could help me learn how to be a better pony, and teach Lily how to not be a bitch." I sighed. "Most of the ponies I work for, they're skeptical at first, but once I do a good job they decide that I'm okay after all. I've never had a pony slam the door in my face." That wasn't entirely true, but it was close enough to the truth. "That might just be an earth pony thing, though. I haven't worked for that many unicorns. Or pegasi."
"She'll come around," Rose promised. "I'm not gonna lie, it might be a while and she might never be completely happy around you, but she's nice most of the time."
"I could cook more dinners, spend some more time over here. Get her used to me, that would help. Do nice things for her whenever I have the chance." I shifted around on the couch. Occasionally, when I thought about it, it felt weird to have couch fabric on a bare bottom. And that got me to wondering if the cushion covers were washable, and if they were, how often was it done?
If Lily was really racist, she'd drag the couch out back and burn it.
The easiest thing to do would be to go home for the night. I could tell Rose that if she wanted to come with me, she could. But that would be the coward's choice. That would be forcing Rose to choose.
I was making progress. If she wanted to, Lily could, too. If she didn't, I couldn't let that be my problem. "It's not too late for dessert at Sugarcube Corner, is it? My treat."
"No, they should still be open." Rose giggled. "Remember that time we drank all that wine, and then--"
"All too well." If I could do it drunk, I could do it sober. "We should invite them, too."
"Lily won't want to go."
"And if she doesn't, she'll miss out on some delicious dessert, and she'll have nobody to blame for it but herself. That's something I can't do anything about. Or--you know what she likes, right?"
Rose nodded. "If she doesn't want to go, I can bring it back."
That was a simple thing. I was flush with bits, and spending a few on sugary treats wouldn't really hurt me all that much. As long as she didn't get offended by the idea of eating a dessert I'd bought, which admittedly was a possibility. "They'll probably--if you tell them instead of me--" •••
Much to my surprise, Lily did decide to go. I hadn't actually expected that; I'd envisioned to just being three of us. The promise of sugary treats won out over her feelings towards me, or else I was being overly critical of her.
Stepping through the front door was a major challenge. Doing it drunk and doing it sober turned out to be more different than I'd thought, and my fears came crashing back once again. The door was open, the street wasn't all that far away, and any pony who happened to be passing by could just look over and see me.
It would only take a minute to put my shorts back on. We'd hardly be delayed. Plus, it was more logical--I could put my bits in my pocket and not have to carry them.
Rose would be disappointed, Lily would be triumphant, and Daisy would understand.
I'd spent several days shoveling shit, and this was hardly a higher demand than that. It was nothing. Nobody had cared when I'd done it drunk; nobody would care when I did it sober. The four of us--all naked--would walk to Sugarcube Corner, and we'd get something chocolatey and sugary and sweet and there might be a few ponies who would glance over and maybe stare just a little bit because they'd never seen me without pants and they were curious. That was natural, that was understandable. There wouldn't be a mass panic, the cops wouldn't arrest me for indecent exposure, or for visiting a food establishment without a shirt or shoes. None of my latent fears, conditioned on Earth, would come to pass. If there was anything unpleasant, it would come from Lily having a stick shoved up her butt, and that was something I could deal with as long as I got ice cream out of the deal.
"You know," I said to Daisy as I stepped out the door, "I kind of do wish that I had a tail. I'd feel a little bit less exposed if I did."
"I can walk behind you, if that'll help," she offered.
I shrugged. "Sounds good to me." It wasn't going to be the best arrangement for conversation, but there wasn't likely to be much of that anyway. •••
One thing I hadn't really noticed the last time I'd done this was the breeze. It was normal enough to feel against most of my skin, but not everywhere. That was something that would take some getting used to.
A few ponies that we passed on the street paused briefly, looking me over, before continuing on their way. It wasn't much, but then I was no Lady Godiva.
By the time we'd gotten to the main street--such as it was in Ponyville--I'd let my guard down and began to just enjoy the moment. It was a pleasant evening; the last reds and oranges of sunset were fading, and I could see a few bright stars in the darkening sky to the east.
It was crowded inside, but we found a table. Lily went over to claim it, and the other three of us waited in line to order.
When Pinkie brought our desserts up, I went to pick them up, and felt a bit of a wave of magic wash across my hands. For just a moment, the plates lightened, before settling back down.
"Sorry, I--"
"If you want to carry them--" Daisy and I both looked at each other.
"One of you do it," Rose said.
"How about both of us? I'll get Lily's dessert and mine."
"That's fair." I picked up two plates and carefully made my way back to our table. Daisy had it easier; her plates just followed along.
In all honesty, as amazing as that was to watch, it was more interesting to see how other ponies carried their food. Balancing plates on their backs was common, and I'd never seen one slip off so far.
We took our seats. I sat against the wall, since ponies were already used to seeing my upper half and new arrivals wouldn't notice that I wasn't wearing pants today either.
Lily was seated directly across from me, presumably since it was the furthest distance she could be while still at the same table, or maybe she wanted to keep a close eye on me.
"Do you put a fresh flower in your mane every day?"
"Sometimes it's fake," Rose whispered.
"Only when we're short on real flowers," Lily countered. "I like the scent." She leaned down and took another bite of her brownie.
"Lilies do smell nice. And they look pretty," I said.
"Do you have them on Earth?"
"Yeah. Besides the ones in gardens and pots, there are lots of orange spotted lilies that grow wild. Tiger lilies. They're one of the first to flower in the spring, right after the daffodils. Some people have them in their gardens, but I guess they get away and grow other places, too--where I used to live, there was a railroad embankment that was covered with them, and they always looked so pretty."
"They do." She leaned across the table, slightly bridging the gap. "Did you grow them?"
I could confess that I didn't have a green thumb, something that Rose knew full well. I could play that off to the difference between worlds if I had to. So long as I didn't claim too many skills I didn't have.
But I knew a lie would come back to bite me later, and once she figured out that I was lying, she'd like me even less.
"Not back on Earth, no. I wanted to, but I never really had the time or the skills."
"You haven't got wings or a horn," Lily said. "And--"
"People are different. None of them have wings or horns."
"Who brings your weather?"
"It just happens."
"Like in the Everfree Forest?" Daisy asked.
"Yeah, I guess."
Lily frowned. "What if you get bad weather? Weather that doesn't make the plants happy? Rain at the wrong time, or--do you wrap up winter?"
"No?" I got the snow tires taken off my car, but I didn't think that was what she was talking about. "In America, they have a groundhog who says if winter is going to last six more weeks or if it's going to be an early spring. He's right about half the time."
"I don't like that. Weather should be on schedule."
"You're not alone, Lily. Lots of people don't like it either."
"You should fix it."
"If I ever get back, I'll write a letter to Parliament." •••
We wound up staying for almost an hour. Daisy had a lot of questions about living on Earth, and Lily paid attention. Maybe the dessert had softened her up a little bit, or maybe her curiosity was getting the better of her.
Maybe I'd been too judgemental about her when I was washing dishes. I still wasn't an expert at reading pony emotion.
It was fully dark by the time we left. I was already yawning, and Daisy had covered a few herself.
As I walked back through town, I thought about how nervous I'd been in the morning, and now it felt like it was no big deal to walk through town nude. Skyclad--that was how the witches in Terry Pratchett's book had called it. It felt fitting, especially since there was nothing between my skin and the emptiness of space except for the thin veil of the sky.
By the time we got back to Rose's house, I was getting a little bit chilly. It was surely psychological; my shorts hadn't covered enough to make a major difference.
The four of us took our turns in the bathroom and then went upstairs. I thought that I might have a difficult time falling asleep, but I didn't. |
Gardening with Rose | Inner Hippie | Gardening with Rose
Admiral Biscuit
Rose was snuggled up against my chest.
For a moment, I struggled to remember where I was. It was her bed, in her house. A familiar location, a familiar bed.
This time I knew where my clothes were: downstairs, right where I'd left them yesterday.
The old, familiar warning signals came up in my mind and I pushed them away. They didn't matter any more; I wasn't on Earth, and Earth rules didn't apply.
I put my hand on her mane, traced along the edge of her hair, down to where her neck touched her back, and rested it there. I could have gone back up, scratched her ears, but that might wake her, and it was still early.
Surely something had awoken me, but I didn't know what it had been, not until I heard the distinctive sound of a toilet flushing and the clatter of hooves on the wooden floors.
That was Lily. I didn't know how I knew that, but I did.
Would she go back to bed, or was she the first up in the morning?
I didn't want to abandon Rose, even though I was awake and not likely to fall asleep again.
Of the three of them, was Lily the early riser? What would she do if I followed her? Panic and flee into the flowerbeds or onto the street? Or would it be a moment of sisterly solidarity, the early risers versus the lazy?
I could get up. Go downstairs. Pee. Make coffee.
Or I could stay right where I was, my hand rested lightly on Rose's back, just teasing her neck.
That was easier, and that wouldn't mess up Lily's morning routine. Maybe she liked the solitude, the moment to herself before her housemates joined her. A bit of time to herself, a chance to find the perfect flower for her hair.
It was something I shouldn't interrupt, but it was something I felt like I had to. One more barrier to break, one step closer to fitting in, to being accepted. So I reluctantly pushed the covers off and disentangled myself from Rose.
I really did have to pee, anyway. •••
Going downstairs without a robe felt wrong, but also freeing.
I didn't see Lily on my way to the bathroom, and I briefly considered the advantages of going back upstairs and back to sleep, but I didn't. I went into the kitchen. Lily had a hoof up on the counter, and she snapped her head around as she heard me enter.
Ponies couldn't fluff themselves up like cats, but if they could, Lily would have. I knew that for a fact.
I couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for her. I was the interloper, I was the one who was messing up her routine. It was early in the morning, and not what she was expecting or desiring. Maybe it was Rose who normally came down next, or Daisy, bleary-eyed from sleep. It wasn't me.
She hadn't combed her mane, and she didn't have a flower behind her ear yet. Not that I was fully groomed, either; I probably had bedhead, but I didn't really care about that.
"Good morning, Lily."
"You scared me," she said. Quietly, so she wouldn't wake up the rest of the house. "Your--you walk too quietly."
"Should I get a bell? Like a cat? So you can hear me coming?"
"Maybe." She frowned. "I've started coffee. I--if you want some, there's enough. You could have a cup."
"Thank you." I sat down at the table, and that seemed to comfort her. Now I wasn't towering over her any more. "Is there something I can do to help?"
"No." She picked up a heavy frying pan and set it on the counter with a clatter.
"Your hooves are plenty strong," I advised her. "You don't need the pan."
She had the courtesy to lower her ears slightly before perking them back up. "I was going to make breakfast, that's why I got out the pan. Pancakes, that's a good breakfast."
"I can fry them up, as long as you mix the batter. I'm not really good at that. They wind up with too much flour or not enough."
"Fine." She got out a mixing bowl and set it on the counter. "But stay at the table until I've got the batter mixed, okay?" •••
She went off to groom herself while I started making pancakes. It didn't take too long before I'd lost myself in the process, and I'd expected to be all done before she came back, but I wasn't. I turned, and she was standing alone in the kitchen doorway, watching me.
Lily had combed her mane and tail and I assume her coat as well, but she still didn't have her flower in. I guess she hadn't wanted to go outside and pick one yet. Maybe she liked to wait until she knew what kind of day it was going to be before she made her selection.
When she saw that I'd noticed her, she scurried off and I heard the back door shut. It wasn't very long before I saw her in the backyard, wandering down her row of lilies, and looking through the window at me. I don't know if she knew I could see her.
I thought about sticking my tongue out at her, but I didn't. I focused back on the pancakes. •••
I had to finish the coffee, too--Lily had completely forgotten about it.
I expected that she was going to stay outside until either Rose or Daisy came downstairs, but she didn't. She came back in, now with a lily tucked in her mane, and glanced over at the kitchen table where I'd set two cups of coffee, well apart. Their mugs didn't have their names on them, at least not as far as I could tell, so I'd just picked two at random.
"I could have made the coffee," she said. "I was going to."
"You're welcome."
She started flicking her tail back and forth. "I'm not scared of you."
"Of course you aren't. Why would you be?"
That confused her. It wasn't what she was expecting me to say, although I wasn't sure what she was expecting me to say. "I'm just a boring girl trying to get along in a town full of ponies. Do you want a pancake?"
"Yes. Please."
I knew where the plates were, and I knew where the butter was. "Do you have any maple syrup?"
Lily nodded. "It's in that cupboard."
"Back in Canada, our money smells like maple syrup."
"Really? Why?"
"Well, back before we knew how to make coins, we traded maple syrup for stuff instead." I reached up into the cupboard and grabbed the bottle. "Something this size, it'd be worth a couple bushels of wheat, maybe a peck of apples. Of course, the value varied. Some years weren't good for syrup, and some years weren't good for apples."
"And you can't keep it forever," Lily said. "It keeps for a long time but not forever."
"Exactly. But for most people, that wasn't a problem. Because while you had some you kept aside for bartering, you'd eat the rest. On pancakes and stuff." At the duty-free store, they sold bottles of maple-flavored whiskey in a maple-leaf shaped bottle. One of my friends from Seattle had brought a bottle when he visited. "You can even make whiskey out of it." It was terrible whiskey and an ugly bottle, and I was certain that it was an American who had come up with the idea.
"Eww. I don't like whiskey. It burns and makes me silly." Lily stuck out her tongue. "Some ponies say that before unification, all our coins had different grains printed on them. They were copper, 'cause the unicorns hoarded all the gold. We didn't mind because there wasn't much you could do with gold. You couldn't eat it and you couldn't build things out of it."
Upstairs, I could hear hoofsteps, and I knew it was Rose.
Lily and I still had lots that we should discuss, and very little time, at least if we wanted to do it all right away. I kind of did, I wanted to get it over and done with, so that we could move our relationship forward. So it would cut down on awkward times together or her attempting to avoid me.
Or we could just eat pancakes. That was easier. She might be resentful if I broached the subject, anyway. "Do you think I should set plates for Rose and Daisy?"
She nodded. "They'll be down before too long. Rose will want two, and Daisy will want three."
"Even though she's so skinny?"
Lily flicked her ears up, and then nodded. "Cause she hasn't got as much endurance for physical work."
As I got the plates, I didn't tell her that cutting flowers wasn't exactly an endurance job, at least not by my book. Not like chopping wood or shoveling manure or working in the mill moving around sacks of flour. Maybe they'd thrive at it if they tried, but I'd never seen Lily break a sweat.
Or maybe their marks put a limit on what they could do, too. Forever trapped them into a career. Could it be that she was jealous I had a freedom she did not?
Rose had taken time to brush herself before coming to the breakfast table. Daisy, who appeared a few minutes later, hadn't. Her mane and tail were normally a bit messy, but that was nothing compared to how she looked after just waking up.
"Sam made the pancakes," Lily announced. "Um, and the coffee."
"You helped," I said. "I can't make proper pancake batter. And you got the stove going and the coffee started." I glanced around at the three of them. "Do you take turns with breakfast, too?"
"Sometimes, it depends. I--it's not important." Lily dropped her head slightly. "I should have been more of a help, I'm sorry."
"It's fine." I didn't know what she was getting worked up about. Lily had issues. "Do you need my help in the garden again today?"
"If you want to," Rose said. "It's not a market day, so we don't have to pick anything."
"Usually we work in the morning in the flowerbeds, and then do errands," Daisy said. "Shop at Barnyard Bargains if there's anything that we need, go to the spa even though it's crowded sometimes. Or just relax if it's a rainy day."
"Is it going to rain today?"
"No, that's scheduled for tomorrow morning."
"Are you good at weeding?"
"Not really." It was better to get the truth out. "I'm not all that good at figuring out plants, honestly. I could--I'll wash the breakfast dishes and when I'm done I guess I can help out however you want." •••
It was almost easy to go outside this time. Aside from Lily's bipolar bitchiness, there was nothing in the backyard to fear, no reason to hesitate. Back to the familiar sight of the rows of flowers stretching out, and intermingled smell of them.
We started out on opposite ends of the garden. I assumed that Lily was still trying to keep away from me, although that might have been how they usually worked. I didn't want to bring it up--Lily and I had had our moment in the kitchen, and now wasn't the time to spoil it.
I worked with Rose, and I could tell that we weren't working as fast as Lily and Daisy. I was probably slowing Rose down, honestly, so I decided to go back to doing something I knew well: I started to gather up the weeds she'd been uprooting, dumping them into an empty flower bucket.
Once I got caught up with that, I started filling the watering cans. A simple task, but one that would be hard to mess up.
Lily and Daisy noticed, and I saw the two of them whispering to each other. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but judging by ear movement, it could have been an argument. Maybe I wasn't pulling my weight in the garden, but then I'd never promised to. Besides, I was working for free--that ought to count for something.
And maybe it did. After the third time I'd filled Rose's watering can, I noticed that Daisy had set hers at the end of her row, so I carried it to the faucet and then back over to her.
"Do you need yours filled, too?"
Lily flicked her ears back and then forwards again, and she nodded.
The rows weren't really wide enough to pass, and I didn't want to reach over her, so I waited until she'd side-stepped away and picked it up.
When I returned it, I went the long way around, and I brought a fresh bucket in my other hand, since they'd filled the one they had almost to the top. It wasn't only weeds that they were taking off the plants, but occasional sick leaves and buds as well.
I kept cycling back and forth, emptying buckets on their compost pile and filling their watering cans. Once when I was emptying out a bucket I saw Apple Cider towing a wagon and waved at her. She waved back and it was only after she'd passed that I remembered I was still nude. In fact, it had been more than a full day since I'd last worn clothes.
For a moment, I stepped back, away from the fence, back to the safety of the garden, and then realized I was being silly. The ponies didn't care, and neither should I, so I went back to the fence and looked up and down the street. Amusingly, being closer to it actually covered me more, since it was about belly-high. •••
We finished up with the weeding and watering and feeding and pruning by lunchtime. Rose and I put away all the gardening implements, and I considered asking her about Lily's tail lash, but decided not to. That could be a moment that was just between us, for better or worse; something I could just let ride until I got a better idea if my relationship with Lily was improving or not. Maybe I could ask Tenderheart about it later.
Daisy made a simple lunch: flower sandwiches for them, and just bread and butter for me. And then we were gathering around the front door. It was time for their shopping, and for their trip to the spa, and at least two of them would be happy to have me along.
I looked back in the kitchen, where I could just see my shorts and panties at the edge of the counter, right where I'd left them yesterday.
It wasn't the same as going out at night.
But it wasn't not the same, either, so after one last look at my clothes, I came to the conclusion that I didn't really need them, and followed Rose out the front door. |
Just a Phase | pre | 'I'm s-s-sorry...'
'Shh... Sweetie Belle, it's okay...'
An hour later, Sweetie Belle was sat across the table from her parents. Her brief outburst had earned her fifteen minutes solace before she was called back to talk to her parents.
Magnum was the first to speak. 'Sweetie, both of us are tired and very stressed, and we want this resolved just as much as you do, but we want to know what these pictures are doing under your bed.'
Sweetie gave no response, simply shrugged her shoulders. 'I can't tell you, dad. I'm sorry.'
Sweetie saw her father's face fill with the same look of anger, but before he could start, her mother cut across the table.
'Sweetie Belle, you can tell us anything. No matter what's going on, we will help you out of it'.
Sweetie Belle considered this offer. She did, after all, have a problem, and her parents, she knew, loved her and would do whatever it took to help her.
Then, Sweetie Belle flicked her eyes towards the photocopies laid out on the table, and remembered why she kept the photocopies in the first place. She needed help like she needed a hole in her head. Literally.
'You won't be able to help me.'
'Well then, I'm decided'. Magnum used a brisk, businesslike tone. 'Sweetie Belle, if you will not tell us what is going on, we will schedule a meeting with a psychiatrist for you every week. Perhaps you will be more open with him than you are with your own parents.'
'Until this dispute is solved, you are no longer allowed to leave home, except for school or an emergency. You also are no longer allowed to play with your friends - they are not allowed inside this house. This is for your own good, Sweetie Belle.'
Magnum got no further than this, because Sweetie Belle interrupted him. Not with an objection or even to curse him, just a roar of pure hatred and resentment. Magnum, who had never dreamed his daughter would be capable of producing such a deep sound, turned to face Sweetie Belle.
'Sweetie, control yourself!'
'NO! Why are you doing this?' Sweetie cried. 'Why can't you leave me alone?'
'Sweetie Belle, I can't just "leave you alone". It is my responsibility-'
'To do what? To pry into my stuff? I have a life, you know! If I wanted you to know about something, I would have told you in the first fucking place!'
'Sweetie Belle, watch your tongue! I understand you're upset, but we are both very concerned about you!'
'No you're not! You don't care about me, you don't love me, because you don't even know anything about me! You... you think I'm broken, right? That's why you want to set me up with a psychiatrist, because you want to fix me!'
'But you can't! I can't change!'
'Change what? Sweetie Belle, I don't understand-'
'I KNOW!' Sweetie Belle had never been so angry in her life. 'I know you don't understand, because if you did, you'd disown me! You'd send me away to doctors, and they'd cut out my brain!'
'Sweetie, that is such a ridiculous-'
Sweetie Belle saw her father's eyes slide to the photocopy on the table. When he looked back at her, she saw the faintest inkling of understanding. He knows, Sweetie thought, but he doesn't accept.
Sweetie's mother, however, did not make the same connection, and scoffed at her daughter. 'Sweetie Belle, nopony is going to cut out your brain! Now, there is nothing left to discuss here, so march yourself straight upstairs and go to bed!'
Sweetie screamed one final time, threw her chair to the floor, and galloped up the stairs. The dust on the table jumped up a few inches as she slammed her room's door.
'My, my.' Cookie Crumbles sat down next to her husband. 'I'm sure she'll get over it darling. Darling? What's wrong?'
Magnum gave his wife a weak smile. 'Nothing, it's just - a shock, to see Sweetie Belle like that. I think I need to - arrange the psychiatrist.'
Magnum waited for his wife to leave, and then flipped through the telephone directory. Sure enough, there was the number he had prepared to call - Dr Mind Warp, foal psychiatrist. Given Sweetie Belle's more recent outburst, though, a different number might be needed.
Should he tell his wife? No. This was a... probing measure. To see if his suspicions were correct. This would be between him and Sweetie Belle.
He finally arrived at the number he had been looking for, and punched it into the dial pad. Hopefully, this was all a big fuss about nothing.
'You've reached Dr Comet Spark, orientation conversion therapist. This is a secure, confidential line. To whom am I speaking?' |
Just a Phase | Part 1, Chapter 5 - Therapy | Sweetie slept fitfully that night, her dreams disturbed by the same recurring images of doctors and their butcher knives, only now they seemed so much realer, so much more vivid than before. Sweetie saw the whole spectacle as from her own perspective, helpless and afraid as the doctors shined harsh lights on her, shaved her head and made the first of many painful, slow incisions...
Sweetie Belle awoke with a start. She glanced at the clock by her bed - 4:13 AM. This was the third time she had awoken from the same nightmare, each time with more and more gruesome detail. Sweetie knew she should get more sleep, but she knew what would happen if she did.
Instead, Sweetie cast her thoughts back to the argument she had been in yesterday with her father. Now, all these hours later, she felt stupid for letting her emotion get the better of her. Sweetie Belle was unsure if her mother had picked up on the message behind the outburst, but her father definitely had. Sweetie knew it was pointless to pretend otherwise.
What would happen now? Would her father send her away? Sweetie Belle honestly wasn't sure. She suspected her father wouldn't go that far, but then again...
Sweetie Belle knew what would happen if she was sent away to be 'cured'. She absolutely could not let that happen. She needed to be able to leave home, at any given time.
Standing on tiptoes, so as not to make a noise, Sweetie climbed out of bed and began to gather some of her possessions. She emptied her piggy bank - 34 bits - and gathered other things she couldn't do without. All of these were packed away neatly inside one of her saddlebags, and hidden away in her closet.
That bag comes out when I do.
Feeling more secure in the knowledge she had a back-up plan, Sweetie Belle considered other paths her father could choose. He would almost certainly uphold his vow to keep her locked up inside, though it now seemed there was no end in sight for her confinement. Sweetie Belle momentarily considered leaving now. It would be simple, just grab the saddlebags and run out the door, and...
And then what? Sweetie Belle had nowhere to go, at least, nowhere permanent. She couldn't go stay with Apple Bloom, because Applejack wouldn't allow it - in fact, Applejack had started this whole conflict by telling her parents about her crying when...
No, that wasn't true. This whole mess was Sweetie Belle's fault, and she knew it. If she had just kept her temper last night, then she wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. Applejack was just doing what she thought was right.
Sweetie Belle considered her other options. Scootaloo lived in Ponyville orphanage, so that was out. Fluttershy? Sweetie Belle gave this prospect serious thought. Fluttershy had, after all, shown her kindness and understanding. Perhaps she could live with her, maybe help her with the animals.
On the other hand, when the police came looking for a fillyfooler runaway, the first place they'd look would be Fluttershy's home - after all, Fluttershy was willing to discuss her support for gay rights with Sweetie Belle, so it wasn't unreasonable to assume Fluttershy was known for her liberal views. Sweetie Belle knew Fluttershy had strong resolve, but when she was being interrogated by two burly police ponies, Sweetie Belle didn't think she'd last ten seconds.
If Sweetie Belle was going to run away, she needed to think of somewhere outside Ponyville. Canterlot? Impossible, too much security. Sweetie Belle would be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. Another large city would suit her - Manehattan, perhaps. Sweetie didn't like the idea of being alone in Manehattan, but surely anything was better than having part of her brain removed. Manehattan was big, too, so nopony would be able to find her there.
She could get there by train in a matter of hours, and disappear. But where would she stay? She didn't have enough money to afford a place to stay long-term, or even for one night. Sweetie would end up sleeping rough, and Sweetie Belle knew enough about the world to figure out that a homeless filly in a big city like Manehattan was unlikely to last long.
As Sweetie Belle considered this grim prospect, she remembered her father's vow to bring in a psychologist. Sweetie Belle had heard about therapy to treat fillies like her, but had passed it off as pseudoscience - if there really was a way of fixing ponies like that, then there would be no need for lobotomies. Still, it was possible her father believed in this theory. Perhaps he would simply schedule her a psychologist, and leave it at that?
If so, Sweetie had nothing to worry about. All she had to do was appear to respond to treatment, and convince other ponies she had changed. Of course, putting this plan in action would take time. She could not pretend to be miraculously cured after one session, or her father would see right through her. She would also have to put on a show for her therapist, or else her father would not be convinced. Could Sweetie Belle pull off a good enough performance to fool a therapist? Possibly.
Sweetie Belle checked her clock. 5:43 AM. If she fell asleep now, she'd still have just over an hour's rest before she had to leave for school...
Sweetie Belle slowly rose and stretched. Hazily, she focused her eyes on the clock in front of her. 11:43 AM.
'Oh nononononononono....'
Sweetie Belle quickly stood up, and, feeling the blood rush to her head, quickly fell over. Recovering, she clattered downstairs to see her father calmly sitting at the kitchen table. Sweetie noticed he did not seem surprised to see her - in fact, he smiled when he saw her come downstairs, as if her had been expecting her.
'Ah, Sweetie Belle. Why don't you sit down?'
'Dad, are you mad? I'm late for school, Cheerilee's gonna kill me-'
'Miss Cheerliee, Sweetie Belle. Anyway, I thought you should stay home today. I think we should have a chat, after yesterday's... excitement.'
Sweetie Belle cautiously sat down next to her father. She waited for the next words to fall from his lips, preparing to rush upstairs and grab her saddlebag if necessary.
'Sweetie Belle, what we're about to discuss has not been mentioned to your mother, and I think we should keep it that way, yes?'
Sweetie said nothing, but nodded affirmatively. Privately, she was not surprised to hear her father didn't have the guts to tell her mother, but she still said nothing.
'Good. Now Sweetie, I'm not stupid. I know exactly what I heard last night, and now your abnormal behavior, the secrecy, it all makes sense to me. I think last night was a cry for help from you.'
Sweetie said nothing.
'Sweetie Belle, you are in a... difficult stage of your life. Sometimes, there's a lot of confusion among fillies your age, and I only want to make this part of your life easier for you. Do you understand?'
Start by butting out of it, Sweetie thought. On the outside, she nodded.
'Well then, I think you should know that I have scheduled a therapist for you. His name is Comet Spark, and he specializes in young ponies like you who have... abnormal thoughts. From now on, you will meet with him every week, and he will help you turn your life around. Understood?'
Sweetie Belle nodded, emotionless on the outside but bubbling with happiness on the inside. All she had to do was fool her father and some old therapist, and she would be free. Sweetie's only concern was how long it might take. She presumed 'therapy' would be her talking about her 'feelings' and whatnot, but she wasn't sure how much therapy would be required until she was 'cured'. Would she be expected to continue when she was older?
'Well Sweetie Belle, it's good to see you're being mature about this. The therapist starts today - he said he would arrive around 12, so I'll leave you two to get on with it.'
Sweetie Belle heard her father leave through the front door, then went to prepare herself breakfast. Something about the name of the therapist struck her as notable, and she recognized what it was - Brisk Spark and Comet Spark shared the same last name. Were they related? Perhaps, but Sweetie Belle did not think much of it. After all, she barely knew Brisk Spark. In fact, she suspected Brisk Spark had been avoiding her after she turned down his offer of a date. Of course, that had been before Brisk Spark started dating Apple Bloom...
A sudden knock at the door brought Sweetie Belle back to reality. Opening the door, she was greeted by a young stallion, with a brown coat and grey hair. Perched upon his snout were a set of thick, 'hipster-style' glasses, and he carried a bulging saddlebag.
'Sweetie Belle? My name is Comet Spark. Your father said you'd be home. Is there anypony else here?'
'Uh, No.' Sweetie Belle was slightly taken aback by the appearance of Comet Spark. In her mind, she had pictured an old, foul-tempered stallion, and she was surprised at how... normal he seemed.
'Come on in, I guess.'
'Thank you, Sweetie Belle. I am very anxious to get started...'
Sweetie Belle watched as Comet Spark set up a large projector in her living room, and placed two tapes next to it. Comet Spark indicated for her to sit in the centre of the room, facing the projector, which she did with a sense of dread.
'Okay, Sweetie Belle, one last thing. I know it look a liiiiittle' scary, but I must ask you to wear this.'
Sweetie watched as Comet Spark produced a piece of headgear she could not have dreamed up in her worst nightmares. It had a long, metal pole designed to bolt into the ground, keeping the head in place, and two metal clamps around the eye sockets.
'No way.'
'Sweetie Belle, don't make this difficult for me now. If you don't cooperate, this will only take longer. I promise, it doesn't hurt.'
Sweetie was about to tell Comet Spark exactly what he could do with his torture device, but realized it was futile. The more she resisted, after all, the longer she would be stuck in therapy.
The fitting of the headgear was relatively simple, and Sweetie Belle was surprised to see that there was indeed no pain, unless she attempted to close her eyes. She was also rooted to the spot, unable to move, staring at the projector. It suddenly occurred to Sweetie Belle that she had no way of knowing who this pony was - she had not validated his identity, and allowed him to strap her down in her own living room.
And you want to live in Manehattan, Sweetie Belle?
Comet Spark fumbled with her horn, attaching two small pads. Sweetie Belle had no idea what they were for - to measure magical energy?
'Okay, Sweetie Belle, tell me if you feel this.'
Suddenly, Sweetie Belle felt her horn split in two, sending burning channels of pain throughout her own body. Despite her agony, she was unable to emit the ear-splitting shriek she would normally have given off in response to such pain. Indeed, she had lost control of all of her bodily functions, and felt her head loll sideways and foam pour out of her mouth.
And then, as quickly as it had started, the pain was gone. Sweetie Belle spat out the foam in her mouth, feeling humiliated. She turned to face Comet Spark. 'What the fu-'
'Sweetie Belle, please'. Sweetie Belle resented being silenced in this fashion, but stopped anyway.
'Sweetie Belle, this is not going to be like regular therapy. I cannot cure you just by talking things over with you. What we are practicing now is called electroconvulsive aversion therapy. Now, I am going to show you two videos, ten seconds of one video and ten seconds of another. When I am showing one video, I am going to turn off the electrodes. When I show the other, they will be on. Understand?'
Sweetie Belle had a suspicion she knew what types of 'video' these were, and frantically shook her head. 'I don't care, I quit! I'm not doing this anymore, I don't want to-'
'Sweetie Belle, this is not your decision. Your father gave me permission to perform this therapy, and legally speaking that's all I need. Are you ready to begin?'
Not even waiting for an answer, the Comet Spark started the first tape.
As Sweetie Belle had expected, it was a pornographic video of a mare and a stallion, causing Sweetie Belle to flush crimson despite herself. In truth, Sweetie had never been more repulsed at anything in her life. It wasn't just the contents of the video, which, while disgusting on their own, were tolerable. It was the fact that she was being shown them against her will, by a strange stallion she had never met before. Her father had agreed to this?
Soon, the tape switched, and Sweetie heard the buzzing of electrodes and the return of the pain. Sweetie was slightly more prepared this time, but still found herself immobile and unable to move. The pain was exquisite, unlike anything she had ever experienced. Through her agony, she could make out the tape, another pornographic film, this time featuring two mares. Sweetie Belle assumed this 'therapy' was meant to make her associate pain with arousal, but there was nothing arousing about the film before her. Sweetie Belle could clearly see the two mares on the screen were loathing every single second of the experience.
Once again, the tape switched and the pain stopped. Sweetie Belle stiffed again, and spat out the foam that had collected in her mouth. The first film had resumed, and Sweetie Belle saw, once again, the same look in the mare's eyes. Even worse was the look in the stallion's eyes, a look a pony might give a choice piece of meat.
Once again, the tape switched, reigniting the electrodes and causing Sweetie Belle to seize up. Again, Sweetie Belle saw the haunted looks in the eyes of the two mares. Sweetie Belle could only assume they were being paid to do this. Sweetie Belle could not imagine being this desperate for cash - in the same position, she would rather go without. However, the deep red tracks Sweetie could make out - which ran along the foreleg of one of the mares - made her suspect 'going without' was not an option for this mare.
Once again the tape switched...
Sweetie Belle lost track of the passage of time sometime during the 'therapy'. Eventually, however, the tapes came to their grotesque conclusion (especially the one involving the mare and the stallion) and Sweetie was released.
Initially, she had planned to throw herself upon Comet Spark and pummel him, but all of her energy had been sapped. She could do little to resist when Comet Spark lifted her up and placed her on a nearby sofa, and she fell asleep almost instantaneously.
Sweetie Belle woke up some time later. The clock in the kitchen read 3:43 PM. She had no idea how long the session had lasted, but she would reliably estimate an hour. Her eyes were puffy and red from being held open for so long, and she realized she had vomited violently, both during the 'therapy', and also in her sleep.
Sweetie Belle felt like the biggest fool in Equestria. She had expected to run hoops around Comet Sparks, simply feeding him lies about her emotions and feelings. She wasn't sure she could take a single session more.
Of course, she could just leave. Grab her saddlebags, leave a note, slip off to Manehattan, and never come back.
Yeah, sure Sweetie Belle. You run off to Manehattan, and you'll be starring in one of those films for food in a matter of months.
Sweetie Belle contemplated, for the very first time, how very disadvantaged her position was. She couldn't run away, she couldn't stop her therapy - her father would simply force her to go - and she couldn't lie about completing her therapy when one more session would drive her insane.
Sweetie Belle wanted to scream, but she simply didn't have the energy. Instead, she picked herself up and went to the kitchen. Collecting a damp rag and a bowl, she began to clean up after herself. |
Just a Phase | Part 1, Chapter 6 - Escape | Comet Spark checked the clock. He still had around an hour. He relaxed, having momentarily thought he was late. It would not do to keep his favourite foal waiting.
Almost a month had passed since Sweetie Belle had begun her course of treatment. Strange though it may seem, Comet Spark had never actually had to deal with a filly before - all his other patients had been colts. He had spend considerable time and resources acquiring new equipment necessary to deal with this new task - the tapes alone could sometimes take him all week to acquire, due to exceptionally high demand and a limited black market supply, but still he managed.
Comet Spark did not feel bad about his preferred method of treatment, despite it's ineffectiveness. Most foals he 'worked with' ended up committing suicide, anyway. This did not concern him, either - as far as he cared, all this meant was one less fillyfooler or coltcuddler.
Sweetie Belle, his latest case, had prooved far more resilient than most colts her age. In fact, Comet Spark believed she may be one of his rare successes. It always gave him immense pride to succeed in his work, although when pressed, he would grudgingly admit that all of his successes had relapsed later on. Personally, he blamed the parents.
Comet Spark once again checked the clock. Time to go.
Ding
Comet Spark absolutely loved that doorbell.
The door to the home creaked open. The foal behind it peered out, and upon seeing Comet, flung it wide open in delight.
'Comet!'
'Brisk! How's it going, little bro?'
'Comet! How good to see you.'
Comet beamed over his brother at his parents.
'Hey Ma, Pa. Brisk been behaving himself?'
'Of course. He is just a little angel.'
'Okay! Well, I'll get him outta your hair for a couple of hours, all right?'
'Comet! Can we go rollerblading? Pleasepleasepleaseplease?'
'Sure, Brisk! Whatever you want.'
Brisk ran excitedly out of the house into the front garden. Comet gave his parents a sympathetic smile, and waved goodbye. Brisk could be a handful, so Comet had agreed to take him out one night a week, so his parents could get some rest.
Seeing Brisk bounce around like that always made Comet smile. Brisk might be a teenager now, but when he was excited he seemed to have the stamina of a small child.
'Okay, Brisk. Rollerblading it is.'
Brisk Spark may have many talents, but it soon became apparent that rollerblading was not one of them. Still, his characteristic determination shone through, and he kept his valiant efforts up until the end. Comet had far more experience, and spent much of his time either picking Brisk up or teaching him the ropes. Despite his obviously slow progress, Brisk kept his spirits up and showed great gratitude towards Comet for helping him.
That was one of the things Comet admired the most about Brisk. One thing he couldn't stand was a whiny brat. Foals who displayed courage and determination in their youth would, in his opinion, go on to become successful ponies later on in life.
As the evening dragged on, the two brothers left the rink and agreed to get dinner at a nearby fast-food joint, Hayburgers. Oatburger with Hayfries each.
'So Comet, what's going on with you?'
'Me? Oh, same old. Boring stuff, really. You don't want to hear about it'. Despite his modesty, Comet was secretly pleased to have been asked.
'Yeah I do!'
'Well, I have a new case. A filly this time.'
'Woah, who is she?'
'Come on, Brisk, you know I can't tell you. That's confidential.'
Despite his posturing, Comet was seriously considering spilling the beans on Sweetie Belle. The filly had become less and less responsive to therapy, and now Comet practically had to force the headgear on her. Perhaps a little schoolyard teasing would do the filly some good. After all, peer pressure often caused rapid shifts in the individual's personality. This was a unique opportunity to test this theory...
'Okay, Brisk. Can you promise to keep a secret?'
While Brisk enthusiastically responded he could, Comet could clearly see the glint of cruelty in his eyes. Another excellent trait.
'Okay Brisk, listen closely. Do you know a filly called Sweetie Belle?'
Comet nodded enthusiastically.
'Well, she's undergoing treatment for... come closer...'
Comet leaned in, eager to hear the dirt on the filly who dared snub him.
'Being a fillyfooler'.
Brisk pulled back, stunned. 'Really?'
Comet nodded. 'Really'.
Brisk nodded solemnly. 'Wow. I hope she gets better. You're the best, I'm sure you can help her!'
Comet smiled. 'We'll see, Brisk. We'll see'.
Brisk couldn't believe his luck. Finally, he had some dirt on Sweetie Belle. He had held a grudge against the filly ever since she had turned him down. He had been so sure she would say yes, that he had gone round the school prior to asking her, bragging that Sweetie Belle, prettiest girl in school, was going out with him. When she had said no, he had been humiliated.
Of course, now it all made sense. There was no other reason why anypony could turn him down. Well, starting tomorrow, Brisk was going to get even. He was going to make sure Sweetie regretted turning him down for a very, very long time.
The next day at school, Sweetie Belle knew something was wrong the moment she walked through the gates. It seemed every pony she passed would stop and stare at her. Some would call after her, usually cries of 'Freak!' and 'Weirdo!'
Sweetie Belle didn't understand. She had always been relatively popular. Never the most popular girl in school, of course, but nopony had ever treated her like this before. What was going on?
'Sweetie Belle! Over here!'
It was Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle turned to face her.
'Scoots, what's going on? Why is everypony-'
'Sweetie, no time. Come with me!'
Scootaloo lead Sweetie to an empty art class. Once inside, she turned the bolt on the door and faced Sweetie Belle, a look of utmost seriousness on her face.
'Sweetie Belle, Brisk Spark is going around telling everypony you're a fillyfooler. Is that true?'
Once, when Sweetie Belle was just a small filly, she had fallen off a set of drawers and landed flat on her stomach. When the stood up, she was unable to breathe properly for ten full minutes, after having all the breath knocked out of her.
That was exactly how she felt now. No sense of emergency, no panic, no scream, just the sensation of all her breath being knocked out of her body. Sweetie Belle sank to her knees, then onto her side, her lungs simply refusing to respond, to take in any more oxygen. What was the point? Her home life was already hell. Why not add everypony hating her on top of that?
'Sweetie Belle! Are you okay?'
Sweetie was dragged back to face this new, cruel reality by Scootaloo's frantic shaking. She once again sank to the floor, eyes closed, wondering if it was possible to escape this latest turn of events by simply denying the reality of the world around her.
'Sweetie Belle! Please wake up!'
Sweetie Belle slowly stood, shaking, on her feet. Turning to face Scootaloo, she gave a tiny, almost imperceptible nod.
Scootaloo's face visibly drained. 'How could you lie to me, Sweetie Belle? To Apple Bloom?'
'I'm sorry, Scootaloo! I don't want to lose you, you're my best friend! Please don't leave me, I don't want to be alone!'
Sweetie Belle felt the tears come, but pushed them back. She wasn't going to appear weak in front of Scootaloo, if Scootaloo decided to abandon her.
'Sweetie Belle, I don't know... I mean, I've known you for so long, but... This is just wrong, Sweetie Belle.'
'I know!' Sweetie cried. 'That's why I'm trying to fix it, I've been seeing a therapist and everything-'
'I know, Sweetie Belle. Brisk Spark says his brother is your therapist, that's how he knows.'
Comet Spark. Sweetie wasn't surprised he was behind this. After all, the therapist had gone to every possible length to make Sweetie Belle's life unbearable. Presumably, this was just another step in his twisted game.
Sweetie Belle looked Scootaloo over, and noticed she was looking... rough. Not just regular Scootaloo rough, but... roughed up.
'Scootaloo, what happened to you?'
'What, this?' Scootaloo grimaced. 'Some colts knocked me over and trampled me, because I hang out with you. They said they were gonna get you next, Sweetie Belle.'
Sweetie Belle felt she had finally hit rock bottom. No, there was still one more thing she needed to know.
'And Apple Bloom?'
'Apple Bloom won't speak to you, Sweetie Belle. She said she wouldn't speak to me either, after I said I was gonna try and find you'.
And there it was. Sweetie Belle had alienated Apple Bloom, her first love, got the only person willing to stick by her beaten up, and had turned an entire school against her.
'Sweetie Belle, I don't like to say this, but Cheerilee is gonna come looking for you, and she's gonna send you to a psychiatrist-'
'No she's not, Scootaloo'.
'Uh, yeah she is, she said so and everything-'
'Scootaloo, I need to tell you something, and you gotta listen to me. You are the best friend I ever had. I swear. Promise me you'll remember that?'
'I-I promise, Sweetie Belle.'
'Can I ask one final favor?'
'Final? Sure.'
'Can you help me pack?'
Sweetie Belle was unable to believe this was actually happening. She and Scootaloo had finished packing her essentials, and had laid them out in the hallway of Sweetie Belle's house. Sweetie Belle was confident, and ready. She knew there was nothing left for her in Ponyville, and she was ready to move on.
Next, Sweetie turned to Scootaloo. No words were needed - the two of them simply held each other for what must have been a solid fifteen minutes.
Finally, Scootaloo released Sweetie Belle. As Scootaloo approached the door, she turned to face Sweetie Belle a final time, tears streaming down her face.
'Sweetie Belle, I promise I will never forget you. I hope you have a good life - I don't care how you choose to live it. You've been the best friend a filly could ask for'.
With that, Scootaloo turned and left through the front door. Sweetie Belle watched as her last friend galloped out of her life.
Sweetie Belle was walking around her home, trying to remember each detail, when the door knocked. The knock was jovial and brisk, and Sweetie recognized it immediately.
Comet Spark.
Normally, Sweetie Belle would have been terrified, but now she figured she had nothing to lose. Racing into the kitchen, she plucked the sharpest knife out of the rack. Racing into the living room, she concealed the knife underneath the sofa, before racing to answer the door.
Comet Spark was standing there, an impatient scowl plastered across his face. 'Finally! Don't keep me waiting in the future'.
As Sweetie Belle's sessions had worn on, Comet had become progressively more brutish during their sessions. His demeanor had lost any of it's initial warmth or friendliness, and he had come to treat her more harshly, sometimes striking her if she failed to comply with a demand quickly enough.
Comet pushed past Sweetie Belle, into the living room, where he began to set himself up. Sweetie followed him in. She could not recall a time when she had ever looked at another pony with such hatred.
'I'm not doing it.'
Comet Spark looked at Sweetie Belle, unimpressed. 'Playing this game again? We're only delaying your progress, you know.'
'You told Brisk Spark about this.'
Comet had clearly been expecting this, and he merely chuckled. 'Yes, I did. Don't you see, Sweetie Belle? How they all hate you? How if you don't let me help you, this will be your life?'
'Sweetie Belle,' he continued, 'this should serve as your inspiration to change yourself for the better. And if you don't comply, I am perfectly within my legal rights to force you. You're only a minor, after all. If your daddy signs away your rights, you can't do anything about it'.
As Comet advanced on her, Sweetie Belle fluidly stepped backwards and pulled the knife she had hidden out from behind the sofa. She levitated it threateningly at Comet Spark, who kept a cool gaze, though Sweetie was satisfied to see a note of panic in his voice when he spoke.
'Come on Sweetie Belle, we both know you haven't got the gut-'
Driven by fury and her new found sense of freedom, Sweetie Belle swung forward with the blade. Comet's reaction was nowhere near quick enough, and the blade cut deep into his foreleg, causing him to stumble and kneel in pain.
'MY LEG! What the hell is wrong with you, you Celestia-damned queer BITCH?'
Sweetie Belle's heart was racing fit to burst, and she prepared to flee the room, abandoning her bags to escape, when suddenly she felt a great force pick her up and slam her into the nearest wall. The wall cracked and Sweetie Belle saw her world turn black.
When Sweetie Belle came to, she was strapped down in the same device she had been every session. In the corner, she could see Comet, his leg stitched up with a crude magical stitch.
'So, we're ready to begin, Sweetie Belle?'
Sweetie Belle let loose a torrent of abuse in response.
'Dear, dear, Sweetie Belle. We can't have language like that now, can we?'
Sweetie Belle felt a burning sensation as her lips were magically sealed.
Comet started the tapes. The experience was not new to Sweetie Belle, but the content of the tapes were. As time went on, Comet had gone to great lengths to acquire more and more extreme material. She suspected the material was just as much for his viewing pleasure as it was for her 'therapy'. Just before the tape switched, Comet paused the video.
'I thought we'd try something a little different today, Sweetie Belle. No electrodes.'
'I know how much you hate me, Sweetie Belle. After all, you did just try to kill me. And I hate you too, Sweetie Belle. You are without doubt the most repulsive, arrogant and belligerent filly I have ever had the displeasure of coming across. And I think someone needs to teach you a lesson, a little bit like this!'
On the last word, Comet pulled back his hoof and brought it crashing down on Sweetie Belle's nose. Sweetie Belle felt her nose burst, and saw blood pour freely from the wound.
Sweetie Belle exploded, firing up her horn, wanting nothing more than to kill. The moment she tried, however, she felt a great pain begin in her horn and rebound throughout her entire body.
'Tsk, tsk, Sweetie Belle. You'll just power the electrodes if you do that.'
'Now, back to our regularly scheduled viewing.'
The tapes resumed, alternating between the mare and stallion and the two mares. For the first ten seconds, Comet did nothing. Then, when the tape switched back to the two mares, Comet brought his hoof full force into Sweetie Belle's stomach, causing her to double over and retch. As she laid on the floor, Comet rained punch after punch on her, until the tape switched again. Comet stepped back, waiting anxiously for the tapes to switch back, so he could continue his assault.
After an hour, the tapes ended. Comet released Sweetie Belle from the vice, and threw her onto the ground.
'Listen to me.' He leaned over and growled in her ear. 'If you ever tell anypony about this, I'll kill you. Understand?'
Sweetie nodded.
For the next hour, Sweetie Belle laid on the floor. She remembered having vauge plans of leaving Ponyville, having a new life elsewhere. Maybe it was time to put those plans into action.
Sweetie Belle walked into the hallway, stumbling across her saddlebags, packed with everything she needed to move. She wasn't sure what made her do it, but she decided to visit Fluttershy. After all, Fluttershy was her only friend left in the world now.
Upon arrival at Fluttershy's house, Sweetie Belle felt, strangely enough, a sense of elation. It happened every time she was able to sneak out to visit Fluttershy. Just knowing Fluttershy would listen to her and not judge made Sweetie Belle's day just that little bit brighter.
Of course, Fluttershy had been completely powerless to actually help Sweetie Belle. Comet Spark had acted completely within the confines of the law - until of course, today.
'Fluttershy? It's me, Sweetie Belle!'
Sweetie Belle's call was answered by Fluttershy, who replied from her kitchen. 'Another session today, Sweetie Belle?'
'Uh, yeah'.
'Why don't you come in?'
Sweetie Belle walked into Fluttershy's living room. As she did, Fluttershy entered, and saw Sweetie Belle for the first time.
Sweetie Belle looked awful. Her nose was completely disjoint, and most of her muzzle was caked with blood. One of her eyes was swollen shut, and bruises covered every square inch of her body. Worst of all, Fluttershy noticed the top part of Sweetie Belle's horn had been chipped off, meaning it now ended in a jagged tip, rather than the natural smoothness of a unicorn's horn.
Fluttershy reacted exactly as Sweetie Belle had expected; she clapped her hooves to her mouth and rushed over to Sweetie Belle, tears brimming in her eyes.
'Oh, Sweetie Belle, I'm so sorry. How awful.'
'Fluttershy, should I... should I tell the police?'
Fluttershy paused. 'I don't know, Sweetie Belle. If it's your word against his...'
Sweetie Belle stamped the ground with frustration. Of course, Fluttershy was right. Nopony would listen to Sweetie Belle, especially now everyone knew the truth about her.
Sweetie Belle felt a sob begin to rise in her throat. 'Fluttershy, I don't know what I'm gonna do. Everypony at school knows about me, too.'
'You could always leave, Sweetie Belle.'
'What?'
'Pack up. Leave Ponyville.'
'Fluttershy, I can't just leave. I don't have any money, or a place to stay, or a job...'
'Sweetie Belle, I know somepony you can leave with.'
Sweetie Belle was shocked at this revelation. 'Who?'
'Remember when I told you I knew a couple in Ponyville? Well, they're moving away to Manehattan, and I'm sure you could join them.'
'Wait a minute. I thought you said they didn't know you knew?'
'They didn't, but I've seen how unhappy you've been over the last few weeks. When I heard they were moving away, I told they that I knew all about them, and proposed they took you with them'.
'Wow. How did they react?'
'Pretty badly, but they came around.'
Sweetie Belle dithered. 'I don't know, Fluttershy. What about my parents, and Rarity? I can't just leave them.'
'Sweetie Belle, I know it's hard, but you have got to accept that these ponies don't love you for who you are. If they're not willing to love the real you, there's no reason for you to put yourself on the line for them.'
'Which couple do you know?'
'Two mares. Lyra Heartstrings and Bon-Bon.'
Sweetie Belle thought about the prospect. A new life in Manehattan. Nopony knew who she was, so she could start fresh. Lyra and Bon-Bon were both nice.
But she would be abandoning everyone she knew. All her friends, her family...
What friends? What family?
Sweetie knew this inner voice was right. She had been abandoned by her friends, and gifted to a violent sociopath by her family. Sweetie Belle took a good look at herself in the mirror. For the first time, she saw the extent of her injuries. Most troubling of all was the missing piece of horn. All the other injuries would heal with time, but the horn was permanent.
As long as I stay here, this is gonna be a weekly occurrence.
Sweetie Belle knew what she should do.
'Okay, Fluttershy. I'll leave.'
Fluttershy wrote down Lyra and Bon-Bon's place of residence and a code word they had agreed to use.
Fluttershy passed the paper to Sweetie, and then leaned in to hug her.
'Sweetie Belle, you are just the bravest filly I have ever met. I want you to have an amazing life, and I hope there's something better for you out there than what you've had to endure so far'.
Fluttershy pulled back from the hug, tears streaming from her eyes.
'Well Sweetie Belle, I guess this is it. Stay strong for me, okay?'
Sweetie Belle nodded, unable to express her gratitude in words. |
Just a Phase | Part 1, Chapter 7 - Note | Mum and Dad.
I don't quite know what to write here. I suppose it doesn't matter, since I'll probably never see you again. I'm sorry this all had to happen. I'd like to say I'm sorry I was born this way, but I'm not. At least, I'm not anymore. I think it's okay to like mares, and I don't care what everyone else thinks. Maybe that's just me being arrogant, but I honestly don't care. Coming to terms with myself has done me more good than trying to fix myself ever has.
Dad, I don't know if you ever told mum about me. I like to think you did, but I'm not sure. I suppose you'll have to now. I know you were only trying to help me, but you didn't. All you did was make my life unbearable, and let Comet Spark do whatever he wanted. I don't hate you, but I don't love you anymore. I'm sorry.
Mum, I'm a fillyfooler. You might just stop reading here, but in case you didn't, I want you to let you know that I'm still Sweetie Belle, and I'm still your daughter. I know you're trying right now to think of something you did wrong, that made me this way, but you honestly didn't. You were the best mother anypony could ask for. Please don't take this out on dad. I don't blame him, honestly, and I don't want you to either.
Rarity, I haven't seen you a lot recently. I'm fairly sure dad never mentioned anything about my 'situation' to you, but he didn't need to. I already told you, years ago, when I was only small. I know back then you told me it was 'only a phase' and that I was going to grow out of it, but I guess you were wrong. I think you knew all along, anyway, but you never said anything about it to me, just kept pushing boys my way. Our parents might not show you this letter, so I'll slip a copy under the door of the Carousel Boutique. Please don't freak out.
I'm not on my own. I'm with two other mares from Ponyville, ponies like me. I can't tell you their names, but we're going to Manehattan. I want a chance to start a new life, and I know you won't let me do that. That's the only reason I did this. I don't have a chance in Ponyville - everypony knows about me, because Brisk Spark told them, and he got it from his brother - Comet Spark.
I have to go now. Please try to understand.
Goodbye.
- Sweetie Belle.
Rarity was feeling pleased with herself, as always. Once again, she was ahead of schedule with her work, giving her time to begin drawing up a new set of designs for next season. She had managed to keep drama out of her life for a long time now - no fights with her friends, no artistic disagreements with her customers, and no family troubles.
In fact, Rarity was in such high spirits that she nearly missed the piece of paper that had been shoved under her door. Levitating it to eye level, she immediately took in the neat, cramped writing that could only belong to Sweetie Belle.
Rarity had, despite Sweetie's suspicions, been fully aware of Sweetie Belle's treatment. Of course her father hadn't told Rarity, preferring to treat her like a child rather than a capable and fully independent mare. Rarity very quickly suspected that something was wrong with Sweetie Belle - the excitable filly she once knew had been replaced these past few weeks by a moody, quiet pony who rarely spoke. Although many other ponies - all of her friends, for instance - had simply chalked it up to 'teenage years', Rarity knew her sister well enough to see that something else had caused this rapid shift in personality.
Her first action was to quiz Twilight. Rarity knew Sweetie Belle had spent a lot of time in the library recently, and that it had caused a lot of strife between Sweetie Belle and her parents, but Twilight had not been able to tell her much, just that Sweetie Belle visited the library to read about medicine. Next, she had asked Fluttershy, who Rarity knew had been speaking quite regularly with Sweetie Belle. This endeavor proved far more fruitful. As soon as she began asking questions about Sweetie Belle, Fluttershy visibly grew anxious, and with only a little bit of pushing, told Rarity all about Sweetie Belle's therapy sessions.
Rarity was not surprised to learn that Fluttershy sympathised with their 'struggle', but she had no idea her parents knew about Sweetie Belle. Rarity had kept that fact a secret for years, so she could only assume Sweetie Belle had told them. Silly girl.
As soon as Rarity heard about theses therapy sessions, she backed off. She had no right to lecture her parents on how to raise their foal - after all, her parents had raised her, and Rarity considered herself a well rounded individual. On the other hoof, Rarity hadn't come with Sweetie Belle's complications.
Rarity had known, ever since Sweetie Belle had confessed to her all those years before, that this condition was a time bomb, ticking away slowly. Some day, sooner or later, it was going to erupt, therapy or no therapy.
It was therefore no great surprise, although still a horrible experience, to read the letter Sweetie Belle had crammed through her door. Rarity had known a day like this would come, when Sweetie Belle's - situation - would cause her to do something drastic. This did not, however, make her feel any better.
As Rarity finished the letter, laying it flat on the table, two major details resonated through her head.
Manehattan.
Two other mares, ponies like me.
Sweetie Belle had gone to Manehattan, lead off by two fillyfoolers who presumably had some sort of twisted, insidious designs on the poor filly. Rarity knew exactly what fillyfoolers and coltcuddlers did to young foals like Sweetie Belle - it seemed there was a new case every week, some poor foal being led off and...
Rarity dashed over to her phone, and frantically dialed the emergency number. It took a few seconds, but finally she was connected.
'Emergency services, what service do you require?'
'Police! NOW! My sister had gone, she's been foalnapped by some awful-'
'Slow down there ma'am. Is this the Sweetie Belle case?'
'Yes, that's her! Please tell you've found her already!'
'Sorry ma'am, but this is actually the second call we've received about this foal. A pony named Magnum called us earlier. Do you know-'
Rarity slammed down the phone and bolted for the door.
After slipping the note under Rarity's door, Sweetie Belle had headed straight for the home of Lyra and Bon-Bon. To disguise her recent injuries, she had taken a cloak from her wardrobe, pulling it close around her frame.
Lyra and Bon-Bon lived in a small, pretty cottage just outside Ponyville town center. Sweetie Belle didn't know why they wanted to move away from this idyllic countryside environment to a hectic city like Manehattan. On the other hoof, Sweetie Belle knew it would be rude to pry into their personal lives. Whatever reason the couple had for leaving Ponyville, she was sure it was a good one.
Lyra and Bon-Bon were outside, checking their luggage. Lyra spotted Sweetie Belle first, and raised a skeptical eyebrow. Sweetie Belle hesitated, unsure, and then remembered Fluttershy's instructions.
'Angel'.
Lyra nodded, and turned to Bon-Bon. 'That's her'.
Sweetie Belle stepped closer, partially sliding back her hood so she could see clearly.
'So, Sweetie Belle, we just - holy shit.'
'Lyra!'
'No, Bon-Bon, seriously, come and get a look at this'.
'Lyra, don't scare - oh my goodness, Sweetie Belle. Who did this to you?'
Sweetie Belle realized the extent of her bruising, and shook her head. 'It doesn't matter. Let's just go'.
'Sweetie Belle, it does matter? Was it your parents?'
'No! No, it was.. someone else'.
'Are you sure you're okay?'
Sweetie Belle nodded. 'The faster we leave, the sooner I'll feel better'.
Bon-Bon wasn't sure, but she did want to get moving. It wouldn't be long before Sweetie Belle was noticed missing. In fact -
'Sweetie Belle, does anyone know where you've gone?'
'Uh, I think so. I left a note'.
'You did what!?!'
Frantically, Bon-Bon grabbed bags and hoisted them onto her back. 'Lyra! We have to go, now!'
Sweetie Belle shrunk back. All of a sudden, the decision to leave a note seemed to stupid. Why did she think it was necessary?
'Bon-Bon, I'm sorry-'
'Save it.' Bon-Bon spat. 'If you want to help, grab some bags'.
Rarity was sitting in her parent's kitchen. Just a few minutes before, she had burst through the front door, only to find her parents huddled around the kitchen table. Initially, she had vented molten fury at her parents, calling them every name under the sun, blaming them for Sweetie Belle's predicament. Her father and mother had not even attempted to defend themselves, simply sat limply.
Eventually, all of the rage drained out of Rarity and was replaced with sorrow. Her father had begun to explain about Sweetie Belle's therapy, but Rarity had cut him off, telling him she knew.
'But what have you done about this?'
'We told you, Rarity. We called the police, what more can we-'
'For goodness sake, Father! Some predators have carried her off, and you're not even looking? Have you checked the train station?'
'I... I'm sure the police will-'
Rarity snorted. It was so typical of her father to be lethargic and inactive in a crisis.
'I don't care if the police are looking, we should be looking as well!'
Rarity stormed out. Although she hated to admit it, she was going to need some help. Three unicorns wouldn't be able to cover much ground on their own. She needed someone fast, someone who could cover lots of ground quickly...
Rainbow Dash had initially been insolent and grumpy when woken, but upon hearing of Sweetie Belle disappearance, she snapped up and soared out of her door, right before getting as much information as possible. Her plan was to scout out the train station - Rarity had said Sweetie Belle was headed for Manehattan, and the only way to get from Manehattan to Ponyville was by train.
In fact, Rainbow Dash was so preoccupied with looking for Sweetie Belle that she hardly noticed where she was going, and walked straight into Lyra Heartstrings.
'Oof!'
Rainbow Dash picked herself up, muttering.
'Sorry, Rainbow!'
'It's okay. Hey, Lyra, have you seen Sweetie Belle anywhere?'
'S-Sweetie Belle? Umm, nope. Isn't she, like, Rarity's sister, or something?'
'Yeah. Don't, like, tell anyone, but she's run off. Said in a letter she was headed to Manehattan with some creeps. Keep an eye out, would ya?'
'Sure, Rainbow. No problem.'
Sweetie Belle was hot, uncomfortably and finding it difficult to breathe inside the suitcase, but she supposed it was apt punishment for her mistake. On the outside, she heard Lyra talking to somepony, and then silence again. Her confinement ended abruptly when the suitcase was opened and she tumbled out.
'Sweetie Belle, did you tell people where we were going?'
Sweetie Belle let out the tiniest affirmative squeak.
As the train started moving, Lyra swore violently and slammed her hoof into the wall of the compartment. 'That's it. We're sunk. Thanks a million, Sweetie Belle.'
'Lyra, don't be so defeatist'.
'Defeatist? Bon-Bon, you heard what Rainbow Dash said. Manehattan station is gonna be crawling with police ponies, and they're all gonna have her description, as well as the fact that she's got two foalnappers in tow'.
Bon-Bon sighed, and turned to Sweetie Belle. 'Me and Lyra are just gonna have a little chat, okay Sweetie Belle?'
Sweetie Belle nodded, eager to not screw anything else up.
Bon-Bon escorted Lyra outside, and shut the door.
'We can't keep her. You know that.'
'What are we supposed to do then, Lyra? Throw her off the train?'
'Listen, I don't want to see her come to harm any more than you do, but face it. If we even set foot in Manehattan with her, we're goners. We can't risk putting her in a bag, because they do random searches there, and even if we could get her through the station, we're talking about spending an entire life with a wanted runaway. We can't keep her a secret forever, Bon-Bon. Why should we ruin this new chance for our selves?'
'We could... disguise her. Dye her coat, her hair...' Bon-Bon faltered.
'And then what? Oh hey, this is our filly who has the exact same voice and broken horn as that runaway, and her tail's turning purple in places? Get real, Bon-Bon. You know what happens if we get caught. They're just gonna label us foal abusers and abductors. You know what happens to them, Bon-Bon. This is our lives we're risking here. If we get caught, it's the death penalty, do you understand, Bon Bon? They. Will. Kill. Us'.
'Well, do you have a secondary plan?'
'Actually, yes...'
Lyra and Bon-Bon returned to the carriage, Lyra looking stony faced, Bon-Bon looking sick.
'All right, Sweetie Belle. This train calls at Fillydelphia, so why don't we stop there for a bit?'
Sweetie Belle did not understand. 'I thought we needed to get moving as quickly as possible?'
'Yeah, but that was before we got out of Ponyville. Now we can take our time!'
Sweetie Belle wasn't sure this was wise, but she had never been to Fillydelphia before, and it made sense to stop during a long journey.
'Okay, Lyra. Whatever you say'.
Fillydelphia was a beautiful city. Skyscrapers towered over Sweetie Belle, sometimes so tall they got lost in the clouds. Although she was anxious to see more, Lyra seemed very keen to find 'somewhere to sit down'. Sweetie Belle assumed they planned to shout at her for her letter, but she didn't care. Now she was away from Ponyville, things were already starting to look up.
Eventually, Sweetie Belle was taken to a cafe by Lyra and Bon-Bon.
'What do you want, Sweetie Belle?'
'Uhmmm... I don't know yet.'
'Okay. Well, me and Bon-Bon are just gonna check out the starter menu, right Bon-Bon?'
Bon-Bon sat, fixed in place, gazing at Sweetie Belle. 'Right, Bon-Bon?'
'Yeah'. Bon-Bon broke her gaze. 'Starter menu. Sounds great'.
Suddenly, Bon-Bon turned to Sweetie Belle. 'Sweetie Belle, I'm sorry'.
'Bon-Bon!'
Sweetie was confused, both at the overly emotional state of Bon-Bon and Lyra's agitation. They sure were strange ponies.
Sweetie Belle watched the couple round the corner into the cafe.
'Nothing, Rainbow Dash?'
'Sorry, Rarity. She must have slipped past me. Or maybe she's still in town? in fact, that whole Manehattan thing could have been a decoy.'
Rarity sunk to her hooves. 'Oh, Sweetie Belle... please come back'.
Sweetie Belle had been waiting at the cafe for nearly an hour now. Although she had at first tried to deny it, she now knew Lyra and Bon-Bon were gone. Sweetie supposed she only had herself to blame. After all, she had been so stupid as to lay out exactly what she was going to do in her little note.
Sweetie Belle had been getting dirty looks from the cafe owner for some time now, and realized she had overstayed her welcome. She slowly left her table, hoping against hope that Bon-Bon and Lyra would make a last-minute appearance, with some wild explanation as to why they had been gone so long. Sweetie Belle wouldn't have questioned it, just accepted any story, even if she knew it was a lie. Anything to make them come back.
Of course, they didn't come back. Sweetie Belle knew they wouldn't, but she preferred to pretend.
Sweetie Belle felt like she should cry, but didn't. She couldn't, not in Fillydelphia. Although most of the horror stories about foal runaways came from Manehattan, Fillydelphia was still prominently featured. Momentarily, Sweetie Belle considered returning to Ponyville, but she couldn't. She couldn't take another day as a prisoner in her own home, in her own mind, being violently beaten up weekly by Comet Spark.
Sweetie Belle knew she was going to have to find somewhere to sleep, but every corner or alley she passed looked less and less inviting. Many ponies looked pointedly away from her, or even crossed the street to avoid her. Sweetie Belle attributed this to her appearance - the bruises, cracked horn and swollen eye all gave her the appearance of one of Fillydelphia's many street rats.
At least nopony would look upon her as easy pickings.
As the sky darkened, Sweetie Belle became more and more intimidated and dizzied by the sheer size and complexity of Fillydelphia. She was long lost, although she supposed that didn't matter now. Ponies at night were more aggressive than the ones during the day, and Sweetie Belle had many kicks, obscenities and vile comments thrown her way.
Finally, she collapsed after having walked for hours on end. Sweetie Belle crawled into a small back alley, between two small fast-food joints, and fell into a deep, fitful sleep.
End of Part One |
Just a Phase | Part 2, Chapter 1 - Fillydelphia | 'Sugar Note! Get out here and help me!'
Sugar Note rolled her eyes. Amethyst Charm, her partner for nearly a year now, had been in a foul mood since this morning. In the lead up to their one year anniversary, they had decided to finally move in together, and both of them were setting up in a new apartment. At first, Amethyst had been concerned moving in together would arouse suspicions, but Sugar Note had finally managed to convince her.
In fact, Sugar Note was secretly delighted they had moved in together. She knew Amethyst was the pony she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and this was the first major step towards that. Of course, she also knew they could keep no secrets from one another. And Sugar Note had secrets - in fact, she had a whole life full of them. Sugar Note knew Amethyst Charm wasn't stupid, that she must have twigged Sugar Note was keeping something back, but as always, Amethyst had been polite and not tried to pry into her personal life, or her past.
But now, the game had to end. Amethyst and Sugar Note were approaching their one year anniversary, and Sugar Note wanted to tell her the truth. The truth, of course, being that Sugar Note didn't actually exist.
'Sugar Note' was the name Sweetie Belle had first chosen as - of all things - a stage name. When she had met Amethyst, she had been using the name to ensure nopony ever figured out who she really was. Over the years, the little runaway foal called Sweetie Belle had grown to become Sugar Note, confident and headstrong. She had changed her appearance too, her mane cut short and dyed purple, and her voice had changed considerably over the years, adopting the regional accent. She had also got her cutie mark, a single black musical note. Now there was a story. Today, she was unrecognizable as that small filly she had once been.
'Sugar Note! Help me with these bags, would you?'
'Coming!'
Three hours later, they were finished. Sweetie Belle gazed around the new apartment. While it was no palace, it was a place of their own, and considering the place they had both come from, this was a major achievement for both of them. Of course, neither of them could have done it without each other.
Amethyst Charm, a lilac unicorn with a platinum blonde mane, had first met Sweetie Belle at one of Fillydelphia's few gay-friendly bars. Soon after discovering her talent for music, Sweetie had begun to perform around Fillydelphia to make ends meet. She soon gathered a reputation among the Fillydelphia gay community, so work was always to be found. To Sweetie Belle, it was a dream job; the opportunity to practice and spread music, and to meet like minded ponies, ponies who wouldn't judge her, who would accept and return her affections.
And thus she met Amethyst Charm. Normally Sweetie Belle was wary of especially friendly mares - lots of stories circulated about police sting operations targeting fillyfoolers and coltcuddlers, but Sweetie Belle believed in giving everypony a chance.
As it turned out, Amethyst Charm was the most wonderful mare Sweetie had ever met. Kind and sympathetic, but never unwilling to stand up for herself and Sweetie Belle, their relationship had blossomed. Sweetie Belle had never once imagined she would find a mare to share her life with, much less find one who wanted the same thing from her.
Just like Sweetie Belle, Amethyst had ended up homeless as a filly, abandoned by her family. Unable to afford therapy and unwilling to let their daughter be taken away, but still unable to face the prospect of a fillyfooler daughter, her family had sold their home and left Fillydelphia, leaving Amethyst behind. Amethyst was older than Sweetie Belle when this happened - in fact, she was entering adulthood, but she still ended up homeless. Sweetie Belle didn't know what had happened to Amethyst in between her family abandoning her and her meeting Sweetie Belle for the first time, apart from the fact that Amethyst had begun working as a jeweler. Presumably, Amethyst would tell Sweetie Belle when she was ready.
'So, you were gonna tell me something, Sugar Note?'
Sweetie Belle snapped back to attention. Of course. How should she start?
'Amethyst, you know I love you, right?'
'Uh-huh'.
'And you love me... right?'
'Of course'.
'Ok. Listen... My name isn't actually Sugar Note. It's Sweetie Belle'.
Sweetie saw Amethyst's face go from curiosity to shock, and from shock to anger.
'What?'
'I know, and I'm sorry. I had a good reason, though-'
Amethyst held up a hoof. 'Suga- Sweetie Belle. I've known you for nearly a year now, and I don't care what you're called. As long as you're the mare I remember, whatever your real name is doesn't matter. But I still gotta ask: What. The. Fuck?'
'Amethyst, I had a good reason.'
'What good reason?'
Sweetie Belle shook her head. 'Amethyst, have you heard the name "Sweetie Belle" before?'
Amethyst shook her head. 'I don't think so. What, are you running from the cops?'
'Kind of. Not for doing anything wrong, just- you know. They found out about me, and I had to ditch it and... Well, it'll take a while to get you up to speed on everything, so-'
Amethyst sank into her chair. 'I wanna hear everything, Sugar Belle. Or Sweetie Belle. Whatever'.
Sweetie Belle had been expecting an inquisition, but she wasn't sure she was ready to share every aspect of her life with Amethyst. As far as she was concerned, some parts of her life were better left forgotten. Of course, the past has a nasty way of following ponies around. Perhaps it would be better to just be honest.
'Well, we're gonna be here a while if you wanna hear everything'.
Amethyst sank yet deeper into her chair, and propped a pillow behind her head. 'I'm all ears'.
Sweetie Belle awoke the next morning, relieved to discover she had been left alone during the night. The sun was rising over Fillydelphia, reflecting simultaneously off the millions of panes of glass in the skyscrapers far in the distance. Momentarily, Sweetie Belle was struck by their beauty. Then she felt a crack and jumped up in pain.
Sweetie now saw what had woken her up - a large stallion with a broom had come out of the fast-food joint next to where she was sleeping, and was attempting to drive her off.
'You, get outta my property! I'm tired of you fuckin' rats thinking you got the right to sleep wherever you want!'
Sweetie Belle jumped to her hooves and ran onto the pavement. Heart pounding, she turned to face the pony that had attacked her, but he had already gone back inside.
Sweetie Belle was famished, realizing she hadn't eaten since breakfast yesterday. Food was hardly in scarce supply in Fillydelphia, but Sweetie Belle wasn't sure how much money she had. She had emptied out her piggy bank before coming, though.
Sweetie Belle hastily rummaged through her saddlebag. Mercifully, nopony had gone through it while she was asleep. Sure enough, the 34 bits she had taken with her were still in the backpack. It wasn't much, but it would buy breakfast, at least.
Where should she go? It only now occurred to Sweetie Belle that she was utterly lost in Fillydelphia, a truly gargantuan city. She considered asking a pony on the street, but noticed most ponies who were up at this hour were giving her a wide berth. She doubted any of them would let her get close.
In truth, Sweetie felt and looked a mess. While the bruises and other wounds would fade, a night spend on Fillydelphia's streets certainly hadn't done her personal hygiene any good. She could feel an itch buzzing its way around her body, causing her to pause intermittently and scratch. Sweetie knew she likely had lice, but she could deal with that problem later. Right now she needed to find somewhere to eat. Easy enough. She also needed to find someplace willing to serve her. Less easy.
In fact, Sweetie Belle was only searching for ten minutes before she came across a stand selling fast food. Stomach rumbling, she approached, taking care to avoid scratching, so as not to give the game away.
The stallion at the stall was unimpressed. 'Beat it'.
Sweetie Belle decided to press on. 'Can I have a oatburger? Uh, please?'
'This isn't a charity, kid. Either you pay, or you get nothing'.
'How much?'
The stallion jerked his hoof in the direction of the prices. Oatburger: 10 bits.
Sweetie Belle rummaged around in her saddlebag, removing ten bits and placing them on the counter. The Stallion raised his eyebrows when he saw the amount of bits Sweetie Belle was carrying around, but said nothing, instead retrieving an oatburger with bun.
The filly was clearly inexperienced, being so naive as to flash her pile of bits to everyone who might be passing. In some ways, she reminded him of his own daughter, and it was this connection that caused him to speak up.
'Don't go round flashing your bit stash to everypony who walks by. Most ponies expect rats like you to be bitless. If you let everypony know what you've got, you're going to be an easy target'.
He turned and thrust the oatburger into Sweetie Belle's hooves. The filly hesitated, seemingly unsure what to do next.
The stallion sighed audibly. 'Buy something else, or piss off'.
Sweetie Belle wandered for a while after that, finally stopping underneath a bridge. What was she going to do next? The prospect of spending another night in an alley did not seem particularly inviting - Sweetie Belle had been lucky last night, but she was unlikely to be lucky again. She would most likely wake up to find her saddlebags missing, or worse, not wake up at all.
Sweetie Belle felt cold, empty and frightened. Worse of all, she felt alone. She didn't know anypony in Fillydelphia, so she couldn't rely on other ponies for assistance.
Her best course of action, she decided, would be to stay awake for the night, and sleep during the day. Sweetie Belle knew from yesterday that ponies at night posed a bigger threat than ponies during the daytime, so it made sense to keep herself awake and alert at night.
Of course, that meant she now needed to find somewhere to sleep, somewhere where she was out of everypony's way. She looked around at the bridge she had stopped under. It would keep her dry, and there were plenty of doorways along it she could sleep in. At least she wouldn't be disturbed by anypony trying to kick her out.
Sweetie Belle didn't realize how tired she was until she laid down. Her situation could certainly improve - Sweetie had no blanket to cover her, and she could not stop scratching - patches of her coat were starting to thin, and Sweetie knew they were likely to fall out if she didn't wash. But she had at least come up with a working plan. Sweetie shut her eyes and tried her hardest to forget about her situation. She thought instead of Ponyville, of her friends and the life she had escaped from. Maybe this wasn't so bad, in perspective...
'You think she's still asleep?'
'Sure, just do it!'
Sweetie Belle awoke, but kept her eyes shut, not daring to move. Opening her eyes a fraction, she saw a pony stooped over, rummaging through her saddlebag. Next the the pony searching her bag, she could make out another pony, who appeared to be keeping guard.
Sweetie Belle opened her eyes a little more, and was able to make out the shape of two fillies, both of them emaciated and frail . Sweetie Belle knew there were two of them, but she had the element of surprise and doubtless more strength and stamina. It was these factors, combined with her utmost rage at being victimized, that drove her to strike.
Sweetie Belle coiled herself up, and sprung at the nearest filly. She had expected to feel the filly standing guard hit her from behind, but it didn't happen. Sweetie Belle was unsure what to do, so she simply struck the thief on the nose, feeling a sickening crunch as the filly shrieked and fell over backwards.
Sweetie Belle spun around, but couldn't see the guard anywhere. Clearly, she had fled the moment Sweetie Belle moved.
Her momentary distraction was enough. Sweetie Belle was knocked off her hooves as the filly she had knocked over tacked her. Both fillies went sprawling. Sweetie Belle picked herself up much faster than the other filly, and before she could react, Sweetie Belle was upon her, raining down blow after blow, until the filly curled up and stopped struggling.
Panting, Sweetie turned to check her bag. Sure enough, about half of her bits were missing.
Snarling, she rounded on the filly she had hit. 'Where are my bits?'
'Ober dere, ober dere!' The terrified filly's voice was muffled from the blood coming out of her nose.
Keeping her eyes on the filly, Sweetie Belle turned and saw a pair of saddlebags. Inside, she found half of her stash of bits, as well as other items and bit stashes, presumably lifted from other sleeping ponies.
Relaxing, Sweetie Belle turned to face the filly on the floor. As she took in the bruises and wounds, she became overcome with a sense of horror. Did I do that?.
Sweetie Belle was horrified with herself. Even though the filly had tried to steal from her, it was obvious she had gone too far. The filly's nose was caked in blood, twisted in a gruesome fashion. Sweetie Belle had obviously broken it. In addition to this, the filly was bruised all over from where Sweetie Belle had hit her, bleeding in several locations. The filly was much younger than Sweetie Belle, and much smaller, and Sweetie Belle had lost control and severely hurt her.
Sweetie Belle felt sick. She was no better than Comet Spark, abusing ponies smaller and weaker than her. Sweetie Belle could have hit her once, and it would have been enough, but she had let her anger get the better of her, and this was the result. Sweetie Belle only hoped she hadn't broken her leg.
Sweetie Belle wanted to offer sympathy to the filly, but she had none to give. Instead, she took back her bits, leaving the rest of the contents of the saddlebag for the filly, and ran.
As Sweetie left the tunnel, she noticed night had fallen. She couldn't stay under the bridge - the filly that had run away would likely come back, with other ponies, and Sweetie Belle had no intention of being there when she did.
Fillydelphia at night was a bustling hive of activity. Sweetie Belle found she preferred the nighttime city - ponies still treated her like trash, of course, but at least she was less visible. She found her senses overwhelmed by a wide variety of smells, sounds and colours that would have seemed alien in a small town like Ponyville.
Sweetie Belle considered food. There was plenty of choice, of course, but getting served would still be an issue. Sweetie Belle had awoken with a large bald patch on her coat, very prominent and obvious. Sweetie Belle assumed she had got in scratching herself in her sleep.
She had other considerations, too. She had some money left, and wanted to buy a blanket or cloth to cover herself with when she slept. She had no idea what she would do to earn more money after what she had was gone, and frankly, she didn't want to think about it.
Sweetie Belle wandered a little while more, stopping to buy some food at an all-night convenience store. She then continued until she arrived at a park, where she stopped to eat.
As she ate, she considered her next problem - where to sleep? She had a little money left, enough to buy a blanket, certainly, but she had no idea where she could sleep during the day. She knew there were shelters for homeless ponies, and she would likely to get a place there, given she was a young filly - but there was also a risk of being identified. She had also considered getting intentionally arrested, to sleep overnight in a cell, but the same risk was present, as was the risk the pony she wronged would simply kill her.
Sweetie Belle knew she had to change her appearance, get a new name, a new identity. It was fortunate she hadn't got her cutie mark yet, as such an obvious identifier would have ruined her chances to start a new life.
First things first. Sweetie needed to change her mane style. She didn't have an elegant method of doing so, so she supposed she would have to wing it.
Sweetie Belle left the supermarket, having spent the last of her bits. She ducked into an alley, and emptied her saddlebag. Out tumbled a thin blanket, a pair of scissors, and three bottles of purple food dye. She hadn't been able to afford proper dye, and would have had no idea how to use it, so this was the next best thing.
Using a puddle for a mirror, Sweetie Belle levitated the scissors and began to chop at her mane. She knew she was doing an awful job, but the effect was remarkable. She no longer looked like Sweetie Belle, which was important.
Soon, the floor around her was littered with pink and purple hair. Satisfied that she had done a good enough job, Sweetie Belle opened the bottle of food dye and messily poured into onto her mane. She fought the urge to shake the liquid loose, and sealed her mane in a bubble of magic to prevent the dye from leaking. She repeated the process with another bottle, and then shook her head lightly. The bubble failed in places, causing streaks of purple to run down her back, but for the most part, Sweetie Belle was impressed by her performance.
After around half an hour, Sweetie Belle let the dye drain out of her mane. The effect was not pretty - the dye had caked in places, causing her mane to become matted. Using her magic to separate the chunks, Sweetie Belle checked out her reflection in the puddle. Even though the manecut was horrible and the dye was weak (and likely to come out the next time she bathed, though Sweetie didn't imagine this would be a problem), Sweetie felt she quite liked the new style. Not because it was well done, but because it was her style, and she had done it by herself.
Sweetie Belle's new manecut made her look like a different pony. A rougher, less pleasant pony. Sweetie Belle doubted there would be anypony stealing from her tonight.
For the next hour, Sweetie Belle repeated the process on her tail, first cutting it short, and then colouring it with the remaining bottle. Now, she felt unrecognizable. As she finished, the sun began to rise.
Rolling out her blanket, Sweetie Belle contemplated how she could earn more money. She certainly couldn't just get a job in a shop - her appearance and lack of credentials would stop her from getting a job like that. Of course, Sweetie Belle knew there were other ways to get money. She could steal - Sweetie Belle didn't like the idea of becoming a thief, and getting caught might being sent back to Ponyville, but Sweetie knew that with no money, her situation could quickly become desperate.
Of course, she could beg. She knew she was unlikely to receive much, but it was better than stealing, surely. After all, she was small, relatively skinny and covered in bruises, sure to stir some hearts.
What talents did she have? Everypony had always told her she was a good singer, but she wasn't so sure that was true. Perhaps she could sing for money. Busking. Sounded a lot more dignified than begging, definitely.
Sweetie Belle rolled over and slept, while the sun rose over Fillydelphia.
Sweetie Belle had been sitting next to a post office for three hours now, head bowed, holding a piece of card which read:
HOMELESS. ALL HELP APPRECIATED.
The message wasn't even hers - she had copied it from another begging pony. She was having very little luck - so far, she had received three bits in three hours, and had changed location twice. In addition to being outright ignored, she had occasionally been subjected to verbal abuse and threats of violence from other ponies, and propositions from innumerable stallions, sometimes offering her large sums of money to go away with them, most often making crude and explicit remarks. Silence, she had found, was the most effective way of getting them to leave.
Sweetie Belle knew this venture was doomed, and that she should pack up and try something new, like busking, but she didn't. She knew it was ridiculous, but she was too embarrassed to start. What if she sounded terrible? Other ponies would just laugh at her.
But so what? Sweetie had nothing to lose. After all, everypony had told her she could sing, and they had no reason to lie. Sweetie should at least try.
Sweetie Belle wasn't sure why, but she recalled a song Countess Coloratura had sung for Ponyville. The message of the song had stuck with Sweetie Belle - be who you really are. Of course, being who she was had put her in this position - but perhaps it could also help her out.
Sweetie Belle stood up, brushing off the newspapers she had surrounded herself in, and cleared her throat. She had no idea how she was supposed to start, so she just launched into song.
As soon as she started, she saw ponies turn their heads. To Sweetie Belle, her voice was uplifting, filled with passion, energy and emotion, things she sorely missed. She could see other ponies turn their heads as she passed, but it wasn't until she hit the first chorus that somepony actually stopped to listen. By the time she had finished, there were three ponies listening, all of whom came forward to give.
Sweetie Belle waited until they had left, then rushed to check her donations. Seven bits. In just one song, she had received more than she had earned through three hours begging.
Feeling hopeful for the first time, Sweetie Belle racked her brains for another song she could sing.
Over the next few weeks, Sweetie Belle went through this same routine, travelling around the city and singing. She would never consider herself well-off, and she could never afford accommodation, spending her nights on street corners and alleyways, but it still earned her enough money to afford food, clean water and occasionally some more dye.
Her singing had improved since she had first started, and she had begun to consider singing elsewhere, perhaps even being paid for it. She still faced an issue with her appearance and hygiene - she had bought lice shampoo to deal with her infestation, but she still had patches of her coat missing, and she had not showered in weeks. Still, the busking would reliably bring in anywhere between ten and fifteen bits a day, more than enough to sustain her lifestyle.
Furthermore, she was becoming concerned about a pony she had seen multiple times over the past few weeks, a thin stallion with a deep blue coat and light blue mane. It seemed wherever she went, there he was. Sweetie Belle didn't quite know what to do about him, but the stallion always donated, so she supposed this current set-up was harmless. Maybe just liked her singing.
That prospect always made Sweetie Belle smirk. A fan. How unexpected.
Sweetie Belle knew she was living a pitiful existence, but in truth she did not care. In fact, she relished being independent and self sustaining. Of course, she knew she had nopony to rely on, and was only one day off from being in dire poverty, but still she cherished her new found career, and the freedom that came with it.
Then, one day as she was setting up outside a bar, she heard a pony approach. Looking up, she saw the same stallion that had been following her around. All of a sudden, Sweetie Belle became very aware of how empty the area was - in fact, she couldn't remember ever being alone with this stallion before.
'Good evening, Sweetie Belle'.
Sweetie froze. The stallion knew. Was he from the police, waiting for the right moment to arrest her? Sweetie Belle wasn't sure, and decided to play dumb.
'I-I'm sorry, who?'
'Come on, Sweetie Belle. You've done a good job of disguising it, but I've been observing for weeks. I'm not going to turn you in, I swear. I have an offer for you'.
Sweetie Belle's curiosity overrode her caution. 'An offer?'
'Yes. I know all about your case, how you ran away from home, how they think you're in Manehattan. An excellent diversion, but it didn't last long. Some ponies reported seeing you in Fillydelphia station, and now everypony thinks you're here.'
Sweetie Belle had known the Manehattan ploy would fail eventually, but she had never imagined she would be tracked to Fillydelphia. She waited for the stallion to continue, a sinking feeling in her stomach. This stallion had some serious blackmail over her - if she didn't like this 'offer', she might not be able to refuse.
'Well, I must say I'm impressed by the mane and tail. I daresay they've helped you evade capture, especially since you operate so openly. But you can't keep this up forever, Sweetie Belle. Sooner or later, you're going to get caught. But I think I can help you there.'
'Sweetie Belle, I run a bar. For some rather special patrons to meet... like-minded ponies. Anyway, for a long time we've been having trouble getting live talent, and I wanted to offer you that position. I've been watching you for some time now, and I must say you're exceptionally talented, and of course, your background makes you an even better choice.'
Sweetie Belle could barely believe what she was hearing. He was offering her a job?
'I don't understand... why not just hire a regular singer? Why follow me around?'
'Sweetie Belle, don't be naive. This isn't a regular bar we're talking about, you know?'
Sweetie Belle stared blankly for a moment, and then a look of comprehension dawned upon her face. Ohh...
The stallion continued. 'I know you need food, shelter and steady employment. After all, if you want to make it in this city, you've got to get yourself back up on your feet. Get a real job. So, what do you think?'
Sweetie Belle felt overwhelmed. 'I'm sorry, but I-I don't know. Maybe?'
'Well, I'll let you think about it. If you want to talk, come to the Solaris Bar, and ask for me. My name's Flawless Rainbow. Got it?'
Sweetie Belle nodded.
'Well, it's been a pleasure meeting you, Sweetie Belle. I hope to see you soon'.
Flawless Rainbow left, and Sweetie Belle quickly gathered up her belongings and left. She ducked inside a nearby doorway, and panicked.
In some ways, she wished she'd said yes. She needed a job, after all, and he had generously offered her one, despite her appearance. What had she been thinking?
Would performing put her at risk of being caught? Sweetie Belle knew what kind of bar this was. It was unlikely for anypony to admit they had seen her there, as it would require admitting they'd been there in the first place. Also, most of them wouldn't want to send her back - they'd accept her for who she was. That was another plus.
Only...
Was Flawless Rainbow telling the truth? After all, there were plenty of horror stories about fillies being abducted by stallions and manipulated into horrible situations.
The best course of action, Sweetie Belle decided, was to sleep on it.
Sweetie Belle's sleep was disturbed by a sudden blow to her head.
'Is that her? You're sure?'
'Of course I'm sure! She's changed her hair, but she's got the same saddlebag, and the same coat'.
Sweetie Belle scrambled to her feet, unable to focus clearly. She could see she was surrounded by ponies, but had no idea how many.
'Hit her again'.
Sweetie Belle felt herself receive a blow to her stomach. As she sunk to her knees, her vision stabilized, and she could make out four ponies surrounding her. Three of them were teenage colts she had never seen before, but the fourth was a small filly she knew well. It was the thief she had attacked under the bridge. Sweetie Belle saw her nose was severely disjointed, bent completely out of place, although given the current circumstances, Sweetie did not feel too bad.
'Why is she smiling? Hit her harder!'
Sweetie Belle curled up into a ball as the three colts started on her. They hit particularly hard, and with great accuracy, aiming for preexisting bruises to maximize the amount of pain caused.
'Okay, stop'.
Almost instantaneously, the onslaught stopped. Sweetie Belle opened her eyes, staring directly at the filly. 'You!'
The filly giggled, seemingly delighted to be recognized. 'Yeah, me. Still feeling so big and tough now, bitch?'
Sweetie Belle once again rose to her feet. The other colts became agitated by this, but the filly kept cool.
'What, you're gonna hit me again? Try it. Seriously, try it. Make my day'.
Sweetie Belle considered this seriously tempting possibility. She took a single step forwards, feinted towards the filly, and then immediately ran in the opposite direction, slipping through the three colts who had surged forwards, and running out of the alley, towards the street, ignoring the shriek of the filly behind her. All she had to do was get into the open. They wouldn't attack her there.
Sweetie Belle burst out into the street, nearly running directly into a carriage. Swiveling on the spot, she looked to find her assailants, but they had vanished.
But they'll be back.
Sweetie couldn't stay a single night longer on the streets of Fillydelphia. She had to find shelter, or she didn't know if she would wake up the next time she went to sleep.
Fortunately, she knew who she could call upon.
The Solaris Bar was certainly impressive, filled to the brim with noise and colourful lighting. Sweetie Belle was blocked at the door by a burly bouncer.
'No foals. Especially not rats like you'.
'I-I'm here to see Flawless Rainbow'.
Whatever the bouncer had been expecting, it wasn't that. Flustered, he apologized profusely to the small filly, gazing at her with wonder, and lead her inside, through a door marked 'STAFF ONLY', and down a flight of stairs.
Downstairs, the atmosphere was much quieter, the noise from upstairs no longer audible. Sweetie Belle was lead past tables of colts and mares, some of whom gaped at the filly being brought through.
Finally, Sweetie Belle was lead through a door labelled 'OFFICE'.
'Sir, this filly says she knows you'.
Flawless Rainbow turned, and his face lit up upon seeing Sweetie Belle. 'Ah, excellent. You may leave'.
When the bouncer left, Flawless Rainbow indicated for Sweetie Belle to take a seat. In the light, Sweetie Belle could make out the features of the stallion more clearly. His cutie mark was a small mirror, and his mane and tail were groomed to perfection.
'Sweetie Belle, welcome to the Flawless Rainbow. My name's Azure Meadow, and I run both of these bars. I'm very glad you've come to your senses, but we haven't got much time to talk, I'm afraid. First, I want to get you cleaned up, and then I want you on stage. I should also go and clear things up with the patrons - most of them won't expect to see a filly here. Are you ready to start?'
Sweetie Belle nodded. 'What do you want me to sing?'
'Anything, Sweetie Belle. You're the artist, after all'. |
Just a Phase | Part 2, Chapter 2 - Pseudonym | 'Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You mean you knew Azure Meadows?'
Sweetie Belle nodded.
'The Azure Meadows? Not just somepony pretending to be him, or-'
'Amethyst, I know it sounds impossible, but I'm telling you, it was him'.
'Wow. And he asked you to sing in the Flawless Rainbow? The Flawless Rainbo-'
'Yes, Amethyst, THE Flawless Rainbow!'
Amethyst recoiled, stung by Sweetie Belle's outburst. 'Sorry, Sug-Sweetie Belle. It's just a... surprise, you know. I never knew you met ponies like that'.
'I didn't know. I never even guessed - I was only a filly'.
'But did you find out?'
'Yeah. Pretty quickly actually...'
Getting 'cleaned up', Sweetie Belle found, meant getting vigorously scrubbed down and styled by an irritable and tired-looking mare who spent more time berating Sweetie Belle for her terrible mane than actually fixing it. Even so, Sweetie Belle was shocked by the end result. Her mane was washed and dyed, leaving it a much deeper shade of purple, and then it was cut. One side of her head was shaved, and the other side was left much longer, flopping over one of her eyes. Apart from the bald patches, Sweetie Belle looked almost civilized. She then waited while her stylist fretted over the bald patches in her coat, before finally deciding she could cover the patches with makeup.
Finally finished, Sweetie Belle was directed behind the stage curtain, where she was greeted by an enthusiastic Azure Meadows.
'Ah, Sweetie Belle, you're finally done. I'm very excited about all this, you know. It's been so long since we've had somepony... trustworthy play here. Now, I thought we'd have you sing one song to get started, and then we call you back. If they like it, you'll go back on. Do you know what you want to sing?'
Sweetie Belle nodded.
'And do you know what you're going to call yourself?'
'What?'
'What you're going to call yourself. I don't want everypony going around, blabbing about you being at this bar. They might guess who you are, but I certainly don't want to confirm it'.
Sweetie Belle hadn't considered this until now. Of course, it made sense to adopt a new name - the less she was associated with Sweetie Belle, the better. Something similar, but not obvious.
'Uhh... How about "Sugar Note"?'
Azure nodded his approval. 'Sugar Note. I like it. Well, are you ready to get on stage?'
Sweetie Belle had one final concern. 'What if they don't like it?'
Azure looked past her. 'On the stage, Sweetie Belle'.
Sweetie was no stranger to large crowds, but the knowledge that her new job depended on a good performance tonight was enough to turn her legs to jelly. Sitting on a stool in the centre of the stage, she lowered the microphone in front of her and spoke:
'Hello, everypony. My name's Sw-Sugar Note, and uhh... I'm here to sing tonight'.
A weak opener, but it would do. Sweetie Belle expected to see ponies looking skeptical, bored, or even incredulous at the idea of a filly singing for them, but instead she saw encouraging smiles all around, giving her new resolve. She paused for a moment, focusing the lyrics in her head, and began.
Once again, she had chosen Countess Coloratura's song. It was her go-to opening song, and she knew it always got a good response. Around her, ponies cooed and whispered among themselves. It was not spiteful or mocking, either - ponies were genuinely astonished and impressed by her performance.
Around halfway through her song, Sweetie Belle felt a sudden burst of stamina, and another strange, yet strong emotion. Initially, she hadn't a clue what it was, but then she pegged it - it was a sense of belonging, the same sensation she had felt when she first met Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. Acceptance. She could hear ponies gasping, even shrieking theatrically at her performance.
Sweetie Belle knew she had found her calling. The music, the gratuitous cheering, everyponies eyes fixed on her. This wasn't a hobby, or a job. This was her passion. Sweetie Belle was born to do this.
When Sweetie Belle finished, the applause was instantaneous. Sweetie Belle appreciated the congratulations, but when the applause continued for more than thirty seconds, she began to think the crowd was a little too enthusiastic. She turned to Azure Meadows for an explanation, but he was simply gazing at her, dumbstruck.
'Sugar Note, it's beautiful!'
'Look down!'
'Yeah, Sugar Note, look down! Your cutie mark!'
'WHAT?'
Sweetie spun around so fast she nearly fell over. Sure enough, there it was, on both sides of her flank - a single musical note. Her special talent!
Sweetie Belle shrieked with joy, jumping up and down on the spot. Rushing backstage, she found the nearest mirror and began to examine her mark from every angle. In the background, she could hear Azure Meadows calming the crowd, who had loudly begun demanding an encore. Azure Meadows had remarkable skill when it came to crowds, and indeed other ponies, all of whom fell silent upon his command.
Azure Meadows greeted Sweetie Belle upon returning backstage. 'Quite the performance, Sweetie Belle! They'll be talking about that for a while, I can tell you!'
Sweetie Belle did not immediately reply, still trying out new angles in the mirror.
Azure coughed. 'Sweetie Belle, I'll let them calm themselves down, and then I trust you'll be back on stage?'
Sweetie Belle nodded, still observing her new mark. 'Uh-huh. Sure'.
Azure smiled, and called over the stylist. 'Do her mane and makeup again, and then send her back on. Understand?'
The stylist nodded, head bowed. 'Yes, sir'.
'Sweetie Belle, I'll see you after the your next performance - I want to show you where you'll be staying.'
Sweetie Belle nodded. 'Sure. See you later'.
Azure hesitated. 'Sweetie, I hope you don't mind, but I would prefer it if you addressed me as "sir". It's just more... professional. Is that understood?'
Sweetie Belle was taken aback, but quickly recovered. 'Um, sure. I mean, yes sir!'
Azure smiled, seemingly satisfied. 'Excellent. Well, I'll see you later tonight. Good luck with the rest of your show!'
The rest of the evening went swimmingly for Sweetie Belle. The patrons couldn't get enough of her singing, and Sweetie Belle felt like she was walking on water, unable to do any wrong. Several times, during her breaks, she went to meet some of the ponies in the bar. All of them were warm and welcoming, treating her as an equal. Sweetie Belle was fascinated by them, asking as many questions as possible about the 'scene' in Fillydelphia.
Sweetie Belle was surprised at how relaxed the atmosphere in the room was. Just above their heads was a major Fillydelphian bar, packed full of ponies, yet this entire operation was hidden from the public eye by nothing more than a 'Staff Only' door. She raised this concern with the other ponies - was this not incredibly risky?
One of the mares, a yellow pegasus with short, bright orange hair, gave Sweetie Belle a supportive smile. 'Don't worry. Nopony comes down here. They're all too scared of Azure'.
'Of Azure? Why?'
The mare's eyes lit up. 'You don't know? Listen newbie, Azure-'
'Don't scare her...'
'What? She's gonna find out eventually, why not tell her now?'
'If Azure wanted her to know, he would've told her himself. Maybe he doesn't want her to know. How do you think he's going to feel if you tell him?'
The pegasus mare immediately shut up. 'Sorry, newbie. Maybe another time'.
Sweetie Belle was bursting with curiosity, but sensed it was better not to push the matter. Instead, she shrugged and continued plaguing them with questions.
At the end of the night, an exhausted Sweetie Belle wandered backstage to see Azure waiting for her.
'Sweetie Belle! Again, my congratulations on getting your cutie mark. Now, I know this must be an exciting night for you, but I must show you where you're staying. Do you have anything you want to pack?'
Sweetie Belle shook her head.
'Good. Well then, follow me!'
Sweetie Belle followed Azure outside, where they hailed a passing taxi. Sweetie Belle was surprised - she thought she would be staying at the bar, perhaps in a room above it, but it appeared Azure had arranged a place elsewhere.
Finally, they came to a stop outside a hotel. Sweetie Belle stepped out of the taxi, taking in the name - The Azure Grand Hotel.
Sweetie Belle turned to Azure. 'Do you own this place? Uh, sir?'
Azure chuckled. 'Yes, Sweetie Belle. I have a variety of business interests. It helps me keep my more... unconventional ventures undercover'.
Inside, Azure was greeted warmly by the receptionist. 'Good evening, sir. How can I help you?'
'I'm here to drop off this filly. She should have a room reserved under the name "Sugar Note". Please have somepony accompany her there and arrange for an evening meal to be sent up. Got it?'
'Of course, sir'.
'I want this understood. She is being sought by the police, and I believe the Royal Guard have mounted an independent search. If anypony comes here asking about her - not that they will - tell them nothing. If they ask about this room, tell them it's being reserved'.
'Understood, sir'.
Sweetie Belle saw the receptionist flash her a curious look, immediately refocusing her attention on Azure Meadows. 'Is that everything, sir?'
'I believe so'. Azure turned his head towards Sweetie Belle. 'It's getting late, so I won't go into any further detail now, but tomorrow I will tell you your pay and working hours. Is that all right?'
Sweetie Belle nodded. Azure raised his eyebrows. 'Yes, sir'.
'Good. See you tomorrow, Sweetie Belle'.
The room she had been given was unlike anything Sweetie Belle had ever seen. Every square inch of it was dripping with luxury, from the rich, vibrant wallpaper to the golden bed frame. Sweetie Belle spent five minutes exploring, testing the shower and gawping at the view. To think she had been living on the streets just a day ago was incredible.
Soon afterwards, her meal arrived, which she ate next to a window overlooking all of Fillydelphia. The food was some of the best she had ever tasted. Once again, Sweetie Belle remembered: this was all hers. She was astonished at her luck. Of course, it wasn't all luck. She must have been a good singer for Azure to select her. Good enough to get a cutie mark in it...
Her cutie mark! In today's excitement, Sweetie Belle had completely forgotten about it. Rushing over to an ornate mirror, she began reexamining her cutie mark in every angle. It was a single black musical note, with a simple design. Sweetie Belle assumed it meant her special talent was singing, but maybe it meant other types of music as well. She would have to check.
Returning to her meal, Sweetie Belle thought about Azure Meadows. He must be very wealthy, she thought, to own this entire hotel.
Something was off about Azure Meadows, Sweetie Belle decided. She remembered how eager the pegasus in the Flawless Rainbow had been to tell her about him, and how meek she had looked when warned she could be upsetting Azure.
Was Azure a dangerous pony? After all, he ran an illegal bar, so it was possible he was involved in other criminal activity. On the other hoof, he could just be wealthy and powerful. And he was so nice. He could never be involved in anything bad like that.
Most importantly, was it Sweetie Belle's place to be asking these questions? After all, Azure had given her a job, a place to stay, and the opportunity to discover her special talent. There was nothing to be gained from rocking the boat. Whatever Azure did to earn money, she would make it none of her concern.
Sweetie Belle checked the clock. Nearly midnight. She doubted she would be able to get much sleep, given the recent excitement, but once again, she had underestimated the luxury of the room she was in. The bed seemed softer and lighter than air, pulling her in, smoother than silk...
Sweetie Belle woke to see the sun streaming in through the windows. It was nearly midday by the time she was up and ready to leave.
Where was she supposed to go? She had arranged to meet Azure, but it seemed he was nowhere to be found. Perhaps she could ask at the lobby?
As it turned out, there was a new receptionist, who treated her surprising politeness.
'Good morning, Miss Note. I hope you had a pleasant sleep. How can I help you?'
Sweetie Belle, unused to this level of deference, asked where she could find Azure Meadows.
'He's in a meeting upstairs, conference room 3. You can wait for him outside, he should be done soon'.
Sweetie Belle thanked the receptionist, and made her way upstairs to the conference rooms. The meeting had concluded by the time she arrived, and lots of ponies were gathered outside, bidding their farewells. To Sweetie Belle, they projected a demeanor reminiscent of businessponies, although the prevalence of scars and bruises on many of them cast doubt on this assumption.
Azure was the first to notice her, and drew all attention to her.
'Sugar Note! Everypony, this is Sugar Note. She's a performer at the Flawless Rainbow'.
Most of the ponies turned to acknowledge her, some ignored her, and one of them twisted their face in disgust at the mention of the Flawless Rainbow, though he did so surreptitiously, clearly not wishing to offend Azure. None of them spoke, or showed any interest in her, which was fine by Sweetie Belle, who didn't like even being in the presence of these ponies, much less the idea of speaking to them.
Fairly quickly, the congregation began to break up. When the ponies had all departed, Azure turned to Sweetie Belle. His tone was brisk and far less friendly than it had been yesterday. 'Good to see you're up, Sweetie Belle. Now, about your pay and hours. I want you to work every night from 7 to 12, and you will be paid five bits an hour, totaling twenty-five bits a night. I will also accommodate you in this hotel, free of charge. In exchange, you will work every night at the Flawless Rainbow, and you will also work any other location I ask. Is that acceptable to you?'
Sweetie Belle wasn't sure if she was getting the best possible deal here, but twenty-five bits a night and free housing was more than enough. She nodded. 'Yes, sir'.
'Well, you have around seven hours until you must go on stage. I've told the bouncer at the Solaris to let you through whenever you ask'.
Azure brought out a leather wallet and counted out twenty-five bits.
'Your pay for last night. Any further questions?'
Sweetie Belle had plenty, but she knew she would only annoy Azure by asking. Instead, she shook her head. 'No, sir'.
'Well Sweetie Belle, I must be off. I suppose you'll want to spend some time today looking around this city. If you want my advice, start at the library. It's a good place to get your bearings, learn your way around. And do try not to get lost!'
Fillydelphia was indeed an enormous city. It took Sweetie Belle nearly ten minutes of working herself up before she left the street containing the Azure Grand Hotel, terrified of getting swallowed up by the city. She had taken a map from the lobby of the hotel, which had done nothing so far but impress on her how big Fillydelphia was.
Using the map, she made her way to the Library of Fillydelphia. Upon arrival, she entered the front lobby and headed for a section titled 'Tourist Information'. Most of it was dedicated to brochures about Fillydelphia's many attractions, among them cinemas, museums and landmarks. Sweetie Belle flicked through a few of these before coming to a pamphlet titled 'Harmony Hall'.
Harmony Hall is the historic site of the signing of the Declaration of Harmony. Back when Fillydelphia was a small settlement, the three pony tribes - Unicorn, Pegasus and Earth Pony - gathered to officiate their new union on paper. The connection between the declaration and Fillydelphia is widely credited with transforming the small settlement into the thriving metropolis it is today.
Prior to the signing of the Declaration of Harmony, the three tribes had lived separately, fiercely hostile to outsiders. The Unicorns and Pegasi both demanded food from the Earth Ponies, in exchange for controlling the weather and raising the sun and the moon, respectively. This uneasy pact was shattered by an extended blizzard that left the Earth Ponies unable to produce any food.
Following an outbreak of hostilities during a summit of the three tribes, each tribe relocated their capital, coincidentally all arriving in the land today known as Equestria. The three tribes established independent kingdoms - Unicornia, Pegasopolis and Earth. Tensions soon flared during this brief territorial dispute, and war erupted after the Pegasi, the most militant of the three tribes, declared their ownership of the land, and besieged the capital of Unicornia.
According to legend, the blizzard was caused by windigos, mythical creatures that feed off of fighting and hatred, and freezing the land over wherever they go. The leaders of the tribes, in their stubbornness, did not pay heed to the warnings of their advisers, and instead chose to continue their war, causing the land to freeze over. The ponies from the three tribes who survived bonded together out of necessity, forming close allegiances and friendships. With no more hostility to feed from, the windigos departed, and the land thawed. Realizing the importance of friendship and harmony, the three tribes reconciled and formed the land today known as Equestria.
Today, Harmony Hall stands as a monument to this agreement that lead to peace between the three tribes, and shaped the founding of Equestria.
Intrigued, Sweetie Belle turned the leaflet over. Opening times and directions. No charge for admissions.
Sweetie Belle slid the leaflet into her saddlebag and headed into the main body of the library. Most of it was filled with dusty old books she had no interest in reading, although she did purchase a coffee at the library's cafe, which gave her time to sit down and think.
Was her income going to be enough? She didn't have to worry about accommodation, which was her biggest relief. She would have to buy her own food. She wasn't sure how inclusive the service offered at the hotel was - she might need to buy her own bathroom supplies. She would have to have her mane done. She also wanted to have enough money to afford the things she wanted. Twenty-five bits might not stretch very far over these costs - the coffee alone had cost her seven bits. Of course, food from a store would be cheaper, but it still could take a large chunk out of her budget.
Sweetie Belle had no plans to go on a spending spree, but she still wanted to do something with her day. The clock above her told her she had four hours before she had to leave for the Solaris. That meant she was stuck in Fillydelphia for four hours, and she couldn't even afford to do anything.
Of course, she could go to Harmony Hall. The leaflet had advertised it was free of charge, and it was a historic site of interest. And it wasn't too far away, according to the map. Sweetie Belle had never held a great passion for history, but she remembered watching her sister and their friends put on a performance in Canterlot. Sweetie Belle had always thought her sister was an amazing actor...
Remembering her sister was a mistake. Feeling a lump rise in her throat, Sweetie Belle distracted herself by pulling out the leaflet on Harmony Hall. Just a ten minute walk away...
Azure Meadows closed the door of his office. On his desk, as requested, was a copy of The Fillydelphia Tribune. He grabbed the newspaper and eagerly scanned the front page. The front page read:
COLTCUDDLER RING SMASHED, OWNER MISSING, WANTED FOR MURDER
Last night police raided prominent nightclub Thunder, upon receiving an anonymous tip-off that the nightclub was a front organisation for a deeply-entrenched ring of coltcuddlers. The information provided appeared to be accurate, as seven arrests were made during the operation. However, the owner of the nightclub, Nimble Specter - commonly known as Bronco - was nowhere to be found. When police entered his office, they found the body of an as-of-yet unidentified stallion, who reportedly died of blunt force trauma to the head. The office was in disarray, showing clear signs of a struggle, police told reporters.
The coltcuddler ring, which potentially involved hundreds of ponies, involved coltcuddlers using a specific dress code to identify one another. This operation received the full assistance of Nimble Specter, and it is believed he actually headed the entire ring. Nimble Specter himself never married. Police so far have refused to confirm or deny these allegations.
Patrons at Thunder reacted with shock and dismay. Police are urging anypony with information of any kind to come forward.
Azure Meadows temper had flared halfway through the first paragraph, and by the end his blood was boiling. He knew he should have dealt with Bronco himself. The stallion he sent was young and inexperienced. Bronco probably ran circles around him. And Azure knew exactly who Bronco would be coming for next.
Of course, this wasn't a total defeat. Bronco's operation had been smashed, which meant some of his customers would give their business to him. And Bronco's reputation was destroyed, no matter what. He was very unlikely to do anything risky, such as come after Azure the day after Azure had tried to kill him.
Azure's main priority was to warn the others. Picking up the telephone, he recovered a list of numbers from his desk and began to dial.
Sweetie Belle had found Harmony Hall to be interesting - not so much the actual exhibit itself, but the artifacts, such as early drafts of the declaration, and pegasi battle armor - but even so she left early. Partly because she felt out of place - most ponies there were much older than her, and Sweetie Belle felt self-conscious with her new manestyle and overall image - but she also wanted to arrive at the Flawless Rainbow early, to ensure she didn't annoy Azure Meadows.
The bouncer didn't question Sweetie Belle when she arrived, simply lead her through the club and through the 'STAFF ONLY' doors. When Sweetie Belle entered the actual club itself, a round of applause and cheering greeted her, causing her to blush before she was whisked backstage. Sweetie Belle didn't see Azure anywhere. Presumably he had other business to attend to.
Sweetie Belle's makeup, mane and tail were all styled and completed in ten minutes - a testament to the skill of her stylist - and Sweetie Belle prepared to go onstage. She didn't feel nervous like last time - her performance had been well received last time, and everypony was clearly pleased to see her there. Sweetie had noticed a few new ponies at the bar, but they had all been excited to see her, meaning the ponies returning from last night must have been full of praise.
As Sweetie Belle walked up to the stage, a cheer rang out from the ponies in the audience. The room was packed in comparison to last night, through Sweetie Belle could still make out some familiar faces. Clearing her throat, Sweetie Belle stepped up to the microphone.
'Hello, everypony! I'm here until midnight, so do any of you want to request a song?'
Lots of ponies began shouting different suggestions, but the most common was another Coloratura song, one Sweetie Belle knew well. It was much more upbeat than the one she had performed for Ponyville, and had been very popular across Equestria.
'Okay, let me just get the lights...'
Sweetie Belle's first performance went on for a good half an hour, before she stopped to rest. Rapturous applause followed, and many of the ponies rushed forwards to congratulate Sweetie Belle, and offer her a drink. Yesterday, Sweetie Belle would have been terrified by so many ponies coming at her, but now she graciously accepted their congratulations, scanning the crowd for any familiar faces.
Settling down at a central table, she voiced the question that had been bouncing around her head for so long now: 'Where has everypony come from? I don't remember this many ponies being here last night. What happened?'
Mares and stallions around the table grimaced at this question. Sweetie Belle realized she had touched upon a sensitive topic, and hastily tried to backtrack. 'I- It doesn't matter anyway, but...'
'Sugar Note, don't look so scared! They're here from Thunder'.
Sweetie Belle stared blankly.
'The nightclub?'
Sweetie Belle shook her head. 'Never heard of it'.
Cries of dismay rang around the room. 'You've never heard of Thunder?'
'Mist, she looks like she's about thirteen. How is she supposed to have heard of Thunder?'
The mare called Mist shook her head. 'I still can't believe it. It's a nightclub, a front organisation like the Solaris. It got raided by the police last night? I don't know if you read about it in the newspaper or anything, but it was a pretty big thing they had going on over there. Biggest in Fillydelphia, anyway. Apparently Bronco - the guy who owned it - killed somepony and ran off'.
Sweetie Belle was slightly shaken to hear this. If the biggest operation in Fillydelphia wasn't safe, how safe was she?
'They... they couldn't find us here, could they?'
Before Mist could reply, a stallion in the crowd, slurring his words slightly, snorted. 'Not on your life, kid. The police have no idea about this place. They also had no idea about Thunder, of course, until Azure sold them out-'
'Autumn, shut up!'
'Why? You know he did it, everypony here does. He doesn't give a damn about us, just like everypony else. He just wants our money. Bronco was taking a huge chunk of his business, so he decides to sell him out, and everypony else with him?'
'Autumn, not in front of the kid-'
'Why not? What, you think she's just too sweet and innocent to hear this?' The stallion named Autumn turned to Sweetie Belle. 'Sugar Note, I know you might think Azure is great and all, but just remember, you know nothing about him. Okay?'
Sweetie Belle was shaken, but sensed she was close to getting to the answers she had sought yesterday, so she pushed a little more. 'What don't I know about him?'
'Sugar Note, Azure is a criminal'. Before Sweetie Belle could respond, or any of the ponies could stop him, he continued: 'I'm not just talking about the Flawless Rainbow. I mean he's a criminal. He sells drugs, he runs protection rackets, he had ponies killed... you name it. He runs this club to make money, and he certainly doesn't care about us and our safety-'
Autumn's rant was interrupted by the sound of the door bursting open. In strode Azure Meadows, jaw set, eyes livid.
'Everypony, this establishment has closed for the night. Please collect your belongings and leave - except you'.
As he said this, Azure stared pointedly at the stallion called Autumn, who shrank backwards. Around him, ponies rushed to grab their bags, none of them daring to look Azure or Sweetie Belle in the eye.
As the last pony left, slamming the door behind them, Azure glowered at Autumn, and turned to face Sweetie Belle. In a flash, his gaze softened, his voice became softer and calmer, and a benevolent smile crossed his face. 'Sugar Note, why don't you take the evening off? I'm very sorry we had to cancel the rest of the night, but we've had some problems with the police and I don't want to risk anypony's safety'.
Sweetie Belle had been shocked to see Azure so angry, but was even more surprised to see how quickly he could change his demeanor. She sensed Azure wasn't in an arguing mood, so she merely nodded and began to back out of the room.
Azure watched Sweetie Back out of the room, and didn't waver his gaze until she shut the door.
Azure waited for five minutes after the door closed, then went and opened it. Sweetie Belle was nowhere to be seen. He checked the stairs. No Sweetie Belle. Satisfied, he went back into the Flawless Rainbow and shut the door.
As soon as he came back in, Autumn began to stammer an apology. Azure had heard it a thousand times before - pleas, tears, bargaining. Autumn was around halfway though before Azure finally lost his temper and lunged at him.
The struggle was utterly one-sided. One strike from Azure sent Autumn sprawling into a nearby table, and Azure was on top of him in seconds. As Autumn began to scream - oh, how he hated it when they did that - Azure held him with one hoof and began to pummel him with the other, venting his pent up fury on this pony who had just made his life a thousand times more difficult.
'You-fucking-moron! What is you problem? Do you have brain damage from being such a damn whore? Answer me!'
Reeling, Autumn pushed Azure off him and tried to stand up. As soon as he was back on his hooves, Azure struck him over the head so that he immediately fell over again. Autumn fell awkwardly, twisting his ankle as he fell. He made no further attempts to get up, just laid there whimpering. Azure had never seen a more pathetic sight in his life.
Originally, he had planned to kill Autumn, but his anger had ebbed somewhat, and in his new found clarity, he saw this was not the prudent thing to do. Instead, he crouched down and growled in Autumn's ear:
'Listen. You are going to leave here the second you can walk. You will never return. You will never tell anypony about this place. Most importantly, you will never tell anypony who did this to you. If you do, everypony in this city is going to know all about you and your sordid little desires. Understand?'
Autumn grinned stupidly, gurgling a mixture of gratitude and assurance. Scrabbling to his feet, he made a beeline straight for the door, wrenched it open, and was gone.
Azure examined the damage from the fight. A few overturned tables, and a few smears of blood. There would have been a much greater mess if her had killed Autumn. He had certainly made the smart decision.
Azure wasn't sure when he could reopen the Flawless Rainbow. Bronco was sure to attack it, only a question of when. Of course, the public would view it as an attack on the Solaris, but that wouldn't matter to the patrons of the Flawless Rainbow. They would all be scared off, and his profits would collapse.
As far as Azure could see, his only option was to kill Bronco, or otherwise remove him as a threat. Since Bronco would have hidden himself away, it would be difficult, expensive and time consuming to find and kill him. Perhaps it would be easier to have somepony take his place, somepony more willing to listen to reason. Bronco must have had a lieutenant standing by to take over. If Bronco commanded no control and no money, he would cease to become a problem.
And what to do about Sweetie Belle? What would she do, now she knew the truth? Of course, she might already be confessing everything to the police, but somehow Azure didn't think so. Sweetie Belle was in deep, far too deep to talk to the police. And he held complete power over her - he owned her residence, he paid her, he controlled every faucet of her situation. She had no way whatsoever of disappearing. He had her exactly where he wanted her.
He would lie to her, he decided. Tell her Autumn was crazy, or deluded, or something. It didn't really matter if he believed him or not. She would treat whatever he told her as the truth, or else.
Sweetie Belle was crouched behind the door to the Flawless Rainbow, head so low it was nearly flat against the floor. Her heart had been pounding in her chest ever since Azure had first come out to look for her. Mercifully, he hadn't looked behind the door, otherwise Sweetie Belle was quite sure he would have attacked her.
Sweetie Belle had heard every moment of Autumn's beating, cringing every time she heard Autumn scream or she felt the floor shake from Azure throwing his weight around. She hadn't realized how seriously Azure had hurt Autumn until she caught a brief glimpse of him as he ran past her up the stairs, his mane soaked in blood and his face disfigured beyond recognition.
Sweetie Belle now appreciated the type of ponies she had got herself caught up with. Azure wasn't her friend. He didn't care about her, or any of the other patrons of the Flawless Rainbow, for that matter. He was clearly mad, deranged and psychopathic, willing to beat a member of the public beyond recognition because they had displeased him. And he had her trapped. If she made one step out of line, she would be back on the streets of Fillydelphia with no food, no money, and no protection.
What would Azure do with her? He might not trust her enough. He might be plotting to kill her right now. She should run, return to the hotel, fill her bags and flee.
Flee where?
Ponyville? She'd be arrested.
The streets of Fillydelphia? She'd be back where she started.
Get a train and leave town? She'd be stuck somewhere new, in an even worse situation than before.
Sweetie Belle sunk to her hooves. All too quickly, the net had closed around her, ensnaring her in Azure's web. Her only choice, it seemed, was to continue with the status quo. At least, for now. There was no point in dwelling on her hopeless position - it was almost certainly what Azure wanted her to do.
Azure might have trapped here here physically, but only she would be able to lock up her head. |
Just a Phase | Part 2, Chapter 3 - Prisoner | Sweetie Belle was surprised to find Azure wasn't waiting for her when she arrived back at her hotel. She had expected him to be there, to spin her some sham explanation as to account for Autumn's conversation, but it seemed Azure had something else on his mind. Like cleaning the blood out of the Flawless Rainbow's floorboards.
When inside the hotel, Sweetie Belle went straight to her room and locked the door behind her. Grabbing her saddlebags, she went straight to her cupboard and began to pack. She needed a backup plan, an escape route. For all she knew, Azure might be planning to finish her off tomorrow. As she packed, she was struck with a strong sense of Dejà vu - she had gone through these exact motions before, packing her bags so as to escape from the clutches of a bloodthirsty monster. Back then it had been Comet Spark, now it was Azure Meadows. Both of them bullying, both of them controlling, both of them manipulative. Sweetie Belle was almost impressed at her ability to attract murderous psychopaths.
Of course, this situation was different. Back then she had friends to help her. Fluttershy, and Scootaloo to an extent. Now she had nopony.
Halfway through her packing, a loud knock at the door caused her to freeze. Her fears were confirmed when she heard Azure from behind the door.
'Sweetie Belle, are you in there? Open the door!'
Sweetie Belle heard a further knocking, and then the sound of a key turning in the lock. As quickly as she could, she shoved the half-packed saddlebags under the bed, jumping up just as Azure walked in through the door.
'Sweetie Belle? Why didn't you answer me?' Azure shut the door behind him, turning the key to lock it.
Sweetie Belle opened her mouth to answer, but before she could, Azure dismissed the question with a wave of his hoof. 'Never mind. Listen, Sweetie Belle, I think you and me need to have a talk. Is that okay with you?'
Sweetie Belle nodded cautiously, wondering what on earth Azure was going to say to explain away what Autumn had told her. In all honesty, she didn't even care. She just wanted things to return to normal. Well, as normal as life got these days. Azure gave her a wide smile and motioned for her to sit.
'Sweetie Belle, I think you'll be glad to know that Autumn has been barred from the Flawless Rainbow. I understand he was causing a lot of trouble there, mouthing off about everypony and just generally causing conflict, so he's been told to leave and not come back'.
Azure waited, and when Sweetie Belle gave no response, continued:
'Now, Autumn is a very... confused pony. He seems to have convinced himself of some wild fantasy where I'm involved in all sorts of disreputable activities. Drugs, gambling, things like that. And I'd just like to reassure you that I absolutely am not involved in any behavior of the sort'.
Once again, Sweetie Belle said nothing.
'And as for what happened at Thunder... Sweetie Belle, it's just awful to think Bronco could hurt a pony like that, and it's even worse to think about all those ponies at Thunder who got caught, but no matter what, I can promise you I didn't tell the police. I would never do something to hurt our community, for any reason. You know that... right?'
Sweetie Belle felt a hard lump rise in her throat, sickened by the callous way Azure lied to her. Despite this, she nodded in agreement with Azure.
'Good. Now, about the situation with the Flawless Rainbow...'
As Azure launched into a spiel about her new job conditions, Sweetie Belle fought to keep her gaze away from the half-packed saddlebag that was just protruding from under the bed. If Azure spotted it, he would realize what she was doing, so it was critical Sweetie Belle didn't do anything that might tip him off. On the other hoof, was the bag too noticeable?
Azure's eyes bore into hers, as if daring her to look away even for a second. He clearly didn't believe he. Just one slip would do it. Just one...
In the end, Sweetie Belle didn't falter, but it made no difference. Azure noticed the saddlebag of his own accord, stopping mid sentence and abruptly springing to his hooves to grab it. As he pulled the bag from under the bed, all of the clothes in it spilled out onto the floor, causing Sweetie Belle to cringe with humiliation.
Azure held the bag upside down and slowly shook it, allowing the last of Sweetie Belle's belongings to fall onto the floor. The room was silent, until Azure spoke.
'Travelling anywhere, Sweetie?'
Sweetie Belle stared at her hooves, not daring to look up. Azure's voice had lost it's compassion and warmth, and had been replaced by a cold, quiet, accusatory tone. Azure's breathing had deepened, so that she could hear each individual breath. Every part of his radiated barely suppressed fury.
'I-I hadn't had time to unpack-'
'Liar'.
Sweetie Belle knew it would be dangerous to continue down this path, so she chose to come clean.
'Azure, please, I'm really sorry, I was just scared and I wasn't thinking and-'
'You're damn right you weren't thinking, Sweetie Belle. Have you forgotten who you are already? You're still being hunted by the police and the Royal Guard itself. Operation Dandelion Seed, not that you would know'.
Sweetie Belle wasn't sure where Azure was heading, but he hadn't exploded just yet, which was better than she was expecting.
Azure continued; 'Sweetie Belle, I want to make something crystal clear. I am not a charity. I will not be taken advantage of. If you so much as think of running off, I will have the entire police force of Fillydelphia and half the Royal Guard come down on you before you're three steps out of the door with just one phone call. Is that understood?'
Sweetie Belle felt her blood chill, but realized the time for pleading apologies was over. If she wanted to keep her freedom, she would have to come up with a threat of her own.
'I'll speak to the police too. I'll tell them about the Flawless Rainbow, and about you trying to kill Bronco. And I'll never sing for you again'.
Azure's head turned slowly to gaze at Sweetie Belle, a look of incredulity on his face. To be threatened at all was a rarity for him, to say nothing of being threatened by a teenage filly. As Sweetie Belle began to back up, Azure sprung foward and swung his hoof at Sweetie Belle, narrowly missing connecting with the side of her head, instead striking her cracked horn. As Sweetie Belle reeled in pain, Azure lunged forwards, grabbing her by the ears and dragging her face up to his.
'Listen to me, Sweetie Belle, and listen closely, because I think you might be a little slow. I am not going to be threatened by the police. I am the police in Fillydelphia. Every single officer with the power to actually do anything is on my payroll, and probably a million other ponies' payrolls as well. Why would they believe you, anyway? If anything, going to the police would save me the trouble of having to turn you in. They'll never find Bronco, either. I'm going to have him killed, and then I'm going to have his head impaled outside his bloody nightclub, and nopony is going to stop me. Especially not some uppity dyke like you'.
Sweetie Belle frantically shook herself free, and retreated away. Azure advanced on her, taunting her every step of the way.
'Don't try to defy me, Sweetie Belle. You're already at risk of losing your pay. I don't have to pay you to sing, I could just... make you. You'd crack eventually, like everypony else. And there are other types of pain, Sweetie Belle. You have family and friends. Your sister... Rarity, was it? And your parents, and that stupid orange cripple I saw defending you on the news. Could you live with yourself, knowing it was because of your stubbornness I had to carve them up on their doorstep?'
Sweetie Belle felt her blood run cold at the mention of her family and friends. What kind of monster had she got herself caught up with?
'N-no! Please, not them, I swear I'll sing for you, I'll do anything!'
The cocky, triumphant smile on Azure's face was almost too much to bear. 'Perhaps it would be better to reconsider your accommodation, Sweetie Belle. After all, I'm not sure I can trust you alone anymore. Perhaps it would be best if you stayed with me, at my home'.
Sweetie Belle couldn't think of a more repellent concept, but she said nothing, willing to accept any conditions Azure offered at this point.
'A room at my house and twenty - no, fifteen - bits a night. Well, Sweetie Belle, what will you do for that?'
Sweetie Belle swallowed. 'Anything'.
'Will you sing? Will you follow instructions and do as you're told?'
'Yes!'
'Yes sir'.
'Yes sir'.
Azure nodded curtly. As soon as he had arrived, the violent psychopath was gone, and the shrewd businessman was back.
'Well Sweetie Belle, I'll have you accommodated by tomorrow. For tonight, I suppose you can stay in the hotel, but let me warn you; if you try to leave, or contact your friends in any way, there will be dire consequences, for both you and them. Got it?'
Without waiting for a reply, he was gone. Sweetie Belle immediately dropped the brave facade, and collapsed onto the floor, weeping. Within an hour, she had no more tears to give. Picking herself up, she began to pack her belongings once again.
The room Amethyst Charm and Sweetie Belle were in was silent, except for the ticking of the clock. Sweetie Belle wasn't sure where how to continue from here. Amethyst was crying, tears streaming down her face. Before Sweetie Belle could resume, Amethyst spoke up.
'Oh my... Sweetie Belle, I'm so sorry, I had no idea. How awful'.
Sweetie Belle shrugged. 'Don't be. It wasn't your fault'.
'It wasn't yours either, Sweetie Belle. You know that, right?'
Sweetie Belle shook her head. 'I was wrong to run away, Amethyst. I'm amazed I'm still here today, to be honest'.
'Sweetie Belle, please don't tell me you think you're responsible for what that... bastard did to you. You were just a filly, how were you supposed to know-'
'I wasn't "just a filly", Amethyst, I was... dammit... I was so stupid. I should have kept my temper when he found the bag, not threatened him. I don't know what I was expecting. All I did was make him angry, and a lot of bad stuff happened because I couldn't keep my temper'.
'So what happened after the fight in the hotel?'
Sweetie Belle resumed. 'Not a lot. I moved in with Azure - he kept me in a room under his house. It wasn't squalid or anything, but it was nowhere near as nice as the hotel. He was a lot more possessive too. He never stopped paying me, but he kept all the money I earned in a safe in his room. If I wanted to spend money, I had to ask for it, and I had to tell him why I was spending it...'
'... so I know you're not frittering it away. You are no longer allowed to talk to the patrons at the Flawless Rainbow. If they call over to you, or talk to you in any way, you are to smile and wave. Understand?'
'Yes sir'.
'You are not to go out on your own. If you need to go out for any reason, either me or somepony else I pick will accompany you. I will also ensure your door is locked at night and when I am away. Understood?'
Sweetie Belle gritted her teeth. 'Yes sir'.
'Sweetie Belle, I want you to know that this is all for our mutual benefit. You'll see things my way when you're older. I need to protect you from the police and the rest of the world, and I need to protect myself from you. You've got it better than most of the street rats out there, believe me. In fact, I think you should be thanking me for this opportunity'.
Sweetie Belle looked up in disbelief, unsure if Azure was being serious or not.
'Sweetie Belle?'
Sweetie Belle's head was filled with choice names she would loved to have called Azure, just to see the shock on his face, no matter the personal cost. But she didn't. Instead, she put on a sickening, simpering face. 'Thank you, Azure'.
Sweetie Belle had never seen a pony look smugger.
As Azure turned to leave, Sweetie Belle called after him. 'Azure? Can I ask a question?'
'Of course, Sweetie Belle'.
Dreading the answer, she replied: 'How - how long do I have to work for you?'
Azure gave her an almost sympathetic smile. 'Sweetie Belle, don't ask stupid questions. You know full well I can't let you leave'.
'What? What does that mean?'
'It means, Sweetie Belle, that this arrangement will have to continue indefinitely. I know you don't want to hear that, but like I said, it's for our mutual benefit-'
Sweetie Belle didn't wait to hear any more. Instead, she just collapsed on her makeshift bed. Behind her, she heard Azure sigh.
'I am going out now, Sweetie Belle, so I'll lock the door. Please don't try to damage my home. I will simply take it out of your wages'.
Sweetie Belle said nothing, sniffling into her bed. Behind her, she heard the door lock audibly, and the sound of retreating footsteps. Then, silence. Burying her face deep into the mattress, she screamed as loud as possible, venting her rage, not just at Azure, her captor, but at herself, for her naivety that had lead her here.
Looking up, she took in the surroundings of her cell. Bare walls, a cabinet, a makeshift bed, and a bathroom. Of course, she could destroy everything in this room to get back at Azure, but Sweetie Belle knew he would make good on his promise to take her wages to pay for it.
What was she to do? Was Azure serious about keeping her here? Certainly not. How could he keep her here for years with nopony finding her? It seemed impossible, but then again, Sweetie Belle saw no means of getting a message out. There were no windows, only a door. Whenever she left this room, Azure or another pony would be there to monitor her, so she couldn't slip away or attract anypony's attention. Of course, she could always try to break the door down.
As soon as Sweetie Belle began to test this idea, it fell flat. The door was unusually thick, and when Sweetie Belle knocked on it, she could hear a thick metal lining. The room was the perfect cell. Had somepony else been kept here before? Sweetie Belle shuddered at the prospect, imagining somepony else going through these exact same motions, slowly realizing they were trapped.
Could she escape while performing at the Flawless Rainbow? Just interrupt her performance with a cry for help. Surely somepony would step forwards to help her. Or were they too afraid of Azure?
Either way, it was too risky. Perhaps Sweetie Belle should wait for the situation to develop. Over time, Azure was bound to get sloppy, to mess up. And Sweetie Belle would be there when he did, to snatch her freedom back.
'And what happened then?'
Amethyst was clinging on to every word coming out of Sweetie Belle's mouth.
'He kept me prisoner for the next six years'.
The effect was just as Sweetie Belle had predicted. Amethyst gave a horrified gasp and threw herself around Sweetie Belle, bursting into fresh tears.
'Sweetie Belle... Sweetie Belle...'
Despite her promise to keep her emotions under control, Amethyst's reaction was too much, and Sweetie Belle's eyes watered as Amethyst dragged her closer into her embrace. Sweetie Belle let Amethyst hold her for nearly ten minutes, before pulling free.
Amethyst's sorrow was now mixed with fury. 'Bastard. Bastard. Please, Sweetie Belle, tell me he's dead, or so help me Celestia, I'll kill him myself'.
Sweetie Belle shook her head. 'He's not dead. But I promised I wouldn't go after him, and I won't'.
Amethyst had no idea what Sweetie Belle meant by this, but there was one other question on her mind. 'Didn't you ever try to escape?'
Sweetie Belle nodded. 'Loads of times. Every time, I got caught, and Azure would do something. Not beat me up - I always had to be presentable for my performances. But he would do other things, like give me stale or rotting food, or keep me awake at night by playing loud music. Anything to make life uncomfortable for me. When I got older, I stopped trying to escape so much, and life got better'.
'What about your job? Did you ever refuse to sing?'
Sweetie Belle shook her head. 'Are you kidding? It was one of the only times I got to leave the house. And Azure did let me talk to the ponies there, as long as I didn't try to escape through them. None of them would have helped me anyway. They were all too scared of Azure'.
Amethyst nodded sympathetically. 'So what happened in those years?'
'Not a huge amount. I got a reputation for singing, and I always drew a big crowd, so Azure never let me go. When I got older, most of them were more interested in hitting on me than they were in listening to me sing, but I didn't really care. If I'm being honest, I actually found it flattering'.
Sweetie Belle had expected raised eyebrows from Amethyst, but she said nothing.
Sweetie Belle continued. 'Anyway, there's only a few things I have to mention that happened in those years. First, Azure finally killed Bronco. It was quite a famous case; especially given the drama over Thunder and the public nature of the murder. Stabbed in the street. I remember him gloating about it for weeks. Next, I was declared legally dead, and the police search stopped, which meant Azure was more relaxed and careless about having me in his home. Technically, Sweetie Belle is deceased under Equestrian records. And finally, Azure started doing business with another stallion. I never found out his name, but he and Azure didn't get on too well'.
'Any reason why?'
'Not really. Probably something petty, like money. Anyway, he played a pretty big role in my life, so I'm mentioning him now...'
'Thank you, everypony! I'm here every night, seven to twelve!'
Sweetie Belle basked in the raucous cheering of the audience. No matter her situation with Azure, she had never stopped enjoying the singing she did at the Flawless Rainbow. Slipping off stage, she was immediately surrounded by the usual throng of admirers, shouting over each other and slapping her on the back. Sweetie Belle was usually the centre of attention in the evening - indeed, she had gathered something of a cult following in the Fillydelphia gay community, becoming a minor celebrity. Sweetie Belle never thought of herself this way - she was always relaxed and casual around other ponies, seeing them as friends, not fans.
Of course, life wasn't perfect. She still wasn't independent. Azure still locked her up every night and never gave her access to the money she earned, even though she was now nineteen. Sweetie Belle loathed Azure for his continued imprisonment of her, even though she never let it show. Azure had stolen her formative years from her, and stifled any chance she had of developing a meaningful social life, leaving her shy and withdrawing, especially with ponies her own age.
Occasionally, she wondered what had become of the ponies she had known in Ponyville. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom would have grown up and moved on. Sweetie Belle could only imagine how much they had changed. Rarity? Her Parents? Sweetie Belle had no idea what had happened to them. Hopefully they had managed to move on without her.
Sweetie Belle felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning, she saw Azure standing behind her, looking impatient.
'Sweetie Belle, I need to be home early tonight, so you have to come with me. Get ready to leave'.
Sweetie Belle knew better than to argue, so she pushed through the crowd around her and fell in line behind Azure. Not speaking a word to each other, they headed through the streets of Fillydelphia back to Azure's home. Sweetie Belle had often tried to run away during the return home, but experience had taught her that Azure was much faster than her and much quicker to react.
As they drew closer to Azure's home, Sweetie Belle could make out the figure of a stallion standing on the doorstep, wearing a thick coat. Azure seemed to have noticed him too, for he suddenly spoke up:
'Sweetie Belle, I want you to head straight inside, understood?'
'Yes sir'.
Sweetie Belle was ushered inside the house, where Azure guided her downstairs and into her room. Practically forcing her in, he hissed: 'Keep quiet in there. I don't want to be interrupted unless something catches fire'. Satisfied he had made an impression, he departed, closing the door and locking it.
Sweetie Belle was tired, but her hopes of getting a good night's sleep were quickly shattered, as what had begun upstairs as a peaceful conversation quickly escalated into a shouting match. Though much of the conversation was muffled, Sweetie Belle was still able to hear the two ponies straining to shout over each other.
Sweet Celestia, let them end soon, Sweetie Belle prayed. I have to be up tomorrow to practice.
Since she spent most of her time in her room, Sweetie Belle had plenty of time to practice her singing. Over the years, daily practice had improved her talent, a fact that had been notice up by both Sweetie Belle and the ponies she sang for.
When she wasn't practicing, she spent much of her time reading - Azure let her buy books with her wages - and listening to her portable radio, which she had also bought after much saving. In the first few years, she had featured prominently in the news, with almost daily updates on the search. She had also had the chance to occasionally hear from a pony she knew, though she had never heard Rarity or any other member of her family. Over the years, however, the stories concerning her had become few and far between, and she had not heard her name on the radio for months now. She rarely listened to other news stories - hearing about the world she was missing out on was too painful.
Upstairs, an almighty bang resonated throughout the house as a door was slammed with great force. Seconds later, Sweetie Belle heard it
wrenched open, and heard the two stallions as they came downstairs, still furiously arguing. Their conversation was much clearer now.
'I have warned you again and again Azure. I won't tolerate this behavior. It's twisted, it's sick, and it's going to get us all caught'.
'We can't stop doing it, it's saving us so much money-'
'You don't get it, do you? We don't need to save money. These actions give us a bad name, and it makes it easier for the police to find us. No more. If you want somepony to do your dirty work for you, then you don't use foals. You might be able to live with their blood on your hooves, but I can't and I won't'.
'You can't stop me. You're not my boss. We're partners. If you don't like the way I do things, you're welcome to leave'.
'Well, maybe I'll do just that'.
Sweetie Belle heard the front door slam, and Azure cursing under his breath as he rushed out after the visitor.
Over the years he had kept her incarcerated, Sweetie Belle had observed Azure grow yet more violent and unstable. From scraps of conversation she had picked up over the years, she had pieced together a picture of him.
She knew he had no family. No partner, no children, nothing. He was not a solitary pony, by any means - he frequently visited the Solaris and other nightclubs, and Sweetie Belle had been forced to endure him bringing (occasionally drunken) mares to the home more than once. He could be charismatic, suave and friendly when he wanted.
The other, 'true' side of Azure was that he was incredibly narcissistic and unpredictable. Aside from his treatment of Sweetie Belle, he would also regularly use physical violence to discipline his lieutenants and keep them in line. Whenever he had anypony killed, he would do it publicly, so as to squeeze as much fear out of the killing as possible. He bolstered his ranks by recruiting young foals, who were easy to manipulate. These tactics had made him a pariah to other crime bosses, who preferred to keep their conduct low key, but they had also made him powerful and feared, with his criminal empire expanding rapidly in multiple directions.
Azure also owned several legitimate businesses in Fillydelphia, which he funneled his illegally-gained income into. She knew the names and addresses of several of these businesses. She also knew the names of his top lieutenants, the names of several of his business partners and the locations of several bodies. She had written down and memorized all of this information.
The reason she had done this was for her revenge. When she escaped - and she only had to wait for Azure to slip up - she intended to bring him and as many accomplices as possible down with him. She would go to the police, hand herself in, and tell them as much as possible. She didn't particularly care what happened to her after that, even though she was sure it would be lobotomization. Azure had enslaved her and stripped her of her basic dignity for most of her life. Sweetie Belle didn't know anything about the real world. She was fully grown, but she had no education, no family, no friends, and no future. She had never stressed with her friends over their exams, never argued with her parents over her life choices or fashion, like everypony else did. She had never even kissed another mare. If she stood a chance of fitting in anywhere, that place would almost certainly be in a padded cell with part of her brain cut out.
She hadn't always felt this way. There was a time when she would do anything Azure said to protect herself and the ponies she knew. Those days were long past now. The only thing that kept her from disobeying Azure was her desire to make him complacent enough to escape from.
Sweetie Belle's fixation on revenge kept her sane. It occupied her every waking thought, every dream she had. Fueled by hatred, Sweetie Belle continued with her miserable existence, letting Azure believe he had broken her.
Yet still Azure had never once slipped, or let his guard down, or even made a simple mistake, despite his growing violent and irrational behavior. Sweetie Belle's impatience had nearly driven her insane. Her security was completely airtight, with all avenues of escape blocked. Every night, she would analyze her daily routine, looking for flaws in her security, and every night she came to the same conclusion - there were none.
The sound of the front door slamming brought Sweetie Belle back to reality. Opening the flap in her her door, she shouted upstairs at Azure: 'Hey, am I going to get any peace tonight?'
The sound of hoofsteps upstairs abruptly stopped, and Sweetie Belle soon heard Azure coming down the stairs, presumably to bellow at her. Instead, she heard an unfamiliar voice call out: 'Who's there?'
Heart pounding, Sweetie Belle pushed open the flap and stared out to see who she was speaking to. Unfortunately, it wasn't an inquisitive police officer, as Sweetie Belle had hoped, but instead the stallion Azure had been arguing with.
'Uhhh... I'm Sugar Note'.
The stallion looked absolutely bewildered and a little disgusted to find Sweetie Belle locked up under the house, but it seemed she was not unfamiliar to the stallion.
'Sugar Note? Aren't you the mare who sings for the Flawless Rainbow?'
Sweetie Belle nodded, sensing a chance at freedom. Putting on her sweetest, most innocent voice, she whimpered: 'Yeah. Azure keeps me here. Listen, I know this is a lot, but please get me out. Azure's horrible, he's kept me here since I was just a little filly, and he makes me do whatever he says, or he beats me up. There's a key somewhere. silver with a leather handle, please, please, I'm begging you...'
Sweetie Belle drew to a clumsy and somewhat anticlimactic close, desperately scanning the stallion's face for a sign of mercy. The stallion looked sickened, but there was something else - fear of retribution if he did something rash. The signature Azure Meadows left in every pony he met.
'Listen, kid... I'm really sorry. I wish I could help you, but it's not my place to... y'know... tell Azure what to do...'
'Please. Just open the door. I'll disappear, you'll never see me again, I promise.'
Sweetie Belle could see she was fighting a losing battle. Azure could be home any second, and the stallion was already beginning to back up the stairs. As he was backing away, he suddenly paused, produced a pen and notepad from his coat. Hastily scribbling a message down on the paper, the stallion slid the note under the door and bolted.
'Wait!'
But Sweetie Belle was too late; the stallion was gone. Turning her attention to the note, she read:
Sugar Note
Sorry I can't speak to you directly. The room could be bugged, and it's crucial Azure never finds out about this information, so make sure you destroy this note.
Azure's empire isn't going to last much longer. His actions are too cocky and provocative, and he's a risk to himself and everypony else. It has therefore been decided to get rid of him. If you want your freedom, then I want your help.
Azure is very paranoid about being assassinated. He won't eat food or drink he is served at a party, only his own prepared meal, and he always brings about five bodyguards with him wherever he goes.
We believe the cleanest and quickest way to deal with Azure will be at a Hearth's Warming Eve party this year. It's going to be a public event, since he refuses to be alone with us nowadays. It is highly likely he will bring you along as some kind of trophy, as he always likes to brag about having you under his thumb. Therefore, we will make you a deal.
We will give you a sachet of poison. On the day, you will sneak some of it into Azure's food somehow. If you do this, you will be free.
I understand if the answer is no. Killing a pony must seem like a terrible thing to you, but understand it is sometimes necessary for the greater good. You can simply destroy this letter and forget all about it.
A warning, though. DO NOT SHOW AZURE THIS LETTER. We will have no choice but to target you if you do.
Sweetie Belle flushed the letter down the toilet with the greatest sense of joy she had ever had in living memory. |
Just a Phase | Part 2, Chapter 4 - Phantoms I | When Sweetie Belle was just a young filly, she had accidentally stood on a frog and killed it. She remembered running home in tears, convinced she was the greatest monster Equestria had ever seen. It had taken nearly an hour of coaxing by her parents before she had calmed down enough to tell them what she was so upset about.
This was not a particularly notable memory of Sweetie Belle's, but recently she had marveled at how different she was today. When she had read that letter, she had felt genuine joy. Not just because she would be free, but because Azure would die, and she would get to be one to do it.
The realization that she might one day get revenge on Azure and also taste freedom gave Sweetie Belle a new outlook on life. Now that she no longer had to resign herself to life in an asylum, she had to start thinking about her own future. The truth was that she had little idea what she would do once she had won her freedom. She would likely end up back where she started, homeless and alone.
Of course, that wasn't true. She was older than she had been then, and more used to life in the city, despite the sheltered life she lived under Azure. And she had her special talent - singing. Surely it couldn't be hard to pick up work in a city like Fillydelphia. After all, she had spent most of her life singing. She was sure to stand out. She was used to performing for large audiences, and she knew she was good-looking, which would be a plus.
If she played her cards right, she could have it all. Freedom, a job, maybe even her own roof over her head...
But in order to do this, she had to leave her past behind. In particular, her connection to Ponyville. A significant part of her wanted to take the first train back there the moment she won her freedom, to reconcile with her parents and Rarity, even though she knew it was stupidly dangerous.
They would never recognize her. Who would? Sweetie Belle had been dead for years now. Her life had been usurped by Sugar Note, a bitter, unfriendly mare who obsessed over killing somepony, who Sweetie Belle, the filly who had nearly had a mental breakdown over a squashed frog, would never recognize in a million years.
Hearth's Warming Eve couldn't come sooner, even though it was months away. It had turned out there were bugs hidden in her room, which had captured her plea for help. Sweetie Belle had learned this when Azure had burst down her door and bellowed at her. Sweetie Belle had been convinced she was about to die, but Azure had simply screamed himself hoarse and then slammed her door.
The following day, Azure's treatment of her reached it's nadir. She was marched out of her room early in the morning and watched closely by two of Azure's thugs, while security cameras and further bugs were installed in her room. Her protestations had fallen upon deaf ears, and when she was returned to her room, the cameras seemed to follow her every move. At first, she had made a great show of refusing to change in her room, and making loud, derogatory remarks about Azure at given intervals, but she soon tired of the exaggerated immaturity of her behavior, and stopped. If Azure got a buzz from watching his prisoners shower, all the more power to him.
In addition, Azure had cracked down on her freedom at the Flawless Rainbow. She was no longer to talk to the patrons. She was not to receive visitors, even under supervision - they had to write letters instead. Sweetie Belle was certain they would interpret this behavior as snobbishness, but she had no choice other than to comply.
Despite this treatment, Sweetie Belle was certain Azure did not suspect her. If he did, he would almost certainly have killed her. This was not to say Azure was not suspicious of others - he was still paranoid as ever, trusting virtually nopony. But he did not suspect Sweetie Belle was plotting with others, which would make her job easier.
Sweetie Belle had expected to be contacted soon after the first meeting, to be asked if she would cooperate, but a month passed before she heard more from the conspirators. One night, as she was returning backstage, she found a letter waiting on her dressing table. The seal of the letter was torn - unsurprisingly, Azure closely monitored all of her communication with other ponies - but the letter had been left inside.
Dear Sugar Note
I apologize for not writing sooner. I always wanted to, but I found it difficult to come up with the right words. I am a huge fan of yours, although I've only ever actually seen you perform once. I am always inspired by you music, and what you stand for. It's horrible that everypony hates us, but I like to think things will change eventually. It's always important to have hope, after all. I have written to you before - this is actually my second letter to you. I gave you the first one in person, a long time ago.
I actually wrote this letter to request a song - Crystal Romance, by Neon Lights. I understand if you don't want to - I don't want to interfere with your style, or anything. But it would mean a lot if you did, preferably within a week, as I won't have time to see it otherwise.
Thanks for listening to me!
An Admirer
To Azure, this letter wouldn't have seemed out of the ordinary. There had been others like it before, all carefully checked by Azure to ensure Sweetie Belle wasn't communicating with the outside world. In truth, it wasn't until she read the letter through a second time that she realized what was odd.
Nopony had ever given her a fan letter directly. In fact, only one pony had directly handed her a letter since she had come to Fillydelphia - the stallion that had come across her at Azure's home. Clearly, he wanted to know if she would help them, and she was supposed to reply by singing the requested song.
Sweetie Belle had believed her mind was made up, but making the final decision was tougher than she expected it would be. She was not worried about Azure's life - he was a monster, and deserved to die - but for her own. If she messed up, or in some way gave the game away, she would almost certainly be killed - either by Azure, or his enemies. Perhaps she should play it safe, and let this whole event pass her by.
But then she remembered the way Azure had treated her, the beatings, the threats, the invasions of privacy. How much longer could she go on like this? Her fixation on killing Azure had given her something to dwell on, keeping her sane, preventing her from surrendering to Azure. If she lost that, she had nothing.
'Uhh, Sir? Can I ask for something?'
'What is it, Sweetie Belle?'
'See, I wanted to sing a new song, so I need to buy a copy of the lyrics and the backing track to practice... It's called Crystal Romance'.
'Wasn't that the song requested in that fan letter? Sweet Celestia, you're too sentimental sometimes. If it's something small like that, we'll pick it up on the way home. Happy?'
'Yes, sir. Thank you, sir'.
'Crystal Romance' was a song about forbidden love between an earth stallion and a crystal mare, a theme Sweetie Belle was used to singing about. It was part of a larger underground musical subculture, which dealt with taboo themes such as interspecies and homosexual relationships, and while the songs were not banned, unless they were considered obscene, they were hard to come by - though a pony with Azure's connections would be unlikely to have had any issues acquiring a copy.
Sweetie Belle used to love songs like these, because of her ability to connect with the emotions of the singer. Today, they were nothing more than a reminder of her imprisonment. But they were incredibly popular with her audience, so Sweetie Belle had to perform them time and time again.
While she practiced, she focused on burning the image of Azure purchasing the record and sheet music into her mind, relieving every second of Azure signing his own death warrant. Twice, she broke down in hysterical laughter, causing Azure to loudly pound on her door and demand to know what was so funny. Azure really was an idiot, and arrogant to. She was doing the world a favor by disposing of him.
It was fortunate they had chosen a simple song for her, because Sweetie Belle wanted to get her response out as soon as possible. Although she had to practice into the early morning, she spent her night perfecting the performance. The faster she replied, the more they would trust her. She could not afford to show hesitation - once she started on this path, there could be no going back.
Finally, Sweetie Belle felt her performance was perfect. Collapsing in a heap on her bed, she expected to fall asleep almost immediately, but she still felt wide awake. Was she forgetting something? Not that she could think of. She fumbled with her thoughts for a few more moments, until she realized what it was.
Once she signaled her cooperation, she would only have two months left in Azure's grasp, assuming everything went smoothly. But what would happen after that? It was embarrassing to admit, but Sweetie Belle had always assumed she would be set free. Looking back, that was a completely ludicrous suggestion. She would be a witness to murder, even if she was complicit in it. Her co-conspirators would almost certainly have her killed, so she could never pose a threat to them. Performing tomorrow would be the equivalent of suicide. No matter who killed who, she would end up dead. There was no question of that.
The real question was: did she care? She lived a pitiful existence as it was; her own personal hell. As morbid as it was, death might be preferable to slavery. And she was getting older. Azure kept her around for her singing talents, but how long would those talents last? Would she still be able to sing like this in five years? Azure wouldn't keep her if she couldn't, but he certainly wouldn't let her go free.
Live two months as a slave and die free, or live five years as a slave, and die a slave. On paper, it would be an easy question to answer - live quick and die free. But such bravado quailed in the face of reality. Sweetie Belle feared death. She didn't know what would happen to her, but she knew murderers went to Tartarus. Everypony said so. But what about killing evil ponies? Surely she wouldn't be punished for killing Azure, when he had done so much worse to her. Of course, Tartarus could be a myth. But what else was there? Nothing. An endless void, meaningless.
Sweetie Belle couldn't save herself from death. But she could do everything she could to ensure she mattered. And right now, the one thing she could do, to ensure she made her mark, was to take Azure down with her.
This simplification of her situation gave her peace. Rolling over, she finally fell asleep
Sweetie Belle performed Crystal Romance the next day, to rapturous applause. At the back of the club, separated from the other ponies, stood a mare Sweetie Belle had never seen at the club before. At the end of the song, the mare gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod.
A month later, Azure first mentioned the Hearth's Warming Eve party. He did not invite her - he told her she was going.
'Sweetie Belle! Listen, I've got a party coming up this Hearth's Warming Eve, and I want you to attend. So make sure you learn some festive songs, because I want you to perform there after dinner. Understood?'
'Yes, Sir'.
If her performance was scheduled to be after dinner, Sweetie Belle saw no reason to learn a single song.
'Hmpf. You're getting a little sloppy with your makeup, by the way. Sort that out'.
Fuck you, Azure. 'Of course, Sir'.
'A lot of... colleagues will be there, so I expect you to be polite to all of them. Don't drink, don't act up, don't show me up in any way. If you do, then there'll be consequences. None of them will care about anything you tell them, so don't try to pull some kind of pity act either'.
'Yes, Sir'.
Seemingly disappointed he hadn't gotten a rise out of Sweetie, Azure wandered off. Sweetie Belle returned to practicing the songs she had selected for tonight's lineup. She still had three hours to make any tweaks she wanted to tonight's script. Given that she only had a month left to live, it seemed pointless to live cautiously...
'Good evening, everypony!'
Sweetie Belle strutted onstage, running her script through her head one last time. She had spent the rest of her evening producing today's performance, and it was certain to be a memorable one.
'Okay, first up, I wanna ask for a big round of applause for our host, Azure. I'd also like to thank him for inviting me to a Hearth's Warming Eve party. Nothing say 'gentlecolt' like locking a girl up and then making her go on a date with you, after all'.
Silence. Almost every single pony in attendance was gazing at Sweetie Belle with awe. Others were already moving towards the exit, sensing trouble. One or two, however, were grinning and stifling laughter. At the back of the room, Azure clenched in jaw.
'Are you gonna make me ask twice?'
Ponies began to applaud, some cautiously, others enthusiastically. After the pitiful display was over, Sweetie Belle launched into her first song, closely watching the reaction of the audience. Most ponies relaxed during the song, and began to laugh and talk among themselves. Some ponies left immediately, but very few. Azure was sitting at the back, probably wondering if he should interrupt the show or not.
Sweetie Belle knew Azure loathed being joked about, especially in front of other ponies. But she wasn't just anypony. She was the star attraction at the Flawless Rainbow. If she suddenly 'disappeared' after a performance where she made fun of Azure, everypony would quickly figure out what had happened. Azure might get away with a lot, but Sweetie Belle didn't think his business would survive if he openly murdered one of his performers for making fun of him.
As she concluded her first song, she prepared for her follow up. Next was 'Illusions', a erotic song about two stallions perpetually beset by misfortune. It belonged to the same subculture as 'Crystal Romance', expect this one was banned. It had taken Azure a week to get hold of an original copy, and he resented the fact she had not yet sung it. Now it was time to recognize his hard work.
'Okay, this next song is for you, Azure. Honestly, I never thought you'd be able to get hold of this single, since it's so rare. Who knew you'd have it in your personal collection?'
As she launched into 'Illusions', the ponies who recognized it burst into real, genuine laughter, and the room was filled with cat-calls and laughter, much of it directed at Azure, who had gone red with embarrassment and fury. One of Azure's 'berserk buttons' was ponies assuming or accusing him of being a coltcuddler. Azure might run a gay bar, but he was no more tolerant of coltcuddlers and fillyfoolers than the rest of Equestrian society.
Azure lurched from his chair, as if to charge the stage, but halted before taking the first step forward. Instead, he stormed upstairs, slamming the door behind him.
Sweetie Belle made a few other jokes in the nights performance, but since Azure wasn't there to see them, she saw little point. She also decided to ignore Azure's instructions and go talk to the ponies in the club. Most of them expressed delight that she was talking to them again, but they all had the same thing on their mind - warning her not to provoke Azure. All of them were so... boring. But then, they all had things to live for.
Sweetie Belle wasn't sure when Azure was going to return, or if he would return at all. If he wasn't around to watch her, she could attempt to slip away into Fillydelphia, and never return. But Azure wasn't stupid. He wouldn't have left her alone if she wasn't being watched by somepony else.
Azure eventually returned, red-faced and obviously drunk, just as Sweetie Belle was wrapping up her performance. Sweetie Belle had prepared a few final gags, but the look on Azure's face dissuaded her from reading them out. As fun as taunting Azure was, Sweetie Belle was worried she had tipped him over the edge.
Sweetie Belle returned backstage and began to remove her makeup. Normally, Azure would collect her and escort her home, and lock her up. Tonight, however, she was met by another, unfamiliar stallion.
'Sugar Note? I'm here to take you home, on behalf of Azure. Says he can't make it tonight'.
Sweetie Belle said nothing, just raised her eyebrows and continued to dab at her face.
'Uhh... Okay. Oh, and by the way, big fan. N-Not that I visit... I'm not like... I... I just came here once! Just to see you perform! I don't like-'
'Shut up'.
The stallion looked somewhat taken aback, and a little upset, but he complied.
Perhaps she was being uncharitable, but this stallion was here to lock her up and continue her enslavement to Azure. To call himself her fan was grotesque.
'Okay, I'm ready. Get moving, I'm missing out on so much back there'.
Azure was not there when she was returned to his home. The stallion took her to her room and locked the door without batting an eyelid, which mad Sweetie Belle feel better for belittling him all the way home.
Sweetie Belle's sleep that night was interrupted by an enormous bang. Sitting upright in bed, Sweetie Belle recognized the sound as the front door slamming open. Moments later, she heard Azure bellowing from upstairs.
'SWEETIE BELLE!'
As Sweetie Belle scrambled to her feet and shook herself awake, she heard Azure thunder downstairs, followed by a grating sound as he attempted to unlock her door.
As the lock turned and finally the door swung open, Sweetie Belle began to call out to Azure.
'Azure, wait, I know you're mad, and I would be too, but you can't just-'
Ignoring her, Azure charged forwards, swinging wildly at Sweetie Belle. Before Sweetie Belle had a chance to defend herself, Azure slammed his hoof into the side of her head. Sweetie Belle was flung sideways, but quickly recovered and staggered to her feet.
Azure was seemingly impressed. He thought he had killed her with that blow, or at least knocked her out cold. This did nothing to abate his anger, however, and he advanced on Sweetie Belle a second time, more methodical in his approach. As Sweetie Belle raised a hoof in defense, Azure knocked it to the side and struck her again on the side of the temple. Sweetie Belle's vision flickered red, and she passed out.
Sweetie Belle awoke in her room. Azure was gone, but there was a note left on her bed. A pool of blood had formed around her head and soaked into the carpet. Picking herself up, she inspected herself in the mirror for any damage. Lots of bruising, but nothing serious. No broken bones, as far as she could tell.
The note on her bed was poorly written, filled with misspellings and long winded, rambling spiels that bore no relevance to the rest of the letter, but the general message was clear.
Sweetie Bell
You are stupid. You think you know lots but I know more. What is even point in trying? I am much bigger than you. Who said you could make a comedy show? I do not think it was me. Stupid.
I dont want to go to hearts warning eve. I hate them. They hate me. Why do we do this?
You dont do that again. I will be mean. I will hurt you and friends. What is orange pegasus name. She will be hurt. hahaha. See? now your scared of me.
I am Azure (so you know). Not another pony.
I am not think so good now. I will make up punish in morning. This note is to scare you but i am not supposed to tell that.
Sweetie Belle had no idea what Azure was on, but it probably wasn't just alcohol. Azure might have spared her for now, but she only had a few more hours until he administered punishment.
The thought of being punished didn't scare Sweetie Belle. It would probably involve no more than Azure beating the crap out of her. She also found herself disturbingly unnerved by the threat of Azure harming her old friends - specifically Scootaloo. After all, they were her old friends. 'Friends' was a concept now alien to her.
Sweetie Belle tossed the letter in the trash and fell into her bed, falling asleep almost instantly.
'Quick, do it now!'
Sweetie Belle's eyes flew open, but before she could react, she felt a sharp prick in the back of her neck. Almost instantly, her limbs went numb and became unresponsive. She was still in her bed, and she was surrounded by at least five stallions. As she took in this turn of events, the stallions produced ropes and a small bag. Sweetie Belle's legs were secured to her frame, rendering her immobile, and the bag was roughly shoved over her head. She was then hoisted into the air, and carried up the stairs. As she reached the top, she heard a familiar voice call out:
'Is everything secure?'
'Yes, Sir. We can do it now, if you want?'
'Good. I want to be there'.
Sweetie Belle heard Azure lean in, and suddenly her head was snapped backwards as Azure grabbed her mane and pulled her up to his face.
'This is what happens to ponies who think they're smart, Sweetie Belle'.
Azure released her, and Sweetie Belle's head lolled in place. Azure said a few more words, but she could hear nothing over the hammering of her heart. She had never been this terrified in her life. Azure was going to kill her. He had finally snapped, driven mad by Sweetie Belle's taunting, and now he was going to take it all out on her.
Sweetie Belle felt herself being loaded into what felt like the back of a carriage. She could hear Azure's thugs whispering in amazement.
'Sweetie Belle? You don't think it's that kid from all those years ago? The one those fillyfoolers kidnapped?'
'I don't know, and I don't really wanna know. It's worth more than what he's paying us'.
'Yeah, but still... wow. I always thought she was dead'.
'Do yourself a favour and stop talking like that. She is dead now'.
At those last words, Sweetie Belle stiffened. So, this was it.
She could have cried, or screamed, or begged to be set free. But it wouldn't make any difference. None of them would care. Right now, the only thing Sweetie Belle could do for herself was refuse to die like this, with nothing but the searing pain of the ropes cutting into her skin and the endless darkness to accompany her.
I am in Ponyville. I'm just a filly again. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are here too... We're all here. The Cutie Mark Crusaders.
'Sweetie Belle? SWEETIE BELLE! Wake up, you're falling asleep!'
Sweetie Belle's eyes opened a fraction. Then, when she made out a bright orange purple blob in front of her, they shot open.'
There was Scootaloo, kneeling down to check on Sweetie Belle with a concerned look on her face. Scootaloo. Her friend.
'Scoots!' Sweetie Belle bawled, flinging herself at Scootaloo. Scootaloo had no time to react, and both of them collapsed in a heap, Scootaloo yelling in protest as Sweetie Belle began to crush her ribs in a hug. Behind her, Sweetie Belle heard a loud gasp. Sweetie Belle spun on the spot, not daring to believe it.
Sure enough, there was Apple Bloom, as radiant and beautiful as she had ever been. Sweetie Belle composed herself, quickly pulling any knots out of her hair and brushing her coat free off the mud it had picked up when she tackled Scootaloo
'Sweetie, what in tarnation has got into you? You's acting like you ain't seen us in years'.
'Oh, AB, I'm just so glad to see-'
Something's wrong.
'-you, you know?'
What was that? A voice in her head? That was the last thing she needed. Something's wrong?
'Ah'll say! Anywho, Have you two got any more ideas for crusadin'?'
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both simultaneously glanced at each other and shook their head.
'Uhh... We have some ideas!' Scootaloo hovered over too Sweetie Belle. 'Like mountain climbing, or card house building, and, uhh... shark taming?'
'Scoots, how is you plannin' on taming a shark?'
'We could get it to do tricks! Like jump through hoops!'
'You mean like those dolphins do?'
'Yeah! Don't look at me like that, it was just a suggestion. Sweetie Belle, back me up here'.
Sweetie Belle gave a resigned smile. 'I don't think-'
Something's wrong. Something's VERY wrong.
'-thats very practical, scoots. Card house building sounds good, though!'
As Scootaloo sulked, Sweetie Belle tried to figure out what the voice meant. Something's VERY wrong. But what? Was this all some kind of sick trick Azure had pulled to taunt her one last time? Impossible. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were right there, arguing in front of her. Nothing unusual about that.
And yet...
None of this made sense. Sweetie Belle had been about to die. She had been hauled away in a carriage, and then she was suddenly back in Ponyville, with her childhood friends. There was no way the last six years of her life could have been a fleeting dream. So what was going on?
Weary with confusion, Sweetie Belle flopped sideways onto the grass. It was then that she saw it.
Her Cutie Mark!
It was the same as it had been before - a single black musical note. But why did she have it? She had never had a cutie mark when she was living in Ponyville, and certainly not this one. Was it just her? She had to check, but subtly, so she didn't start anything.
'Hey, girls! Have I got some dirt on me?'
Scootaloo flicked her eyes towards Sweetie Belle. 'Yeah, you got a smudge on your... flank... SWEETIE BELLE! YOUR CUTIE MARK!'
Wasting not a second, Scootaloo bounded over to Sweetie Belle and began to intensely study the new mark. Apple Bloom followed not long after, demanding to know what the fuss was over, until she saw the same mark on Sweetie Belle's flank.
'It's a-a-a-a musical note? How could you have got that, you weren't even singing!'
Scootaloo nodded in agreement. 'Yeah, you can't have just got it now, Sweetie Belle. How did you miss it?'
SOMETHING IS WRONG, SOMETHING IS VERY VERY WRONG
'Yeah'. Sweetie Belle replied to the voice, ignoring the exclamations of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. 'Something is wrong'.
'Okay, the hole's dug. Get her out'.
Sweetie Belle should have seen it from the beginning. Apple Bloom's southern accent wasn't that strong. Scootaloo could barely fly, let alone hover. And she didn't have her Cutie Mark. But try as she might, she simply couldn't imagine what her flank looked like bare. It had just been so long.
She didn't remember her friends perfectly, either. That's why the one's she was talking to now seemed strange. They were nothing more than figments of her imagination. Ponyville, too, was slightly off - some of the buildings seemed misplaced or unfamiliar, and if Sweetie Belle looked inside, she was certain most of them would be empty.
'This isn't the real Ponyville, is it?' Sweetie asked the question out loud to the two ponies in front of her. Both of them solemnly shook their head.
'So where am I really?' Sweetie Belle asked, dreading the response she knew was coming. Her throat began to constrict, and she began to cry.
'Right now, you're being buried alive'. Both the voices replied in union.
Sweetie Belle nodded, and felt more tears flow. 'So I'm going to die?'
Apple Bloom nodded, but with a kind smile. 'Yes, but don't worry. It'll be okay. We'll be with you until the end'.
'Cutie Mark Crusaders forever, right?' Scootaloo chipped in.
Sweetie Belle shook her head. 'No. We're not the Cutie Mark Crusaders. You're just... fakes'.
Both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked a little upset, but not defeated. 'Thats's not true, Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo might not actually be here, but you three are still the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Nothing can change that.'
'They both probably hate me. They probably won't even care that I'm dead'.
'Scootaloo won't! She helped you run away, remember? And she defended you on the news afterwards! Think about what that must have cost her, to openly stand up for you even after everyone knew you were a fillyfooler!'
Sweetie Belle had never even thought about that. It was true Scootaloo had gone on the TV and Radio speaking in her defence, but Sweetie Belle had never even considered what the ramifications must have been for Scootaloo to defend a known fillyfooler. What was Scootaloo's life like today? Had she gotten over loosing Sweetie Belle? Had the CMC survived? Was she happy?
So many questions, so little time. She shook her head. 'Ok, so Scootaloo stuck by me. But Apple Bloom didn't. She left me, and Scootaloo too'.
'But why? Maybe she just didn't want ponies to think she was soft on fillyfoolers. Maybe, if you'd spoken to her privately, she would've listened. You've known her for years, Sweetie Belle. Think of all the experiences you've had together. Do you really see Apple Bloom as the kind of pony who'd throw away a great friendship over something like this?'
Sweetie Belle desperately turned to Apple Bloom. 'Is that true?'
Apple Bloom smiled and shrugged. 'Ah've no idea. I'm just part of yer imagination, Sweetie Belle. Nuthin more, nuthin less'.
Sweetie Belle felt her chest grow heavy and found it was becoming harder and harder to breathe. This wasn't her choking on tears - this was it.
A sudden, sharp pain in her forehead awake Sweetie Belle, dragging her into a nightmare. Harsh lighting surrounded her, and stallions were standing high above her, shovelling dirt on top of her. The source of the blow was a tall, thin pony who was shouting at her, a wide, psychopathic grin on his face. Even in her delirium, Sweetie Belle recognized Azure. This was the last thing she would ever see in this world, but Sweetie Belle felt no desire to savour it. Instead, she relaxed and let exhaustion take her.
She was back with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, but things had changed. It was now nighttime, and they were no longer in Ponyville. Instead, they were standing on a hill, just outside the Everfree forest. There was no more time for speeches, or hugs, or reminiscing. This was just a farewell.
As midnight grew near, and Sweetie Belle felt her breathing grow thinner and raspier, Apple Bloom leaned in.
'Don't worry about the way things end, Sweetie Belle. Just remember the time we were friends. This is the last time we'll ever see each other, so it'd be a terrible shame if you forgot me'.
As Apple Bloom pulled away, Sweetie Belle caught the last of her breath and tumbled into the waiting abyss. |
Just a Phase | Part 2, Chapter 5 - Phantoms II | Nothingness. Sweetie Belle had awoken in a seemingly endless void. She did not feel a sensation of floating, nor falling - she was just suspended by the space around her.
So this, Sweetie Belle thought, is death.
In all honesty, she was a little disappointed. She hadn't a clue what she had been expecting, but it would at least have been something. It was a huge letdown to find something so... meaningless.
The void was dark, devoid of any light, yet at the same time it was not black. It lacked any colour whatsoever, failing to meet any description. It was infinite, and it was totally featureless. That was all that could be said about it.
Sweetie Belle wasn't scared; she was well past such emotions. Nor was she angry at having died young, or having lived such a grim life. She had made her choices, right and wrong, and this was where they had taken her. She had crafted her own fate.
So many ifs. If she hadn't taken up Azure's offer, she wouldn't be here. If she hadn't written that note, she wouldn't be here. If Ponyville hadn't found out about her, she wouldn't be here.
But those things had happened. And Sweetie Belle couldn't change that. All she could do now was drift.
It seemed Tartarus had been a myth after all. Unless, of course, this was Tartarus, trapped in an eternal void with nothing but her emotions. Sweetie Belle how long it would take for her to go insane. Time was meaningless here; she could have died ten minutes ago, or ten millennia ago. Impossible to tell.
This didn't seem like the Tartarus ponies talked of. There were no flaming pits, no monsters, no Cerberus. Maybe this was where everypony ended up. A gruesome thought, but not impossible.
Still, if this was Tartarus, it wasn't too awful. At least there was no suffering here. In fact, it was quite peaceful. Her opinion might change in a few centuries, but-
Sweetie Belle's train of thought was cut off by the appearance of a tear in the void. It was pitch black, yet it seemed to shine like the sun in comparison to the aether it floated in, causing Sweetie Belle to flinch and avert her gaze. From the darkness, a pony stepped forward. As Sweetie Belle's eyes adjusted to the brightness, she was able to focus on the pony in front of her, and her jaw dropped.
'Miss Cheerilee?'
Cheerilee stepped forward, filling Sweetie Belle's vision. It was definitely Cheerilee - the coat, mane and cutie mark were all unrecognizable - but she wore an expression Sweetie Belle had never seen before. It was an infinitely mature look, and her eyes seemed to bore into Sweetie Belle, reading her like a book.
'Uh, Miss Chee-'
'I'm not actually Miss Cheerilee, Sweetie Belle'.
The voice that came from Cherilee was new as well. It seemed to come from everywhere at once, with crystal clear pronunciation.
Cheerilee continued: 'I'm not here to explain what I actually am. For our purposes, think of me as a God. I have come, Sweetie Belle, to teach you one last lesson. About hate'.
Sweetie Belle was silent as Cheerilee continued: 'You have hatred within you, Sweetie Belle. Hatred for many ponies - your parents, your sister, your old school friends, and of course, Azure. It is fully understandable why you hate them. Your life has been a short and bitter one, and you are probably glad that it's over. But a major part of dying, Sweetie Belle, is learning to let go of the old world. If you still hold grudges against ponies you knew in life, you can never truly enter death. Do you understand?'
Sweetie Belle nodded cautiously. 'You want me to forgive them all?'
Cheerilee shook her head. 'Forgiveness is not necessary. You must simply prove that you have let go of your hate'.
'And how do I do that?'
'There will come a time when you will have to make a personal sacrifice - you must choose to ignore your hatred, and then you will be free'.
'When? How?'
'I cannot say'.
Sweetie Belle decided to change course. 'What happens then?'
'If you are able to let go of your hatred when this time comes to pass, then you will move on'.
'And if I don't?'
'You will be tethered to life forever, even after death'.
Sweetie Belle considered this. She had no idea what sort of test could possibly present itself here, but it would be easy to spot when it arose. So the question was - was she willing to let go of her grudges? Of course, it made no difference if she did or didn't - Azure had already won, and she could do nothing about that. The only thing she could do now was move on.
But where was she now? None of this made any sense - why would she have to give up her hatred, but not other things - memories, love, other things that tethered her to this world? Was this just an illusion? Perhaps she had already lost her mind.
Perhaps she could ask? 'Where am I now?'
Cheerilee hesitated. 'I can't answer that, Sweetie Belle'.
Sweetie Belle pressed on. 'Why not? I'm already dead, right? So why does it matter?'
Cheerilee's eyes flared. 'What makes you think you have a right to answers? What's so special about you?'
'Why are you getting angry? You're God, right? Can't deal with a simple question?'
Cheerilee roared, slamming her front hooves into the void. Sweetie Belle backed up. Of course, antagonizing God was probably a bad idea, but she had nothing to lose. She certainly wasn't going to forget the ponies who had wronged her in life, so any punishment meted out for this was meaningless - if the worst punishment around was being tied to life for eternity, she would gladly accept it.
As Cheerilee glowered at Sweetie Belle, more cracks, blindingly bright in their blackness, began to appear in the void, accompanied by a horrifically distorted noise. Upon listening closer, Sweetie Belle could make out the voice of a stallion grunting in frustration.
Sweetie Belle turned to face Cheerilee. 'What's going on?'
Cheerilee turned away from Sweetie Belle, head held low. Sweetie Belle rushed up behind her, shaking her while shouting in her ear. 'Cheerilee? I'm sorry! Please tell me what-'
Sweetie Belle grabbed Cheerilee by her head and pulled her face up to hers, recoiling when she saw what was there. Where Cheerilee's kindly face should have been, Sweetie Belle instead saw a horrific mix of faces, all morphing in and out of recognition. Her Father, Rarity, Apple Bloom, Comet Spark, and finally Azure. Azure's face was a mess - he was sweating profusely, and his normally neat hair was soaked in sweat and mud.
Azure reached out, seizing Sweetie Belle, and lifted her up, up, and out of the void.
Sweetie Belle awoke with a start, coughing and choking on dirt. Rolling over, she spat out as much filth as possible. Above her, she heard Azure laughing with glee.
'Thank Celestia. I thought you'd died. That would have bee a bitch to explain'.
I'm still alive. Sweetie Belle expected to feel relieved, but instead she felt indifferent.
'Well? I was expecting some kind of reaction. Aren't you happy?'
Sweetie Belle lifted her head a fraction. Azure and she were alone. She struggled to speak.
'Why... aren't... I... dead?'
Azure seemed amused by the question. 'Sweetie Belle, I'm not stupid. You're the biggest star I own. Did you really think I'm so vain as to have you killed for making a few jokes?'
As Sweetie Belle laid her head in the dirt, Azure continued. 'For your sake, I will assume your performance was intended to be light-hearted humor, as opposed to an attempt to deliberately humiliate me. But I'm going to warn you now - don't do it again. This little stunt is to send a message - it wasn't real this time, but it could well be the next. Got it?'
Sweetie Belle looked up to Azure and nodded.
'Right. Good. Come on then, I want to get back before sunrise. It's already three in the morning. You're off sick today, so you don't need to worry about practicing. Just get some rest'.
Everything moved like a blur for Sweetie Belle. In the space of two hours, she went from believing she was dead to being locked back up in her room. Azure didn't seem to realize the impact a near-death experience could have on a pony - or perhaps he just didn't care. In any case, Azure clearly expected Sweetie Belle to simply shake this experience off.
Sweetie Belle's earlier bravado had quailed in the face of reality. In it's place, her fear of death had come to reclaim her. Her vision in the earth had terrified her. Of course, it had all been a figment of her imagination, but it still felt like a taste of death. She now knew she could not die, no matter the circumstances.
It was far too late to come to this decision, of course. She had already agreed to kill Azure. If she failed to uphold her part of the deal, she would be killed. If she upheld her part of the deal, she would also be killed.
Of course, Azure was going to die anyway. And the moment he did, she would be in danger, regardless of whether she chose to aid his killers or not. As repulsive as it was, her life depended upon Azure's.
There were three interests to consider. Azure wanted to live, and to keep Sweetie Belle. Azure's enemies wanted to kill Azure, and kill Sweetie Belle. And Sweetie Belle wanted to escape Azure, and kill him if possible. Right now, Azure represented her far better than his enemies. And Azure's enemies believed she was on their side.
So logically speaking, Azure had to win for her to live. And if he was going to do that, he would need her help - somepony his enemies trusted, who was on his side. And if Sweetie Belle helped him, she could try to negotiate his victory on her terms. And she knew what those were.
Sweetie Belle spent her day off practicing in the mirror. She wasn't singing - instead, she was perfecting her composure. There could be no hesitation, no stuttering. She was striking a deal with Azure, not begging for sanctuary.
Azure returned home later than usual that night. Sweetie Belle heard him enter the kitchen, fumble around for a few minutes, and then leave. He headed downstairs, and pushed a plate of food through the flap at the bottom of her door.
'Azure, wait!'
Sweetie Belle usually never spoke to Azure when he delivered her food. Azure didn't react immediately, pausing just as he reached the foot of the stairs.
'Well?'
Sweetie Belle grimaced. 'Sir?'
Azure turned around. 'What is it? If you're going to complain about what I did, then I'm not interes-'
Sweetie Belle cut across him. 'Azure, please listen to me. Somepony is trying to kill you!'
Azure wasn't fazed. 'Nothing new there'.
'But they're really close! They wanted me to do it, and they know-'
Sweetie Belle got no further. Azure let out a roar, and seconds later Sweetie Belle heard the locks on her door clicking open. Azure threw to door open, grabbed Sweetie Belle by the neck, and pinned her to the floor.
'Who? Who the hell is it? And how do they know about you!'
'I-I don't know! There's a lot of them, and the one who asked me to help was that stallion you were arguing with- something about using foals! I swear, that's all I know! They wanted me to poison your food at the Hearth's Warming Eve party, because you were too well guarded!'
'AND YOU SAID YES?'
'Yes! I'm so sorry, please, don't kill me!'
So much for striking a deal.
Azure swore, and picked himself up off Sweetie Belle. Immediately nearly collapsing, he scrambled to his feet, using the side of her bed as a prop. Sensing another attack was imminent, Sweetie Belle seized the opportunity to make her case.
'Azure, I'm only telling you this because I'm on your side!'
That seemed to calm Azure down, enough to get him to sit. 'Why are you helping me? I don't see much mutual interest here'.
'They're going to kill me, aren't they? As soon as you were dead, they would have killed me too. At first, I didn't care, but when I was buried... I don't want to die. Not if it's like that'.
Sweetie Belle wished she would sound a little less pathetic.
'And what makes you think I won't kill you right now? What makes you think I've got anything to lose?'
Sweetie Belle looked up at Azure. He no longer looked angry - instead, he looked stressed, and terrified. It was the most beautiful thing Sweetie Belle had ever seen.
'The ponies you're talking about... If they want me dead, then I'm dead. You're rooting for a corpse'.
Sweetie Belle's blood ran cold. If Azure, with all his connections, couldn't protect himself, she had no chance.
'Azure, they don't know I've told you about all this. They still trust me. So I could help you. If you'll help me'.
Azure drew himself up to full height, eying up Sweetie Belle. 'Why should I help you? Why don't I just kill you now, and go into hiding?'
Sweetie Belle swallowed. 'You said it yourself, Azure. They'll find you. You need them dead, as much as I do'.
Azure exhaled heavily. It seemed to take all of his strength to continue. 'Okay, Sweetie Belle. Let's make a deal'.
Azure collapsed on his bed, exhausted from arguing. Sweetie Belle had behaved like a demanding child, simply repeating the same condition over and over. She wanted to be free, and she wanted Azure to leave her alone. Not that Azure had been expecting any different.
In truth, Azure had suspected his coworkers were planning to murder him for some time now. He had spent much of the past few years planning for his retirement - he had enough wealth to support him for the rest of his life, even without regular income from his operations - both legal and illegal - in Fillydelphia. Normally, ponies like him didn't retire, but worked until their deaths, but that had never appealed to Azure. He was well into middle age, and wanted to spend the rest of his life in comfort.
And when it came to excuses to retire, an assassination attempt seemed fitting.
Sweetie Belle could have her freedom, for all he cared. She would never turn him in, since she was still a runaway herself. And even if she did, it would be impossible to find him, much more impossible to prove he was Azure Meadows. Besides, Sweetie Belle had saved his life. It seemed only fair she should get another chance at hers.
As Hearth's Warming Eve drew closer, Azure grew more complacent with Sweetie Belle's care, often leaving her door unlocked and not complaining when she wandered around the house. Sweetie Belle assumed this was meant to signal trust between them. Despite this, she spent most of her time locked in her room with the door closed. The familiarity of it was a comfort to her.
Azure took her out of the Flawless Rainbow a week before it Heath's Warming Eve, to condition her for the party.
'From what you've told me, they plan to have you poison my food before it's served. They're probably only going to give you enough poison to spike one meal, so I'll give you some more. Stick around until we order our meals, and then make up an excuse to leave. They'll assume you're off to poison my food, so it won't look too suspicious. I'll order something distinct, so you know which one is mine'.
Sweetie Belle nodded.
'One last thing - don't try anything. I'm bringing bodyguards along, and you're not leaving until I say you get to. Got it?'
'Yes'.
'Good. Now, the poison I give will be fast acting, so we should see results in a matter of minutes. When everypony is dealt with, you can leave. You're on you own from then on, but if you want my advice, you should stick to Fillydelphia. You've got a reputation there, so it should be easy enough to find work - lots of bars are mimicking your format, and they'll be delighted to have the real deal performing'.
Sweetie Belle nodded.
'And... try to pick more carefully this time. Don't get caught up with another bastard like me. You deserve better than that'.
Sweetie Belle was surprised - she didn't think Azure thought of anypony as more than a pile of dirt - but she didn't say anything.
Azure paused for a moment. 'What I'm trying to say, Sweetie Belle, is that what I did was never a personal-'
Sweetie Belle wasn't about to listen to this. She interrupted with a sneer: 'I don't need your pity, Azure. I don't care why you did what you did. I also don't really care if you feel bad about it. It doesn't change anything - it just irritates me'.
Azure turned away, grimacing. 'You certainly know how to end a deal, Sweetie'.
Sweetie Belle exploded. 'A deal? A DEAL? What the fuck is wrong with you? You don't care, do you? This is normal to you! How many ponies have you done this to?'
Azure jumped back, but quickly regained his composure. 'A few'.
Sweetie Belle's rage was back. Resisting the urge to seize the table lamp and club Azure to death to it, she fought to lower her voice and calm herself. Arguing with Azure at this stage was pointless.
'How do you sleep at night?'
'Very comfortably, thank you'.
No further words came to Sweetie Belle. Instead, she looked pointedly at the floor layout on the table.
'Let's just get this over with. And don't call me Sweetie'.
Hearth's Warming Eve dawned. Sweetie Belle had avoided Azure ever since her outburst, and Azure seemed relieved about this, on all counts. Perhaps he was worried Sweetie Belle might snap and turn him in. Maybe he just didn't want to spend time arguing with her. For whatever reason, he had given her a wide berth until today.
Azure gave her a final briefing before they left. Sweetie was given twelve sachets of to hide poison under her dress. Sweetie wasn't sure what type of poison it was, but Azure gave specific instructions on how to use it.
'It's very important they actually swallow it. Make sure it covers the entire plate, because once they eat it, they'll know in a minute, maybe less. We can't afford to have only some of them die, understand?'
Azure had been deliberately vague as to the nature of the party, other than a brief description of it as 'a sort of elite social gathering. Ponies come from all across Equestria - politicians, actors, designers, businessponies, singers and the like'.
'And criminals?'
Azure shook his head. 'Of course not, Sweetie Belle. When we're at this party, I'm a businesspony. As are the others. We'll be having our own private meal, of course, so that will be our time to strike. It shouldn't be difficult to do this quietly - even if bodyguards are present, they're unlikely to get involved once their employers are dead'.
As Azure finished, a carriage pulled up outside the house. The passenger door opened, and a burly stallion in a tuxedo climbed out.
'All ready, Azure. Ready to leave?'
Sweetie Belle was ushered into the carriage, where she was met by four other stallions, all wearing similar garb. Presumably, this was Azure's security detail. Azure climbed in after her, and the carriage set off.
Almost an hour later, they arrived. Following Azure out, Sweetie Belle was greeted by a glistening mansion. Entire walls of the place seemed to be made of glass, and ponies were everywhere, as far as the eye could see.
'Impressive, no?' Sweetie Belle heard Azure mutter in her ear. 'Stay close to me. I don't want you slipping off'.
Sweetie Belle was far too overwhelmed to even consider such a plan. For years, her experience with large crowds had been limited to the Flawless Rainbow, which could never fit more than a hundred ponies, even at breaking point. Here, ponies numbered in the thousands, and were accompanied by an omnipresent buzz of chatter, laughter and camera flashes.
Azure and Sweetie Belle were escorted to a set of iron gates, where a prim-looking pony ran their names through a list and checked their tickets, finally admitting them with a wave of his hoof.
As they made their way through the crowd and up to the mansion, Sweetie Belle recognized numerous faces, famous ponies from all walks of life. Some stopped to chat to Azure, but none gave her more than a second glace. Sweetie Belle didn't mind - she was quite happy to be left alone - but she resented the way some of them looked at her, like she was Azure's trophy.
The wave of stimuli hitting her was far worse inside the mansion than it was outside. The chatter of outside was now accompanied by raucous bursts of laughter, raised voices and theatrical shrieks. Sweetie Belle couldn't possibly imagine ponies doing this for fun.
Eventually, they made it into the main building, where they were greeted by a cluster of ponies. Among them was the pony who had initially approached Sweetie Belle with the promise of killing Azure, though he made no sign of recognizing her. Azure wasted no time in greeting them all, and then introducing each one of them to Sweetie Belle. As they all gathered around her, Sweetie Belle heard a whisper:
'Dinner is in three hours. The kitchen is on the bottom floor, in the room next door to this one. Wait until he's ordered, then just sprinkle it into his food'.
As the words were said, she felt something slip into her bag.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Azure turned to Sweetie Belle. 'Did they give you it?'
Sweetie Belle nodded, and opened her bag. Inside was a small sachet, which Azure seized. Scanning the writing on the sachet, his face split into a triumphant grin, and he stuffed the sachet inside his jacket.
'Excellent. Well, it's all up to you now. Meet me at the foot of the main stairs in three hours - and don't be late. Until then, enjoy the party, I guess'.
With that, Azure and his bodyguards vanished into the crowd, leaving Sweetie Belle alone.
Sweetie Belle spent the first twenty minutes of her freedom gorging herself on the buffet, drawing numerous disapproving looks from ponies around her. Compared to the food Azure had fed her, this was a banquet fit for an empress.
When left to wander, she spent most of her time exploring the vast ground floor of the mansion. One room, which Sweetie Belle could only describe as a main hall, had an enormous stage set up, and ponies were swarmed over it, fixing the lights and cleaning the floor. An exhibition? A play? Sweetie Belle could only guess.
She hadn't planned on socializing, and most ponies around her showed no interest, but she was surprised when she was approached by a small group of mares her age. They introduced themselves one by one, but somehow Sweetie Belle found herself completely incapable of remembering their names.
The mares were all much younger than the rest of the guests, and extraordinarily beautiful, so Sweetie Belle was unsurprised to hear they were attending the event as the invitees of other stallions, eager to socialize with the upper rungs of Equestrian society. Having seen Sweetie Belle come in with Azure, they had assumed she was here for the same purpose.
'So, what's up with the old geezer? Couldn't you get anypony better? Not to brag or anything, but I'm here with Straight Sprint'.
Sweetie Belle blinked.
'The Canterlot Bulls' quarterback? You know, the hoofball team? You do know who he is, right?'
Sweetie Belle cringed and turned away. Mustering all her strength, she was able to produce a tiny squeak. 'I-I don't really pay attention to hoofball... or o-other sports'.
'Uh, okay. Anyway, you should really set your standards higher. You're waaay prettier than me, so I don't see why you had to stick with that guy. Is he loaded, or something?'
'N-No! I-It's not like that, he's actually m-my friend...'
The mares around her burst into laughter.
'Yeah, right!'
'Pull the other one. Come on, you don't need to make up excuses. We're all doing it, right?'
No. I'm not like you.
Sweetie Belle wasn't sure why she couldn't say the words out loud. She had no problem standing up to Azure earlier, but when it came to dealing with mares her own age, she couldn't even rebuke them? Then again, when was the last time she'd met a mare her own age? Instead of reply, she lowered her head and stared fixedly at the floor.
The group were beginning to look frustrated, and eventually the who seemed to be leading them gave Sweetie Belle a wide, sympathetic smile, turned, and headed off, with her group in trail.
Sweetie Belle turned to leave, but before she could go, she heard the group of mares laughing between themselves.
'What a freak!'
'Pumpkin, shut up!'
'Why? I don't care if she hears. Hey, that old dude's probably her dad or something!'
The entire group exploded in laughter as Sweetie Belle left the room.
The attractions laid around the mansion now seemed grayer, less interesting than before. The ponies around her no longer seemed to be ignoring her - instead, they were staring, pointing, laughing.
Doing her best to ignore everypony around her, Sweetie Belle found herself wandering back into the main hall. An announcer was onstage, speaking rapidly into a microphone, and ponies had gathered around to listen. As Sweetie Belle approached the stage, the lights dimmed and spotlights around the stage flickered on.
'... and gentlecolts, we welcome you to the Equestrian Winter fashion tour! This event tonight is bought to you by some of the biggest names in Equestria, from Canterlot to Manehattan, as well as exotic displays from the Crystal Empire and even some Griffon fashion modified for ponies...'
You sure know how to kiss your own ass, Sweetie Belle thought. Around her, the cooing and gasping of the ponies seemed to falter somewhat.
'Did he say Griffon fashion?'
'Calling it "fashion" is a bit much. I can't see them needing any clothes other than armour, given how violent they all seem'.
'Well, what would you expect from mountain savages?'
The stallion onstage had clearly picked up on these remarks, because he swiftly changed the topic.
'Of course, we've got something for everyone! But first, we'd like to open our event with a display by an Equestrian rising star! Cue it!'
The room was immersed in blackness for a split second, and then the stage was lit up with harsh white lighting. For the first time, Sweetie Belle got a good look at the stage, and was able to make out the outline of a catwalk. Two ponies emerged from the velvet curtains at the mouth of the stage, both dressed in exquisite dresses. Above the stage, a screen flashed up with a single word: 'LOTUS'. Presumably, the name of the line.
The display took twenty minutes, but for Sweetie Belle that time flew by. The dresses were not just beautifully crafted - they gave Sweetie Belle a feeling she had not felt in a long time. The sense of familiarity, of nostalgia.
Like a bird returning to roost.
And the moment that thought swam through her head, the gears in her brain began to spin, faster than they ever had in her life, and Sweetie Belle knew what was going on, knew she had made a terrible mistake coming here. She was already reeling from shock before the announcer even spoke up.
'Everypony, could we all get a big hoof for the designer - Rarity!' |
Just a Phase | Part 2, Chapter 6 - Phantoms III | Azure was relieved this was the last time he would have to go to a party like this. The youth of the ponies around him made him realise he was a fossil, a relic of a time long gone. Even most of the politicians in attendance seemed younger than him. He easily beat his all his colleagues by at least ten years. No wonder they wanted him dead.
He didn't feel unusually on edge tonight, even though he knew he was mingling with his prospective murderers. Partly, this was because of how public the event was, but it was mostly because he already knew who they were, why they wanted to do it, and how they planned to do it. Being one step ahead made their efforts seem almost amusing.
And he had Sweetie Belle to thank for it. If somepony had told him six years ago that the little filly he had discovered singing on Fillydelphia's streets would save his life, he would have laughed right in their face. Sweetie Belle hated him, of course. But they all had. None of them ever saw how lucky they really were - to be rescued from their pathetic situation and given money, clothes and food, all in exchange for menial work.
When Azure had found Sweetie Belle, he thought he had struck gold. Her predecessors had inevitably come bundled with issues - many were uncomfortable working in the Flawless Rainbow, many more had psychological problems, and all of them attempted to leave when they found out more about Azure's line of work. And all of them had lost their musical talent as they entered their teens, forcing Azure to discard of them.
But Sweetie Belle was going to be perfect. She would have relished working in the Flawless Rainbow. She was already in hiding, which would make it easy to control her. And she didn't lose her voice as she grew older, as he had feared. Of course, she had certainly changed - that was obvious to see - but she had changed for the better. Her decision to help him, to put aside her emotions for her own self-preservation, reminded Azure of himself.
'Sir?'
A nervous-looking bodyguard brought Azure back to reality. Excusing himself from the circle of ponies, he allowed himself to be lead into a deserted hallway. There, the stallion immediately launched into an explanation.
'You've got a visitor'.
It was another stallion, much younger than Azure. His eyes constantly darted left and right, scanning the shadows as if he expected figures to emerge from them and drag him in. Azure recognized him as a new member of his circle - a small time crook from Canterlot who had struck it big committing insurance fraud, whose name he forgot. Out of his depth, in all regards. Azure was fairly sure he knew what this was about before the stallion even began to speak, in a voice so low and so fast, he might as well be admitting his own guilt.
'I don't really wanna be here, so I'll make it quick for ya. If ya value your life, you'll leave this place now and ya won't look back'.
Azure cocked his head to one side, amused. 'Really. And why might that be?'
The other stallion had clearly not been expecting this answer. 'Why? What are ya, deaf or something? I said scram. It's the others, they want ya dead. Think you're old news. I didn't agree with it, so I said, hey, I quit, but I wanted t'warn you before ya left'.
'You quit?'
'Yeah'.
That wouldn't do. Tonight was meant to be a clean-up operation, no witnesses left. If one of them left early, he would be exceptionally difficult to track down later. Of course, nothing precluded him taking action now.
Azure laid one hoof on the stallion's shoulder. He slipped the other underneath his jacket. As he began to recite a long, heartfelt thanks to the informant, he started ripping holes in the sachet of poison he had taken from Sweetie Belle.
The stallion seemed disturbed by this display of emotion from Azure, and began to push him off, pacing backwards from Azure. 'Uh, thanks for hearing me out, I guess. I'm actually gonna leave now, so-'
Azure struck mid-sentence, tackling the stallion and sending him to his knees. Simultaneously, he brought his hoof crashing down on the stallion's muzzle. Instinctively, the stallion's mouth sprung open to scream in pain, and Azure took this opportunity to pull the poisoned sachet from his jacket and force it down the stallion's throat.
The effect was instantaneous. Foam began to pour from the stallion's mouth, and his eyes rolled back up inside his head. Within seconds, he had stopped moving, save for the occasional spasm. Pulling himself to his hooves, Azure shuddered to think how close he had come to the same fate. Collapsing by the side of the corpse, his gaze landed on the bodyguard who had brought him out here. The bodyguard looked pale, and broke gaze with Azure the moment it was established.
'I quit'. Azure snorted. 'What have we come to...'
Azure rose and grabbed hold of his bodyguard. 'Get the rest of them and clean this mess up. I don't care how, just do it. If you're caught, you're just as screwed as me, so try to do a decent job'.
Azure removed his jacket, wiping his hoof clean on it, and threw it over the corpse as the bodyguard sprinted back into the adjacent room, screaming for the others.
Sweetie Belle had expected herself to collapse. If it had not been for the crowd around her hemming her in, she felt certain she would have. For a moment, she was almost certain she had misheard. Coincidences like this didn't happen, surely. There had to be a misunderstanding.
But despite all common sense, onto the stage strode her sister. She had aged, and aged well. The Rarity Sweetie Belle remembered had always conducted herself with unusual grace, of course, but it had always seemed so forced. But there was nothing fraudulent about the aura projected by the Rarity onstage. Sweetie Belle was reminded of the way the Princesses had conducted themselves - effortless grace and extravagance.
Sweetie Belle expected to be recognized immediately. Even though she was older, and her mane was different, and her cutie mark had appeared, she could not imagine Rarity would miss her.
But she did. Rarity's eyes swept the crowd, some gazing back in rapt awe, some scribbling frantically in notebooks, and her gaze passed right by Sweetie Belle. As the last of the models returned backstage, Rarity began to make an announcement.
'Why, thank you, darlings! I must say, I was delighted to get an invitation to the annual Hearth's Warming Eve Reception at the Princesses' Eye, and even more so when I was invited to showcase my latest line here. These designs will be going out next summer, but it's never too early to book!'
Sweetie Belle began to back out of the crowd, who eagerly parted to let her through, squabbling over who would take her place.
'Of course, this line will require personalized fitting, so make sure to include any measurements with your order. I think-'
As Sweetie Belle pushed her way free of the crowd and headed for the nearest exit, Rarity suddenly stopped dead. Sweetie Belle also stopped dead in her tracks. Summoning all her nerve, she turned her head to the stage to see - to her horror - Rarity staring directly at her.
Time seemed to slow to a trickle as Rarity blinked, blinked again, and suddenly - inexplicably - broke into a wide smile and waved to her.
'Darling, where are you going? The show's barely begun, you can't run off now!'
Sweetie Belle felt as if she would collapse with relief. 'Uh... Thanks, but I'm not really into... fashion... and all that...' her voice trailed away miserably as she began to slowly resume her escape.
Rarity shook her head, undeterred. 'Nonsense, nonsense! Every mare needs a good sense of fashion. What's your name? Can we bring her up on stage?'
The crowd around the catwalk was beginning to grow restless at this unorthodox turn of events, but some were smiling and calling out reassuringly to Sweetie Belle. Some were even calling for her to get on stage.
Sweetie Belle couldn't possibly imagine a more horrific prospect. If she went up, Rarity would recognize her. She would have to. On the other hoof, if she bolted, she would draw unwanted attention to herself. Before she had time to think further, she felt something from behind push her towards the stage. Turning around, she saw the three of the mares from the group she had met earlier, grinning and shoving her onstage.
Before Sweetie Belle knew what was happening, she had been forced onstage with the three mares, who wasted no time in introducing themselves and Sweetie Belle - who had suddenly become their 'bestie'. Rarity seemed momentarily overwhelmed by the sudden stage invasion, but quickly recovered herself and swooped down upon Sweetie Belle.
Rarity was so close now that Sweetie Belle could make out her individual eyelashes. Rarity still, however, did not seem to have recognized her.
'Sugar Note, is it? Well, I've got a good eye for measurements - let me see...'
As Rarity began to measure Sweetie Belle up with her eyes, Sweetie thought she was going to burst out laughing, despite her terror of being recognized. The whole scenario was so absurd - her own sister was looking at her long-lost sibling right in the eyes, and yet the years of absence had done their work. Sweetie Belle was completely unrecognizable to her.
'Darling, I must meet your manestylist, such skill! Oh, and such a beautiful coat... I know stylists in Canterlot who'd just murder for you... Why, I've seen mares in haute couture houses who could barely hold a candle to your raw talent! Such a shame about the horn, but then, it happens...'
Mercifully, the three mares onstage with her seemed anxious to get their dresses measured, as well. Eventually, they dragged Rarity's attention away from her, and exploiting the distraction, Sweetie Belle slipped off the stage, through the crowd, and out the door.
The moment she entered the hallway, she broke into a trot, then a gallop, not stopping until she reached the nearest exit. She calmly made her way outside, closed the door so nopony could hear her, and broke down.
Screaming and sobbing, pounding at the floor. Retching, choking to breathe. She didn't care if other ponies heard, she didn't care if she died right here. What a sick joke. Azure must have known. He must have known, but he didn't care. Because he didn't care about anypony but himself. Fuck him.
She was going to kill him. She would poison his food, then stab him to death with his steak knife. He had taken everything from her. Except, before he had even met her, her whole life had been stolen away, just because of who she was.
And it was going to happen to other fillies, just like her. Again and again and again. An endless cycle of misery, and the only ponies it benefited were bastards like Azure.
She was going to go back. She was going to charge the stage and be reunited with her sister, no matter what it took. She would beg, cry and plead until Rarity recognized her. They would hug, cry, laugh, and to Tartarus with the consequences! She would see them all again - Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, her Parents!
But, of course, she wasn't going to do any of those things. She was going to cry herself hoarse and go back inside. If she killed Azure, she would be next. If she reunited with her sister, she would be lobotomized. And nopony would want anything to do with her anyway.
Composing herself, she checked her reflection in a nearby window. She looked tired, haggard, but presentable. How long did she have until dinner? Not long, that's for sure. She should get ready.
Azure was waiting for her when she arrived at the main staircase. Normally, lateness would earn her a clip around the ear, but Azure didn't seem to care.
'Ah, Sugar Note! Good to see you. We'll be eating upstairs. Come with me.'
'My sister is here.'
Azure's eyes bulged. 'Quiet.' Looking around frantically, he hustled her into a stairwell and rounded on her. 'If I were you, I wouldn't risk blowing it so close to freedom.'
'You should have told me.'
'I didn't know until a few days ago. I was quite hoping you two wouldn't meet. She didn't recognize you?'
'No.'
Azure breathed a sigh of relief. 'Good. I was worried for a moment.'
Sweetie Belle felt tears begin to sting in her eyes but forced them back. She was done trying to wring sympathy out of Azure. 'Let's just go. I never want to see this place again.'
Azure nodded, then gestured for her to follow him. He proceeded to lead her up three flights of stairs, then finally through a narrow corridor. Pausing outside a door, he took one last look at her. 'This is it. Try to look a little more... demure. And don't forget - all over the plate.'
The dining hall was more luscious than Sweetie Belle could ever have imagined. Dripping with gold and jewels, it was like a glimpse of heaven.
Azure introduced her, hoof draped over her like a trophy. She was quickly escorted to a seat and seated next to Azure. There were no bodyguards in the room - in fact, other than the mobsters, the only other pony was a waiter, a thin, wiry looking pony with a moustache.
Idle chatter commenced. Sweetie Belle sat there and looked pretty. Eventually, time came to order. Azure ordered smoked mixed vegetables. Sweetie Belle ordered a salad.
The waiter left. Sweetie Belle counted to sixty. Then again. Then again. Then again.
'Could I be excused?'
Every head whipped in her direction. Several knowing looks were cast at her. Azure spoke up. 'Of course, Sugar. Don't be too long!'
Giggling, she nodded graciously and swept from the room, allowing the door to close behind her.
Wasting no time, she began the journey downstairs. One, two, three... through the staff corridor... and there it was. The kitchen. There was only one present, the chef. How to get rid of him.
She wasn't too worried about being caught. She was pretty and cute. Who would suspect she was about to murder nine ponies?
The next ten minutes passed agonizingly slowly. Smoked mixed vegetables took a long time to prepare, so everypony else's dish was ready well before. Laid out, waiting to be fixed.
Sweetie Belle seized the first chance she got, concerned she wouldn't have another. The moment the chef ducked into the food cupboard, she seized the door with her magic and slammed it shut, then toppled a cupboard full of books in front of it. As the chef began to hammer at the door, she ran over and began to rip open sachets, sprinkling the white powder within onto every dish except her own. All in all, it took her less than two minutes. Carefully gathering up the sachets and hiding them under her dress, she bolted for the door, only to run headfirst into another pony.
'What in Tartarus is going on here?'
The stallion was wearing a thick white apron. Another chef. Quick, think of an excuse. Oh, of course.
Sweetie Belle stepped back and fluttered her eyebrows. 'Oh, thank Celestia! Sir, this heavy bookcase has fallen over and trapped some poor pony! Please, will you rescue them?'
The stallion stepped backwards and flushed. 'Uh, of course ma'am. No problem.'
As the stallion went over to lift the bookcase out of the way, Sweetie Belle bolted out the door. Three stories up... down this corridor... here!
She paused outside the door. Took a few seconds to compose herself. Then pushed the door open. Smiled graciously at a room of dead ponies paying her compliments. Took her seat. Waited.
The conversation seemed more heated than before. Azure and the others made occasional snide remarks at each other. Most of the mobsters had started drinking, some heavily.
When the food was passed around, it was a solemn ceremony. All eyes rested on Azure's plate. Azure, on the other hoof, seemed perfectly calm, going so far as to lead the toast.
'Well, we've had our differences, but tonight, let them be gone! To your very good health, my friends!'
From around the table, in union, echoed the unusually solemn response. 'And to yours.'
Glasses were settled. Before she had taken even one bite, she felt something poke her in the leg. Looking down, she saw a morsel of food. From Azure's plate.
She looked across the table at Azure. He mouthed one, unmistakable word.
Eat.
Without a second of hesitation, Sweetie Belle grabbed the morsel and swallowed it whole. She stared at Azure, daring him to challenge her. He did not. Instead he smiled and began his own meal.
A minute passed. There was now an obvious discomfort around the table. The mobsters were not looking as alert. Some were swaying in their seat.
In the next minute, the first one collapsed. As he laid on the floor, he suddenly began to writhe in seeming agony. More and more fell. Plates and glasses smashed against the floor. Eventually, only one pony was left standing - the stallion who had first contacted her. His face was contorted in a visage of pure hatred, directed solely at Azure.
'You... How...'
Azure rose and strode across to him, gloating. 'My, my, Woodcrest. How sloppy of you, trying to turn a Stallion's own worker against him. Why, Sugar Note over here came running to me like an obedient puppydog the moment you spilled all your filthy secrets to her.'
Sweetie Belle felt Woodcrest's eyes burn into her. Unabashed, she stared coolly back. Woodcrest's breath caught in his throat. Suddenly, he violently coughed up a mass of blood and flesh, then collapsed. The light faded from his eyes.
Sweetie Belle surveyed the carnage she had created. It did not bother her, like she had expected it to. She had defended herself. She didn't revel in it like Azure, but she certainly wasn't going to waste any tears on them.
Azure took a few more minutes to sadistically mock his dying opponents, then returned to her side.
'Enough. Let's get out of-'
Azure was interrupted by the sound of a door opening. In stepped the waiter.
'Fillies and Gentlecolts, may I take your-'
He stopped. His eyes widened at the bloodbath in front of him. He began to back out of the door. Before he had made even two steps, Azure surged forwards and seized him.
Sweetie Belle quickly looked away. Two dull thuds. A crack.
'Fuck. I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle. I didn't think he'd be back this soon.'
Sweetie Belle stood still, shocked by the suddenness and brutality of the innocent stallion's death.
'He didn't deserve that.' She sounded like a little filly.
'I know. It sucks, but it happens. Put it out of your mind and let's just go.'
Azure wasted no time in bundling her out of the mansion. Waiting for them outside was the coach they had arrived in.
Azure stepped up. 'We're done. Let's go.' He turned to Sweetie Belle, and made his blunt goodbye. 'I'm off. You're free. Enjoy it.'
Sweetie Belle nodded. She didn't think there was anything to say.
'You can catch a ride with a buscoach into Fillydelphia. Or wherever. You can go and live in those bushes for all I care. But one last thing.'
Azure reached inside the coach and produced a thick pair of saddlebags, with loud clinking noises coming from within. He threw it at her feet and grinned. 'Your earnings from the Flawless Rainbow. Never let it be said I don't pay my debts.'
Sweetie Belle nodded. She shed the constrictive dress and adorned the saddlebags, surprised at how heavy they were. Azure certainly wasn't skimping on her payment.
Sweetie Belle opened her mouth to say something, anything. But before she could, a blood-curdling scream rang out from the mansion grounds.
Azure snapped into position. 'That's my cue. Goodbye, Sweetie Belle.'
With that, he shut the coach door. The driver whistled, and they were off. Sweetie Belle watched her captor and saviour ride out of her life forever.
As soon as they were gone, she began to walk. She had no particular destination, but somehow, she ended up beside a bus stop. There, she waited for a while, till a buscoach pulled up. She knew there was only one place she could really go.
'Single for Fillydelphia Central.'
The room was silent. Sweetie Belle had nothing more to say. Outside, the sky had grown dark. Amethyst's head was bowed. Finally, she spoke up.
'You're a murderer.'
Sweetie Belle nodded. 'I suppose.'
'You killed people. You... killed people.'
Sweetie Belle said nothing.
'I-I don't know... I don't know what to say.'
'It was me or them. I don't regret it.'
Amethyst shook her head, unable to think straight. 'What happened after that?'
'Nothing major. Came back to Fillydelphia. Sang in bars. Met you. Fell in love.'
'Don't, just... don't. You've been lying to me for over a year. This... you're not real. You're a fake, a fraud.'
'No, Amethyst!' Sweetie Belle jerked upright. 'I swear, this is who I am! What does the name matter? I'm still Sugar Note, I haven't changed!'
'I know. And I don't blame you, of course. You couldn't tell me the truth, but... Sweet Celestia, this is a lot. I just... I never thought you'd be capable of anything like this.' Amethyst looked her dead in the eyes.
'What you've done in the past... It's history. But one thing bothers me.'
Sweetie Belle relaxed slightly. 'What?'
'Azure. What if he decides to come back for you? What if he decides you're a loose end, sends somepony back to-'
'Shhh.' Sweetie Belle smiled. 'Don't worry. Azure's long retired, and I haven't heard from him since. I promise. He'll never come back for us.'
Amethyst looked up at her, total trust in her eyes. 'Promise?'
'I promise.' Sweetie Belle embraced Amethyst. 'We're safe. Now and forever.'
It was the dead of night. Amethyst had gone to bed almost an hour ago. Sweetie Belle had stayed up, thinking about the past.
It was good to come clean. Not totally clean, of course. Sometimes, the truth had to be embellished to protect those close to you. Sweetie Belle knew that better than anyone.
Sweetie Belle was glad Amethyst still accepted her. After all, she had only been acting in self-preservation. She had wrought no pleasure from the death of the mobsters.
The money Azure had given her had seemed like a king's ransom at the time, but Sweetie Belle wasn't stupid. She was bound to lose it sooner or later, so she had spent it all as quickly as possible. It proved very easy to track down a member of Azure's bodyguard team. That money was quickly spent, for the answer to a question.
Where is Azure Meadows?
Sweetie Belle had never experienced a greater pleasure, a greater rush of adrenaline, than when she had walked up to Azure in his mountain home and gutted him with that steak knife. Revenge for six years of lost life. Mocking him as he writhed in agony.
Of course, Amethyst could never hear about that. She wouldn't approve. She would think Sweetie Belle was evil. As if she could possibly understand or comprehend Azure's twistedness. Sweetie Belle had delivered justice, and loved every second of it. But like Amethyst had said, what Sweetie Belle had done in the past was history.
Tomorrow was another day.
End of Part Two |
Just a Phase | Part 3, Chapter 1 - Geists | ~ Five Years Later ~
'You're up, Sugar Note!'
'Okay, okay!'
Sweetie Belle checked herself one last time in the mirror. Mane - check. Makeup - check. Eyelashes - double check. As she made her way to the stage, she ran her eyes over the song list. If the police put in an appearance, she wasn't supposed to play any of the songs with a red cross next to them.
Unlike the Flawless Rainbow, which had been a private, members-only club, the Foundry was a public bar. Unofficially, however, it had a reputation as a gathering point for Fillydelpia's gay crowd. The owner was fully aware of this, but kept his mouth shut. After all, money was money. From time to time, the police would show up, make all sorts of accusations, and leave. But they hadn't caught them yet.
Sweetie Belle held fond memories of the Foundry. After all, it was where she had first met Amethyst. It was a night she would never forget - the bits of it she could remember, that is.
'Sugar Note!'
'Coming!'
Sweetie Belle rushed onstage and was hit with a wave of applause.
'Thaaaaa-ank you, Fillydelphia! How are we all doing tonight!'
More cheers, applause and wolf whistles. As much as it reminded Sweetie Belle of her past, she truly loved the stage. The danger of being caught gave her a certain thrill, a rush she couldn't get anywhere else. Poor Amethyst, stuck behind the counter of a jewellery shop all day.
Sweetie Belle scanned the crowd, but she could see no police ponies in sight. Breathing a slight sigh of relief, she cleared her throat, and launched into her routine.
Five years was a long time, but things in Equestria moved slowly. The ponies, the politics... the social progress.
Sweetie and Amethyst were no freer now than they had been when they had first met, but in a way, that didn't matter to Sweetie. The danger kept them together. Kept Sweetie Belle feeling... alive.
Amethyst had forgiven her past. In fact, she hadn't mentioned it in the last five years. Both of them were happy, working, renting...
Originally, Sweetie Belle had intended Fillydelphia to be a temporary place to stay. Given her status as a missing pony, she had always assumed she would be discovered some time, and, when that happened, she would have to hit the road.
But it never happened. Sweetie Belle had faded from the public's consciousness, and even if she hadn't, her appearance had changed so radically since then that... that...
That even her own sister wouldn't recognize her.
'Thanks for all the help, Amethyst!'
Smiling, Amethyst waved away the stallion, watching him as he slowly passed from view. The moment he did, the smile slipped from her face and she rolled her eyes. The stallion had been shopping for an engagement ring for the past two months, coming into her store and fretting over increasingly trivial aspects of his purchase. Heart-warming at first, but sometimes it got to be too much.
Amethyst sighed, glancing at the clock she kept on the wall. Closing time.
As she began closing up, she heard the entrance bell ring. Standing in the doorway was an orange mare she didn't recognize. A Pegasus, short and with scruffy hair, with a hammer for a cutie mark.
'I'm sorry, we're closing-'
'Oh, I'm not here to buy!' The mare gave a huge, goofy grin and extended a hoof. 'I'm just saying hello! I'm buying a shop nearby and I just thought I'd drop by and say hello.'
Amethyst paused, then smiled and motioned for her to come in. 'Great to meet you. I'm Amethyst Charm.'
'Scootaloo. I'm opening a carpentry store across the road'
Amethyst raised her eyebrows. 'A carpenter? Strange profession for a Pegasus.'
Scootaloo smiled and scratched her head. 'Yeah. But I, uh, y'know, I wasn't really cut out for flying.'
Amethyst frowned and glanced at the mare's back. Her wings were somewhat small, and they seemed limp in comparison to other Pegasi.
Scootaloo saw her looking and gave a sad smile. 'Never even got myself off the ground.'
Amethyst whipped her head back and blushed. 'I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-'
Scootaloo grinned and shook her head. 'Don't worry, I've had worse.'
Amethyst returned the smile, desperately thinking of how to change the subject. 'So, uh, where are you from? Your accent is... central Equestria? Maybe... Canterlot?'
Scootaloo nodded. 'Close, but not quite. I'm from Ponyville.'
Ponyville. Same town as Sweetie Belle... No, Sugar Note! Don't call her that... That's not who she is.
Amethyst eyed up the mare in front of her. She looked about the same age of Sweetie Belle, and Ponyville was a small town...
'So, Ponyville? I suppose nothing ever happens around there. Not like Fillydelphia.'
Scootaloo tilted her head back, as if thinking. 'Well, not really, but every now and then...'
Amethyst leaned in. 'Yes?'
'Well... have you heard of a filly - well, I suppose she'd be a mare now - called Sweetie Belle?'
'WHAT!?'
Sweetie Belle spat out her drink and stared at the bartender with disbelief.
'Like I said, no more. For Celestia's sake, it's nearly 4 in the morning. I'm not even allowed to serve alcohol this late! You and all your friends need to leave now.'
Sweetie Belle opened her mouth, then closed it again. 'Fine. Dust, Silver - let's go.'
Grumbling to themselves, Sweetie Belle, Dust Spark and Silver Stud made their way out. Stepping into the cool night air, Sweetie Belle turned to the two stallions and shook her head. 'We're not getting in anywhere else this late. Call it a night?'
Dust Spark nodded, struggling to keep Silver Stud up on his hooves. 'Yeah, that'd probably be for the best. Hey, do you want us to, like, walk you home, or-'
Before he could finish, Silver Stud slipped out of his grip, collapsed to his knees, and threw up. Sweetie Belle jumped aside to avoid being hit, but Dust Spark was not so fortunate.
'Ewwww.' Dust was normally very particular about his appearance, but it seemed his affection for Silver Stud won out over his desire to be kempt. Kneeling down next to Silver Stud, he began to console almost catatonic Earth Pony.
Sweetie Belle surveyed the scene, wondering if she was willing to risk walking home alone over being seen with two vomit-soaked stallions.
'Dust, brah, I'm fine, I just-'
Mid-sentence,Silver Stud stopped, shook, then promptly threw up again. Dust Spark wrapped his arms around him, and slowly but steadily lifted him to his hooves.
Sweetie Belle took a step back. 'I'll save you the trouble. But, uh, see you again soon, I guess.'
Dust Spark gave her a weak smile. 'Of course. Take care!'
Halfway down the street, Sweetie Belle heard another huge heave from Silver Stud, and shuddered. As good a friend as he was, Silver Stud could learn a thing or two about restraint. And decency. It was a miracle he had made it this far without Dust Spark to look after him.
Although Sweetie Belle had only had a few drinks, she found her vision somewhat blurred, her senses less attentive than she would have liked. By the time she arrived at Amethyst's store, she was exhausted. Dragging herself up the stairs, she pushed open the door to their flat.
Inside was Amethyst, pacing back and forth. As she walked in, Sweetie Belle saw her face light up with relief. 'There you are! Sweetie, I've been so worried, you'll never believe what happened...'
The rest of her voice became a blur to Sweetie Belle, who nodded politely, and collapsed on the floor.
Birds tweeting. The sun shone through a crack in the curtains, slowly awakening Sweetie Belle from her slumber. A pillow had been placed under her head, and a blanket draped over her. She felt something attached to her forehead and pulled it off. A note.
We need to talk. If you're not up by my lunch break, I'm pouring cold water over you.
- Amethyst
Sweetie Belle pulled herself up and allowed her eyes to focus on the clock in front of her. 11:37. Great.
Trotting downstairs, she found Amethyst polishing a set of jewelled buttons. As she approached, Amethyst set the buttons aside and looked at her.
Turning on her most charming grin, Sweetie Belle sauntered up to Amethyst. 'Thanks for the pillow-'
'Don't even try it.' Amethyst's voice cut across the room like ice, and Sweetie Belle immediately shut up. Amethyst sighed and rose to her hooves.
'We've got a problem. A big one.'
Sweetie Belle frowned and waited for her to continue.
'Remember your friend, Scootaloo?'
Sweetie Belle was taken aback. Over all these years, she had never mentioned Scootaloo's name to anypony, not even Amethyst. 'H-how did you know about her?'
'She just moved in across the street.'
Sweetie Belle felt her body go numb, and her legs start to shake. 'What?' Immediately, she crouched behind the counter and peered out the glass panes at the front of the shop. Sure enough, the shop parallel to them had been completely done up, and a new sign adorned its roof. Scoot's Joinery.
'The sign was up last night. Not that I suppose you noticed.'
Sweetie Belle rose to her hooves, her face green and eyes twitching. 'W-w-what are we going to do?'
'I have an idea. You go in there right now and say hello.'
Sweetie Belle glanced at Amethyst. Clearly, she had gone completely insane, and was possibly in need of immediate medical attention.
'I know, it sounds crazy, but think about it. Rarity didn't recognize you when she saw you, did she? So, by all logic, Scootaloo definitely wouldn't realize it's you. It's only a matter of time before you walk into her on the street. Better to get it done on your terms than hers.'
Sweetie Belle mulled it over. What Amethyst was saying made sense. And she was right - she couldn't put off meeting Scootaloo forever. Besides, how could her own sister not realize who she was, but Scoots could?
'Okay.' Sweetie Belle felt a wave of reassurance flow over her. 'Want to come with me?'
'I'm reopening for the afternoon shift. But don't worry, you'll be fine.'
Sweetie Belle nodded, gave Amethyst one last hug, then exited through the front door. Pacing her way across the street, she gazed up at the shop sign.
What were the odds? Sweetie Belle pondered. Then again, maybe this wasn't some random fluke. Maybe it was destiny. Or some sick joke played on her by fate.
The door gave a small ding as she pushed it inwards. Behind the counter was a bright orange mare, mane long and shaggy, eerily reminiscent of Rainbow Dash's.
'Hey!' Sweetie Belle plastered a big, fake grin on her face. At the sound of her voice, Scootaloo looked up from her desk and fixed eyes on her. 'My names Sugar Note, I live just-'
'SWEETIE BELLE?!?!'
Fuck.
Scootaloo had stared at Sweetie Belle, mouth agape and lip trembling, for a solid two minutes, before she finally did the last thing Sweetie Belle had expected - her eyes rolled up inside of her head, and she fainted.
When Scootaloo came to, she first thing she saw was Sweetie Belle's concerned face staring down at her. 'Scoots! Are you all right?'
Scootaloo nodded feebly, before shaking her head clear and stuttering stupidly, while a million different throughs crossed her mind at once. Finally, she managed to choke out a coherent sentence. 'I-it's really you. Sweetie Belle.'
Sweetie Belle considered denying it but saw no point. Her alibi would collapse under the slightest investigation, after all, so she simply nodded. 'Been a long time, sister.'
Slowly, Scootaloo rose to her hooves, gripping tightly onto the counter. Reaching out, she poked Sweetie Belle right in the chest, as if expecting her hoof to pass straight through the unicorn. When her hoof instead made a hard connection, she whimpered.
'Oh, my Celestia.' Seeing that Scoots was dangerously close to collapsing again, Sweetie Belle maneuvered her into a nearby chair. 'I can't believe it.'
'Me neither.' Sweetie Belle gave a reassuring smile. 'Don't worry, I'm not here to impose. I just-'
At that, Scootaloo jumped to her feet. 'No-NO! No, please, you have to stay! I-I want to hear everything! Please, let me get some tea...' Scootaloo sped into the storeroom and reappeared almost immediately with two cups of hot tea. Setting one down in front of Sweetie Belle, she motioned for her to sit, which she did, smiling graciously. 'Scootaloo, thank you so much.'
Scootaloo was still staring at her with a look of wonder, but at that, she snapped back to reality, and her face clouded over slightly. 'Don't apologize. If anypony should be sorry, it's me. I abandoned you, along with everypony else. The biggest regret I ever had was that I didn't board that train with you.'
Sweetie Belle felt tears well up in her eyes. 'Don't be stupid. I was the one they were after. I couldn't ask you to throw your life away just to look after me.'
Scootaloo sighed and shook her head. 'Even if it meant throwing you away?'
Silence fell once more. Scootaloo took a long sip from her mug and leant inwards. 'Come on. I need to hear everything.'
Scootaloo truly was the perfect audience. As Sweetie Belle wove her tale, she wept, cheered and otherwise acted as a fountain of emotion.
When she was finally finished, Sweetie Belle leant back and exhaled. Scootaloo sat curled up in her chair, looking pensive. The mugs of tea sat between them, cold and forgotten.
Sweetie Belle was the first to break the silence. 'So, I suppose I have to ask. How is Ponyville?'
Scootaloo perked up at that. 'Different. Everything changed so much after you left.'
'How so?'
'Well, your parents moved. I suppose it was only to be expected - fillyfooler daughter and all that. Rarity stayed, through. I suppose, what with the elements of harmony, she had no choice. She still does all that fashion stuff. She can be a little... hysterical. But I'd say she's doing okay.'
Sweetie Belle couldn't resist. 'Have you seen my parents since then?'
Scootaloo nodded. 'They moved up north. They've... moved on. Gotten older. It's... probably best you don't disturb them. They took you leaving very badly.'
'How so?'
'Let's just say you're not their daughter anymore.'
Sweetie Belle felt tears well up in her eyes but forced them back. 'What about... y'know... Applebloom?'
'She took over the farm from Applejack and Big Mac. I actually haven't seen her since Granny Smith's funeral, and she didn't seem to want anything to do with me then. I've been... kind of alone. That's why I decided to move to the city, you know, reinvent myself. I guess I didn't expect to dig up the past along the way.'
'How's everypony else?' Sweetie Belle was hanging onto Scootaloo's every word.
'Fine. Rainbow Dash joined the Wonderbolts, got some high-up snooty rank too. Twilight's still occupying that stuffy old Library. Oh, Pinkie Pie actually owns the Cake's Bakery now!'
'What about Fluttershy?' Sweetie Belle was anxious to learn more about the fate of the mare who had helped her escape her old life.
'Still cooped up in that animal sanctuary. I heard she actually knew about you, you know, before everypony else did. Did she?'
'Yeah. Gave me a lot of help too.' Sweetie Belle supposed now was as good a time as any to broach this topic. 'Listen, I'm still... you know...'
'A fillyfooler?' Sweetie Belle was surprised to see a sly smile of Scootaloo's muzzle. 'Your secrets are safe with me, sister.'
Sweetie Belle's jaw dropped. 'You?'
Scootaloo shrieked, a genuine explosion of pure mirth. 'Celestia, No! I just mean, you know, it doesn't matter to me. But don't get too comfortable!'
Sweetie Belle grinned back. 'Sorry. It's so tiring to keep the act up all the time.'
Scootaloo nodded. 'I get you. Don't worry, you can kick back and relax here.'
'Oh yeah?' A devilish look crept over Sweetie Belle's face. 'Okay then: Cadence, Luna and Celestia. Kill, Marry, Buck?'
Scootaloo nearly fell off her seat from choking with a mix of outrage and laughter. 'Sweetie Belle!' She made a feeble attempt to struggle to her hooves, before giving in and falling to the floor in a fit of laughter.
When both of their giggles had subsided, Sweetie Belle helped Scootaloo back up, and the two exchanged a genuine, warm smile.
'It's good to see you, Scoots.'
'You too, Sweetie Belle. Listen, have you ever thought about... going home?'
The laughter evaporated as quickly as it had developed. Sweetie Belle could see Scootaloo was deadly serious.
'I'm sorry, but I can't. It's just too much of a risk. I'm sorry.'
Scootaloo nodded in understanding. 'What about the next best thing?'
'Oh?' Sweetie Belle's wasn't sure where this was going. 'What would that be? The Ponyville experience?'
'Something like that.' Scootaloo trotted over to her workbench, summoning Sweetie Belle as she did so. On top of the bench laid a glossy pamphlet. Stick-thin, haughty-looking models adorned it, trussed up in a variety of impractical, drab looking outfits. But what caught Sweetie Belle's attention was the name at the top. RARITY PRESENTS - CLOUDBREAKER.
'Oh, you'd better not be thinking what I think you're thinking.'
'Sweetie Belle, listen to me for a moment.' Scootaloo looked her right in the eye, causing Sweetie Belle to divert her gaze despite herself. 'Rarity has... changed a lot since you left. I think that, when she lost you, she lost a part of herself.'
Scootaloo turned to the pamphlet. Reaching into a drawer, she pulled out several dozen just like it. Surveying the scene, Sweetie Belle felt her eyes widen. Rarity's work had changed, dramatically. Gone was the colour, the volume, the life that had once imbued her dresses. Now, her work followed a dark, black and grey theme. The models seemed somehow sallow, unhealthy, and the dresses took a more frenzied, distraught look to them. Sweetie Belle sighed and closed her eyes.
'I get it. This is her work after I left.'
'That's right.'
'And she's not able to sell her new work. So, you want me to go see her, try and snap her out of this?'
'What?' Scootaloo looked up. 'Oh, no, the dresses are selling fine. In fact, Rarity practically invented the rompun-chic movement single hoofed.'
'So, what's the problem?'
For a second, Scootaloo was shocked. 'What's the- Sweetie Belle! This is the problem! This is a very big problem! I haven't seen Rarity smile once since you left! Not once! Don't you think you at least should let your big sister know you're okay?'
Sweetie Belle, initially taken aback, felt herself swell with shame. Of course. Rarity was her sister. Sure, sisters had their ups and downs, but when it came down to it, sisters were meant to look out for one another. A new look of conviction shining in her eyes, Sweetie Belle nodded fiercely. 'You're right. But how do I get close to her? I can't just saunter backstage like, hey, I'm that filly everyone thinks is dead and I'd like to see my sister!'
Scootaloo waved her hooves in front of her face. 'Uh, close family friend. I'm sure Rarity will see us. If she doesn't, I'll just arrange a meeting another time.'
Sweetie Belle sat back in her chair. Scootaloo chimed in one last time.
'The show is in a week, so you've got that long to decide. I don't know how Rarity will react, but you can't abandon her, Sweetie. She needs you.'
Sweetie Belle closed her eyes. And opened them. 'I don't need a week. I'll do it.' |
Just a Phase | Part 3, Chapter 2 - Petite-Soeur | 'Miss Rarity? We're ready. You can choose now.'
Rarity glanced over the legion of mares standing in front of her. All of them pale, unhealthy, sallow stick figures. They would be perfect. Now, to detach the wheat from the chaff.
She hesitated slightly, then raised a hoof and began pointing. 'Her, and her, and her and her and her and her. Oh, and her.'
The seven chosen nodded and stepped forward, while the remaining mares gave various sighs of defeat and left.
'All right.' Rarity gave the models in front of her a smile. 'Let's get you all fitted. This is a very ambitious project, and I expect there to be no obstruction. Got it?'
All seven chosen nodded in unison.
'Very good. Head over to tent B and the red unicorn with scarf will take your measurements.'
Rarity watched them leave, and gave a sigh. Fashion was so... boring. When she had been younger, of course, it had given her a sense of duty, of meaning in the world. Important ponies from across Equestria would visit, criticise and critique her work, and she hung onto their every word.
But that was before her success. Before her stardom. Now, ponies meekly agreed with whatever she said. Surrounded by sycophants and yes-mares, Rarity had lost her passion for the craft.
'Miss Rarity?'
The first of the models had returned, clutching a piece of paper in their mouth with a list of measurements.
'Thank you, dear. Let's get you dressed.'
For the next hour, the models were prodded and poked, pushed and pulled, and generally fussed over while Rarity attempted to fit them correctly. Finally, she stepped back, and, wiping the sweat from her brow, surveyed her work.
The colours blended perfectly. The fit was exact. So what was wrong?
Suddenly, Rarity snapped at the model at the end of the row. 'Stop smiling!'
Perfect.
Sweetie Belle sighed, and curled up into a nearby chair. Amethyst's relief at her safe return had quickly turned to panic and rage at the Sweetie Belle's plan.
Amethyst had cried and begged, but Sweetie Belle hadn't relented. Eventually, Amethyst had stormed off into their bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Sweetie hadn't heard a word from her since then.
Sweetie Belle understood - and partly agreed with - Amethyst's point of view. She was taking a huge risk. In her head, a monstrous visage of Rarity cruelly rejecting her, casting her aside and into the heartless hooves of the Equestrian authorities had constructed itself. But somehow, Sweetie Belle knew she was making the right decision. Almost as if she was moving to the end of some great struggle.
The bedroom door creaked open. Amethyst poked her head out. Her mane was frazzled and her eyes were bloodshot. She was shaking, seemingly in anger.
Sweetie rose, but Amethyst waved her off. 'Sit.'
Sweetie Belle opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Amethyst interjected. 'No. Stop it. You're going to listen to me this time.' She breathed out, and began.
'I haven't been honest. I have a... a personal reason why I don't want you to meet your sister.'
Sweetie Belle sensed a change in atmosphere change. A hostile, almost vengeful aura seemed to radiate from Amethyst.
'I told you I was abandoned by my family when I was younger. I suppose it was that or let me be taken away, so I don't blame them that much. But I never mentioned how I got found out.'
'When I was younger, I always knew I was different. I always wanted to talk about it, but I never had a chance. Of course, I wasn't stupid enough to try asking my parents. My older sister was off limits. In fact, I didn't have a chance until I was fourteen.'
'I did a lot of apprentice work - pretty common for a jeweller. One of the ponies I worked under was the exclusive supplier of adornments to a major Equestrian fashion icon. Hoity Toity.'
Sweetie Belle knew the name well. Hoity Toity had been convicted of sodomy and lobotomized.
'So, here I am, this foal, and I'm making rings and necklaces for this superstar. Of course, I'm starstruck. But because I'm just a foal, I guess he lets his guard down. One day, I'm delivering some newly struck rings to his house. Huge mansion, of course, with a separate entrance for manual labourers. And when I come in, he's with this other stallion, getting some serious tongue action. If you know what I mean.'
Amethyst chuckled at the memory. 'He nearly had a heart attack. Began offering me money, land, all sorts, just so I would keep my mouth shut. But I didn't want anything like that. I was too amazed to find somepony just like me. All I wanted, I told him, was someone to talk to about being different. Damn near broke into tears.'
'We kept in touch for a few months. Then, of course, he's busted, his house is raided, and all my letters are discovered. I managed to destroy all of the letters he sent me by the time my house was raided, but it didn't matter. My name and signature was on those letters, and there was enough evidence to convict me a thousand times over.'
'I was never actually charged with 'unnatural relations', since they didn't have any evidence of that. But they wanted me to go into therapy. And if my parents couldn't afford it, I was going to be taken away.'
Sweetie Belle patted Amethyst on the back. 'I'm sorry. I know it hurts. But why-'
'I'll get to that.' Amethyst spat. 'I didn't know how Hoity Toity was caught at first. He was always so careful, I assumed he had it all figured out. But it turned out he didn't slip up. Somepony else found out, and snitched.'
Amethyst looked Sweetie Belle right in the eyes. 'Who do you think would do that? Who would have an interest in eliminating any competition in Canterlot fashion, to corner the market themselves?'
Sweetie Belle knew what was coming next, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.
'It was Rarity. Your sister. Hoity Toity's friends told me. Of course, I'm sure she acted like she was doing it to preserve Equestria's dignity, and everypony kissed up to her for it. But not me. I know the truth. I know why she did it.'
'Because of that... bitch... I ended up homeless. I haven't seen my parents in over ten years. I don't even know where they live. They could be dead. Or anything. Don't you get it? She doesn't deserve you, Sweetie Belle! Why should she get to be happy?'
Sweetie Belle was said nothing. Simultaneously, she felt sensations of boiling rage - how dare Amethyst accuse her sister? - and overwhelming pity.
'Amethyst, I-'
'Save it.' Amethyst seemed disinterested now, as if she suddenly had nothing more to say. She paced over to a cabinet in the corner and produced a bottle of wine. 'I can't do this any more, Sweetie Belle. Go and see your sister if you think it'll make you happy. And-'
Amethyst choked.
'-And when... if... you do go... then don't come back. Leave me be.'
'Amethyst?'
Sweetie Belle rose to her hooves. 'We've been together six years. Don't tell me you're going to throw away everything because of something little like this!'
Amethyst shook her head, eyes brimming with tears. Sweetie sighed. 'I can't leave things the way they are. I'm sorry, Amethyst.'
Amethyst nodded. 'Fine. You choose her.'
With that, she swept out of the room and slammed the door behind her.
The next week passed unbearably slowly for Sweetie Belle. Most of her time was spent with Scootaloo, talking about the past and helping her move in. She didn't try to talk Amethyst out of her room. Sweetie figured that made her a gutless coward, but she simply didn't have the strength to face her.
As the day of the show dawned, preparations were drawn. Scootaloo was in fact right - Rarity had been perfectly willing to confer backstage passes to her and her plus-one, 'Sky Star'. Although she couldn't make time in her schedule to meet them beforehand, as Scootaloo had hoped, she would be sending a chariot for the two of them.
'I'll introduce you, then basically get out of your way. I'd, uh, make sure she's sitting down when you explain things to her. Remember how she likes to faint over every little thing? We don't want a concussion on our hooves.'
Before she knew it, Sweetie Belle was standing outside her home. She had considered a wide variety of dresses, flowers and other gifts before simply settling on a plain black dress. A gift would be far too twisted.
The chariot was driven by a burly stallion wearing the ceremonial armour of the Fillydelphian Town Guard. Sweetie Belle had no idea Rarity had enough influence to order the Town Guard around, but Scootaloo didn't look fazed. He eyed the pair suspiciously. 'This your place?'
Sweetie Belle nodded. The Royal Guard nodded, then jerked his head towards the chariot. 'Get in.'
The chariot ride was surprisingly smooth, which was a mercy, as Sweetie Belle felt that the slightest jolt would cause her to throw up. Scootaloo made a few feeble attempts at a conversation, but otherwise the journey was spent in silence. Sweetie Belle instead opted to gaze out of the window - which proved to be a mistake.
Rarity was everywhere. Every billboard, every streetlight seemed to have a poster with her big sister's face on it. As they neared the complex where the show was taking place, Sweetie Belle saw a crowd of ponies clustered around a single figure.
She feared the worst, but upon disembarking the chariot, she was relieved to see it wasn't her sister. It was a mare who bore an appearance not dissimilar to that of one of the ponies she had met five years ago at the party Azure had taken her to. Huh. Small world.
Scootaloo looked just as uncomfortable as she did, and made no attempt to disguise it. 'I don't get it. Never did. All this fuss over who's clothes are the fucking prettiest. Let's just find your sister.'
Sweetie Belle shivered slightly and shot her a glare. Scootaloo grimaced. 'Sorry. Didn't mean to be insensitive. We can take as long as you like.'
The complex was just as large on the inside as it appeared to be on the outside. Camera flashes blinded them in every direction as photographers captured everything in their sight, presumably in hopes of seeing somepony famous tripping over or some other equally frivolous tabloid fodder.
Scootaloo took point, leading her along a winding path of stairways and halls, each dripping with gold and gems of every colour, until finally they arrived at an inconspicuous-looking plain door with a single "6019" printed on it. Scootaloo turned to her. 'This is it. You ready?'
Sweetie Belle gave a shaky grin. 'As I'll ever be.'
Rarity had aged well. That was the first thought that Sweetie Belle had when she clapped eyes on her sister for the first time in five years. Emotions boiled and stirred inside her, and she was merciful when Scootaloo spoke up.
'Rarity!'
Rarity turned around, and her perpetually dull eyes seemed to light up slightly at the sight of Scootaloo. 'Darling! Oh, it's been too long, come in, come in!' Her eyes flicked to Sweetie Belle, who braced for the possibility of being found out.
'And this must be your friend... Sky Star? Well, don't just sit in the doorway! Sit down, I... Oh, I suppose neither of you have met Commander Nettlekiss? He was kind enough to provide your chariot for tonight.'
Absurdly, Sweetie Belle realized for the first time that they were not alone. A tall, thin unicorn stallion with a thick grey coat and almost comical moustache was stood beside a faux fireplace, levitating a large glass of whiskey. He waved a dismissive hoof in the air at the comment. 'Think nothing of it. I couldn't allow two young mares to walk the streets of Fillydelphia late at night, could I? Especially ones so close to your dear sister here.'
Sweetie Belle gave a wide and appreciative smile, but deep down she felt nothing but loathing. Commander Nettlekiss was well known for his vitriolic homophobic prejudices, and arrests had more than doubled during his tenure as Commander of the Town Guard.
Scootaloo cleared her throat, flashing Nettlekiss an equally charming smile. 'Thank you, Commander, we appreciate it. I was wondering if I could have a little time alone with Rarity? It's been so long since we've been able to catch up, and I wouldn't want you left out of the conversation.'
Nettlekiss chucked heartily. 'Very well! I have other business to attend to this evening, so I'll leave you mares be.' Downing his glass in one impressive gulp, he shuddered and set the glass down neatly on top of the mantlepiece. 'Well, till we meet again!'
Sweetie Belle waited until the sound of hoofsteps faded before securely locking and bolting the door. She definitely didn't want intruders this night.
Rarity eyed her with suspicion. 'Excuse me, but I quite like not being trapped in a locked room with a pony whom I, if you'll forgive me for being blunt, don't know.'
Scootaloo opened her mouth as if to speak, but Sweetie Belle beat her to it. 'Rarity, it's... it's me. Sweetie Belle.'
Rarity froze, then shook her head. 'You're not the first mare to try and pull something like that on me. What is it you want, hm? Money? Maybe a modelling career? Oh, or do you want a book deal too?'
Scootaloo began to speak, but Rarity cut her off. 'I don't want to hear it! I know you're the real Scootaloo, but how could you do this to me? If you're in need of money, I would have happily helped, but this is just... sick! Please, just leave before-'
'Fillies don't have "crushes" on fillies. It's not natural, and it's not right.'
Rarity froze at that. Her snow white complexion somehow seemed to pale as Sweetie Belle continued to speak. 'This is just a silly phase you're going through. You are not to talk to anyone about these silly feelings, and you are most certainly not to talk to Apple Bloom about them. You will grow out of this, Sweetie.'
Rarity clutched the side of her chair to steady herself. 'Sweetie Belle?'
Sweetie felt her eyes tear up, even as a smile split her face in two. 'Been a long time, sis.'
Rarity gave a squeak, then promptly fainted.
Rarity didn't take long to come around, but when she did, she was so hysterical Sweetie was worried she was going to faint again. She cried, hugged Sweetie, slapped her, hugged her and cried some more. Sweetie Belle could do nothing but hold on tight to her sister, fearing if she let go she would lose her again forever.
They talked for hours. Sweetie and Rarity talked about their lives, their shared memories. It seemed there was no end to the conversation, the memories. Sweetie Belle felt as if she could live in this moment forever and never grow tired.
Rarity had wandered aimlessly since losing Sweetie Belle. 'When I found that note at the boutique... Oh, Sweetie Belle, I was so distraught. I didn't speak to anypony else for weeks. If it hadn't been for Fluttershy, I don't think I ever would have.'
'Fluttershy?' Sweetie Belle leaned in. 'What did she say to you?'
'She told me about your conversation. About how you were confiding in her, instead - instead of your own sister!' Rarity sighed. 'That's what got me to snap out of it. It's when I saw how self-pitying I was being. I could have done so much to help, but I kept wishing it would just go away.'
'I'm sorry.' For the first time, an air of melancholy surrounded Rarity. 'I - we didn't give you the help you needed. I don't deserve your forgiveness. I daresay you're more generous than I.'
Eventually, the conversation died down, and the two mares found themselves sat in silence opposite each other. Rarity looked better than Sweetie Belle had ever seen her, her face animated and lit up with a glow that somehow made her whole demeanour so much more welcoming.
It was Rarity who first broke the uncomfortable silence. 'Why didn't you come to me sooner?'
'Fillydelphia's a long way from Ponyville. And I didn't exactly have the money to hop on a train.'
Rarity shook her head. 'I meant immediately. Surely you didn't think I would have allowed any of this to happen if I'd known?'
Sweetie Belle fidgeted in her seat. 'I didn't know that. Besides, it wouldn't have been fair for me to get you mixed up in all this. I mean, look at you! You're the fashion superstar you always wanted to be. It wouldn't have been fair for me to take that from you.'
Rarity gazed around the room with distain. 'Please. This industry is soul-crushing. I long for an excuse to burn it all down and take to the wilds.' She cleared her throat. 'I am to assume, then, that you are still, uhm, wearing comfortable horseshoes?'
Sweetie Belle snorted. 'Sweet Celestia, I haven't heard that one in a while. Yeah, I'm still a fillyfooler, if that's what you're asking.'
Rarity's gaze slid towards Scootaloo. 'And...'
'You too? Should I start taking this personally?' Scootaloo shot back. 'I don't like dresses. Doesn't make me a fillyfooler.'
Rarity gave a delicate smile. 'Apologies. This is all somewhat new to me.' Once more, she turned her gaze back to Sweetie Belle, as if unable to believe her sister was really sitting in front of her. 'So. What happens now?'
Nettlekiss hadn't believed it at first. But as the conversation went on, his doubts had been washed away. Rarity, Canterlot darling, not only in contact with her long-lost sibling, but a fillyfooler sympathiser too boot! Leaning against a nearby wall, he considered his options. This was some serious scandal. Play it right, he could make national headlines. He'd be promoted for sure. Maybe even a position to the E.U.P., if he was lucky. To serve the Princesses... It was everything he had ever wanted.
But first, he had to act quickly. He needed more than his word - he needed witnesses. Seizing the nearest Guard, he began barking orders into his muzzle. 'You! I need the stallion who drove the chariot that brought those two mares - the friends of Rarity! You know who he is?' The terrified guard nodded quickly. 'Then fetch him, and don't waste my time!'
Within minutes, the requested guard was brought before him. Nettlekiss eyed him with greed. 'Tell me - what house did you pick that unicorn up from? Actually, never mind. Go there immediately and arrest anypony present on my authority.'
The two guards gave a brisk nod and left, a new spring in their step. Nettlekiss watched them depart with a smug sense of triumph. In a few hours, he'd have all the evidence he needed.
'You can't be serious!'
'Rarity, what choice do I have?'
Rarity faltered. Sweetie Belle pressed on. 'I have to keep a low profile. I almost didn't risk coming out here tonight because I was worried something would happen to one of us. Or to you.'
Rarity sunk into a nearby chair. 'It's just... not fair. To lose you immediately after getting you back...'
'I'm not losing you, Rarity. I'll never let that happen again. We can meet up every so often. Just as long as it's not too often, and we don't-'
'No!' Rarity was distraught. 'I don't want to meet you in private every so often, like you're some fugitive! You're my sister!'
'I am a fugitive, though.'
The words hung in the air. There was something of a deathly finality to them. It was Rarity who spoke next.
'What if you didn't have to be?'
The knock on the door wasn't... right. That was Amethyst's first thought. She didn't have an agreed secret knock with Sweetie Be- Sugar Note. Maybe she was hammered.
Her bleary eyes focused on the clock by her bedside. 2:25 A.M. That had to be a new low. For a moment, Amethyst considered leaving her out there. But even she wasn't that cruel.
As she entered the main shop, the knocking grew in intensity and volume. The transparent glass revealed that the visitor wasn't Sugar Note, as Amethyst had suspected. Instead, it was two burly stallions she didn't recognize. She hesitated, but eventually decided against going back to bed. There was something about the pair that suggested a sense of urgency.
As the door opened, the stallions peered down at her. 'Is your name Amethyst Charm?'
'Yes. Who are you?'
The stallion ignored her. 'I am to understand there is a unicorn here who goes by the name of Sugar Note?'
'Not here right now, but yeah, she lives here. Why? And who are you?'
The other stallion spoke up. 'We're with the town guard. I think it's best you come with us, Amethyst. We have some... questions we'd like to ask you.' |
Just a Phase | Part 3, Chapter 3 - Speech | 'You can't be serious.'
Sweetie Belle couldn't believe her ears. Judging by the expression on Scootaloo's face, neither could she.
'Well, why not?' Rarity seemed remarkably calm. 'There's no law against political lobbying. I have more money than I wish to detail. And if they wish to accuse me of being a fillyfooler myself - well, I believe my somewhat regretful marital record will shut them up.'
Sweetie Belle opened her mouth, but before she could respond, Rarity continued. 'Sweetie Belle, please. For these past 12 years, I have not only feared you dead, but that your passing would be at my own hooves. Meanwhile, I fought tooth and hoof to enter Canterlot high society, only for ponies to sniff at my work because of my sister. Are you actually asking me to choose them over you?'
Sweetie Belle didn't respond. She couldn't.
Rarity's mind was made up. 'I love you, Sweetie Belle. Never forget that. One day, I hope we'll be able to see each other openly again. But I know now you can't just wish for something to be so. You have to fight for it. And fight I shall.'
'Thank you for visiting me tonight, Sweetie Belle. I cannot help but think it must be fate you decided to visit me on tonight of all nights.'
Sweetie Belle frowned. 'Why?'
Rarity giggled. 'Commander Nettlekiss wasn't visiting me just to catch up. He's looking for a promotion - some big snooty Canterlot position, I gather. I am to speak at a Canterlot dinner this week, and he wished me to throw in a few comments in his favour. Rumour has it Celestia herself will be in attendance. In return, I would have been allowed to design the Royal Guard's uniforms for the next season. I may have to make some adjustments to my script.' A mischievous look danced in her eyes, and all of a sudden, she was a decade younger.
The sisters embraced each other one final time. Rarity opened her mouth as if she had something else to say, but she was interrupted by a sudden, harsh rattling at the door.
'Town Guard! Open this door immediately!'
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo froze. Rarity seemed unfazed. 'Just one minute, darling!'
Turning to Sweetie Belle, she took a concerned glance at her chipped horn. 'Can you get yourself and Scootaloo out of here?'
Sweetie Belle nodded. 'What about you?'
Rarity flashed her a dazzling smile. 'Getting myself out of tight spots is a habitual talent of mine. Go, quickly!'
A million thoughts flashed through Sweetie Belle's mind. There was so much to say and so little time with which to say it.
'Open the fucking door right now!' Nettlekiss sounded unhinged. Flustered, Sweetie Belle seized ahold of Scootaloo by the wing and the pair disappeared in a flash of light.
Before Rarity could even reach the door, a burly Stallion crashed through it, sending broken shards of wood and splinters everywhere. Nettlekiss strode in, his steely eyes scanning the room. Seeing only Rarity, he immediately rounded on her.
'Where are they?' Nettlekiss snarled. Rarity didn't flinch.
'Who?'
'You know who! Your fillyfooler sister mare and her crippled friend! I know they were here, I overheard you, don't even try to deny it!'
Rarity returned the hateful gaze Nettlekiss had affixed to her. 'If you are referring to Scootaloo, I would appreciate if you would not refer to my close friends which such derogatory language. With regard to her Unicorn friend, I'm afraid you're mistaken. I've never met Sky Star before in my life. She most certainly is not my long lost sister. I assure you, I would recognize her.'
Nettlekiss looked like he was about to have a heart attack. Turning to his stallions, he gestured wildly to the room at large. 'Tear this place apart, and don't stop until you find them! I will be taking Miss Rarity into custody on the grounds of... of...'
'Of?' Rarity queried sweetly.
'Of... aiding and abetting a fugitive from justice!' Nettlekiss proclaimed triumphantly. 'Your sister is wanted on several counts of crimes against nature. You can come quietly, or I can escort you. Your choice.'
In the end, Rarity deigned to come quietly. 'Custody' transpired to be the adjacent room, empty aside from a table and two chairs. Nettlekiss seated himself opposite her. Both ponies eyed each other coolly, sizing each other up. Rarity spoke first.
'I wonder how this will affect your promotion, Commander? Having such a prominent fillyfooler sympathiser involved in your campaign will no doubt be embarrassing.'
Nettlekiss sneered. 'No scandal on earth could blot out one-millionth of the prestige I will earn for snaring another one of you fashionista sodomites. And I thought Hoity Toity was a good catch!' He cackled at the memory. 'Oh, don't be so sanctimonious. After all, you were the first one who brought it to my attention. Oh, how the mighty have fallen!'
Rarity stiffened. 'You tricked me. You said there were therapies... cures! Not... that!'
Nettlekiss spat on the floor. 'He's cured now. And with Celestia as my witness, your sister will join him. It's only a matter of time before we catch her now what city she's in. A simple DNA test should confirm who she is.'
A guard leaned into the door frame. 'They're not in there, sir. Should we dispatch a search patrol?'
Nettlekiss leaned back on his chair, a wide smile on his lips. 'Make that ten.'
Sweetie Belle wasted no time. The second they landed. she took off, Scootaloo hot on her heels.
They raced through the streets of Fillydelphia, their surroundings blurring into nothing but indiscriminate streaks of colour and light. Sweetie Belle had only one place on her mind, one mare.
Sweetie's worst fears were confirmed when she arrived at the shop. The front door had been smashed in, and covered with a notice from the town guard. Premises raided as part of an ongoing investigation.
Blood pounding, Sweetie Belle tore past the notice and entered the shop, shouting at the top of her voice. 'Amethyst! Amethyst!'
Scootaloo grabbed her before she could shout a third time. 'Quiet! They'll be looking for us, don't make it easy!'
Sweetie Belle shook her off, glaring. 'What am I supposed to do? Nothing?'
'You need to get out of here!' Scootaloo shook her head. 'I'm sorry, but Sweetie, if you keep looking for her, they'll just catch you both. Trust me. You have an emergency bag?'
Hesitantly, Sweetie Belle nodded, then shook her head. 'It doesn't matter! I'm not leaving without Amethyst, end of discussion!'
'Sweetie Belle, you've got maybe a few minutes before the Town Guard figures out this is the first place you'd go. Maybe they're on their way now. Just grab your bag and go! You won't be Amethyst any favours by getting yourself caught too!'
Sweetie Belle hesitated, torn. Scootaloo grabbed her and hugged her tight. 'It's been so good to see you again, Sweetie. You don't know how much I've missed you. But everything everypony has sacrificed to get you here is going to be wasted if you're caught tonight. So, please, just go. Get out of here. Before you can never leave again.'
'Sir?'
Nettlekiss turned to see a guard standing in the doorway. 'We got one of them.'
Scootaloo looked tired, grumpy and irritated. 'This better have been worth waking me up for. I have to open a shop tomorrow.'
Nettlekiss eyed Scootaloo with some distaste. 'And Sweetie Belle?'
'Nothing so far. We've searched all the administrative districts twice. I'd wager she's left the city, maybe even the country by now. It'll be hell to find her. We still have her partner in custody, but she's not cooperating.'
A vein twitched in Nettlekiss's forehead. 'Fine. Continue sweeping the city limits. Anything else?'
The guard looked away. 'You've got a visitor.'
Another mare entered. Her blue mane was cut short, and her eyes rested behind a pair of almost comically thick glasses. 'The name's River Lane. Attorney at law. I'm here to see...' Theatrically, she peered at a piece of paper with a name scribbled on it. 'Miss Rarity. I understand she is being detained here.'
Nettlekiss snorted. 'I don't think so. I'm not having her pull some voodoo legal trick out of her-'
'The law,' River Lane interrupted, 'Mandates that all freeborn Equestrian citizens enjoy the right to counsel. Failure to provide said right can result in charges being thrown out of court. I'm sure you're aware of this, Commander.'
Nettlekiss swore. 'Very well. It changes nothing. I will interrogate the cripp... pegasus in the meanwhile.' Rising to his hooves, he motioned for Scootaloo to follow him. For the first time, Rarity spoke.
'I'm willing to cover her legal fee, if she's willing to accept it. That won't be a problem, will it, River?'
River Lane adjusted her glasses. 'Not at all.'
If looks could kill, Nettlekiss could have cleared the room. As it stood, he opted to instead violently slam the door on the three of them. River Lane sighed theatrically, then seated herself on the now-empty chair. 'Moron. No, don't explain, I heard the whole sorry story from one of his guards downstairs. I'm not even going to ask how much of it is true. I've never seen such a flagrant disregard for the legal process. I'll speak with Nettlekiss and get him to see reason. Anything else?'
Rarity nodded. 'I actually wanted to let you know something. I intend to destroy my career and reputation as explosively as possible this week, so I foresee a lot of litigation coming my way. Do you want in?'
River Lane's brisk demeanour wavered slightly as a smile played upon her lips. 'Am I to assume this is related to the scandalous accusations about your sister?'
'Most definitely.'
'Then count me in.' Rising to her hooves, she nodded towards Scootaloo, whose mouth was agape. 'Evening.'
River Lane swept from the room. The muffled sound of discussion between her and Nettlekiss quickly grew until both ponies were all but screaming to be heard over the other. Rarity turned to Scootaloo. 'Is she safe?'
Scootaloo nodded, seemingly in awe. 'Oh, yeah. She said she knew someplace in the mountains she could hunker down for a while. You should have seen her emergency bag, it had wigs, colour contacts, everything. I don't know where she's going after that.'
Rarity breathed a sigh of relief. 'Thank you, Scootaloo. Just... thank you. So much.'
Scootaloo eyed her wearily. 'Are you... are you going to be all right, Rarity? This must be... hard.'
Rarity smiled, and ruffled Scootaloo's mane. 'Oh, I'll be fine. In fact, I'm feeling better than I've felt in a long, long time.'
One Week Later
Nettlekiss hadn't been underselling the dinners clientele. Senators, Chancellors, and even Celestia herself was in presence. She flipped through the new speech she had prepared. It was a little rough around the edges, but it came from the heart. That was enough.
Of course, Nettlekiss had fought hard to have her disinvited, but this was Celestia's party, not hers. Although after tonight, she doubted she'd be attending any more of Celestia's parties. From across the room, he could do little but glower at her. Rarity had returned his murderous stares with a elegant smile.
She had had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach the whole night. At first, she'd been unable to place it, but then she realized it was fear. For years, she had lived a comfortable, predictable life. She knew how each day would start and end. That was, after all, how you sold well. By being predictable. Stockholders liked predictable, marketers liked predictable, and the public liked predictable. The only ponies who liked spontaneity were artists, and Rarity wasn't an artist. She was an institution.
Tomorrow, she might wake up to find all her friends had abandoned her. She might lose everything she owned, wake up homeless, despised and ruined. She might even wake up in a prison cell. One thing was certain - life would never be the same again.
From her seat, she silently listened to an wealthy aging stallion ramble on about Nettlekiss. She had been offered a seat next to the princess, but she had politely declined. Instead, that seat was now occupied by the ambassador to the Griffon Empire.
As the speaker drew to a close, Rarity shuffled her speech one final time. She was up. An attendant took to the stage to announce the fact.
'Mares and Gentlecolts, we hope you're having a pleasant night. We will now hear a few words from Rarity, one of Equestria's most prominent fashion designers.'
Rarity was greeted with a smattering of applause as she took to the podium. A hundred or so weary faces greeted her. They'd not be bored of her for long.
'Good evening, mares and gentlecolts.' Her voice was perfectly pleasant, yet not without a slight edge to it. 'It's so good to have the opportunity to speak tonight, especially in front of so many prominent individuals. I have a lot on my mind, so I do hope you'll excuse me if my speech takes a little longer than I originally intended.'
No response. The ponies in front of her looked bored. Even Celestia's eyelids drooped imperceptibly. Rarity pressed on, regardless.
'Today, I want to speak about something close to me. That is... the matter of my dear sister, Sweetie Belle.'
The effect was instantaneous. a murmur rippled across the crowd, who now seemed to hang onto her every word. Rarity hadn't mentioned Sweetie Belle since her disappearance. Even Celestia blinked, as if she didn't quite believe what she'd heard. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nettlekiss's jaw drop.
'The past twelve years have been the hardest of my life. I have suffered socially, artistically, and most of all, emotionally. Not just because I lost a sister. Because I lost a part of myself.'
Silence. The crowd looked sympathetic, but Rarity knew that sympathy was for her. They couldn't care less about Sweetie Belle.
'Sweetie Belle, however, was not the victim of circumstance, or accident. She was not lost to natural causes, nor taken in any criminal act. She was taken from me by a nation which has, for millennia, systematically deprived it's citizens of their inalienable right to express their love for members of the same sex through laws targeted to persecute and intimidate these individuals into silence, and, failing that, to incarcerate and torture them into non-existence. Laws which I stand here today calling to be repealed.'
For a few, sweet, precious seconds, a shocked silence hung over the crowd. Then, there was uproar.
Several diners simply rose and left. Others - Nettlekiss amongst them - rose to shout abuse at the stage. A few said nothing, simply shook their heads in disbelief. Celestia simply stared dispassionately at her, as if daring her to continue.
She was less than a twentieth of the way through her speech, but Rarity knew there was no way she could shout over the baying crowd, which had begun to advance upon the stage. Several burly Royal Guards stepped forwards to surround her, though Rarity noticed a few held back, contempt in their eyes. The barrage continued.
'Fillyfooler!'
'Pervert!'
'Degenerate!'
'You see!' There was no mistaking the booming voice of Nettlekiss. 'We forgive her for the crimes of her sister, and what do we get? A deviant who seeks to subvert our values, to corrupt our youth, to change our nation!'
A cheer rose across the room. Rarity locked eyes with Celestia, the only pony in the room who had yet to voice her opinion. In response, the princess rose to her hooves.
Celestia's voice cut across the room like a hot knife through butter. Instantly, all competing voices were silenced. 'Peace. This display demeans you all.'
The ponies in front of Rarity immediately sunk into a deep bow at their leader's words. Rarity, meanwhile, remained standing.
Celestia ignored them, instead fixing her attention on Rarity. 'I do not appreciate my good will being hijacked to pull some form of political stunt. Please leave, or I will have you escorted out by the Guard.'
At her word, two Royal Guardsmen appeared by her side. Rarity glared at them. 'I'd like to finish my speech.'
'That will not be possible.'
Anger bubbled up inside Rarity. Before anypony could stop her, she hurled the speech at Celestia, who was knocked off-balance slightly by the stack of paper, falling to one knee. 'It's worth a read.'
The flustered princess blushed red with anger. 'Take her away!'
Rarity was seized by the Guards, and roughly dragged away. The last thing she saw before the princess disappeared from sight was a triumphant Nettlekiss helping her to her hooves, a barely disguised grin on his face.
The guards gave her a few kicks when they'd dragged her onto to street, but overall, she could have had it worse. She was barely limping at all by the time she arrived at the Carousel Boutique.
The next week passed like a blur. Twilight was the first to visit.
She hadn't come in, even when invited. Instead, she had simply hovered in the doorway, before asking her question. 'Is it true?'
Rarity nodded. 'Yes.'
Twilight shook her head pensively. 'I didn't want to believe it.'
And with that, she had simply turned and left.
Fluttershy was next. She, too, didn't believe the stories she'd heard, but had reacted far more sympathetically. Still, she had declined to join Rarity on her crusade - which Rarity could hardly fault her for.
As for Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Applejack, Rarity simply never saw any of them again.
Of course, there was the mail. So much of it, the post office had to assign Rarity her own mailmare. Most were variations of the same, outraged mares and stallions denouncing her and declaring they'd never buy another one of her dresses again. It was to be expected. Rarity's name had slipped from billboards. Every one of her orders had been cancelled. But she wouldn't have been able to honour her obligations anyway.
Rarity spent almost every waking hour making phone calls, scheduling interviews, responding to inquiries. At first, the only papers willing to print her were tabloids, gutter press who'd like nothing better than to squeeze a few bits out of a shamed fashionista's dying career. Rarity didn't care - as long as her voice was out there, it didn't matter.
Then came the offers to appear on radio shows. Her voice had become too big to ignore, and now plenty of ponies was looking to knock her down a few pegs, mostly obscure conservative commentators, real red-blooded stallions who could shout as long and as loud as she could. With each segment, her fame grew, multiplied and spread.
Her major epiphany had come when she was discussing the legal minutiae of a lawsuit from one of the many groups claiming to represent Equestrian morality with River Lane. The media, she reasoned, was invested in the status quo. To combat this, she had to create an alternative, something that would not only sell, but send a message.
The first print of Shine magazine was seized by the courts under obscenity laws. To her everlasting credit, River Lane had not won the series of prolonged legal battles that followed, she had done so with a poise and grace that was utterly absent in the prosecution. The first print had sold out in hours. The second print sold within a similar timeframe, even though it had printed ten times as many copies.
Now, it seemed for every letter she received denouncing her, she received one supporting her. Ponies would spit at her in the street, yet others would greet her warmly, shake her hoof, thank her for her work.
Rarity was never at rest. There was always an interview to take, a speech to give, a protest to march at. Years passed, yet every day she seemed younger. As cliche as it was, she knew she had found the calling in life. It was to help society's unfortunate. To be generous.
And after a life of catering to the whims of the spoilt, pampered elite of Canterlot society, she was thankful for every day she spent doing it. |
Just a Phase | Epilogue - The Memories of Sweetie Belle | ~ Ten Years Later ~
Sweetie Belle stared out of the window, listening to the chilling sound of the wind whistling by, rattling the panes of glass. Behind her, she heard the radio playing, loud and clear.
'Another momentuous victory for the pro-homosexual advocates today, as Filllydelphia struck the last of it's remaining lobomtomy-based sodomy laws off the books! Former fashionista turned social justice campaigner Rarity has hailed the victory as, quote-on-quote, "Yet another crucial blow to the twisted system we seek to destroy."'
Her sister had always had a knack for drama. Sweetie Belle knew the future youth of Equestria would be in good hooves. Slowly, but surely, bit by bit, Equestria would become safe for ponies like her. Like a fish, entangled in a mass of barbed hooks, being gently and carefully freed from each one.
Sweetie Belle sighed, and rose to her hooves. Trotting over to the stove, she mulled over what to cook for dinner. Beans on toast? She was feeling lazy today. Grabbing a can and a can opener, she placed a pan on top of the oven and began to heat it up.
Some scars, of course, were permanent. Some hooks, too deeply embedded to dig out. Sweetie Belle alone knew this better than anyone. The ponies of the old ways had inflicted immesurable damage on her generation, and the generations that preceded her. One day, she hoped, they would get a taste of their own medicine.
The toast popped, and the hob began to whistle. Sweetie Belle arranged two plates of toast neatly, crusts removed, and generously poured over each a serving of baked beans. Just how she used to like them.
'Honey? Dinner's ready!'
Silence. Sweetie Belle glanced out the door into the hallway. Sometimes, it took a few shouts.
'Hellooo?'
Sweetie Belle distinctly heard a shuffling in the adjacent room. Shuffling gave way to hoofsteps, and soon enough, Amethyst's head poked through the door.
'There you are! Sit down, it's time to eat.'
Amethyst said nothing, just shuffled over to the table. Clumsily crashing into her seat, she grabbed a nearby fork with her magic, and began to wolf the meal down.
'Hey, slow down! A thank you would be appreciated.'
But she wasn't going to say thank you. She wasn't going to say please, or hello, or ask her how her day had been. Because Amethyst didn't do that. In fact, she didn't do anything any more.
Because along the base of Amethyt's skull, running across her now-shaven head, and ending between her eyes, was a gruesome, ugly, deformed scar, showing where the doctors had come and taken away what made Amethyst unique. What made her special. What made her the mare Sweetie Belle had fallen in love with. Gone, forever.
Silently, Sweetie Belle paced to the other side of the table, and sat opposite to Amethyst, who didn't even look up from her meal. Sweetie Belle felt her eyes swell with tears.
'Amethyst... please, say something.'
THE END |
An Angel and her Soldier | pre | They messed with my friends in my town, so I did the most rational thing to do. I smashed the first bandit who tried to chain me, ripe out their intestines and choke them with it.
"Hey! what the hell!" Another bandit walked in while I was having a good time, so I riped out the dead bandit's heart and force-feed it to his friend and slowly strangled the life out of him.
I walked out smiling and the rest of the bandits tried to take me down with swords, knives, maces, lances, you name it. I picked up an old rusty pipe and smashed all their heads in and freed Ponyville.
Just ask the others and they'll tell you it's true.
Of course more bandits showed up.
"This is going to be easy, little dead-meat." A bandit charged at me with a chainsaw.
Easy. Was the only thing on my mind right now as I side-stepped and smashed that freak's skull in.
After a while, they started getting smarter and used arrows. A friend of mine took an arrow for me and died because she lost too much blood. I lost it and dropped the pipe and smashed their heads in with my bare hooves, ripping off their forelegs or anything else attached to their body.
The bandits set up camp near the town and I just ran in and blew it up with some TNT a little filly gave me. And the big bandit boss wasn't happy.
His name was Sledge Hammer and, boy he was huge. He had a large spiked hammer and smashed it across my face.
I tried everything, tackling him, hitting him, burning him and even my leftover TNT nothing stopped the big idiot.
I though "Hey, if he didn't have his hammer he'll be a huge lame ass" So I used the last of my TNT and tackled him and took his spiked club. I know you would expect him to be a blood-thirsty emotionless idiot but as soon as I took the hammer he begged me to give it back.
I honestly didn't know what to do. On one hoof, he did kill some of my ponies in Ponyville and on the other, he was crying like a big baby.
"Please gimmie back my momma's hammer! That's the only thing I got to remember her by!" The big baby cried.
I was raised by my sis and she always told me "When a stallion cries, you know he's serious."
"Don't hurt anypony else and I'll give back your hammer" I said and held out the hammer. He took it and gave me a big hug.
As thanks he gave me a smaller version of his spiked club, I think it was his when he was a foal.
And that's when this picture of a club and a diploma-thingy showed up on my flank.
Brick stared at the pony who looked like he just shat his pants. "I can be deadly or diplomatic, your choice." He said and dropped the pony on the ground and made his way to Roland.
"Doesn't look good..." Headshot said. "I ain't a doctor but I can tell he isn't going to make it without some help and fast."
Roland was dozing off again. His eyes drifted to another pony in the background, staring at him. The pony stepped back and dissapeared into the crowd.
"Twilight! Over here!" Headshot called out to the light purple and magenta unicorn.
Twilight ran over carrying a large medical bag. "Surgery! Stat!" She yelled and everyone made room for the doctor and the soldier.
She took out a scalpel and opened up Roland in the mid-section. "Damn..." She whistled. Roland's insides were literally made of jello and blood. Her horn glowed and the jello organs began to turn back into fully functioning organic organs. Cuts and wounds began to heal themselves.
Roland breathed, sweet air filled his lungs. "Angel!" He yelled and crawled over to her side. "Angel! It's me, Roland!"
Angel's eyes began to glow and a demonic voice echoed throughout Ponyville. "Your precious Siren cannot help you now." The voice bellowed and Angel's body began to float and disappear.
Roland's echo turned on. "Roland... Help..." Angel said and then the echo turned off.
Roland stared at the ground where Angel was only seconds ago. "Where is the Griffon camp?" Roland said.
"Wait! What about Angel?!? We got to help her!" Headshot yelled and came face-to-face with Roland. "She's your friend dammit!!"
Roland looked up. "You don't think I know that, think about it whatever that thing that took Angel is, it isn't just some unicorn making magic. We need some serious firepower and my turret is the only thing that could give us enough firepower."
Brick saw the crowd stare uneasily at the soldier.
"Maybe the vice was right, maybe they should just leave." A pony in the crowd said.
"Alright, folks, break it up, nothing to see here." Brick said to the crowd as they dispersed. He then turned his attention back to the soldier. "That would be the Screaming Talons clan up in Dragon peak mountain. The regular pass was covered by a huge landslide, you'll have to move to the other side of the mountain through White-tail woods and a large Bandit clan is set up in the camp; The Broken horns, unicorns with powerful but uncontrollable magic. Hope you're ready for a fight." Brick said and turned back to the wreckage. "Wish I could come with you but I need to see to the repairs of the town."
"You won't be able to get in without some explosives; I know a mare that would love to blow up the Talons." Headshot said and flew up. "I'll meet up with her and tell her not to blow up when she sees you." He said and flew towards the mountain.
Twilight looked up to the sky. "He's wing's not completely healed, he won't be able to fly for long." Twilight said. "I'll come with you. Just in case." Twilight said and levitated her saddlebag and latched it on.
"Thanks but unless you know how to fight, I'd rather not have to babysit a pony." Roland said, sternly. He walked through town and found White-tail woods.
The woods in question were overrun with a creature similar to a Night Stalker but smaller and didn't have invisibility, but the most noticeable feature was a pair of bat wings and venomous fangs.
"Those are the Crawler." Twilight said. She has been following Roland since town hall. "We can either fight them or sneak pass."
Roland looked at the Crawlers and saw they didn't have much vision or smell but make up for speed. One Crawler riped apart a bunny within two seconds. Roland thought for a while. "The faster we get there, the better." Roland shot his rifle at the Crawlers, killing one by critical hit.
Twilight took out a bloody bone saw that looked like it was used frequently. She slashed a Crawler in across the neck and pushed it aside.
Roland pressed on and knifed anything that got too close. They were slowly being surrounded and Roland was low on ammo. He was on his last clip as he reloaded.
A lightning bolt struck a Crawler in the head. Water harmlessly splashed on several Crawler, much to their anger and another bolt of lightning passed through them.
Headshot was perched on a stationary cloud and waved towards the duo, he then turned his head to the left and fired. Roland knew there was a fight going on and sprinted forward towards the bandit camp.
Fire burnt through the camp as screams of terror and pain echoed through the burning encampment. One pony stared at the burning buildings with a smile, having an insane amount of explosive strapped along her body, her horn was covered with soot as flames burnt through the flesh of the mages of the bandit clan.
"Name's Firecracker, Biyocth!" She yelled as she turned around and an explosion erupted from behind her. "Oh hey, didn't see 'ya there."
Headshot flew down and waved at Firecracker. "Hey, this is the guy I was telling you about, Roland."
Firecracker threw a bundle of unlit dynamite to Roland. "Glad I could meet some...thing that loves blowing shit up as much as I do!" She giggled and bounce towards a burning building. "And I LOVE burning stuff even more!"
"Yeah. Did you get the explosives?" Roland asked.
"Of course." Firecracker said and pulled out a miniature spark.
Headshot backed away as soon as she pulled out the spark. "SHITTTT! That's enough firepower to blow up Canterlot if you place it right."
"You know me, Headshot, I never pack light." Firecracker tucked back the small spark and merrily hopped away as if she didn't have bombs that could destroy a city.
"Do not. I repeat. Do not douse her with water, unless you want to make a crater the size of Sugarcube corner." Headshot said and quickly followed the happy arsonist.
Roland and Twilight followed the Pegasus around the mountain and saw the road that leads up to the top.
"This is going to be a long trip." Roland sighed and started their hike.
Angel. You're going to be alright, you're being taken to an abandoned mineshaft and you lost all your weapons even the knife and SMG. We need that knife.
Angel opened her eyes and she saw she was chained up on the wall, two armored ponies took guard. She saw her HUD reboot as her health, ammo, shields and navigation checked out. Large bold letters appeared in front of her and read "LEVEL UP".
I'm talking to you telepathically, I left you with a little gift, try to knock them out.
Angel opened her ECHO and switched it to the skill tree, there were three categories to choose from, Angel; which mostly shows buffs and heals, Siren; which shows different things that could modify her Phase Shift ability, and Magic; that mostly shows upgrades for weapons to give them an elemental power.
The Siren skill tree shown a mind-control skill that makes lower level enemies fight for you and make you do what you want. She picked that skill.
The two guards looked as bored as a skag without something to chew on. Angel used her Phase Shift ability to make the two guards do her bidding, the two guards picked up the keys and unlocked Angel's bindings. She smiled and knocked the two ponies out.
She traveled outside her little prison and saw that the mine wasn't abandoned after all. Workers with pickaxes mined through rocks and most gems were left in a pile with a few dog things.
"Find the shinnies, slaves." One of the dogs said, Angel crouched down behind a few barrels and crates and peaked over. "Master said watch hairless diamond dog and you find shinnies for us!"
Angel tried to find an exit inside the compound but it was being guarded by the dogs and two large brute ponies.
You can't leave just yet, your stuff is in the safe by your left, the combination is 4,4,4,4. Make sure nopony sees you.
Angel smiled as she noticed the two weak looking guards by the safe, she used her Phase Shift and took control of the two guards, and she sent them away to cause a distraction.
Several minutes later a large fire broke out and a cave-in at one of the mines made her job easier. She went to the safe and turned the dial to open the safe holding her weapons and the vault key/knife.
Good, you got the vault key, you should get out before they figure out your gone.
Angel snuck out the door of the safe and hid in the shadows. As she moved through the compound, her scent was becoming known to the dogs.
"Something doesn't smell right." One of the dogs said and sniffed the air. "The hairless-dog is loose!" The dog pointed towards Angel as she ran from cover to cover.
She took out her rifle and shot the two guards in head, their bodies fell limp on the ground. Angel used her Phase Shift to disorient the dogs and make the weaker ones attack. She ran through the doors. She could see Ponyville in the distance. She sprinted towards Ponyville. Howls and barks followed her towards Ponyville.
Brick was finishing up the repairs on the town hall and the main square. He saw something running on the distance.
"Angel?" He wondered as the human siren can rushing out with a mob of Diamond dog following her.
Brick groaned and went inside town hall and took out a spiked club. "Hope they don't do much damage." Brick muttered softly and charged with the club clenched in his teeth and smashed the diamond dog's skull, blood poured out of its nozzle and head.
Angel took out her rifle and shot the oncoming dogs. "Brick!" She yelled.
Brick pulled out his spiked club and looked at Angel. "Yeah?"
Angel pulled back the trigger and sent a diamond dog flying back. "Where's Roland?"
Brick slammed his hoof down on a diamond dog's head. "He's going up Dragon peak mountain to get his turret thingy." Brick said and shoved off a large diamond dog that bit him on the foreleg.
A large howl came from the ranks of the diamond dogs. The dogs stopped their assault and made way for a enormous dog that snapped at Angel and a smaller dog on its shoulder.
"That is one big bitch." Brick commented and dodged a huge paw but didn't see the tail that knocked him back towards a tree and snap it in half.
The giant dog howled and the dogs attacked the mayor and the siren.
Brick roared himself and sent the dogs flying. He smiled. "This is gonna be fun!" |
An Angel and her Soldier | Chapter 5 | Chapter 5
Brick slammed his front hooves on the ground and sneered at the enormous diamond dog with a happy expression. The diamond dog howled.
"I'll handle this." Brick said to Angel and charged at the diamond dog. The diamond howled again and several dogs tried to block Brick's advance, the dogs didn't want to play fair and used sharp weapons like spears and swords to slow him down. Brick didn't slow down and rushed through them and even trampling smaller diamond dogs with a satisfying crunch.
Brick turned, using all his momentum and BUCKED the giant diamond dog with his back hooves. The diamond dog flew back a few feet and had several, if not, all his ribs broken. Brick wasn't finished with the dog and jumped on the dog and slammed his hooves on its neck, cutting through the skin and muscles and pulled out the spine and skull.
"HAHAHAHHAHAH! CRY SOME MORE! MORE BLOOD! KILL!" Brick pulled off its arm and threw it at a group of diamond dog. Those smart enough ran away while the slower or dumber dogs died without so much as a whimper.
Angel stared at the pure carnage of Brick's onslaught and cringe at each snap of the spine, crack of the ribs or screams of the dying.
Brick stopped and blinked. He stared at the last remaining diamond dog and... just stared, cold menacing eyes pierced the dog's small pupils, the dog wished Brick would just kill him and get it over with. Brick stared for what felt like an eternity. For the dog, it was staring at the Grim Reaper himself and he was toying with him, for Brick, it was Tuesday.
The dog picked up a small knife and cut his own throat open, to stop the staring of the mayor.
Brick turned around, stare still active and accidentally locked eyes with Angel. He quickly blinked and rushed over to her side. Angel saw the most terrifying thing she has ever witnessed, even for just a second.
"SORRYSORRYSORRYSORRYSORRYSORRYSORRYSORRY!!!!!" Brick repeated over and over. "Sorry, I didn't mean it!"
Angel was scared but also very interested on what Brick just did. "It's... alright, what did you do?" Angel asked.
"It's sort of a family gift. The Stare as Sis called it. She said I got the most 'potent' Stare since Grandma Shy." Brick said. Several ponies came out of their houses, some of them were carrying knives and pitchforks.
"That thing brought the diamond dogs here! The vice was right!" One of the ponies yelled and pointed at Angel. "They couldn't save those three girls and they brought monsters and bandits to our peaceful town!" Angel shrank back at the insults.
Brick had enough. "LISTEN TO YOURSELVES! Do you think that without their help we wounldn't even be standing here, THEY SAVED OUR LUNA-DAMNED LIVES! If it wasn't for them all of you would be dead!"
"But they couldn't save the kids!" One of the ponies yelled and the rest cheered in agreement.
"Then what the fuck did you do? Hid inside town hall, cowering in fear. I gathered all I could to save as much as the population in Ponyville! Did you do anything? Tell me something did ANY of you actually do anything to help those foals? HUH!?! ANSWER ME!" Brick yelled at the crowd, effectively muting the sound. "IF ANY OF YOU HAVE THE GALL TO BLAME THESE SELFLESS BEINGS, THAT SAVED OUR ASSES WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A THANK YOU, THEN I SUGGEST TO GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY TOWN! NOW!" With that Brick motioned Angel to come inside the town hall and into his office.
Brick sat down on his chair and sighed. "I never meant any of this to happen... Sorry I dragged you into this political mess."
"It's alright... I'm more worried about Roland..." Angel said, casting a long gaze outside the window.
"Don't be, knowing Twi, Head, and Firecracker, he'll have all the help he needs." Brick said and put some paperwork in the shredder.
"I guess you're right."
"...and I was like 'Oatmeal!?! Are you crazy?!?' and he was like-" Firecracker ranted on as they ascended the steap mountain.
"Shhh... we're here." Headshot said and stared at a large wall with a huge energy dome. "Place the spark there." Headshot pointed to a weak looking wall.
Firecracker quietly sneaked up to the wall and placed the small spark. Headshot aimed his rifle at the spark as Firecracker made her way back to the group. After she was safe with her team, Headshot shot the spark with water and the spark exploded.
The explosion would make Mr.Torge proud as it rocked the whole mountain and completely blasted the huge wall and shields apart. The vibrations itself reached Canterlot and Fillydelphia.
"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Roland yelled and broke from cover and ran inside the gaping hole in the wall. Griffons scattered throughout the sky and Roland fired his rifle at them.
What I'd give to have a shotgun right now. He muttered and hid to cover as bullets bounced off his shield. He peaked over cover and saw his turret on a high balcony.
"They took out the Limiter!" Roland yelled as his pony allies hid behind cover.
"The what?" Headshot yelled and fired his lightning cloud at the circling Griffons.
"The thing that keeps it from breaking! That thing will break without the Limiter!" Roland yelled back.
"I can blow it up with THIS!" Firecracker pulled out a Rocket launcher from... somewhere and aimed it at the turret.
Roland put his hand on the Rocket launcher and pulled down the pyromaniac. "We came here to get that thing back, not blow it up. Where the hell did you get that anyway?" Roland said and inspected the Rocket launcher.
The leather handle and quick magazine reload system matched that of the Vladof Rocket Launcher but as Roland looked at it closer the weapon was also reloaded from both sides, fired three rockets at a time and has times three zoom. It was, by far, the most advance Rocket launcher Roland has ever seen.
"Made it with duct-tape and metal bits I found around the Cracker-cave. That's my place by the way." Firecracker smiled and fired at the air, hitting three Griffons with the rockets. "I call it the Firecracker's portable hoofheld cannon device or FPHCD for short."
Roland stared at the flame red pony. "You made this? This... is ... a fine piece of machinery." Roland couldn't help but complement the crazed arsonist.
"Hate to break this up but we're still pinned and Griffons are circling us like buzzers." Twilight said and fired a magic bolt that missed its target completely.
Roland snapped out of it and drew the turret's fire so that the other could find better strategic positions.
Twilight stayed close to Headshot as his wing was starting to bend in an odd angle. Headshot moved to an open building with a view to the sky and fired at the flying Griffons.
Firecracker was setting up some TNT and burning down anything flammable and shooting her Rocket launcher at the Griffons and anything on the ground. "BURN! TASTE THE RAINBOW OF FLAMING DEATH! BWAHHAHHHAH!" Firecracker cackled and burned down some Griffons that dived bombed her.
Roland saw a big Griffon with Mohawk feathers on her head. "Hurry up and kill them! You useless pile of Doo Doo dung!" The Griffon yelled.
As soon as the Griffon came out Headshot flew out with his broken wing. The turret aimed but The Griffon set it off.
"RAZORWIND! You and me have a score to settle!" Headshot yelled at Razor.
"Puh-leese, you're old news Heady." Razor said and flew up to meet him at eye-level. "Looks like ol' Heady's wing has a boo-boo." She laughed.
Headshot glared at Razor. "I could beat you with both wings broken." Headshot yelled and pulled up his cloud rifle and aimed.
Razor flew towards him at neck-break speed and held him by the left wing. "Does that hurt? I'll take you up on that bet." She grabbed the other wing and twisted it to match the left wing.
Headshot screamed in pain as his wing-bones snapped and he was blacking out. "Done already? Pathetic." Razor threw him back to the ground and swichted on the turret and turned her attention to Firecracker. "Hello! Nice to see ya again, you psychotic freak!"
Firecracker took a fire axe from a nearby Emergency box. "Hi Razor! I'm going to kill you now!" She yelled and burned the axe and threw it at the Griffon. Razor dodged and dived bombed the unicorn and dragged her through the dirt.
The Rocket launcher was on the ground and the turret was firing at Roland. Razor threw Firecracker to a wall and knocked her out.
Twilight fired at the turret to try and disable it but Razor grabbed her by the horn and pulled her down to the ground.
Roland moved towards the Rocket launcher and picked it up. One shot left. Roland though and fired at the last trio of rockets at the Griffon. He was out of ammo for all his guns. One of the many mistakes he kept repeating on Pandora, he always forgets to RESTOCK HIS AMMO!
Razor survived the trio of rockets and dashed towards the soldier. Roland dodged and he had a brilliant idea.
He ran towards the balcony, dodging as much fire from the turret and Razor as he could. He climbed up the balcony and tore off the head of the turret and used it as a machine gun.
Bullets hit the Griffon leader in the chest and several others above the air until they retreated towards the clouds. Roland dropped the broken turret and rushed over to Firecracker and Headshot.
Twilight was getting up and head over to Firecracker since she was the closest. Twilight shot a beam that healed her wounds. She then moved towards Headshot.
"Not good, he needs a real hospital. I'll try to keep him alive for as long as I can but..." Twilight said and shot the same beam at Headshot.
Roland picked up Firecracker and Headshot. "We don't have time to waste." Roland said. The soldier and the medic ran down the mountain and found the blocked off path Brick mentioned. Roland placed a TNT charge and blasted the rocks apart and dashed towards Ponyville.
It took half the time to get back. Roland rushed towards the hospital and bursts through the door and placed Headshot on a table. "This guy needs help, Fast!" Roland yelled and gently placed Firecracker on a chair.
A few medical ponies took Headshot's broken body and led it to an operation room. Twilight ran in with the medical ponies to assist the surgery.
Roland waited for hours. Blaming himself for his team's injuries.
I should have thought more. I should have seen it coming. I should have been in that room not Headshot. Roland thought, fiddling with his fingers.
Firecracker woke up beside the soldier. "What happened? Why do I taste dirt?"
Roland turned to his side and pulled out FPHCD and gave it to Firecracker. "... In the end, we didn't even get the turret back." Roland said.
"Maybe not. I could make something similar to it but it won't be the same." Firecracker said and hopped off the chair. "I could use some of my experemental weapon designs to work like your turret."
"Really?" Roland said.
"Yup, I got Flamethrowers, Cannons, Crossbows and a Giant wooden robot shield thing. Choose your pick." Firecracker did actions to show what she was referring to.
"Flamethrower sounds nice." Roland said. Firecracker bounced up and down.
"Dragon Turret it is then!" She blasted off the doors and then she was gone.
Twilight came out several minutes later with a sorrowful look on her face. Roland jumped up to meet the unicorn. "Is he alright?"
Twilight was silent for a few minutes. "He's... He can't... He lost both his wings in that fight but the mechanical experts are working with two artificial wings, I don't know much about machines so I quietly left." Twilight sighed. "I hope he's alright." Twilight started to tear.
Roland pulled her into a heartfelt hug. "I lost an entire squad of men in my care and I don't want to lose anymore." Roland said. "I blame myself all-day and all-night, kept saying 'If I was stronger, smarter, better maybe I could have saved them.' But I couldn't change the past no matter what I did." Roland realeased Twilight from her hug. "It wasn't your fault it was the leader. It was my fault. Don't blame yourself."
"Thanks..." Twilight said softly.
"Hey! What's with the sad faces?" Roland and Twilight looked at the door and found Headshot without his wings, smiling at them.
"Your wings... I'm so sorry." Roland apologized.
Headshot stared at the two depressed warriors and laughed. "Guys. Check this out." Headshot said and two holes on his back opened up and metalic wings came out and looked like his old pair of wings. "I never asked for this but this is so COOL!"
Roland and Twilight smiled. "Good to see you're alright." Roland said.
"Hey look. Turn on your ECHO thingy." Headshot said and went to the far end of the hall.
Roland turned on his ECHO and Headshot spoke through it. "Those techie guys built in a radio in my head and I found your frequency." Headshot said from across the hall.
"What did he say?" Twilight asked and leaned in.
"He said that those ponies built a radio in his head." Roland replied.
"Hey I can listen to Celestia radio on this thing!" Headshot yelled excitedly.
Roland and Twilight laughed and they left the hospital with their new half-robot friend.
Soft mechanical buzzing filled the air as Headshot's wings flap in the air. "I think those guys said something about boasters on this thing." As soon as he said 'boaster' two jets came out of his wings and he flew at extreme speeds and even made a sonic boom.
"Ponyville hadn't seen a sonic boom since the peaceful times." Twilight commented.
"Roland?" Angel said through the ECHO.
"Angel? Where are you?" Roland replied to her ECHO message.
"Hello? So I just talk to this thing?" Brick said, unknown to him that Roland was listening in. "So... ahhh... Roland? I don't know if you can hear me but if you want to beat Anarchy then you need an army."
"All copy, Brick, where are you guys anyway?" Roland said in his ECHO. Brick gave a startled grunt.
Angel took the ECHO and talked back to Roland. "There's a bandit clan; The Hammers, that have good relations with Ponyville so they might give us a hand-er-hoof."
"Copy." Roland said. "What the hell happened anyway?"
"Woke up in a mine guarded by dogs. No big deal." Angel said. She looked out the window and noticed the sun go down and the moon rise up. "We're in town hall. We'll stay the night here."
Roland looked over to Twilight. Twilight had a concerned look on her face, probably thinking about Headshot's condition. Roland did fell a bit guilty for what happened. "Negatory, Me and Headshot will stay at Twilight's place. He was injured earlier and lost both his wings. I'm not entirely sure he's fit for duty."
Angel was a bit concerned without Roland for the night but I guess she understood why. "Alright, meet us inside Sugarcube corner tommorow, Okay?"
"Sounds good, Roland out." Roland pressed the switch on his ECHO and started to follow the signs of destruction that Headshot left.
Headshot was smashed inside the wall of an old clock tower as his muffled cries for help were drowned out by the gears and springs inside the clock tower.
Roland poked his leg. "You alright?"
Headshot rolled his eyes. "Do I look alright to you?"
"I've seen worse." Twilight said and used her magic to pull him out of the hole in the wall. Headshot shook off the dust from his coat and mane and retracted his new robotic wings.
Headshot thought silently for a moment. "Go Go Gadget Toothbrush!" He yelled and waited for something to happen.
After a few minutes Roland face-palmed.
Twilight led them back to her place. It was a giant library tree house thing. Twilight opened the door and went inside. Roland shrugged at the Pegasus and ducked to follow the unicorn.
The inside had a hard wood floor and bookshelves lined with an assortment of books. A stone horse head was on the table and several medical notes and other things were surrounding the Horse-head Bust.
Twilight pulled out a small brown box and shoved several... "Devices" in it and quickly hid it away. "You two didn't see anything." She said menacingly.
Headshot and Roland slowly nodded.
"Good. Make yourselves comfortable while I go prepare the beds." Twilight said and went upstairs.
Headshot pulled up two cushions and sat down on one, Roland did the same but it was a bit too small for the gruff soldier. "So what's the story with Firecracker anyway?"
"How she got her Cutie-mark was sort of unique." Headshot said lied down on the cushion.
She burned down a town... with two rocks and a few sticks of dynamite...
Let me start at the beginning.
Me and her? We go way back, back when we were around our teen years.
So I was an assassin for hire while she did whatever she wanted in our little hide-out.
I got this job to take out a bandit leader call Mow-Down, a Minotaur. He was large, fast, strong, smelly and had an IQ of a rubber duck. The perfect Minotaur bandit leader.
So he built a town, a small empire near Manehatten and the folks there hired me to get the job done. I was at the top of my game, not one shot missed since I picked up the old scope and barrel.
I missed when it was time to take out my mark but the fucking Razorwind tackled me to the ground and the lightning bolt missed completely.
Firecracker was reading a book of combat spells at the time and learned how to burn things... a lot... even burnt a few of my feathers... She was also reading a book titled "The Bombinomicon" and she learned how to blow up EVERYTHING... She even blew up our hide-out.
Firecracker's first creations were firecrackers but those were enough to ruffle a few feathers and send a Griffon flying away.
I lost my "No missed shots ever" record because of that Griffon. So I was a bit pissed.
I was down and couldn't fire my rifle but Firecracker burned anything that got to close and burned down the buildings with ease. Mow-Down tried to take her down from a distance by throwing everything at her but she burned it and threw it back.
She started to change after that...
She began to cackle madly as she roasted the boss down to a fiery crisp, her mane was a perfect match with the fire in the background and she hummed a disturbing parody of a song. A song that was supposed to bring smiles to everypony who hears it.
"They call me the Cracker
And I am here to burn
I'm gonna burn you all today and smile all the wayyyy!
It doesn't matter now
If you had things to do
'Cause burning all your friends is what I'm here to do
'Cause I love to make you hurt, hurt, hurt
Yes I do
It burns your body down unto the ground
Yes it does
All I really need is for you scream, scream, scream
In the fiery pits of hell!"
I sort of blacked out after that but after I woke up I saw her Cutie-mark, A burning time bomb with fiery bat wings.
Seriously she's fucking scary.
Twilight came back down from the stairs. "The beds are ready but if the two of you are hungry. I could make something for the both of you." She said.
"Nah, I'm good." Headshot said and walked up the stairs. "I'm gonna hit the hay early. Night, guys."
"Not really hungry right now.Maybe tomorrow." Roland said and went up the stairs.
After a few minutes, Twilight went up the stairs to see if the two warriors were asleep. Roland was fast asleep on the bed and Headshot fell out of bed but was still asleep.
Twilight quickly ran down the stairs and excitedly took out the brown bag. "Now that I'm alone..."
Brick gave Angel a presidential suite inside town hall. Brick also lived inside town hall for two reasons:
1. It was easier to get to work in the morning when he sleeps in.
2. He doesn't like his house, it smells like rats, cider and animal dung, sure he liked furry animals and was taking care of a few of them but it stinks so bad.
Angel took off her shirt and turned on the shower. Water poured down from the shower-head and slid down her body. Her slender form was quite nice to look at even if you were a pony.
She looked at her blue tattoos and remembered all the times she lied to the nine vault hunters, five years ago and from earlier this year.
Brick was in the suite next door and Brick flushed his toilet. Hot water splashed on Angel's body as she yelped from the sudden change in water temperature.
"Are you alright?" Brick yelled through the wall.
"I'm fine!" Angel replied.
She picked up a purple bath-towel and wrapped it around her body. She noticed the bloody pile of clothes on the floor. She placed them inside the washing machine and turned them on.
She was thinking, something she did all the time when she was locked up inside the A.I control room.
What if I wasn't a siren? Maybe thing would have been better with me and Jack... She thought as she sat down on her large bed. ... Or maybe he would just get rid of me when I was a new born. That sounds like something Jack would do.
The sound of the washing machine stopped and she took out the clothes, she then placed them in a magical dryer made to quickly dry clothes and avoid shrinking.
As soon as she pressed the button the machine stopped and she pulled out the fresh clothes, all pressed and nice... until the next bloodbath that is.
Angel put on her short and shirt and lied down on her bed.
What would happen... She thought to herself. If I just told the vault hunters of what was in the vault... Maybe I could have avoided all this trouble.
Firecracker took out a roll of duct-tape and several pieces of metal. The FPHCD was redisigned to fire rockets and shoot out flames but she had another problem.
The FPHCD turret or Dragon turret for short needed to be portable. How in the wide, wide world of Equis can she do that?!?
Of course she could carry it around, she had access to Hammer-space but this was for the big alien soldier she liked.
She likes fire and explosions and he like fire and explosions. Of course she likes him.
Firecracker wrapped her brain around what to do. In her frustration, she threw all her equipment on the ground. She noticed an old toolbox in the corner of her workshop and had a brilliant idea.
She dismantled the turret and, with a little unicorn magic, took out a small gray box and compacted the large turret into the box.
"I... am... the ... MOST BRILLIANT UNICORN TO HAVE EVER BURNED DOWN A TOWN!" She yelled at her triumph and looked at the clock. "Nap time." She then fell back on her bed and instantly fell asleep. |
An Angel and her Soldier | Chapter 6 | Chapter 6
Fire burned as Headshot was bound to a wooden chair. He screamed for help as the flames came closer and closer to his coat. Inside the flames he saw a demon, worse than the ones he fought before and ten times more deadly.
The Demon broke through the flames and stepped closer and closer. Headshot's breathing was erratic as the Demon slowly pulled up the mask it wore as a symbol of horror.
"Hiya! Heady!"
Headshot woke up with a start, sweat pouring down his face as his new wings twiched with every heartbeat. "It was just a dream." Headshot breathed a sigh of relief.
"What was?" Firecracker said through the window and startled, actually more like scared the living shitiles out of the poor Pegasus. Headshot jumped up in the air and panicked, hitting the wall as stars began to circle his head.
Firecracker stood over the dizzy Pegasus and smiled. "Good morning!" She smiled. Headshot began to calm down.
"EVERY FUCKING MORNING!" The sniper yelled and got up to his hooves. "Why can't you just sleep in like a normal unicorn once in a while?"
"'Cause I'm not normal!" She said and quickly made Headshot's bed. "And I love watching my favorite cyborg-Pegasus sleep! And... You were dreaming about me again, weren't you?"
Headshot blushed and matched the unicorn's coat color. "More like a nightmare!" He said as he averted his eyes from her red ones.
Firecracker waved it off. "Listen, Roland and that other alien girl with the blue tattoos were going to Sugarcube corner, I just came here to wake you up."
Headshot scratched his head. "Why didn't they just wake me up?"
"They tried. I'm the only one who could wake you up from one of your bondage dreams." She said and trotted down the stairs.
Headshot blushed again and stuttered his words. "But-It wasn't- I mean I never got to that- AGHHH! Why are you so difficult?!?"
Cake Batter, the Cake family's eldest and only son, worked the oven while his sister, Lemon Cake, worked the cash register.
Lemon Cake yawned. It was going to be another slow day because of the repairs and nopony ever has time for sweets anymore. Lemon sighed.
"Sis... I'm bored..." Cake Batter groaned.
"Just one more day and Uncle Rum Cake will come back from vacation and the place will be booming." Lemon said to her older brother.
"Nopony says 'booming' anymore." The older brother said. "Today is going to be another boring day."
The bells on the door ringed and a familiar face came through the door.
"Hello, Cakes!" Twilight said, in a very unusually happy tone considering that its very early and you usually see the medical unicorn with a scowl on her face.
The Cakes were usually afraid of Twilight in the morning but something was off. "Twilight, what brings you here soo early?"
"Special meeting with the mayor and the aliens." Twilight said, happily. The Cakes looked sadly at eachother.
"Can... you have the meeting somewhere else?" Batter said, sadly. Lemon's eyes began to tear up. "You know... what happened during the attack... our little sister..."
"That's why we're having this meeting here. We got some good news that you two need to hear!" Twilight said and sat down on the table.
The door opened again and The Mayor and Angel walk through the door. The Cakes were greatful for the two vault hunters but just seeing them makes them remember their little sister, Cheese Cake.
Angel looked sad and tired, she had slightly red eyes and her hair was messy. Brick on the other hand was smiling at the two bakers.
The duo took a seat and ordered a large cake, courtesy of the mayor.
A few minutes later Headshot and Firecracker came through the door. Headshot was arguing with the unicorn but she didn't seem to mind the chaos.
Meanwhile...
Roland looked pass the rolling hills and thousands of apple trees on the horizon. "This is why I let Mordicai do the navigations..." He muttered to himself and decided to ask for directions.
Back at Sugarcube corner...
"What is taking that soldier so long?" Brick said as he finished his slice of chocolate cake. "It's been two hours now!"
Angel took a bite of her Angel-food cake. "Knowing him, he's probably lost somewhere."
Firecracker had an odd taste... A double-chili-rainbow-supreme-with-extra-hot-sauce cake. "Probably near Sweet Apple Acres. I mean that's the only place anypony could get lost."
Headshot took a bite of his vanilla sponge cake. "I'll go look for him." Headshot got up from the table and headed outside.
Twilight had an equally unusually taste... A complete replica of a pony head with a jelly brain. "I'll give it an hour."
An hour later...
Headshot opened the door and led Roland inside. "Found him circling the western fields for an hour... It was sort of funny seeing him walk around in circles."
Brick grumbled and slid five bits towards Twilight. "Told ya."
Roland saw a slice of cake just for him. "So... what's this about a bandit clan?" He said, munching on his slice of cake.
"You know about the three kids that died a few days ago." Brick said. "I already told Twilight but I can't be sure."
Twilight opened up a folder and map. "We believe that those three foals aren't dead." Twilight said. The Cake's ears perked up to the news.
"WAIT! You mean our little Cheese Cake is alive?!?" Lemon yelled.
"Maybe, we can't be sure. The Bandit clan is in good terms with the mayor and they said that Anarchy sent them the location and a picture of the three fillies." Twilight said and pulled out the picture.
Three fillies, an Earth pony, Pegasus, and Unicorn were tied up on a flag pole with Anarchy wearing a goofy grin.
"We need more info. I trust my source but I don't trust the guy who gave this info to my source." Brick said.
"Where do we fit into all this?" Angel said.
"We can't send in anypony or we'll cause a war. There is a Minotaur clan that's guarding the three fillies, The Hammers are crippled and need extra hooves-hands." Brick said.
"So you want us to infiltrate their base and rescue the fillies." Headshot said.
"No, I need you two to provide support for the Hammers." Brick said and pointed to Firecracker. "Roland and Angel would sneak in while the Hammers and you two provide a distraction."
"I'm a good distraction!" Firecracker chimed in.
"Meet with their boss, Sledge Hammer and he'll tell you how to get in." Brick said. "Me and Twi will need to stay in town. Honestly we're the only ones able to actually fight. That and Rum Cake is out of town."
"Rum Cake?" Roland said and finished his cake.
"Our Uncle." Batter said. His eyes were ablaze with determination. "He's the local Democolt and the owner of this bakery since our dad died."
"Our Uncle basically taught everything Firecracker knows about blowing stuff up." Lemon said.
"The only thing he told me was 'Gunpowder plus fire equals boom', and that's the only thing you need to know." Firecracker said with a smile.
"I thought she learned how to make bombs from a book." Roland said.
"Basic bombs, she learned the big stuff from Mr. Cake." Headshot said.
"So, we're going now or what?" Angel said as she reloaded her rifle and was patiently waiting by the door. "Those fillies won't save themselves."
Roland nodded and got up from his seat. He looked to the two baker ponies and smiled. "We'll get those kids back." He said and turned his attention towards the Siren. "Let's go."
Brick led the way to the outskirts of town. Large hills were scattered across the landscape. "The Minotaur clan's base is inside a large cave system and the fillies are at the center of it. They have a forward base right outside, you two will need to get in through there." Brick said and pointed towards a large mountain. "You may want to stock up inside the Hammer's base."
Roland face-palmed, almost forgetting to restock again. "Right... Just point us in the right direction."
Twilight pointed to the mountain. "They're on the other side of the mountain." Twilight took out a small red pack with a white cross on it. "Here's a first-aid kit, just in case."
Angel took the med-pack and safely put it inside her inventory.
Roland and Angel left town with the two ponies.
Firecracker stopped mid-stride and turned towards the soldier. "I just remembered the turret!" Firecracker pulled out a small grey box with a red "danger" sign on it. "I couldn't get the rockets in but the flame thrower works like a dream..." She said and turned around. "Like a sick bondage dream..." She muttered silently.
"I heard that!" Headshot said and shot the mare with a water cloud, causing the mare to flare up, literally and metaphorically.
Roland took the small grey box. Roland examined the box and saw a small red button on the side. He pressed the button and threw it to the ground.
The box opened up and revealed a, relatively, small turret compared to the Dahl Sabre Turret. The Dragon turret was painted bright red with a little warning light on top of it. It beeped as it scanned for anything to burn.
Firecracker pulled out a small doll painted to look like a target. "The only problem with this thing..." Roland just noticed that the doll looked like Headshot. "...is that it can't hit anything at range..." She said and threw the doll in front of the turret. "... but anything that gets to close is barbecued!" She said and the turret burned the doll to a smoldering crisp.
Roland found another button on top of the turret and pressed it. The turret began to shrink back down to a small grey box, the box disappeared and reappeared on Roland's hand. "Oh and it's completely locked to its current owner. So unless you give it away, that thing is going to stick to you like a sticky leather rope!"
"FOR THE LOVE OF!!!" Headshot yelled and soaked the mare again. This went on for a few more hours.
Roland and Angel walked silently for the most part but Angel decided to break the silence.
"I saw your FaceDesk page on the ECHO net. I noticed that Lilith was the only one who ever commented on your page." Angel said. Roland gave her a side-ways glance.
"Yeah? So what?" Roland asked in confusion. "I mean she WAS my girlfriend."
"I mean, those comments were added after she 'died' how did Hyperion not see those comments?" Angel said with curiosity.
Roland scratched his chin. "Maybe... they just didn't notice?" Roland said.
"Impossible. Jack was on your account twenty-four-seven, he knew why you liked a page or why to feed your skags in Skagville." Angel said. She didn't notice the large gates in front of her.
"Oh. We're here." Roland said.
"State your business here!" A loud mechanical voice boomed out. "Unless you have official business with the leader or his daughter then I suggest you leave."
Headshot took out a rolled up scroll and placed it inside the mail slot.
The squad waited for a response.
"... Fine... Come in." The mechanical voice said and the large metal gates opened. The two humans and ponies entered the bandit town.
The town wasn't your typical bandit town, it didn't dead bodies littered around, and the citizens were friendly enough, considering that most bandit towns would kill you as soon as you step through the gates.
Two ponies stepped forward; their filthy clothes were covered in dust and dirt. "Follow us to the Den, where the boss is at." One of the "guards" said.
Ponies talked as the two humans were being escorted by four ponies. Some ponies gave a causious glance while others closed thier windows and stalls.
Roland and Angel were escorted to a large cave, judging by the way it opens the cave wasn't naturally made. They made thier way inside which housed several rooms and were lit with torches and flaming barrels.
It almost feels like a real bandit camp. Roland thought as they went further inside the cave.
Headshot and Firecracker were escorted to another room. "We'll catch up later. We got to set up these guys with some more firepower." Headshot said and opened the door that read "Caution: Explosive and volatile components and other hazards" Below the sign was another sign that read "Translation: LOTZ OF STUFFZZ THAT GOEZZ BOOMZZ"
Roland and Angel came to a large metal door with graffiti and other tags plastered on it.
"Father I do hope that you would at least consider wearing a suit, I mean this is a formal meeting with the heroes that saved Uncle Brick's town." A dignified and feminine voice came from inside.
"Hate to break it to you, Sweetie but I don't have a suit." A very loud male voice came from inside.
The two guards pulled open the large doors and moved to the side. Roland and Angel stared wide-eyed at the interior of the dirty, low-tech, bandit cave.
The walls were made from polished marble brick and the floor was perfectly shined and even reflected your reflecion. A high-hanging chandelier was glowing over-head. Paintings were covering the walls and sculptures of an elegant mare with a hammer and a diamond cutie-mark, several columes were supporting the ceiling over-head.
A large throne, along with a smaller throne, sat at the other end of the room. "You Roland? Angel?" The large, as tall as Roland, pony said.
A smaller mare gave a disapproving stare at the bandit leader. "Father! Where are your manners?" She said.
The large pony rolled his eyes. "Introduce yourself before asking for somepony's name." He said in a bored tone. And then turned to the two humans. "My name is Sledge and this is my daughter." He said and gestured a hoof at the young mare.
"Diamond Hammer at your service." She said and did a little curtsy.
"We heard that you saved Ponyville, for that we thank you, I have a very close friend that showed me how a true leader should act." Sledge said and gestured to a portrait of Brick holding a small hammer and shaking hooves with Sledge.
"Sorry for being blunt but I'd rather want to get straight to business." Roland said. "Three kids are in danger right now and we honestly don't have time for pleasantries."
Diamond came forward and looked at the two humans with a critical eye. "Of course but we must know how capable you are first." She said and several ponies came from hidden doors, wielding weapons. "I don't want to relay on two beings that may not be capable of saving the foals."
Roland shrugged. "Fair enough..." He said, remembering The human Brick's Slabs and their initiation.
Angel pulled out her rifle and Roland face-palmed, forgetting to stock up on ammo... AGAIN!
"Angel..." He whispered to the Siren. "Give me a few clips..."
Angel rolled her eyes and pulled out a few clips for his rifle. "You are hopeless." She said.
"That's what Lilith says to me all the time." Roland reloaded his rifle and waited for the first attack.
Diamond went back to her seat and raised her hoof. "BEGIN!" She yelled and lowered her hoof down.
Arrows and bullets bounced off the two heroes shield as they broke for cover and hid behind two different columns.
Roland shot a bullet at one of the ponies and the body fell limp and disappeared. "What the..."
"You don't think we would use real men, right? Thanks to a little magic and the advancement of technology, we made simulations that feels real as an actual fight." Sledge said and slammed his hoof on a button. "Sending in some Badasses!"
Roland and Angel dispatched the rest and waited for the Badasses. A familiar blur and buzz came from a hole in the ceiling.
Headshot zoomed down and picked up a rifle from one of the simulation soldiers. He fired his rifle, clipping away at Roland's shield.
Firecracker teleported in a blaze of red-hot fire and burned through Angel's shields.
The two humans stepped back and fired their weapons at the two simulation fighters which didn't seem to be fazed by the bullets.
Roland ducked down as flames flew pass his head. He grabbed the simulation Firecracker's horn and yanked on it. Roland then gave a hard right punch in the throat as she stumbled back and readied her flames once more.
Roland took the opportunity to test out his new turret. He threw the small grey box on the ground and the turret popped open and burned the simulation Firecracker. It was ineffective but slowed down the simulation.
The simulation Firecracker was about finished but Headshot rushed in to save the other simulation but was caught in the flames, singing his coat and tail catching on fire.
Angel used her Phase-Shift to pause the two simulations and the two humans opened fire. The two bodies fell limp and dissapeared like the rest.
Sledge gave a slow clap. "Impressive. I like you two already."
Diamond gave a much faster clap. "Good show! I haven't seen anypony beat that in a while and in record time too."
Roland and Angel smiled at the two ponies. "Thanks but we need to plan." Roland said.
"Right. I already have a plan. You two sneak in a back entrance my boys made a few days back while we provide a distraction by blowing up their compound and attacking their base. Your priority is the three foals. Understood?" Sledge said and pulled down a hammer from the wall. "Talk to me when you're ready. You can patch yourselves up at the local clinic or buy some ammunition from Flim and Sham Trading."
"And maybe get some new rifles? Those things work well but... they are absolutely rusty!" Diamond said, noting the old and wore rifles the two humans had. "Here are some bits to start you off." Diamond threw a small sack of gold at the vault hunter's feet.
Roland picked up the money and was shared between him and Angle.
Angel tapped Roland's shoulder. "Don't forget to buy some ammo this time." She said with a smirk.
Buying ammo, fighting bandits, attacking large bandit clans, this reminds me of the good old days. Roland sighed and stepped out the clean room and into the dusty cave. |
An Angel and her Soldier | Chapter 7 | Chapter 7
Headshot and Firecracker set up the explosives and checked the weapons.
Headshot lifted a crate and gently placed it on top of a red crate. "Looks like we're good to go."
Firecracker had a sadistic grin on her face as she eyed the explosives with a spark in her eyes. Headshot quickly took the Unicorn away. The duo left the room, Headshot dragging the still grinning unicorn.
"Tell your boss that the bombs are ready." Headshot said to one of the guards.
"Right." The guard turned around and walked towards the main room.
Headshot went out the cave with Firecracker. The two of them needed to wait for the rest of the plan to fall into place. The sun was setting and everything was falling into place.
"Just when you think everything is going well, something bad and unexpected happens." Firecracker said as the two of them bought a drink.
"Annnnndddd... You jinxed it..." Headshot said and took a sip of his drink.
Firecracker smiled. "I mean what could possibly go wrong when you try to be realistic." She said with an innocent grin.
Headshot stared at the mare for a minute and laughed. "You? Realistic? You tried to make a bomb with glue, a potato, a hayburger, five slices of pineapple and duct-tape!"
"Duct-tape fixes everything and it blew up didn't it." She said.
"You duct-taped a stick of dynamite on it..." Headshot said and floated up to a low cloud. "I'll go take a nap. Wake me up when we start the attack."
Firecracker smiled and threw her empty can at the Pegasus. "See 'ya later, Perv."
"A stallion can have his fetishes!"
"Whatever! I'll go see if there's something I can burn." Firecracker left the Pegasus alone and walked the messy streets of the town.
Many ponies think that she was just a psychotic pyromaniac skilled at making explosive but she is also a very talented singer. If things turned out differently she might have been a singer.
But... I would have never might Headshot... That strong, hot-headed, little colt that saved me and helped me when I was alone... He was alone too but he wore a smile on his face for me... He's my best friend and I would never give that up for anything... She thought as she looked at a poster, a singing competion.
It was too late to enter but she loved hearing beautiful voices of some of the ponies.
She trotted over to the theater and bought a ticket for the singing contest. She took a seat at the front row and smiled, waiting patiently for the show.
The lights began to dim and a pony wearing a tuxedo stood on the stage.
"Fillies and Gentlecolt! The show will begin shortly so just sit tight and-" The sound of an explosion silenced the host, Firecracker looked over her seat and spotted several armed ponies with balaclavas on their face.
"Get down and give us all your money!" A pony yelled.
"Screw that!" A pony from the audience yelled. One of the Kidnappers yelled and fired a rifle and killed the poor colt.
"Anypony else want to mess with us?!? Give us your damned money!"
The other ponies threw their money at the floor in fear. One of the kidnappers took out some rope and tied the other ponies down. Firecracker took out her bag of bits and slowly made it to the pile of bits on the ground.
"Hurry up, lady! We ain't got all day!"
Firecracker came close to one of the kidnapper and smiled an unsettling grin. The pony pointed his rifle at the unicorn.
Firecracker pushed down the rifle and yanked it out of the pony's grasp and burned the kidnapper. She turned her attention to the other kidnappers that were firing their own weapons at the pyromaniac.
She conjured a small spherical shape that blocked the bullets. She charged with the shield still active and rammed the shield and the one of the kidnappers to a wall, giving a sickening crunch.
She pulled out a rifle she took earlier and fired at the remaining ponies. The sphere shattered and turned into a ring of fire that surrounded her body. The flames were magic and caught anything and everything that passes through them with fire.
Firecracker's bullets passed through the ring and burned one of the kidnappers in the foreleg, the leg burnt to a crisp and soon the pony died from dehydreation.
She made quick work of two of them and the rest ran away with their tails between their legs.
Firecracker never loses her prey, ever... She let them escape for now but will hunt them down later.
She turned towards the cowering ponies, still bound by the rope. She quickly burned through the rope and left the theater, humming a tune to herself.
"Time to kill some baddies." She hummed and followed the panicking ponies in the distance.
"Welcome to the Flim n' Sham trading and CO,." The yellow colt said across the counter, hiding his surprise and fear in front of the two aliens. "I'm Flim the third and my cousin will be right out with Sledge's special stash."
Roland bit his lower lip, he didn't like these business-man/pony types, the only one he actually trust would be Marcus, even if he was a slimly, greedy man. That man always provides what they needed and wanted.
But... He sighed. Marcus isn't here...
A mare with the same color scheme of her cousin came out of the backroom. "Bombs, books, bullets and booze we got 'em all. Are you sure this is everything?"
Angel nodded. "How much?" She asked.
"Five thousand bits." The colt calmly said. Roland rubbed his temples with his fingers.
Angel raised her hand. "We only owe three thousand. Don't try and trick me I can do basic math." Angel said and the two ponies deflated.
"Right..." Flim said and handed over the briefcase. "It's got all the stuff, ammo, bombs, some medical supplies and Sledge's sawed-off shotgun, but I don't think you can use it effectively unless you modify it to work for you. We can mod it for only one thousand bits, this is a once in a lifetime offer."
"Thanks but no thanks, we already got someone who can mod this." Roland said and picked up the briefcase.
"How much is your friend charging?" Sham asked.
Roland and Angel walked towards the door and turned around to face the two business ponies. "Free of charge." Roland and Angel left the shady shop and headed back to the cave.
A rush of hot air and the smell of smoke came to them.
"Fire?" Angel said and moved towards the smoke. Roland followed the Siren through the streets and the startled ponies.
"Firecracker?" Roland said as he pushed through the crowd of ponies.
"BURN! BURN! BURN! TASTE THE CLEANSING POWER OF THE FLAMES OF DEATH AND AGONY! BWAHAHAHAH!" Firecracker yelled as she burned down an old building and some ponies along with it.
"Isn't somepony going to call the guards?" A pony in the crowd said.
"Nah, remember the last time a guard tried to stop a psychotic unicorn." Another pony said with a sigh. "I swear, our guards are useless."
"Firecracker! Stop! They're dead!" Roland yelled and placed his hand on the unicorn's shoulder.
Firecracker turned around and stared at the soldier. "Hi, Rolly!" She said in an upbeat voice.
"Aren't we going to tell the guards that there are two biped thingies walking around town?" The same pony said.
"Nah, remember that half-dragon-gorilla-changeling thing a few days back? The guards will probably get their asses kicked." The other pony sighed. "We should get out of here before something bad happens."
The crowd started to dissipate and left the unicorn and two humans in front of the giant burning building.
"Why the hell did you burn that?" Angel said and pointed to the burning building.
"Bunch of thugs tried to kidnap the ponies in the theater so I burned them... all to a satisfying golden... black." She said and stomped on a pile of ash.
"Right... We should head back, the plan should start soon." Roland said and went the wrong way.
"Other way." Angel said with a roll of her eyes. "You are useless with navigations."
"You've seen all our adventures. They never ever let me drive." Roland said and turned around walked back towards the cave.
"There was that one time you drove Scooter's Monster into a mine and blew everybody up." Angel said and followed the unicorn and soldier.
"Well... once." Roland shrugged.
"And that one time you drove off a cliff... twice..." Angel pointed out.
Roland quickened his pace. "Alright, thrice."
Angel and Firecracker matched the soldier's speed. "And don't get me started on the time you got the Bandit Buzzard."
Firecracker stopped above a cloud and shot a fireball at it. Headshot yelped at the red-hot ball of fire that impacted his flank and singed his short tail.
"Stop your kinky dreams and get up! We're about to go!" Firecracker yelled and ran to catch up to the two humans.
Headshot grumbled and opened the holes on his back and released his wings. He turned on his own radio in his head and started talking. "Yo, Roland. I'm heading on out first, scoping out the area and stuff." He said and flew over the forward Minotaur base.
Something red popped up on his vision and saw a missile heading straight towards him. He banked left and dodged the first missle but two more came up and blasted him out of the air. He plummeted down to the ground and landed on the middle of the forward base.
His wings suffered major damage as the wires and cords were slightly visible. He tried to contact the others but something was blocking the signal.
"Remember me, dipshit?" A tall white Pegasus hovered over him. "I remember you saying something along the lines of 'If I ever see you again I'll rip out your wings and shove them up your ass' or something."
Headshot coughed as the a few sparks came out of his wings. "How the fuck could I forget my own brother?"
Roland and Angel received Headshot's message and headed back to Sledge. Firecracker sprinted ahead.
"You think he's going to be alright?" Angel asked as the two made their way through the cave.
Roland stopped and turned around, facing the cave entrance. "... I don't know... He seems alright but... I just can't shake this feeling that something bad is going to happen..."
Angel put her hand on the soldier's shoulder. "You know, you care a lot about your friends and I'm sure he's alright." Angel said but she also had this unshakable feeling in her stomach that something is wrong. "Maybe... Maybe we should get going?"
Roland nodded and they made their way to the main room of the cave.
Roland pushed open the door and walked inside the crystal clear room. Angel followed the soldier but she felt like something was just pulled out of her, something on her back.
"Heroes! We are ready to save those foals!" Sledge yelled in excitement. "The bombs are in place, and my most blood thristy warriors are itching for a fight!"
Roland checked his ammo and his Dragon Turret and his shields. "Ready when you are."
Angel still had an uneasy feeling about this, but she pushed it aside. "Ready." She said.
Diamond smiled. "Alright! Let's show those ruffians who their dealing with!" She said. "Meet us at the entrance of their forward base and we'll discust how you get through."
"Right." Roland said and switched on his ECHO device. "Headshot, we're coming in, prepare to provide support, over." Roland said but all that replied was static. "Repeat, prepare to provide sniper support, over." Again, no response. "Headshot, Respond." The static didn't stop. He looked at the others that were doing a last minute weapons check. "Headshot's not responding, I think he's in trouble."
Firecracker slipped a fresh batch of rockets inside her new rocket launcher, The Fire Blaster, and ran out the door, not even stopping to for the guards.
Roland and Angel followed the unicorn outside town and saw the huge group of guards, ready to fight.
Firecracker pushed through the front and slowed down, she hid her rocket launcher and casually walked up to the two Minotaur guards in front of the large gates of the Minotaur forward base.
"What do you want, Pony?" The Minotaur on the left said.
"Leave before we make you." The other one said.
"What am I doing? That's a funny story actually." She said and walked back and forth. "I'm here to- Look a distraction!" She pointed to the sky and the two Minotaurs looked up only to be burned by the psychopathic unicorn.
Sledge signaled the attack and pointed to the poorly fixed hole in the side of the base. "There's your entrance! We'll take it from here!" Sledge and a few dozen guards stormed the gates and broke it down with ease, the Minotuars inside didn't know what hit them before it was too late.
Roland and Angel went towards the crack on the wall and broke it down and ran inside. The same feeling of forebodding came back, only stronger.
"Something's not right..." Angel said and looked at the raging battle.
The ponies were slaughtering the Minoutaurs without breaking a sweat.
"Yeah, This is way too easy..." Roland and Angel charged through the ruins of the base towards the cave system where the main base was hidden.
Firecracker wasn't getting the satisfaction she wanted. She didn't even have to fire her new rocket laucher. The guards were easily destroying the base without her flames. She saw the mouth of the cave and it piqued her interest, she also noticed a few wires on the ground and picked them up.
Hmmmm... She hummed and ran inside the cave.
Diamond, despite her size, was dominating everything in her path. Her earth pony heritage and Sledge's strict training, this was like playing in the sandbox filled with sharp spikes.
Please. She thought. I grew out of the sandbox when I was five. She yawned and smashed a head of a Minotaur with her diamond encrusted hammer.
Sledge was just enjoying the blood but Diamond was already bored. "Father I think I'm going to see if there are stronger things to smash." Diamond said and pulled her hammer from the bloody corpse of a Minotaur.
Sledge smiled at his daughter. "Alright, just don't kill them all before Papa could have his fun, this is just a warm-up."
Diamond smiled and went inside the large foreboding cave.
Roland and Angel noticed that the Minotaurs didn't send reinforcements. Something was up and both of them knew it. They saw the light at the end of the cave and saw that a few dozen well-armed and armored Minotaur.
Roland and Angel couldn't fight all of them at the same time. The turret and Phase Shift helped but them couldn't win with cheap tricks and there was little or now cover in the area.
Angel readied her rifle and her hands began to glow. Roland pulled out his turret and waited for the first Minotaur to charge and then deploy it.
Several large explosions shattered through the crowds of Minotaur causing a large inferno. The ones that survived charged at Roland but were knocked back.
A small grey and white earth pony stared at the huge amount of Minotaurs. "Ohh! This is going to be fun!" Diamond squealed excitedly. The Minotaurs charged at the lone earth pony, but Diamond lifted her hammer and smashed the ground causing a huge shockwave the destroyed everything in its path.
Firecracker fired her rocket launcher and burned through the dozens upon dozens of Minotaurs. Her flames burned through their skin like paper and everything that tried to grab her burned to fine ash in an instant.
Roland threw his turret out and it burned anything that came close. Roland and Angel took out the Minotaurs that were too far from Roland's turret and Angel used her Phase Shift to take control of some of the warriors to fight for them.
A remaining Minotaurs tried to find a way out of was blocked by Firecracker or Diamond. They were pulvarized and burned at the same time.
Roland and Angel panted for breath before going forward. Firecracker sat on a bloody beaten corsp of a Minotaur. Diamond cleaned her hammer with a handkerchief she carried around.
"Thanks for the help." Roland said.
"Really thanks, if you guys didn't show up, we might not have made it." Angel said.
Firecracker jumped off the dead body and smiled. "Well we were just bored outside so we followed-"
"Very impressive. You managed to beat my weakest pawns." Anarchy appeared in a puff of black smoke. "And don't even waste your ammo, you can't hurt me with those puny toys." He pulled out three fillies from a very small suitcase that could barely fit clothes for a rat. "Want this? You need to beat the king of this pool of pawns and his queen."
"You know that sounded very gay." A white Pegasus with a dark blue mane came out from above. "Considering the queen is my brother and me, the king, isn't a completely useless piece on the board."
Anarchy rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Boom."
"Boom" sneered at the chaos god. "My name is Critical! Boom is dead!" He pulled out a storm cloud. "And if you call me Boom again I will hunt you down."
Anarchy gave a mock salute at the Pegasus. "Whatever, Critz. Have fun with the guests." Anarchy waved goodbye and disappeared.
Critical turned his attention to the four warriors on the ground. "As you've heard my name is Critical and I believe you already met my brother." He gestured to the ceiling that opened and revealed a dark blue Pegasus with a dirty white mane.
"Headshot!" Firecracker yelled. "What did you do to him!?!" Firecracker pulled out her rocket launcher.
Headshot's dead eyes looked at the four warriors as they stared at shock.
Critical flew over to his brother. "Just an old family reunion minus the folks." Critical pulled out two storm rifles from a nearby cloud and gave one to Headshot.
Headshot aimed his rifle at the warrior and fired, hitting Firecracker on the shoulder. The unicorn screamed as the bullet lighting bullet went through her shoulder and sent an electric shock through her body.
Headshot... Firecracker thought as she was blacking out. Missed? Headshot Missed? I was standing still that should be an easy headshot for him!
Firecracker was pulled into cover by Roland and was being patched up by Angel. "Headshot is still in there... You gotta... save... him..." She then blacked out.
Critical smiled. "This should be interesting."
Inside Headshot's mind, he tried to scream but no sound was made. A small tear rolled down his emotionless face.
Roland aimed his rifle at Critical. "I'm gonna kill you!" Roland fired but Headshot blocked the bullet and it bounced off his metallic wings.
Critical's smile broadened. "Very interesting indeed." |
An Angel and her Soldier | Chapter 8 | Chapter 8
Headshot fired his rifle at Diamond. The bullet bounced off her hammer.
Roland took the Unicorn and the Earthpony to cover. "You can't do much against Pegasi!" He yelled and fired his rifle from cover.
"I hate to admit it but... You're right. I'll take care of her." Diamond said and dropped her hammer next to Firecracker.
Angel attempted to reload her rifle but the Mind-controlled Headshot was shooting the magazines off her hands. Headshot fired, hitting the shields and caused them to shatter. The force and the shock element made quick work of both the human's shields.
Critical flew up to a high cloud and peered through his own scope. "This is quite enjoyable. I love it when things go my way." He said with a smirk and fired at the Earthpony while she ran from cover.
Roland came up to a large rock and hid behind it. Angel followed but was grazed in her shoulder. "We can't kill him... What the hell do we do, dammit!" Roland yelled.
Angel paused and opened her Skill-tree. She smirked. I knew I saw this earlier.
Binary Blast: Melee attacks deals increased damaged to mechanical enemies and deals shock damage in a small radius for each hit.
Angel frowned when she noticed that she didn't have any skill points left.
"Roland... Get him grounded and I'll handle the rest." Angel said and pulled out from cover. Roland nodded and came followed the Siren out.
The soldier felt a slight tingle on his knife-belt. He pulled out the Vault key, it was glowing bright red and seemed to be pointing to Headshot.
Headshot fired at Roland and broke through his shields and grazed his arm. Headshot was forcing himself to miss but he was getting weaker.
COME ON! Headshot tried to move his forelegs to the side to miss the two humans but only for a few centimeters, making him miss the head. STUPID LEGS! WORK! He internally yelled.
A bullet passed through Angel's leg as she fell down behind a large rock. DAMMIT! I gotta... STOP! I gotta help... my FRIENDS! The Storm Sniper rifle forced itself down and only hitting the ground.
Loyalty...
What the... Is that? I can't believe it...
You are the Element of Loyalty...
"PRINCESS LUNA!" Headshot regained control of his body and turned to face the two Vault Hunters, both were injured by him but otherwise alright. The two of them were to injured to fight his brother and Diamond couldn't fight at range.
Headshot fired his rifle at the white Pegasus on the cloud. "Hey Bitch! I'm back!"
Critical dodged the lighting bullet and fired his own. "Now, is that really how you talk with your older brother?"
"We can talk all day or I could kick your ass right now." Headshot taunted. "Come on! Unless you're a little chicken!"
"We could... Or I could just do this!" Critical fired his rifle at a power box that disabled several gates with a few dozen angry Minotaurs. "Really... Since when have I ever played fair?"
"You know... I wouldn't have it any other way." Headshot flew down and tackled a Minotaur and sent it flying. Others fired their weapons and even dragged out an immobile missile launcher.
"Bro... You know I wouldn't fall for the same trick twice." Headshot said in mock amusement.
Critical smiled. "No, but I believe your friends still haven't seen this 'trick'."
Headshot's eyes went wide and quickly fired at the large missile launcher. Each bullet bounced off like it was nothing, not even a scracht was left.
The missile launcher fired at a large boulder where the Vault Hunters were taking cover. Roland and Angel pulled out before the missile hit but their dynamite won't break that thing.
But... Maybe Angel could... They got their experience fodder and plenty of ammo.
Roland injured several Minotaurs as he ran through missile fire. Roland slid under a large Minotaur and dropped his turret. The turret heated up and burned the surrounding Bulls to ash.
Angel pulled out a stick of dynamite and threw it at a group of Minotaurs and she followed up with Phase-Shift, stunning the Minotaurs that were inside that blast radius.
Large bold words came up to their perpetual view with the words. "LEVEL UP"
Angel and Roland ran to opposite sides of the arena and opened their Skill-tree sets.
Angel chose the Binary Blast and Roland had more versatile skills for his turret.
The Pyro Skill tree specializes in everything fire.
The Demo Skill tree specializes in explosives and defensive placements.
The Mech Skill tree had something that caught the soldier's eye.
Sentry going up: Adds a small and weak automatic gun that makes mid-range possible. Roland chose that skill and placed a turret at the top a giant rock.
The turret fired above and caused Critical to lose his balance as incendiary rounds burned through his fur.
He screamed a blood curdling scream. Headshot saw his brother's fur and skin burn to a robotic shell.
"Really now? Did you really think I would go there myself? No, I chose the smart thing and scope out my enemy's abilities." The robotic Critical said. "I was never really here and-wait- Do you feel that?"
Headshot didn't listen to his brother and fired the electric round through the robot's skull, causing the body to fall down to the ground.
Angel smashed through the large missile launcher and tore it to pieces. The resulting electric shockwave fried the Minotaurs that tried to stop the Siren.
An ear-splitting sound broke through the room and caused their ECHO devices to reboot and add an update. Headshot covered his ears as large amounts data flowed into his brain.
ECHO update...
Initializing...
Adding health bar...
Adding Ammo counter...
Adding compass and map...
Adding skill cool-down counter... Error Skill not available... Installing "Razorwing" Skill application.
Adding skill cool-down counter...
Update successful.
Headshot fell down from and landed on the hard ground with a large thud. Roland and Angel ran to the sniper's side and flipped him onto his back. His eyes were glowing red and several warning symbols floated from side to side.
Warning! Systems Critical! Critical! CriTiCal!
"Hello brother."
Critical virus! Warning! Life support failure imminent.
Anti-virus update... Loyalty online...
"What?"
Virus deleted...
Installing Element of Loyalty...
Roland checked the damage on the sniper's body. A bright light blinded the two Vault Hunters and a necklace that had the symbol of Headshot's Cutie-mark around his neck.
"System rebooting..." Headshot said in a robotic voice and shook himself awake. "Ughh... What happened?" He said in his normal voice.
Diamond came out of a large steel door, carrying four fillies, including Firecracker, that were fast asleep on her back. "What happened? Are you alright?" She said and ran over the three Vault Hunters.
"Yeah, we're fine and... I'm sorry for shooting at you." Headshot said and rubbed the back of his head. "I'll get Firecracker to the hospital in Ponyville." Headshot said and opened his wings.
"Not yet... My Vault key is reacting to you." Roland said and held out the knife and it pointed to Headshot.
Headshot picked up the knife and it pointed in another direction. Deeper into the cave. Headshot gave back the knife but it then began to point back at the new Element of Loyalty.
"Maybe it's pointing to the vault? But..." Headshot said and looked at the other's injuries. "Maybe we should get patched up, first?"
Angel looked at her wounded leg and nodded. "Yeah... Maybe going to the doctor is the right idea."
Roland pulled Angel up and put her arm around her shoulder. Headshot took the injured unicorn.
A loud speaker echoed through the room, the Vault Hunters plus the bandit leader looked around in confusion. "Did you really think I would let you go that easily? I'm a stallion that has backup plans, unlike my brother." Critical boomed through the PA system.
Headshot rolled his eyes. "Why don't you just die somewhere? We are really getting tired of hearing your voice."
Critical laughed at his younger brother. "I have several backup plans in case Princess Luna decided to interfere. I think you would like to hear it from the horse's mouth."
The PA system switched out. "You won't get away with this..." A young female voice said.
"Now, now Lulu, you may be an all-powerful Alicorn but against me and my machines, you're worthless." Critical said. "So unless you want the only being that been able to stand up to an all-powerful god of chaos dead. I suggest you, brother go deeper, and don't even think about using your new found 'Element of Harmony against' me, I have plans for that as well. So see you later." The speakers turned off and the warriors shared uneasy glances at each other.
Headshot gently dropped the pyromaniac and glanced at the Roland's knife. "Mind if I borrow that for a bit?" He asked the soldier.
Roland pulled out the knife and held it by the tip of the blade. "There's no changing your mind, is there?" He asked as Headshot took the knife. "Even if it's most likely a trap, right?"
Angel stepped up and offered her own knife. "We could come with you. You don't have to go in alone." She said and Headshot took her knife.
Headshot shook his head. "I'm not going to say something like 'This is destiny' or 'I have to do this alone' but I want you to look out for her." He said and looked at Firecracker. "She may not seem like it but she's scared... alone... and I want somepony, someone to look out for her."
Roland nodded and picked up the injured unicorn. "But... If you're not out of here within two hours, we are coming in with an army."
Headshot nodded and flew through the doors leading deeper into the mountain.
Headshot's ECHO buzzed to life as a small picture of Critical came up to his HUD.
"So it seems your faith is unshaken. Well, let us test your resolve to save this empty world we live in." Critical said and the call ended. A loud warning siren rang as a large steel door opened and revealed a mutated pony made from different corpses feasting on several bodies, both pony and Minotaur.
Critical called again. "Now you see, this is one of my failures, I was planning on making an immortal non-alicorn pony and yes, I succeeded but the process turned the test subject feral and needed to consume an ungodly amount of meat."
Headshot stepped back and stopped himself from vomiting at the sight. "You sick bastard..."
"You can't tell but that pony was a mare with a child, no more than a few months old. You know that was the first one she ate."
Headshot backed away and pulled out his rifle. "Remember back when I said I'll kill you? Well I'll FUCKING KILL YOU!" Headshot fired his rifle and the lightning bullet passed through its head but it didn't die, it just ate the meat and turned towards the sniper with large black eyes, it's face was covered in blood and dirt.
"Like I said, she's immortal, unkillable and completely without moral like me. I'm immortal, unkillable and not afraid to take that extra step for science!" Critical said and grabbed something that crunched and crackled. "You know, these chips are really bland. I can't fully enjoy watching her rip your flesh limb from limb and pick your bones clean like everything else."
The feral pony slowly stepped closer. "I wish this thing had a mute button, I was planning on sleeping at night." Headshot fired another shot but it was useless, as the pony moved slightly faster and broke out to a gallop and slammed the sniper into the wall and bit him in the arm.
Headshot kicked the pony off and took out several sticks of dynamite.
"That's never going to work. She is blast resistant, fire resistant, bullet resistant and all around unbeata-"
Headshot placed the sticks of dynamite on the ceiling above the pony, the pony was lost and simple-minded, it didn't care that hundreds of rocks were falling down on it, it didn't care about the pain or the suffocation, it just wanted to bite into that Pegasus.
"Bravo, my brother, bravo. You just blocked the only way out, brilliant indeed." Critical said in mock praise with a slow clap. "But she's not dead and she will claw her way out."
"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." Headshot said and dry-heaved the contents of his stomach. "In case you have any more surprises, I don't want to be force to lose my lunch during a fight."
"If you really know me, there won't be any surprises." Critical said and munched loudly on his snack.
Headshot walked through the cave, the lights seemed to dim as the sniper started to need to feel his way through the cave.
"Now this one's a beauty. Blind as a bat and twice as nutty. The Crawler, but not the ones in the wild, more like the ones in old lore. Blood thirsty, angry, chaotic, and would kill anything, even their young. And there is only one Crawler there and I would love it if you would be so kind and feed him for me." Critical said and flipped a switch. "That... just called him towards you. Hope you learned your biology, brother."
Headshot waited for the Crawler to appear but it never did. He lowered his rifle and prepared to move again and thats when he felt hot breath on his skin. He turned around and saw a large Crawler, as large as the cave itself, with red glowing eyes.
Critical buzzed in the ECHO and took a deep breath. "RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Critical screamed into Headshot's ear, stunning him and even caused the Crawler to cringe.
The Crawler roared and slammed his giant claw on Headshot.
Headshot took out the two Vault keys and stabbed the giant claw, causing the Crawler to lift up its claw and gave Headshot a few seconds to run away.
He flapped his wings as hard as he could, he knew he couldn't fight it in the dark.
Of all the gadgets those mechanics put in me... Headshot thought as he flew harder. They forget to put a damned flashlight!
Crawlers were fast, really fast. Headshot didn't stand a chance in this large tunnel. He then remembered about his other gadgets he had at his disposal and this new "Razorwing" thing he now had.
"BOASTER!" Headshot yelled and the two boasters blasted him forward.
The Crawler was still catching up to him.
"You know, I want to kill you in the most painful way I can and this... just doesn't cut it, so I'll help you out, just this once." Critical said. "GIANT GLOWING FUCK-ME SPOT! SHOOT THE GIANT GLOWING FUCK-ME SPOT!"
Headshot quickly did a 180 degree turn and fired his rifle at the left eye of the Crawler.
The Crawler roared in pain and trashed about, slamming the walls and causing cracks through the tunnel.
Headshot fired his rifle at the right eye and caused it to pop. He fired again and this time passed its skull and splattered the brain.
"That was painful to watch... it took you that long to figure out how to kill it? Man and I thought you were dense before." Critical said.
"Shut up." Headshot said softly.
"Awww am I finally breaking you down with my insults?" Critical said. "Does baby brother need a diaper change?"
"I said SHUT UP, you're giving me a headache." Headshot said and walked through the cave.
"You're nearly there." Critical said. "Just a few more baby steps and you'll actually beat me at something, even though it was just a trap for THIS!"
The room Headshot was in began to fill with green gas that floated in the air. Headshot covered his mouth and looked for a way out of the room.
There were three doors, red, blue, green.
"Now I believe you see the doors and the room is filling quickly with neuro-toxin and the only way out is through one of those doors but all of them are locked. Now this is where things get interesting. There is a key hidden inside that room and the key will break after you use it. One of the doors leads to a bottomless pit filled with magic that makes flying impossible and the other is filled with lava." Critical said. "Oh and one more thing you have five minutes before the toxin kills you."
Headshot began to panic and looked around the room. There was a wooden desk with pieces of paper stacked to the right and a spilled drink. Something was recently in this room. There were three beds and bodies were covered with a thick medical blanket with blood splotches on it. Headshot towards the beds and pulled off the blanket.
There was a pony in that room, alive with a gag on his mouth and a blindfold to cover his eyes. The pony gave a muffled screamed.
"Ahh. You seem to have met my EX-butler. He gave me toast with butter on the left side when I specifically said the right side." Critical sighed. "And he was such a good butler as well, shame that I had to kill him."
Headshot began to pull the blindfold off and saw that his eyes were ripped off his head.
"Now you see, brother. I seemed to have forgotten where I put the key. It was in one of the good ponies in the beds I believe." Critical said. "But I seem to remember it was near the heart but I also remember I placed an explosive near one of them."
"And let me guess I have to rip off their hearts and take the key." Headshot said and went over to the desk and opened the drawer. "I can't perform open heart surgery without equipment."
"You have a knife, right?"
"I hate you."
Headshot pulled out the Vault key and placed the knife near the pony's chest. "Sorry." Headshot said and quickly slashed open the chest cavity and pulled out the heart.
A buzzer sounded through his ECHO. "Wrong, try again." Critical said.
Headshot tried the next bed and ripped off the blanket.
A mare dress in a maid outfit was tied to the bed, her dark green hair was stained with blood. "Ah. Miss Sweep, she spilled coffee on my bed when she brought me breakfast this morning. I think you might be a bit hesita-"
Headshot ripped off the maid outfit and her chest and quickly pulled out the heart. A short ticking began and Headshot jumped to the left and the body exploded.
"As heartless and efficient as ever, ehh?" Critical said. "Though... You will be hesitant with the next victim."
Headshot went over to the next bed and ripped off the blanket.
A foal... about the same age as the CMC... "I...hate...you..."
"Well hurry up. You have one minute left." Critical said. "The toxin's getting thicker"
"I'm sorry... sorry...sorry...sorry...sorry..." Headshot repeated over and over again as he... I don't need to describe this.... I don't want to... Fine... As he ripped the poor child's heart out and pulled off the key, blood sprayed across the room. Headshot was thankful that he emptied his stomach earlier.
"Well chose which door." Critical said. "And you should look at face, priceless." He laughed.
"Your favorite color is red and mine is blue so..." Headshot placed the key inside the green lock and turned it. The lock clicked open and led to a large hallway with Princess Luna strapped to the far wall.
"Well... You're here..." Critical said behind him.
"Where the hell..."
"Go on... Save the princess... or whatever..." Critical said.
Headshot came closer to Princess Luna and tried to remove her bonds but... she just disappeared...
"What the hell..." Headshot said as he back away from where the Princess was.
Critical began to laugh maniacally. "Did you really think I could capture the Princess? She was just a bait and with the Element of Loyalty trapped in here. My plan will be completed soon!"
Headshot rushed to the psychopath and grabbed his neck. "I'll kill you right here, right now."
"You can try." Critical laughed and disappeared as well in a bright light. "But that would be hard without me there."
Headshot was trapped inside the cave... alone... The two Vault keys began to glow and float up and pointed to a wall that had the same symbol as the Vault.
The symbol began to glow along with the two floating keys. The wall broke down and he saw two slots where the keys could fit. Headshot took the two keys and came closer to the key slots.
"Wait... The story of the Vault said that there would be a champion inside along with Anarchy's right hand, hoof, claw, paw... Whatever. The champion was said to be the most likely a new Element of Harmony since the Mane six... died and the monster was suppose to guard whatever is in that door..." Headshot said and looked at the two keys in his hooves. "Question is... What would happen if whatever is in there is released?"
The two keys began to glow as the sniper stepped closer. "Looks like I have no choice." Headshot placed the two knives in the slots and both of them fell out as the door began to open.
Headshot picked up the two keys and walked through a large marble hallway with a velvet carpet. High columes decorated the sides of the hallway and at the end was a golden chest. Headshot walked closer to the chest and opened it.
A crossbow with the old Element of Loyalty's symbol on it. Headshot grabbed the Crossbow and it began to transform to a beautiful sniper rifle, it's smooth barrel, it's leather grip, it's easy quick semi-automatic fire, it's scope that can magnify to three times, and it had Headshot's Cutie-mark as a motif on the side.
The white marble hallway quickly turned black and the walls were littered with blood and bodies of small children, of all species.
"LoYaLtY..." A very distorted voice said.
"Finally! The new Element of Loyalty! I knew I could never be the Element, but you, I can see it in your eyes. That burning desire to protect those you are loyal to, like mine actually but more! Stronger, better, brighter." Another voice said.
A dark swirling pool of blackness opened up in the center of the hallway. A pony with a black suit and a very short black mane floated up.
"Hello! I'm part of Luna's personal guard, Name's Slendermane." The pony said. Another pool of darkness came up and a similar suit but it had no face or mane. "And this... is my father... Slenderpony."
"LoYaLtY Is DeAd..." Slenderpony said and fired a dark tentacle at Headshot.
Headshot dodged the tentacle but it was quick and it grabbed the sniper by the throat.
Slendermane tackled his father and took out his own tentacles and stabbed his father in the neck.
"WeAk..." Slenderpony said and pushed off his son attack with his own tentacles. Headshot fell to the ground and coughed up some blood, the sniper rifle landed to his side.
"Yeah, no time for intros..." Slendermane said and dodged a tentacle that collided with the wall. "But you should really close the door, if you know what I mean."
Headshot limply got up and took his new rifle and aimed at the Slenderpony. Large dead trees began to grow from the ground and blocked the sniper's shot.
"Just in case you didn't get me the first time, CLOSE THE VAULT! YOU IDOIT!" Slendermane said and was caught in the side with a tentacle.
Headshot was tackled by a white blur. The pegasus with a mask and a scrachy red "X" and a circle for a Cutie-mark.
"Really? Maskies? I thought you would send something better than a Masky to beat an Element of Harmony." Slendermane said and knocked off the Masky. "Or did you forget the time when those six fillies kicked your sorry flank?"
Slenderpony just calmly stared...though... he looked like he just twitched at what Slendermane just said.
Headshot flew to the end of the hall and tried to escape and lock the door, but a black tentacle stabbed him in the side and sent him plummiting down to the ground.
Slenderpony came up and stood over him, his son loosely hanging from one of the dead trees.
"Well... now's a good a time as any..." Headshot said and quickly flew up and landed on a branch. "Razorwing!" He yelled and sharp blades from his wings flew out and stabbed Slenderpony repeatedly. The necklace around his neck began to glow, as well as the knives.
"Well... this is new..." Slendermane quietly said. "... You can't use the Elements... without the others... I guess... you are the real Element of Loyalty..." Slendermane said and jumped down from the trees. "... maybe... your loyalty is stronger than mine... and that's why it chose you..."
Slenderpony howled in pain and saw his escape from the barrage of knives. He ran out the Vault and teleported in a black swirling cloud.
Slendermane fell to the ground... he was stabbed to many times and he won't be able to regenerate his broken limbs. He never took the pact his father did, he never became immortal, he just survived longer than the others.
Headshot flew down and wounded champion. "Hey! Stay with me. You're gonna be alright." Headshot said.
"Nah... just go... I was already dead when I figured out who I really was... There's this tunnel that led back to Canterlotthrough an abandoned mineshaft." Slendermane said. "Don't let them win... This is the start... The fall of Anarchy..." Slendermane closed his eyes and Headshot noticed a small necklace, like his own, around the pony's neck.
He took the necklace and saw that there was a note stuck under it.
"A loyalty of a soldier and the kindness of a brute,
the magic of the cursed girl and the generosity of a youth,
the laughter of the deranged and the honesty of the liar,
the Element of these are those that you desire,
find the first and then the last,
'cause everything will come to past,
burning down the tyrant's gates,
will bring the fall of Anarchy to wake." |
An Angel and her Soldier | Chapter 9 | Chapter 9
"One simple job... I give you one simple job of guarding a Weapon of Harmony and you FAILED!?!" Anarchy snapped at the black suited monster. "A punishment is in order..." Slender's face was visibly shaken as two eyes, a nose and mouth started to form.
Slender felt his face and its new features. "Wh-What did you do to me!?!?!" He yelled at the God of Chaos.
Anarchy smiled a toothy grin. "Simple, I took away your immortality and the only way to get it back would be getting the Weapon of Loyalty back into my claws." Anarchy said and grabbed Slender by the throat. "And if you fail me again, I will make you and everything you hold dear suffer a fate worse than death." He said and pulled off Slender's red tie. "Celly, be a dear and hide this for me, it wouldn't be very interesting if he could just summon his Maskies to do his bidding."
"Yes... Nark..." Celestia said took the red tie and left the room.
"Such a dear, that Celestia. Now be gone and do not fail me again." Anarchy said and Slender bowed with an angry stare and left in a swirl of black smoke.
Slender cursed under his breath as he teleported outside Manehattan. "Curse that Anarchy, thinking he could mess with a being created out of pure darkness."
"And I am a being created out of pure chaos, remember I can hear you from anywhere. It doesn't mean I would always be there, but be careful of what you say, Shade."
Roland and Angel went to the infirmary with the Pyromaniac and the three foals. Diamond sat in the lobby with the doctor who examined the other's injuries.
"The foals are mostly fine with only minor injuries... I'm more worried about that unicorn you brought in, she has two maybe three fractured ribs with several burns and an injured fore-leg." The doctor said to Diamond.
"I'm sure she'll be fine I'm more worried about Headshot... It's been an hour and a half already and did you hear that explosion just now?" Diamond said.
The doctor pushed up his glasses. "Yes, but I have no idea what that was and I hope we don't have too."
"It came from the mountain... I hope he's alright." Diamond said with a worried look on her face.
Meanwhile...
Roland was more or less fine in his opinion but he still needed to rest. He was lying down on the hospital bed and checked his ECHO messages.
Claptrap had another message. "Spike! No! You do not eat robot parts! Oh? It's on?" Claptrap said.
"Right. I have recently discovered that Spike's fire doesn't burn stuff but sends it somewhere else! Maybe even a different planet or universe all together! This is a discovery of a lifetime and if I might finally be able to get that oil hot tub I always wanted! But... I could always go to that boiling oil pit..." Claptrap said and Spike growled.
"Hello?" A different voice called out.
"Hello? A visitor? Hello there! My name is-"
"Claptrap, I know." Said the female voice. "I was wondering if you know how to get to Sanctuary? I followed the map but all I found was a huge hole."
"Yeah. You have to use the fast travel network, since it turned into a flying fortress." Claptrap said and led to the outdated fast-travel station.
"Thank you." She said.
"...Who are you? You seem familiar." Claptrap said. "I know I've seen that pink highlight before."
The girl giggled. "Maybe, turn off your ECHO and I'll tell you."
That's when the ECHO recording ended.
Roland tossed around in bed. He took out his old knife and saw the names of the soldiers of his old squad on one side and the names of his new friends on the other.
"Man..." Roland said in a low voice. "I really miss you all." Roland turned the blade over. "And you guys too... I wish I could just, I don't know..." Roland saw the skull tattoo he had on his arm.
"I remember when we all got this tattoo... What I'd give to have the old days back." Roland said to himself and shook his head. "No, I gotta stop thinking like this, I'll go senile or something."
There was a knock on the door. "Come in." Roland said and sheathed his knife.
Diamond peaked in with the three foals. "Hello Roland, The girls were curious about you, I tried to stop them and say you needed to rest but you know." She said and the others rushed in.
"Hi!" The little blue Pegasus said, bouncing up and down an unoccupied bed.
"What's your name?" The green Unicorn said and watched the soldier up close.
"What's your Cutie-mark?" The yellow Earthpony asked and looked at his arm that had the skull tattoo.
"Is this your Cutie-mark?"
"What's your favorite color?"
"How old are you?"
"What are those things on the end of your hooves?"
"Do you know magic?"
"Can you fly?"
"How strong are you?"
"Who's your favorite Wonderbolt?"
"Where can I get that hat?"
"What are you?"
"Can I trade for this hat?"
"Where did you come from?"
"How much for the hat?"
Roland began to get a headache at the rapid-fire questions that came out of the trio's mouths.
Diamond stepped up. "Alright, foals. Give him some room to breathe." She said and scooped the trio away from the soldier.
"Right... My name is Roland, I don't have a Cutie-mark, red, twenty-nine, fingers, no, no, I don't know, I bought it back in my world, human, no, Pandora, it's not for sale." Roland answered the questions in order.
The three fillies began to open their mouths but Diamond quickly put her hoof on the three fillies. "We could play twenty questions later. Right now, I think you three should get some rest." Diamond said and led the three saddened fillies out the room.
Headshot saw a large hole in the wall that leads to an abandoned mineshaft. He squeezed through the hole and looked around.
It was too dark to see anything but he could feel some old tracks under his hooves. The path on the left had a dim light and he followed it.
Headshot walked through the deep dark cave, old train-tracks led from the mountain and towards the outskirts of Canterlot. When he gets out he would contact the others and warn them to be on a lookout for Slenderpony.
As he walked down the empty tunnel he noticed something at the distance. "Hello?" He called out and something moved behind him. Headshot wasn't scared but felt very uneasy in that tunnel. "Just keep calm and move on..." He said to himself and continued to trek through the tunnel.
When he reached a small station for loading and unloading he noticed that there were a few recently lit torches in the area. He knew he wasn't alone in the cave. The sound of hoof-steps came from behind him.
A knife pressed up against Headshot's neck. Whoever or Whatever that thing that had Headshot spoke in a language he didn't understand. Several more voices came from behind him.
"If you want to kill me..." He said and extended his razor-sharp wings and injured what was attacking him. He quickly turned around but only found darkness. "I know you're there. No use hiding." Headshot said softly.
A unicorn with black symbolic lines were drawn all over her body came through the darkness. "I asked you to leave quietly but you only go deeper into the mines." She said.
"I didn't hear anything." Headshot said and tensed up his muscles. "And I think you tried to kill me with a rusty knife."
"Your ears are deaf, colt. You couldn't hear me or my words because of your clouded mind." She said and stepped forward. "Leave now!"
"I am! I'm trying to get to Canterlot!" Headshot replied and stepped forward. "I'm lost and alone and you try to kill me? Talk about hospitality."
The mare came forward. "Continue down this path and it will lead certain doom." The mare said and stared at the sniper.
Headshot stared back. "I've had worse odds." He said. "Also, am I going the right way? I'm not sure which way is Canterlot."
"Down the path you will find, a dead god locked behind, chains of old and chains of new, will come and consume you." The mare said and disappeared in the darkness of the cave.
"Chains of old and chains of new? Huh?" He said and looked to the direction he was heading. "Behind locked doors and opened cracks, lies a demon within the tracks, one of gold and one of blue, will come and protect you." He recited an old poem that he knew.
"Through the burning ashes and flame, will come one they call Cain, the master flight and master rain." He said and the tracks and rocks began to heat the deeper he went through.
"And through the shining edges of steel, will come one named Keel, the one of golden radiance and might, will end your suffering and the blight." Headshot ducked as a sharp throwing knife came very close to his head.
Two ponies wearing gold and blue came forward, spears at the ready. "The two of these..." Headshot said and pulled out his rifle. "... will protect the weak..." He recited and fired his rifle. "... but the one they protect is neither wicked or meek..." The two of them were hit by the bullet. "... and through the burning locks and chains will release the one known as Pain."
Headshot walked pass the two guardians. He stared at a large gate that presumed to house the demon. "One of the Elements of Harmony and Light will show the demon compassion with his might." He said and reached out to the gates. "The one of loyalty will break through the demon's shell and save the protector within the veil."
The large gates and two large glowing eyes. Headshot stepped back.
Headshot took out his rifle and aimed. The bullets didn't seem to affect that thing. "Son of a..." Headshot said as a giant scally claw sent him back.
The thing slowly came forward. It was a giant Earth Dragon, a dragon without wings and could easily destroy an entire army of war-trained veteran Unicorns.
All dragons grew up by succumbing to one of the Sins of Chaos, Sky Dragons were the most common, they were made from succumbing to Greed. The Earth Dragons were a rare breed, created by succumbing to the sin of Wrath.
The dragon had large brown scales and red glowing eyes that stared at Headshot with intense rage.
The dragon roared at the tiny Pegasus forcing him to step back.
Headshot jumped behind a large boulder and took cover from the white-hot flames. Headshot rushed towards the Dragon and went under him and attacked from behind.
Each attack only seemed to make the Dragon more angry. The Dragon swiped his tail and struck the sniper out of the air.
The Dragon turned around and grabbed Headshot, he had Headshot in a death grip with his claws and was slowly squeezing the life out of Headshot
"Please! Stop!" A voice said from inside the large doors.
The Dragon stared at the newcomer and released his grip on the Pegasus and it disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"I'm sorry! I thought you were one of those monsters." The voice said from inside the doors.
"Monsters? What monsters? And what did you do to that Dragon?" Headshot asked and coughed up some blood.
The voice came out of the large doors. The voice was a young mare with golden eyes and a dark green mane. "A-Are you alright?" The mare asked shyly.
Headshot couldn't help but blush at the cute mare. "I-I'm fine. What are you doing in a place like this?" He asked.
"I, ummm, live here. I didn't know there were others outside, especially somepony who was brave enough to fight my Dragon." She said and smiled shyly on the ground.
"W-wait! Your Dragon!?!" Headshot yelled in surprise. "D-does that mean?"
The mare nodded. "I'm a Summoner." She said.
Headshot shot up in the air and charged at the mare. "That's impossible! The only Summoner is... was Juno, and she eaten by thousands of Parasprites! All the other Summoners were killed by Anarchy years ago! Who the hell are you!" Headshot tighten his grip around the mare's neck.
The mare started to choke and her horn glowed a soft yellow light and Dragon from earlier appeared and swatted the sniper to the aside.
Headshot got up and felt his wing snap. "I-I guess you're telling the truth." Headshot dusted off and retracted his broken wing.
The mare was surprised by the sniper's retracting wing. "I, umm, I'm sorry for your wing..." She said.
Headshot shrugged off the injured wing. "Nah, I'm sorry for trying to choke you. But you said there were monsters here?"
The mare's eyes shot open. "EEEEEEKKEEE!!!" She screamed.
Headshot turned around and faced a large moving shadow. "No...Not you again..." He said silently and turned to the mare. "Run."
Both the ponies ran pass the shadow and back to where Headshot came from. He saw the hole that led back through the cave and the decaying support beams, Headshot let go of the mare and pointed pass the hole. "Just keep running! I'll hold him off."
The mare stared at the long, dark tunnel and then back to Headshot. The sniper pulled out his rifle. "GO!" He yelled and the mare ran down the tracks.
Headshot aimed his rifle at the support beams. The Shadow was closing in.
"Steady..." Headshot muttered. "Steady..." He fired and hit the support beams and the entire section came crashing down. The Shadow wasn't dead, several cracks on the wall began to ooze. "Yeah... didn't think that would work..." Headshot quickly turned around and began to run away from the shadow.
"I can't use booster with a broken wing!"
*Booster activate*
"DAMMIT!" Headshot yelled as one of his boosters appeared on his back and propelled him forward. He couldn't control his flight as he spun in one direction. "DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT!"
Headshot saw the mare running and he quickly grabbed her. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed as both of them saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
They flew out of the tunnel and into the warm sunlight and the Shadow quickly dissolved into nothingness.
Both of them could see the Canterlot waterfall and Lake Canterlot in the bottom. Headshot was going too fast and he needed to stop. He aimed himself at the lake and both of them splashed into the water.
Headshot swan up and surfaced, he noticed that the mare wasn't with him. He swam back down and found the mare and grabbed her and swam up.
He swam ashore and placed the mare on her back. "Dammit..." He muttered as he put his hooves on her chest and pushed. "Come on... Breath..." He said and pushed again and again. He placed his lips on her's and with a few more puffs she began to cough up the water.
Headshot panted for breath. "You... Alright?" He said between breaths.
"Y-yeah..." She said and lied down on the grass, staring at the clouds above.
Headshot stayed quiet and lied down on the grass as well. "So... this your first time?"
"Excuse me?" She said surprised.
"Being outside, I mean. Outside that prison." Headshot said and pointed to a cloud. "Being with nature... I just wish there was more, like during the peaceful times."
The mare stared at the moving clouds. "Was it always like this? The clouds? The sun and moon?" She asked.
"No, thank Anarchy for fixing the laws of physics that Discord broke a few thousand years ago." Headshot said and the cloud he was pointing to slowly drifted down. "Pegasi can still control the weather but in some cases the weather became too unpredictable."
"I was... stuck in there, behind that door for years. I remember the ponies trying to dig through it, but it didn't work. Honestly, I thought this was a dream until you started choking me earlier." She said and gazed at Headshot.
"Yeah, sorry." He said and remembered that he needed to contact his friends about a new danger. "Excuse me." He said and stood up.
He turned on his ECHO and called Roland. "Hello? Roland? Do you hear me?"
There was a loud buzzing sound and Roland's distorted voice. "Ye-can hea- ou." Roland said.
"I can't hear you, you're breaking up. I'm near Canterlot, and tell Firecracker that Slenderpony is alive, she'll know what it'd mean. I'll contact you later." Headshot said turned off his ECHO.
He turned his attention to the staring mare. "Nevermind. We should go to the city before it gets dark. My name's Headshot, by the way."
"I'm Pain or Abyss as some of the creatures I summon would call me." Pain said and reached out ot grab Headshot hoof.
Headshot stared at the mare. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head. "I'm scared..." She said quietly. "I was stuck in there for a long time, I don't even know how long."
"Well... Where are you going now?" Headshot said. "We can't stay out here, you'll die." He got up and turned to face Canterlot.
Pain jumped up and grabbed his hoof again. "...Don't go...Please..." She said and started to cry.
"Who said I was going?" Headshot said and flashed her a quick smile. "I just asked where we were going." Headshot grabbed her hoof. "I was thinking Canterlot or maybe Ponyville. It would take a day to get to Ponyville but, your choice."
She wiped her tear off her face. "L-let's go to Canterlot."
"Let's go!"
Roland and Angel checked out of the clinic.
"I got a message from Headshot. He said he was going to a place called 'Canterlot' or something." Roland said to the others.
Firecracker jumped up. "WHAT!?!" She began to pace back and forth. "This is bad! This is really bad!"
Diamond tried to comfort the Unicorn. "Why? What's wrong?"
"Canterlot is the chaos capital of the world and Headshot is a wanted stallion there! The most wanted!" Firecracker yelled. "He's got the biggest bounty on his head! That stupid stallion!"
"Now what?" Angel asked. "We could go to Canterlot and pick up Headshot."
"But we won't make it in time! If he ever finds out about... No, let's go... Hurry up!" Firecracker said. It was strange to see her so serious.
"I'll have to stay here, but the Hammers are with all of you." Diamond said and left the clinic. "Oh, and don't worry about the foals, I'll get them back to Ponyville safely."
"Let's get out of here! I go get an airship." Firecracker and and rushed out the door. "Meet me outside the town later!"
Roland and Angel left the clinic. "I hope that idiot's alright." Roland said.
"He reminds me too much about Mordicai." Angel said and walked down the street.
"Reckless, Headstrong, and Loyal." Roland replied and smiled at Angel. "Sometimes a bit too reckless."
"I remember the time Mordicai took on Moe and Marley alone, crazy son of a skag." Angel laughed.
"Huh... Never thought I'd miss them this much..." Roland sighed. "Wish I was back..."
Roland and Angel walked in silence as they exited the town.
They waited silently for a few minutes, noticing the difference in the environment in Equistria and Pandora.
The soft green grass and blooming flowers were very alien to Roland and Angel. They heard a loud horn overhead. The two of them looked up and stared at the large red airship with Firecracker's Cutie-mark on the side.
A rope ladder flew down. "HEY! Get up here! Let's go!" Firecracker said from the deck of the ship.
"Let's do it." Roland said and climbed up, Angel following closely behind.
Firecracker flipped a switch and the airship increased it's altitude. "The S.S Firestorm has set sail!" |
An Angel and her Soldier | Chpater 10 | Chapter 10
Headshot and Pain snuck pass the guards through the alley way
"Hey..." Headshot said to the Summoner. "Stay quiet, alright."
The mare nodded. "Why are we sneaking pass?" She asked silently.
"I may or may not be the most wanted stallion in Canterlot." Headshot said and knocked out two guards and dragged them into the alley. "And besides, sneaking in is much more fun."
Pain stepped over the two guards. "But do we have a place to stay? We can't just stay in the streets."
Headshot removed the guards armor and quickly strapped it on, hiding his Cutie-mark. "Of course, I have a safe-house near the castle."
Pain's eyes shot open. "Near the castle!?!" She almost yelled and caught the guard's uniform that Headshot threw at her. "As in the Canterlot Castle!?! The most heavily guarded area in Canterlot!"
"Yup.Nopony would suspect anything." Headshot said and left the alley and headed straight to the castle. "You coming or what?"
Pain stared silently at the stallion. She sighed and followed him.
Headshot and Pain walked through the street, thugs and guards alike eyed them as they walked swiftly.
"I-I think we're attracting too much attention." Pain whispered.
"Nonsense, we're fine." Headshot said and saw a large banner on the castle walls. "The... hell?" He muttered.
The large banner had the words in Pegalatin that said. "Fight for freedom! Fight for me!" And it bore the picture of his brother standing on top Anarchy.
"Do you know him?" Pain asked.
Headshot took Pain by the hoof and quickly led off to his Safe-house. He paid no mind to the ponies that stared at them as they ran pass.
Headshot and Pain arrived at the Canterlot Library and he quickly tapped on the side of it. "Silence is golden." He muttered and several clicks were heard inside the building. "Nothing is true." He said and more clicks and turning gears were heard inside. "I live only for Luna and the Creed." The walls began to spread open and led to a large spiral stairway that descended down to the old mazes of Canterlot.
Headshot and Pain crept silently through the old caverns of Canterlot. "Watch out for that pressure plate." Headshot said and both of them went over it. "Trip-wire." They both stepped over the trip-wire. "Motion sensor." Headshot said and threw a rock and spikes errupeted from the sides.
"What's with all these traps? Pain asked the sniper and pulled down a lever on their right instead of the one of the left.
"The ponies I worked with were very secretive." He said as both of them walked into a large room with an old stone table in the center, lit with candles and scents. "Looks like they're here, today." Headshot removed his disguise and Pain removed her's.
"The Brotherhood welcomes you, Master Assassin." A voice said at the other side of the room.
"Can it, Alty." Headshot said and went to the table. "Alty I'd like you to meet Pain. Pain, Alty."
"My name is Altair, which means Eagle. It's a pleasure to meet you." Altair said and extended his hoof.
Pain reached out and gave it a firm shake. "T-the pleasure is all mine." She said, meekly.
"Alty, straight to business." Headshot said and placed the two Vault keys on the table. "Does the Brotherhood have any information on the Vault, anything at all."
"You know the Archives more than anypony, sir." Altair said. The tan Pegasus extended his hoof and placed his gauntlet on the table and pulled back his white hood. "And the only ones who know about the whereabouts of the Vault had been killed by Anarchy."
"Yes... The Grand Master..." Headshot said solemnly. "But I know about another place that had the symbol of the Vault, one of the Assassin's nest."
"Yes, but that was over-run by bandits and the guards have bought it and made it into a base, sir." Altair said.
"The Bitter Springs branch, we lost many good men and women there, and now we are taking it back." Headshot said and pulled out an Eagle feather. "I have a target for you; The commander of the Bitter Springs weapons base."
Firecracker set the airship to full speed, directly heading to Canterlot.
"E.T.A in ten minutes." She said and muttered. "Why don't you move faster you stupid hunk of junk."
Roland looked over the railing and smiled in awe. This was one of the few times he could see the ground from this high up, one of those times would be the time he crashed a buzzard into a mountain and the other time is when he nearly fell off of Sanctuary.
"This is awesome." He said. "Why don't we have airships on Pandora?"
Angel leaned against the railings. "Because the buzzards would shoot it down faster than a Skag puking up eridium." She said.
A high pitched beeping sounded on the airship.
"Royal guards! Ach..." Firecracker grunted in frustration. "You two, go man the cannons." She said and the floor opened up and revealed cannons on both sides of the ship.
"I'll man starboard, you man port." Roland said and went to the right cannon and loaded it.
Angel went to the other cannon and loaded it as well. Each cannon could hold five rounds. The two Vault hunters readied themselves as two large airships that bore the Equistrain flag flew beside them.
"Hold! We only want to check your cargo and permit and we'll be on our- OH! Sweet Celestia! It's her! Bring that ship down!" The ship on the starboard said yelled through the their P.A system.
Roland and Angel opened fire and broke through the enemy ship's exterior hull. One of the ships even caught on fire.
"Fire again!" Roland yelled to Angel and both of them fired their cannons and both the ship went down. "That's it? Too eas-"
The sound cannon balls hitting the wooden exterior of the S.S Firestorm and the earthquake equivalent shaking made the two Vault hunters loss their footing and stumble.
"Boggies on our six! Roland take them out!" Firecracker said. "Angel, man the front cannons!" Roland and Angel scramble back up and both of them went to their respective position.
"..." Firecracker looked over the radar and frowned. "Fifty... maybe a hundred... Sweet merciful Luna, that's a lot of them."
Roland tried to scan the skies but only found one airship. "What? There's only one of them."
"Stupid clocking magic.Cowards!" Firecracker yelled and steered the ship to the left, crashing into an invisible airship. "You don't need to aim! Just shoot EVERYTHING!"
Angel fired from the cannon, the sound of exploding gunpowder made quick work of the enemy airships.
The other airships began to return fire but Firecracker's horn began to glow bright red and the ship was engulfed in flames the burned through all the cannon balls that went through it to a smoldering crisp.
Firecracker rammed into another airship and it quickly burned them down, and because all of the ships were very close together, most of them were caught on fire from another airship.
The flaming shields began to fizzle and burn out. Firecracker began to pant and flipped a small switch. "I'm out for the count guys... I've set this thing on auto. Give 'em hell." Firecracker said and collapsed on the floor.
Roland fired at the airships. A few cannons managed to break through and even send Roland back a few feet. He went back to the cannon and quickly got his revenge and more.
Angel was blasting through each and every ship she sees. Several holes were on the ship and the deck, only a few meters away. It was strange for her to feel so... happy? Just blasting through. Maybe the bit of her friends were rubbing off on her. She smiled as another ship went down.
"Hey..." Roland said through the ECHO. "Do you think this is a bit too easy? I mean there are hundreds of these guys and we're-" Roland said and an explosion rang on the other side. "-just two humans against, possibly well trained guards, doesn't strike you as odd?"
"The four Vault hunters back on Pandora took on five buzzards with an entire hoard of bandits shooting down on them and all of them are still alive." Angel replied and a cannon ball broke her cannon, sending bits of it everywhere. "Uhh, problem over here."
Roland reloaded his cannon and resumed fire. "Can of busy here, and they had Respawn."
"They didn't use Respawn." She said as she was knocked back by a stray cannon ball. "I get another cannon from ... ugh that hurt... down below."
"Hurry up."
Angel ran down the steps quickly and found the store room, there was an insane amount of cannon balls that were stacked up together. She found an unused cannon at the far end of the room and she pushed it back to the stairs.
"How am I going to get this up?" She asked herself as several explosions sounded upstairs. "Hey Roland switch with me."
"Get up here, and I'll get that cannon." He said. "I don't think they're much of a problem though, only a few left... I think? I really don't know 'cause they're invisible but judging from the lack of cannon balls raining down on me, I'd say maybe a dozen left."
Angel ran up the stairs and tapped Roland on the shoulder. "Switch with me." She said.
Roland nodded and left the cannon and ran down the stairs and heaved the heavy cannon up the stairs. Years of running and shooting would make your muscles very tone.
Roland pushed the cannon to the front and loaded it and fired. Again, again, and again, all of them missing. "Where the hell are they?
"I don't know. There should be at least a half of a dozen more." Angel said.
Roland looked around and only was clear skies and an occasional bird. "Huh? Must of left?" He said and noticed a few more birds flying directly at them. "I don't think those are birds... Angel... We got a problem."
Altair blended into the crowd, his hood and cloak swayed gently on the breeze.
He left the city effortlessly and slowly unfurled his wings. His wings had a few missing feathers, and fresh blood pour out of the closed bangages.
"It still hasn't properly healed? I guess it was really a stupid move." He muttered to himself as he closed his wings.
He went to the train station that was at the outskirts of town, he placed the bits on the counter and grabbed the ticket. He nodded at the pony in the ticket booth and hopped on.
Altair rested on the train ride to Bitter Springs, memories began flashing back to him as he began to daze off.
"Faster, Altair." Headshot said as the young Altair quickly attacked a magical dummy with a short blade. Headshot's wings were originally the same color as his coat, dark blue, but a certain fire loving filly may or may not have burned his wings.
"I'm doing the best I can! You're just older than me by a month and you made master before me, that doesn't make you any special!" Altair yelled at his supprior and snared. "Heck, I think I can even take you right now. Come and get me."
Headshot sighed and lifted his black wings and pulled out a dagger, a small crossbow dangled on his side as he unlatched it and it fell to the ground. "You know, you're gonna die if you keep acting like that."
"Shut up and fight, unless you're chicken." Altair taunted. "Baaa-cawww." Altair began to imitate a chicken and flapped his hooves and wings.
Headshot took the opening and threw the dagger and lodged itself inside Altair's shoulder, Headshot rushed at him and tackled him to the ground, sending his weapon sliding across the floor.
"That... was a cheap move..." Altair grunted as he tried to push Headshot off. "If I was prepared-"
"Would the enemy give you time to prepare?" Headshot said and removed the dagger, sending the blood out. "You have to be ready, even if you're injured and dying, ready to make that one last ditch effort to win, ready to take your opponent down with you, ready to make the ultimate sacrifice. I, and the other Masters, don't think you're ready."
"That's because you never give me a chance to prove myself!" Altair yelled as he got up, his hoof was covering his shoulder to minimize his lost of blood. "Give me a target and I will take him or her out, without a second thought."
Headshot punched the young assassin down to the floor. "Don't you ever forget about the others you killed, they won't forget you, their families won't forget you and their friends will never forgive or forget you. You have to be ready to take that burden or you will lose everything."
"I already lost everything! My family, my friends and everything I ever care about!" Altair yelled and stood up. "Never fight a stallion that has nothing to lose." He muttered.
"And that's what makes you blind and reckless." Headshot said. "You want a target, I'll give you a target. Follow me." Headshot opened his injured wings and took off despite the pain that shot through it.
Altair joined him in the air. "Master, where are we going?" He asked, he disliked the fact that he called him "Master".
"Don't call me 'Master' and I'm taking you to your target." He said.
They flew for a few hours and finally slowed down. "Our, I mean you're target is a pony by the name of Storm Bringer, if you need help-"
"I don't need it." Altair said and rushed down. Headshot following close behind.
"Wait! You don't even know who you're target is, a mare with a red mane and blue eyes. She has a few bodyguards with her and close connections to the death of the Prince of Saddle Arabia." He said. Altair had a bored look on his face. "Check around town, see if you can find out where she is."
"Right, I'm off." Altair said and flew down to street level.
He was in the town of Fillydelphia, on the western side of the Everfree Forest.
Ponies went by their usual day-in-day-out routines and ignored the young assassin. He blended right in and and stuck to the shadows. He managed to overhear a few old stallions talking about his target.
"Aye, the young lass should be leavin' soon, I hear." One of the stallions said.
"Shame, she was such a nice mare. Heck, she even fixed up town hall with her own money. Now that's generosity." The other one said with a huff. "My, if she was ever to be elected, I would vote for her."
"Same here, mate."
So she's leaving town? That won't save her. Altair thought and moved back into the crowd.
After a few hours of aimlessly walking, he decided to take to the airs. He unfurled his wings and shot up, scanning the surrounding area for any leads or info.
"This is getting me nowhere!" He yelled in frustration.
"Hey, did ya' hear about the mare that help rebuild the school?" Altair overheard a few Pegasi talking on a cloud.
"Yeah, she's a real doll that one, what was her name? Storm Bringer?" Altair crept onto a nearby cloud and listened attentively.
"Yeah, she's great... but she does have that limp, I don't know how she got it."
"Maybe we should do something to show our respect and concern."
"Sure, but what can we do? Send her some 'Get well soon cards'?"
"We'll think of something."
Altair left his cloud cover and hovered back down to the streets. He went to a nearby alley and thought of where to find his next clue.
"So, you're the Assassin who's out to get me." A very seductive voice came from behind Altair. "I was expecting Headshot to just shoot me in the head. A fast and clean death. To think he would send a rookie to hunt me."
"Say what you want, seductress.." Altair said, not turning his back.
"You're an Assassin, are you not? And we are in an alley, completely alone, and you can leave before the guards get here. So why don't you kill me now? No more planning." She said and ran her hoof over Altair's neck. "Surely a strong stallion like you could easily kill me."
"Because, Assassins kill those who abuse power, that was the sole reason that we were created." He said and turned around to face the mare. "And all the things I heard about you were good things. Things I would hear about a saint instead of a tyrant."
"A saint? I am far from a saint, my dear. Why don't you ask your Master. He might shed some light on the subject." She said and turned her attention to the sky. "Headshot! Come out! I know you're spying on us."
Headshot came down in front of the two ponies, staring at Altair with malice. "Why don't you kill her? She's right there!" He said and pointed a sharp dagger at the two of them.
Altair refused to step-aside and drew his own weapon.
"Altair, don't make me do this." Headshot said and stepped forward.
"Give me a good reason why I should let you hurt her?" Altair said and glared at Headshot.
Headshot dropped his dagger. "I am very proud of you." He said.
"What?"
Headshot moved closer to Altair and took his weapon. "No need for that." He said and threw it on the ground. "An Assassin must be ready to lose everything, and you said you didn't have anything to lose, you are wrong, my friend."
"You have the Brotherhood." Storm Bringer said.
"You have your morals." Headshot continued.
"And you have friends like us." Storm Bringer finished.
"Wait. What is going on here?" Altair said to the two ponies.
"Altair, I would like you to meet our top Assassin, Storm Bringer, the mare who assassinated the tyrant prince of Saddle Arabia all by herself." Headshot said with a hint of pride in his voice. "Trained her myself."
"You and about five more Masters." She rolled her eyes.
"An Assassin? You sent me to kill one of our own?!?" Altair said in shock and stepped back.
"I gave you a target, and here she is." Headshot said and motioned to the mare. "And you have done quite well in trying to find her."
"Didn't you want her dead? Did she do something that disrespects our Creed?" Altair said and looked at the mare who had an unreadable expression on her face.
"Did I give you an eagle feather?"
That was all that Altair needed to hear and showed his respect to the top Assassin. "I am sorry, Ma'am." He said with his most heart-felt apology.
"Get up."
"Get up."
"Get up."
"Get up, sir. The train has reached its destination." The train conductor said.
Altair shook off the drowsiness and jumped off the train. "Take a deep breath, Altair." He said to himself.
He was at the town of Sweet Water. A short walk away from Bitter Springs.
"Hey, Alty.Heard you were coming over." A voice said from his right.
"Storm? What are you doing here?" He asked the mare. He just noticed that she was in a wheelchair. "So... it's true..."
"Yeah, lost both my back legs, but I can still fly short distances." She said and rolled the wheels to move forward.
Altair went behind her and began to push her. "Can you get a new leg? Like Master Headshot has." He asked.
"Can't, my nerves are fried. It's a miracle I'm drooling all over myself in a hospital bed waiting for my mercy killing." She said in a strange up beat voice.
"Don't... say that..."
"You're the one who said it. 'Don't fight a pony who's got nothing to lose'. Well I don't anything to lose anymore. I can't do what I love and that makes me useless and I hate it."
"And you're the one who said 'You always have something to fight for' I don't want you turning your back on that." Altair said and pushed her through the semi-busy streets.
A few shops left the air with a wonderful aroma that made both Assassins hungry. A few ponies bought and sold a few flowers and knick-knack to passing ponies.
"Maybe we should grab lunch before we start." She said and pointed to an old Nieghpone restaurant.
"Wait, 'We'?"
"I'm tagging along as your support."
"WHAT?" |
An Angel and her Soldier | Chapter 11 | Chapter 11
"Roland!" Angel yelled as the soldier did a barrel roll to the right.
"What the hell are these things!?!" Roland yelled and fired his sawed-off shotgun. "They're like Pegasi or something."
"They're not ponies. Those things are huge. They're more like a Dragon." Angel said and fired one of the cannons.
"Too small to be Dragons, more like a hybrid." Roland said as a sharp claw broke through his shields and knocked him back.
The Dragon-Pony smiled at the injured soldier and dive-bombed Roland.
"Nice try." Roland muttered and dodged the hybrid and jumped on its back. Roland easily steered it into the other hybrids and he jumped off and caught the railings of the ship. "Pull me up!" Roland yelled to the Siren.
Angel hopped off the cannon and grabbed Roland's hand and pulled the muscular human up. She looked up and saw another wave of those things coming in for another round. "Incoming!"
"More? Damn." Roland pulled up his shotgun and reloaded.
The hybrids all attacked at once and blinded the two humans. Roland fired his shotgun and emptied the chambers, taking out a lot of the hybrids.
The hybrids broke off and flew away. Some flipped their middle claw up at the two humans.
"At least that's over." Angel said and sat down on the wooden floor.
Roland sat down beside her. "Yeah, you alright, Firecracker?" Roland yelled and saw that the Unicorn was not on the deck.
"Cracker? Hey Cracker!" Angel yelled and stood up, she scanned the deck for any signs of the Unicorn. "Shit, I mean, crap."
The hybrids were called Pega-Drakes. They had sharp claws of a Dragon and had large powerful wings. They were shaped like ponies but had extremly tough scales.
The herd of Pega-Drakes that attacked the S.S Firestorm was the Red Wings, the best of the best... and now they were dwindled down to only five squads.
"Lionheart is going to be pissed." A young Pega-Drake said, his large beady eyes were wet with worry.
"You'll be fine, he doesn't blame the newbies... but for the leaders like us..." An older Pega-Drake said and shuddered.
"Shut up and make sure that crazy thing doesn't wake up and roast us." A much larger Pega-Drake bellowed at the two.
"Yes sir. Sir Bigwing, sir!" The two saluted and slowed down to meet up with the others who were carrying their dangerous cargo.
The younger one whispered to the one carrying the Unicorn. "Hey. What are we going to do if she wakes up?"
He gave a pat on the younger one's head. "We can stand being on the Sun for a day, what can she possibly do to us?"
The one known as Bigwing flew down next to them. The others tensed up and saluted. "You bunch of sissies want to know what she can do?" He bellowed and pointed to the Unicorn.
The rest of them nodded.
"She killed five Dragons... ON. HER.OWN. Using fire, a lot of fire." Bigwing shuddered, which was a incredibly rare sight for the Captain of the Red Wings. "Five fully grown Dragons, burned to a smoldering crisp."
The others flew silently and stared at Firecracker. The youngest one gave a hearty huff. "She doesn't look so tough."
Bigwing stared at the young member of the Red Wings. "Have you ever fought a Scorpio Major or an Ursa Major."
"Yeah, big red and stabby and the blue starry bear."
"Those were MINORS!" He said and pointed to the Unicorn. "And you had a team to back you up. That thing, that pony, took down an Ursa Major, alone. Sure it was injured but still..."
The young member swallowed a lump in his throat. "M-Minors! Those things took out most of the squad!"
"That's right, and she took down a Major."
"I-I don't believe this! She can't possibly take down a Major. Heck, it took an entire division to take down a Minor."
"I don't care if you believe it or not." Bigwing shuddered. "But remember, don't give her a reason to kill you. She will do it, even if you lock her up, chain her magic and bound her legs, she will find a way." Bigwing turned around and flew farther away from the group. "She always has."
"The Red Wings are on their way, sir."
Critical sipped his coffee with a serious look on his face. "Tell them to keep her alive."
"Sir? Alive?"
"Yes, alive." Critical threw the empty cup of coffee to the wall. "But tell them to be as rough as possible."
"Understood, sir." The pony left Critical's Chambers went out to inform the Red Wings
Critical locked the doors and went over to the dresser. "My little firebug." He said and pulled out a picture of Firecracker with her mane tied up into a ponytail. "How I've missed you."
"All the times I've waited for you and still you choose my insolent little brother!" He said and threw the picture at the wall, shattering the glass. "No, not today. I will make you love me. One way or the other."
A quick memory flashed through his eyes.
"Boom! Wait up!"
"Come on, Heady, we got our target."
"Boom, Headshot! Wait up!"
Critical brushed off the memory. "I will get back what is rightfully ours." He said and brushed back his mane. "This I swear."
"Storm... You are CRAZY!" Altair said to the gun-metal grey Pegasus
"What else is new?" She asked sarcastically.
"You barely got out alive and now you're risking going back in! Storm, I thought you were crazy before but..." Altair tried to talk the crippled Pegasus out of her resolve.
"Oh? I believe, you had a death wish earlier in life. What was it again? Jumping into a lake filled with electric eels." She said with a smile.
"That was different, I dropped my coin pouch." Altair said with a shrug.
There was a large rumbling coming from Storm's stomach. "Food. Buy me food."
"...No..."
Storm grabbed Altair by the neck and started to slowly choke him. "Food..."
"...Never..." He wheezed. "... Unless I want to be in debt for a few decades..." He chocked.
She dropped the Assassin. "just a few cupcakes." She said with big puppy dog eyes.
"If I said 'no' you would kill me. Just a few cupcakes, alright?" Altair pushed her wheelchair as they began to make their way towards the restaurant.
"Did I mention their cupcakes are delish!" Storm said as they went into the restaurant.
"Huh, really?" Altair didn't really care and just examined the large red room they were in. He always had a habit of making a plan to escape or kill. Right now, he was trying not to get killed if he chose to run away.
"One Strawberry blast cupcake please." Storm said, her eyes began to water and she licked her lips in anticipation.
"Right away, ma'am." The pony behind the counter said and went back inside the kitchen.
She turned her attention to the young Assassin who was looking out the window. "Did I mention that they have great service here?"
"No. Just how good are they?" He said and really didn't care. He started to wonder if he could jump out the window.
"Here's your cupcake ma'am" The pony handed over a rather large strawberry red cupcake.
She quickly ate the large cupcake. Altair stared blankly at her, he wasn't sure if it was a large cupcake or a small cake.
Storm gave a big and obnoxious burp. "That was good." She said and sighed. "Did I also mention that they charge a fortune?"
The pony behind the counter smile. Ms. Storm always brings in more saps to take money from. "That would be about three hundred bits, sir."
Altair stared at the two of them, both having wide grins on their faces, he then turns to the window and back to the duo. "Let me guess, the windows are bullet-proof."
"Yup."
"And the doors are dead-locked."
"Yup."
"And I'm going to have to pay, aren't I?"
"You got it, Alty."
"I hate you."
Slenderpony walked through the streets of Manehatten. A few ponies stared at the once demi-god. He paid them no mind.
He needed info on his target, his prey, and he never loses his prey, NEVER.
"Ex-excuse me, sir." A young Earth-pony, grabbed his long black suit. "Umm... Do you know where, uhhh, Mane street is?"
Slender raised his brow in confusion. "Mane street? Why would you want to go there, child?" He said in a voice that most children would trust without a second thought.
This child however, as soon as he heard his voice, he backed away. "Uh. No reason, just finding some things to do. Uh, bye!" He stared to run away but Slender quickly stepped in front of him.
Honestly, he was intrigued by this young colt. "Why are you running?" He said and stepped closer and closer. The young colt stepped back to match the ex-Demi-god. "Do you know who I am?" The colt soon ran his back to a wall with no escape. "Are you afraid?"
"I-I'm not a-afraid of you..." He said, his voice was shaking as he tried to find a way out.
Slender just noticed his hoof-band and necklace. Both of them stared to glow and several spikes came out of the walls and the ground and blocked Slender's field of vision.
Slender stepped back with a smile on his face. "Now this is a rare treat." He said as he saw the young colt run away like his life, which it was, depended on it.
Slender's tentacles pushed him over the spikes and gently placed him on the other side. "Now, I got to be careful with this." He said and started following the young colt. "I'm not immortal anymore, I'm strong and regular fire-arms won't kill me but a powerful mage might."
He sighed as he found the colt at a dead-end. "Sadly, food's not all powerful." He said and a single tentacle lunged at the young colt.
The colt shielded his eyes and waited for the final blow... but it never came. He didn't dare open his eyes in fear.
Slender stared at shock at the blue force field that surrounded the colt. A single old Unicorn with blue eyes and a great white beard sneered at Slender. An trio of shooting stars adorned his flank.
"It's been a long time." He said in an old voice.
"It has." Slender replied.
"Tell me, how has Slender Jr. fared these long years?"
"He's dead."
"I see..."
Slender stared at the young colt cowering behind the old Unicorn.
"You've taken him under your wing, metaphorically of course." Slender said with a sarcastic smile. "The years haven't been kind, old friend!"
"And you look like you did all those years ago, centauries now, I believe." The old unicorn stared at Slender with malice. "It's been a while, Shade."
"Yes, it has." He said and pushed through the shield and pinned the two of them on the wall. "It has been far too long, Starswirl."
"Maybe..." Starswirl said, his horn glowing a bright blue as both him and the young colt dissolved into the wall. "...Not long enough."
Shade was left alone in the dark alley of Manehatten, a few traces of magic swirled through the air. "Loyalty can wait. I have personal bussines to take care of."
Shade couldn't care less about the Element of Loyalty right now, he goal was to find and kill Starswirl the Bearded and his little apprentice. He first needed to find information about them however.
And, much to his anger, the only place to find information about a target would be a bar.
Shade cursed inwardly as he walked into the disgusting hole of an establishment he has ever seen, and to top it off, it was playing his most hated song in all of time.
"Gimmie twenty bits! Gimmie twenty bits!" A few drunk colts sang along with the music. If he could, he would kill them right now. He walked towards the counter and took a seat on one of the stools.
"What can I get for you, lad?" The old green maned bartender said to the disgruntled abomination.
"Info about an old Unicorn, long beard, shooting stars for a Cutie-mark." Shade said in mild annoyance.
"A Unicorn? I know a lot of Unicorns, maybe some bits could help clear my mind." He said with an untrustworthy smile.
Shade grabbed the bartender by the throat. "Or I could beat the living shit out of you."
The rest of the bar stared at Shade, most had broken bottles or short knives ready to cut him down.
"Get 'em, lads!" The bartender yelled and several of the drunks rushed in. Shade side-stepped and grabbed a simple brown bottle and smacked them across the face, he didn't need to bother to show his real powers.
A few more rushed in and slashed away at Shade.
Shade dodged easily and stifled a yawn. "Is that all you got?" He said in a mocking gesture. He mentally cursed himself. He spent too much time with his son and now he's starting to act like him.
Shade dodged and countered with a strike from his broken bottle. A pony dropped to the ground, his knife clattering on the hard wooden ground. Shade picked it up and it felt... nice? He never bothered with such emotions before.
Shade stabbed the pony with the knife and he smiled a sadistic grin. It felt better than using his real powers, to connect to the flesh, blood gushing out, he felt... alive.
The other patrons stepped back as Shade removed the knife and licked the blunt part of the blade. He liked the taste of the blood, a sort of tangy metallic taste, he was familiar with draining the life of foals and adults alike but never drank the blood before.
He gave a sadistic grin to the others who all stared with disgust.
A few ponies started to stallion-up. "Hey! Get off of my buddy!" One of them said and attacked Shade with a hard wooden chair.
Shade was to focused on the blood on his suit, for some reason it irritated him, and he didn't notice the wooded object smacking him in the face.
"Take that!" The stallion yelled in triumph.
Shade frowned, as cuts covered his face but were quickly healed by his over-worldly powers.
The others noticed this and some of them began to whisper among themselves. "What are you?"
"DeAtH."
Starswirl silently made it back to an old safe-house with the young colt on his back.
The colt was sleeping soundly on the old Unicorn's back.
Shame. He thought. A young child being forced into this war that has been fought for centuries. He carefully placed the colt on a soft bed. The colt snored lightly. He white coat was slightly dirty with splotches here and there.
Starswirl turned around and turned off the lights. He looked back to the colt, still soundly sleeping. "Rest well, young Blueblood." He said and left the room.
His horn glowed blue and the door glowed, and with a locking sound, the door was completely cannot be opened from the outside.
Starswirl made his way outside, he felt a slight disturbance near one of the old bars in town. He quickly teleported a few blocks away from said bar.
He quickly made his way to the bar, the smell of blood wafted through the air. Several guards have blocked off the area.
"Sorry, sir. No trespassing." The guard said stoically.
"Captain Starlight, FBI." Starswirl said and showed a blank piece of paper to the guard.
The guard examined the piece of paper with a critical eye. "Sorry, sir. Go on inside."
Starswirl went inside and saw all the blood and dead bodies. Some were pinned on the walls and others completely mutilated. "Huh, not your average bar brawl, eh? Spines?" He said and his beard began to rustle and a small red-eyed salamander poked his head out and stared blankly at the gore.
"I know, I won't be sleeping anytime soon too." Star said to the small lizard as if it was talking.
Spines stared at the old Unicorn with an expressionless face.
"I'm not an old scaredy cat. You're a scaredy cat."
Spines dug back down to his beard.
"Yeah, scaredy cat."
Starswirl walked through the destroyed bar. Looking through the mutilated bodies. A few guards saluted to him.
"Sir, we got a live one." A guard said with a salute.
"Alive? Looks like his some of his son rubbed off on him." Starswirl said and walked pass the slightly confused guard.
The stallion in question was the bartender, shivering and covered in blood. "The monster... DON'T LET IT GET ME!" He yelled.
Starswirl has spent years with ponies that need to calm down and he knew exactly what this stallion needs.
"CALM." He said and slapped him across the face. "THE." He slapped him after each word. "FUCK. DOWN!"
The stallion really did calm down but his breathing was still erratic and was covered in blood. "I-I'm calm." He said.
"Now, tell me what happened." Starswirl said and placed his hoof on his head. "Nice and slow."
The bartender took a deep breath. "It was just earlier today, I was at bar talking with one of my regular, Luna bless his soul, and this snow-white stallion with a short black mane took a seat on one of those bar stools."
"Tell me, did you see his Cutie-mark?"
"No, it was covered by his long suit, it looked a bit too long for him though." The bartender said and took another deep breath. "He asked about an old Unicorn with shooting stars and a long beard." He said and his eyes went wide as he examined the old Unicorn. Starswirl shushed him and told the guards to leave the room.
"He's hunting me." Starswirl said. "And I am hunting him. That stallion is serial killer and a psychopath, he killed his own son recently and what makes it worse for me was he was my childhood friend." Starswirl whispered to avoid eavesdropping guards. "I need to kill him before he takes another life."
The bartender was about to believe the story but a thought came into his head. "You said he was a childhood friend, but he looked like he was only twenty-five at best."
Starswirl sighed. "Yes, he takes the youth of children and adds more years to his life." Starswirl lied.
"I see. After he... did those things to my friends... He decided to spare me if I told him where an old stallion with a white beard lived. There is one that right in the middle of Mane street. I hope you kill that bastard who killed my friends." The bartender said with angry eyes.
The old Unicorn nodded and went away.
Outside the bar, he saw something stuck on trunk of a tree. "He will never change, will he?" He went to the tree and tore the note off. "Find me? eh? You're getting less creative, Shade."
"Crap! Crap! Crap!" Roland repeated over and over again. "How the hell could we let this happen!?! We got our friend kidnapped!"
"Shut up! Roland!" Angel yelled, which was a sight Roland has never experienced before. "First, we find Headshot and then we find Firecracker." She said and tapped her ECHO device.
"Right. Calm down." He said to himself and tapped his ECHO as well.
"Roland, Angel. Where are you guys? We've been waiting for a while now." Headshot said through the ECHO.
"We're arriving in port now and..." Roland trailed off.
"Firecracker's been kidnapped." Angel said bluntly.
"WHAT!" Headshot yelled.
"No use pussyfooting it. We got attacked by these weird half-pony-dragon things." Angel said without hesitation.
Headshot felt a headache come on. "Agh. Did they have any emblems or mark on their armor?"
"Red feathers." Roland said.
"I was afraid of this. I'll meet you at port." He said and his ECHO switched off.
Firecracker was one of her first actual friends and she WILL NOT lose her. "Roland tell how was it like losing your entire squad."
Roland was taken aback by this question. "You saw what happened, you were keeping close tabs on us when we got to Pandora."
"I'm not asking about what happened. I am asking on how you felt." She said without looking at him.
Roland felt like he was being talked down by his CO again, and his CO was a bitch. "Angry. I wanted to avenge them. I wanted to tell them that they were the greatest teammates I could ever ask for."
"Would you trade them for you new friends?"
Roland didn't answer right away and stared at the passing clouds. "If I could bring them back without hurting my new friends then I would gladly give up my life for them."
"I'm not asking that. I am asking if you would kill your friends to get your old ones back." Angel stared at Roland, waiting for an answer.
"No..."
"No?"
"No, you can't make me choose between friends, Angel." Roland said. "Friends are special, each and every one of them are different and I could never choose between them."
Angel was quiet for a moment and Roland wiped a few tears away.
"Huh? This is embarrassing. Here I am crying for my dead squad next to girl." He said and chuckled weakly.
Friends are special? Each of them are different, and I would never trade my friends... Angel though to herself. I'll save her...
The S.S Firestorm docked and they were met with a few ponies wearing white hoods, each of them were surprised by the two humans.
"Roland! Angel!" Headshot yelled from the back row. "Over here!"
"Master, discretion..."
"Whatever. I got some good news." Headshot said and flew towards them. "I know exactly where they're taking Firecracker."
Angel's eyes lit up. "Where?"
"I got more news. I already sent my top agent there. We just need to update his mission." Headshot said and a short pony came forward, wings outstreached and ready for action. "Send word to Altair, tell him that Firecracker was kidnapped by the Red Wings, rescue her, this is his top priority."
The pony bowed and took off to the air.
"Now, we sit back and relax." Headshot said and resting on a nearby cloud.
Angel was furious at the metallic Pegasus. "You're not going to help her!?! She's your friend and you're putting her life in the hand of one of your agents!"
Headshot flew down to eye level. "I trust Altair with my life, he has proven to me that he is ready to become a Master and he has also proven that he is a friend that can be trusted to do the job, quickly and efficiently. I trust him completely."
Trust... the word that hurts Angel every time she hears it. She betrayed the Vault Hunters' trust, and she regrets it every time. She wished that she could have done something. |
An Angel and her Soldier | Chapter 12 | Chapter 12
Blueblood, the young snow-white colt with a dirty blonde mane, was never asleep and as soon as the old Unicorn closed the door, the young colt went over to a small desk, filled with phials with strange colored liquid that even Starswirl might have forgotten what some of them did, but not Blueblood, he knew what he needed and what he needed to make.
"Five drops of Gorgon tears." He said and placed a beaker over a small magical flame and carefully dropped Gorgon tears in it. "A piece of Dragon scale." He said and dropped a sharp blue scale into the beaker. "A dash of rainbow hair." He said and threw in a few strands of colorful hair.
"Now, what else do I need?" He asked himself and looked around the table. "Agh, what was that song I made up? Oh right, now I remember."
"Five drops of Gorgon tears
A piece of Dragon scale,
Maybe a dash of rainbow hair, I really cannot tell
A serpent tail
A piece from a feathery dress
Maybe some alcohol to help it congress
A glowing bit from an Everfree plant
I could make it blow and shiver and shake, or maybe I can't
Rise the fire make it bubble
Time to cause a little trouble
Three clippings of Monkey nails
Now you've made a door breaking spell"
Blueblood picked up the boiling liquid and threw it at the door and it shattered and he stepped out. "Now that the door is broken and that is my cue, time to leave this place, oh and make the door brand new." He said and the door began to reconstruct back into its former wooden glory.
He stepped out and went down to the street. "Hmmm, now where do I go?" He went to the old library and decided to find more info on this creature that attacked him.
"Mr. Starswirl knows him. That means he's old, maybe older..." He muttered to himself as he pushed open the door to the old dusty library. He heard Starswirl call his attacker Shade, maybe he could find something about him.
"Oh, hello Blueblood. What is it today?" A pleasant black mare with a light blue mane smiled at the young colt.
"Hello, Mrs. Novella, I was just wondering if you know anything about a historic pony named Shade." Blueblood said and returned her smile.
"Shade? No doesn't ring any bells. Why don't you check around in the S section." Novella pushed up her glasses and continued reading a book titled "Fifty shades of rain". Blueblood already read it and he really didn't like it.
Blueblood ran to the S section and began scanning books. He didn't notice that he bumped into a young Unicorn filly with a pink mane. Both of them tumbled down as a few books came crashing down on both of them.
Blueblood pushed himself up the top of the books and observed the unintentional destruction of an entire section of a library. There was a low moan under the books and Blueblood pushed off most of the books. "Sorry, are you alright?" He spotted a hoof sticking out from a pile of books and he pulled her up.
The filly had no Cutie-mark like Blueblood and she was slightly dazed. "Uh, miss are you alright?" He repeated. The filly shook off the daze and stood up.
"Ah, don't worry. I'm fine, I wasn't watching where I was going." She said and picked up an old urban myth book. "Is this yours?" She said and offered.
This was the book that Shade was holding during the time they bumped into each other. He picked up an old tome of medical spells right under his hoof. "Yeah and I think this is yours." He said and both of them traded their books.
"My name is Porom, what's yours?" She asked and both of them decided to go to one of the many unoccupied tables in the library.
Both of them sat down, opposite to each other. "Blueblood Crystalheart, most just call me Blue." He said and opened his book.
"Nice to meet you, Blue." She said with a pleasant smile.
Blueblood skimmed through the book and found something that might help. "Ummm. Do you know something about this?" He said and showed Porom what he found.
"Huh? Eldritch? Never heard of it before." She said. "What are trying to find anyway?"
Blueblood wasn't sure what to answer. "Urban stories and myths and stuff." He said with a fake cough.
"Really?" She said. She didn't believe him but she decided not to ask further.
"Yeah. Just something to pass the time and, uhh, stuff." He lied and continued reading.
He flipped to the next page and... Wait, he thought. Th-this doesn't make any sense! He hopped off his seat and picked up the book.
"Hey, where are you going?" Porom said to the leaving colt.
"Just... need somewhere to be... Bye." He said and ran to the librarian. "Mrs. Novella, can I borrow this book?"
"Sure, but you know the rules." She said with a smirk. "No damage, no problem."
"Right... Well, see ya!" He said and ran off.
Porom looked at the retreating white colt. "I wonder..." She said and got up and followed him out.
Blueblood ran across the street, searching for any signs of where his friend and master had gone. He felt something tug on him to the right but when he turned around he didn't find anything but empty streets. He started to think, he noticed that there was nopony around, which was strange during this time of day.
He decided to run in a random direction. After a few minutes, he arrived back to the library. "Oh no... I'm in one of those reality-dream spells aren't I?"
He decided to go back to the library since it was the only place left to go. The library was deformed to say the least. Books floating around without a care, bookshelves were twisted in odd angles and several tables and chairs were either floating around with the books or completely flat on the floor.
Mrs. Novella stared with a hateful glare. "What do you want, kid?" She said in a annoyed tone.
Blueblood sighed, he knew that nearly nothing here is real. "Who cares about you." He said and walked right in and ignored the angry librarian.
"Alright." He said to himself. "I need to get out of here and fast." A small green book smacked him right in the face.
"The book of lies?" He said and opened the first page.
"The cover is red." The words on the book turned by itself. "There is no truths in this book." It flipped itself again and landed on a picture of Starswirl. "This pony is dead."
"Yeah, I'm not falling for that." He said and tried to close the book but it flew up and opened on a random page.
"I'm lying." It read and it flew away.
"I hate paradoxes..." Blueblood muttered to himself.
Porom found Blueblood passed out outside the library doors. "HEY!" She yelled. "Come on! You're alive." She quickly tried to force him to wake up but every attempt failed.
"Porom? What are you doing, girl?" An old sagely voice called out from inside.
"Master Spellbook! Help me quick!" She said.
Spellbook slowly went outside the library, his long white mane hung limply down his face. "What is going on here?" He said and crouched down to look at the young colt. "Somepony put a little spell on him. That's so cute, whoever casted the spell really didn't think it through. This young colt will probably break it within the hour or so."
"Spell? He's going to break it? I thought that only Unicorns could break spells like this." She said with a curious look on her face. "Is he going be alright?"
Spellbook smiled. "Of course, child. We should get him back inside." He said and picked up the colt. "And where is your brother? I thought he was going with you."
"That idiot's probably showing off to some girls." Porom said with a low laugh. "Probably out with that Cotton Cloud girl." She said with a huff.
"They do make a cute couple." Spellbook said and entered the library, Porom followed closely behind.
"'Cute'? What kind of master are you? You're supposed to say that 'That boy needs to focus more' and stuff." She said with a huff.
Mrs. Novella gasped at Blueblood. "What happened to him?" She asked.
"Dream spell. He'll be fine within the hour." Spell said and turned his attention to Porom. "He's young, he should find love before it leaves forever."
"Love. Hah, more like wooing ever filly he sees." Porom said. Spell placed the young colt gently on the table.
"Heh, you're probably right."
Palom, Porom's twin brother walked happily across the street. "Hey, Cotton!" He waved to a small white Pegasus filly.
Cotton smiled at him. "Hey." She shyly waved back.
"How have you been? I've been great! Don't mean to brag but I mastered the Dream spell, hold you're applaus." He said, his ego was overflowing so to speak.
"Uh huh, did you try it on somepony?" She asked with a worried glance.
He gave a weak smile. "Heh, I tried it a colt that came out of the library earlier. He'll be fine, I made sure to give him a nice dream.
Meanwhile...
Blueblood was running as his little hooves could carry him. A white pony wearing a doctor's outfit complete with a surgical mask running towards him with a bloody chainsaw and laughing like a mad colt.
Back to reality...
"Probably in a candy land, munching on cotton candy clouds." Palom said with a confident huff.
"You don't it think it was a little rude?" She said softly.
Palom deflated a bit. "Well yeah, but I couldn't do it to sis or she'd knock me into next week." He said and grabbed her hoof. "Besides, he's probably living the life in his dream."
Meanwhile...
Blueblood finally got away from that mad doctor and found himself having swicthed bodies with a dying witch, also he(she?) didn't have any legs except for his front hooves.
"Ugh... givahh... bodisaehh..." He tried to speak to the near emotionless witch that was in his body.
"Give it back? Why? You said you would lend it to me."
"Ugh...ooghh...argh...blaghh..." Blueblood said which translates to. "I didn't give you my body, you crazy hag!"
"Hag? I may be over a hundred years old but I am no hag!" She yelled.
"Ugh? Agh... Blagh!" Blueblood said in a taunting matter.
"What did you say about my mane!"
Closer... Closer... Blueblood thought as the witch began to walk forward, intent on ending his life with a knife in hoof. And, just when the witch quickly brought down the knife, Blueblood used the little magic in the witch's body and used it to change back.
The knife quickly ended the witch's life without the time to scream in pain.
Back to reality...
"Still... I would have volunteered if you'd ask me." Cotton said as both of them walked through the street.
Palom sighed. "I could never do that to a friend." He said and kicked a small pebble.
"And, sometimes I really just want to sleep in, and maybe you could help with that." Cotton said with a playful grin. "I bet whoever that colt is, he is having a great time."
"Yeah, shame I can't place the spell on myself." He said. "I would love being in my own dream and remembering everything."
Back to Blueblood...
He was now running from paintings with a very silent filly and an older grey stallion with a white mane.
"Keep running, Ib, Blue!" The older stallion said.
"I'm running as fast as I can! Gary!" Blueblood yelled as two more paintings jumped out from the wall.
Back to Palom...
"Anyway, where are we going?" Cotton asked as she fluttered slighty above.
Palom stopped and rubbed his chin. "Well, I want to be a master Unicorn mage and I so happen to find a magic competition nearby and I need an assistant..."
"And you want me to be your assistant?" She said silently. "I can't...perform in front of crowds... You know that."
Palom took her hoof. "It's going to be fine. You'll be wearing a mask anyway." He said with a smile.
Both of them made their way to the park and quickly sat down on the bench. Palom's horn began to glow a soft green. Cotton Cloud shifted uncomfortably. "Umm... Why can't Porom help instead?"
Palom scoffed. "Her? Have you even met her before?"
"Your sister seems nice enough..."
"Not to me." Palom said, irritated. A few sparks coming off his horn. "She thinks she's better than me and she always so 'Perfect' and that bugs me! She thinks I don't take magic seriously but we both know that magic is my life!"
Palom had a small pout on his face. Cotton gently placed her hoof on his shoulder. "And you want to prove to her that your just as good by winning the magic competition?"
"No, I want to be better."
Cotton sighed. "Fine. I'll do it, but only for you." She said with a smile.
Palom smiled back. "Thanks."
"...So the engineers here fixed up my wing, and here we are." Headshot said and scoped out his rifle.
"And where is this 'Pain' girl?" Roland said as he sat down on a very small stone chair.
Headshot placed his rifle on the table and removed the Element of Loyalty that was around his neck. "There are six Elements of Harmony, these things are the most powerful artifacts in the history of the world, she's doing research on them and trying to find where they are. She calms down when she's busy."
"Elements of Harmony? Don't you need six bearers for them to be used?" Angel said. A few of the Assassin guards stared at them with a confused look.
"They don't know about the Vault?" One of the guards whispered among the others. Headshot heard this and rose from his seat.
"The three of you, if you're so knowledgeable then why don't you tell it." Headshot said with a scowl on his face.
The three of them grumbled and stepped forward. The first spoke up. "A few centuries ago, a few Unicorn mages in Canterlot tampered with forbidden magic, they attempted to summon a powerful demon to take over Equistria and the world."
The second one stepped forward. "They sacrificed hundreds of innocent lives and used this power to summon Anarchy." Headshot cringed at the mention of that name. "But Anarchy was to powerful and killed them slowly. He easily beat Celestia and Luna and left the latter for dead."
The third slowly took the center. "Celestia pleaded to spare her sister's life and in return Anarchy will get celestia as his slave for life. The current Elements tried to take him down but Anarchy took the one moment of weakness and almost killed the Element of Kindness. Discord was binded and can only see that his only friend died right before his eyes."
"Anarchy killed the rest but Princess Twilight, she never recovered." A voice said from behind them. Roland and Angel turned around and met face to face with the Unicorn Summoner. "Anarchy was careful and hid the Elements in Vaults, nearly indestructible safes that will only open when a potential Element has the Vault key."
Headshot raised his hoof like he a school colt in class. "Does that means not just anypony could take the keys and open one of the Vaults?"
"Yes, and all the Vaults are hidden in very hard to find spots." Pain said with a straight face. "Even if we find possible Element bearers we still won't be able to find the Vaults."
"Maybe, but we won't know until we try. Maybe if we find one of the Princesses, like Princess Twilight." Headshot said.
Pain shook her head. "Might as well try and find the Vaults, that would be much easier. We never found out where she hid herself."
"Maybe, YOU never found out, but the assassins always have a tab on political powers." Headshot snapped his head to three guard. "One of you go the Archives and find the last location Princess Twilight was, and the other two should tell all post to keep a look out for Princess Twilight and report to me directly if they find anything, remember they can change back to look like a Unicorn or Pegasus or even an Earth pony." The three of them bowed and went away.
Roland and Angel felt uncomfortable when Headshot took charge. They always saw him as a laid back type.
"Centauries of surviving and hiding, and now... a chance to fight back." Headshot muttered and looked at his Element and weapon on the table. "Finally..."
Roland stood up. "I had enough of sitting around. I've done enough of that in Sanctuary."
"Roland, calm down. Going in there, guns blazing will only make things worse." Angel tried to reason with the soldier.
"Maybe not," Pain said, this caused both the humans to look up at her. "we don't a large enough archive and we also need a few old scrolls and tomes in Canterlot Castle."
Headshot looked at her. "We don't have the stallion power to storm the bloody castle."
"Yes, but Anarchy doesn't stay in the castle and if we move quickly we could get in and get out before anypony notices." Pain suggested.
"That's crazy... Let's do it!" Headshot rose with a flap of his mechanical wings but he was quickly pulled down by Pain's magic.
"No that would be too risky and we know your brother is in control of the castle."
"All the more reason to go." Headshot said with determination.
"No." Pain firmly said.
They held a short staring contest but ultimately Pain won.
"Fine..." Headshot grumbled. "Roland and Angel," he turned his to the two Vault hunters. "you two will go in later tonight."
Roland and Angel nodded and stood up. "I think I would like to take a nap." Roland yawned.
"Ok, I'll take you to the rooms." Headshot said.
"I'll go to the library, something to take my mind off Firecracker." She said with a sad expression on her face.
Pain silently went up to Angel. "Um, I could take you there." She said timidly. When she's not talking about something serious, she was a very quiet mare.
The two groups went on their way. Angel looked around the dusty room, lights from candles flickered uncomtrolably. Pain went over to a small transfiguration circle and studied the notes. Angel looked around to find something to read.
She found an old book, it was a dull brown hard covered book, she blew off the excess dust and opened the book. The book had several legends and lores about the Vault, the Elements and even some stories about Anarchy. She bit back her tongue as she read the book about the Vault.
She began to read aloud. "... Two warriors from lands long passed will find and unlock the keys that opens the gate, one of valor and loyalty, the other kind and knowledgeable, both are wingless and hornless but possess powers that rival gods, one of blue markings and the other of dead friends. A master of combat and a scholar of all, the soldier and the siren..." She flipped the page and saw a strange symbol, it was not the symbol of the Vault but it seemed so familiar.
She clenched her head in pain, the seething headache was unbearable, her tattoos began to glow a bright blue as she formed a sphere that surrounded her.
Pain yelled out and rushed to her side, only to be pushed back by an unseeable force.
"Sirens are very special, Jack."
"But will it keep my little girl safe?"
"When you open the second Vault, she will have everything she could ever want."
"KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF HER!"
"My offer stands, when she opens the Vault, she will be whatever she wants to be."
"I don't care what you do to me but if you hurt my daughter... I will never stop hunting you..."
"Yes, I wouldn't dream of it. It will be painful for her but after that, she could choose not to feel or remember the pain, Jack."
"...What do I have to do?"
"Get someone to open the first Vault. Wait about twenty years, the Vault key is still recharging."
"There are only six sirens that can exist in this Universe at a given time, the other three of them will come to Pandora."
"Then why can't you use them instead?"
"Your daughter is special, she is the strongest siren out of the six."
"What do you want me to do for twenty years?"
"Rise to power, become the CEO of Hyperion, kill the competition."
"K-kill?"
"You secretly want to kill your grandmother, don't you?"
"But I would never do it! She's family, even if she's a bitch!"
"Fine, but one day... Just remember, Jack, don't hold on to her too tightly, when the time to let go is near, set the caged bird free."
The sphere shattered and Angel fell to the floor, unconscious but breathing.
Pain went to her side and checked her vitals. Headshot came running into the room, Roland closely behind.
"What the hell happened?!?" Roland asked and went to Angel's side.
"I-I don't know, she was reading a book and weird stuff began to happen." Pain stammered on.
"Calm down." Headshot said to Pain. "Tell us what happened."
"Later." Roland said. "Get her to the infirmary, then we'll talk." Roland said and picked up Angel.
The trio left the room.
The book glowed a faint light, as if it was waiting for another one to read it. |
An Angel and her Soldier | Chapter 13 | Chapter 13
Roland placed Angel on the small bed and sat down beside her. He placed his palms on his face and pinched the bridge of his nose with a scowl on his face. "If I find out that Anarchy did this..."
"Calm down, Roland." Headshot said. "Getting mad over this won't help."
Pain went to Angel's side and placed a damp cloth on her head. "She has a fever. I'm not sure if it's magically connected but I'll try and do what I can."
Roland got up and left the room. Headshot followed him out. "Where the hell are you going?"
Roland didn't look behind and kept his graze forward. "I need to figure out what happened."
"Don't do anything stupid." He said and looked back to the infirmary.
Roland left without a word and headed to back to the Archives. He saw the book Angel was reading on the ground, a faint blue glow circling it. He picked up the book, it reacted to his touch and placed it on the table. He saw the same symbol Angel saw, he felt a bit unnerved by the symbol but flipped through the pages.
His lips began to move involuntarily as he read the words on the book.
"The valor of the leader, and the loyalty of the soldier. A man clad in crimson and black, led ones he knew from hell and back, Hunter, Brute, and Phoenix, followed the Soldier as he led the search for treasure. A man with the mask reaps their reward and takes the Soldier's life. But is he dead? This question lingered as his vision filled with light and darkness, a dead man, a scared child between life and death, barely able to comprehend what happened to his life." He read, he felt very uneasy as he flipped the next page to continue, but he met with the symbol of the Crimson lance.
He clenched his head, his eyes glowing a bright red, his heart ached. This felt like the times he respawned, only much more painful. His vision dissolved into light and darkness and several scenes flashed through the colorless void.
A young Roland, wearing a make-shift armor of the Crimson lance took out a small treasure map.
"Wait I don't remember this." The read Roland said as he followed the young boy.
The boy walked up to a house, his house and opened the door. "Hey, Mom?" He called out.
A pale old black women came out with a wrinkled smile. "Roland? Why are you back early?"
Roland smiled. "I just needed my telescope." Roland saw the old telescope on the table and grabbed it. He was about to leave when he turned around and faced his mother. "When's dad gonna come home?"
Roland's mom's smile faltered a bit. "You know your father works very hard as a Crimson lance officer."
Roland frowned. "Okay." He walked out.
The went up to an old tree house and took out his telescope. Noting all the landmarks and checked his map. He smirked and jumped down the tree house and ran to a random direction.
The real Roland followed closely, he wanted to figure out why he couldn't remember this.
The young Roland ran around town and finally found an "X" on the ground. He even got a self-narration as he stepped closer to the "X"
"The brave and handsome adventurer Roland steps closer to his prize and picking up his trusty shovel and digging. After digging for hours," which were only a few minutes. "the handsome adventurer saw the ultimate prize of all treasure hunters, the Vault." He said and pulled up an old pirate chest. He heard voices from nearby foliage.
"...And the brave group of treasure hunters closed in on the treasure marked on the map." He heard a little girls voice say.
"Hey, Lilith, do you really have to say everything we do?" An irritated voice said, followed by a small chirping bird.
"Don't be such a downer, Mordicai. It add suspense." A lower pitched voice said.
The trio left the bushes and stared, wide-eyed at the young "adventurer" and his treasure chest.
The four of them stared at each other.
The real Roland was completely confused by this. He never met the other until Pandora.
The girl glared at Roland. "Hey! What are you doing with our treasure?!" She yelled at Roland. The girl had short red hair with a yellow and blue shirt and jeans, on her belt was a bottle of bubbles.
"Your treasure? I found it first!" Roland retorted and pouted. The other two looked at each other in confusion.
"Yeah? Well, we have a treasure map!" Lilith said and showed an exact copy of Roland's map.
Roland took out his own map and showed her. "I have one too!"
Lilith deflated but still stared at Roland. "Ours is better."
The rather large and muscular kid chimed in. "Hey, uhh. What's is the treasure anyway?"
Roland and Lilith stared at the large boy. "The Vault, an ancient alien treasure chest that hold infinite wealth." Lillth started.
"Vast alien weaponry." Roland continued.
"Power"
"Women." Roland said and the other boys giggled but Lilith only rolled her eyes.
The one with the weird mask and the bird smiled with anticipation. "Then let's open the Vault already!"
The two arguing children looked at each other and sighed in defeat. Both of them went in front of the chest and opened it. The other two peaked in the gawked at the contents.
A few party poppers went off. "Congratulation. You four have found the legendary Vault." A man in a weird bunny costume came out of the bushes and said. "And you all will leave with the chocolate goodness inside the Vault, wrapped in golden wrappers and made from only the best ingredients, the Vault Choco keys. Congratulation!"
The four of them shrugged, and divided the Chocolate keys evenly with each other.
"This has been a contest from the Atlas Corporation, we hope you have a pleasant day." The rabbit man said and dissapeard back into the forest.
The rest of the day was spent with his new found friends in a game of tag, hide-and-seek, and sometimes more pretend adventures with each other.
The sun had begun to set and Roland bid farewell to his new friends. He made his way back home.
The real Roland was starting to remember and he wanted it to stop. "STOP!STOP!STOP!" He screamed as his younger self walked into his house, followed by his younger self's scream.
Tears welled up for both Roland's eyes as he stared at his mother's bullet holed body.
The real Roland went over to the body. "I remember... I was weak... I blocked it out, this day... I forgot to keep myself sane, forgot my friends in order to forget this memory..." He looked over to his younger self and remember what he was thinking during the time.
"Maybe I should have stayed home? Maybe I could have protected her. Maybe if I wasn't playing around so much, I could have done something." The young Roland thought, and voiced by the real Roland.
"I was weak then... I chose to run away..." The real Roland said and saw his younger self run out the door and into the woods. "But not now... I'll remember you... I'll keep that memory forever... I'm stronger now, mom... I've changed..." He stared to cry again. "I've change... I'll protect those who I care for... I hope you're proud of me..."
Roland went back to reality. Tears stained the pages of the book as he closed it and carefully placed it inside his inventory. "I've changed... I'll protect her..." He said and started to walk back to the infirmary.
Twilight, the young medical unicorn sung to herself as she blissfully sharpened her bonesaw. The song was being played out nearby.
"There's a certain hellish realm
Reserve for everypony who yells
They need the Medic!"
She carefully placed books on a nearby shelf and quickly turned to her next "patient", a Unicorn colt who was one of Anarchy's spies.
"Please, I'll tell you everything I know!" He yelled.
Twilight smiled, a sadistic sort of smile. The music was still playing in the background. "Oh don't need to trouble yourself with that, I already took the liberty and checked your brain, and you have no information that is of any use to me."
The "patient" was tied to a dirty operating table, complete with every kind of surgical(and some hardware) equipment. "Yo-you read my mind?" He asked with a worried tone. "Then you must know that I have a family!"
"Oh yes, a loving husband, a father of three. I was even thinking of letting you go free later." Twilight said. A small smile of hope crept onto the victim's face. "But... Then I saw that you are a loving husband of three, two of your wives think you're dead, and you physically abused your kids every day, that pretty much killed your chances."
Twilight brought down her bone saw's blade on the poor stallion's arm. He screamed in pain as muscles and his bone were utterly cut in half by Twilight's sharp bone saw.
Tears and sweat poured down from his face. Twilight used her medical abilities to keep him awake so he can see and feel everything that is going on.
"Don't worry, it's only going to last a few hours... of agonizing torture, I mean careful surgery." Twilight said and grabbed a scaple with her magic and opened up his chest cavity. The stallion screamed, his vision was becoming very blurry but he could still make out the mare and the gaping hole in his chest. "I haven't done open heart surgery in a long time."
"No please, I'll do anything!" He screamed. Twilight sighed in annoyance.
"I really like it when my vic- patients scream, but since the NEIGHBOORS are a bunch of scared babies." Twilight said and took a needle and jabbed it in the stallion's neck.
His jaw began to feel loose, he could barely make any sounds.
She picked up a small hammer and SMASHED his ribcage open, ribs flew out and even knocked over a few books. She pulled out his lungs and carelessly threw it across the room. "Oh, don't worry about not breathing, I'm supplying oxygen to all your organs."
She saw his beating heart and dawwed. "Showing me your heart? How thoughtful. But I'm already waiting for somepony... He's an idiot." She picked up the scalpel and cut off the arteries and picked up the heart.
There was a trio of knocks on the door. Twilight threw the heart into the trash bin and turned off the music, she went up the stairs to the main floor and opened the door.
"Hello, Twilight." The mayor said with a smile. "Just dropping by to see what's going on."
"Hi, Brick. Not much, just killing some time, what do you need?" She said and motioned him inside.
Brick sat down on a nearby chair and rubbed his temples. "We got a big problem, Twi."He sighed and dropped his head on the table. "Remember the Diamond Dogs? Well, they got numbers and weapons, given by an anonymous donor."
Twilight levitated two cups and a teapot and set it down on the table. She poured the mayor some tea and some for her. "I'm sure we could beat them easily."
"Yes, we can, but... We need to find out who the hell giving out weapons to a bunch of bitches, and we can't do it when we're defending the town." Brick said and sipped his tea. "I swear, everypony here is useless."
"What kind of weapons are we talking about here?" Twilight asked and pulled out a book about weapons. "Maybe there's something we can do to counterattack."
"That's just it, they got heavy explosives, guns, heck even a fully armed airship and two battle tanks. Somepony or something wants Ponyville wiped off the map." Brick said and pulled out a few photos, all showing the enemy's weaponry.
Twilight sighed. "What a time for Firecracker, Headshot, and Rum Cake to be out of town."
"One out of three ain't bad... I think?" A voice from the doorway said. "Oy, did'ja forget about me?" A dark colored stallion said, a very bad tropical t-shirt. His Cutie-mark was a cake with a few cherries with fuses on them. "Ponyville's prestiged Demolitions, right here, lads and lasses."
"Uncle Rum!" Twilight yelled and ran over to the, somewhat drunken stallion and gave him a friendly hug.
"Twily, nice te see ya again, lass." They broke away from their hug and went to the table. "Already got wind of what's happening here. I've already set up shop around Ponyville."
"How much?" Brick asked.
"Just a few... hundred stickies here and there."
Brick smiled at the Demo. "Great to have you back."
"Meh, I've been better."
Blueblood...
Blueblood...
Blueblood...
BLUEBLOOD!!!
Blueblood stirred in his sleep, all the nightmares he went through, he will remember. He slowly opened his eyes and his vision filled with the light from the library.
"See, Porom, I told you he was fine." An old elderly looking Unicorn said.
"You said it would only be an hour." Porom said to the old stallion.
"Yes, and it's only been an hour and thirty minutes." The stallion said.
Blueblood got up and looked around. Everything was normal, no twisting booksleves, no flying books, no flat or floating tables. And then he suddenly remembered why he needed to find his master. "Thanks, Porom, but I really need to go, my master is in danger." He said and muttered under his breath. "If he's still alive."
He got up and ran out the door. Porom was following closely behind, he stopped and turned around. "Why are you following me?" He asked.
"Well, I think you need to rest, but I don't think I could convince you to relax, and besides, I'm looking for my idiot brother." She said and smiled. "Probably off with some cute filly."
Blueblood sighed. "Don't, it's dangerous. Please just go back."
"Dangerous? All the more reason for me to go with you. You may need my help." She said and went on ahead. Blueblood looked at the running filly and sighed, he ran after her.
The two of them found themselves in a nearby park. There was a magical competition nearby and they decided to look into it.
On the stage was a young colt that somewhat looked like Porom and a marshmallow colored Pegasus with a white mask.
"PALOM!" Porom yelled and pulled her brother down from the stage. Blueblood looked around and saw Shade stare at him, both of them stared for a long time, time seemed to freeze as both of them locked eyes.
Blueblood felt a large headache come on but he couldn't turn away, like he was being forced to stare at him. And in a blue blur, Shade was tackled to the ground.
Blueblood shook off the daze and ran to his master's side, only to be knocked back by the incredible magic that was happening between the two. The spectators panicked and ran, a few tried to help but only got knocked back.
Starswirl sent bolt after bolt at Shade, but each hit only seemed to slow him down, but not hurt him. Blueblood tried to use something else to help, he looked at his bracelet and necklace and got an idea.
Porom healed anypony that got hit in the crossfire, but she could only do so much. "SIS! What is going on!" Porom yelled, Cotton cloud clinging next to him.
"I don't know!" She replied and continued to heal the wounded. Those that could run away did just that.
Blueblood ran toward the other foals and took Porom's hoof. "I need your help!" He said and pulled her towards the fight.
"HEY!" Porom yelled and ran after his sister.
"Blue! What's going on?" She asked.
"No time. Do you know any shield spells?" He asked. She nodded. "Good, help me with this." His necklace and bracelet began to glow, several spikes of rocks shot up from the ground. The spikes launched itself towards Shade, but he just shrugged it off. "POROM, NOW!" Her was shocked for a moment but quickly got out of it and used her horn to create a shield spell.
Shade launched a few tentacles at Blueblood. The colt raised more rocks, but it didn't even slow the tentacles down. They broke through the defenses and painfully shattered the shield.
Blueblood forced some more power unto his bracelet and necklace and used the extra power to rip off the tentacle.
Shade sent another tentacle toward Porom. She screamed. Her brother saw that his sister was going to be die right in front of his eyes.
And then blackness, nothing, no pain, no feelings, no anything. She opened her eyes to see Blueblood, taking the entire tentacle for her. Blood oozed from his mouth, the tentacle went deeper into his gut as his body slowly became limp.
"NOOOO!" Starswirl yelled and casted his most powerful spell in his arsenal. Giant fireballs came hurdling down from the sky, each one hitting their target with pin-point accuracy.
Dust covered the battlefield and it slowly settled. There were no traces of Shade anywhere. Starswirl ran over to his young apprentice's side.
"Colt, wake up! Wake up! Dammit!" Each word sounded more desperate than the one before.
Porom looked at the dead body and cringed. He saved her life, and she didn't even get a chance to say thank you.
"Well, well, this is very touching." Shade's voice said from around them. "But you only managed to defeat a mere clone. I though you would have been a better challenge, my friend."
Starswirl looked around and saw none of Shade's magical energy. Yes, he was still alive, but he was weak and he wouldn't be able to get here in time. Yes, he had to do it.
His horn glowed a bright blue and then red. The wounds on the colt's body began to seal itself, each muscle and skin closed in on each other. The body was healed but his soul was gone.
Starswirl's eyes went white and everything he saw dissolved as the face of death stared at him with a curious glance.
"Yes, I'll trade my life for the boy." He said to the black coated skeleton.
It only stared at him for a short while, giving a silent conversation.
"Yes, I'm sure." As he said those words, he felt his heart stop, his lungs didn't fill with air. Everything stopped, his entire life flashed before his eyes.
Celestia, Luna, Shade, Sombre, and his failure of a spell that gave them the curse of immortality. And now the young colt, he saw his eyes open slightly as the sunlight poured into his vision. At least I did something right.
He used his last bit of energy to teleport the four foals to the safehouse. He laughed to himself.
"I guess it's time to meet up with ol' Sombrero." And with that he fell to the ground.
The four foals looked around, the room was just a normal room to the others, but for Blueblood, it was a fortress that rivaled even Canterlot Castle.
He ran to one of the bookshelves. "Hey, lock the doors." He said and pulled a, seemingly random book and the walls flipped over. The walls were lined with books from all ages, from pre-Equistrian times to Anarchy's reign. He took his saddle-bag that was hanging on the wall and quickly took several books from every era.
Porom was the only one who nodded and went over to the doors and locked them. She was confused on why he was still alive but she was happy all the same.
The other two only stared at him as he tore down a large staff on the wall. He motioned them to follow him into a large room.
"Hey! Wait a minute! Do you think we're just going to follow you? You're crazy! Let's go, sis." Palom said and grabbed both his sister and Cotton by the hooves.
"He saw you, all three of you are being hunted." Blueblood said and pulled out the book he got from the library. He flipped it over the Slenderpony's page. "Slenderpony is a immortal monster that steals the souls of everything that ever looked at him. Right now, he was weaker, but there is no denying it, that was him."
"Slenderpony? That's just a myth." Palom said. Porom let go of his hoof and ran to Blueblood's side.
"Umm..." Cotton said, but nopony seemed to hear her.
"Was that fake? My master is dead, and if there was one thing he taught me before everything else was to keep calm, and right now, I'm on the verge of breaking down in tears because the one pony that ever cared for me is dead, and I will not have another dead body on my hooves." Blueblood said in an eerily calm tone.
Palom stepped back slightly. "But I can take him, I'm gonna be the world's greatest mage ever!"
"Umm... Guys..." Cotton repeated, but still nopony heard her.
"That thing killed the greatest mage in all time. Starswirl never passed away, he was immortal and now he killed him, that thing killed the greatest Unicorn of all time." Blueblood still was talking very calmly, each word seemed devoid of emotion. "I died there, and he brought me back, I intend to do what he wanted me to do."
"Guys..."
"What do you expect us to do? Follow you to hell and back?"
"GUYS! We have company!" Cotton yelled and all three of them looked out the window.
They all stared at pale white pony with a black mane and a creepy smile that looks like it was cut there. "Oh, crap..." Blueblood said, all of them just stared at each other before going back to the creepy stallion.
"What the hell is that?" Palom asked.
"Jeff got out... Just follow the passage down... And please, for the love of Luna, do not open any of the cages, even the ones that look like their isn't anything in there. I'll meet up on the other side." Blueblood said and pulled a lever that leads down to the celler.
The others nodded and ran down the stairs.
"Hey, Jeff... Why don't you just go to sleep for a while?"
Altair headed out with his disabled partner. They slowly made their way to the old military facility.
"Remember the last time we were here?" Storm asked.
"I try not to." Altair replied, keeping his gaze directly at the base.
"That's rude. Our brothers and sisters died here and you don't want to remember them." Storm said, the young grey pegasus scoffed.
"I don't want to remember the place, only the faces." Altair said and cringed at the memories that came flooding back. "And now here we are, going in there to rescue a friend of the brotherhood."
"The Redwings are going to kill us if they find us." Storm said.
"Kill ME, you're not going in there, you're providing cover with sniper support."
She rolled her eyes at the stallion. "Fly me up there, I'm in a wheelchair." Storm smiled at the assassin.
"Right," Altair grabbed hold of her and both of them quietly made their way to a large storm cloud. Altair dropped her off and nodded. He flew down and stared at the entrance.
"Best find another way in." He said and went around the compound.
Right, just like old times. |
An Angel and her Soldier | Bonus Chapter: Cutie-mark Stories; Headshot | Bonus Chapter: Cutie-mark Stories; Headshot
Headshot, the young blank-flanked Pegasus, walked alongside his father, Buckshot. The young colt stared at his mother and father with a look of confusion.
"Hey, Dad. Where's big bro?" Headshot asked. His mother smiled as the colt.
"He's already at North Coltorina, just to make sure we had a place to stay." His mother said, her eyes shone brightly in the sunlight. Her mother was named Cherry Bomb, she was colored red like a cherry and knew how to make a few fireworks here and there.
This was his first time in a big city like North Coltorina. He was excited to finally get there.
"Don't worry, we're almost there, kiddo." Buckshot said, his wings were outstretched and popped a few joints here and there. "It's been a long time since I've been there."
Headshot fluttered overhead. "Sweet! I'm finally going to see a big city!" He pumped his hoof in the air in excitement.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, kiddo. We're only stopping there for a few days." His dad said, though that didn't deter the young Pegasus.
The three of them stood outside the city limits.
There was a rustle from behind them. They didn't notice.
An Earth pony came out of the bushes and took Cherry by the throat, he held a sharp knife. He kept the knife close to her neck and stepped back. The two other ponies turned around in shock.
"Don't you dare." Buckshot yelled. He stepped closer, but the blade pressed tighter on Cherry's neck. Buckshot stepped back in defeat.
"Pay up or this fine fruit's going to get cut!" The thug said, and pressed it down harder.
"I'll kill you if hurt her!" Headshot yelled and was about to charge at the thug. His father stopped him and pointed to the city.
"Head, leave and I'll handle this." He said with a somber expression. He stared darkly at the smiling stallion.
"But dad..." Headshot protested.
"LEAVE NOW!" Buckshot yelled. Headshot flew up and hid on a cloud, the other stallions didn't see him poke his head out of the cloud.
"Pay up, daddykins." The thug said.
Buckshot sighed and threw the bag of bits on the ground. The thug smiled and slit Cherry's throat. Buck didn't notice it before it was too late, the knife he had used was thrown and stabbed in the eye, killing him instantly.
Headshot saw this and hid in the cloud. After the thug was gone, he flew down and looked at the two dead bodies of his parents.
"BROTHER!" A distant voice called out. "Brother? Oh my..." Boom said and stared at the bodies.
Headshot cried and jumped into his brother's arms. "Bro!" He cried.
"What happened? Stop crying and tell me what happened!" Boom said to his younger brother.
Headshot, between sobs, told his brother what happened.
"I remember father saying something about finding an old friend in case of his death..." Boom said, in an eerily calm tone, though the tone was force for his own brother.
"Wh-what?" Headshot asked, he had a tear-stained face and his eyes were red. "What about the bodies..." He glanced over the two of the dead bodies.
"Right now, we should go home and rest..." Boom said and hovered above the air.
"Who was the guy dad wanted us to find?" Headshot asked, anger crossed his face. "I will kill the man responsible for this."
Boom looked at his brother. "A pony named Scopes. He was supposed to live in this city."
Headshot rocketed toward the city and started his search. Boom followed behind, his younger brother was faster than him, that's for sure.
"WAIT!" Boom yelled. The young and angry Pegasus stopped and looked around, scanning the crowd. "We don't even know what he looks like, if we take this nice and slow-"
"That creep would get away!" Headshot yelled.
"Rather then wasting energy trying to find a pony we don't even know what he looks like. I rented out a place near here and we could start our search there." Boom said. His brother sighed and cried a little. "Put on a brave face, for me? Okay."
Headshot nodded and wiped away his tears. "Right, let's think rationally here. A little rest would be a good idea." He said.
The two of them made their way to an old apartment building, they walked inside. The decor was outdated but it was still in good condition.
"Mister," Boom addressed the guy behind the counter. "I would like to change it from four ponies to two."
The pony behind the counter nodded and traded keys with the white Pegasus.
Both of them walked up the stairs and quickly found their door. Boom pulled out the key and unlocked the door.
The room was a run-down piece of shit, but it was enough for now.
Headshot went over to the table and looked through the drawers.
"What are you looking for?" Boom asked and stood beside his brother. "You should take a nap first, you look tired."
Headshot ignored his and left. "I'm looking for a list." He said and went to the bookcase. "A list of names."
"I'll look for it. Go to sleep, brother. You need the rest." Boom said and helped him look for the list of names.
Headshot stared at his brother. "You're right, I need to calm down and plan it, not just run it." He said and went to the bed. "But I doubt I'll get any sleep."
"That's fine. I'll go look for it downstairs. Just don't overwork yourself, I know you're a perfectionist." Boom said and left. He headed down stairs, and asked the guy at the counter if he know a pony by the name of Scope.
"Don't know anything about that," He said, Boom deflated a bit. "but I may be able to help you." He pulled out a list of all the costumers he ever had. "I don't remember a Scope, but maybe this would help."
"Thanks!" Boom said and picked up the list, and quickly skimmed through it. He found a name Scope, and it even had a small picture.
"I remember that one say something about a funeral earlier, though he said his name was Sniper, not Scope. That's an old list." The guy at the counter said.
"A funeral? Where?" Boom asked. He got the direction and left, He flew up and headed to the direction of the cemetery.
He landed outside and walked in, the air was moist... Water? He walked around, trying to find a tall Pegasus, wearing a black vest and a slouched hat with black sunglasses.
There was a large pony made of water slowly walked towards him. There was a loud crack of thunder and the water pony sank to the ground.
"Oy! Get moving, mate!" Somepony said as he fired another electric shot.
More water monster appeared and splashed Boom with water.
"Bloody hell..." From a nearby cloud, a bright grey flash zoomed pass and picked up the colt.
They flew out the cemetary.
"What the hell!" Boom called out. "What the hell were those things!?!"
"Water sprites, don't mind that now, why are you looking for me?" The older dark coated Pegasus said.
"Looking for you? Wait. You're Scope, right?" Boom asked with a curios look on his face. "You are! I need you to come with me!" Boom jumped out of his grasp and pulled his arm.
Scope didn't budge. "Hold on, wanker. Who the bloody hell are ya?" Scope said and pulled the boy and examined his face.
"I'm the eldest son of Buckshot..." He said. He was chocking by his strong grip.
Scope eyed him for a few more minutes. His icy stare even made Boom swallow a lump in his throat. "You got his eyes..." He dropped his grip and Boom choked as he stumbled in the air. "You got my attention. What do you want?"
"He told me to find you in case he..." Boom trailed off and looked down to the ground.
"Suck it up, yer dad won't be wanting to see ya like this." He said and flew in front of the colt. "Listen here, wanker. I know what he had planned if he wanted you to find me, and it. Will. Be. Hell. I want you to know what he had planned."
"First... We need to get to my brother, he's itching for some payback." He said and then muttered under his breath. "And so do I."
Scope shook his head. "That... That is why you'll be dead before you get your 'precious' payback. Forget that revenge bullcrap and listen." He sped off towards the city, Boom following closely behind. "Your father wanted both of you to be a professional, like me."
"Professional what, exactly?" Boom asked.
"I'll tell ya when we get to your brother." He said and quickly went towards the apartment building. Boom thought that he must have known they were searching for him.
The two of them went inside and got to Boom and Headshot's room.
Headshot was out of bed and was shifting through pieces of paper after paper. He didn't even notice the two of them walk in, he just kept looking through each paper, searching for a name, a picture, his target.
Boom coughed to attract his brother's attention. "Brother, we have a guest." Headshot turned to face the older Pegasus and only stared.
"A pleasure." He said and turned back to his work.
"I can see ol' Buckshot in him. Workaholic." Scope said and went to his side. "Looking for the wanker that killed your folks? Want to make it up to them?"
Headshot didn't even pay him any mind. He rifled through each picture and each name.
"Want me to teach ya' how to kill him?" Headshot looked up and saw the stallion, dead serious. "How to hunt, how to be what your father wanted you to be."
"What did dad want us to be?" Headshot said.
"A Professional."
Five months have passed, each day was filled with rigorous training for both brothers. The three of them stood outside of town, the site where the two young colt's parents died.
Headshot has a self-made Storm Rifle in memory of his parents strapped on his back. Standing beside him was his brother.
"Name the three standards of being a Professional." Scope said as the two colt saluted.
"One, be polite." Headshot started.
"Two, be efficient." Boom continued
"And three," Both of them said in unison. "have a plan to kill everpony you meet."
"Good, now we're going to go on a little hunting." Scope said, and threw two empty saddle-bags on the ground in front of them. The only thing in these bags were a picture with a quickly written scrawl of a name on it. "This is your prey. The name is Dead Ringer, actually both of them are Dead Ringer, twin brothers together since birth, and big deal mobsters that harass and abuse the striving folks." He said and stepped closer to the two colts. "And this is what I want you to do, lads. Find them and kill them. DISMISSED!"
The two colts saluted and flew off. Headshot led the way and stood on a small cloud. He unstrapped his rifle and scanned the area. Boom landed beside him.
"So, where should we start look-"
"There! Five o'clock, building on the far right." Headshot said and looked at the picture he had. "No, wait... that's a double. Ears are too short..."
"They know we're hunting them..."
"Only makes it more challenging." Headshot smiled.
"And all the more rewarding." Boom said and picked up a non-cloud rifle and scoped out the area. "Looks like the doubles are scattered throughout the city..."
"Should be easy for us then." Headshot stretched his wings. "Soon as these losers heard we were coming."
"They hid and ran." Boom flew off the cloud. "I search east side, you search west."
"Last one to get his kill buys the pizza." Headshot smiled and flew next to his brother.
"Get ready to spend your bits, brother." Boom sped off to the east.
Headshot shot off to the west and quickly perched himself on nearby cloud, right next to the hospital. There was more chaos every day, more death. The city was run by an underground mafia now.
Bodies were lined up everywhere, some injured, some dead, all mortaly scared. Headshot cringed as a few young foals were sent in the hospital. There was sounds of gunshots a few blocks away. The local gangs were at war again.
One of the gangs had a close relationship with Headshot and his brother. He decided to help and he flew in, above the battlefield. There were ponies in green hoodies that were shooting at another group with black bandanas.
Headshot was taking out the ones with green hoodies, each popping heads without missing a beat.
"HEY," Headshot yelled to one of the ponies down below. "Need a hoof?"
A black coated mare with a light blue mane looked up to him. "Thanks, Sweet heart!"
"No prob, Jun."
The rival gang was slowly retreating, the others cheered. Headshot flew down and gave his marefriend a large hug. "Hey, Juno."
"Hey there, heart breaker. So who's the target today?" Juno said with a smile and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "Maybe I could help?"
"A guy named Dead Ringer, red coat, short black mane, Pegasus and his brother who looks exactly like him except he's a Unicorn." Headshot said and pulled out his target's picture.
"Yeah, I know the Pegasus, lots of duds around the city. He's actually in the Falcon mansion."
"FALCON! You have got to be kidding!" Headshot facehoofed and sighed. "Take care of the ponies, alright? I'll be back... Hopefully." Headshot flew up and headed to a large mansion on a hill outside of town.
Headshot landed a few ways away from the Falcon mansion. "Crap... That's a lot of security..." There were a ton of guards, each wielding a type of rifle, sword or crossbow.
"Alright... Now what did Scope taught me again?"
"Use the force." Scope's voice echoed through his mind.
"No that's not it."
"FUS RO DAH!"
"Not that either."
"The simple way is the best way."
"Right!" Headshot took a large stone and aimed it at one of the glass windows on the guard tower, missing completely and knocking out the guard above. "Not what I had in mind, but the air space is clear. I could land there."
He flew up and landed on one of the towers, the courtyard was surrounded by guards, some of Dead Ringer's men and the Falcon family's Doms and Capos.
"Alright, my target is..." Headshot trailed off when he saw the stallion that killed his parents, he learned his name through the months he worked as an apprentice. "...Blade..." Headshot saw Blade and his target talking to each other. A young red maned filly was nervously shifting her hooves.
Headshot stayed silent and watched the conversation. The two of them were smiling and nodding they were going inside the building. Headshot saw the filly being dragged against her will.
After a few minutes, they appeared on the third floor. The filly looked like she tried to run away, but only got hit by Blade. She was pushed down by Dead Ringer onto the bed and...
Headshot couldn't take it anymore. He picked up his rifle and quickly killed the two stallions in the room. The others were alerted by the two loud thunder shots that echoed through the courtyard.
There were three more sniper shots that rung out. To Headshot's left, Scope was taking down the few unaware Capos and Doms, and to his right, Boom was taking out Dead Ringer's men, he wasn't as good as his younger brother, but he knew where a bullet would hurt the most.
Headshot nodded to his brother and jumped down to a glide. He pulled out his rifle and fired. He quickly sped off the ground and dodged the bullets and crossbow bolts that were headed his way.
He crashed into the window where his two victims lay dead on the ground. The scared young filly shivered as Headshot approached her.
"It's not safe here! Let's get you out of here!" Headshot yelled and grabbed her, he flew out the window and almost made it out, but he got clipped in the wing and was tumbling down to the ground.
Boom saw this and threw away his rifle and jumped down from his perch. He quickly went to Headshot's side. "You flap right wing, I flap left!" Boom said and wrapped his foreleg around Headshot and both of them began flapping their respective wings. The filly was clinging on Headshot's neck.
Scope was making quick work of the other guards, he was being a great distraction for the two colts.
They quickly made it out and flew away to a hide-out.
Headshot landed in exhaustion and saw his wing bleeding an insane amount of blood. Juno quickly picked him up dragged him inside.
"MEDIC!" She yelled. Boom picked up the filly and followed Juno. Scope came in with a content smile on his face.
They went to the infirmary and washed off the blood and dirt. "You're going to be alright, hun." Juno said, they washed off the dirt on his flank and saw a picture of a crosshair and a pony skull.
"Now, this is embarrassing, my younger brother got his mark before me." Boom laughed as he put down the filly onto one of the beds.
"Head, Boom. You done me proud, lads. You're real Professionals now." Scope said and gave Boom a pat on the back. Headshot was in deep pain, but he couldn't help but smile.
It was the dead of night, Headshot didn't like being this quiet at night. He got up from his bed and left through the back door.
"Are you sure you should be out right now?" Juno said from behind and closed the door with her magic.
"I... I just need somewhere to be." Headshot said and started to walk, his wing still hurt, his bandages were already covered in blood. "Just to visit my parent's grave."
"Don't stay out late, I hate you if get a cold on my watch." Juno said and gave him a peak on the cheek.
Headshot walked towards the cemetery. Boom would probably be there already, it was their parent's five month death anniversary. He stopped by a small flower shop and bought a few rose buds, those were his mom's favorite.
He made it to the cemetery and placed the flowers on their headstone. Boom came up from behind and dropped off some sunflowers, his dad's favorite.
"Hard to believe it's been five months since we got here." Boom said and looked at the clouds above. "Weather's been working on its own now, since Anarchy's back in full control." A few droplets fell from the sky, making the dark sky even gloomier.
"I miss them..."
"I do too, but I'm staying strong, for you. You should do the same, Mother and Father wouldn't want baby brother to be a cry baby now."
He forced a smile. "Right, let's just move on, Blade is dead, and we're real professional snipers now."
"Never forget them, alright?"
"Never." |
An Angel and her Soldier | Chapter 14 | Chapter 14
Altair moved around the compound, careful not to step on any loose twigs or branches on the ground, he could see Storm up on the cloud with a make-shift storm rifle. Altair saw a pony-sized hole on the side and chose to go in there. He signaled Storm to keep watch over him.
He quickly made his way towards the back of a building, two guards were stationed inside, he could hear a few muffled cries from inside. He quickly made his way to the door and peeked in.
There were two stallions wearing a dark uniform, probably the torture group, and a colt, about the same age as Altair tied to an electric chair. Sadly there was no saving the colt. Altair left and headed to another part of the facility, he needed to find Firecracker and assassinate his target, he knew that the main priority is Firecracker but he was a perfectionist.
He hid behind a few barrels as two guards walked pass. They were talking about something but he couldn't hear what they were saying.
He decided to follow the duo and see where they led. He quickly pressed up against a wall and pulled out his hidden blade. One of the guards turned around.
"Hey, do you think we're being followed." The first guard asked.
"Don't be silly, we've been here for months now, nopony's here besides us guards." The second guard said as both of them walked to a large sealed door. "The only thing we need to worry about is that mare those freaks brought in."
"Shhhhh, when they hear you, they're going to rip you apart." The first guard said and pressed his hoof onto the hoof scanner.
Right... I forgot how to get those things... Something about a powder. Problem is I don't have the equipment I need. Altair thought to himself. I could always chop off one of their hoofs.
Altair picked up a small stone and threw it at a nearby window. One of the guards noticed this.
"I'll go check it out, guard the mare." The guard said and went to check out the disturbance. The other nodded and went inside and the door sealed behind.
Altair made his move and quickly went behind the guard and stabbed him in the neck, the cold steel of his blade went deep into his neck. He dragged the body to the door and placed the dead guard's hoof on the scanner.
The door opened and quickly rushed his way inside. The tunnel was dark and each step he took echoed through the building. Altair saw a camera stationed at the end of the hall. He quickly hid behind cover.
The turned from left to right. Altair used this opening and ran to another piece of cover. The camera did this in rotation. Altair moved when the camera wasn't looking, he silently thanked whoever was watching over him, that these idiots haven't made sound sensors yet.
He made his way across the hall without alerting the camera. He opened the door on the end and went inside.
The room was brightly lit, a complete contrast to the one he was in before. There were signs everywhere, Danger, turn away, and many more. Altair walked on and found a strange one out.
"Experiment 173, High Danger, keep direct eye contact at all times."
Altair opened the door and went inside, there was a creepy statue staring directly at another statue of a stone Pegasus. Somepony else was in here. That Pegasus statue didn't feel like it belonged.
"All right, my time has come," A voice said from behind the door.
"Will you ever come back?" Firecracker's voice said, she was talking to the other voice.
Altair pressed his ear on the door.
"I don't know, little firebug. Just remember, trust me, I'm the Doc-Oh... looks like I have to go, it was nice getting to see you again."
"Don't go!"
There was a loud explosion that rocked the entire facility, knocking over the Pegasus statue and the other creepy statue moved closer to Altair, each time he blinked it seemed to come closer.
The door opened behind him and Firecracker came out, horn flaring. "Don't blink! Whatever you do, don't blink." She said and stared at the creepy statue. "Stare at the Weeping Pegasus and don't blink. Let's make our way to the door."
There was another quake and the lights went out. Firecracker lit her horn up as the two statues were mere inches away from their faces.
Altair tried to open the door but it didn't seem to respond. "The door won't open!"
"...Keep staring at them. I got an idea."
"Alright, Jeff. Put down that horn and let's talk." Blueblood said, trying to calm down the psycho killer.
Jeff tried to stab him with an old horn he took off from one of the racks. Each swing sent off a bolt of magic at Blueblood's direction.
"Why, why did it have to be Jeff?" Blueblood asked nopony in paticular. Blueblood took a large staff and blocked a blast of magic. Blueblood was slowly losing, Jeff was far stronger than Blueblood, but he was driven in mad rage, while Blueblood was calculating how to beat him.
Then a brilliant idea came to his head. He ran, towards the room he was previously in. He searched through the vials and strange liquids. Jeff shot another bolt of magic and caused all the chemicals to mix together. That was just what he needed. He took an intact vial and quickly scooped it up, Jeff was repeating the bolts, each hit, making the room messier and messier. Blueblood went under the bed and pulled out a green liquid, Jeff stopped momentarily and looked in confusion.
"Changeling Blood. Changelings were your favorite victim, right? That's why their endangered now." Blueblood said and pulled off the cork. "And what would happen if I mix these two together?"
Jeff smiled, there was no way he could lose right now, he would enjoy ripping apart his body. But things were not as they seem. Blueblood took the vial and threw it, the glass shattered and covered him green liquid. He felt nothing for the first minute or so, Blueblood just smiled as the poison began to take effect.
His bones began to fell strange, like they were melting. Blueblood just laughed as he hooves turned flat and was slowly sinking.
"You know, the mother of invention is laziness, and one day, I was just lazy and shoved a little bit of everything into a cauldron, and I used it on one of the Pegasi down below, they say, they're unkillable, totally stone, nothing could destroy it, but no. I killed it and I will kill you." Jeff continued to smile even though he was slowly and painfully turning into a puddle of blood and chemicals. "You're immortal, through one of the cursed crystals. Immortality through those are easy..."
Blueblood stepped over the puddle and went down stair, he saw the staff he discarded during the fight. It was a normal wooden staff with several markings and a topaz jewel on the top. He quickly picked it up and rushed down.
The path leading down was very dark, with the occasional torch to provide some light. When he reached to the bottom, he gasped at what he saw. Ever cell was open, each empty.
"You have got to be kidding me." He just hoped the others got out alright.
"Hey," Blueblood looked around and saw nothing. "Hey, up here, dumb wad." Blueblood looked up and saw something that he wished was dead. "Remember me?"
"Please just die, you annoying little blob."
The annoying little green blob is amply named bob fell down from the ceiling and clung to Blueblood's head. "You got me as a partner, remember?"
"I hoped that box could have held you longer than a day." Blueblood said in annoyance.
"Whatever, some kids ran that-a-way." Bob's little green tentacle pointed. "The freaks got out when you and the old man left. They're long gone by now."
Blueblood was visibly shaken. "They're all OUT!" He yelled. "HOW!"
"Dunno, the cells just opened." Bob said atop the colt's head. "Better hurry up, Mary didn't leave and she was waiting for you."
"Mary? Of all the things I had to make..." He muttered to himself.
"Next time, don't play with life."
"That..."
"Is..."
"A lot..."
"Of bombs..."
"Aye, Firecracker still needs to learn how a real Demo does the job." Rum pulled out a bottle of jack and took a swig, the firewater burned down his throat. "That lass know how to make things go boom, but she doesn't know how to add style to the boom."
"Still... I'm not sure the town could survive an explosion like that." Brick eyed the round spiked objects sticking to the trees and buildings.
"Exactly! Ain't nopony dumb enough to go to a town that's about to blow!" The demolition colt said. The insane mass of Diamond Dogs broke through the forest and rushed at the ponies. "Well, so much fer that plan." Rum pulled out a remote control and aimed it at a bunch of stickybombs, the cluster of bombs exploded and sent a part of the building towards the Diamond Dogs.
Brick stretched his limbs as he slowly made his way to the rubble. "You're an idiot, Rum."
Twilight pulled out her bonesaw, newly sharpened and slightly bloody. "It's good to have you back." She said. "Really though, the town is even more in danger when you're around."
"You know it, lassy. Now, let's show these mutts how we do Ponyville style." Rum pulled out a few grenades, a new creation and personal favorite of his. He pulled the pin and threw it at the Diamond Dogs. The Dogs caught it in their mouth and snarled. Rum just smiled.
"Where's the boom?" Brick asked and picked up a large wooden spike.
"Delayed fuse." Rum said and then the Diamond Dog exploded in a bloody gory mess, taking out a few other Dogs with him. "I missed this place."
"Don't get to comfy, we got a lot of doggies to put down." Brick said and smashed a poor dog's head into tiny bits.
Rum threw more grenades at the Dogs, smiling and laughing. "Aye, let me tell ye how many bombs this town is caked with." A large cannon ball blazed pass him as he walked closer to his destructive creations. "More than yer bloody arsenal!"
Brick tackled a large group of Dogs to the ground, smacking them around with his large club. He grabbed one of the Dogs and ripped off his head, he threw the head to one of the Dogs and it knocked them back. He jumped up in the air and crushed several dogs under his hoof.
Twilight slashed away and hacked off several limbs from the Dogs, she pulled out another bonesaw and pinned one of the Diamond Dogs on the wall. Twilight kept all the dogs alive so they could feel the pain from their injuries, a sadistic smile crept on her, now, bloody face. Her mane was covered in blood and gore as she ripped apart Diamond Dog after Diamond Dog.
"Oy, Twily, getting to excited there, lass!" Rum said and pulled a bottle of scotch from his saddle-bag. "Leave some fer me."
Rum pressed another button and more bombs exploded, sending the dismembered body parts of the Diamond Dogs across the battlefield. He took a large stack of dynamite and threw it at the dogs. The bomb exploded and splattered the entire battlefield with blood and gibs.
"This is pretty boring." Brick called out and ripped apart another Diamond Dog.
"Yeah... wait, do you hear that?" Twilight said. A low rumbling sound and snapping wood came from the forest. A large metalic vehicle with mounted cannons. "TANK!"
"Stop yelling, we can hear you just fine." Brick said and grabbed a large boulder and threw it at the tank. The boulder was shot out of the air before it could impact the tank.
Rum quickly looked around for anything he could use. His explosives only shrugged off the heavy metal plating.
"I think... we have a problem..."
Roland sat down beside Angel, her fever still hasn't gone down. Pain took a wet cloth and placed it on Angel's head. She looked concerned for the Siren.
"We have a problem," Pain said and looked at Roland and Headshot. "She's got a magical fever, the only way to cure it would be using one of the sacred fruits in Canterlot Garden."
"Then we go in there and-"
"No," Headshot called out. "Too risky."
"But I got to try!" Roland said and stormed out. He picked up his rifle and shotgun, ammo and left the hideout. He made his way to the gates,
The gates were guarded by a lot of guards, each holding some sort of ranged or melee weapon. Roland didn't bother with questions and ran in there, guns blazing. The guards couldn't react fast enough. Roland took cover behind the wall, several bullets bounced off the wall and nearly Roland's head.
Roland pulled out a few dynamites and threw them at the guards, the dynamite was shot out of the air by a sniper on the third floor, Roland couldn't see the sniper.
Roland ran to another piece of cover, but was clipped in his shoulder, but the shield took most of the damage. Roland fired his rifle at the guards, several guards were shot dead by Roland's shots, years of practice made his aim with any rifle nearly perfect.
Each guard he killed, two more take his place. Soon, the court yard was filled with angry guards trying to take down Roland. Roland pulled out a fresh clip and reloaded his rifle, he saw a few clouds drift overhead, a lightning bolt came very close to where he was standing. Roland back peddled and took potshots at the cloud.
Roland heard the momentary cease-fire and peeked over his cover. The guards all saluted and made a cleared a way to the doors, a hooded pony came out and looked at Roland. The pony shook his/her head and the guards resumed their fire.
Roland dived behind a tree and threw his turret out in the open. The turret made quick work of the first line of defense, but was quickly shot down by the sniper on the roof. A lightning bolt struck the tree and set it on fire. Roland fired his shotgun and struck several ponies.
Roland chucked all his explosives at the guards. The bombs exploded and cleared a way inside. Roland took this chance and made a break for it, he dodged the bullets that whizzed pass his head, some clipping his shields.
A few more lucky shot broke through his shield tore through his flesh.
"THROWING SMOKE!" Headshot swooped down and picked up Roland, despite being smaller and weaker, he managed to get Roland out of the danger zone.
Roland and Headshot made their way back to the hideout. A few bullets broke through his skin. Roland was led to the infirmary and was quickly being treated.
Headshot was pacing back and forth. "What the hell is your major malfunction, Roland?!?" He said and grabbed Roland's collar.
One of the nurses tried to hold back Headshot, but he was too strong. "Master! Stop!" The nurse said and Headshot released his grip.
"You moron, you know how hard it is to stay in cover in Canterlot? They know I'm here now, and they're out to get me!" Headshot said. Roland tried to look away. "You didn't just put your life in danger, you put the entire Brotherhood in danger!"
"Says the guy that was going in there for revenge." Roland muttered.
"Yes, but I wasn't the one who stormed the fucking gate! I would have gone in the sewers or something instead of grabbing a gun and running straight in there!"
"I've lost a lot of men and I won't lose another." He said and looked at Angel.
"AND WHAT! Do you think I haven't lose ponies!? My parents are dead, my fiancee is dead, my brother tried to kill me, I've lost more men in the Brotherhood than the entire guard force! My brother was the only one I ever trusted, and he stabbed me on the back! Do you know how much it hurts to have the only pony you ever trusted leave you for dead!? Do you know how much it hurts to lose the only family you ever had?"
"I do." Roland muttered.
"Then you should know, that what you did was a stupid move. Knowing the guards, they'll be coming for me, you stay here."
"What? I can help, I-"
"Roland, you may be the leader of the Crimson Raider or whatever, but you're in my team, my world, and right now, I'm telling you to shut up and sit on the bench." Headshot picked up his rifle and a crossbow and made his way outside. A few assassins stood ready outside.
"You three," Headshot pointed to three robed assassins. "keep an eye on him."
Headshot flew out in the open, he could at least get the heat away from the Brotherhood. The task force was already mobilizing, a few hundred snipers and guards coming in.
There was an entire army right in front of Headshot, all of them aiming their weapons at the lone Pegasus. "Miss me, boys?" He said. "So you're thinking 'the most wanted pony in Canterlot, about to get horribly murdered by thousands of us, what could possible go wrong?' Let me ask you this, what makes you think I can't just kick your sorry flanks back home to base?"
"I don't know, a thousand to one is a very low chance."
"Who-"
"Ah, Brother. You made it out, didn't think it would you that long." Critical flew in front of the large crowd of ponies. "And now this is the time you spew out vulgar and insults at me."
Headshot shook his head. "Nah, I'm going to be civil about this. I, Headshot, challenge you to a duel."
"Formality is for the weak, and I am a weakling. Let's raise the stakes. If I win you will be my right-hoof colt."
"And if I win, I'm going to bury you six feet under."
"It's a deal." Critical motioned the army he gathered to leave and they did so without a word. "Wonderbolt Coliseum tonight."
"Why not here? Why not now?"
"Because I want to let the world know that you lost to me. Remember how I got my Cutie-mark? The old silver tongue with a knife."
"Yeah, I remember it too well. Remember this, Firecracker will escape, right now the best of the best is going there and-"
"I already received the reports, the entire base, dead. Bitter Springs is yours, problem is... nopony left the base."
"Wha-"
"Hundreds dead. Majority of the Red Wings gone. Several prisoners confirmed dead. I hope your little marefriend wasn't part of the body count."
"We're not together."
Critical just laughed. "Goodbye, see you tonight."
Critical turned around and headed back to the castle. He loaded his crossbow and shot a nearby cloud, a bounty hunter dropped dead, a bolt sticking out of his head. "Huh, this will be interesting."
"Are you really going through with this?" Pain said as Headshot strapped on his ammo and knife belt. "This is most likely a trap."
The sniper grabbed a quiver and several bolts and his crossbow. "I wasn't planning on doing much tonight anyway."
"Crazy! You're going to get yourself killed! I don't want to lose you!"
"What?" He said and picked up his rifle.
Her face turned bright red. "I mean, you're my only friend and I don't want to lose you."
"Right. Well, You don't need to worry, you're not going to lose me tonight." He said and made his way to the coliseum.
He made a fly over the coliseum, the place was filled with ponies, eager for a blood fest. He landed in the center, the crowd jeered at him.
"WELCOME, ONE AND ALL, TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT OF BLOOD. BAD BLOOD BETWEEN TWO WORLD KNOWN BROTHERS." The announcer said, his voice echoed through the entire coliseum. "PRESENTING, THE SILVER TONGUED BACKSTABBER, THE CRAZE TACTITIAN, THE RIGHT CLAW OF ANARCHY; CRITICAL!" The crowd cheered as Headshot's brother came out, wearing little but a knife and a rifle.
"AND ON THE OPPOSING SIDE, THE REBEL LEADER, THE CRACKSHOT MARXCOLT, THE KING OF THE SKY; HEADSHOT!" The crowd was a mixture of cheers and jeers.
"LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!" |
Rise of Equestria: The War Begins | pre | "Fine. I'll join you downstairs, but only for an hour. Will that be enough?" he asked. Heat Blitz, then lunged at Eternal and hugged him tightly.
"Yeah. More than anything." he replied. Eternal's eyes sparked a little bit as he wrapped one of his hooves around his little brother's back.
"Alright, easy does it." The two brothers held the hug for 30 seconds before both stallions walked out of the room and the two flights of stairs. Both of the young stallions made it into the living room and Blue Blaze gave Eternal that cold, unamused look as Eternal did back.
"Don't even start with me." Blue Blaze says, glaring at his little brother.
"Look who's talking." Eternal retorted in the same tone.
"Boys, stop! This isn't how you should behave." Crimson says. "Jeez, can you two go for one whole day without grabbing each other's throats?"
"I would, but I gotta make sure he's gonna not running his mouth in all the wrong directions." Blue Blaze says, giving his little brother the death stare.
"Says the guy who's trying to start it all." Eternal retorts, looking unamused.
"You trying to start something with me? Being an alicorn isn't just for show, you know!"
"You don't scare me, ya big blue lout!"
"GUYS, ENOUGH!" Spike shouted. Blue Blaze and Eternal looked at Spike. "If you're ever going to stop patronizing each other, then you need to stop bad-mouthing Eternal and YOU need to put your grandfather's death behind you and move on, not for his sake, but for your own, if you don't, you'll just end up driving away your loved ones and you can't live with that truth, you understand?" Spike scolded.
Blue Blaze and Eternal looked surprised at the young dragon's words. The two stallions looked back at each other and stared for a moment. They both took a deep breath and let out a sigh of relief before they finally approached each other.
"I apologize, Eternal. I guess I was a bit of a jerk. But the dragon speaks the truth. Grandpa's gone and we to pull ourselves together, just like old times." Blue Blaze says calmly.
"Yes, I apologize, too, Blue Blaze. My actions were childish and uncalled for. I'm still upset about grandpa leaving us, but I'll try to move on." Eternal replied. Blue Blaze smiled a bit.
"Come here, let me give you a hug." he said. Eternal nodded and got close enough to his older brother and wrapped his hoof around him while Blue Blaze wrapped his hoof around Eternal, with the added bonus of one of his wrapping one of his wings around Eternal.
"Aww, that's just so sweet." Twilight said, placing a hoof on her chest.
"My big brothers." Heat Blitz says, smiling.
"It warms my heart to finally see you two like this." Celestia says.
"Let's just hope it stays that way." Crimson says. "It's been quite a while since the last time I saw those two embracing their everlasting brotherhood."
"Well, aside from this, I still can't believe there are these things called the Elements of Freedom!" When Twilight said this, Eternal's eyes shot wide open and let go of his brother.
"You mean the ones my father read me when I was a colt?" Eternal asked. Twilight nodded. "Do you mind if I take a look at it for a moment?"
"Oh, not at all, go ahead." Twilight levitated the book over to Eternal and he started reading a few of the pages somewhat hastily, like he was lookign for some kind of info.
"If I remember right, there was a rumor about the Elements of Freedom being hidden at the Freedom Valley long ago, but the only pony whoever found them were King Cosmos and Queen Galaxia. Rumor has it that they were the ones who created these artifacts." Eternal explains.
But then everypony around him froze in shock when he said that, but the one who was most shocked was Princess Celestia when he mentioned the legendary king and queen of time and space.
"O-Oh my!" Celestia says with a hoof under her lip.
"Princess, what's the matter?" Twilight asked.
"Queen Galaxia and King Cosmos... are my parents." Celestia replied.
"What?! How come you never told me about them?" Spike asked.
"I've ruled over Equestria for so long that I completely forgot about them. I knew that they were quite powerful, but I didn't know they could create the Elements of Harmony." Celestia says, still shocked.
"If I had known you were the daughter of such powerful deities, I'd probably pay you your respects and probably do the same for your parents." Eternal said.
"Well, as nice as it sounds, we should probably go meet up with the others." Spike implied. Twilight then gasped in a panic and ran towards the front door.
"Oh no, I forgot about Sunset! I left her at the library!" Twilight said.
"Calm yourself, Twilight. We'll all go together." Celestia replied. "If that's okay with you." she asks, turning her attention to her boys.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to meet more of your friends, mother." Blue Blaze said. Eternal's ears shot up when his brother said that.
"Why'd you call her "mother?" Eternal asked. Blue Blaze covered his muzzle. "This better not be some kind of joke you always try to pull off."
Blue Blaze sighed at Eternal's accusasions. "No, Eternal. I couldn't tell you this, because you might take it very hard, but Princess Celestia is our mother."
"That can't be! How do you know?"
"Do you remember have those dreams about that alicorn's shadow?"
"Yes, but why are you bringing this up?"
"Well, I think it's time for you open up your eyes, because our mother... had found us."
As soon as Blue Blaze said that, Eternal's eyes widened. He then shook his head. "N-No, how?!"
"Why don't you ask her yourself? I'm sure she'll explain everything."
Eternal couldn't think straight, but he took his older brother's advice and walked over to Princess Celestia, who's already walked out of the house with the others. He walked up close enough for him to whisper into the princess' ear, hoping the others won't hear.
"Princess." he whispered.
"Hmm?" Celestia asked, looking at Eternal.
"Is my brother right? Are you actually my mother?" he waited for a response from the princess. Her reaction to his question was a slight giggle and then she leaned her neck down to his level.
"It might be a bit much to take in all at once, but I'm very impressed with how much you've grown... my son." She whispered quietly to Eternal. He stopped dead in his tracks, with a shocked expression. Heat Blitz watched as his older brother became completely dumbfounded.
"Hey, what's the hold-up?" Heat Blitz asked.
"I think he just found out more about Princess Celestia than he thought." Spike replied.
"Yeah, and I don't think he's taking it too well." Twilight added. Eternal Flames' eyes soon hid underneath his red mane, trying not to show off his anger.
"Tell me... why?" he asked in a shook up voice.
"Why have I not told you this sooner, or why did I leave?" Celestia asked.
"Both!" he replied, trying not to explode. Celestia sighed.
"I want to save this story for after we've gathered everypony."
Eternal sighed. "Fine, but can my pals join on this? I... want to surprise them."
"Sure, son."
Afterwards, the rest of the gang exited out of the house and followed Twilight. But as they were passing by an ice cream shop, Twilight heard a familiar voice from inside the shop. She walked inside and saw her friend, Pinkie Pie, munching on what looked like her 17th bowl of ice cream.
"Pinkie?! What are you doing?" Twilight asked, all shocked.
"Hmm? Oh, I was trying to ask one of the ponies who worked here if there was a friendship problem we could solve, but then, I got a little hungry, so I stayed to have a little snack!" Pinkie replied with a squee.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's a bottomless pit." said a male voice. Twilight looked and saw that there was a stallion who had a strong resemblance to King Sombra, only he was much younger and didn't have any armor on his body.
Twilight got a little cautious and lit up her horn, teleporting herself between Pinkie and the stallion. She glared at him without breaking eye contact.
"Listen, Sombra, I don't know what you want, but don't even think about hurting my friends, or I promise you that you'll get what's coming to you!" Twilight said, gritting her teeth.
"Oooooh, you sound like that girl with the purple cloak who can use demonic powers." Pinkie says.
"Okay, first off, you don't have to get all hostile with me. Second, just because I look like a younger version of my father, doesn't mean I share his cold, black heart. Third, my name is Shadow Force." he explains.
"Oh, umm..... sorry about that. I just thought tha--......FATHER?!?!?!" Twilight asked, shocked.
"Sombra has a son?!" Spike asked in the same tone.
"I reacted the same way when I heard about him being Sombra's child. However, father never saw that in him, and instead saw him as a lost pony with no family to call his own." Blue Blaze said.
"And thanks to their dad's guidance and the support from the town, they all helped raise me and even gave me this job at the ice cream parlor. It gave me a major sweet tooth, no doubt." Shadow explains.
"Yup yup! But he doesn't eat as much ice cream as I do!" Pinkie said with a squee.
".....Right, umm shouldn't we get Sunset?" Spike asked.
"Oh right, come on everypony." Twilight said. The group followed her down the path of the town and in no less than 4 minutes, they finally made it to the library. Twilight went inside for a few minutes before bringing Sunset out with the rest of the gang. Afterwards, the group all walked back down the path and on the search for more of Twilight's friends, only for all of them to stop dead in their tracks when a yellow and a rainbow blue sped past them, and Pinkie jumped up and down with joy.
"OOH, OOH, LOOK, UP THERE!" Pinkie says, pointing at the sky. Everypony's eyes looked up and saw that Rainbow Dash was trying to get this yellow pegasus.
"What?" Shadow asked, looking up with the rest of the group. But just as he looks up, he starts laughing.
"NGAHHH!!!!" she shouted. "STOP RUNNING AWAY!!!"
The stallion she was chasing after kept giving her an unamused glance before soaring faster in the sky, trying to get away from Rainbow Dash. But Rainbow Dash kept chasing after him. She was never one to give up a chase, unless it was Pinkie chasing after her.
"Will you just slow down already?!" Rainbow shouted.
"And risk being off schedule? Sorry ma'am, but I'm busy right now!" replied the stallion. He kicked his flight speed into overdrive and gain a little bit of distance away from Rainbow Dash. But she, on the other hoof, wasn't going to let her "competitor" get the better of her.
All the while, Spike was getting a good laugh at Rainbow having trouble keeping up.
"Hey, what's so funny? We all know Rainbow's the fastest pegasus in Ponyville." Pinkie said.
"Except we're not in Ponyville. I think she's met somepony who can actually hold their own against her. Especially when he's constantly in a rush. But who is he?" Twilight asked.
"That's one of Eternal Flames' friends. He and his mom and some other pegasi are in charge of the weather here in the Freedom Village. He doesn't really talk to strangers, but he can still be nice." Heat Blitz explains.
"Only he's kinda punctual when it comes to work. He's quick in the head and wings." Shadow added.
"And it looks like Rainbow Dash found herself a new speed rival." Spike chuckled.
"I'll take quite a while for them to stop flying around like that." Sunset added.
"I'll say, but for now, let's just leave them be. They'll come to us in due time." Celestia implied.
"Yeah, but right now we gotta find Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy. And if I know Rarity, she'd probably get sidetracked over some new lines of dresses or she's eyeing some random stallion." Twilight says. Her eyes widen when she mentioned that last part out loud with Spike listening. "Eh, sorry Spike."
"No no, i-it's alright. Let's just find the others." Spike said. "Umm... hey, Blue Blaze, does this town have a zoo, because Fluttershy is kind of an animal caretaker."
"As a matter of fact, we do have a zoo. It's a little distance away, so I need you all to stay close so you don't get lost along the way, okay?" Blue Blaze replied.
"Okay." everyone replied. Blue Blaze then took the lead and everypony followed him. During the walk to the zoo, Eternal Flames walked up to Spike with curiousity.
"So, Spike, was it?" Eternal asked.
"Y-Yeah, what is it?" Spike replied.
"What's the matter? You sounded kind of bummed out when Twilight mentioned this "Rarity." Is she a good friend of yours or something?"
"Yeah, we've been good friends for about 5 years."
"That's nice to hear. There's nothing more greater than having close friends."
"Yeah, but the thing is... I've always... umm... oh never mind."
"What? Tell me?"
"You wouldn't like what I'm about to say."
"Spike, I can understand fully. Just tell me what's on your mind."
"Oh alright, I've had a crush on her when I first met her. I was only a baby dragon back then. She's the most beautiful pony I ever laid eyes on. I wanted to be able to go on a date with her, but... I just kept getting nervous about it and I always bail on the most important opportunities."
"What kind of things did you do for her?"
"Well, for one thing, I always helped her with work. I let her use my tail as a pin cushion when she's sewing some of her dresses, I help carry her luggage and most of all... I gave her a beautiful fire ruby. In return, I was able to get a kiss on the cheek from her. No wonder she's the Element of Generosity."
Eternal's eyebrow quirked when Spike said all those things. He closed his eyes and shook his head. Eternal knew exactly what was going on. "I was afraid you'd say that."
"What? Is something wrong."
"Well, let me put it this way: You say that she's the Element of Generosity, yet you're the one who's been doing most of the "generous" work instead of her. She practically has you eating out of the tip of her hoof and the only thanks she gave you was a kiss on the cheek?"
"What's wrong with that?"
"Spike, she's taking you for granted. I can already guess she begs for attention from other stallions or even her friends and yet you claim she's the "Element of Generosity?"
When he said that, Spike got a little frustrated with his attitude. "Hey, don't doubt Rarity."
"I'm just speaking from the heart, Spike. If anypony's doing their job as the Element of Generosity, it's you."
"No! T-That's not true! I-I-I could never take away her element!"
"Too late, Spike. One of these days, if she ever loses touch with her element, you're going to have to step up and show the whole world the power you might possess. And who's fault is it going to be for not living up to her important title?"
"What am I suppose to do, give up on her?"
"I'm not telling you to give up on love, I'm telling you to open your eyes to the truth. Just like how I opened up my eyes years ago when my heart was shattered by my ex." Afterwards, Eternal walked up to Blue Blaze, leaving Spike to ponder about why he would say those things about Rarity.
Finally, everypony reached the entrance of the zoo and went inside, paying for the tickets. The groups all scattered around to find Fluttershy. With Twilight and Sunset, they went over to the penguin exhibit where a group of cute penguins were laying down on their backs, rubbing their bellies with their flippers, meaning they must have finished up their meals.
Twilight and Sunset giggled at the sight and kept moving down the path.
"Twilight, who was that stallion talking to Spike earlier?" Sunset asked.
"That was Eternal Flames." Twilight replied.
"Oh, so why was he telling Spike all those things about Rarity? He's never met her."
"I don't know, I guess he's had a rough love life, too."
"Poor guy. Hopefully he turns his life around."
"I'm sure he will. But first, we gotta find our fluttering little friend."
Sunset giggled. Twilight then stopped over at the orangutan exhibit where they stumbled upon their timid pegasus friend, feeding the orangutans with what looked like a pegasus stallion. From their perspectives, it looked like Fluttershy was carrying on a full-blown conversation with the stallion.
"Hurricane, why are you the only one working in this zoo?" Fluttershy asked.
"Well, for one thing, my 2 older sisters don't like "getting their hooves dirty." They never liked having to clean up the droppings the animals leave behind and they don't like being in "smelly cages" with them either and as for my mom, she stopped running the zoo after grandma passed away." Hurricane Breeze replied.
"Your grandma worked at the zoo? What was she like?"
"Oh, she was like an angel sent from the heavens above. She had a heart made of gold and a beautiful melody she would always hum to keep the animals feeling comfortable. But sadly, her time was running out when she caught a terrible illness which took her away from me when I was 13."
"Oh my. I... I'm so sorry, Hurricane. I wish I could've met her."
"You would've loved her. And she would've loved you."
"Aww, thanks."
"Hey, Fluttershy!" Twilight shouted, making her jump. Fluttershy looked up and saw Twilight and Sunset waving at her with big smiles. Fluttershy felt her whole face go red.
"O-Oh umm... t-this isn't what it looks like Twilight." Fluttershy stuttered.
"It's alright, Fluttershy, no need to feel judged." Twilight reassured. "Although, you'll have to come with us so we can find the rest of the girls."
"Oh, okay." Fluttershy looked back at Hurricane. "Sorry, I gotta go. It was nice talking to you, though."
"I'm glad I got to know you, Fluttershy, take care." Hurricane says.
"Hey, if you want, you can bring him along with you. How does that sound?" Sunset asked. Twilight looked at Sunset with a questionable look. "What? I'm just saying, the more the merrier."
"Well, that's up to him if he has the time." Twilight says.
"Do you want to come along with us? I could introduce you to my friends. Oh... umm, that is... i-i-if you don't mind, that is, but if you don't... I understand." Fluttershy asked. Hurricane Breeze thought it over for a little bit until he had finally made his decision.
"Well, as soon as I'm done putting the elephants to sleep, I'll go. In the meantime, you girls go on ahead and meet with whoever you've got with you." Hurricane replied.
"Okay then. Good luck." Fluttershy replied before flying out of the orangutan exhibit. She, Twilight and Sunset all kept on moving forward on the search for the others.
"So, Fluttershy, who was that stallion you were talking to?" Twilight asked.
"Oh, that was Hurricane Breeze. He's the only pony running the zoo." Fluttershy says.
"The only one? Shouldn't there be other ponies running the whole place, too?" Sunset asked.
"Well, there were 4 other ponies who worked here, but 3 of them quit while the other one passed away. Sadly, that one employee was the original owner of the zoo, Hurricane's grandmother. Hurricane said that she was extremely kind to all of the animals." Fluttershy explains.
"Aww, that's so sad. I hope he's doing okay." Twilight says.
"He's a little upset, and he's usually exhausted after a whole day of working. But he still loves what he does as long as he sees the animals smiling. One time he got so exhausted that he fell asleep in the grizzly bear exhibit and they just layed next to him, keeping him warm and cozy." Fluttershy explains.
"Well that's a one in a million chance that's ever happen." Sunset says.
Over on the other side of the zoo, Celestia kept walking with Eternal Flames, trying to spend a little quality time with her son while all of the others still search for Fluttershy.
"Eternal, your brother said that your father was sparring with his combat partnet, Panja. What exactly does he do these days now that Blue Blaze is in charge?" Celestia asked.
"Other than checking up on us, he got this crazy idea about wanting to watch over the village and the valley from atop the tallest mountain. There was only one enemy who caused trouble around the town, and although father drove them away, we lost one pony." Eternal explains.
"I'm guessing it was your grandfather." Celestia says.
"Yes. But thanks to my father for warning us of the enemy and aiding us in the battle, they flew away and my father gained the title "The Mountain King." Although, I don't get why he'd be called that since I feel like I've heard that title somewhere else before." Eternal replied.
"Oh? Where?"
"No idea, but somehow the name still suites him."
Celestia giggled. "I'm guessing he's not exactly full of himself anymore than he use to?"
"You mean like blabbing about being the strongest? No, I don't think I've ever seen him act so egotistical in my whole entire life, but if he did, I was probably still just a foal."
"Hmm, I see." 'Let's just hope he hasn't forgotten me.' Celestia thought to herself.
"Princess! We found her!" shouted Twilight. Celestia looked ahead and saw Sunset, Twilight and Fluttershy running towards her and Eternal. "Now all we need to find is Rarity and Applejack. Rainbow Dash is probably still trying chasing that pegasus stallion all over town."
"Eternal Flames, does your town have any farms?" Sunset asks.
"Yes. The farmlands are on the east side of the village. But first, we have to get the rest of the group." Eternal says, before walking down the path to the hippo exhibit. "You girls go ahead and wait by the entrance, I'll be back as soon as I possibly can, okay?"
"Okay." Twilight says. Eternal took a few steps forward before teleporting away.
10 minutes later, Eternal got everyone back to the entrance and exited out of the zoo, along with Hurricane Breeze, who finally finished getting the elephants to go to sleep. Everypony traveled to the east part of the village, coming across the farmlands, which looked bigger than they imagined.
"No doubt AJ would probably be here." Spike says.
"Who's AJ?" Shadow asked.
"He means Applejack, silly!" Pinkie replied. "She's a harding-working farm mare."
"So is Ground Breaker." Hurricane added.
"Who's Ground Breaker?" Fluttershy asked.
"He's one of our pals. So is Spark Burst, and Tidal Wave." Shadow answered.
"Well that's nice. I didn't know you made a few friends here, Eternal." Celestia said, surprised.
"I met them back in kindergarden. Except for Tidal Wave. I met him down at a local restaurant when he graduated medical school at the ripe young age of 20." Eternal explains.
"How old is he now?" Sunset asks.
"22. He hardly ever plays because of his strict parents and having to watch his little sister." Eternal says.
"That's gotta stink." Spike says.
"No kidding." Shadow added.
"OOH, OOH, OOH, I SEE APPLEJACK!!! HI APPLEJACK!!!!!" Pinkie shouted. She bounced up high into the air, waving at a familiar mare with orange fur and blonde mane. Applejack was out in one of th fields, helping out one of the farm ponies harvest the crops. Pinkie gasped, not because she was helping out with harvesting crops, but moreso with who she was helping out.
"Oh... my..." Fluttershy says. She also saw the pony she was helping. He was an earth pony stallion with tan fur and a messy, brown mane with darker green eyes. He was a little more built than some of the other stallions and his cutie mark showed an erupting volcano.
Applejack heard the sound of Pinkie's voice and looked over to the group. "Howdy, gals! Ah'll be with y'all in a minute, Ah still gotta help Ground Breaker her get a few more veggies to pull outta the ground. Ah promise to finish up as quickly as I possibly can!" Applejack replied.
"Ground Breaker?!" Twilight asked in surprise.
"What? You didn't know he was a farmer? He even helps out with the others. Plus, anytime one of them is too worn out to work, he carries them on his back and takes them to their home. His dad is really proud of him for being helpful and respectful to others." Shadow explains.
"Aww, that's so sweet." Fluttershy says.
Later on, Applejack and Ground Breaker finished up with the work and went to meet up with the others and head back into town, searching for a certain fashionista. Along the way, they still saw Rainbow Dash chasing after the same yellow pegasus stallion in the air.
The group arrived on the west part of the town where the market was. Everypony kept their eyes opens, searching for any signs of Rarity. Applejack's eyes soon landed on Rarity, who was sitting on a bench near this big gate, enjoying her chocolate ice cream.
"Uh, fellers, Ah think Ah found her." AJ says, pointing to Rarity. Everypony looked and saw Rarity as well and approached the fashionista mare. "Howdy Rarity."
'So, she's Spike's crush? I can see why.' Eternal thought to himself.
"Oh, hello Applejack, did you find anypony with a friendship problem?" Rarity asked. But then her eyes landed on Princess Celestia's boys. "Oh my! What have we here?" she asked, walking towards the stallions.
"These are Celestia's sons: Blue Blaze, Eternal Flames and Heat Blitz." Twilight says. Rarity's eyes sparkled, having heard what Twilight said.
"SONS! You mean Celestia's a..." Rarity says with a huge grin.
"Yes, I'm a mother." Celestia chuckled.
"But, I'm afraid you're too late on terms of dating, I'm happily married." Blue Blaze said.
"Oh...umm... well, what abou-" Rarity asked Eternal Flames, but gets cut off immediately.
"Not a chance." Eternal said, turning away with his eyes closed.
"Ooh, ouch, that's gotta hurt!" Sunset says, with a slight chuckle.
"INCOMING!!!" shouted Rainbow. Twilight looked up at the sky, seeing Rainbow diving down, chasing after the yellow pegasus still, but just as he was about to touch the ground, he pulled himself back up while Rainbow Dash came crashing down into the ground. "OOF!!!" she grunted.
"Dashie! Dashie! Are you okay?" Pinkie asked.
"I'm fine, Pinkie. I jus- OUCH!!!" Rainbow grabbed her left wing and massaged it.
"The fearless become blind when becoming too competitive." said a male voice. Twilight saw that the yellow stallion came back down and examined Rainbow Dash. Twilight now had a better look at the stallion Rainbow Dash had been chasing. His mane was spikey and a darker yellow than his fur. His eyes were faded light green and his cutie mark showed a white, power surging lightning bolt.
"Umm... by any chance, are you Spark Burst?" Twilight asked.
"Yes." he replied as he walked up to Eternal. "So who are these ponies?"
"They're friends of my mom." Eternal replied. Spark Burst looked at all of them. His faced looked unamused, but he just nodded and turned his attention to Eternal again.
"So, I'm guessing the tall alicorn with the multi-colored mane is your biological mother?" Spark asks.
"Eeyup." Eternal replied.
"Heh, you sounded just like Big Mac." Applejack chuckled.
"Eternal, is that you?" said another male voice. Eternal tilted his head to the left and saw a stallion with light blue fur, black mane and a cutie mark resembling an ocean wave.
"Oh, hiya Tidal Wave. Haven't seen you in a while." Eternal said, walking up to him.
"I see you're finally out of your mourning cave. You pulling through okay?" Tidal asked.
"Yeah. Come on, I want to introduce you to somepony special." The two stallions walked back towards the group and Eternal introduced Tidal Wave to the girls. "Tidal Wave, this is Princess Celestia, she's supposedly my biological mother and these are her friends." Eternal pointed to the others.
"Pleased to meet you, I'm Twilight Sparkle. But you can call me Twilight."
"I know we've already met, but my name's Rarity."
"Howdy partner, Mah name's Applejack."
"OOH OOH, ME NEXT, ME NEXT! I'm Pinkie Pie: Party Thrower Extraordinair!"
"Um, hi... I... I'm Fluttershy."
"Sup, my name's Rainbow Dash."
"My name's Sunset Shimmer. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Spike. How do you do?"
"Pleasure to meet you all. And nice to see you again, Rarity." Tidal replied casually.
"Well, now that everypony's gathered. I now have one request for you, mother." Eternal said.
"Oh? What might that be, son?" Celestia asked.
"I want to know about why you left me, my brothers and my father when I was just a foal."
Celestia knew her son deserved an explaination. She sighed and sat on the bench and stared at the group, who all took a seat on the ground.
"Alright, everypony. It's time I told you all the truth about parts of my past that I completely forgot. You see, at one time in my life, I use to be a queen." Celestia begins to explain.
To Be Continued... |
Rise of Equestria: The War Begins | The Trials That Unite The Team | "You use to be a queen?! But how?" Twilight asked.
"And when?" Sunset added.
"It was about 29 years ago when I first met Blaze Burn when he was still a prince. He was a bit of a show off when it came to things like karaoke or combat. I sort of grew fond of him because he seemed adorable at first. But later on, I started thinking he wasn't such a bad stallion. I even taught him how to use a specific kind of magic that mostly I specialize in." Princess Celestia explained.
"What kind of magic?" Eternal asked.
"Fire magic. How do I know this? Well, my mother, Queen Galaxia taught me how to use it, but I had to get in a lot of practice to control it before I could teach it to somepony else. At first, when I learned fire magic, it'd go out of control, thus changing me into my darker self: Daybreaker. This was something that was only witnessed by my parents and Twilight's old student: Starlight Glimmer. This is something I'd rather not show anypony else, just so they won't be alarmed or anything."
"Jeez, I never knew my mother was my father's teacher in fire magic." Eternal said.
"Yes, well, some time after he had mastered fire magic, which took him up until he was 20, We just sort of looked after the village and all the ponies who lived out their peaceful lives. We thought about starting a family, but he was just too young to even start, so we waited for a while. During our time together, I started to relax a little bit and focused on our future, until finally sometime after he turned 25, we had our first born child, Blue Blaze, then 3 years later, Eternal Flames and finally Heat Blitz a year after that." Celestia says.
"Well ain't that heart-warmin'." Applejack says.
"Yeah, but somehow, even some heart-warming stories come with complications." Spark Burst says.
"You're right. One night, when I was asleep with my husband, I had this vision that Nightmare Moon was going to return soon and I couldn't stick around the village to let her wreak havoc. I immediately told Blaze Burn of the emergency and told him I might not ever return. He was pretty bummed out about it, but he understood why I had to leave, so I kissed him good-bye and flew away to Canterlot. All the while, I never lost sight of the day I had hoped I'd meet my sons and my husband again."
"Who's this "Nightmare Moon?" Eternal asks.
"She's my little sister. But her real name is Princess Luna. Long ago, she grew jealous of the ponies sleeping through the beautiful night while they stayed awake during the day. To make things a little less complicated, she raised the moon and I raise the sun. Because she gave into anger and jealousy, and trying to plunge the world into an eternal night, I had to banish her to the moon. For 1,000 years, Luna stayed imprisoned in the moon and I've had to live with the guilt for so long." Celestia explains.
"But then when she came back, Princess Celestia had disappeared and it was up to me and my friends to search for the Elements of Harmony and stop her. Not only did we defeat Nightmare Moon, but we also managed to reunite Celestia with her little sister." Twilight explains.
"I see... so that's why you left. Well, I could understand why you had to leave back then, but why didn't you return when Luna was finally brought back?" Eternal asks.
"I'm afraid I had my royal duties as Princess of Equestria to fulfill and there many other dangers that had arrived some time after Luna was saved. Of course, I also needed to recieve some friendship lessons my former student had to learn when she moved to Ponyville." Celestia replied.
"Dangers? Friendship lessons? Sounds like you've been busy."
"Afraid so, my son."
"So, what brings you back here? I doubt it's just for a family reunion."
"You're right. You see, we were called here by the Equestrian map in order to solve a friendship problem, but so far, we still haven't found out what it is."
"Maybe we can find out when we find the Elements of Freedom." Sunset implies.
"What?!" Shadow Force shouted.
"What's the matter?" Sunset asks.
"The thing is, ponies have stopped trying to search for the Elements of Freedom because of the dangerous trials that ponies have to undergo individually. Of course, it's also dangerous if the ponies go into the Freedom Valley without an escort." says Tidal Wave.
"Well then, why don't you guys have the girls be your escorts?" Spike implies. "They've overcome their trial together when they searched for the Elements of Harmony."
"That's where the Elements of Freedom are different. There are six paths that divide us from each other for some strange reason and rumor has it that if the ponies don't hear this strange noise calling out to them in any of the paths, that means they're not the chosen ones." Tidal says.
"How do you know all of this if you haven't been there before?" Spike asks.
"I managed to get an interview with one survivor and he told me how he nearly lost his life trying to find at least one of the artifacts in order to study it."
"Jeez, you really do your homework."
"Well, I always have to be prepared for stuff like this."
"So I see. Well, why don't you boys try to find the Elements of Freedom?" Celestia asked.
"It's just too risky and we don't feel like losing each other. We've stuck with each other for years ever since we were just simple little colts." Hurricane Breeze says.
"Aww." Pinkie says.
"All in all, we can't afford to risk our lives to grab the Elements of Freedom, and unless there's a dangerously powerful threat involved in all of this..." Spark Burst says.
"Despite how peaceful it is right now, there's no telling when evil will strike. Now I might not know much about the Elements of Freedom, but it's absolutely necessary that we find them. I have a hunch that this search for the elements might actually be different." Celestia says.
"What do you think, Eternal? Should we?" Shadow asks. Eternal put his hoof up to his chin, thinking about it. He didn't like the idea of sending his pals out into the valley and potentially never see them again, all the while, a lot of these questions filled his mind: Why was his mom so sure that he and his friends would find them, how will the trip end up differently, and if they do find them, what kind of power will they possess when the time comes for him and his friends to use them?
If there was one thing he knew, it's that he wasn't going to get his answers just sitting around. As much as he hated the idea of going into the valley, he didn't have any other choice.
"If the trial gets too much for us to handle, we get out of there as soon as we can." Eternal says sternly. His friends all nodded and his mom smiled. "Follow me, everypony... I know the way." he said, with his voice sounding a little deeper and more serious than usual.
Eternal walked up to the big gate and wrapped his horn in a red aura, causing the gate to unlock and open up, allowing the group of friends to venture out into the valley. There, they ventured down the path and gazed at the wide open grasslands and the mountains over the horizon.
"Well Ah'll be, this place is beautiful." Applejack says.
"It's so beautiful. It's like a paradise for animals everywhere!" Fluttershy says.
"Absolutely marvelous! How do you manage to live in a place so simple, yet so majestic?" Rarity asked.
"If anything, I could probably fly circles aroun this place! BIG circles!" Rainbow says.
"Yes, it does look beautiful, but the Freedom Valley is actually lion territory. Out here, ponies are guests. Whenever we have a surplus of livestock and their time comes, we serve them up for the lions so they won't have to worry about stalking prey out here. As for the lions, their leader, Panja, delivers us herbs from certain parts of the valley in case some of our locals wind up sick." Tidal explains.
"Hey, at least you're not turning into their dinner." Pinkie says, cheerfully. Rarity looked at Pinkie with an unamused look on her face.
"Pinkie, deary, there comes a time when you should just keep stuff like that to yourself." Rarity implies.
"Oopsies, sorry." Pinkie replied, blushing.
"So how far do we have to travel to find the Elements of Freedom?" Twilight asked.
"It's not that far, just about half a mile until we've reached our destination." Eternal replied.
"I don't think I've ever seen the prince so serious before." Sunset replies to Twilight.
"Neither did I." Twilight says.
Later on, The group had finally arrived at what looked to be a 6-way crossroads in front of them, each path leading to a different kind of forest. Everypony was curious of which path was the right one to take.
"What do you think, son?" Celestia asks. Eternal approached the paths a little closer.
"I don't know, but let me try something." Eternal replied. He closed his eyes and remained quiet. The others looked at each other in confusion until Tidal Wave and Spark Burst figured it out.
"Now I get it." Spark Burst said. He walked up and stood next to Eternal, closing his eyes and stood still.
"Uhh, okay, this is getting weird, what's going on?" Rainbow asked.
"It is said that the Elements of Freedom call out to the chosen wielders in some mysterous way. If they can somehow pick up on the call, then it's certain that they'll follow the right path and be able to pass the trial given to them, in order to obain one of the Elements of Freedom." Tidal explains quietly.
"That's certainly unique. Much different than how we found the Elements of Harmony." Rarity says. Before long, the other stallions, minus Blue Blaze and Heat Blitz, stood still next to each other, closing their eyes and listening in for any kind of sound that might be heard.
Seconds laters, they all opened their eyes and looked at each other... with a nod.
"You all heard it, didn't you?" Eternal asked the guys.
"Yup." said the guys.
"Then let's hurry up. The sooner we find the Elements of Freedom, the sooner we'll be ready."
"Hold on there, partner, y'all ain't gonna go in alone. Yer gonna need an escort just in case." AJ implies.
"Hey, she's got a point guys, this might not be a solo mission. So here's what I'm thinking: One of the girls will travel with us down the paths individually. How about we team up, AJ?" Ground Breaker asked.
"Sure thing, sugarcube."
"OOH, OOH, OOH, in that case, I'll go with Shadow! He did feed me all that ice cream earlier." Pinkie implied.
"I'll go with ol' Sparkster." Rainbow says.
"Hurricane Breeze, can I travel with you?" Fluttershy asks.
"Sure. The more the merrier." Hurricane agreed, with a shrug. Fluttershy squeed.
"So, Eternal, you need a pa-" Sunset says before getting cut off.
"Eternal I'll join you!" Rarity blurted out.
"Sunset asked first, Rarity. Don't be so greedy." Eternal replied, sternly.
"Oh, poo."
"Hey, don't take it so hard Rarity, at least you're still tagging along." Sunset says sincerely.
"Thanks, darling."
"Alright everypony... LET'S MOVE!" Eternal shouted.
"Right!" shouted the others.
All twelve of the ponies traveled down the paths the stallion chose. The ones who couldn't go in just stood at the entrance, hoping they don't get hurt in the process. Blue Blaze and Heat Blitz were extremely worried about their brother undergoing this dangerous trial. But on the bright side, he had a friend who was going to help him in case he got hurt or anything.
With Spark Burst and Rainbow Dash, the path ahead of them was leading to some kind of forest with dead trees, light fog and the feeling of being watched in every direction. Rainbow and Spark felt uneasy, keeping their guards up and scanning their surroundings as they kept marching forth.
"Spark, are you sure this is the right path?" Rainbow asked.
"I know it is. We just have to be careful. But whatever you do, don't panic." Spark replied, keeping calm.
"P-Panic? Who's panicking, I'm not! Nothing can scare me!"
"Uh-huh, sure, whatever." Spark rolled his eyes.
"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSE TO MEAN?!"
"Shhhhh, quiet!"
Rainbow covered her muzzle with her hooves. The two pegasi kept marching forth into the forest, where they soon hear the sound of somepony crying. Spark Burst shushes Rainbow and signals her to follow him, earning a nod from her and walked down the path more.
Right around a couple of seconds later, they found a little colt who looked to be about 13 or 14, curled up in a little hut, sobbing quietly to himself.
"Hey." Spark said, making the colt jump and face him. "What's going on here?" he asked. All he got from the little colt was a slight whimper. "Don't worry kid, I won't hurt you."
"It's not fair! She should've known better! That was a timberwolf! It's all her fault." said the colt with tears in his eyes and a little scowl.
"All who's fault?" Spark asked.
"Mother's." Hearing this, immediately gave him the idea of what's happened to the poor colt. Apparently from what he's heard, his beloved mother must've gotten in a scuffle with a timberwolf and ended up paying the price with her life in order to save her son.
"Oh... I see... I see."
"Why did I wander so far from home?" said the colt with a sniffle.
"Aww, it's not your fault. It's not your mother's fault. Now, you pay attention to ol' Spark Burst."
"B-but."
"It is no pony's fault. The great circle of life has begun. But you see, not all of us arrive together in the end."
"But what'll I do? I miss her so much."
"And you'll always miss her. But she'll always be with you as long as you remember the things she taught you. In a way, you'll never be apart. For you are still a part of each other."
"My tummy hurts."
"Well, that too will go in time, little fella. Only in time." Spark Burst rubbed the little colt's head, while leaving half of his cut sandwich for him before heading forth with Rainbow Dash.
"Dude, what was all that about?" Rainbow asked.
"Sometimes, you have to explain some words of wisdom in order to bring a little comfort to others. The world can be cold at times, but peace and harmony can always be found. Even when all hope seems lost."
"Who taught you all of this stuff, man?"
"I have my beloved grandparents to think about, as well as my own mother."
"But what about your dad?"
"Sadly, I never got to see my father. He passed away when I was very young. War had broken out somewhere and all I had to know of his existance was his spear. A family heirloom, which my mother carries with honor and wisdom, training me day after day to help defend myself."
"I... I'm sorry for your loss, Spark. I didn't know you had a rough life growing up. I... I'm also sorry chasing you around the town earlier. Can we start over and be friends?"
Spark looked at Rainbow with a warm smile and chuckled. "Of course, Rainbow. I'd like that very much." Rainbow Dash beamed lightly and shook hooves with Spark Burst. At that moment, a glimmer of light came from a short distance from where they were standing. Spark marched forth with Rainbow Dash close behind and got close enough to find what looked like some kind of gold necklace with a white lightning bolt that looked similar to Spark's cutie mark and it was sitting on top of a stone pedestal.
"Spark. I... I think that's yours!" Rainbow says. "Go on, put it on!" Spark nodded and placed it around his neck. At that moment, he felt his whole body being lifted off the ground and felt himself being surrounded by a bright yellow light. He slowly levitated back onto the ground and smiled at Rainbow Dash, knowing that he had passed his trial and now possesses his element.
With Tidal Wave and Rarity, the path was a clear walk for a while. All the while, Rarity just couldn't stop fidgeting about a certain stallion rejecting her.
"Oh, what does Eternal have against me? I just wanted to get to know him." Rarity says. "I can't help it if I'm a helpless romantic all the time."
"It's not really his fault. At one time when he was only 15, he use to have a very special somepony. They'd walk through the town together, talking about their personal lives. Those were the times when he use to smile so warmly and had so much of a positive attitude." Tidal explains.
"Really? Does he still see her?"
"Afraid not, Rarity. A year later, he found her sweet-talking and flirting with another stallion. He got so angry that he broke it off with her and gave the other stallion a huge kick to the face because of how he was enjoying the fact that he was "stealing his mare." After that incident, he stopped trying to find love and just focused all of his time training with our combat teacher."
"That's despicable! Why would she abandon him for another?"
"The stupidest reason: the scar-like birthmarks under his eyes make him look like a freak. She wanted to be with somepony who didn't have the "face of a criminal."
"UGH! Now that's just plain rude!"
"There were a few times when other mares found him attractive, but the reason behind that was because they all found out he was a prince."
"O-Oh. I guess that's one of the reasons why he rejected me."
"Sorry, Rarity. But Eternal's got some high standards."
"I... I understand." Rarity's eyes soon got locked onto a river. The currents were moving at rapid speeds, making it impossible for anypony to swim across. "Um... Tidal Wave? How will we get across?"
"Hmm, give me a minute. It's time I've gotten down into some deep thinking."
"R-Right, of course." Rarity backed away from Tidal Wave while he walked up to the edge of the river and closed his eyes entering what he calls the Thought Route.
'Okay, from what I can see so far, I'd say the river current is moving at a rapid 15 or 20 miles per hour. Trying to swim against currents this strong'll result in drowning.' Tidal thought to himself. He opened up his eyes and looked at the other side of the river, gauging the distance. 'Okay, it looks like the path on the other side is probably at least 20 feet apart from where I'm standing. It's too far to jump over, so we'll either have to build a bridge to cross the other side or teleport over there.'
"Tidal, did you think of anything?"
"Rarity, how good are you with teleportation magic?"
"Oh... not too good, sorry darling."
"Alright, then that only leaves us with one option. We'll have to build a bridge to get across. And here's what I'm thinking, if you can levitate at least one log, big enough to carry a pony or two, we should be able to get across the river without much of a fuss."
"Tidal Wave that's brilliant! Right, let's get to it!"
Rarity and Tidal Waves searched the surrounding area, trying to find the materials to create the bridge. They only found a few broken twigs and small rocks. But then, Rarity found a log, big enough to hold up a total of 2 ponies and levitated it over to the path. Tidal Wave came back and saw that Rarity had found the right log. Without any further delay, both Tidal Wave and Rarity stepped onto the log and Rarity used her levitation magic to carefully cross her and him over the river and to the other side safely.
Afterwards, they jumed off the log and continued down the path.
"I guess we managed to get lucky with this task, didn't we?" Rarity asked.
"Luck played no role in this, Rarity. It was all the matter of using knowledge to your advantage." Tidal replied.
Rarity giggled. "I suppose you're right."
Out of the ordinary, Rarity and Tidal Wave's eyes got their attentions caught by a blue light. They looked up ahead and walked towards the blue light, trying to get a better look. They soon find a gold necklace with a blue ocean wave symbol in the middle, looking exactly like Tidal's cutie mark.
"Ooh, it's so beautiful!" Rarity says, reaching out for it. But upon contact, the necklace gave her hoof a harsh shock and she pulled away. "OUCH!" she shouts. "W-W-What?"
"Here, let me try." Tidal says. He reached out to grab the necklace and... upon contact, instead of shocking him, the necklace glew just as he put it on. He levitated off the ground for a little bit and finally slowly went back down onto the ground on his four hooves. "Ah, now I see. This element must only respond positively to the one whom it feels is the chosen one."
"You could've told me that earlier!"
"I didn't know it would do that to you, Rarity. Now come on, we might be able to meet the others on the other side if we hurry it up."
Rarity let out an annoyed sigh and followed Tidal Wave down the path.
Over with Fluttershy and Hurricane Breeze, the forest they came across was covered with snow and some of the trees still had some leaves on them. Hurricane and Fluttershy kept their eyes and ears open for any wandering predators that might come after them from any direction at all if they weren't careful.
"Hurricane? Do you think there's any vicious predators out here?" Fluttershy asked.
"I don't know, Fluttershy, I've never been here before. But I do know one thing. Out here we are unprotected. This forest is too dangerous, even if the whole forest is covered in snow, it can't cover up our scent. Our only option is to stay close throughout the journey." Hurricane explains.
"Oh, okay. So what are the names of the Elements of Freedom?"
"From what I heard from Eternal Flames, there's Hope, Wisdom, Knowledge, Teamwork, and Respect. The sixth element is a mystery to everypony. Except for the legendary Queen Galaxia and King Cosmos."
"I can understand that, since they made the elements."
"Yes, but I still don't get what the reason was for creating them."
"Maybe just like how there was a powerful being of chaos and disharmony, there might actually be a powerful being of containment and slavery. Of course... I could be wrong."
"Chaos and disharmony? Who controls that?"
"My friend, Discord. He's a draconiquis."
"Seriously? I thought they were extinct."
"Nope, Discord's the only one we've met so far."
"So I see."
Just then, Hurricane Breeze tripped over a rock, landing on his chin. His eyes bounced up and down until they stopped in place, allowing him to spot an injured animal ahead of him. He let out a gasp.
"What is it? What do you see?"
"There's some kind of injured animal up ahead, Fluttershy. Come on!" Hurricane stood up and ran ahead. Fluttershy followed him close behind and discovered it was female wolf. She was covered in multiple bruises and cuts, showing that she was probably caught in a fight. Fluttershy gasped at the sight of the wolf and picked up the pace until they both reached the injured wolf.
"Oh my! What happened?!" she asks. But all the got was a growl and a snarl from the wolf. Fluttershy squealed and backed away a bit scared with Hurricane. But in that moment, Hurricane felt something inside him chase his fears away and he approached her steadily. The wolf growled and snarled even more at him, but he ignored her warning and kept moving closer to her.
"It's alright. I'm not here to hurt you." Hurricane says, sticking his hoof out towards her. But when he got too close, she locked her jaws on his hoof, and he grunted in pain. Fluttershy gasped. Hurricane didn't budge and instead gave the wolf a patient and warm smile. She kept on growling and held her prey in her locked jaws, staring into his eyes with anger and fear in her eyes.
Seconds rolled by until the female wolf felt more comfortable around Hurricane and opened up her mouth, licking Hurricane's bite wound. She then lets out whimpers from her injuries.
"Fluttershy, watch over her while I run into the forest and get some herbs!" Hurricane ran off into the forest while Fluttershy stayed close to the injured wolf. Hurricane scanned his surroundings throughout the forest, finding some aloe and took a few of them. He returned to Fluttershy and the injured wolf and broke a portion of the aloe plant and applied some of the aloe juice onto each wound the wolf had.
Fluttershy helped out, too. Slowly, the wolf's whimpering began to lessen and lessen by the minute. The juice from the aloe plant was healing up just about all of her bruises. Moments later, the wolf stood on all fours and licked Hurricane on the face before walking off like nothing happened. After that was done, Hurricane and Fluttershy continued down the path, but somehow, Fluttershy had a lot on her mind.
"Why did you do that? That wolf nearly took your hoof clean off, why risk it? Doesn't it hurt?" she asked.
"I know, Fluttershy, but I couldn't let fear get in the way of what I believed in: No matter how bad things may get, we must show that there's even a small glimmer of hope. That's a valuable lesson that my grandmother taught me before she passed away." Hurricane explained. "I saw the look in that wolf's eyes that even though she was acting vicious, deep down she was scared."
Those words got to Fluttershy, making her feel more sympathy for Hurricane. But then, a beautifull light green glow appeared out in front of them. They ran towards the strange light and saw a pedastal rising up from underground with a golden necklace having a green tornado matching the same shape as the tornado on Hurricane Breeze's cutie mark. They both gasped.
"Hurricane... I... I think that's yours!" Fluttershy says in surprise. Hurricane didn't say anything and just reached out and grabbed it, putting it around his neck. He started to glow and levitated of the ground for a few seconds before landing back down softly. "Congradulations, Hurricane Breeze."
"Thanks, Fluttershy." replied Hurricane.
As half of the team finishes up their trials, a patient stallion up at the top of a mountain watches with concern as one particular stallion has yet to face his own trial. One trial that will soon take him by surprise either for the better or for worse.
"Forgive me..... my son." said the stallion as he closed his eyes. |
Rise of Equestria: The War Begins | Confrontation Of The King | The forest around AJ and Ground Breaker was filled with so many cherry blossom trees. The petals from the trees scattered everywhere, little by little. Applejack had never seen trees like these before, but she was glad that she got to see ones as unique as these. Ground Breaker was just as surprised as Applejack was, considering that the only trees he ever saw were mostly apples, oranges and pears.
"Ground, what kind of trees are these?" AJ asks.
"I think they're cherry blossom trees, or as our old teacher called them "Sakura" trees. They're mostly common in this little country called Japonies."
"Well, somepony's been paying attention in class."
"How could I not? Our teacher was a kind lady. So was her husband."
"Husband? What was her husband's name?"
"Panja. He's the leader of the lions. He taught me and my pals how to handle ourselves in combat."
"Well ain't that a surprise. Ah thought lions were vicious predators who eat ponies."
"Nah, they know how to control themselves when we're near them. Whenever they're hungry, we usually give them some of our farm animals who've died peacefully."
"Ah think that's very respectful of you."
"You can thank my Pa for that. He raised me."
"Well, Ah'll keep that in mind." Applejack's eyes soon wandered towards what looked like an elder pony, sitting up against one of the trees. Applejack nudged Ground and gestured at the elder pony. Ground Breaker felt like something wasn't right and he approached the pony.
"Hi there." Ground said. "Is something wrong?" his words got the attention of the elder pony and he looked up with a sad look in his eyes, but a smile on his face.
"Pay no attention to me, sonny. Just savoring my last moments here. I've been through a lot of ups and downs during my years as the caretaker of the sakura forest. It's been my passion to care for them just as my wife did before she passed away last month."
"Ya mean... y-yer dyin'?" Applejack asked in surprise and shock.
"Yes, young lady. But it's okay." repied the elder pony.
"Is your wife buried somewhere near here? Maybe we can take you to her." Ground says.
"You'd do that for me, sonny?"
"Of course. Anypony, young or old, deserves to have their final wish be granted in the most respective way possible and tend to make due on this promise to bring you to your wife."
"You're very kind, sonny. I really appreciate it. I accept."
Ground Breaker smiled a bit and lifted the elder pony carefully on his back. The elder pony pointed to the left side of the forest where there were two boulders. Ground Breaker and Applejack walked towards them. As soon as they passed the two boulders, the elder pony pointed to the left again. Ground turned and saw a tombstone with a picture of what looked like his wife.
"Is this it?" Ground Breaker asked.
"Yes sonny. You can put me down now. I can walk over to her myself." said the elder pony.
"Alright then. If you say so." Ground Breaker gently laid down and let the elder pony walk over to his wife's tombstone where he hugged it.
"I've kept my promise, dear. I'll be home with you soon."
Applejack felt her heart break at this beautiful and sad sight and took off her hat, placing it near her chest. Ground Breaker closed his eyes and looked down, praying in his head that the elder would finally reunite with his deceased wife peacefully in the afterlife.
Afterwards, Applejack tapped Ground's shoulder, getting his attention.
"Ah think it's time to give them some privacy." Applejack implies.
"Yeah, you're right." Ground agreed. The two earth ponies finally took their leave and walked back on the path, but still had the elder pony on their mind.
"Ya know, that was mighty kind of you to grant his wishes, Ground Breaker. Ah've never seen anypony so happy before in mah whole entire life."
"Thanks, Applejack. But I was just doing what I felt was right. He wanted to be as close to his wife as possible when his time comes, and I made sure to respectively grant his wish. No matter how old or young somepony is, even if it's something we don't like, I've gotta respect their decisions."
"Ah couldn't have said it better mahself."
At that moment, a bright white light glew in the distance, catching them both off guard. They ran towards the light and found a pedastal with a glowing, golden necklace with a volcano in the middle, matching Ground Breaker's cutie mark in shape and color.
Ground Breaker grabbed the necklace and wrapped it around his neck. He levitated off the ground for a few moments, glowing, until he gently touched the ground.
"Ah guess that's yer element. Congradulations, partner." AJ says.
"Thank you, Applejack." Ground replied.
Shadow Force and Pinkie Pie walked down a forest with pine trees. Shadow couldn't help but get curious of why Pinkie Pie was always bouncing instead of just walking like others.
"Pinkie, why do you do that?" Shadow asks.
"Do what?" Pinkie asks with a smile.
"The bouncing."
"This isn't bouncing, silly, it's hopping. Hopping is so much more fun then just boring old walking."
"Walking drains less stamina."
"That's okay, I've got plenty of stamina! Thanks to all the tasty ice cream."
"Well, aren't you random at times."
"Like my besties say, "that's just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie. Now what do you say we keep moving on and find that element of freedom, shall we?"
"Uh... right."
The two kept marching forth on the path. Minutes passing and so far, not a single trace of the element could be found in any direction at all. Shadow was getting rather bored with the search, thinking it was pointless to keep going, but Pinkie insisted that they keep going. Her cheerful attitude seemed to lift up his spirit and continued to keep on walking down the path with patience.
As they went further and further down the path, they came across a deep trench. Pinkie gasped. Shadow was curious of how deep the trench was, so he levitated a small rock over the trench and let it fall. He kneeled down and kept one of his ears up, listening to the sound of it making a thud. He waited for a solid 15 seconds until he heard the sound of the rock finally hitting the ground.
"That's far. No way anypony can survive a fall this deep." Shadow says in a serious tone.
"Then what can we do?" Pinkie asks.
Shadow looked around, spotting a broken down bridge. The support beams were still firmly planted into the ground but the rope had given out some time ago. At that moment, Shadow Force thought up the perfect plan and whispered it to Pinkie. She beamed with a squee and ran to the broken bridge with Shadow.
He used his magic to levitate each broken end of the bridge and straightened them. Pinkie hopped over to the middle of the bridge with ease and pull out some pieces of rope out of her mane and tied up the ropes on each broken end before giving him the okay to walk across. Shadow Force nodded and ended his levitation spell, in which the bridge stood nearly still. Shadow Force walked gently across the bridge, being careful not to weaken it more than it already was and reunited with Pinkie Pie.
"Nice work there, Shadow Force." Pinkie said.
"Thanks, but I'm not the one who did all the work. You helped out. There comes a time when you can't do stuff on your own and it'll require a bit of teamwork." Shadow says.
"Yup-a-roonie. You got that right, buck-o!"
Shadow and Pinkie laughed out loud at Pinkie's remark. But their little laughing fit was interrupted by a rumbling in the ground below them. Soon, a pedastal appeared out of the ground with a golden necklace showing a black and purple yin sign similar to the yin sign on Shadow's cutie mark.
"OOH, OOH ,OOH! I think this might be it! GRAB IT, GRAB IT, GRAB IT!" Pinkie shouted.
"Okay, alright. Ease up, will you?" Shadow chuckled. He grabbed the necklace and wrapped it around his neck and felt a strong amount of power inside him as he levitated off the ground, glowing a beautiful purple glow before land safely back on all fours. "Guess it's mine."
"YIPPEE!!! Congradulations Shadow!" Pinkie says excitedly. "Welcome to the team!"
"Thanks, Pinkie."
Finally, down the last path with Eternal Flames and Sunset Shimmer, the path they took seemed to be a short path with a perfectly normal forest, now leading towards some extremely tall mountain. Eternal didn't talk much and kept moving forwards while Sunset tried to keep a conversation with him. But of course, all he did was reply to her with nothing but small talk.
"Eternal, please! Can't you at least slow down a bit?" Sunset asked.
"Sorry, Sunset, but every second counts. I can't slow down." Eternal replied, not looking back.
"You know, you don't always have to sound like the world is ending."
"It's just how I am sometimes."
"Well, if you ask me, it's starting to get old. I don't know what it is that made you act like this, but you need to start loosening up a bit. I mean, yes, we do need to obtain the Elements of Freedom, but acting like how you are now isn't going to do much to help out the team!" she lectured.
Eternal just gave her a glance before looking back at the path in front of him. Sunset knew she was right, but she felt like she might have hit a soft spot on him.
"Oh... sorry about that." Sunset says.
"Eh, it's alright." Eternal replied, expressionless.
"Are you still upset about Princess Celestia?"
"No. I put it behind me. I understand why she left."
"Still, I can't help but feel like you're... er, never mind, I've said enough."
As they marched up the mountain path, Sunset still stayed quiet, thinking Eternal might not be in the best mood to talk to after what she said. She couldn't help but feel like he was hiding something deep in his heart that he doesnt want to tell her for some strange reason.
Aware of her curiosity, Eternal was keeping a secret involving his deceased grandfather. He didn't want to bring it up or he might trigger that past event.
"Eternal?" Sunset asked.
"Hmm?" he replied.
"Did you ever had a nice childhood?"
"For a while, yes."
"Well, can you tell me what it was like, please?"
"Fine, here it is. As a child, I was always cared for by my father. He was kind, loving and protective. Me and my brothers did everything together with dad. We hosted festivals, made peace with the lions, went out to eat, sharing a few laughs, we had all sorts of fun. I felt like the luckiest colt ever."
"What happened?"
"11 years back, when I was in class, my teacher informed me of my ill grandmother. I was told that her sickness was getting far worse. I was scared of what might happen to her, so the teacher excused me from class so I go could check up on her. By the time I got into the hospital with my family, I went to go see if grandma was doing okay, but her condition was getting far worse."
"Did she say anything?"
"She only said these words before she finally passed away: You know I'll never leave you. You can find me everywhere, in the morning light, the evening star. I'm always there."
"I... I'm sorry you lost your grandmother. But what about your grandfather?"
Eternal felt a jolt run past him when she said that word. He hung his head low. "I'd rather not say."
"You sure?"
"This is my burden, and mine alone."
"O-Okay then."
Finally, after a long walk up to the mountain, both Sunset and Eternal discovered a tall, steel gate blocking their way sat down to rest. Sunset had never walked up a mountain as tall as this one. They felt that if they rested up for a little while, it'd give the others a little bit of time to catch up to them.
They were right, because Sunset had then heard the sounds of Pinkie Pie's hopping and multiple hoofsteps getting close to her and Eternal. The girls and the guys all arrived at the top with the Elements of Freedom wrapped around the guys' necks. Eternal immediately got up and walked up towards the gate and knocked three times before backing up a little in case they opened outwards.
Instead, they opened inwards.
"YIPPEE, LET'S GO!" Pinkie shouted happily.
"NO!" Eternal shouted, blocking Pinkie with his hoof. "Don't forget, there's still one trial I haven't done yet." Eternal slowly brought his hoof down and walked through the gate, only to find the top of the mountain having a flat ground and nothing else in sight. Eternal looked around, still finding nothing.
But then... "It's been quite a while, hasn't it?" said a deep male voice. Eternal's eyes shrunk. He knew exactly who that voice belonged to. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, a flash of light appeared and vanished, letting him see a stallion with sapphire eyes and a red mane like his, but his fur color was orange and had scar-like birthmarks in the front and back of each eye.
He was an alicorn stallion who looked to be the same height as Princess Celestia. Eternal Flames looked more serious when he walked towards him, now face to face with the stallion.
"Yes... it has." Eternal replied.
"I assume you've gotten over the incident now?"
"For now, I have. But first, I want to know something."
"Very well, I'll allow it since you and your friends have gotten this far."
"Is you being here suppose to be a trial? Or did you use some trick just so you could get me to see you again?"
"You mean, the trial for the hidden Element of Freedom?" the stallion then chuckled. "You know, despite all that's happened here, your mind is still as sharp as ever."
The Mane 6 were confused with what was going on with Eternal and the stallion he's talking to.
"I don't get it. Why are they just talking to each other?" Rainbow asked.
"If I had to guess, I'd think they're extremely close, like a family." Fluttershy says.
"That's because they are family, you two." Shadow Force replied.
"Okay? But how?" Rarity asked Shadow.
"Just wait and see. You'll be surprised." Shadow Force replied again.
Back with Eternal and the alicorn stallion.
"If this is suppose to be a trial, then what do I do?" Eternal asked.
"It's quite simple..." the stallion replied before pausing. He closed his eyes and then quickly opened them back up, lighting up his horn and destroying the gate, making the others shout and scream. Eternal grew agitated with the stallion's actions.
"You do realize that you almost hit my PALS, right?" Eternal gridded his teeth.
"I was careful, now pay attention." the stallion then turned away and walked towards the edge of the mountain before finally speaking again. "In this trial..... you'll have to cast your fears aside..... and defeat me in a battle of strength and magic. If you can defeat me, then the hidden element is yours, but if you lose, you will leave and not come back until tomorrow. Do you understand... my son?"
".....I understand, father." Eternal replied, looking determined.
"FATHER?!!?!?!" shouted the girls in disbelief.
"You mean that stallion over there is his dad?!" Rainbow asked, still surprised.
"Yup. The one and only Blaze Burn." Ground Breaker added.
"So... he's married to the princess?!" Rarity asked, shocked.
"Yeah, he's still got some kick in him for a 47 year old alicorn stallion." Shadow said.
"Well, at least I know where Eternal got those scar-like birth marks from." Sunset says.
After explaining the conditions to his son, Blaze Burn turned around with his eyes still closed.
At that moment, Eternal walked up and stopped in the middle of the mountain. He felt his surroundings get bigger, but the air felt denser. Nevertheless, he stayed calm under pressure, ready to face his father head on with his undying courage as his only weapon.
"Eternal Flames... It is time to begin. Prepare yourself!" Blaze Burn said as he looked down at the ground with his bangs covering his eyes. His wings spread out and his horn glew. Next thing that happens was the edges around the mountain being shot by magic and causing a ring of fire to appear around the two of the stallions, blocking all exits and the entrance for the gang to go inside.
To Be Continued |
Rise of Equestria: The War Begins | The Ultimate Trial: Father VS Son | Blaze Burn and Eternal Flames stood their ground, staring each other down.
Eternal took the first move and charged at his father. Blaze Burn stood his ground and and only lit up his horn, only this time, instead of his usual magic, a small flame at the tip of his horn appeared. He aimed it at his charging son and fired at blazing speed, but Eternal caught on the attack and took a step out of the way.
Blaze Burn turned up the heat by casting more fire magic in a circular motion, spreading closer and closer to Eternal, who tried to dodge the attack, but got hit by the last two flames. He was flung towards the ring of fire, but not too close.
He got back up and kept his charged back at his father, engulfing his horn in a red aura and fired magic blasts like a magical gatling gun. Blaze Burn blocked most of the attacks, using his own fire magic as a shield and dodged the rest of them by tilting his head slightly.
Eternal took the time to slide underneath Blaze Burn in order to land a kick from below to send him flying into the air, which only slightly worked. Blaze Burn flapped his wings upon impact to lessen the damage from the blow and shot more fire magic down towards his son, this time, each one he shot was a bit bigger than his previous fire magic attacks.
This nearly caught Eternal off guard, but he managed to barely escape with only a few small burn marks, small enough to shrug off. But Eternal was getting more serious the more the fight began to progress and his friends were getting worried about him.
"Is this suppose to be a trial or a massacre?! He's not even holding back!" Sunset says as she watches the stallions still fighting each other.
"Oh he's holding back, alright. Eternal can sense it, too. He knows his father would never do anything to hurt his son, mostly because he loves him too much. Apparently, he's taking it as an insult. He's never liked anypony holding back on him when it came to fighting." Tidal Wave explained.
"Ah dunno, isn't Eternal holdin' back on his attacks?" AJ asks.
"He did at first, but I can sense his magical energy getting stronger. He and the rest of us were taught to never pull any punches and out of the 6 of us, only 3 of us took the advice." Shadow explains.
Eternal Flames started growling as he kept firing his magic at his father who was in the air. He dodged every single one of his attacks without fail before flying back down and readied another fire magic attack, but this time, at close range and blasted Eternal back. He flipped backwards as he got blown back and kicked with his hinde legs, gaining more speed and tackled his father to the ground.
Blaze Burn kicked Eternal in the stomach, sending him into the air. Blaze Burn got up and flew up to his son, readying a punch with his right forehoof. Eternal sees it coming and teleports back onto the ground and launched a magic attack, paralizing Blaze Burn. He gave out a shout of pain before falling down to the ground where Eternal Flames stood on his hinde legs and caught him in his forehooves.
But before he could put him on the ground, Blaze Burn teleported behind Eternal Flames and shot 3 fire balls from his horn and landed all three onto their target. Eternal grunted in pain and turned around with a harsh glare and charged at his father with anger in his eyes.
Blaze Burn had finally put his plan into action and just stood there, waiting for Eternal to get closer to him. When he did, Eternal leaped up to land a spin kick on Blaze Burn's face, but it was blocked by Blaze's magic fire wall, and same went for all of his other physical attacks.
Although, it seemed hopeless, Eternal kept pressing on the attack in the vein hope of landing another attack on his father, but to no avail. He was getting angrier and angrier with each blow that was blocked as his father kept a calm look on his face throughout the fight.
"I don't get it, he's only using his hooves to attack. Why doesn't he just use his magic?" Sunset asks.
"For a very simple reason: he's clouded by rage. Blaze's plan was to push Eternal over the edge in order to gain the advantage over Eternal. His goal is to tire him out and then deliver the crushing blow once he's used up all of his strength." Spark Burst says.
"Tire him out? That's no fun." Pinkie says.
"Fights like these aren't suppose to be fun. Especially not to Eternal Flames. Each fight he's been in, he's never taken any of them lightly." Tidal Wave explains.
"He'd probably choose to fight rather than to just sit down and relax with something to eat. In fact there were times when he didn't get enough to eat during fights." Ground Breaker says. "He got so cranky that he nearly almost damaged one of us beyond repair."
"Oh dear, that doesn't sound good." Fluttershy says, a bit scared. But then, to the sound of Eternal shouting, made her hide behind Hurricane Breeze.
As the fight progressed, Eternal was dripping in sweat while his father was still perfectly fine. Eternal was just standing around, panting and snarling. It had become clear to Eternal that Blaze Burn was trying to wear him down using his own anger and frustration against him. Eternal had to come up with a plan and had to do it fast because now, Blaze Burn started spreading his fire magic attacks.
"You've proven to be a very formitable opponent, my son. But you're still far too reckless to even land at least 5 blows on me and it's with great shame that I must end this fight once and for all. There is no shame in admitting defeat, you can try again tomorrow." Blaze Burn says.
"NEVER! I'm not about to leave my friends hanging because I failed a simple trial! Strike me down all you want, I'm not going to stop until I've beaten you, even if it kills me!" Eternal replied, still glaring. He slowly approached Blaze Burn, in order to conserve his energy. Blaze Burn stood his ground, readying one of his signature fire magic attacks, and Eternal felt his body shaking up.
He could feel the others staring at him. He knows he's fighting a losing battle, but he didn't care. Eternal lit up his horn to prepare another magic attack. Blaze Burn blasted his fire magic at Eternal and knocked his focus out of his own attack and sent him blown towards the exit and landed hard on his back, letting out a grunt of pain before slowly trying to get up.
"Guys... I give you my word." Eternal grunted. He stood up on all fours like a proud prince, only he didn't smile, and only had the face of determination. "I vow to win!" he said, glaring at his father.
'Be careful, son. Making empty promises leads to consequences.' Blaze Burn thought to himself.
Eternal slowly approached his father closer and closer until he was close enough to where he was able to lean up onto his father, still feeling the pain from the last attack. Blaze Burn wasn't sure of what his son had in store for being this close to him with no chance of landing a big blow. But then, that's when the alicorn stallion realized a little too late and his eyes flew wide open.
In that moment, Eternal latched onto his father's neck and shined another red aura around his horn, readying yet another magic attack. Only this time, Blaze Burn was trying to shake him off. He was becoming quite agitated with each attempt to shake his son off of him. Eternal kept a tight grip as he charged up his attack, but he wasn't going to hold on any longer.
"He's got guts, I'll give him that." Rainbow says.
"Hey, you know what, darling? I just realized that Eternal hasn't used any fire magic. He's had plenty of opportunities to attack like that, but he's only using his normal magic." Rarity says.
"Well, he doesn't like to admit it, but Eternal can't cast fire magic. He was never taught how to because his father thought it was too dangerous. Eternal once tried to train himself to use fire magic, but sadly, he could only cast powerful magic spells." Shadow Force says.
"But how come his father uses it?" Fluttershy asks.
"Don't you remember, Fluttershy? Princess Celestia taught him how to use fire magic." Sunset says.
"What? That's totally unfair! I ought to pound that guy into an apple cider!" Rainbow says.
"Calm down now, Rainbow. That there stallion ain't no pushover. Even if you can outspeed him, he's more about using his head instead of rushing into a fight." AJ says.
"You're only half right, Applejack. Blaze Burn may look like he's slow, but he's actually pretty fast as much as he is strong, despite his age. I learned the hard way myself when I first asked him to spar and he told me to give it all I've got, but I didn't listen to him." Spark Burst says.
"He's got a point there." Hurricane Breeze says. "Me and the others watched it with our own eyes and Spark Burst had been beaten because the king said he was "doubting the situation he was in" and when he said that, Spark felt like his pride was damaged afterwards."
"Sad, but true. I was ashamed for doubting the king."
"You know, I don't like to admit it, Spark, but there were times even I had to swallow my pride and admit defeat, but that was a couple of years ago." Rainbow says.
"Let go of me this instant!" Blaze Burn shouted, still trying to shake off his son.
"N-NEVER! Not until I've beaten you, dad!" Eternal grunted. And at that moment, his his born was blinking a bright red light and in the struggle, he unleashed a powerful magic surge on Blaze Burn, powerful enough to shock him and Eternal Flames himself, mostly because he hasn't released his grip. Blaze Burn shouted in pain and Eternal Flames grunted in pain.
The others watched as the two stallions just stood there, taking the damage from the magic surge until the attack slowly subsided and both stallions collapsed.
But unknown to them, a mysterious figure buried deep in the mountain was slowly awakening from their deep slumber, and not in the good way.
Eternal Flames and Blaze Burn struggled to get back on their hooves, but Eternal's attack had done a number on them, including himself since he sustained more damage. But he didn't give up and forced himself to stand up slowly, but his father wasn't far behind. Once they got back on all fours, Eternal slowly advanced towards Blaze Burn, short on breath. All four of his hooves were shaking.
Blaze Burn, however, stood his ground to regain some of his power. His breathing was fairly short, bu slowly, he was regaining his strength. Blaze Burn watched as his son advanced towards him, not caring how hurt he was and in turn, this lft Blaze Burn a little scared. Scared for what'll happen if his son continues the fight in his current condition, so with no other option he took a few steps towards Eternal, closing the gap between the two of them, until he was close enough to try to use his fire magic.
But Eternal senses it and used up the last of his strength to turn around and deliver a double kick to Blaze Burn's face using only his hinde hooves. Blaze Burn felt the pain from his son's kick, and landed flat on his back with a loud thud and a grunt of pain.
"G... Game over, dad!" Eternal says, panting. "You lose..."
"Y-Yes... you're right son." Blaze Burn grunts. Eternal still panted heavily and kneeled down.
"Nngh! You know, dad. I think you've made your point around here. When we first fought, I was well aware that my magic would never match yours. I know."
"Then, why... why did you fight me anyways?"
"Because, even though I was scared of your power, I wanted to face it head on. How else was I suppose to improve myself as a prince if I don't have the courage to do so?"
"Eternal... there's a difference between having courage and being reckless. Do you realize that you nearly killed yourself with that insane stunt?! This was suppose to be a trial, not a suicide mission, have you no shame, you reckless boy?!"
His words made Eternal tighten his eyes closed as he took in the lecture. "Y-You're right, dad. I was wrong. My actions were nearly lethal and unforgivable. I woudn't be surprised if I failed the trial."
Blaze Burn looked over at his son as he hung his head in shame. He could actually feel the guilt and disappointment in his eyes and could even see himself in his son. Blaze Burn sighed and got up and walked towards his son and stood in front of him with a straight face.
"Eternal. Look at me." Blaze said. Eternal obeyed and looked up. "Although, I am disappointed with your recklessness, you admitted to your mistake, which requires a lot of dignity and courage. But you're wrong, son, I may have subtle amount of strength and magic, but that didn't mean I was invincible and your courage and determination was proof that you came a long way."
"W-What?" Eternal looked up at his father with confusion. "What are you saying?"
"Let me put it in simple terms... you, Eternal Flames, passed the trial. And I'm proud of you. The final Element of Freedom is now yours!" upon saying this, Blaze Burn's horn glew a dark red and summoned a pedastal out of the ground, but it wasn't a golden necklace like the others. It was actually a golden crown and had the same fire symbol as Eternal's cutie mark. Eternal reached to grab it and placed it upon his head, in turn, he felt his whole body lift off of the ground and his wounds began to heal as his body was trapped in a beautiful bright red glow until he finally touched the ground with no more wounds on his body.
Eternal checked his body and felt no pain anymore. He looked back at his father and gave him a hug. Blaze Burn hugged his son back and whispered in his ear.
"I'm very proud of you, my son. But promise me not to do that ever again."
"I'll make sure to be more careful, father. I promise." Eternal replied.
"Awww." everypony else exclaimed. And soon, the flames around the edges had finally vanished and Eternal finally joined back with his friends, with Blaze Burn as well.
"You're not hurt anymore, are you?" Sunset asks.
"Surprisingly, no. I guess the element must have some kind of healing power it produces after a battle had been fought or something like that." Eternal replied.
"Well, the important thing is that you're back and we finally accomplished our mission." Shadow says.
"OOH, OOH, OOH, THIS CALLS FOR A PARTY!" Pinkie shouts, pulling her party cannon out and firing it. Eternal leaned his head back to avoid getting blown by the cannon.
"Oh, most certainly." Rarity says, giving Eternal her "ladylike charm" "And I know just who to--"
"Not a chance, Rarity. Have some self control." Eternal said. Rarity's jaw dropped as she got rejected again.
"Ouch! Burn! Heh, heh!" Rainbow chuckled.
"Now, now, let's not start a battle royale over the silliest little arguements. Come along, I think it's time we headed back to the village." Blaze Burn says. Everypony nodded and gathered close to each other and Blaze Burn teleported everypony back into the village.
However, after they left, a strange rumble from inside the mountain began to make itself known, as a really big crack had suddenly appeared and a claw pops out.
Down at the village, everpony was finally resting up by the bench, catching their breath from the long travel, but Blaze Burn had a little time to finally talk with Princess Celestia.
"To think that after all these years, you still look just as beautiful as when we first met." Blaze Burn says.
Celestia giggled. "I could say the same thing to you, but you've obviously matured quite a bit." she retorts.
Blaze Burn chuckled. "What do you mean by "a bit?" I've grown taller, and I've looked over the village from high on that mountain for quite a while now."
"Yes, but I can still tell that you're still trying to re-live your youth."
"I'm only 47, still a young man. Even you still look as young as springtime, dear."
"See, that's what I mean, still trying to re-live your youth... as a flatterer."
Celestia and Blaze Burn shared a friendly laugh before they hugged each other. Eternal nearly smirked at his parents as they were getting along so well. But Spike and Twilight were clueless on why they were speaking like they knew each other.
"Hey, Eternal, who's the stallion that Princess Celestia is talking to?" Spike asks.
"Do you recall how mother said she was married?" Eternal asks.
"Y-Yeah, why?"
"Well, that's who she's married to. That's the former king Blaze Burn. My father."
"That's your father?" Twilight asked, a bit surprised. "Just how old is he? He looks like he's probably around Celestia's age."
"True, he does look like it, but he's actually 47." Eternal explained.
"Really? I never knew that!" Twilight says.
"You learn something new every day."
"Yes, you're right about that, Eternal." Celestia said. She approached the others. "Well, it looks like you've finally gotten the Elements of Freedom. So, do you know the names of your elements?"
"I think so, princess. This might sound crazy, but, I can tell that this one is the Element of Teamwork." Shadow Force says, looking at his necklace.
"I can just feel that this one is the Element of Hope." Hurricane Breeze says.
"I know this bad boy is the Element of Respect." Ground Breaker says.
"I can easily deduce that mine is the Element of Knowledge." said Tidal.
"And as for mine, it's the Element of Wisdom." said Spark with confidence.
"Good, good. And what about you, son? Do you know what yours is?" Celestia asks.
"Let's see. I know my trial was a test to cast my fears aside. Although, I did get a little reckless, I'm fairly sure that my element is actually...... the Element... of Courage!" Eternal says.
"...Correct." Blaze Burn says.
"Well, I suppose congradulations are in order. How about we all go out to dinner? You've all worked so hard and you all deserve a little treat." Blaze Burn says. The idea seemed to make Pinkie squeal in excitement and she pulled her party cannon out, shooting confetti everywhere.
"What the?! Where in the blasted blue blazes did she get that thing?" Eternal asks.
"Oh, that's just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie." Rainbow says.
"Uh..... okay?"
But just then, the ground began to rumble and the villagers started to panic, dropping everything and taking cover in their houses or in the other buildings. The lions over in the valley ran around roaring and taking shelter in their dens, while the whole gang was struck with shock.
"YIPPEE, ANOTHER CLIFF HANGER!!!" Pinkie shouted.
"Wait what?!" Eternal asked, confused.
To Be Continued |
Rise of Equestria: The War Begins | Rise of the Everlasting Song | The rumbling goes on for quite a while as the locals take shelter, unaware of what's going on. Even Twilight and her friends were getting a bit scared. Except for Pinkie who was let the rumbling in the ground take her in circles without her moving a single muscle.
"He-e-e-ey, th-i-i-i-i-s i-i-i-i-i-s, f-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-n." Pinkie exclaims happily with her shaky voice.
"Pinkie, what's wrong with you, are you crazy?!" Twilight asked.
'Did she really just ask that?' Rainbow thought to herself.
"Pinkie, this is no time to be playing, something's not right here!" Spike says
"We can save the arguements for another time, but right now, we've got ourselves an emergency. Everypony take shelter and don't come out unless I say so! Celestia, you search the village and the valley for any ponies that need help tryiing to take shelter. I'll go head back on the mountain to get a good vantage point on where this is all coming from, got it?" Blaze Burn explains.
"Alright, but just be careful! This isn't a natural earhtquake!" Celestia warned.
"I'll do my best, dear." Blaze Burn unfolded his wings and flew off towards the mountain and Celestia hovered over the village to find anypony who had trouble finding shelter. Twilight and her friends ran back with the princesses sons over to Blue Blaze's house where his wife was waiting for them with a worried look on her face.
As soon as everypony was inside, they closed the door and hid in the living room. The rumbling somehow began to get worse and worse. Suddenly, there was wail of fright. It came from Crimson Ruby who had a little filly in her hooves who had the same fur color as Eternal and Blue Blaze, but her mane and tail were a striped scarlet and midnight blue color and had scarlet eyes like Crimson.
"Crimson, who's the filly?" Twilight asks.
"Her name is Flaming Sapphire. She's my daughter." Crimson replied.
"Mommy, what is the ground shaking? I'm scared!" Flaming asked, looking at her mom with tears in her eyes.
"I don't know, sweetie. But it'll be okay, I've got you." Crimson held Flaming Sapphire in her hooves closely while Blue Blaze held his wife and daughter close to him. Eternal Flames walked over to the window, even with the ground still rumbling.
"Bro, are you crazy?! Get away from there, it's dangerous!" Heat Blitz shouted out. But Eternal didn't listen and he lifted up the window to peek outside. The streets were empty, which meant that Princess Celestia had evacuated any wandering ponies in the village to safety.
Soon, Princess Celestia returned to the house the others were at, but only stopped at the window her son was looking out from and told him, "Stay inside, I'm going to check on your father." and then flew off to the mountain where his dad was. But there was a sickening feeling inside Eternal, like something bad was going to happen if he doesn't go with her.
He backed himself up a few feet before charging at the open window and leaped out, heading into the direction where his mother was going. The others were shocked by Eternal's actions.
"Is he nuts?!" Rainbow asks.
"Yep. But, then again, he was always like this for as long as I can remember. If I have anything to say about it, he's not gonna head out there all by himself!" Shadow Force says.
"D-Darling, you don't mean?" Rarity asks.
"Don't tell me you're heading out there, too!" Spike says in surprise.
"You guessed right, I'm going with him! If he heads out there alone..." he paused before backing up a bit and getting ready to jump out, "...I wouldn't forgive myself if he ends up dead! Eternal's done a lot for me and the guys and I won't let him fight this alone!" Shadow then charges at the open window and leaps out, running as fast as he could to catch up.
Sunset also felt the sickened feeling inside her. In fact, everypony did. So, one by one, the gang all leaped out of the window and followed Eternal. All that remained were Twilight and Heat Blitz. She saw the look in Heat's eyes as he backed himself into the wall, shaking.
"Heat Blitz, what's the matter?" Twilight asked.
"I'm scared. Scared for myself and my brother." Heat replied.
"Then why don't you chase after him?"
"If I do, I'll just get in his way. What use can I be if I made a vow to never fight?"
"Heat Blitz, just because you don't fight, it doesn't mean you shouldn't be there for your brother. You know he never thinks badly of you. He needs you as much as you need him."
"You really think so?"
"I do. So, you want to tag along?"
Heat Blitz paused for a moment to think it over. He could either stay and watch over his niece with his oldest brother, or he could go with Twilight and help Eternal. He took a deep breath and said, "Alright, Twilight, let's go, Eternal is waiting and I won't let him go alone!"
"That's the spirit!"
Unlike the others, Twilight and Heat Blitz ran over outside through the front door and flew off at rapid speeds to catch up with their friends.
Meanwhile, Blaze Burn was struck with shock as he witnessed what looked like a dragon claw coming out of the crack and latched onto the surface. Blaze Burn backed up a bit, ready to attack if whatever was inside the mountain wasn't friendly. Soon the crack in the mountain grew bigged until a loud, deafening roar shook the whole mountain, causing boulders to tumble down the steep slopes.
Princess Celestia heard the sound and covered her ears with her forehooves. She feared the worst for Blaze Burn and flew over to him faster. Upon arriving, Blaze Burn was up in the air, covering his ears and she thought he had heard the same sound as her.
"Honey, what happened?" Celestia asked.
"I don't know, dear. But whatever's in there," Blaze Burn said, pointing to the big hole in the ground on top of the mountain, "doesn't sound friendly at all! Have you evacuated everypony to safety?"
"Yes, everypony's safe."
"Good. Come on, we've got to see what's in that hole." Blaze Burn flew down with Celestia and walked over to the edge of the hole and saw some sort of figure, almost like a pony. But when it faced upwards, the figure opened its eyes, which were a yellow-ish green color. Its pupils were slitted like dragon eyes and it grinned before flying out and landing on the other side of the mountain.
Upon closer inspection, she was a pony/dragon hybrid. Her fur was a dark purple color, much darker than Twilight's and had black dragon wings. Her legs were silver colored with dragon scales and had claws. She had two dragon horn colored dark grey that were twisted. Her cutie mark was a multi-colored dragon that was spiraling into an oroborus like it was eating itself. Her mane and tail were a teal-ish lavender type of color.
"Ahh, finally. I was getting tired of sleeping in that disgusting prison." she said, adjusting her neck.
"Who are you?" Blaze Burn asked, still feeling cautious.
"I am Melodia Sortis Aeternalis! But, you can just call me Melodia." she replied. Her attention locked onto the princess and she got close to her and grinned. "Long time so see, Princess Celeatia, I wish I could see your loving little sister, I would've loved to see her weep in agony... while I take you down." Melodia's tone in her voice got a bit deep when she spouted out that last statement.
Celestia's eyes shrunk. 'No...i-it can't be!' Celestia thought. Blaze Burn saw the shock in her eyes and approached the princess with concern.
"What's the matter? Do you know her?" he asked.
"Afraid so, dearest. She was a childhood friend that me, and Luna grew up with thousands of years ago, but then mother said she tried to lead the dragons to enslave the ponies, so she sealed her inside an icy prison, but now she's free to unleash her fury." Celestia explains.
Melodia laughed at Celestia's words. "Guess you really take after your beloved mother, Queen Galaxia, letting your eyes be decieved by lies and betrayal."
"Don't you dare bad mouth my mother!" Celestia took half a step forward, lighting up her horn in a bright yellow aura with her wings spread wide open. "Tell me, Melodia. What kind of business do you have here, now that you've been freed from your prison?"
"Oh, nothing much." Melodia remains silent for good 10 seconds until she stares directly at Celestia with her wide grin and menacing dragon eyes. "Just that I'm going to break you in so many ways your family broke me thousands of years ago... when my beloved father was taken from me!"
"So confident, and yet so arrogant. Do you honestly think we're going to let that happen? If so, then you've got another thing coming, Ms. Melodia." Blaze Burn says as he stared her down, his horn lighting up with a simple flame at the tip. Melodia simply gave him a bored expression.
"Hah! I've heard plenty of empty threats coming from a pathetic stallion. From what I can see, you must be Celestia darling and loving husband. How precious. But you can never defeat somepony as strong as me, no matter how strong you might claim to be."
"Talk is cheap, Melodia. If you claim to be as powerful as you say, you'll have to back up your claim with solid proof by knocking me down where I stand."
"Honey, no! You don't know what she's capable of!" Celestia warned. But when she looked at where Melodia was standing, she vanished.
"Well, if you want proof..." Melodia pauses. Celestia and Blaze Burn searched the mountain to find her, but could find no trace of her... until Celestia caught a glimpse of her next to her husband. "...then I'll be happy to show you first hoof by blowing out your eardrums!" she finishes.
"HONEY, WATCH OUT!" Celestia shouts. But it was too late, Melodia let out another deafening roar, catching Blaze Burn off guard and blasted him off the ground and caused him to plummet down the mountain and Celestia felt the painful ringing in her ears.
"Well, what can I say? He asked for it, so I brought it to him." Melodia shrugged
"Y-You monster!" Celestia exclaimed in frustration. Melodia laughed and approached Celestia with a grin on her face, and showed that she had the advantage.
"I've been called worse, but hey, what do you know princess? You could never even begin to comprehend what I had to go through thousands of years ago."
Celestia was clueless on what she meant by that. But then she remembered the pain she inflicted on Blaze Burn and lit up her horn in a yellow aura. Melodia was starting to like the princess becoming more tense and her horns lit up, being covered in a silver type of aura. In a flash of light, the two powerful beings locked themselves in an aerial magic combat.
Princess Celestia started off with multiple magic blasts scattered in every direction, locked on Melodia, but Melodia was able to dodges all of her attacks. She roared again, but Celestia used a spell to protect herself from her deafening roars and retaliated with a magic shock wave. Melodia dodged with no trouble and moved about at blinding speeds which Celestia could still follow.
The two powerful beings kept pressing on their assaults, never giving each other an inch.
Meanwhile, Twilight and her friends traveled down the forest at high speeds trying to get to the mountain as soon as they possibly could. Eternal was kind enough to let the others catch up to him, but he felt that sickening feelings that something happened to his parents. He wasn't going to sit around and wait for a miracle to happen, that much he knew for sure.
But then, something caught his eye up ahead and he went to find out what it was. At that very moment when he was close enough, his eyes shrunk in shock. He caught sight of his own father, lying on the ground and not even moving a muscle. Eternal ran towards him a little faster. As he got close, he turned his father over and placed his ear on Blaze Burn's chest. He could stil hear his heartbeat, which meant he was still very much alive, but he still didn't know who did this to him.
Twilight and her friends caught up to him and got the same reaction to Blaze Burn as Eternal did. "Sweet Celestia, is Blaze Burn alright?!" Twilight asked.
"He's alive, just unconcious. Whatever did this had to have been somepony strong enough to match his strength, or even surpass him without a struggle." Eternal explains.
"But the only ones I know who could surpass him are Discord and Princess Celestia. The only problem is that Discord never came with us and Celestia wouldn't do something like this." Spike says.
"If there's one thing we do know, it's that we're not going to get the answers just standing around. We've got to get to the top of the mountain. The princess might be in trouble!" Spark Burst says.
"We can't just leave Blaze Burn here!" Hurricane Breeze says.
"Then I'll stay behind and treat his wounds! You guys go on ahead!" Tidal Wave says.
"How can you treat his wounds? You don't have your medical equiptment." Shadow said.
"Here it is!" Pinkie shouts, holding out a large first aid kit. The others looked puzzled with Pinkie.
"W-Where'd you even find the time to get that?!" Tidal asks, dumbfounded.
"A true party thrower extraordinair never reveals her secrets." Pinkie replies with a squee.
"O...kay then?" Tidal says, a bit nervous of Pinkie's abilities.
"Umm, everypony, we've still got a long ways to go! The princess could be in danger!" Sunset says. The others nodded and kept running until they reached the mountain, while Tidal Wave stayed behind in order to treat Blaze Burn's wounds. But along the trail, Sunset could somehow feel Eternal's anxiety and fear for his mother and she couldn't blame him. He never had the chance to grow up with her and to have her lost after meeting her would break his heart and, to her own fear, lose his sanity.
"How tall is this mountain anyways?!" Spike asked.
"About 1,000 feet!" Eternal replied.
"Couldn't we just fly up there?" Rainbow asks.
"It's no good! The higher you try to fly up, the denser the gravity becomes! Only a disciplined alicorn can fly up there without the risk of being pushed down!" Spark Burst explains. "I couldn't even fly up there myself, and I've always been training my whole life!"
"Oh, Princess Celestia, please be okay!" Fluttershy says.
Back on top of the mountain, Princess Celestia and Melodia were staring each other down, panting lightly, having spent some of their magic. The only problem was that Celestia was struggling to keep up and Melodia was hardly even breaking a sweat during the fight. Melodia then slowly approached the princess with a condifent grin, rambling about the past events in her life. However, she was being too vague.
"Why am I not surprised? You always take after your pathetic mother, obeying her every command and letting her lies turn you away from the horrible truth that stands to this day. A truth that left many scars and bruises which can never be healed or taken back." Melodia explains.
"SILENCE! You know nothing of my mother! She was a wise and caring alicorn who cared deeply for me and my beloved sister many years ago!" Celestia replied in frustration.
"Correction, she only cared for her own kind. Not the heathenous wretch of a creature who was created by one of her kind and the enemy that she despises so much!"
"I said SILENCE!"
"They say the truth hurts, but you haven't even opened up your eyes to that yet. Perhaps I can open up your eyes and we'll see if you can handle the truth. Either way, I've got you right where I want and there's nothing you can do about it anymore, Princess Celestia"
Celestia growled and lit her horn up and prepared another attack, but then, she got caught off guard by the sound of a familiar voice behind Melodia.
"You'd be best not to question the powers of my mother, if you know what's good for you." Eternal said. Celestia tilted her head and saw her son, along with the others.
"Eternal, what are you doing here?! Get out of here, it's not safe here!" Celestia warned him.
"Hah! So not only are you married, but you also have a son? How adorable. I could just pinch that little colt's adorable little cheeks of his." Melodia says, looking at Eternal. But, this made Eternal glare at Melodia and stepped towards her with a hint of hostility in his eyes. "Aww, would you look at that, he thinks he's so tough that he can take me on so easily, how cute." she said with baby talk. Obviously, she wasn't taking him seriously and kept provoking him to come at her.
"You're gonna get what's coming to you if you don't shut up." Eternal snarled.
"Whoa there, don't go losing your temper. That's just what she wants! You gotta keep your cool when you approach or you'll mess up your rhythm." Shadow warned. Eternal looked at Shadow for a few seconds and nodded before turning back to face Melodia.
"Just who is that creature?" Fluttershy asked, scared.
"It's definitly more than just a pony, it's also part dragon. I guess she's the very first species of pony/dragon hybrid the entire world of Equestria." Twilight says. "But what's wierd is that this hybrid seems to know a lot about Princess Celestia, it's like she knows her."
"I think you might be right, Twilight. I've never seen Celestia look like that!" Spike says.
"But who is she?" Rarity asked.
"Well, since you're so curious, I'll tell you all. I am Melodia Sortis Aeternalis! But, you can call me Melodia for short, now where was I? Oh yes! Now I remember." Melodia says. She turns back to Eternal Flames, who charged at her at a fast pace. He attacked with a spin kick, but it was blocked by her scaly legs, forcing him to pull back, only to feel a sudden jolt of pain.
"Grr, what the?" he grunted, kneeling down.
"Eternal, what's wrong?" Sunset asks, running to him.
"She only blocked my attack, but those scales are tough! It's like I kicked a support beam, only worse!"
"But that could only mean one thing! She must be a descendant of the previous dragon lord. The one whom ruled the dragon kingdom before Torch did!" Twilight says.
Melodia laughed. "Your friends seem to have done their homework! Care to try again?"
"Sorry, but I'm not making the same mistake again! Instead, TAKE THIS!" Eternal lit up his horn and blasted Melodia, but she blocked it with ease, breathing out a fire wall to protect her. "Hmph, typical dragon instincts, no offense to you, Spike."
"None taken." Spike says. Eternal was soon caught by surprise by Melodia, who kicked Eternal into the air and followed up with a thrashing of her own. She left claw marks, bite marks, and bruises with each blow she layed on the stallion, making Celestia shout.
"STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" Celestia shouts. Melodia just laughed it out and held Eternal by his forehooves, showing off how powerful Melodia was.
"Aww, so sorry. I just couldn't help myself. Here, you can have him back." Melodia replied. She threw Eternal back at Celestia and she caught him in her magical yellow aura. She held her injured son in her hooves with tears in her eyes while he barely moved himself.
"S-S-Sorry mother..... I failed." he said.
"Don't talk, just keep breathing and I'll try to heal you." Celestia said, looking into Eternal's eyes.
"You monster! What makes you think harming innocent ponies is alright?" Twilight snapped.
"Yeah, you think you're so tough, just because you're a different breed? You're not so tough!" Rainbow called out to Melodia and started pushing her buttons.
"You should be ashamed of yourself! What would your mother and father say about this?" Fluttershy says, making Melodia flash her fangs.
"I've met a lot of bad dragons when I was just a little dragon, but YOU... you're far worse than them! You're nothing but a heartless, terrorizing monster!"
"SHUT UP, YOU FOOLS!!!!!" Melodia shouted before roaring out loud, almost deafening the team, making them cover up their ears. Once she stopped, she spoke. "Who do you mortals think you are?! For disrespecting me and my pride, I will BREAK YOU ALL!!!!!"
"Guys! What's going on?!" Tidal Wave shouted, coming up the mountain. But just as he reached the top, he caught sight of the creature in the air. "Oh sweet makers, who is that?!"
"Well, aren't you a cute little posh stallion." Melodia sayed with a grin.
"Umm... thanks, I guess?" Tidal says, blushing.
"Hey, don't let her get to you! Look what she did to Eternal!" Ground Breaker pointed to Eternal, who was still in Celestia's hooves, being healed.
"WHAT?!" Tidal asked in disbelief.
"It's true! She gave 'im a thrashin' and almost killed him!" Applejack says. Tidal became more upset when he was given this info and turned his attention to Melodia.
"I don't know what kind of motive it is you have for wanting to cause this trouble, but I can never forgive you for what you've done to my dear friend, Eternal!"
Melodia grinned and admired Tidal Wave's determination, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to just play around and mess with his head. With everypony finally gathered together, Melodia was about to show a glimpse of the torture she claimed to have experienced long ago.
To Be Continued |
Rise of Equestria: The War Begins | The Fall of Truth | Melodia slowly made her way towards Tidal Wave and looked straight into his eyes, like she was staring into his soul with that same grinning expression. Tidal felt like he was trembling a bit with fear, like he was staring into the eyes of what felt like his executioner. He waited a whole 15 seconds for something to happen, but all she did was laugh to herself.
What she does next is light up her dragon horns, and making a little filly appear out of thin air who had light grey fur and an aqua blue mane and tail, matching the same color as Tidal Wave, which made Tidal grab Melodia's shoulders in anger.
"What do you think you're doing to my little sister?!" he shouts in anger.
"TIDAL! HELP ME!!!" his sister shouted.
"Who in the?!" Applejack says in shock.
"Of all the rotten, dirty tricks! Why did she have to hold Rain Drop hostage?" Shadow growled.
"Rain Drop?" Pinkie asks.
"Tidal Wave's younger sister." Hurricane Breeze says.
"What? Come on, let's go take her away from that freak!" Rainbow says, getting ready to make her move.
"Back up, mortal! She's my prisoner." Melodia replied, sending Tidal flying backwards towards the gang before she backed up herself. She still had Tidal's sister in her magic grip. Tidal Wave got up and and glared at Melodia more, wanting to charge at her. But he feared that if he did, she would either send him flying back again, or worse, hurt his little sister. "Now, it's time to let the fun begin."
"Listen here, you monster! Let go of Rain Drop right now! She has nothing to do with any of this! Why are you so obsessed with torturing us?!" Tidal asked.
"He's right! Your battle is with me, Melodia! If you want to take your anger out on anypony, choose me, you said it yourself that you wanted revenge!" Celestia added.
"True, I did say that. But I'll hold off on you for a bit and have a little fun, torturing your so-called subjects, because I'm going to teach them what it's like to lose a loved one!" Melodia says. She levitates Tidal's sister closer to her and grabs her with her claws.
"AAAH! NO PLEASE, DON'T HURT ME!" Rain Drop screamed.
"STOP!" Tidal ordered. In that moment, Eternal Flames was beginning to regain his conciousness and his sight as he caught sight of Melodia, holding Tidal's sister. His eyes widened and his anger only increased, witnessing the cruelty she was bringing to one of his friend's relatives. "Don't you dare! If you strike her with so much as one claw on her little head, you'll regret it!"
"Talk is cheap. You need to take action and prove your point." Melodia says, unamused.
"Tidal! Help me, please! Don't let her take me, please! Let me go! Let me go! LET ME GO!" Rain Drop kept on screaming out loud in fear. Listening to her crying for help was making Tidal more scared for her life and all he could do was watch his terrified sister squirm.
Eternal glared and flashed his teeth in anger before breaking free of his mother's hooves and tackled Melodia, with an added punch to the face. His attack was enough to punch her off the mountain and release her grip on Tidal's little sister. Then Eternal caught her before she fell.
Everypony sighed in relief and Tidal Wave approached Eternal. "Thank you, Eternal! I thought she was done for if you didn't stop her in time." Tidal says.
"I know, but how exactly did she get her claws on Rain Drop in the first place?" Eternal asked.
"I don't know! I think it had something to do with her looking straight into my eyes for some apparent reason and getting that weird look in her eyes. It was like she was probing my thoughts, or maybe probing what she thought was most precious in my heart!"
"What?! Just how many tricks does she have in that sick, twisted mind of hers? Ugh, it doesn't matter now, what matters is that we take Rain Drop out of here and back to her parents. It's not safe here, so we need to act as fast as we can, okay?"
"Alright. Come on, Rain. Follow me!" Tidal said to his sister. She nodded. But just as they were about to run down the path, Melodia flew back up to the mountain, looking madder than ever before. Her eyes locked on Eternal, Tidal and Rain and she snarled at them. Eternal and Tidal stepped forward, keeping Rain Drop hidden behind them for her own safety. Melodia was trying to think up a way to get back at them. That's when an idea popped up in her head, and she grinned evilly.
"Now there's an idea. Enjoy your last moments of freedom while you still can, mortals! This is only just the beginning of a really bad day!" Melodia called out before flying off. The group was clueless on why she had taken her leave like that and casted it aside for a while. Everypony went over to Eternal and Tidal, checking on them to make sure they were okay.
"Eternal? Are you alright? It doesn't still hurt, does it?" Sunset asked. She checked Eternal's body for any injuries that might still be on him. She only found one set of claw marks, but somehow, these were probably much larger than Melodia's dragon claws. "Eternal, where'd you get those?" she asks.
He looked over to his side to where she saw the claw marks. "Those were from a sparring session with my master when I was 15. I got careless and ended up getting this scar." he replied. He didn't sound like he was bothered by it in the slightest.
"Does it still hurt?"
"No, not anymore." Eternal turned his attention to his mother. She had a troubled look on her face, so he approached her to find out what it was. "Mother?"
"Hmm?" Celestia asked.
"How is it that Melodia knows you? And why does she have this grudge against you?"
"It's a long story, Eternal, so listen up." she didn't sound too happy about this, but everypony still gathered around to listen to what she had to say. "You see, it all started thousands of years ago when my sister and me were just starting out as young mares and we came across this other filly who was hiding in the bushes, and that filly was none other than Melodia. She was shy and didn't have many friends."
"So... you made friends with her?" Eternal asked.
"Yes, right after she sneezed out flames. She was part dragon, but she was still nice to hang out with and I couldn't help but feel like she was a sister to me and Luna. We would always hang out with each other after mother finished lecturing us. However, mother found out that I was playing with a "heathenous wretch of a creature," as she put it and forbid me from ever getting near her. She told me that our friendship was all a facade just so she could help lead her father and the dragon army to victory."
"Did you even ask if that was Melodia's plan, mother?"
"I wanted to, but I couldn't sneak out into the night to ask Melodia myself. She'd always keep saying it was for my own good that I didn't see Melodia."
"Princess, I could be wrong, but sometimes even parents tell lies to their children in order to hide a dark truth from them that they don't want them to know. My guess is that Melodia never intended on pursuing those ambitions in the first place." Tidal Wave says.
"I had the very same feeling, too, because mother told me she had taken care of the "pests" and I could finally go out and do whatever I want. I was so devastated that my mother took away Melodia from me and Luna, but Luna was most upset about it."
"But then, maybe if we meet Galaxia or see Melodia again, we can find out what really happen." Sunset implies, looking confident with her idea.
"But how? Melodia's being vague about her past. She's not going to just tell us what happened."
"That's why I have my newfound powers from the human world. I'm able to look into other ponies' pasts just by placing my hoof on them." Sunset attempted to place her hoof on Eternal's shoulder, but he backed up a bit, feeling uneasy with her finding out about his past.
While everypony was talking about it, Twilight noticed that Spike was looking a bit serious. Something was on his mind and she wanted to find out.
"Spike, what's wrong?" Twilight asked.
"I just can't but feel like there's something more to Melodia than what's on the surface, but, somehow I just can't quite put my finger on it." Spike replied.
"Well, you're just going to have to wait and find out!" Melodia called out, catching everypony by surprise. Only this time, what the group finds on Melodia, left a sickening feeling in them. Melodia had come back with the Alicorn Amulet wrapped around her neck. She grinned, expecting her foes to be scared and she got the right reaction from them as she expected.
"She did NOT just go there!" Shadow says, backing up.
"Of all the rotten tricks she came up with, she just HAD to choose that!" Rainbow Dash says.
"Say what you want, but now it's time put my plan into action!" Melodia shouted. The next thing she did was grab Rain Drop with her magic. Tidal Wave ran and stopped at the edge of the mountain, reaching out to grab his sister back, but it no avail.
"LET HER GO!" Tidal shouted.
"Not until I've taught you what it means to suffer!" Melodia replied. She brought one of her claws close to Rain Drop's face and she screamed in fear again. "SILENCE!"
All Tidal could do was growl at Melodia. She was too far for him to jump at and too high to reach. Just then, Sunset Shimmer teleported herself in a flash of light straight onto Melodia's back and placed her hooves on Melodia's shoulders and soon, a rush of her past memories rushed through Sunset's head. Melodia grew angry with the others being so persistant and smacked Sunset off of her.
At the same time, she slashed at Rain Drop and knocked her straight down the mountain with Sunset. The sight of the two being struck down by Melodia was enough to make Eternal Flames and Tidal Wave snap and confront Melodia, as well as provoke her.
"HEY!" both Tidal and Eternal shouted. Melodia looked at them, annoyed.
"What do you little colts want now?" she asks, unamused.
"SHUT UP! Let me get something straight here, Missy! No pony is to lay a hoof, or a claw, on my little sister, but you went and crossed the line!" Tidal growls.
"And showing no remorse whatsoever only serves to further your punishment! I will not show you any mercy whatsoever or hold anything back!"
In that moment, Eternal's horn lit up and used his magic to levitate Tidal Wave and moved him towards Melodia where he latched onto her, wrapping his hooves around her. Eternal leaped up into the air and slammed Melodia down onto the slope while she was distracted.
He then let gravity do its job and allow him to plummet down the mountain and catch up with Tidal and Melodia and began his team assault on her with Tidal. The others watched in shock as the tree plummet down the mountain, hitting the rocky edges with brute force. Never had any ordinary pony ever done something as dangerous or risky as Eternal and Tidal did.
"Quick! Everypony go after them! I'm gonna go get Sunset and Rain Drop! HURRY!" Twilight ordered. Everypony obeyed and either ran down the path or down the slope. Twilight, on the other hoof, flew down into the direction where Sunset and Rain Drop plummeted. "Sunset, whatever you do, don't give out on me, I promise that I'll be there as soon as I possibly can." she said to herself.
Back with the three tumbling ponies. Eternal and Tidal were landing blow after blow on Melodia, making her pay for what she did to their friends and family. But she wasn't a pushover and used the power of her Alicorn Amulet to power up her own magic, using it to enhance her own physical strength and lash out at the two stallions with more devastating blows. Though her attacks were very effective, Eternal Flames and Tidal Wave kept pressing on the assault, letting their rage fuel the fire inside them.
"You're gonna regret the day you ever messed with me and my friends, you monster!" Eternal shouted.
"Talk is cheap! There's no way you'll ever defeat me! I possess all the magic in the world! What good will it do for you if you can't even land a strong enough blow on me?!" Melodia retorted.
"So what if I didn't have a horn or have any wings, at least I still have the guts to drag you down while I still have breath in my lungs, you fool!" Tidal retorted back.
"I might not come close to my mother or father's magical abilities, but having all the magic in the world doesn't mean you're the strongest in the world!" Eternal says.
"Quiet, mortals!" Melodia sassed back. The three kept plummeting down the mountain slope and pressing on their attacks, punching and clawing at each other, leaving nasty bruises on the stallions, but Melodia used her magic to keep herself from sustaining injuries from the fall.
Meanwhile, Twilight had made it down the mountain and found Sunset lying on the ground. She gasped and flew towards her faster, checking to see if she was okay. She had no injuries, other than the tiny claw marks on her right cheek and her heart beat was steady. Although, Twilight knew even though she didn't look like she was injured, she still used a healing spell on Sunset in case her injuries were internal.
The moment she did this, Sunset began to stir and slowly open up her eyes. She looks up and sees Twilight with a relieved look on her face.
"Sunset! Thank goodness you're alright." Twilight said, hugging her. Sunset hesitated to return the hug at first, but she then returned Twilight's hug. "What happened up there?"
"Twilight... Melodia... she didn't do anything wrong." Sunset said, all shooken up.
"What are you talking about?! She literally held that filly hostage and she attacked you! How can you say she didn't do anything wrong after she did that?!"
"You don't understand, Twilight! I saw her past! She's..." Sunset paused and felt tears running down her eyes as the memories of Melodia flooded her mind. "...Melodia's father was taken from her by the very same alicorn that decieved Princess Celestia!"
"What?!"
*CRASH*
"Uh-oh! Something tells me that didn't sound too good!" Sunset got up on all fours and walked over to where she and Twilight heard the crash. Twilight followed Sunset, worried about her and the others and hoped they didn't all get hurt.
Back with the others, Eternal and Tidal were both on the ground, beaten and bruised up from the fall while Melodia was panting and sweating, still on all fours. Her perspective on the two stallions fighting her together made her think that there was more to them than she thought.
"I guess I underestimated you both. You put up a decent fight, but now it's time purge this place you call home and finally have my revenge!" Melodia says, before flying off to the village. At that moment, the entire gang, along with Twilight and Sunset finally reached the two fallen stallions.
"Whoa, I guess their strength wasn't enough to stop her." Shadow says.
"It might be enough if they'd use their Elements of Freedom! Those aren't just for show, you know. Twilight and the others used the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon, Discord and Tirek, so why didn't you guys use your elements?" Spike asked.
"We'll worry about that later! Right now, these boys need medical attention! Twilight, Sunset, Can you two perform any magical healing spells?" Celestia asked.
"I can use it, so can Twilight." Sunset says.
"Good, then all together now!"
Celestia's horn glew and so did Sunset's and Twilight's as they used their magic and finally rid the two stallions of their fatal injuries from the fall. Eternal and Tidal began to stir and finally, they stood up, rubbing the back of their heads, groaning.
"What happened?" Eternal asked. But then.
*SMACK*
Eternal's right cheek felt like it was burning, like somepony had just smacked him. He turned to see that Sunset Shimmer had done it and she glared daggers at him.
"What in Celestia's name were you thinking?! Do you realize that if you weren't careful, you could've killed yourself AND your friend here?! Why did you do that?!" she asked, demanding an answer. Eternal could see the anger and fear in her eyes as well as the tears. No mare in the entire village ever cried that much about him for doing something so dangerous that almost costed him his life.
He hung his head in shame and said, "I apologize. I just couldn't stand Melodia hurting you or Rain Drop and let her get away with it." In turn, Sunset was shocked that Eternal felt so strongly about her, and even went to such lengths to put his life as risk for her and others. But the fact still remained to Sunset that what he did was wrong and she called him out.
"Still, that doesn't mean you just rush into things like that! You need to start strategizing whenever your in a spot like that, so don't ever do that again!"
Eternal nodded. "Alright. I'll try to be careful next time."
"There's not gonna be a next time if we don't get back to the village! We have to hurry while we still have the chance or Melodia'll destroy it and the homes of the locals!" Tidal says.
"Hold on, we're missing Rain Drop! We haven't found her yet!" Eternal says. Tidal Wave got scared and ran into the direction of where she had fallen. He ran as fast as he could and he just couldn't stop worrying about his little sister, whether or not she might've survived the fall.
"Rain Drop, please be okay! Your big brother's coming! Just don't give out on me!" Tidal said to himself, speeding up his running pace. Finally, he came across a pile of snow where Rain Drop was laying down unconcious, but still alive and well. He ran up to her and picked her up in his hooves, dusting the snow out of her mane and shaking her lightly, trying to wake her up. "Rain? Are you okay? Please, wake up!"
The sound of his voice made her stir and her eyes opened up, seeing her big brother. Once her vision was back to normal, she gasped. "Tidal?" she asked. He nodded in approval. Rain Drop's lips began to quiver and she leaped forward and gave her brother a big hug. "TIDAL!" she cried.
"Shhh, it's alright, Rain Drop. I'm right here. Just let it all out." he whispered to her. He hugged her back, holding his little sister in a warm embrace. Rain Drop cried in her brother's shoulders. Seeing his little sister this scared broke his heart and made him more angry at Melodia. After she calmed down, Rain looked at her brother with a little hint of fear in her eyes.
"Tidal? Who was that monster? Why did she take me hostage like that?"
"I don't know, Rain. But I'm not going to let that happen again. Come with me, the others are waiting."
"The others?"
"My friends. We're going to work together to stop that monster that did this to you."
"Really?"
"Yes."
No other words were spoken. Rain Drop only nodded and went with Tidal Wave back to where the others were waiting and put on his serious game face, ready for the challenge that lied ahead. After a little bit of running later, they finally reunited with the others.
"Alright, no more waiting around! It's time to give that Melodia what she's gonna get coming to her. Whatever you guys do, do not let your guard down. Is that clear?" Eternal asked.
"Loud and clear. It's showtime!" Shadow says.
"Right!" Everypony shouted all at once.
"Then this time... we use these." Eternal pointed to his crown with the Element of Courage and the other necklaces with the other Elements of Freedom. Everypony gathered into a big circle and used their teleportation magic altogether and reappeared in the Freedom Village.
Once there, the locals were shouting and screaming in fear from the buildings as Melodia used her magic to levitate all the buildings off the ground. Her eyes glew red and she laughed out loud. Twilight could still remember the day Trixie used that very same amulet to take over Ponyville. She shuddered at that memory and shook it off, focusing more on the corrupted being in front of her.
"Melodia!" Eternal shouted, catching her attention.
"Ugh! Not you again! What do you mortals want now?!" she asked, more annoyed and angry. Her eyes glew an even darker red and her horns glew as well.
"You will not lay another claw on anypony else here! The fact that you show no remorse for any of your heinous acts, you will pay the ultimate price: Being imprisoned for all eternity." Eternal explains. He lights up his horn and causes his crown and the necklaces around the other guys' necks to glow. All six of the stallions levitated off the ground and shined in a bright white light.
"Pah! If you think that little trick is going to stop me, be my guest! But afterwards, I'll carry out my plans and purge this place once and for all!" Melodia shouted, laughing loudly. The magic coming from her Alicorn Amulet corrupter her the more she absorbed its power.
Eternal saw that there was no talking Melodia out of this. He was given no choice but to carry on the attack, along with his five other pals. Even now, his eyes had glown pure white.
Twilight felt like the Elements of Freedom might actually possess the same abilities as the Elements of Harmony and the proof was being witnessed by her own eyes. However, instead of a rainbow being blasted from their elements, a bright beam of light struck straight at Melodia and caught her off guard and she let out a screech of pain as she got blown back and hit the ground.
During the aftermath, the gang waited for the dust to clear off and the 6 stallions gently floated down after their attack was finally launched.
Once the dust cleared, the gang all saw Melodia laying on the ground, motionless. Eternal got a bit worried and hoped the attack didn't finish her off, so he approached Melodia. He leaned down with caution to feel her heart beat, which he luckily heard perfectly. Melodia was still alive, but she was far from finished, and to his shocking realization, she wasn't imprisoned at all.
His fears only became more severe when she woke up, laughing to herself. She locked her eyes on Eternal with an evil and bone-chilling grin, making him jump and move back from her. Melodia got back on all fours and stared down the gang with the smile of death.
"I don't get it! Is there no end to her destructive power?! What's she made of?!" Shadow Force asked.
"I don't know, but she's not normal!" Hurricane Breeze says, backing up with fear.
"Let's try it again!"
"NOT SO FAST!" echoed another female voice. The rest of the gang jumped in surprise, looking in all directions to find where the voice came from. Their eyes turned slowly towards Melodia. Her Alicorn Amulet began to glow a dark red color and shot out sparks of magic from its red gem. The ground began to rumble violently than it did before and the others became feared by what was going on.
Then, in a blinding red light, the Alicorn Amulet levitated off of Melodia and span out of control, shrouding itself into a gradually growing dark cloud. The sounds of laughter came, not from Melodia, but strangely, from the Alicorn Amulet itself. Soon, a pair of two red eyes opened up in the dark cloud and locked onto Twilight and her friends, laughing evilly at them.
To Be Continued |
Rise of Equestria: The War Begins | Betrayals and Heartbroken Memories | The dark cloud had begun to dissipate and clear up, allowing the gang to get a better look at the creature they saw before their very eyes. Melodia was grinning even more, knowing very well that her plans had actually fallen into place and felt like she was finally going to get what she wanted. With the dark cloud now out of sight, the creature had finally revealed itself.
She was a black alicorn with red eyes, but no pupils. Her mane was grey and had on leg armor and had black and red wings on her back. She wore a black cape with red trimmings. The cutie mark on her flank resembled the Alicorn Amulet, but it was black and red.
Eternal gave the mare a serious glare. "Who are you?" he asked. The mare chuckled and approached Eternal Flames and leaned down towards his eye level.
"So, the little stallion wants me to introduce myself. Very well, but I'm only going to say this once, so keep your ears open when you hear my name." she says. She whispers in his ear. "I... am... Zoor!" she lights up her horn and Eternal immediately backs up and retreats towards the gang before she had the chance to try to strike him down with a powerful magic attack. "Now, who was the one that freed me from my imprisonment after thousands of years?" she asks.
"It was I!" Melodia called out. Zoor turned to look behind her and found Melodia approaching her. Zoor turned her whole body around and gave Melodia her full attention. "I released you from your prison by absorbing their combined attacks and fueling you with my own magical abilities! Now my magical powers are yours to use for your very own, including the song of the dragons!" she explains.
Spike got freaked out when she said that. "I was afraid of that!" he said.
"What do you mean, Spike? Is the song of the dragons that bad?" Twilight asked.
"Afraid so. If played, then any and all dragons near and far will fall under the hypnotic song and follow singer's every order against our will!" he whispered.
"Excellent. With these newfound magical abilities, I will finally once again rule all of Equestria and seek my revenge on the one who opposed me: Master Starswirl the Bearded!" Zoor exclaimed.
"YES! And what about me?" Melodia asked. Zoor looked at Melodia, who was filled with excitement. Zoor laughed at Melodia and approached her with an evil grin.
"Please, even though you have freed me from my prison, I do not see how a pathetic little weakling like you could ever hope to be of use to anymore! You're nothing but a useless pawn. So take your weak little flank out of my sight and NEVER EVER COME BACK!!!" Zoor said, as she lit up her horn. She launched her attack on Melodia and blasted her into the sky and over to the forest of the elements. "Now that the little wretch is out of the way, I have a world that's rightfully mine to take now!" she exclaims. She laughs evilly as she lit up her horn and used her magic to disappear without a single trace to find her.
At the same time, after Melodia was caught completely off guard, her magic grip on the buildings in the village loosened and the buildings fell back down into place.
The others were speechless on what had just happened. Including Eternal. He was dumbfounded by the fact that Zoor had backstabbed Melodia after freeing her. But this was also the first time in years he had ever been struck with so much fear that he froze. Sunset approached him.
"Eternal? Are you okay?" she asked.
"There's no way we can beat that thing... at least... not like this." he replied. "And Melodia... I know she's the enemy but she didn't deserve something like that."
"You're right. We've got to find her as soon as we can!"
"Then let's waste no time. Tidal Wave, you're the only one with the most medical experience so I need you to come with me and Sunset and find Melodia. There's no telling how badly she might be injured, so we have to be well prepared for this." Eternal ordered.
"I understand." Tidal agrees with a nod and got his first aid kit from Pinkie once again.
"But, what about me?" Rarity asks. "Aren't you going to bring me along with you?"
"He-llo! This isn't a vacation, Rarity! You stay here with the others and check up on the locals to make sure no pony is hurt, then we'll meet back at the entrance of the village." Eternal ordered.
"Come on, you didn't have to yell at Rarity like that!" Spike said.
"I didn't want to yell at her, but I had no choice. She just doesn't get the message!"
"The message?"
Eternal sighed in annoyance and signalled Spike to get closer to him. He nodded and walked up to Eternal and let him whisper in his ear. "Remember how you said you had a crush on Rarity and how I said she just kept taking you for granted?" his question was met with a nod from Spike, "Well, I keep trying to make it clear to Rarity that she's not my type and I don't have time for dates! Besides, with the amount of time you've been in love with her, I have no business to pursue her at all."
"Oh... well, thanks." Spike replied quietly.
"No prob. Now come on, you two." Eternal ordered Sunset and Tidal.
They both nodded and left to find Melodia. They approached the gate leading to the Freedom Valley and opened it up, running down the path of the valley leading to the forests. But they didn't know which path she might have landed in.
"Eternal, I've got an idea. I'll check the path on the far left, you check the left path in the middle and Tidal Wave can search the 2nd farthest path on the right. If she's not there, we'll take the paths next on our rights so we'll have a better chance." Sunset explains.
"Good thinking. Just be careful." Eternal said.
"I'll be careful if you promise to."
"Done." Just as Eternal was going to run down the path, Sunset stopped him.
"Hold on!" she says, grabbing his shoulder. He turned towards her, seeing a troubled look in her eyes. He held off on running into the forest and listened to Sunset.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"Do you remember when I latched onto Melodia up on the mountain?" she asks.
"Yeah, how could I forget?"
"This might not sound believable, but... I was able to see into Melodia's past and... she went through a traumatic experience as a little filly. She was tortured and brutally beaten. Her father... the ruler of all dragons... his life was taken away from him and in front of his daughter's own eyes."
"What?!" Eternal shouted. "How do you know if that's the truth?"
"One of my special abilities is to see into other ponies' pasts. Melodia's past held a dark secret that she probably didn't want others to find out about. She was probably too scared, or ashamed to tell the others and find out whether or not they'd believe her."
"But if that's the-- oh dear! I... I gotta go find her, quick!" Tidal says before taking off. He ran down the path on the farthest to the right without even thinking about it. Eternal wanted to go after him, but Sunset placed her hoof on his shoulder, getting his full attention and shook her head.
Eternal realized from both Sunset's and Tidal's expressions that this was something that only somepony like Tidal Wave can try to fix and Eternal was not allowed to interfere. Though, he didn't like his friend going alone, he had to respect his wishes and see this through his way. In the meantime, he and Sunset ran down the other paths in search for Melodia if she was down one of the other paths.
Tidal Wave was right to run down the path and found Melodia laying in the dirt. She was really covered in bruises and her breathing was faint, but stable. Tidal Wave got closer to her and opened up his first aid. He began treating Melodia's wounds and helped her stablize her breathing more. The moments rolled by and Melodia began to stir and grunt in pain from the damage she took.
"Just relax, give it a second. You're still not strong enough to walk yet." Tidal implied. Melodia gave him a glare, but he didn't back away from her. She scoffed.
"Why bother? I got what I had coming. I suppose I deserved to be tossed aside." she said, looking down at the ground with the look of dissappointment in her supposed smile. Tidal Wave had never heard her talk like that and his friends would think he's nuts if he told them what she said. But he knew all too well she was just trying to act tough to mask the real hidden torture in her eyes.
"Melodia, you don't have to keep up this act anymore. I know why you did all that stuff." Tidal replied. "But I'm still very upset with how you targeted my sister."
"What else is new?" she asked, retorically.
"I know that you lost your father a long time ago and you witnessed it with your own eyes. I'm very sorry for the horrible pain that you experienced during your childhood."
Melodia flashed an angry look at Tidal Wave. "What do you know about my past?! You know nothing! You don't know what it's like to be looked down upon just because you're different!"
"Melodia, just because you're different, doesn't mean it's frowned upon."
"IT WAS, THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO!" When she raised her voice at him, he could see the tears swell up in her eyes, but she does her best to hide them.
"Well, hear me out. Being different is not a bad thing anymore. Although, I can't say the same thing for my parents, because I don't act like them. They thought that acting the way I always do will make them think I'll just end up in the slums with no power whatsoever. In my family, all my parents cared about was being the most powerful ponies next to the King's family. I only had my little sister who understood me as much as I understood her during the time when I mostly raised her."
"Aww, boo-hoo, such a sad story, but what does that have to do with ME? You had a warm bed to sleep in and fresh food stuffed inside that stomach of yours! I was always dangling from the walls in chains and fed this disgusting liquid every time the queen felt I was punished enough!"
"All I'm saying is that no matter how different we look or act, we are who we are. And right now, I can't stand to see you have to deal with the demons of your past and have to suffer because of them. I want to show you that no matter how dark the path may be, there will always be light at the end of the tunnel. And I want to be able to pull you out of that darkness and be by your side."
"B-But... I... Your family a-a-and the village... why are you..." Melodia stuttered. She sat up with a questioned look in her face, as she had never known that a simple earth pony would actually help her, despite everything she had done to them and their family and friends. Then, next thing that happens catches her by surprise. Tidal Wave wraps his hooves around her and gave her a warm hug.
She gasps and tried to brake him away from her, but he held on tight. "Please, Melodia. You don't have to be alone in the dark, anymore. You can still try to move forward and we can help get you settled and we can give you a brand new fresh start in life."
And in that moment, for the first time in thousands of years, Melodia formed tears in her eyes and started crying in Tidal Wave's shoulder. She hugged him back and sobbed loudly, quivering with grief and guilt.
"I'm so sorry! This was all my fault! I was so hung up on getting revenge on all those who shunned me away and feared me as a child, that I failed to see the pain and anguish I put you all through! I promise, I will never hurt anypony ever again for as long as I live!" she sobbed.
"Shhhh, just let it all out. I'm here." Tidal says, getting choked up himself. Tidal Wave sees Melodia's dragon wings wrap around him and her like a blanket. He didn't object to it and held her warmly in his hooves, easing the pain in her heart.
"Why? Why would you be nice to a heathenous wretch of a creature like me?"
"Because you're not what you're claiming be. You're not a heathenous wretch of a creature, or a bad pony, or a mistake that everypony thought you were. You are Melodia Sortis Aeternalis: A pony/dragon hybrid who wanted to seek out freedom and sanctuary from the cruel world that misjudged you so badly. And most importantly, you are a mare/dragoness who deserves to be treated like any living creature in this world."
For that moment, Melodia had never felt so happy about somepony who had said such heartwarming words of wisdom and made her feel special. She only pulled away to look into Tidal's eyes and smiled at him before she leaned back in and whisper to him.
"Thank you so much, Tidal Wave. You have my word that I'll try to make things right."
"I wouldn't expect nothing less, Melodia."
She pulled him in for another warm hug and he hugged her back just as Eternal Flames and Sunset Shimmer had arrived at the scene and saw how Tidal Wave had succeeded in taming Melodia and smiled at the sight of them finally uniting as friends and allies.
In that moment, Sunset's cutie mark began to glow, which meant that hers and the other girls' friendship problem was finally taken care of. They waited for Tidal Wave and Melodia to break free from their hug so they could finally head back with the others. After about half a minute of hugging, the two finally broke free of the warm embrace and Eternal walked towards the two of them with a calm look in his eyes, even though Melodia still thought he might still be crossed with her.
Tidal Wave looked up at Eternal, who looked back down at him... with a warm smile and a nod. Tidal Wave was surprised, because Eternal had never smiled like that for a long time. But to see one as bright and reassuring as his, told him that he wasn't angry.
"You've done good, Tidal Wave. You've done good." Eternal said. His attention went towards Melodia, who had her back turned towards him, still unsure if he was upset with her or not. Eternal placed his hoof on her shoulder and she closed her eyes tightly. "Melodia, it's alright. Look at me." he said. Melodia turned and faced Eternal with an uncertain look and shook a little bit. "No matter how badly the pain felt when you were young, it was the wrong thing to do when you endangered the lives of innocent ponies."
"I know... and I'm truly sorry for everything. I just felt so alone when I had lost my father years ago. He was the only family I had left." Melodia said sadly.
"How? How did that happen?" Eternal asked. Melodia turned away, closing her eyes tightly.
"I think I can shed some light on this. But you guys should be aware that what I saw in her memories was something that even leaves scars in me." Sunset explains. She approaches Melodia and placed her hoof on Melodia and looks over at the guys and says, "Grab my hoof and don't let go." Tidal Wave and Eternal Flames nodded and grabbed Sunset's hoof and she began to transfer Melodia's memories to the two stallions. In that brief moment, not a word was said, just the looks of shock, sadness and anger.
When Sunset let go of Melodia, Eternal's expression began to change. His bangs covered his eyes and he started emitting low growls. Tidal Wave looked at Melodia, now understanding what had happened and approached her, placing his hoof on her claw.
"Now I understand. I'm so sorry, Melodia. No pony should go through that." he says, almost crying.
"To think that I respected her... but to find out how much of a monster SHE was... I can never forgive her for what she's done to a little filly! If I find that mare, she's DONE FOR!" Eternal snarled.
"Calm down, Eternal! You don't even know where to find her." Sunset says.
"Then, if she ever shows her face again, I'll make sure she doesn't try this on anypony else!"
"There'll be plenty of time for threats, but right now, I think it's best that we take Melodia with us. The others are probably wondering what's taking us so long." Tidal implied.
"Fine... but I'm keeping an eye out for that monster if she ever shows up. And I don't mean you, Melodia." Eternal said, a bit calmer, but still feeling a bit hostile. The group of friends all gathered together and were about to teleport back to the village, however, Melodia spared them the trouble by using her own magic to teleport the four of them back to the village.
Tidal Wave leaned down and placed Melodia up on his back. She yelped at his surprising actions but later accepted it and just let the fatigue take over and she wrapped her forlegs around his neck, soundly falling asleep as they finally approached their friends. At the same time, the rest of the gang rushed over to the four ponies and surrounded them in a big circle.
"Sunset, did it go well, she didn't hurt you, did she?!" Twilight asks.
"It's alright, Twilight. She didn't attack me or the boys. In fact, this might sound crazy, but she's actually being given a second chance to redeem herself." Sunset explains.
"WHAT?!" everypony asked in disbelief.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?! She nearly tried kill you and Tidal's sister earlier!" Rainbow shouts.
"And let's not forget that Princess Celestia told us how Melodia shot Blaze Burn down the mountain! What good'll it be it let that thing run free." Applejack asks, pointing at the sleeping hybrid on Tidal's back.
"Hey! You didn't see what Sunset showed me and Tidal." Eternal snapped, glaring daggers. Applejack quirked an eyebrow at his expression.
"What're y'all talkin' about?"
"Are you aware of Sunset's ability to look into ponies' pasts?" Tidal Wave asks.
"Of course, bu....oh, lemme guess, somethin' bad happened to Melodia in her past life." AJ guessed.
"Yes. And it wasn't pretty. If you want, then I'll explain it, but I warn you, her memories aren't exactly the sweetest kind of memories a filly has ever made." Eternal says. "Tell me, have any of you ponies ever wondered what it's like to have your hooves chained over your head and have them dangling from the ceiling, because that's what Melodia went through. And let's say there's this ancient so-called guardian who had something to do with all of this and she's the reason Melodia acted the way she did today."
"What are you talking about, deary? What "guardian" are you talking about?" Rarity asked.
"The same one who raised mother: Queen Galaxia, my grandmother." Eternal says, glaring. Pinkie Pie levitated a few feet off the ground, gasping before landing back down on her hooves.
"I... did not see that coming!" Pinkie says.
"But, why would Queen Galaxia hurt Melodia? Surely she wouldn't stoop that low. She and King Cosmos were the most powerful guardians in all of Equestria before the two sisters." Fluttershy says.
"Fluttershy, many guardians come with flaws in their lives and I think from Eternal's expression, Galaxia had that one big flaw that probably made him discredit everything about Queen Galaxia. I just pray that he doesn't do the unthinkable if he ever meets her face-to-face." Spark Burst says.
"Eternal, my son." Celestia says, approaching him. "Are you sure all of this was because of mother? Please, I have to know if this is the truth!" she begs with tears in her eyes.
"Seeing Melodia's memories with Sunset's help makes me wish it was all a lie. Even if we try to deny it, memories always reveal the hidden truth." Eternal says, still looking down, holding in his anger. Celestia didn't want to believe it, but there was no hint of lies hidden in her son's words. Celestia backed away from her son and hung her head down in shame. She turned to Melodia, who was still sleeping on Tidal Wave's back and she approached him with guilt and sympathy. "Melodia, my dearest friend, I'm so sorry for everything that's happened to you and not being there for you when you needed me."
"I can only imagine what she might say if she heard you say that." said a male voice. Celestia looked in front of her and saw that Blaze Burn had fully recovered from his fall. She approached him with concern, though, feeling like she could've done more to save him.
"Dearest, you're not still hurt, are you?" Celestia asked.
"I only had my ear drum nearly blown out, but other than that, I should be fine. I apologize for making you worry about me so much." Blaze Burn replied. "Including you, my son." he says to Eternal.
"I'm just glad you're okay, father." Eternal replied.
"Come on, Eternal, you always refer to him as "father" and not "dad." Can't you at least stop with the formalities for once and talk to him like he's "family" and not a "high-class pony?" Heat Blitz asked.
"It's alright, Heat Blitz. He's just being himself. Now, how's about we get to fixing the village? Then, maybe later on, we can get accquainted with our new friend and ally." Blaze Burn says.
"It'll be a challenge to fix up everything in this village if it's only one of us, Blaze Burn. After all, this was my home at one time and I want to help restore it with you." Celestia says.
Blaze Burn chuckled. "I think it's a great idea." he replied. Now coming to an agreement, the two alicorns stood closely with each other and lit up their horns in unison, casting their combined magical energies together and coating the entire village in it. The light shined so brightly in one instant and then disappeared, revealing the village finally being restored to its original state. Princess Celestia and the former King Blaze Burn smiled at each other and the village before approaching Twilight and her friends.
"I suppose this means our work here is finally done, everypony." Celestia says. The girls nodded.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Hurricane Breeze asked.
"Well, to be specific, Hurricane, we came here because of a friendship problem and we all got called here by the map of Equestria, which was sort of rare. I know it seems a bit difficult to take in at first, but, in reality we're actually the spirits of the Elements of Harmony, just like how you and your friends are the spirits of the Elements of Freedom here. And now that our work is done, we have to go home." Fluttershy explains.
"She's right. After all, I'm sure you guys saw our cutie marks blinking earlier, right?" Twilight asks. Eternal and his friends and family all agreed with a nod. "Well, that was the sign telling us that our work here is done, and we have to get going if we want to stay alert for anymore threats."
"Wait, what about that monster that sent Melodia flying? She's still on the loose!" Spike says. "Don't forget, she still has the ability to sing the Song of Dragons! At any rate, she mi-- AGH!!!" he shouted. Spike kneeled down onto his hands and knees.
Twilight ran to the teen dragon with concern. "Spike, is something wrong?" she asked. As she got closer, Melodia woke up from her little nap and looked up to see Twilight approaching Spike and could hear a familiar melody being sung from a far distance and she knew it meant danger.
"STOP, DON'T GET SO CLOSE TO HIM!!!" Melodia shouted. Twilight looked back, which proved to be a big mistake because Spike also looked and had his predatorial eyes locked on her. Sunset felt uneasy with the way Spike was looking at Twilight and ran towards her.
"Twilight she's right, get away from him!" Sunset says, tackling Twilight away from Spike, who shot green flames, but missed his target.
"The next time we meet, you won't be so lucky! Remember this day!" Spike growled before flying off. As soon as he was out of sight, Melodia took one look at Rarity's expression and immediately caught wind of the situation, knowing what she was about to say.
"Oh no! Spi-" Rarity says.
"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Rainbow Dash said, cutting her off.
"Phew, thank you." Melodia sighed in relief.
"What are you girls talking about?" Eternal asked. Rainbow went over to Eternal.
"Rarity's had this annoying habit of calling Spike by these nicknames like "Spikey-poo or Spikey-Wikey." Rainbow whispered in his ear. Eternal face hooved himself.
"Sweet mother Celestia, how does he put up with her?" he asks.
"We'll worry about that later! Right now, we've got to find a way to bring Spike back!" Twilight says.
"Twilight's right! Spike's done so much for Equestria than we give him credit for! But we're going to need you boys to come along with us if we are to succeed!" Celestia said.
"What?!" the boys shouted in surprise.
"But, the Freedom Village is our home. What's going to happen if we leave it behind? What if some other evil entity shows up and tries to destroy the village?" Hurricane Breeze asks.
"Nonsense." said another male voice.
"What? Who said that?" Eternal asked. He feels something land on his shoulder, catching him by surprise and he turns around, meeting his older brother eye-to-eye.
"Hah! There's no need to worry. You and your friends have forgotten that I'm the new leader of the village, so anything that tries to harm anypony here has to answer to me." Blue Blaze says.
"Are you sure about this?"
"Don't worry about me. I'm still strong enough to hold my own. But it's still your decision on whether or not your want to join the others. But if you want my advise, I say you should venture forth, this way you and your friends will be able to learn and grow. The village can only teach you so much and I say that you've learned just about everything you need to learn in this entire village and the valley. And you should always keep in mind that as your older brother, I'm so proud of you."
The words coming from Blue Blaze made Eternal silent for a few seconds and in return, he gave his older brother a big hug, earning a hug from him in return. Eternal pulled back and said, "And I'm proud I got to grow up with the best big brother in the whole world." he then turned to his friends and told them, "Guys, whether or not you choose to stay here, I'm heading back with mother."
"If you're going, then I'm going with you, too!" Heat Blitz says. The other guys all walked up with confidence in their eyes and in their spirits.
"So are we!" they said in unison. Eternal was surprised that all 6 of his friends were coming along with him on his journey, his respect for his friends grew more, knowing that he'll always have their backs as they've had his back throughout all the years he's known them. |
Rise of Equestria: The War Begins | Farewell, Freedom Village | "Alright then guys, before we leave for Ponyville, I suggest that we all pack up our stuff and say our farewells to our friends and families. They deserve to know that much." Eternal implied. "Same goes for you Heat Blitz, if you're coming with me we'll have to tell Crimson and Flaming we're leaving."
"I know bro." Heat Blitz replied, putting on a sad smile. "I'm really going to miss the bundle of joy. She was always a little ray of sunshine to us."
"I know, but this is something we have to do in order to grow. Plus, every once in a while, we can always come back and visit whenever we're not so busy saving Equestria. Now come on. Like father always says, it's never a good idea to keep the ladies waiting for long."
"What does that make me, chopped liver?!" Rarity asks, feeling offended.
"Only if said pony brings up the subject." Eternal replies with a bored, straight face.
"OOH, burn! I'm liking his style already! I can tell that we are gonna get along just fine with you guys around." Rainbow Dash says, patting Eternal's back hard.
"Hmph! Well I never!" Rarity scoffed. She turned away from Rainbow Dash with her eyes closed, with her snout pointing up into the sky. Pinkie Pie confronted Rarity with her usual happy attitude.
"Aww, cheer up Rarity. At least you still got Spike worshiping the ground you walk on, even though he's been crushing on you ever since he was just a baby dragon. It's too bad that he was put under hypnosis by the Song of Dragons against his own will." Pinkie explains quickly. Rarity stares at Pinkie with her "not helping" look, instantly making Pinkie feel like she's said enough.
"Anyways, I'd better get going. Come along Rain Drop. Mom and dad are probably still worried sick about you, and are wondering where you are," Tidal says to his little sister.
"Coming," Rain replies. She follows Tidal Wave and stays close to his side, yet she feels uncomfortable with Melodia being so close as well. She's wide awake but she still has her forelegs wrapped around Tidal's neck and won't let go of him. Rain feels a hint of jealousy running through her mind since she would always latch onto Tidal's neck every time she was tired and wanted him to carry her to her room if she ever stayed up late, reading her favorite books.
As she was taking that short trip down memory lane, she feels Tidal place his hoof on her shoulder. She stops, and looks at her big brother. "We're home now sis," he says. He points over to the two-story building a few feet in front of them. Just as they approach the front door of their house, the door opens up and shows a male and female earth pony.
The mare has the same light blue fur as Tidal Wave, with a mane and tail like Rain Drop's fur. The stallion has a black mane and tail like Tidal Wave, yet like Rain's mane and tail, the stallion has aqua blue fur. The parents greet them looking surprised and worried.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Rain Drop shouts, running to her parents. They kneel down and hug Rain Drop, holding her safely in their hooves.
"Rain, we were worried sick about you what happened?!" Rain's mom asks.
"I don't know, I was just reading a book, and next thing I know, I end up on top up of some mountain by this strange pony who looked like a dragon. I was crying and screaming for somepony to help me and then she goes scratches me before she threw me off the mountain," Rain explains.
"She's telling the truth mother," Tidal says. "If you don't believe me then this lady on my back is living proof."
His parents looked in shock and disgust when Melodia lifted up her head and waved at them.
"Salutations." she said, plainly.
"How dare you do this to our daughter! Do you have any idea what you've done?!" Tidal's dad asks.
"Father, allow me to explain," Tidal says.
"No absolutely not, the last thing we need to hear right now is your excuses! It's bad enough that our little Rain Drop was hurt, including you!" Tidal's mom says as she walks up to her son and hugs him. "I just can't stand the fact that you fought this monster and got your little sister involved in this!"
"I know, mother. I was scared for her, too. But you have to listen to me. I'm not going to be around in the Freedom Village for very long." Tidal replied. His mom and dad looked at him with confusion. "You see, my friends and I have already done everything for this village. But if we stay here, we might not get to explore and learn what's beyond the village and valley all put together."
"Absolutely not! You'll be doing no such thing until you've--" his father said before he cut him off.
"Until I've what, follow in your greedy hoofsteps? Sorry, but I'm not like you, father. I don't care about money or having the power to control others. I prefer to walk my own path and start off fresh. I'm not your little colt anymore and this is something that I have to do. Plus, I can't just abandon Melodia after everything she went through thousands of years ago." Tidal explains.
"Stop trying to butter me up, you sweet talker!" Melodia chuckled, pinching Tidal's cheek.
"Ouch! Watch the claws!"
"Oh, stop being such a foal."
"B...But Tidal Wave, are you sure about leaving? What about your sister?" his mother asked.
"Mommy! Daddy! Stop that! Yes, I may be a little young, but that doesn't mean you should treat me like a foal and use me as some pawn to make big brother stay here! If you really love my big brother, you'll stop being so greedy and start acting like a family for once! Now stop arguing with each other and make up like a real mommy and daddy does with their children!" Rain Drop intervened.
Their parents were taken by surprise by their daughter's words. Even Tidal and Melodia were caught off guard by how she told off her parents. Tidal turned back to face his parents and they turned to face him with the look of, to Tidal's surprise, guilt and anxiety. His father approached him first.
"Listen, Tidal Wave. I know I wasn't always the best father, and I know I hurt you. But the thing is, I just wanted us to stay together and prevent the family from falling apart." his dad said.
"Father, moving out of the house is a big step in every mare and stallion's life so they can learn to continue onward for their own sake, as well as to make their loved ones proud. I love you, father, but I can't stand having to put up these constant arguements between you, me and mother. Throughout my whole life, all I wanted from you guys was your love and support and these five simple words: I'm proud of you, son. Please, let's stop this meaningless family feud and make up for all our past mistakes." Tidal explains.
"Look, it's not any of my business to interfere with family affairs, but you two should be ashamed of using your son as a meal ticket to stay in power next to whoever leads this village. Parents are suppose to be kind and loving to their children, even in the darkest of times. I know, because that's what my father would always do when I was just a little filly long ago. There was even that last act of courage where he gave up his life just so I could live another day, and it really scarred me since then." Melodia explains. "You should be grateful for all the accomplishments Tidal Wave has done for the both of you over the years."
Melodia's words seemed to have really gotten to Tidal's mom and dad. Their eyes were filled with regret as they looked at Tidal Wave again.
"Is that really all you wanted from us? Just our love and support?" his mom asked. Tidal nodded with a nervous smile, hoping to get his wish. His mother sniffed. "If it means that you'll be happy, then I'll be happy to say "I'm proud of you, son." she wrapped her arms around his, sobbing quietly. She and Tidal's dad savored their son's final few moments in the Freedom Village.
"I'm sorry for not being the father you wanted me to be, Tidal Wave. If there's anything else you want us to do, then go ahead and tell us and we'll try to make it happen." his dad said.
"Just make sure that Rain Drop lives a cheerful life. A life that I couldn't even begin to imagine. That's all I want the two of you to do." Tidal replied. His parents pulled away from the hug and nodded and backed away, allowing Rain Drop to give her big brother a hug.
"Don't forget about me, okay?" Rain asked.
"I could never forget about you, Rain." Tidal replies warmly.
"I love you, big brother."
"I love you, too, little sis."
Tidal nuzzled his little sister and headed inside his house to start packing up his saddle bags, getting ready for the big move with all his friends, including his brand new close friend, Melodia.
As Hurricane Breeze was coming up to his house, Fluttershy followed him close behind. She had never met his family before and wanted to meet them first hoof. Hurricane had no problems with her tagging along with him, but the same couldn't be said for his sisters.
When they finally reached the front door of his house, he reached out to open the door, but it opened up, revealing his loving mom, Her fur was silver colored like Hurricane's mane and her mane was minty green like her son's fur, but her eyes were golden yellow.
"Oh, Hurricane. Welcome home. Is this a friend of yours?" his mom asks.
"Yes ma'am. My name's Fluttershy. Who are you?" Fluttershy asks.
"I am Sunny Breeze. If it wasn't obvious, I'm Hurricane's mother. It's nice to meet you." Sunny and Fluttershy walked up to each other and shook hooves with each other. "You know, I don't think we've ever met before, are you new here to the Freedom Village?"
"Well, yes. Hurriane and I became really good friends. I met him in the zoo. The poor stallion's been working so hard all by himself to care for the zoo animals." Fluttershy explains.
"Mom, can I ask you something?" Hurricane asks.
"Sure, sweetie, anything." Sunny replies.
"I want you to look after the animals at the zoo."
"The zoo? What for?"
"If you haven't found out yet, I'm leaving the Freedom Village. A dangerous threat was unleashed a short while ago and now it's escaped into the outside world. There's no telling where it'll attack, so I've got to go with my friends to put a stop to it." Hurricane explains.
"What?! Hurricane, you can't go out into the world, it's dangerous!"
"That's why I'm packing up all my necessary equiptment before I leave soon. Of course, I can't ask you to take on the task alone, so can you make sure my sisters know about this?"
"Oh, we can hear you, and you can just forget it you little twerp!" said another female voice. Fluttershy gasped and looked over Sunny to see two looked just like Hurricane Breeze with their matching silver manes and tails and their minty green fur coats, but their eyes were golden yellow like their mom's.
"Angel Wings, listen, I can't have mom doing all the work. You only saw me working at the zoo and no pony else because I put more time and love into nurturing all those animals."
"And that concerns me, why, Hurricane? There's absolutely no way we're going to work at that stinky zoo caring for those smelly animals anymore! If you ask me, you should just save us all the trouble, close it all down and take those disgusting creatures to another zoo." Angel says, turning away.
"That's just plain rude of you to say that!" Fluttershy intervenes.
"And just who are you suppose to be, his marefriend?" asked his other sister.
"My name is Fluttershy, and just who are you to disrespect your own little brother?" Fluttershy asks, feeling her anger starting to build up.
"I am Summer Breeze. And what we're talking about doesn't concern you, so back off." she replies. Her attention returns to Hurricane Breeze, "Now, if you want to keep that zoo, that's fine, but working at a filthy zoo isn't the type of work for two mares like us."
"Honestly, little brothers can be such a pain. How grandmother ever dealt with you, we'll never know, you might as well save us the trouble and--" Angel wings before she gets cut off.
"Stop...right...THERE!!!" Fluttershy intervenes.
Angel and Summer looked at Fluttershy, but then became struck with fear when she unleashed "The Stare" on the two mares and approached them slowly.
"Whoa, c-chill, sister!" Angel said nervously.
"Don't "chill, sister" me! Hurricane Breeze is your little brother! Ganging up on him and insulting him in front of his face is an insult to older sisters everywhere! And I should know, because I too am an older sister to my little brother back at my home. He may have had a rocky start in wanting to start his own career, but I wanted him to always keep trying and never give up. A good sister always shows her love and support to her little brothers and/or sisters, but you two are just too self-absorbed in your own easy life that you hardly ever see the pain your little brother's been feeling ever since his beloved grandmother passed away!" Fluttershy said, crossed.
"I have to agree with Fluttershy, you two should be ashamed of yourselves! And I think it's about time you two started helping out around the house! Your brother has done a lot for our family and I've just about had enough of your stuck up attitudes! Now apologize to Hurricane Breeze AT ONCE!" Sunny Breeze ordered, shouting that last part at her daughters.
Summer Breeze and Angel Wings flinched and took a step back together. They just looked at Hurricane with the feeling of digust, which then turned into guilt. They approached Hurricane Breeze and leaned down a bit to his eye level and actually saw and felt the pain their little brother had buried deep inside his heart, but they never gave him the chances to let him confess because they made him feel powerless.
"H-Hurricane?" Angel Wings asks. "I... w-we're sorry."
"Why?" Hurricane said, hiding his eyes in his mane. His body began to quiver. "Why did you always have to belittle every little thing I ever did just because I wasn't born as your third sister?"
"It was a terrible mistake, we admit it, but the truth was... we had a little trouble with trusting you as our little brother ever since daddy went missing. I guess we thought that he had something against you and we sort of went along with it, but you never did anything bad. We didn't want to admit we were wrong, and I guess our pride got in the way from seeing how much we've hurt you." Angel says.
"So in other words, we just wanted to say we're sorry for everything we've done. It wasn't right for us to go against you and we want to make it up to you. If you want us to help mom run the zoo when you leave, then that's what we'll do if means you'll be happy." Summer adds.
"Y...You really mean it?" Hurricane asks.
"Yes. And we want you to know one more thing." Angel says. She and Summer wrapped their hooves around Hurricane and pulled him in gently into a warm hug. "We love you, Hurricane. And we always will."
"No matter what you do or how you choose to live your life. From now on, you'll always have our love and support and we promise to take good care of the animals here." Summer added.
Hurricane smiled warmly and hugged his sisters back. "Angel Wings, Summer Breeze, thank you both so much, you don't know how much this means to me." he said. After a few seconds of hugging, he let go of his sisters and walked inside with Fluttershy close behind. "Well, I'd better get to packing. Oh, and I'll make a list for you girls, so you'll know what you need to do when caring for all the animals."
"Alright." his sisters and mom replied.
"I'm glad you were able to work things out with your sisters. I bet you feel better now that you're not going to be fighting with them anymore." Fluttershy asks.
"If you hadn't tagged along, they'd probably still have these "trusting issues" with me. So, I mostly have you to thank for all of this, Fluttershy." Hurricane replies.
"Aww, you're welcome. What are friends for?"
Hurricane smiled and nodded and walked into his room while Fluttershy waited for him outside his bedroom door as he started packing his things, getting himself ready to leave.
Ground Breaker was heading back to his home to break the news to his dad. Applejack tagged along with Ground Breaker just so she could keep him company.
"Ya know, Ah don't think Ah've ever seen yer dad before. What's he like?" AJ asked.
"Best dad anypony could ask for. We've had our ups and downs when it came to life on the farm, but he's always taken very good care of me since I was just a foal." Ground says. "He's the only family I've got since I was never able to meet my mom. I don't know where she is or why she left, but, in all honesty, I'm just glad my dad had done everything to raise me right."
"Ah getcha, and look how good ya turned out. Ah'll bet yer dad is gonna be surprised to hear about how yer movin' out and goin' on a new adventure."
"No kidding."
Ground and Applejack had a few good laughs soon afterwards. A few minutes later, Ground Breaker and Applejack reach the house and Ground opened up the door. In doing so, he caught the scent of something tasty in the kitchen and he licked his lips in hunger. His dad then walks into the living room. His fur was a solid brown color, though a bit darker than that. His mane and tail were all black and his eyes were dark green, the same exact color as Ground Breaker's eyes.
"Well, now. Nice to see that you're still in one piece. A lot of crazy stuff went on out there and I was worried that you might have gotten hurt. But, at least now I know you're okay." he said.
"Thanks, dad. Here, I want you to meet my friend." Ground Breaker said. He took a step to the side and showed Applejack to his dad.
"Howdy, partner. Name's Applejack. Ground Breaker's told me lotsa good thing 'boutcha." AJ says.
"It's nice to meet you, Applejack. I'm Earth Shaker. I always knew he'd find somepony special." he said. Ground Breaker facehooved himself in embarrassment.
"Dad! She's just my friend! You know I'm old-fashioned when it comes to relationships." Ground replied.
"I know, I know. I'm just playing with you. So what exactly brings you by? I can already tell you're not here to retire for the day or just to grab a bite to eat. So what's on your mind?" Earth Shaker asked.
"The thing is, dad, I've got to get my saddle bags packed up. I'm planning on heading over to this place called Ponyville, meaning me and my friends are leaving the Freedom Village."
"Oh? What's the occasion?"
"Remember how everything in the village went all nutsy-coo-coo?"
"Yes?"
"Well, that was from this evil entity who awakened from her slumber and brought out an even stronger evil and now that stronger evil entity is out there somewhere, waiting to strike."
"Yer son ain't lyin' sir. Ah saw the evil creature with mah own eyes, too." AJ added. For a little while, Earth Shaker had said nothing and only stood eye to eye with his son. Earth Shaker wasn't comfortable about Ground wanting to move out of the village with whatever evil creature was out there. But at the same time, he knew that there was nothing he could do to stop his son from making his own choices.
Earth Shaker let out a sigh and approached Ground Breaker, putting his hoof on his son's shoulder. "Just remember that even though I don't want you to get hurt, I want you to know that as your father, I have to know when to let my own son go so he can grow and learn."
"Dad, are you saying...?" Ground asked.
"Yes. If you want to go out into the world, then I won't stop you. After all, it'll save me a bundle on my food stocks now that you're moving out." Earth Shaker chuckled, giving his son a playful hit on the shoulders. Ground Breaker laughed it out like it was a joke. "Either way, I'm proud of you, my son." he said. He pulled in Ground Breaker and hugged him and his son hugged back.
Applejack took her stretson hat and placed it over her chest watching as Ground as his father were saying their goodbyes to each other. Seeing a bond like this made her think about her parents. Once Earth Shaker was done and let his son go, Ground Breaker walked to his room and began packing his things.
Spark Burst had flown over the village, heading back to his house with his friend, Rainbow Dash. During the whole flight there, she wouldn't stop rambling on about the things she wanted to "teach" Spark about when they get back to Ponyville.
"Tell me, Spark. You're a fast flyer, and a great fighter, right?" Rainbow asked.
"Umm... yes? Why do you ask?" Spark asked.
"I'm just sayin', not a lot of pegasi can fly fast and kick flank at the same time! Unless you're somepony gifted and talented like myself, then it's no surprise."
"Rainbow Dash, modesty is a virtue. Those who boast about self-greatness will eventually lose face. And for the record, I wasn't gifted when I became the way I am now."
"Aww, come on, Sparkster. You should feel proud about your own greatness."
"Bragging isn't my style. It'll only serve to cloud all the hard work I've endured to get this far."
"Well, aren't you a riot at parties." Rainbow crossed her hooves, bored with his attitude. "At least mostly everypony over at the Wonderbolts Academy doesn't take the fun out."
"What's the Wonderbolts Academy?"
"Well, since you've been living out here, I might as well tell you. The Wonderbolts Academy is just the most awesome of awesome places where only the top-notch pegasi become the best flyers and serve to protect the citizens of Ponyville. I can even put in a good word about you with a pretty awesome friend of mine who's captain of the Wondebolts, if you want."
"Umm... hmm... I'm not sure, but I'll take it into consideration."
"Sweet! So where's your home?"
Spark Burst scouted the village from above and spotted a two-story buildings with a pond on the backyard, and a smirk appeared on his face. "Follow me." he said. He and Rainbow flew down towards the house and landed at the front porch. "Hold on for just a moment." he told Rainbow. He opened up the door and right in front of his eyes stood a pegasus mare. She had a long, blonde mane, same color as Spark Burst's blonde, spikey hair and had minty green eyes just like Spark's eyes but looked more brighter than her son's. Her fur coat, however, was white.
"Whoa, are you Spark's mom?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Yes. My name is Lightning Storm. And who might you be?" she asked.
"I'm Rainbow Dash, I'm Spark's buddy." she replies.
"Long story short, she started chasing me all over the village while I was working." Spark added. Lightning Storm chuckled and looked at Rainbow Dash, who started blushing a bit.
"Heheh, I'm a little competitive. Sorry about that." Rainbow replied.
"That's alright. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I did train Spark Burst." Lightning said.
"Yeah, he told me about that. I've got a lot of respect for you for that!"
"Thank you, Ms. Dash."
"Hey, no problem"
"Well, if we're all done with these trips down memory lane, I've gotta pack my saddle bags. The others won't wait for me for very long. Not while that threat is still on the loose." Spark says. He flew up to the second floor and approached the door to his room. But then, he took a side step, moving away from the door as his mom flew up and stood in between her son's room and Spark.
"I'm well aware of the situation, Spark. But I can't allow you to go out on your own. It's too dangerous. You're the only family I have left after my husband passed away." Lightning said in a low tone.
"I know. It may be dangerous out there, but this is something I have to do." Spark replied.
"The answer is no!"
"I'm old enough to make my own choices. And I'm not going to be alone on my journey. My friends will be tagging along with me on the trip."
"Spark, I can't take that risk. You're much too precious for me to lose!"
Never before had Rainbow Dash seen or heard of a mother being so protective of her own son to the point where she would be refusing to let him leave, even if he wasn't traveling alone. She knew that she wasn't in a position to interfere with these family arguements, but she wanted to do something to help convince Lightning Storm to let her son go on his trip.
"Look, Lightning" Rainbow said, flying up to the 2nd floor. "It's none of my business to meddle in your family arguement, but what's the point of training your own son into a combat genius if you're not going to let him walk his own path, it just doesn't seem right. The whole point about teaching your kid all that self-defense excercise was to help him grow and learn to be an independant stallion. I know that you don't feel comfortable with it, but that's just part of how life works Lightning."
In the midst of the arguement, Lightning stopped and felt shocked at what Rainbow said. It was true that Lightning didn't want to let her son go. He had grown into a strong, and wise fighter than his own father despite his young age, but she still couldn't bare the thought of losing her own son.
She knew she had to make the right choice, even if it wasn't the easiest choice a parent could make. She looked down with her mane drooping over her face. "Spark." she said. "If this is what you want, then I won't stop you, but just know that no matter what, if you ever need me, I'll always be right here." Lightning looked up with a tearful smile, "You've made me so proud of how much you've grown."
Spark Burst smiled back and approached his mom, hugging her. "And I'm proud to call you my mother, thank you so much for everything that you've for me. I love you, mom." he said.
"I love you, too, Spark." Lightning whimpered. She hugged him back and sobbed in his shoulder. Spark Burst unfolded one of his wings and wrapped it around her. Lightning sobbed even louder in Spark's shoulder, wrapping her hooves around him tightly. Rainbow Dash could tell that they needed some time alone and flew back down to the first floor and waited.
For a little while, Spark held his mother in a warm hug and then finally let go. She moved out of the way to his room and allowed him to pack his saddle bags.
Twilight and Sunset went with the three brothers, Blue Blaze, Eternal Flames and Heat Blitz back to their house, wanting to keep them company when they say their good-byes to their family, minus the oldest brother, who has a village to look after. All the while, Twilight was still a bit worried about how Spike had fallen prey to the sound of the Song of Dragons. She only hoped that no matter the danger, they would do all that they could to bring back Spike safe and sound.
Sunset could feel the sadness inside Twilight's heart and couldn't blame her. Spike was like an adorable little brother to her and to see him get caught overtaken by that song was heartbreaking. Even if she wanted to at least ease Twilight's pain, the fact still stands that Spike was missing.
Finally reaching the house, the four friends walked inside. Twilight and Sunset walked into the living room and waited for the boys to take care of business. Twilight was still looking sad and she wasn't going getting any better, so Sunset sat closer to Twilight and placed a hoof on one of Twilight's shoulder.
"Don't worry, Twilight. I know it'll take some time, but we'll bring Spike back." Sunset says.
"Didn't you see the way he... looked at me?" Twilight asks with tears in her eyes. "That wasn't the same Spike I hatched from and egg when I was a filly!" Twilight couldn't keep the tears in any longer and buried her face in her hooves, along with the addition of her wings. Sunset couldn't do much to ease her pain except hug Twilight and rock her gently back and forth.
Meanwhile, upstairs, the three brothers met up in Blue Blaze's bedroom with his wife and daughter. Flaming Sapphire wasn't sure why they needed to meet up, so she asked her dad.
"Daddy? What's going on? Did something bad happen?" Flaming asked.
"Why don't we let your uncles explain it, sweetie? It's very important." Blue Blaze implied.
"Oh, okay."
"I'm sure you know this already since you told me earlier, Blue Blaze, but I need to make this clear to Crimson and you, my little niece." Eternal says. Flaming and Crimson nodded. Eternal took a deep breath and said, "I've decided to move out of the village and travel to Ponyville. There's nothing left for me to learn here, so I hope you both understand this.
"What? You're leaving? But will I ever see you again?" Flaming asked, feeling sad.
"Of course, sweetie. You should know that good-byes aren't really forever." Eternal replied.
"Same goes for me. I'm going with Eternal and his friends. I don't think there's anything left for me to do in the village, so I might as well pack up and head out." Heat Blitz says.
"What? Are you sure about this?" Crimson asks.
"Yes, I'm sure. Besides, I just watched one of my friends fall into a trance in front of my very eyes and now he's out there under the control of an evil entity."
"Which is why my friends and I are going to get him back. But right now, I think Twilight needs all the comfort she can get now that her #1 assistant is gone at the moment." Eternal implies.
"You're right about that, bro. I don't know how much help I'll be, but I'll do what I can."
"Wait! Uncle Heat and Eternal!" Flaming exclaimed. She got both of her uncles' attentions. She ran up to them with her cute little hooves and hugged Heat Blitz first, sniffling. Heat Blitz hugged his niece back for a while until he had her face him.
"Don't forget about us, okay?" Heat Blitz asks. Flaming nodded and turned her attention to her uncle Eternal Flames and walked up to him.
"We won't forget about you." Eternal added. Flaming smiled tearfully and hugged Eternal. He hugged her back and gave her a peck on the forehead.
"I love you, uncle Eternal and Heat." Flaming says.
"We love you, too, kiddo. Listen to your mom and dad and remember to be good, okay?" Heat says.
"I will."
"Come on, bro. We've got some packing to do. Get your saddle bags ready." Eternal says.
"Right!"
"Good luck, boys. And thanks for everything." Crimson Ruby says. Eternal and Heat nodded and walked out of the bedroom and headed to their own rooms and started packing their things.
At the ice cream joint, Pinkie Pie was pigging out on yet another large bowl of ice cream. Shadow Force, however, went in the back and chatted with his boss. He explained everything about what had happened earlier and the next thing that really shocked him.
"Look, boss. I just want to say that I'm grateful for everything you've done. You gave me a pretty neat job and I've had nothing but good memories here. But, because of the situation that went on earlier with that crazed evil maniac, I have to resign from my job and move out with my friends." Shadow says.
"You what? Well, gee, I didn't think you'd leave so sudden. But, are you sure you're making the right choice, I mean, you've made a lot of customers happy here as well as made them feel welcome. If you left, the locals would miss ya very much. But if this is what you have to do, then I won't stop you." his boss said.
"Thanks, boss."
"You're welcome. But could I ask you one thing?"
"Sure, what is it?"
Shadow waited for his boss to respond and he ended up pointing at a certain pink pony who had her face buried deep in an ice cream sundae. "Who's gonna pay for her bill?" he asks.
"HAH! You seem to forget that I have a habit of saving my bits. This time, it's on me."
"Cool, thanks, Shadow. But, I don't think I'll have enough ice cream left in the freezer for the others if she's munching on any more bowls."
"Alright, I'll try to talk to her. In the meantime, you know where I hid my life savings." Shadow leaped over the counter and walked over to the ever-hungry Pinkie Pie, still making her munching sounds as she devours her sundae and Shadow tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, Pinkster."
"YIPE!" Pinkie shrieked. She leaped up and started bouncing off the walls. Shadow quirked an eyebrow at how she even does what she does. Pinkie lands back on her chair with her eyes shrunk. "Oh, hi there, Shadow, what'd you need, is there something wrong? OOH! Do you think you can hit me another tasty ice cream sundae, OOH, and with extra sprinkles, too!"
"Uhh, that's not a good idea. Listen, I think it's best that you lay off on going crazy with all the ice cream, there's only so much stocked in the freezer and everypony else needs to enjoy their fair share, so I think you've had enough for one day."
"Aww, but I wanted extra sprinkles."
"You can get extra sprinkles back in Ponyville. But for me, when I get there, I'm gonna find myself a brand new job and start off fresh."
"Well, I could always put in a good word for you at Sugar Cube Corner. They're loaded with all kinds of tasty pastries and I'm sure Mr and Mrs. Cake'll love having you around"
"Uhh... no thanks. But don't get me wrong, I do have a sweet tooth, but I want to try something else. I feel like if I end up working at another sweets joint, I'll end up on a sugar crazed rampage like you did with your ice cream and I'll get out of shape, ya know?"
"Oh, okay."
"Look, no need to trouble yourself, Pinkie. I can look for a job on my own. Now, come on, the others are probably waiting for us at the entrance by now."
"Gee, aren't you in a hurry to leave. So much in a way where you just can't pay the bill." Pinkie retorts playfully, while she was walking out the ice cream joint with Shadow.
"Wrong, the boss and I have two seperate safes stored away and I told him he could use the bits from mine to pay the bill and luckily, he knows the combination. " Shadow says.
Moments later, Shadow and Pinkie Pie made it back to the entrance to the village where Celestia, Blaze Burn and Rarity were waiting patiently. The others arrived shortly afterwards. Once everypony was gathered, Celestia addressed them all and had them gathered together.
"Alright everypony, listen up. Our job here is done, but that doesn't mean we should celebrate. We've lost Spike and it's our duty to bring him back! However, because of her ability to use the Song of Dragons, we must be cautious with how we pursue her." Celestia says.
"Then, how are we suppose to stop her if she's got a whole dragon army by her side?" Rainbow asks.
"I've already thought of a way to handle the situation. Twilight, Sunset." said Celestia.
"Yes, princess?" Sunset asked.
"I need you two to check every square inch of the library in your castle on any information regarding Zoor while I check the the archives in my castle with my sister. Blaze Burn, you should tag along with me. I know it's going to be difficult to leave your hometown, but we're going to need all the help we can get if we ever stand a chance against Zoor and save Spike."
"Very well, then. But how are we going to head back? There's only two carriages and 17 of us. It'll be next to impossible to fit everypony in the carriages." Blaze Burn says.
"Not to worry, my magic can expand the interiors while the outside looks the same."
"Hmm, not bad. Guess I should start hitting the books more often."
"Aww man, don't tell me he's gonna become an egghead!" Rainbow says, annoyed and disgusted.
"Hey! What's that suppose to mean?" Twilight asks, giving Rainbow Dash a slight glare.
"Uh, heh, nothing Twilight." Rainbow replied, chuckling nervously.
"Don't start arguing now! The sooner we get out of here, the better!" Eternal says. He didn't even wait for a response, he just immediately walked over to one of the carriages, but got blocked by the Royal Guards as they stepped in his way. "Wait, what the?"
"Only the princess and her escorts can enter!" the guards said.
"It's alright, gentlestallions. That young stallion and his friends are traveling with us back to Ponyville. Please, allow him to enter the carriage." Celestia says. The guards moved out of Eternal's way and allowed him to pass on through. Celestia lit up her horn and expanded the interior of the carriages while the exteriors still remained the same as they were. Eternal climbed into one of the carriages with his friends one by one, including his mother and father.
Twilight and her friends all climbed into the other empty carriage. Once everyone was all set and ready, Celestia called out to the guards.
"Alright, let's not waste any time! Take us back to Ponyville immediately!" she commanded.
"Yes, your highness!" The guards shouted. The guards pulled the carriages away from the Freedom Village and ventured down the path towards Ponyville. As the entire group traveled further and further away, Eternal Flames looked out the window in the direction of his hometown.
"Farewell, Freedom Village." he said. He brought his head back in the carriage and leaned back, staring off into space now that his journey in the Freedom Village was done and a new journey was about to begin over in the town of Ponyville, and it wasn't going to be a pleasant one. |
The Right that Returns | pre | "Captain, Armor what is the progress of the situation?" Celestia inquired as she and Luna walked out on the balcony. The balcony had the best vantage point of the current problem and was safely out of range if a fight broke out.
"Not good, Ma'am. Trixie informed me of the Gryphons demands when Fluttershy and I arrived at her room. Apparently they want you to give up our country in exchange for Rarity's life." Shining Armor replied.
"There is no way that we're giving up our country, but we cannot sacrifice Lady Rarity. We could try to take out the Gryphons, but Rarity might be hit in the crossfire." Celestia sighed as she looked up to the moon as noticed it was red. "Oh how fitting that the moon should be red tonight. Wait. The next lunar eclipse isn't till another 5 months." Celestia looked over to Luna, who was focusing on the problem at hand.
"Yeah were stuck between a rock and a hard place." Shining armor inferred
"That may not be the case Captain, Armor." Celestia Smirked
"Princess what do you mean?" Shining Armor asked.
"Tell me, have you heard of what the red moon means?" Celestia inquired. Shining armor shook his head. "Well, that's to be expected. They're four points in a year that a lunar eclipsed happens. These eclipses are not random, but a tribute to the guardians of the moon." Shining Armor still failed to connect the dots. "The guardians of the moon go by a different name. They are called Valkyrie." Celestia explained as she looked at the moon.
"That is indeed interesting, but how does that help us now?" Shining Armor asked.
"The moon is red tonight, dear captain. The next lunar eclipse was not supposed to happen until another five months. So the summers calling has been answered be the winters echo." Celestia turned towards Luna. "Isn't that right, dear sister?"
"You are correct sister. Will you allow me to show you her power?" Luna responded.
"Do you believe that she can save Lady Rarity without her being harmed?" Celestia quipped.
"I know she can." Luna stated.
"Very well she may act." Celestia said as she turned her attention back to the garden.
Luna casted a spell that called forth her agent of the night. A slight breeze was all everyone felt before a voice was heard. "By your command Sovran." A girl said as she was kneeling on one knee.
"I assume that you are aware of the situation?" Luna stated
"I am Sovran. What is your command?" Twilight requested.
"You are to eliminate the Gryphons and save Lady Rarity." Luna instructed.
"Consider it done Sovran." Twilight affirmed as she disappeared with the wind.
Twilight repaired 20 meters away of the line of guards that soured the 10 Gryphon and Rarity. They were set up in a 5-1 formation. Twilight knew time was of the essence as the Gryphons were growing more agitated by the minute. Twilight charged a spell in peroration for her attack. She drew her two side arms and flicked the safeties off. "Time flux." Twilight said as the world around her slowed down. Twilight ran as fast as her body let her and a meter away from the Royal Guard Twilight vaulted over them and kicked off the wall to gain some height. Twilight sailed over the nine that surrounding the tenth. While in flight, she fired her twin .45 Cal pistols, five times each. Twilight holstered her 18-27 pistols as she got close to the last Gryphon. Twilight drew her knife as she skidded on the ground and the perfect moment she stood up and backstabbed the last Gryphon. She walked forward a few steps and snapped her fingers ending the time flux.
___________________________________________________________
Trixie watched in awe as person clad in black pulled off some of the most impressive feet that she has ever seen. What had been a four hour long standoff had been resolved in under a minute by one person. Who was untying Rarity. Trixie rushed past the guards with her parents hot on her heels. The person was helping Rarity stand up by the time she got there. Trixie pulled Rarity into a hug and kissed her not caring who saw. After a few minutes of tears Trixie broke the hug and approached the Person in Black. "Thank you for saving Rarity she means a lot to me." Trixie said as she offered her hand.
The person in black took Trixie's hand and shook it. "It wasn't a problem Ma'am for I am sworn to protect all that moon watches over."
Rarity walked over and Trixie pulled her into a sidelong hug. "Is there anything that I can do to repay you for saving me?" Rarity asked.
"There's no need for that it's all part of my job." she replied.
"You're very humble. But can I know the name of my savior?" Rarity requested
"That is not a problem." the girl in black stated as she took off her helmet and balaclava. "My name is Twilight, the Fifth Valkyrie of Equestria." Twilight proclaimed.
Velvet saw she had a chance casted Mother's Mark. A gem appeared floating above Velvet's hand. She then spoke Twilight's full name and the gem changed shape and turned blue. Velvet walked calmly as she could. When she was a foot away, she grabbed Twilight's hand and spoke "A mother's love surpasses time and space." Then a gem appeared above Twilight's hand. It was the same shape and color as the one that was Velvet had in front of her.
Twilight froze as she saw the gems of mother's marks. She could not find the words she had long to say. Twilight looked around to see the world that had come form for the first time in over 63 years. More people gathered around her. Her mentor, brother, father, friends that were gone, and Luna. There was silence as everyone got closer to Twilight.
"Twilight Anna Sparkle, You have 23 years of explaining to do!" Velvet yelled breaking the silence. |
The Right that Returns | The Lines at Dawn |under rewrite| | |under rewrite|
The Lines at Dawn.
"This should be easy....! Why am I so scared of what they might say? They should know that this is who I am really, but what if they hate me... But they said that they would always love me... No use stalling any longer, here goes nothing!" Silver spoon contemplated as she stood outside her parent's bedroom door. She raised her hand and knocked.
With every second, Silver Spoon felt her heart race. She started to play with her braid to distract herself. Her mother then opened the door.
Perfect set looked at her daughter and saw that she was playing with her braid. She knew that her daughter only did that when she was nervous. "Is there something wrong sweetie?"
"No, but I do have something to tell both of you. Can I come in?" Silver spoon responded. Her mother moved aside and let Silver in.
Silver spoon looked around and saw her father Pure Ingot, at his desk. The clouds outside caught her attention. "The weather report did say that there was going to be a severe thunderstorm from the Everfree Frost tonight." Perfect Set got his attention and walked over to the couch's that were in the center of the room.
Silver spoon sat across from her parents. She was used to talking to her parents this way but this time it was a brand new feeling. Silver took a few breaths before speaking. "First, you both said that you will love me no matter what, right?" She inquired to both her parents.
They both shared a confused look. Pure Ingot looked at his daughter who was looking at the ground. "Of course, we will love you no matter what you have done or who you are." He repeated like the last time she had asked the question.
Silver let out a sigh of relief. "I have been meaning to tell you this but I was scared of doing so." Silver spoon took a moment to compose herself before saying what she had practiced for two whole weeks. "I have a special someone and..."
"That's great news silver! I never thought I would live to see the day when you would get a boyfriend. Oh how you have grown up!" Perfect Set exclaimed.
"Well." Silver stated but was then cut off by her father.
"So when do we get to meet this young man that has captured your heart? What is his name? What is his family like?" Pure Ingot questioned.
"They are really nice and they are a loving and kind family." Silver spoon listed.
"They sound very humble and gentle. What does his mother and father do?" Pure Ingot pressed.
"Their Mother is a famous musician." Silver stated.
"Who is it, do we know them? Also what for his father?" Perfect Set asked.
"You might know her. She play's for the Canterlot royal Orchestra. She doesn't have a father." Silver responded not noticing that what she had said.
"What happened to His father?" Pure Ingot commanded.
"When I asked about her father she spaced out. For the record it's her not him." At that moment the room temperature dropped several degrees. Silver Spoon scratched the back of her neck and looked at her father.
"It's really great that you approve about me dating her and accepting me for who I am." Silver looked at her father expecting to receive a warm loving look. But instead she was met by a cold heartless stare. "No."
The room's silence was broken by the crackle of lighting. The rain started to pelt the windows. "Silver that's, well." Perfect Set started to but was interrupted when Pure Ingot stood up.
"We did not raise you to be this way. It must have been her that corrupted you. Tell me her name!" Pure Ingot demanded.
"Why do you want her name?" Silver Spoon returned as she stood up.
"So that I can have her dealt with for corrupting my daughter. So tell me her name."
"She has not done anything to corrupt me. In fact, I asked her to go out with me. This is who I am and you can't change that. I have never like boys. I have always liked girls." Silver spoon replied to her father.
"You have two choices. Your first choice leave that whore of a girl that you are involved with and live a normal life. Your second choice is to stay with her and become an orphan that no one will care for. The choice is yours." Pure Ingot laid out her Silvers options.
Perfect Set was at a loss for words. She had just learned her daughter was in love with someone. Also that her Silver Spoon was a lesbian, and now she was faced with a choice between her family or the girl she loved.
Silver spoon was faced with one of the largest decisions of her life. Choose family and live by their rules and be married to a guy who's family was wealthy. Or, choose the girl she loved and lose everything she had call home. Silver thought hard and finally made her choice "Father, I choose her over you."
Pure Ingot thought he had made her choose so hard that his daughter would chose them over her. "Very well you have one hour to gather what you own and get out before I have you thrown out." He stated as lightning struck again closer to the house.
"You can't do that. I'm your daughter and you just said that you would love me no matter what." She sniffed as tears formed in her eyes.
"Yes I did say that, to our daughter who is straight not a lesbian. You sadly are not her. You now have 59 minutes left before I have you thrown out."
"But?!"
"GET OUT!" Pure Ingot Yelled.
Silver spoon dared not to wait around any longer. She rushed to her room and packed all that she could all the while she held her tears back. Time seemed to move more fast then slow, never staying constant.
After 30 mins of packing, Silver had all that she would need and looked around the place she had called home. She walked over to her dresser and picked a photo of her family. She felt sadness at first, then rage, then anger which took hold. She then threw the picture down at the wooden floor shattering the glass. On her way out Silver Spoon grabbed her raincoat and left slamming the door behind her.
She felt the downpour wash away her tears as she ran to where Scootaloo lived.
____________________________________________________________
"Why is this so difficult? I have faced everything the world I was in that could throw at me. If I am not mistaken the last thing I did there, was hold off a Changeling army from reaching the portal. I am a Valkyrie and we know no fear. With that being said, why does my mom scares me shit-less." Twilight thought as everyone looked at her new light. Twilight looked around for the tenth time meeting the same look again and again. "It's a long story and I don't know where to begin." Twilight sighed.
"If you don't know where to start, maybe you can start by answering our questions. First off, how are you even moving if you received a gunshot wound injury less than 20 hours ago?" Rainbow Dash demanded as she got in Twi's face.
"That's because of a pain suppressant spell. Also I have taken rounds larger the .44 Magnum." Twilight replied while pushing Rainbow Dash back.
"What I want to know is why you're looking at all of us weirdly?" Fluttershy chimed in.
"That was bound to turn up at some point. We will get this over with." Twilight started to chose her next words carefully. "Well put it simply I feel like I am talking to ghosts." Twilight wiped the sweat off her brow before she felt something wet pooling around her waist. "Crap. Looks like we are going to have this Q&A at a later time ok." Twilight stated as she staggered forward dropping her helmet.
"Twilight what's wrong?" Velvet asked as she hurried to her daughter's side to support her.
"Time flux is a double edge sword. I need to get the infirmary now." Twilight groaned.
........
"That should do it." Doctor Tourniquet informed Twilight as he finished off the stitches. "You know I'm surprised that it was you who needed medical attention and not Lady Rarity. But you seem be keeping me on my toes." He mentioned as he finished washing his hands. As he turnned back around "I recommend that you take it easy for a while. Don't make this habit."
"Don't worry you won't see me in here for a long time to come." Twilight promised as she put her shirt on and put her vest back on and left the exam room. A few minutes later Twilight walked into the waiting room where she found her Parents, brother, friends and the Princess deep in conversation.
"So what do we do know?" Cadence asked as she looked a Celestia.
"I don't know." Celestia whispered.
Twilight had a good idea of what they had just discussed and decided to make her presence known. "I'm surprised that all of you waited for me to get stitched up again." Everyone looked over to Twilight expecting a certain girl who was asleep. Before anyone could speak, she did. "I will answer all your questions tomorrow at breakfast. But I need to speak with the Princess privately." Twilight stated quietly as she tried not to wake the room's only occupant who was asleep.
Everyone left room except for Luna, Trixie, Cadence, Celestia and Fluttershy who was asleep in Celestia's arms. "What did you wish to tell us Twilight?" Celestia questioned.
Twilight looked around and pushed away fear that she had. "Luna already knows what I am about to say. I am not a Pegasus, Mage or Earthbound."
"So you're saying that you are one of us?" Trixie hesitantly asked.
"Yes Trixie, I am an Alicorn. Allow me to introduce myself properly this time." Twilight stood up straight and looked at four pairs of eyes and started. "I am Twilight Anna Sparkle Fifth Valkyrie and Fourth princess of Equestria."
"That would explain how you were able to use Time Flux to save Rarity." Cadence pointed out.
"What's Time Flux?" Trixie questioned.
"It's a very powerful spell that was found in the Castell Empire library a few days ago. The archivist are still trying to identify what class of magic it belongs too." Cadence replied.
"I'll save you the trouble. It's a tear 1 time illusion spell." Twilight sated. The four other in the room stood slacked jawed. "I'm right aren't I Luna?"
"You're partially right twilight, if you go by civilian terms. Time Flux is a tear 2 combat time illusion spell." Luna said with a smirk on her face.
"Let's not get off track here. Twilight you claim that you are an Alicorn. While I saw you use the time flux spell to save Rarity. I still can't fully believe that you are an Alicorn. Due to the fact the spells can be embedded on gems and used at will." Celestia stated as she moved to make Fluttershy more comfortable.
Trixie stayed quiet letting all that was said. She decided to test twilight "If you are a true Alicorn then you know what you have to give up?"
"For one to be an Alicorn one must shed their mortal gift and accept the curse that we all must carry." Twilight replied sour-fully. Twilight reached into one of the many pockets she had and pulled out a picture and handed it to Trixie. "Tell me what you see?"
"Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, A girl with red and yellow hair, you and me." Trixie said as she looked the picture over and over again. They all were in black uniforms and carried different and strange rifles that were all black as well. They also had a patch on their arms that were similar expect for twilights and Fluttershy.
"You, Sunset and I are the only left alive in that picture." Twilight pointed out as she took the picture and handed it to Celestia who gave a confused look when she heard Sunsets name. She then handed it to Candace.
"Is this why you said that you felt like you were talking to ghosts?" Candace asked.
"Yeah." Twilight replied as she looked away and felt tears well up to the surface. Luna walked over to Twilight and pulled her into a hug. Twilight finally was able to grieve for her friends and that she did. Twilight's body shook as she Sobbed. For she was able to let pain and sorrow that had built up over the 6 years out.
Luna stood their held Twilight. "What trials has this poor girl gone through so much. How can I help her?"
Twilight's sods started to subside. "Thank you." Twilight whispered as she broke the hug.
"So what are we going to tell the nobility?" a soft voice asked.
"Oh Fluttershy. I am sorry that we woke you up. I don't have a clue what we're going to say to them." Celestia sighed. "Wait, how long have you been awake?" she asked in a stern voice.
"The whole time. Sorry." Fluttershy whispered as she tried to hide herself behind her hair.
Before Celestia could reprimand Twilight did. "I knew she was when I started to talk. Besides she was going to find out eventually. As for the nobles I couldn't give a fuck less what they think. Just to be safe I will defer my right as an alicorn to be a princess."
"You do know that only last for three hundred years. Then afterwards you have to become a princess." Celestia stated.
"I am well aware of the rules that surround the Magnum index." Twilight responded.
"Very well. Twilight Anna Sparkle in compliance with rules set forth in the index your right to be a princess of Equestria has been waived for 3 centuries." Celestia proclaimed.
"I fully understand what has been laid out the Magnum index and I accept the terms and conditions." Twilight replied.
"So what will you do now?" Candace inquired as she looked at twilight.
Twilight thought for a moment and then replied. "I don't have a long term plan. I guess that I could find a place to live and call home. Then assemble a new Valor squad." As she pondered more, she started to feel the day's toil hit. "But right now I would really like to go to sleep." Twilight yawned and fell forward, but was caught by Luna.
Everyone else had look of concern as they looked at twilight. "Do not fret she is merely asleep. I will take her to her quarters and watch over her." Luna declared. As she gazed over twilight.
"You know for a badass warrior, she is extremely cute when she is asleep. If I wasn't married to shining I would indulge on other side of the fence." Cadence sated with a wicked smile.
"Back off I saw her first." Luna blurted out, without a second thought. She felt her cheeks grow red and resented what had been said.
"Aww looks like little Lulu has a huge crush on the new girl." Celestia teased while Candace and Trixie laughed. While Fluttershy smirked slightly.
"Soror I prorsus si qua vos. Nisi te scire volo eam." (Sister I would be quiet if I where you. Unless you want her to find out.) Luna replied as she lifted Twilight up and cared her bridal style to her quarters.
"What language was that and what did she say?" Fluttershy asked innocently.
"I will tell you in the morning." Celestia replied as she took Fluttershy's hand and lead her back to her private chambers.
Candace smirked and walked to her room.
____________________________________________________________
Light filtered through the window of the Apple family barn. On two young girls that were nestled in a pile of hay. Apple bloom stirred as the sun hit her. Ever since she was old enough to work on the farm, she had begun to wake with the sun. She opened her eyes and sat up. She then slightly panicked when she realized that she was not in her bed. Then the events of the other night hit her.
.....
Apple bloom was washing the dishes after dinner. She then looked out the window at the sunset. Her thoughts drifted to her friend who was going to tell her parents about her relationship as she was concerned of the outcome. She felt a warm hug from behind. Apple Bloom leaned back into the embrace and all other thoughts were pushed way.
"Do you want to go on a evening stroll after you finish the dishes?" a sweet voice asked from behind Apple Bloom.
"I would like that. Give me 5 minutes to finish up and then we can go." Apple Bloom stated as she returned to finish the dishes.
Five minutes later Apple Bloom and her friend walked hand in hand through the orchard. The heat from the hot summer sun had started to taper off. A cool breeze had blown through the orchard and carried the scents of the apples. Apple Bloom felt her friend hug her arm. "Do you want to go back and grab a jacket?" Apple Bloom offered.
"No I am fine. Plus we're almost where I wanted to take you." The girl said as they reached the foot of the hill. As they crested the hill they caught the last rays of the sun. "Apfelblute?"(apple blossom)
"What's wrong Diamant? AB moved closer to her friend and took both her hands in hers.
"You need to understand why I got close to you in the first place before we continue in our relationship. " Diamant didn't meet AB's eyes.
"Hey." Apple bloom released Diamant's left hand. She reached up and turned her friend's head till their eyes met. "You know that you can tell me anything."
Diamant nodded her head. "I know, but you have to promise me that you'll let me explain everything, before you say anything." Apple bloom nodded her head.
"You asked me why I started to hang out with you, and the truth is that my dad said too. Your family has the largest amount of land in Ponyville and he wants it. But only an apple can have the land. So he wanted me to get close to you and get you to fall in love with and marry me. Then have us divorce. Then he could get his hand on land. The reason behind it all is the fact that the soil here is so fertile." Diamant stopped for a minute to catch her breath.
"When I started, it was for him and what he wanted but, I saw how hard the five of you work on this farm. My dad said that it was due to the land just being rich that's why your family does so well. I now know that he is wrong." Diamant pulled away and walked over to the lone tree on the top of the hill and looked out over the land.
Apple Bloom joined Diamant . "At first I thought of you as someone I could use to get what I want." She turned to Apple Bloom" But I then started to help work the farm and have meals with your family. I slowly realized that this is the life that I want. I don't care for money or fame. All I want is a real family like you have. And somewhere along the way I truly fell in love. Ich liebe dich Apfelblute." (I love you apple blossom)" Diamant then kissed her Apfelblute.
The air stood still as Apple Bloom's mind tried to understand what she was told. When no words arose she did the next best thing. She pulled Diamant into kiss. Afterwards they laid down on the ground and watched the stars as they appeared.
They started to walk back to the house but then it started to downpour. The two young girls b-lined it to the barn to take cover for the rain and ended up falling asleep in each other's arms.
.....
Apple bloom recalled as she moved the blanket off herself. "Wait where did this blanket come from?" Apple Bloom looked down at the blanket and found a golden feather.
She looked to right and found her love next to her and nudged her. "Just five more minutes." The girl wined and pulled the blanket over her head.
"Come on Diamant it's time get up, we have a long day ahead of us." Apple Bloom replied and tried to pull the blanket way but to no avail.
Diamant turned away from the light to catch some more sleep. "If you don't get up now then you will force me to that." Apple bloom whispered into Diamant ear.
Diamant sat up and looked Apple Bloom in the eyes "You wouldn't dare."
"Oh I would" Apple Boom gleefully replied as she tackled Diamant and started to tickle her.
After a few minutes Diamant gave up. "Alright alright. I'm up." Diamant laughed. Apple Bloom stood up and offered Diamant a hand up. "Thank you for everything." she said as took Apple Bloom's hand.
"Come on, breakfast is probably on the table." Apple Bloom stated as she pulled her along.
When they got to the door Diamant pulled AB around and kissed her. "Ich liebe dich Apfelblute." (I love you apple blossom)
"I love you too Diamond Tiara." And returned the kiss. She then opened the door to go inside.
____________________________________________________________
On the east side of the Canterlot Castle you can find the Princess's personal quarters. In one of these rooms you can find a rare site. That site is Princess Celestia at pace with her love.
Fluttershy had awoken and looked at Celestia as she slept. "She works herself to the bone for this country. I wish she let me help her. But she always tries to be the strong one in our relationship and shield's me from the horrors that are the nobles and their attempts to gain more power." The heat shared between Celestia and Fluttershy had increased just enough for Fluttershy's eyes to grow heavy again. She snuggled further into Celestia's warm embrace and fell back asleep with a smile on her face.
"Oh dear I made her worry again." Celestia noted as she felt Fluttershy toss and turn. She casted a simple spell that increased the warmth of the bed just enough to coax Fluttershy back to sleep.
Tia felt her love snuggle back into her embrace and fell back asleep. "Oh Fluttershy what am I going to do with you." Celestia sighed and fell back to sleep herself.
A few hours later Celestia awoke. She sat on the edge of the bed and stretched her arms. Before she could stretch her wings she felt two small arms wrap around her. "Good morning Fluttershy. Did you sleep well?" and all she got in reply was Fluttershy nodding her head against her back.
Celestia tried to stand but found Fluttershy clinging to her tighter. "Fluttershy dear, I need to raise the sun and then we have to get ready for the day. I have a hunch that it will be a long one at that." Celestia felt Fluttershy's arms release her and she stood up only to be pulled into a passionate kiss. To which she returned.
"I will love you till the end of time." Fluttershy confessed as she broke the kiss.
Celestia's smile dropped at what Fluttershy had said. "I guess now is the best time to ask her." Celestia looked at her . "Fluttershy if you could stay with me for eternity would you?"
Fluttershy was unsure how to answer Tia's question. She loved her more than anything and she did want to spend all the time she had with her and more. She thought back to when she confessed her love to Tia. Tia had rejected her at first. For one reason only, she could not lose another person that she loved.
After the diplomatic mission went to hell, Celestia was recused by Fluttershy. Celestia finally accepted her love on the airship back to Equestria. "I would love to spend the rest of time with you." Fluttershy finally decided.
Celestia smiled "Go start the shower and I will join you when I am finished raising the sun." With that she walked over to the balcony and waited till she heard the shower start.
"Discord." Celestia called out.
"What is it dear Celestia?" Discord mocked her as he appeared sitting in a chair that balanced on the edge of her balcony railing.
"She said yes." Celestia replied
"You know that once I do this, it can be undone." Discord repeated what he had told her a few days ago.
"Just do it." Celestia deadpanned as she started to raise the sun.
Discord snapped his fingers "It is done."
Celestia nodded her head as she went back inside to join Fluttershy.
____________________________________________________________
Breakfast was full of questions of who she was and what the other time was like. Twilight found herself in a weird but familiar position, the feeling was not unwelcomed. The frequency of the questions started to die down and all was business as usual.
"Oh! Fluttershy I was thinking about what you said about "Alicorns are damn near impossible to kill." Does that mean they're just ageless?" Rainbow asked catching everyone's attention.
"Well we don't know ourselves. I know that I have taken some fatal injuries over the years, but I would receive medical aid almost immediately or restively shortly." Celestia recounted her past.
"The worst injury I have ever received I believe was a 20mm sabow round that passed through my armor and the right side my chest. I was down for a good 5 hours before I could get back into the fight." Twilight stated nonchalantly as she ate her oatmeal, and did not realize that she just blew her cover.
"What?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Which caused Twilight to realize that she had screwed up big time, because she had let herself slip into that old feeling.
"So, Twilight are you enjoying your meal?" Rarity asked breaking the uncomfortable silence that had adjoined the Breakfast table.
"It's been the best breakfast I had in over two years." Twilight replied while focused on her food. The room returned to silence.
"So we're all going to avoid the elephant in the room?!" Rainbow Dash yelled clearly being pissed off.
"Rainbow Dash. Do not yell at the table." Rarity replied with a stern stare.
"Well I am sorry. But how can all of you be calm after what Twilight said? We were all present at tact con and we all saw what a 40mm APCR round can do to 10cm armor. Now think about what would happen if a Human... The only way she could survive a hit like that is if Twilight is Alicorn" Rainbow concluded. Everyone except five of them looked dumbfounded at Rainbow's statement.
"Well I guess the cat is out of the bag. As for how I survived that shot is complicated. The factors that allowed me to survive were speed of the round, my armor at the time and the fact I am an Alicorn. Before any of you ask, know that I am not a princess." Twilight stated as she looked at Rarity.
"But how are you not. You're an Alicorn and all Alicorn's are princesses. Oh I could plan your coronation for you and I won't take no for answer. After all you did save my life last night." Rarity gushed.
Twilight felt aggravated at Rarity but realized she did not explain what she had meant properly. "Rarity thank you but that won't be necessary." Twilight calmly replied.
"What do mean that won't be necessary? You're going to have a coronation won't you?" Rarity asked in a confused manner.
"I will, but not in your lifetime." Twilight clarified. She watched as Rarity's smile dropped. "But you can design my dress now, I swear that I will wear it on my coronation day." At that Rarity's smile returned.
"Oh one more thing and you all have to Pinkie Promise me that you will not reveal what I am to anyone or what I do. Understood?" Everyone at the table recited the Pinky promise. They returned to their meals with new questions for Twilight.
____________________________________________________________
One many pains that come with being a Princess is that they had to deal with Nobles and Their problems.
Twilight groaned quietly as she watched from the rafters as two Nobles fought over some random place of land on the outskirts of Ponyville. It had been four hours since open court had started and they were still on the first petitioner.
"As you can see Your Highness, the land has been in family my for 6 generations and that's why I should have custody over it." Star blaze pointed out as he presented his family photos to the princess.
"That hardly can be considered evidence when the Blaze house has been deeply rooted in the photography business. As such they could have fabricated these pictures." Golden Skies detected as she went on how they should remove the pictures from the evidence.
Twilight let out a sigh again as both nobles continued to argue over every last little thing. Then it hit her. Twilight quickly conjured up a piece of paper and a pen. "Sovran. The only reason that this has become a problem is due to Trixie living in Ponyville. Nod your head if you get what their trying to do." She then sent it to Luna.
Twilight waited for Luna to acknowledge her note. She nodded her head right before Star Blaze finished his point.
Before Golden Skies could make her next statement Luna stood. "We have heard enough and we shall now decide our verdict." With that she walked over to Celestia's chair. Trixie and Cadence followed suit.
"Why did you call this so early? They just got to the fifth piece of evidence." Trixie asked while she looked at Luna.
"Well for starters they would go on for hours if one of us did not call it. Also a certain shadow has informed me that this a ploy so that one of them can get closer to you Trixie. But I can't tell who is speaking the truth." Luna responded while she looked over to Celestia.
"So what do we say?" Trixie inquired.
Celestia did not answer but instead she walked forward. "Can either of you show me one shred of documentation that you own the land?" Celestia stopped right in front of them. They looked through all they had brought but turned up with nothing.
"Very well as there is no legal documentation of ownership of the land and in accordance with the written laws under property disputes section E-4 page 235. The crown shall take custody of the land." Celestia recited from memory.
Star blaze resided in the fact that the crown had gotten it in the end instead of Golden skies. He bowed and thanked thank the princess's for their time and left.
Golden Skies was not as humble. "You have no right to take away what is rightfully mine. I demand that you return that this instance." She tried to chase after Celestia but was stopped by a bow that had been extended out.
She glanced to her right and saw the 46th Archangel in all her glory. Golden skies locked eyes with her and regretted it. After a long minute she backed off and stormed out of the room.
Celestia nodded her head to Quick Quill. "The next petitioner is Duo Heart."
Duo Heart walked forward and bowed before speaking. "Your highness I am here to propose a new law."
"What is it this time Sir Duo Heart?" Celestia rolled her eyes.
"I stand here today representing the Affluent Community not myself. The Affluent Community Group has decided on a new project. As I am sure your aware the Affluent Community Group's last project was to improve school all across our country and it was resounding success." Duo Heart rambled for a bit.
"Yes I am a where of your last project, now what is this new project that Affluent Community Group has decided on?" Celestia asked as she sat up straight.
"Right. The Affluent Community Group has noticed a problem that has been growing for quite some time. After hours of looking over are opinions we have decided this was the best option to deal with same sex couples. That is make it illegal. We have already written up the necessary paperwork all you need to do is sign it into law. We have decided to name this project, Covent." Duo Heart stated as he pulled out 4 copies out of his bag and handed it over to Quick Quell who passed them along to the four princess's.
Cadence waited a good minute before she spoke. "As the Alicorn of LOVE I cannot allow this law to be passed."
"Princess Cadence, we all know of your tide. But you surely know that two people of the same gender can't possibly love each other like Man and a Woman can." Duo Heart interrupted.
"How would you deal with people that already in a relationship with the same gender? Who will enforce this law? What if there of the nobility?" Celestia inquired while she stared at Duo Heart.
"That is simple we forcefully move them to opposite sides of the country and have a no contact order placed on them. The Guards, police, and all offices of the law will enforce this law. I know for a fact that all of the nobility and the princess have always been in heterosexual relationships." Duo Heart stated proudly.
"What if they find someone else of the same gender to love in their new location?" Luna prodded.
"They won't have a chance to, because they will be paired up with the respected gender and they will attend a meeting every week." Duo Heart replied with a smirk.
"And if they do?" Trixie proposed.
"They shall be dealt with." Duo Heart dead panded.
"I see. I hear by reject this proposed law." Trixie snared.
"I agree with Princess Cadance and Trixie." Luna followed.
Duo Heart started to feel that he had made the biggest mistake of his life. He had knew that Cadence would reject his law. But Luna's and Trixie's decisions he had not seen that coming. All that was left was Celestia's vote. If he got just one vote, the law would go to the House of the Commons if pass there, it would continue to Nobel Chairs.
Celestia looked over the law although she already knew her answer. After a good few minutes she decided to give her answer. While Celestia was "thinking" of her answer everyone had started to whisper. But that stopped as Celestia stood and walked to towards Duo heart.
She stood two meters away with Fluttershy by her side. "Duo Heart after careful thought I have decided to reject law that you have proposed." Celestia held out her copy of the Law and ignited in her hands.
Duo Heart took a moment to realize what just happened. "I only anticipated that Princess Cadence would reject the law. Not all four of you. How can you support those things? They are degenerates, scum."
Celestia sighed as Duo heart ranted and quite frankly she had enough of him. "Celestia are you even listening to me?!" Duo Heart Shouted.
"I wonder if that will shut him up." Celestia looked to her right and tilted her head. She caught Fluttershy's eyes and relayed her quiet message to which she nodded her head.
"Please rethink your decision Princess. This is for the good of all Equestria." Duo Stated as he reached into his bag and pulled out another copy of the proposed law. He looked back up at Celestia just in time to see her kiss Fluttershy. "Your one of them. No. No. It's clear that she has done this. You could of never fallen for such a." He was stopped short when Celestia had slapped him.
"Your wrong Duo Heart for love knows no bounds. You are a mere 35 years old, as where I have lived for over 4,000 years. In that time I dated, married and LOVED both Female and Male." Duo heart tried to speak but Celestia continued. "I rejected you 15 years ago because you sought to gain power by using me. You are hereby dismissed and you are barred from entering open court for 1 year."
Duo Heart, felt distance he had lost his love to a girl and he was the laughing stock of the entire nobility. "Well if Celestia is willing to rob me of my love than I shall do the same." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his revolver and aimed it at Fluttershy.
Time seemed to slow down as a trigger was pulled and single noise enveloped the room. |
The Right that Returns | A Change in the Status Quo |under rewrite| | A Change in the Status Quo
Twilight's movements were like that of river fluid and decisive. She dropped from her perch and landed right next to Luna. Twilight then took aim with her M-95 and fired two shots in quick succession. The bullets sliced through the air, the first one intercepted the bullet headed towards Fluttershy and the second round knocked Duo Heart's revolver out of his and put it out of commission.
The thunderous crack emitted from M-95 silenced the room. The first and second spent shell hit the marble floor within seconds of each other, with a ping that echoed around the silenced room. Twilight kept her rifle trained on Duo Heart as the Royal Guards moved to apprehend him. When Twilight heard the guards reading Duo his rights, she lowered her rifle.
Twilight watched as Celestia helped Fluttershy stood up and moved in front of her. After a short exchange of words and a simple spell that was cast upon Fluttershy, Celestia turned around, and Fluttershy stood a step behind and to her right.
"Duo Heart. This maybe a little unorthodox, but you as are in the highest court in the land we shall proceed. Luna if you please." There was no warmth in Celestia's voice till she called over Luna.
Luna proceeded to walk a little more menacingly than what was needed. Twilight followed half a step behind and to Luna's left side. She stopped right next to Celestia and looked down at Duo Heart. "Duo Heart you have been charged with the attempted murder of 46th Archangel Fluttershy Thermosphere. How do you plead?"
Duo heart stayed quiet as he thought "Not Guilty." Duo heart called out.
"Very well, your trial date will be set at a later and your bail is set at 2,000,000 bits. Guards take him away." Luna replied. Four Lunar guards lead Duo Heart to the dungeons.
While all eyes were on Duo Heart, Twilight took a step back and faded into the shadows and back to her perch in the rafters. She watched as Luna, Celestia and Fluttershy returned to their spots and waited for the next person to speak.
"Lieutenant Sentry you have the floor." Quick Quill called out.
A young man stepped forward in military dress he shot off a salute before he spoke. "Ma'am I would like to know who that was?"
"Who LT Sentry?" Luna played coyly.
"The person who disarmed Duo Heart. Ma'am." LT Sentry clarified
"Oh, that was the Fifth Valkyrie of Equestria." Luna stated. Everyone was quite confused except of the ambassadors and guards from The Gryphon Empire who were visibly shaken.
"I have never heard of the Valkyrie before. Care to explain, Ma'am." Lt. Sentry asked.
Luna looked over to Celestia who nodded her head. "If the Archangel is the right hand of Equestria, then the Valkyrie is the left hand. They are masters of their craft on and off the battlefield. They operate in any and all conditions to complete their task."
"How does someone go about becoming become a Valkyrie." LT Sentry inquired hastily.
"One does not simply try to become a Valkyrie but rather they are chosen by the stars. When chosen they are reforged into a new weapon, that is shaped for the ever changing battlefield. The hone their skill by loss and victory. Years spent of study of the way of QI." Luna mystical tone was that of the one used in mystical tales.
"But they will not appear till the light fades" Luna made a small gesture to emphasize her point and no one saw the spell she had cast.
The room darkened "When the light fades, we shall light the way" Twilight's soft voiced echoed from the shadows.
"And just who are you? Where are you" Flash Sentry panicked.
"We are everyone and we are no one." Twilight's voice called out from the crowd. "We are everywhere-" Twilight spoke into Flash's left ear. He jerked to the left but found nothing. "- and nowhere." She spoke in his right ear.
"For on the darkest of nights a Valkyrie shall rise." Light shimmered next to Luna where Twilight's figure appeared be, her features were unable to be seen do to the low light the moon cast. But everyone could see that she was dress in shadows
"The Winter Wind calls us to service. The moon and her stars are what we protect." A freezing winter wind blew through the room and guided their attention to the night sky that had appeared.
"All enemies shall fear us the Agent of the Night. We fight to the very end." The stars disappeared and the full moon came to emulated a battlefield with an army decimated and a shadow stood in the center of it all. "For all that are asleep: so that their dreams will be peaceful. For they shall never know my deeds." Dreams of kids and young adults shown around the room and Luna chasing away nightmares away. The moon slowly made its way to Twilight "I am the Fifth Valkyrie of Equestria, Crepusculum."
As the lights returned to normal, LT Sentry was lost for words as he looked at the girl she was dressed all in black. She had a weird set of armor that held magazines to an oddly shaped rifle the she held. The larger one she had out earlier was stowed away on her back. As he looked at this girl he found only one way to describe her, A Goddess of Death.
"I did not approve of this." A voice called. The room turned to another man in military dress who stepped forward.
"Why do you not approve of me Private?" Twilight stared at him.
"I am General Fodder and you will treat me with the respect that I deserve." He demanded.
Twilight leaned up against Luna's throne. "Call yourself whatever you want Private Fodder."
The General's face contorted at Twilight statement. "How dare you speak to me that way! I am the highest ranking general in the Equestrian armed forces. Just for that I think I'll have you court-." He stopped when he felt cool metal near his throat.
No one had seen Twilight move. She was by Luna's side half of a second ago, now she was face to face with the general. "Tell me General, what have you done to earn my respect General Fodder? I tell you nothing. I called you a Private because you acted like one. But I am willing to forgive and forget. Say you're sorry and will put this behind us. Ok?"
The General apologized quietly and Twilight returned to Luna's side at the same blinding speed like before. "What I meant is that the council did not approve of this Princess Luna."
Celestia took it upon herself to help resolve the problem further "I hear your complaint General Fodder, but the council has no say in who Luna choses to be Valkyrie. Just like how they don't have a say in who is chosen to be Archangel."
Luna smiled at a devious thought. "But, since General Fodder is making a big deal about this. How about a little demonstration. General choose your best fighter and they will fight the Valkyrie in hand to hand combat."
"What is the wager of this fight?" General Fodder asked with a smug grin.
"When the Valkyrie wins then you are demoted to private." Luna decaled.
The General suppressed a laugh "When the Valkyrie Loses, she steps down from her position and Flash Sentry will take over."
"But we cannot speak for them if they wish they can refuse this change and nothing will become of it." Luna stated as she looked over at Twilight.
"I will not let you down Sovran." Twilight replied.
"Very well. LT Flash Sentry, will you fight the Valkyrie Crepusculum?"
"Sir, Yes Sir." Flash Sentry replied in agreement.
"Archangel Fluttershy will you be the referee this match?" Luna asked politely.
"It would be my honor to do so." Fluttershy responded
Twilight set her both of her rifles, side arms and then undid her class VI Ballistic vest. When she placed it on the marble floor it made a solid clunk. Which drew the attention of the General.
Twilight walked toward LT sentry who had taken off his dress coat and was awaiting his challenger. "So Pretty Boy, how much of a handicap do you want." Twilight taunted.
Flash Sentry was about to retort, but was interrupted by Fluttershy who went over the rules. "This will be one round, winner takes all. No weapons are allowed. You will stop when I call the match or one of you concedes. Is that understood?" They both nodded in agreement. "LT Sentry are you ready?"
"Yes Ma'am" he replied as he took up a stance.
"Valkyrie Crepusculum are you ready?" Fluttershy asked
"The Wind's call has been heard. So lets us take up arms and do what must be done." Twilight stated as she slipped into her form.
"Very well. 3. 2. 1. Begin." Fluttershy started the match.
Twilight wasted no time and advanced forward and delivered a roundhouse kick to Flash's face. To which she followed through with a punch to the side of his ribs. She then slammed her elbow into his back avoiding his wings and Flash fell to his knees. She thought that Flash had given up , but he got up with a smirk on his face.
As the fight drew onward Flash had no idea how he could stop the flow of attacks. Every time he tried to block a hit it landed somewhere else. "Come on get you head out of the clouds and find an opening." He did. With one swift motion he kicked the Valkyrie in the gut. She staggered back. He threw a punch at the Valkyrie's head but hit air instead.
Twilight side stepped the punch. She took the opportunity and unleashed several jabs to Flash's side. Flash flared his wings and used them to get himself away from Twilight, so that he would not be subjected to more combo hits. He took a second to catch his breath. He then brought back his fist and lunged forward propelled by his wings. He was right on target to hit Twilight in the face.
The crowded gasped as contact was made and snapping of bone was heard. Twilight had brought her arm up and blocked the attack. They both stood stoic till Flash doubled over and let out a cry of pain as he held his hand.
Twilight brought her leg around and proceed to do an ax kick. But stopped mere centimeters away as an alarm went off. A young guard busted through the doors. "Your Highness the Elements of Harmony have been stolen!"
The room was astounded by the news. Twilight had made it back to her vest and slung it on and strapped her weapons in place. The room started to panic. "Captain Shining Armour active the Canterlot shield and lock down the city. Archangel Fluttershy, dispatch 3 Companies to Ponyville to protect the element bearers. General Fodder send a message to the Border Guard have them report anything out of the ordinary, also have them check all incoming and outgoing traffic. Sovran, Princess let us move to the war room to be in better contact with our forces. Sovran, it would be a good idea to have the Shadow Bolts go to standby status."
Celestia stood. "Court is adjured for unspecified amount of time. Let's move people."
Fluttershy turned to her five majors. "Major Knightley, Breeze and Gust. You are to mobilize you Companies and set up an FOB outside of Ponyville. Major Breeze you will be in command till I arrive. Understood?"
"Yes Ma'am" Major Breeze saluted and made her way to the exit with Knightley and Gust in tow.
The Light from the windows took on a purple tint as the Canterlot shield was raised and alarm bells rung in the distance. General Fodder was giving instructions to a corporal and noticed so that he could leave the city. The other Princesses had made their way out of the throne room.
"Crepusculum, you have temporary control over the Shadow Blots. Also nicely done." Luna spoke as she stood.
"I aim to please in every respect, Sovran." Twilight smiled as they made their way to the war room.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Date: 11/24/1823 (7 months before Twilights arrival)
Operation: Hornet Strike
Area of operation: Badlands grid Alpha -9, Charlie-7
"Bolt 1 we found her." Bolt 3 voice called over the radio.
"Please specify who you found the bolt 3." Bolt 1 responded.
A few minutes passed of radio silence "Confirming the identity Captain of Hell Fighters team 6. Alpha Hotel 23-424. Condition red."
Blot 1 grabbed the receiver of the mid-range transceiver that bolt 7 had on his back "This is bolt 1 of the Wonderbolts we are in need of Immediate Dustoff."
"Bolt 1 this Hx1-24 Call sign Raider, we are standing to receive your precise coordinates." A nearby EQAF airship called.
"Bolt 7 relay our countenance." Bolt 1 ordered. As she made her way over to the team medic who worked on the VIP.
Bolt 1 could hardly contain her anger as she looked at the leader and only survivor of Hell Fighters team 6 nicknamed Honesty's Charge. The leader's once golden locks were stained completely crimson. Her body covered in cuts and gashes. Her once beautiful face was now bruised beyond belief. When bolt 3 and 4 found her they made the assumption that she was dead. The only reason they took any further interest in her was because she had an EQAF's patch on her shirt. But as Bolt 3 read the dog tags she noticed her slow and shallow breaths. Which had lead them to this predicament.
"Wonderbolts we are 7 klicks out eta 5 minutes. Make your way to the roof for extract. Howcopy?"
"Loud and clear Raider." Spitfire looked around at her team "Let's get our move on people we have no time to waste." The WonderBolts fought tooth and nail as they made their way through the compound towards the roof top.
The hum of the airship's engines and gunfire could be heard by all as they approached the rooftop door. "Raider watch your fire we're coming out now."
"Noted we're standing by for dust off." They boarded the airship and took off towards Equestria at full speed.
"Fleet Footer how bad is she?" Bolt 1 asked
"Honestly it is not good. Severe dehydration, multiple stab wounds, electrical burns, possible concussion. The list keeps growing."
"Well she survive?"
Flea footer looked at Spitfire with sad eyes "the odds are 20/80 against her but, there is a chance she'll pull through."
Spitfire tore her eyes away from the hurt girl and made her way to com room. As she entered the room she ordered a line to be opened to Celestia or Luna. The radio operator tried but was denied.
Spitfire grabbed a headset "This is Caption Spitfire of the Wonderbolts with a priority 1 message."
"Please confirm nature of the message." An operator replied.
"Recovery of MIA operative level 6." Spitfire stated.
"Stand by, transferring you now."
"Captain Spitfire I hope you have a good excuse as to why you interrupted my meeting with the ambassador of The Griffin Empire." Celestia asked impatiently.
"I do Ma'am. As of 11/30/1823 at 20:25 hours Alpha Hotel 23-424 is no longer MIA. Instead she is in our hands." Spitfire informed Celestia.
"Where did you find her?" Celestia inquired with a lighter tone.
"We found her in the terrorist compound. We were assaulting in the Badlands."
"What is Applejack's current condition?"
"It bad Ma'am. The odds are stacked against her. We are in root to Canterlot at full speed as we speak."
"Very well, I will have a medical team at the docks when you arrive." ...
Spitfire let out a sigh, it had been one month since they had found Applejack and got her home. Even with the best care available, Applejack was still in a coma due to the injuries that she had sustained and any mental trauma was yet to be determined. Spitfire spent every waking hour by her lover's side as she hoped and prayed. When she started to lose hope fate yelled its reward.
It was Hearth's Warming Eve, and Spitfire found herself in Applejack's hospital room again. She looked at her. "Jackie, I'm sorry for not finding you faster. I tried and tried to find out what happened but in the end it kept leading to a dead end. But I never wanted to believe that you were dead. So please come back, if not for me but for your family and friends." She then picked up a guitar that she had brought, and she started to play a melody. Although it had a sad tone to it. The other's walked into the room and waited for their que.
Applejack opened her eyes slightly but couldn't see all that well. But her hearing was just fine. She heard a voice that was one she longed to hear once again. Then she heard first strings of a song she knew by heart. Her vision started to clear up a bit and she found the one she longed for.
Spitfire took a breath and started to sing "When family cannot be here, having journeyed far and wide. We sing a song to honor them to remember days gone by." Applejack then heard Applebloom join in "So take your cup and raise it high just as surely I'll do mine and laugh as we tell stories told as we smile at days gone by. As we smile at days gone by." Granny Smith joined in "For family not hear my dears, having journeyed far and wide. For loyalty and kindness both we smile at days gone by."
Applejack's sight cleared up even more and she found she was surrounded by friends, family and loved ones. She took a slow deep breath and picked up with the song with Spitfire "Our paths will cross again one day in time to reunite, for family is always near even when seas are wide."
Everyone looked to see that Applejack had awoken and had a smile plastered on her face. The music tone turned happier as Applejack, Spitfire and Applebloom sang. "So take your cup and raise it high just as surely I'll do mine and make toast for family and the tales of days gone by. As we smile at days gone by."
Spitfire gestured with her hand and everyone joined in. "For family not hear my dears, having journeyed far and wide. For loyalty and kindness both. Take joy at days gone by. For loyalty and kindness both we smile at days gone by."
The room fell silent "Now before anybody says anything I have something to do. Rainbow do you still have it?" Rainbow perused a small black box and gave it to her. She then turned to spitfire "Fi I heard what you said earlier and you have nothing to be sorry for. Instead you can have all the joy in the world with the right answer. Spitfire will you marry me?" she opened the box in sat a ring that be passed down generation after generation of Apple family.
"Jackie of course I will marry you." She let Applejack put the ring on and passionately kissed her. As they kissed, bells chimed for it was no longer Hearth's Warming Eve. It was Hearth's Warming Day.
"Come on ya'll we have another song to sing." Applejack declared. Everyone joined in as they sung The Hearth Carol. As they sang Spitfire looked into Applejack's eyes and they both silently agreed "Best present ever." ......
"Come 'on Fi it's time to wake up." Applejack nudged her wife awake.
"Just 5 more minutes." Spitfire replied.
"Where pulling into Ponyville station. It's time to get up." Applejack stated as she got their luggage out of the overhead compartment. Spitfire stood up to stretch but the train came to an abrupt stop. Which caused Spitfire to lose her balance and fall forward, but was caught by Applejack.
"You're supposed to the agile one." Applejack smirked while she held her love.
"Well it is your job to keep me on the ground." Spitfire said as she got out of the hold and grabbed her luggage. "Come on we have work to do on the farm."
Spitfire left the train.
Applejack shook her head and made her way off the train.
___________________________________________________________
"Ma'am here are the dossiers that matched your parameters." Sargent Luminas placed the files on Twilight's desk.
"Thank you Sargent Luminas. Do you know where the Sovran is?" Twilight inquired.
"I believe that she is still in the war room. Is there anything else you need Ma'am?"
"No. You're dismissed Sargent Luminas." Twilight stated. Stg Luminas saluted Twilight and left her office. Twilight skimmed over the filenames and placed them in one of two piles.
Twilight took the top file from the right pile. "LT Flash Sentry. Graduated top of his class, currently stationed in the Crystal Empire, Awarded Sigma Phi metal when he was stationed at Outpost 384." Twilight read aloud. She let out a sigh as she tossed the file in the newly started NO pile. She once again reached for the pile on her right that held the big names and little skill but held some gems.
After a few hours passed Twilight had gone through the pile on her right and found only 3 name that she thought were worth keeping. She then turned to the pile on her left that held the misfits, outcasts and unseen skill's she wanted. She went through each file with a very fine tooth comb. In the end she had a list of 7 names and skill sets.
Twilight got up and stretched and heard several pops. She then grabbed the seven files and proceed to exit her office and made her way to where the War room was. ......
Twilight walked to the war room after she made a stop at the kitchen to pick up a cup of coffee for Luna and a wrap for herself. When she arrived at the doors to War Room, she was greeted with a familiar sight of The Dark Brown Oak doors with 16 armed guards. The doors were had a meter of solid steel in them. The Room's wall were 3 meters thick of steel and marble cover. There was of course the two hundred plus enchantments and wards that helped to protect and secure the room. She stopped for a minute to admire what was the most secure location in the castle.
"You're ID Ma'am." A guard near the door asked.
Twilight handed him her ID. After a minute she was given her ID back and the door started to open. She then entered the 100 SQ meter room full of maps, troop deployment, tables and desks scattered about. Then finally in the center of the room a large three-dimensional map of Equestria in all its glory.
Luna was on the far side of the room. Sitting at a desk asleep. Twilight made her way over to her and shook her awake once coherent enough she a hand the cup of coffee. Luna took a sip of the coffee and was pleasantly surprised. "Twilight how did you know that I liked my coffee with 2 sugars and 1 cream?"
"Luna did you forget that even though I am from this reality I was in another. While I was in that other reality I was the Fourth Princess and the Fifth Valkyrie of Equestria there as well." Twilight replied as she looked over the reports that occupied a desk.
Luna felt her check warm up a little at twilight's statement. "How well did you know me Twilight?"
"Shit. Shit. Shit. Ok I need plan. I can't just tell her that I was married to her. Ok how would I know how to get out of this? Hmm that's it." Twilight pondered. "I would like to believe that we were really good friends or something more akin to sisters, Luna." Twilight continued to read the reports.
Luna felt bad that she had even asked the question. She looked over the new reports that had come in a few minutes ago. "Twilight?"
"Yes Luna." Twilight looked up from the reports she had in front of herself.
"If it's possible can you tell me more about yourself?" Luna asked as she looked at twilight.
"Umm, sure what do want to know?" Twilight inquired with a slight blush.
"Well." Just as Luna was about to ask her first question her stomach let out a low growl. Luna blushed deeper than she had before.
"You want half my wrap?" Twilight offered
Luna nodded her head. Twilight pulled out one of her knives and cut the wrap in half. She then levitated a haft to Luna who took a bite the moment she could. But found it lacking an important component "Twilight are you a Vegetarian?"
"Yeah I am. I will eat meat if I have to survive, but by choice I am Vegetarian." Twilight replied as her cheeks had turned a slight pink color.
"So how does a Bad-ass warrior like yourself become a Vegetarian by choice?" Luna asked.
"Well, when I arrived in the other reality I didn't end up in Equestria. Instead I was in the homeland of the Changelings Chin." As Twilight reached into one of the many pockets on her vest, she produced a picture and locket. She walked over to Luna and showed her the picture.
"This was my adopted family." Twilight pointed at a man who looked about 30 "My father Hell Strike." She then pointed to Women about the same age. "My mother Gentle Breeze." She then pointed out her brother. "My brother Fast Fire." Then at the girls "My three sisters in order. Gale Force, Crescent Strike and Trade Winds." Twilight took a moment to recount her family. "We didn't have much in the terms of money. Due to that fact we didn't get meat all that often because of the price. But we did have a garden that grew most of are vegetables. So I never really got the taste for meat."
Luna listened intently but had gotten sidetracked by the locket that was wrapped around Twilight's hand. The chain was simple looped black metal. But the heat that layers metal that twisted and looped. "Is that your mother's locket?"
"No, it was a gift from my first love Chris." Replied as she looked at with a smile on her face.
"I must say the craftsmanship of the Changelings is something to behold. Dose that necklace style have a name?"
"It does, Chris said that series was called Guidance of the Heart."
Luna looked back down at the photo and saw Twilight as a baby not more than a year old. It then dawned on her that they had a way to find the Changeling home land. "Twilight do you know exactly where the Changeling home land is?"
Twilight felt her heart drop a little when Luna asked her that. "I do Luna but I won't tell you."
Luna felt her anger rise "If you won't you tell me willingly, then."
"Luna stop!" Twilight yelled. She looked Luna in the eye "Don't let your anger get a hold of you Luna. I know what they did and you want to get back at them but; Let me tell you that you can't punish the people for what their leader made them do."
Luna felt another pang of sadness in her heart as Twilight's words snapped her back to reality. "Twilight, I'm sorry. I just have."
"You have the country's best interest at heart. I know you do Luna. You have a lot of pressure from the corrupt nobles in our country. You saw this as a way to get them off your back and settle a score." Twilight finished Luna's statement.
"You're right I was being fool hearted again. Can you forgive me?" Luna admitted.
"I can Luna because we all make mistakes. I know this even more than you." Twilight pulled Luna into a hug.
"I know you didn't come here to talk about your past. So why did you come here?" Luna asked as she broke the hug.
Twilight handed Luna the files she had brought. "These are who I want on my team."
Luna glanced at the 7 dossiers. "Why these are the seven you want on your team. They all seem to be misfits and outcasts."
"Well on the surface they may seem like nobody's at first glance, but if one does some digging you will find the unexpected." Twilight fired back.
Luna raised a brow and read the name of the first dossier "Coco Pommel?"
"Coco Pommel 19 year old earth bound girl, works in the fashion business in Manehattan. She is currently working under Suri Polomare. She is known for precision hand sewing when dealing will complex dress parts and speed at doing so. This is all thanks to her training as an E.O.D. specialist." Twilight answered.
"Octavia Melody?" Luna asked.
"Octavia Melody 27 year old earth bound women. She is part of the Canterlot Philharmonic Orchestra. She plays the Cello. Octavia is married to Vinyl scratch, a 26 year old mage. They also have a daughter named Scootaloo who is a 16 years old Pegasus. Octavia doesn't sound like much but on the surface. But doing some digging, you will find her military record. In it she holds the number 1 spot for Hand to hand and CQB." Twilight stated.
Luna smiled as she spoke the next set "Moon Light and Ice Gail?"
"The inseparable two. Some of the best shadow blots who ever enlisted. Ice Gail 19 year old Noctral. Moon Light a 20 year old Pegasus. They both excel in stealth tactics and sabotage. How these two got to where they are now is a mystery. From little that I found Ice Gail was abandoned at birth because she was cursed by Nightmare Moon. In other words she was born a Noctral." Luna rolled her eyes at the statement. "She was cast out and somehow survived for 6 years till Moonlight found her. Moonlight was given by her mother and became an orphan. Then nothing till they enlist." Twilight recalled the files contents
Luna pressed onward. "Why do you want Miss Moon dancer on your team?"
"If Moon Dancer is the same as she was in the other reality and I am willing to bet she is." Twilight smirked.
"If by that you a mean Ambassador for Equestria. A top-notch tactician that coordinated the defense of outpost 384. Where she led 30 Rangers and 15 bordered guards fought off three thousand militants. All to defend the refuges that where there. Let's not forget that she is a Master Assassin." Luna listed off Moon Dancers resume. Twilight gave her a sidelong glance.
Luna turned to the next file "I see you have Stg Zecora on your list."
"Why would I not have her on my list! Zecora is one of the best field medics that we ever had. Her abilities in the field where due to her extensive knowledge of plants and their applications. Then there is one other fact about Zecora that not many people know. She is a Zen master." Twilight stated.
Luna reached for next file "I don't believe that I heard anyone by the name s."
A loud creak passed through the room stopping Luna and Twilight's conversation. They looked over to the door that had openned. A messenger ran over to them.
"Ma'am's we might have a lead on the Elements of Harmony." He gave Luna the scroll.
"Crepusculum gear up and meet me at the airfield. It looks like we're going after the River steed cartel." Luna ordered
Twilight picked up her Scar-H and looked at Luna "Ready when you are."
__________________________________________________________
The room was lit by several torches that surrounded an oblong table, they flickered as a hooded figure entered through a door and took their seat on the left side of the table.
"Now that everyone is here we can begin. We all were there to witness the events of what had happened. We need to rethink our timetable." The man at the head of the table stated.
"Think we should advance it ahead by four months." A voice called out.
"I don't recommend that. We have stirred up a hornet's nest, we need to lay low for a while." The man at the foot of the table offered.
"Let's not forget the Valkyrie. She beat the living shit out of Flash sentry, who is currently the best of the best out of all active military personnel." Another man pointed out.
"We might want to look for a new person to become our champion." Another voice called out.
"That is ridiculous we have spent too much on Flash and can't just drop him." A female retaliated. The people around the table started to fight and bicker.
"That's quite enough." An elderly man yelled. He rose from the head of the table. "We cannot fight among ourselves, because if we do then they will win. We have the elements and we have chosen our Spartan, now all we have to do is lie and wait." The elderly man pulled his hood back and revealed his face. "For our sun will rise and when that day comes, we The Circle of Zenith will take control and crown SunBurst as our King. May the eternal light guide us."
"May the eternal light guide us." everyone around the table said in unison.
> To Move a Mountain
To Move a Mountain
The room was inviting with yellow cream colored walls, simple dark oak furniture and two sets of chestnut brown double doors. One lead to the main corridor, the other to her private quarters. The air was aloft with scents of cinnamon, vanilla, and lavender. The twilight rays of the sun streamed through the open balcony doors.
In this room was a women whose radiance that shone like the sun. She sat behind the desk in room with files placed haphazardly across its surface. She flipped through reports that had flooded in from all parts of Equestria. But none had the information that she wanted. After the 73rd report of about someone who tried to smuggle drugs over the border, she gave up and let out a sigh, as she ran her hand through her hair. "Why is there such a big drug problem in this country?"
"It's for those who wish to escape from the hell that they live in Sister." Luna stated as she walked in.
"I know that the country is not at its best but to turn to drugs. It seems a little extreme." Celestia replied.
"Indeed, it is often times difficult to understand the struggles of our subjects here on our Thrones." Luna replied as she looked out at their country.
Celestia mulled over what Luna had spoken and found that it was all too true. "Luna do you think that we have strayed from that path that we started on?"
"Tia, I do not believe that we strayed off our path." Luna replied.
Celestia gave Luna a soft look. "How can you be sure?"
"Sister, the day we started our journey from Erechtheum all those years ago, did we think that one day we would rule a kingdom?" Luna posed.
Celestia shook her head "If you told me 5000 years ago that we would one day be rulers of a kingdom, I would have laughed the night away."
"This journey we have been on has had its joyous moments and depressing moments. To say that we have strayed from our path is impossible since we do not know where this path leads." Luna's words brought forth memories of that time long ago. Where they roamed the land in search of their density.
Celestia let a small smile form on her lips. She reached into her desk and pulled out an ancient photo of two young women with one arm around each other clad in steel armor and swords at their side. "To think that two lowly mercenaries would be rulers of a country and see the rise of more immortal beings."
"For when we started with just the two of us and now it has grown to six." Luna recounted.
"Make that seven Luna." Celestia corrected.
"Oh, does she know about it yet?" Luna inquired
"No, I'm waiting for the right time to tell her." Celestia looked at a picture on her desk of herself and Fluttershy.
"I recommend that you tell her sooner rather than later."
Celestia shook her head for moment. "Luna you didn't come here to reminisce, did you?"
The room was still as Luna thought for a moment on why she was in her sister's study. "Sister, have you seen the latest issue of the Canterlot Times?"
"No I have not. Don't tell me that they found out about the raid." Celestia groaned.
"No. The raid still remains secret and if it wasn't, you would have been notified by our Public Relations department by now." Luna replied.
"Are they calling me a tyrannical dictator again?" The Solar Princess recalled the headlines after she stopped a group that wanted, Luna to be banished for her actions.
"No. But the tabloids are on your relationship with Fluttershy. They believe that you were the reason that Fluttershy stopped being a model."
"We were not even together back then." Celestia blurted out.
"Sister that is the petite stuff. The more extreme are calling you" Luna looked down at the news print and read from it "In one of the most shocking events of the century we find out our beloved Solar princess is nothing more than bassist heathen. If you haven't been keeping up to date on the events of last week, here is a recap. Princess Luna now has an agent that is called Valkyrie. The Elements of Harmony were stolen. A bill was brought forth to make same sex relationships illegal. It was not a surprise that the Princess of Love Cadence, denied it. But Luna, Trixie and Celestia also denied the bill as well. If that wasn't enough, we found out that Princess Celestia is in relationship with Archangel Fluttershy Thermosphere. But the real kicker is that she has been in other same sex relationships. As we all know that it's immoral and wrong to date the same sex. Now many you may be asking "what do we do?" It's simple really, we should have the two elder princess's be removed from their seats of power and then drop them off in the middle of the badlands. Then we will see just how powerful they really are!"
Celestia let the words she just heard sink in. "I didn't think that the topic was this sensitive; but to get the kind of response such as this?"
"I am just as surprised as you are sister. But I do find the fact they believe that we are helpless without our title, is hilarious." Luna replied with a devious smile.
Celestia adapted the same smile. "That is true dear sister. If anything our titles hold us back from using our powers and skills to their full potential."
The immortal sisters walked out on to the balcony. To set the sun and bring forth the moon. "Sister."
"Yes Luna." Celestia responded.
"Be ready to don your armor once again and don't hold back. If these fools think that we are just figureheads then they are the real jesters." Luna stated.
"I will Luna, and you know that term jester isn't used anymore." Celestia responded.
"I know sister. In a thousand years a lot has changed and I am slowly getting the hang of it." Luna affirmed.
Celestia's slight smile dropped. "Luna I'm sorry. For what I did."
Luna grabbed her sister's hand and looked up into her eyes "Tia, you have nothing to regret. You did what you had to do to protect our people that we swore our allegiance to. If anything I should be the one to apologize for turning down your help and words of patience. So I am sorry Tia, can you forgive me?" Tears formed in Luna's eyes as she turned her head away.
Luna's tears started to roll down her cheek but were wiped away by a warm tender hand. Celestia tilted Luna's head back up so that their eyes met once more. "Lulu I forgave you the second I found out that you would spend a thousand years trapped on the moon. We both made mistakes, some took too long for us to realize. But what is important is that you are here now and you are trying to set the record straight." Celestia brushed the stray strand of Luna's hair back behind her ear. "As you said earlier Lulu, we do not know where this path leads. But we don't walk it alone anymore. They may praise us like goddess but we're still human. So let us walk this path of uncertainty with those who share our gift." Celestia pulled Luna into a hug. A second later Celestia felt Luna return the hug.
_________________________________________________________
"A door. A hinged, sliding, or revolving barrier at the entrance to a building or vehicle." Twilight felt the pang of sadness as she stared at the red door with a candle on it. As she knocked on the door, an answer came in the form of a young male voice. "Just a moment."
The door slowly opened and revealed a small dragon who looked up at Twilight. "Can I help you?"
"Yes I am looking for Trixie is she in?" Twilight stated her intent.
"Yes she here and who may I ask you are?" The young Drake asked in response.
"Oh sorry. My name is Twilight Sparkle, I am Trixie's older sister. What's your name?" Twilight introduced herself.
"Oh I am Spike. Wait you said you Trixie's sister but that's not possible. She has a sister in law as well as an older brother. But no older sister. Who, just who are you?!" Spike's tone switched from sweat and kind to aggressive and defensive.
"Easy Spike I am no threat to you or Trixie." Twilight tried to de-escalate the situation.
"You won't be." Spike said as he slammed the door in Twilight's face.
"Well that was interesting." Twilight thought. She started to turn around but stopped and heard muffled yelling. A minute later the door opened once again this time by Trixie who pulled her into a hug.
"I take it you missed me." Twilight quipped.
"Next time before you run off to do whatever it is that you do, give me a heads-up." Trixie said as she broke the hug.
"Trixie, as a princess you can request my whereabouts anytime you want." Twilight pointed out.
Trixie opened her mouth to say something but closed it and faced palmed. "So how long will you be in town?"
"I will be staying in Ponyville indefinitly." Twilight replied.
"Where in Ponyville?" Trixie pressed.
"You remember case 63901-BNH?" Twilight asked.
Trixie thought back to the case "You mean the case between Golden Skies and Star blaze."
Twilight nodded her head. "That's the one. The house and land was obtained by the crown. It was deemed unnecessary expense for the crown to have the house and they were given a choice. Sell the property or give it away, and due to my services to the crown I was given the property tax free."
"Trixie who's at the door?" Rarity called from upstairs.
"It's Twilight, Rarity." Trixie replied
A flurry of steps later and Rarity was at the door in casual attire "Twilight darling it's so good to see you again. How have you been?"
Twilight allowed a small smile to appear on her face "I am alright for now."
The trio were silent till Rarity spoke "Twilight would you like to join us for breakfast?"
"Thank you for the offer Rarity but..." at that moment Twilight's stomach made its need know with a low rumble. "On second thought I think that I will join you to breakfast." Twilight said with a weak smile and slight flustered completion.
"Fantastic choice darling." Rarity smirked as she walked to kitchen.
Trixie moved to the side and let Twilight into the library and shut the door. She turned around and saw Twilight setting her bag down on the table. "Twilight I must say you look amazing."
Twilight looked into the mirror and her reflection with amethyst eyes stared back at her. Twilight's hair was pulled into a low ponytail. She then looked over her simple outfit that consisted of a simple lavender tee that concealed her wings but without constricting them, and khaki cargo shorts that ended at her knee. She then looked down at her navy blue sneakers. "Thank you Trixie. But what would Rarity say if she heard that." Twilight shot back.
"Now Twilight, one can enjoy beauty even if they can't have it," Rarity stated as she leaned on the door jamb that lead to the kitchen. "and I must say you look absolutely stunning. Who designed your outfit?"
Twilight took a pained breath and looked down "It was one of your designs, or I guess it will be in the future."
"Oh, I am sorry Twilight." Rarity apologized as she put her hand on Twilight shoulder.
Twilight meet Rarity's eyes "It's ok Rarity. I have get over their deaths at some point in time and guess that it is happening a lot sooner than I wanted."
Rarity pulled into a hug and whisper to her "Twilight if you ever need to talk about this please come to me no matter the time." Twilight replied with returning the hug. Before Rarity broke the hug a few second later she felt an odd shape on Twilight's back. "Now let us drop this sorrowful thought and move on to a more pressing matter, like breakfast."
"I think that's one of the better ideas you had this morning, Rarity. So how about you two sit down I'll whip us up something to eat." Trixie added in.
"Trixie thank you ever so much for the offer. But I think Spike and myself should handle it." Rarity replied.
"Please, let me cook breakfast for my sister." Trixie begged.
"NO! The last time you tried to cook, you somehow burnt ice without melting it! Some of the brightest minds of the Science Community still can't figure out how you did that!" Rarity exclaimed.
"That was one time." Trixie moaned.
"What about the time where you somehow caused cereal and milk to explode?" Rarity questioned, but received no retort. "That's what I thought. So why don't we let Spike cook for us. That way you two can talk some more?" Rarity proposed.
"Fine." Trixie grumbled and walked into the breakfast nook.
Twilight and Rarity stood silent as Trixie left the room. "So what's this whole story about Trixie burning ice and exploding cereal?" Twilight inquired as she started to walk towards the breakfast nook.
"It's a long story." Rarity replied. .....
Spike chose to stay in his room after he was done preparing the food. The breakfast was filled with laughter at Trixie's expense. After they had calmed down a bit Rarity decided to ask her question "Twilight?"
"Yes Rarity?" Twilight responded and turned her head to look at her.
Rarity squirmed under Twilight's gaze but proceeded "Since Fluttershy is the Archangel, she is required to be armed at all times. So I was wondering if that's the case with you."
Twilight nodded her head as she pulled out her sidearm from her backside and placed it on the table. "Yes, it's a rule that all champions must be armed at all times."
"Why is that Twilight? Because the last time I checked, Equestria has been in a time of peace for about 2000 years." Trixie pointed out.
"That is true. Our duty is to protect every citizen of any threat. That be an army of the undead, or our own family members. We must be ready at a moment's notice. I have a sidearm on my person at all times and if I need more firepower my bag has my gear in it. Say, have you ever noticed Fluttershy checking something every time she comes over?" Twilight asked as she scanned the room with her eyes and holstered her pistol.
Trixie thought about it for a second. She then got out of her seat and made a B-line for the library. Rarity and Twilight followed Trixie as she walked through the library to a bookshelf tucked away in an obscure section. She started to take books off the fifth shelf. After Trixie had pulled 40 books she looked into the shelf and found an olive drab canvas bag. Trixie pulled the bag out and placed it on the ground in front of Twilight and Rarity.
Twilight opened the bag to find 6 mosin nagant and preset 54 striper clips. "Fluttershy has good taste in rifles." Twilight smirked as the rooms other 2 occupants looked into the bag with disbelief.
"Why would Fluttershy need 6 Mosin na-thinge?" Trixie asked.
Twilight only needed a second to understand why. "Simple she cares about you six a lot."
Trixie stood still and tried to comprehend why. Rarity saw her loves' face contort in confusion. "It's simple dear. Fluttershy wants to us to have a way to protect ourselves and our friends."
"I wish she told us about these." Trixie sighed as she kicked the bag.
"Well now you know that they're here you can keep a better eye on them. If I am not mistaken this part of the Library holds farmers almanacs that date back to the start of Ponyville. So it's highly unlikely that anyone will find these" Twilight pointed out as she closed the bag and stowed the bag back into its hiding place.
Trixie nodded her head. "Your right. But I still want to talk to her about it."
"I'll talk to her Monday when we met up for our weekly spa treatment." Rarity affirmed as she put the books back to conceal the weapons.
Twilight watched the as two worked together with a pang of sadness and joy. Twilight checked her watch, which read 10:31. "Rarity, Trixie." Twilight called out and both of them looked at her. "As much as I love seeing you two, I have to meet up with someone and get my house ready for Pinky Pie's Party."
"Will I see you at the party then?" Trixie asked as she hugged Twilight
"Of course you will." Twilight responded as she returned the hug. After a good few seconds Trixie broke the hug. Twilight made her way to the table in the foyer and grabbed her navy blue backpack and headed out the door. Once outside, Twilight took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her eyes shot open once she felt a breeze. Twilight then ran forward and when she had gained some speed, she jumped and extended her wings and with one flap she started her accent. After she gained some altitude she banked to the southwest to find her first recruit.
_______________________________________________________
On a cloud above Ponyville rested the most predominant member of the weather team Rainbow Dash. She had finished the morning set up and decided to take a break. Rainbow leaned further into the fluffiness of the cloud and let out a sigh of content. Not long after she fell asleep, she was awoken by a hand shaking her.
"Hey it's time to wake up Dash." A sweet voice whispered.
"Five more minutes." Rainbow replied half-heartedly.
The other pegasi rolled her and decided to try a different tactic. "Hey Rainbow have you seen the new girl in town? Because I saw her this morning and she was smokin hot. I believe her name was Twi."
"Twilight, she's here?! Where? Where did you see her Ash Wing?" Rainbow Dash cut off her coworker.
Ember shook her head. "How do you know her name?"
"I met Twilight in Canterlot and she said she might be moving to Ponyville. So, where is she?" Rainbow Dash stated.
"She was on her way to the library around 08:30 this morning, after that I have no clue. Why do you want to know where she is?" Ember asked but drew the conclusion almost most instantly. "You have a crush on this Twilight Sparkle don't you?" Ember teased.
"I do not." Rainbow Dash shot back a little too quickly.
"Oh by Celestia's Sun you do!" Ash Wing exclaimed.
"Ok I might have a little crush on Twilight." Rainbow admitted with a slight blush.
Ash Wing did not buy it one bit. Then a great and a slightly mean idea came to her "Hey is that Twilight over by the town hall?"
Rainbow Dash spun around and whipped out her binoculars. She looked down at the town and saw Derpy and The Doctor talking to Mayor Mare. "Twilight isn't over there by the town hall is she?" Rainbow pouted.
"Nope. But this confirms that you are head over heals for her." Ember smirked as she hugged Rainbow Dash from behind and sat down. "So what about this Twilight Sparkle do you like?" Ash Wing asked as Rainbow tried to break free of her grip.
After a few minutes struggling, Rainbow Dash gave up and let out a sigh. "There are many things that I like about her."
"Like what?" Ash Wing pressed.
"Well the energy she gives off. When Twilight is around I feel, like I can take on the world and come out alright." Rainbow dash stated as she looked up at the sky.
"Ok so I wasn't going crazy when she walked and felt as if there was nothing to be afraid of." Ash Wing said "kind of like how I feel now." as she looked down at her short coworker.
"I know what you mean." Rainbow snuggled further into Ash Wing embrace unconsciously. "Twilight is also highly skilled in some form of martial arts."
"You know this how?" Ember asked.
"She was practicing it in a secluded part of the gardens. She never wasted a single ounce of energy. The art which she practiced flowed so beautifully and you could feel the energy around her move with her." Rainbow lost herself in the memory.
"The gardens as in the royal gardens?" Ash Wing asked for clarification.
"Yeah, Twilight is part of the Lunar guard." Rainbow Dash replied.
"What does she do in the Lunar guard?" Ash Wing questioned.
Rainbow shrugged her shoulders "Twilight didn't say what her job was."
"Just who are you Twilight Sparkle and why are you getting close to the elements and Princess Trixie." Ash Wing thought as she held Rainbow.
"Rainbow Dash, Ash Wing!" A voice called out in urgency.
Rainbow Dash and Ash Wing both jumped quickly and looked around for the source of their names. Rainbow spotted it. "Thunder Lane over here."
Thunder Lane landed on the cloud a bit winded. He caught his breath before he spoke "A large storm was spotted over the Everfree forest and it's too late to stop its formation."
"Can we buffer it? Lessen its effect on the town." Ash Wing proposed.
Rainbow Dash thought for a moment "That might work if the storm has not picked ambient energy from the forest and started moving. Thunder Lane was the storm moving?"
Thunder Lane shook his head "No it was stationary when I left to find you 10 minutes ago. Clear Skies is watching." Thunder lane stopped when Clear Skies landed on the cloud. Her face said everything they needed.
Rainbow Dash snapped into action. "Thunder lane go to the tell Mayor Mare that the storm is inbound and get an alert out. Clear Skies get teams 1,3 and create a slight warm front to slow down the storm. Ash Wing grab your storm gear and get back to the office." Each then nodded to the order. Clear Skies and Thunder Lane took off to complete their tasks.
"What are you going to do?" Ash Wing asked.
"I going to find the other Storm Rides, get my gear, then check on the storm, and finally get back to the office." Rainbow stated as she looked over towards the Everfree Forest.
"Be careful Rain." Ash Wing said as she gave her a quick hug. She then jumped of the cloud and flew to her house.
Rainbow Dash stood silent as she thought of the schedules of her storm riders. After she had a good idea of where they would be, she also took flight. |
The Right that Returns | The Path of Change | If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it's not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That's why it's your path.
The Path of Change
The early summer winds blew across the fields that surrounded Ponyville and brought with it scents of flowers, fresh cut grass and the warmth of the sun. As the wind passed through the market, it picked up the scents of fresh baked goods, sweets, apples and the hum of the town. Then it slowly drifted to the ever-standing schoolhouse and its playground.
"True life is lived when tiny changes occur. I can't remember where I read that, but they couldn't be any more correct. One moment I had a loving family and home. Then it all came out and life took a turn for the worse. I had it all, family, a bed to call my own, a name and love. Now I have nothing except for my love." Silver spoon thought as she stared up at the clouds as she sat upon the swings.
The warm summer wind blew gently by a swing set as chains of clinked as they took on the weight of another. Silver dared not look away from the clouds. Till a hand fell on her shoulder. Silver spoon looked over to see Sweetie Bell. "So are you going to tell me what's really bugging you?"
Silver Spoon's head dropped into her hands as she slipped off the swing and landed on her knees.
"Silver are you okay?" Sweetie Belle asked as she got off the swing and kneeled in front of Silver Spoon. At first it was barely noticeable but slowly the sounds of sobs where heard. Sweetie Belle pulled the smaller into a hug.
"Silver what's wrong and don't say nothing, because the last time you cried like this was when you found out about your mom. So please tell me what it is so I can help." Sweetie Belle pleaded.
A warm tender hand brushed away the new tears. The hand then lifted Sliver's head till her silver eyes meet emerald eyes. The emerald eyes were filled with life and love. What she had lost.
Sweetie Bell look into to the Silver's eyes and found that they, no longer held the shine as they once did. "Silver what's wrong? You know that we're here for you."
Silver Spoon brought a cupped hand over her heart as she felt pang sadness tear through it. "It's kind of a long story."
Sweetie gave a loving smile "look for you and all of my friends, I have all the time in the world."
Silver let out a huff "It all started about month ago."
"You mean when the night when Applebloom and I where at scootaloo's house for a sleepover and you came over unexpectedly?"
Silver spoon nodded her head "Yeah."
"You seemed really off that night as well, i take it that this is related?" Sweetie asked.
Silver Spoon nodded her head "Yes, but today it's different. As for what happened that night. Well I told them."
Sweetie gave Silver Spoon a sidelong glance "Told who? What?"
"You still don't know. I thought that she was going to tell you. Why do I have to be the one to tell people," Silver moved her hands to cover her face.
Sweetie took Silver's soft hands in her once more. "Hey, it's ok. Everything will be alright. But you have to tell me what's wrong, so I can help you."
With a heavy sigh Silver started "Well Scootaloo and I are together."
"You and Scootaloo are together, and how long have you been together?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"We have been together for a while," Silver Spoon said as her head dropped slightly. "I've be wondering if was the dating her was a."
"Stop." Sweetie Bell stated as she tucked a stray lock of hair behind Silver's ear, and gently turned her tear stained face back to hers. "Don't say anything you may regret later."
Silver looked at Sweetie and let out a sigh of discontent and shook her head. "Look Sweetie Belle, I appreciate you trying to cheer me up but you'll never understand what happened."
Sweetie Belle took Silver's hand in hers and lead her towards a bench on top of the hill. They sat there for the moment as cool gentle breeze blew past "Silver I may never understand what you're going through, but if you tell me, I may start too."
Silver took her glasses off to wipe eyes and clean them. "Are sure you want to hear it's kind of a long story and I know you tend to busy helping your sister at the shop."
"Silver you're my friend and care for you. So I will always have time for you." Sweetie Belle said as she placed a hand on Silver's skinny shoulder.
Silver nodded her head and started her story. "Well it all started like I said on the night of the sleepover." ...
"So they kicked you out because of you like girls over boys." Sweetie belle recapped.
Silver nodded "That's what happened."
"So what happened today?" Sweetie asked she looked out at Ponyville.
"Well as of now it has been about three or so weeks since that night, and today Pure Ingot my father approached me." Silver Spoon informed as she reached into her bag.
"I take it was in a bad way." Sweetie Belle guested to which
"Yeah. He walked up to me threw this at my feet and left." Silver Spoon spoke as she pulled out a slightly large vanilla folder and handed it to Sweetie Belle.
Sweetie Belle opened the folder to find some loose papers, other papers held down by a binder clip and a loose note.
"As of today Silver Spoon has officially been declared deceased after being missing for about a month. In this file you find who you are now."
Sweetie Belle looked through the rest of the file, unclipping the first half of the papers. It was all about how silver spoon went missing and a statement on when she was declared dead. The second haft file contained a birth certificate with the name Silvis tansy and all papers afterwards contained the name. "This doesn't make sense you're a nice, sweet, pretty, smart and talented girl. Why would they do this?"
Silver Spoon stood up and took a step away from the bench to look out at Ponyville "because I prefer girls over guys."
It took a minute to put two and two gather "So they kick you out and disown you all because you're a lesbian. This is so mess up."
Silver counted Sweetie Belle to look out at the world and let out a laugh as tears slowly rolled down her face "It's a bit of a kicker really that right before I came out to them, I asked if they would love me no matter what."
"What did they say?" Sweetie Belle
"They said that, yes they would love me always." Silver spoon couldn't hold back the tears any longer as the gravity of what had happened came crashing down upon her.
Sweetie Belle placed the open file on the bench and moved towards Silver Spoon. Sweetie gently warped her arm around her sobbing friend. As she held Silver spoon Sweetie felt her shirt dampen from the tears "It's going to be ok. Sure you're no longer Silver Spoon daughter and heiress to Pure Set Jewelry Company. But now you are free to become whoever you like." Silver's tear slowed as she looked up at Sweetie Belle as the sunlight filtered softly through the leaves around them.
"How do you know that?" Silver asked as she wiped her eyes.
Sweetie Belle gave a tender smile as she wiped away a tear "I know it because they left you with nothing and expected you to fall off the face of the planet. But like I said you're a kind, lovely, beautiful, smart and highly talented girl. If given any challenge you overcome it. Also you not alone you have people who really care about you. Sometimes family is more than just blood."
For the first time in about month Silver Spoon felt the warmth in her heart return and she wanted it to stay so badly. "Sweetie Belle can we stay like this for a while?"
"We can stay like this as long as you want." Sweetie Belle smiled as she held Silver closer.
The light wind that had graced the small town had picked up slightly, not enough to bother people but enough to blow away loose papers.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Twilight flew through the air towards the Everfree forest and her first candidate for her team of Valor's, Former sergeant of the Equestrian Marines Zecora. As she flew her thoughts were on how she should approach the subject with Zecora. But as she landed outside Zecora's hut she decided to wing it like her old friend Rainbow Dash would. Twilight went up to the front door and knocked. She waited for answer, but none came.
Twilight was about to knock a second time but stopped as she felt as the ambient energy that sounded her beckoned her to follow. Twilight decided to follow the energy and see where it lead. After a five minute walk Twilight found the shaman in front of a small pond. Zecora was in a deep state of meditation.
Twilight felt the energy in the air shift to form a path to the other side of the pond across from Zecora. Twilight followed the path and sat down she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
They both sat like mountains; immovable. The wind blew through the forest and a signal leaf was knocked off of a tree. It fluttered through the air till the leaf landed in Zecora's awaiting hand. "What is that you seek? To grow strong so that you are not weak?"
"What I seek is not strength for myself but strength to protect others." Twilight answered.
The forest was quiet once more till a wind blew by the two and the leaf took flight once more. It gently moved towards Twilight and once it got close to her she raised hand and leaf settled on it. "It seems you have what it is you seek. Tell me what it is you truly seek?" Zecora asked.
Twilight took a breath and spoke "I seek the power for those who will guard the light." She turned over the leaf and it took flight once more.
"So you wish for me to teach those the way?" Before that you must show me that you know the way." Zecora stood and took a stance as she spoke.
Twilight never opened her eyes as she heard Zecora stand up. She knew the stance Zecora had taken. Twilight stood and took a breath in letting it out as she rolled her shoulders back. She then brought her left leg back a bit and put back a slight forward angle, as well she shifted most her weight on her back leg. Twilight's forward leg raised slightly. Her left hand rested near her waist while her right hand in front of her jaw. "First one that gets the leaf wins," Twilight stated as she recalled the last she had done the test.
Zecora felt a smile form on her lips "Yes. On my go. Three. Two. One. Go!"
Twilight pushed off on her left leg and lunged for the leaf. But right before she could grab it she dropped down to avoid a roundhouse kick to her head.
Zecora advanced quickly having taken Twilight aggressive first move and turn it around on her. Now Twilight was on the defensive as avoided Zecora strikes, but opening she found an opening when the leaf that was floating around them drifted in front of Zecora's face. In flash Twilight dropped low then came up into with an uppercut. Which caused her opponent to shift back to avoid both the uppercut and Twilight's wing.
They both were still their last positions twilight slowly stood up and folded her wing back to reviled her hand in it was the leaf.
Zecora opened her eyes. "So you know the way and the path. What is it that you want to ask?"
Twilight bowed in respect then stood upright to meet Zecora's eyes. "Zecora what I ask is no simple task but one of great importance. You have every right to refuse this offer, for you have already completed what your time in serves to the crown and earned your citizenship. But will you listen to my request anyway?"
"Come let us discuss this over some tea. For the trees will hear." Zecora said as she turned and started to walk back to her hut.
Twilight followed in silence. .....
Twilight took a slow sip of her tea and placed the cup down on the table. She then looked over to Zecora who was tending to her brew. "So any question before we start?"
"No, I do not have any. So you may speak." Zecora replied as she sat across the table from Twilight.
Twilight nodded her head "First off, let's get the formality's out of the way. What I am about to say is classified above top-secret on a need to know bases. I believe you know what can happen if you tell someone about what will be spoken here?"
"Yes. I am aware of the punishments for disclosing such information." Zecora answered.
"Very well Stg Zecora. Allow me to properly introduce myself." Twilight sat up straighter and took a breath. "My name is Twilight Sparkle The Fifth Valkyrie of Equestria, under the direct command of the princes Luna Sovran of the night and dreams."
"Well, that is some titled Valkyrie Sparkle. So how may I help you?" Zecora said as she marveled at the young girl that sat across from her.
"Just Twilight is fine. As for why I'm here it's simple, I want you on my team." Twilight replied.
Zecora raised an eyebrow "What kind of team?"
"We would be one with the shadows. Taking on the most high-risk mission and classified above top secret. To save all that rest peacefully in the night. If we fall the only record will be a small ever burning candle lit a top the highest peak, So that we may continue to be the light on the darkest of nights." Twilight said solemnly while clutching her left wrist
Zecora nodded her head "I see, so out of all the available troops that you could have chosen, why choose me?"
"Zecora the reason why I chose you because I need someone who I know is loyal to Equestria and won't run away at the first sign of danger," Twilight admitted.
"I feel as if you are overestimating what I can do." Zecora shot back.
Twilight smirked as she pulled a file from her bag by her feet. "Your actions on and off the battlefield say otherwise. From helping treat the wounded after one of the largest disasters to fall upon to the point where you collapsed. To when you lead twelve soldiers to victory over a force of two hundred that entrenched and heavily armed enemy soldiers. Zecora in just these two incidents you have proved yourself a loyal soldier and cable leader. But if you don't, believe me, I can continue."
"No, you don't have too. So what does your offer include?" Zecora asked as she stared at the folder in front of her, its plan vanilla color slightly darken by walls of the room.
"First off a promotion to a suitable rank such as Colonel," Twilight said as she watched as Zecora's mouth dropped.
"Why would I need such a rank as Colonel?" Zecora asked with a puzzled look.
"Your job would be my executive officer and the medic of the team." Twilight looked Zecora dead in the eyes.
"Well, that certainly is quite the offer." Zecora finally said after a minute or two of silence.
"It's a lot to take in one sitting, but do remember that the choice is yours," Twilight affirmed.
Zecora thought for a bit before speaking "What the pay like and the benefits?"
Twilight gave short laugh "An upper six-figure salary and I believe it's called the indigo plan of health coverage."
Zecora sat there quietly after what Twilight had said. She debated it many in her head and finally came to the conclusion. "So when do we start Ma'am."
"For now just Twilight. As for when sign here." Twilight stated as she pulled a pen and form from her bag. Zecora took the two items and read the paper then signed it.
"Welcome to the team Colonel Zecora." Twilight stood and salute Zecora.
To which Zecora replied with a salute of her own "Its honor to serve under you Valkyrie. What are your orders?"
Twilight felt a warmth bubble up inside her as Zecora spoke those words. "Well first off it's more of a personal request, but could you show me around town?"
Zecora gave a short laugh "I think that is a resalable request. So where too?"
"Where can I get cleaning supplies?" Twilight ask?
"Brewster general store on Main Street should have what you want. I'll show you the where it is." Zecora replied. Twilight nodded her head and the two started the walk to town.
"So what can you tell me about yourself? I mean one can only learn so much about some form a file." Twilight spoke to get a better scene of this words Zecora.
"If only you answer my questions as well," Zecora replied.
Twilight gave a small smile "I think that would be fine. Also what happens to your rhyming speech pattern?"
"My rhyme 'tis fine. But, my commanding officers found it annoying so I dropped it, so I did not wind up in trouble." Zecora responded
"You know what, that makes sense," Twilight replied.
As the Zecora and Twilight walked to town and asked questions of one another. They never noticed the clouds twisted and grew darker by each passing moment.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The light shallow breeze that had graced the small town of Ponyville had turned into violently screaming winds. The hues of blue no longer adorned the sky, instead pitch black as like on a cloudy moonless night. The air held a chill as ice cold rain pelted all that stood in its path.
Ash Wing count help but shiver as the rain pelted her storm gear, as the a chill slowly made her way through gear's insolation."I hope no one's out here tonight." Ash Wing thought as she sped through the darkened skies.
A minutes later off a flash of blinding light lit the skies and light hadn't even cleared as the crash of thunder resounded. "Fuck that was close." Ash Wing swore as she banked towards where the lighting had struck.
As she got closer she turned on the flashlight that was embedded in her helmet. The light did very little to cut through the darkness of the storm. Ash Wing slowed down and let gravity help guide her to the ground. Once Ash Wing's boot's touched the ground she folded her wing into the specialized compartment of the storm gear.
Ash Wing looked around the desolate country road, she was only able to see about a meter in front of herself even with the flashlight on its highest setting. She took a quick sniff of the air. The scent of burnt ozone and wood blanketed the area. Ash Wing walked towards the smell and slowly a tree that was split in half became visible.
Ash Wing looked around from where she stood but still couldn't see any better "it's just as bad here as it was higher up." Ash Wing was about to leave when over the winds of the storm she heard a faint cry. "Hello is anyone out here?!" Ash Wing called out but no reply came. "Maybe it was the wind." She thought as she extended her wings. She then gave them a mighty flapped and a bubble of wind surround her she listened. It took some time but she head it again. "Fuck someone out here."
Ash Wing took a breath "Breeze of the storm guide me to the wayward soul." She then waited for the whimper once more and when it came; the bubble of wind changed into a line of wind. Ash Wing opened her eyes and fallowed wind that was under her control. Not twenty feet later a small figure trapped under a limb of the down haft of the tree. Ash Wing rushed over to them to the figure to find it to be a child cover in mud. "Hey, kid! Wake up!" she yelled as she dropped to her knees a shook the kid. The response was minimal as the kid gave louder groan.
"Hold on kid I'm going to get you out of here." Ash Wing reached to her side of a curved shaped handle of her flare gun and load a red flare. She shot it off into the sky hoping that the other storm riders would see it.
Ash Wing wasted no time as she started to work on freeing the kid. After what she could guest was haft hour to free the young girl. "What were you doing out here?" Ash Wing whispered as she held the girl in her arms. Ash Wing extended her wings when a blinding and defang sound erupted from her left as it all faded to black. ...
"We got two over here!" a light called out.
"On three. One. Two. Three." The light counted.
"I'll get her, grab the young one." Another voice called out.
"Stay with me. I promise everything will be fine." The light called out in a caring voice.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Atop a high mountain in a new land a small group gathers. one walks forward and places a small simple candle. second places a metal around the candle's base. A third place a helmet behind it. A forth walks slowly forward and lits the candle, they turn towards the others. "May this light for ever burn and watch all those who sleep. so that their dreams will be peaceful and to be the a light in these dark times. For they shall never know her sacrifice." Slowly they left leaving only the one who lit the candle. They pulled out a simple blue scarf and laid it atop of the helmet. they took a step back at look at it all as the morning sun crested the ridge lines. "Hora aurora venit. Sic reliqua pacifice mea Crepusculum." She place a stone in front of it all and slowly walks down the mountain.
Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come. |
The Right that Returns | The kindling of hope | The kindling of hope
"In the midst of darkness, light persists." - Mahatma Gandhi
The night sky darkness was deepened by the storm that lumened overhead. Bone rattling winds brought torrents of rain and lighting upon all the apposed it. Yet darkened structures stood resolute against all that the storm had thrown at them. Many stood quiet and dark as the occupants a slept peacefully.
Yet on the outskirts of Ponyville a soft warm orange light and wisps of deep calming blue magic flickered through a window.
Four occupants were in the room, one lay in bed squirming as though they were tormented by their dreams. The second and oldest of them was kneeling next to the bed wisps of blue magic gently float between her and the girl. The third with tribal tattoos was busy reading a file. The fourth with violet wings watched with unnerved anticipation while they leaded against the wall closest to the fire the simple gray stone fire place. The wisps of magic slowly faded away and an older woman rose.
"Any luck?" The voice closest to the fireplace fire place asked.
The older women looked at the young one and shook her head "Much like the storm outside I cannot calm the sea of turbulent of haft thoughts and memories." The woman leaned over the restless child and gingerly moved their silver hair out their face.
"Any clue to what caused this Luna?"
Luna shook her head "I'm not sure what caused her mind to be in such turmoil. How was it that you found her?"
Twilight pushed herself off the wall she was leaning against and walked over to the Luna. "We found her and a local Storm Rider after two large lighting strikes hit within close proximity to the home. Zecora and I went out if there was any damage. No harm was done to the home on inspection. What we did notice was that the lighting had struck a nearby tree twice. Both the girl and The Storm Rider had been trapped under a large branch from the tree. We proceeded to pull them free. The girl was unresponsive and, the storm-rider was fading in and out of consciousness. After assessing them for any life threats we brought them inside."
Luna nodded her head "Do we know who she is?"
Zecora looked up from the folder she had in her a hand "If this file is anything to go by her name is Silvis Tansy. I know many of the young ones that live around here. But I do not know who she is."
Luna looked at the nightmare ridden girl. "That's a start, anything about family?"
Zecora looked down and nodded her head, she carefully pulled out a letter and handed it to Twilight.
Twilight takes the letter and read it softly aloud.
Dear, Silvis Tansy
We regret to inform you that your house has burnt down. We also regret that we must inform you that your mother Scarlet Night and your farther Solar star, have unfortunately perished in the fire.
Luna shakes her head "When did it happen?"
"A little over three years ago." Twilight sighed.
"I remember that storm, for it caused a vast amount of destruction and loss of life in its wake. It was much like tonight's." Zecora added
Luna nodded her head. "I see, with the given information. It is in deed possible that when the storm hit, her memories resurfaced. Which caused her to relive the events in which her parents died."
"That makes sense, trauma has a physical and mental side. The question remains why was she outside in this kind of weather?" Twilight said as she looked up from the file.
"Maybe the fear and memories made her think she was in her home that was on fire?" Zecora said as she looked at Silvis
"Maybe." Twilight handed the letter back to Zecora who put it back into the file. She then walked over to Silvis and took her hand into her own and gently stroked it with her thumb. "You'll be ok. I'll make sure of it." .....
Dark clouds slowly gathered around a slightly decrepit castle that sat upon a hill. In the many rooms of the castle maids and servants moved with perfect efficacy, to an unheard melody. But below the castle sat a dungeon that held only one prisoner chained to a table, and old man who sat across from them hidden by the shadows.
"You will tell us all that you know about her?" The man demanded as he tossed a picture on to the table.
The prisoner picked up the picture, studied it for a minute and shook their head.
"So you don't know?" The man asked. To which the prisoner nodded their head. "Well then guest that's all then I do hope that Moon Dancer doesn't have any 'accidents' when she comes back."
There was a scraping of wood on stone and a clank of chain "You will not fucking touch her!" The prisoner cried out as strands of red and yellow hair fell in front of their face.
"Well as I see it, you're in no position to do anything about that Sunset Shimmer. So, do you know anything about this girl?" The man said as he stood to meet the prisoner's eyes.
The prisoner looked at the picture again. It showed a girl clad in black, with wings of lavender and a large gun of some sort "I don't know her. She must be new."
"Ok, I'll believe you for now. How much do you know about the Valkyrie?" the man asked.
Sunset looked at the man "The Valkyrie's were the left hand of Equestria. It's been over a thousand years since one was appointed by Princess Luna. There are a few stories about them. As for my knowledge about the Valkyrie is limited to fairy tales."
The man leaned in to hear better "Anything is better than nothing. So, tell me what you know: and Moon dancer will be safe on her next trip here. Do we have a deal Sunset?"
Sunset felt a pang in her heart as she had failed again to keep knowledge out of enemy hands. "yes" she whimpered
The man took out a piece of paper. "You may begin."
Sunset took a breath and started a tale of old "A Valkyrie is a hero of Equestria even if no one knows about them."
"How can they be a hero if no one knows them?" The old man asked
"A hero is more than a person. Rather a belief." Sunset replied.
"A belief in what?" The man asked in confusion.
A smile graced Sunset's lips "A belief that, against impossible odds, that Equestria can be saved even when all seems lost and everyone else has given up. They push forward and prove that the world is still worth saving. A guiding light in a torrent of storms"
"How does this girl do that?" The man yelled as he pointed at picture.
"It simple really all heroes inspire that belief in us. Because they renew our faith in one another. And above all else they give us one of the most precious of all gifts. Do you know what that gift is Archduke?" Sunset leveled her eyes and starred into Archduke's eyes.
"No. Do they give power, knowledge, strengthen?" The Archduke rambled.
"No none of that, they give us a simple yet powerful gift. Hope." Sunset reveled as she felt fire return to her and cool knowingness returned to her eyes.
"All that the Valkyrie gives people is hope. What good is hope in the face of a trained army of hundreds if not thousands?" the archduke laughed.
Sunset felt a smug grin adorn her face. "You see Archduke when all seems lost and the world is bleak. A simple spark in the darkest of times brings hope."
"What if that spark is extinguished?" The Archduke questioned.
Sunset shrugged her shoulders "That won't work. Because this world needs heroes. Even they die their ideals and light will shine on."
"How do you know that?" The Archduke asked hesitantly.
"Because a Valkyrie is a hero, and now that she is here the world will honor her. It also means that your time is limited. For each day that passes the Valkyrie becomes stronger." Sunset smirked.
"Is that all?" The Archduke inquired. To which Sunset nodded her head. "What about her weapons?"
Sunset look at the picture to study the weapons "Never seen those weapons before."
"I must thank you for your cooperation Sunset." The Archduke got up and left; slamming the door behind him as he went.
Sunset smiled even more "Well, things are about to get interesting." and went back to scratching a magic circle onto the chains that held her. .....
The dark storm clouds were alight by massive streaks of lightning across the sky. Almost entirely disappearing in the night's sky as the thunder rolled into the inky blackness of the night.
At the clash of thunder awoke Ash Wing. breathing heavily. She looked around the room and slowed her breathing. She then snuggled back under her warm and inviting covers of the bed. 'wait bed?' Ash Wing's mind spun as the last few waking moments resurfaced 'where's the kid?' She tried to sit but let out a pain full gasp and clutched at her ribs. Ash Wing fought through the pain as she continued to move. She pulled off the covers and swung her legs off the side of the bed.
When Ash Wing stood up and she was assaulted with pain, nausea and dizziness. She felt her balance fail and braced herself against the wall for support. "You can do this Ash Wing." She said in a hushed pained breathless whisper. Ash Wing slowly made her way to the door and pushed opened. She entered a quite desolate dark hall way, with only the glow from her rooms fire place lighting the immediate area from her door.
"Where am I?" Ash Wing looked around the darkness. She took a breath and extended her white and gray tipped wings . The pain rocketed through her body as she then gave them a simple flapped and a bubble of air surrounded her. Ash wing's auburn hair floated as listened. The house was deathly silent only clashes of thunder that broke the silence. Then she heard it the hushed conversation of people talking. Ash Wing starred to walk towards the conversation, each step sent pain flowing through her body. "just a few more steps." Ash Wing kept reminding herself.
After a bit she the voices became clear. "So, what are we going to do about the girl?"
"I'm not sure really. But until the storm passes will keep her here then figure out what to do."
Ash Wing moved closer to the door she heard the voices coming from. She pressed her ear against the door and caused it to open and her to fall in.
.......
Orange and yellow light flicker off the stone in the room by several torches. All looked as a door was pushed open "Ahh General fodder what is it that brings you here?"
General fodder look at the council "I have news on the Valkyrie's movements."
Council grew deathly quiet "go on General."
General fodder grew a bit pale "The Valkyrie has destroyed the River steed cartel."
"What do you mean?" a Council member asked
"Everything is destroyed, and set ablaze. Reports state that there was heavy gun fire and explosions thought out the night." General Fodder informed the council.
"Are we sure it was her?" another Council member asked
"Where ninety nine percent sure it was her. Given survivors accounts. They said it was just one person clad in shadows and wielding weapons unlike any they had seen before."
The Council grew quitter till the chairman spoke "It seems that the Valkyrie is going to be a major problem."
Another member of the council spoke up "But they are only one person so if we get her sent on missions that take her further from us the better."
"Can that be done?" Chairmen spoke
"It's posable. But The False Princess would need the a very good reason to send her somewhere." General fodder replied
"For the good the Circle of Zenith we shall give Luna the reason she wants to send her agent on a wild goose chase. May the eternal light guide us."
The rest of the Council and the General fodder replied "May the eternal light guide us."
......
Zecora, Twilight and Luna sat around the small table in the cozy kitchen of Twilight's new home. Steam billowed off of three cups of tea as the three talked.
"I looked that place over a hundred times and found no trace of the elements anywhere." Twilight sighed looking at her tea in.
"You did all you could. We may have been given false information." Luna spoke she as placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder.
"So, what is our next move then?" Zercoa asked as they told her about the raid.
"For now, we wait and gather our strength and intel." Luna replied and took a sip of her tea.
They sat in silence drinking their tea. "I'm sorry I that I don't have more to offer." Twilight blushed looking at medium oak wood cabinets, older cast iron stove and gray and white granite counter tops.
"it's quite alright Twilight. I now you just moved here and I highly doubt that expecting any of this to happen." Luna reassured Twilight.
"The weather really caught a lot of people off guard. It hit them quite hard." Zecora nodded her head.
"So, what are we going to do about the girl?" Luna asking the question that weighted heavily on Twilight's mind.
Twilight sighed heavily. "I'm not sure really. But until the storm passes, we'll keep her here then figure out what to do."
> Finding Home
Finding Home
Home is, I suppose, just a child's idea. A house at night, and a lamp in the house. A place to feel safe.
V. S. Naipaul
"So, what are we going to do about the girl?" Luna asked the question that weighed heavily on Twilight's mind.
Twilight sighed. "I'm not sure really. But until the storm passes, we'll keep her here then figure out what to do." she looked at her cup of tea.
Zecora was about to speak when the door to the kitchen let out aloud squeak as was pushed open and some tumbled in.
All eyes turned towards the Stormrider. She was wearing a simple light blue night gown, her white and gray tipped wings sticking out a bit. Her shoulder length golden copper hair fanned out in front of her. Luna slowly got up to help the Stormrider. "Are you alright my child?"
The Stormrider looked up to see a lightly sun kissed outstretched hand to help her up. She followed the lightly sun-kissed arm up to the one that had offered them help. They wore a simple navy-blue dress and cloak as dark as the night itself. Ash Wing's amber eyes meet the soft and kind Teal eyes of the Princess of the night. "Is something wrong?" Luna broke the silence between them.
The Stormrider shook her head to clear the fog from it. She slowly got herself up with Luna's help. "I'm just a bit surprised to see you here Princess Luna."
Luna studied the Stormrider quietly for a moment. "What is your name young one?"
"Ash Wing your grace." bowing slightly out of habit.
"There is no need for formalities here. Would like to join us for some tea Ash Wing." Luna grabbed an extra cup from the cabinet and started to pour some tea into it.
"I...." Ash wing was about to refuse but realized that it was not a question. "I believe I will."
"Very good my dear. Please have a seat next to Miss Zecora." Luna gently placed the cup of tea in front of the open seat next to Zecora. Ash Wing takes her seat and gently holds her cup of tea.
"I am happy to see that you are awake and among the living Miss Ash Wing." Zecora smiles softly.
"Thanks, but I feel like I got hit by a train." Ash Wing nodded her head and takes a sip of her tea. Hints of sweet lemongrass, soft chamomile and gentle lavender. Helped to calm her nerves a bit.
"Well, you did have half of an oak tree fall on you. But you are tougher than you look." Twilight studied Ash Wing a bit more intensely.
Ash Wing looked at Twilight with the same look her eyes "What's your name?"
"It's Twilight... Just Twilight." Twilight lamented, fidgeting a bit uncomfortable that she had to keep her family a secret. So she act independently without attracting unwanted attention.
Ash Wing broke her gaze from Twilight to look around at the others at the table. "So, what brings. A famous Sargent, The Princess of the night and, a wild car together on such a stormy night?"
All three of them wore neutral expressions and the room grew quiet, only the sounds of rain and thunder broke the since. "What brings an agent of the crown to act as a storm rider?" Twilight stared at Ash wing while she took a sip of her tea.
Ash Wing narrowed her eyes to malevolent slits as she leaded forward her body tensing like a coiled spring "How do you know that."
"Luckily guess." Twilight smirked and acted coyly
Ash Wing carefully moved her hand to her leg. "Your knife isn't their Ash Wing." Twilight placed Ash Wing's knife and its sheath on the table.
"She means you no harm you Ash Wing. Also, Twilight be nice." Luna gave each woman a stern look. To which both shied away from Luna's gaze.
"When did you take it?" Ash Wing sighed and slowly let herself uncoil.
"While was tending to your, injures. Also sorry for antagonizing you." Twilight took another sip of her tea and handed Ash Wing her knife.
Ash Wing took her knife back and placed it on the medium oak stained table, next to her tea. She looked down at the bandages that were on her arms and legs. "It's ok. Sorry for being hostile towards you. So why didn't you use healing magic to fix me up?"
Luna stepped into the conversation once more "Twilight doesn't have magic." Twilight let her wings out a bit, so Ash Wing could see them. "Zecora doesn't have her supplies with her." Zecora nodded her head. "As for me I'm not good with healing magic. That's more of my sister's thing."
Ash Wing blushed out of embarrassment "Oh I see. I had heard that Twilight was a part of the lunar guard. Since, I didn't see her wings or other traits. I thought she was a mage."
"She was a part of the Lunar guard. A very fine one at that. But alas she chose to retire and move here. I was planning on visiting her tonight and see, how she was doing. When I arrived, I found them pulling you two out from under the tree." Luna looked down
Ash Wing's amber eyes went as wide as dinner plates. She stood up fast and pain surged throughout her body. Her fast movements nearly caused the chair over and her as well. "Where's the kid!"
"Easy now, she is ok. She asleep, in a room four doors from your room." Twilight movements were soft and gentle like a mother. As she helped Ash Wing back into her chair. "You must take it easy. I patched you as well as I could, but your body needs time to heal. Rushing around like the way you are, won't help."
Ash Wing nodded her head and relaxed a bit more. "So, what was her name. She did not look like any of the kids from town."
"Her name is Silvis Tansy. Truthy we were about to decide that, before you fell thought the door." Zecora passed Ash Wing her Silvas file.
"Soo. What's the plan then?" Ash Wing put the file down looked around the table at Goddess of the night, A front line hero and a soft-spoken former Lunar guard.
"Since she is an orphan, We'll take her to the orphanage. Then see, if I could adopt her. By the looks of it she has been though a lot. I not may look the part or have as many issues. But the truth is that, I'm an orphan myself. I have an understand how she may be feeling." Twilight said as sadness slowly crept into her deep violet eyes
Luna placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder and gave her a soft smile. "I think that will be a good idea. You always talked about how you wanted to start a family. I'll go with you and give my approval."
A small smile graced, Twilight's lips. "Thank you, Luna."
"You know raising a kid is not easy alone." Ash Wing looked at Twilight not thoroughly convinced that she could do it.
"Twilight won't be doing it alone. I'll help her where I can." Zecora looked up from her tea.
Luna nodded her head "When I can, I'll help as well."
Ash wing looked confused "Excuse my brashness but, why are you helping Twilight in this endeavor, Princess?"
Luna blushed very lightly "I owe Twilight a lot so it just a way of thanking her and paying her back."
Ash Wing was not convinced that was the only reasons Princess Luna had given her light blush. But expected it for now "Ok. Now Twilight can you tell me more about yourself?"
Over the next hour or two they talked about various things. Till sleep claimed Zecora and Ash Wing. Twilight with Luna's help got two into their own beds.
After gently closing the doors, Twilight turned to Luna "Thank you."
"It was my pleasure, my dear Twilight." Luna smiled.
Twilight felt an old smile return to her lips and a warm feeling bubble up from her heart. She hugged Luna. "Thank you."
Luna felt a bit of heat grace her cheeks as she returned the hug. Words could not describe how comforting it felt to hold Twilight. It felt as if the world had stopped and all was quiet. "Maybe" Both women thought as they embraced each other. .....
The strong wind howled as the front was open and then pushed with a tremendous might closed. Applejack light sigh of relief as she hung her rain-soaked jacket on the hooks in the hallway and kicked her boots off.
She made her way into the living room and stopped at the door. She smiled looking into the room.
There on the couch Spitfire sat gently stroking Applebloom's hair. While bathed in the warm glow of the slowly dying fire from the fireplace. Applejack smiled and quietly walked over to Spitfire and kissed her on the cheek. Spitfire smiled and looked at Applejack "Everything okay out there?" she whispered
"Yeah, it's all good." Applejack replied and added another log to the fire and stoke it back to life. She moved back to the couch and sat down next to her wife. "Better now that I'm with you." Spitfire giggled a little and Applebloom stirred a little. "She all, right?" Applejack looked down at her little sister.
"Yes, she was scared by the lighting." Spitfire counted to gently stroke Applebloom's hair "How are you doing?"
Applejack shook her head and her hands shaking a little "I'm not... it's..."
Spitfire lovingly kissed Applejack "It's ok to scared and uneasy."
"it's just each clash of lighting and thunder... I get these broken memories, fragments of what happened. The pain of it all." cold tears slowly rolled down Applejack's checks.
A warm gently warm hand tenderly wiped away the tears that adorned Applejack's face. Before warm long well-toned arms and wings warped her into a warm loving embrace. "It will be ok Jackie. I'm here for you always." Applejack broke into silent sobs as she buried her face into spitfire's shoulder. Spitfire and applejack fell asleep in each other's arms.
The storm raged on, and the fire had died down once more. A load clash of thunder roared through the Apple family home rattling vast amounts of family photos.
Applebloom a woke in a cold sweat at the sound of the thunder. She looked around the room as her breathing slowed down. Applejack and Spitfire were both asleep in each other's arms. She took her blanket and gently laid it over the two. She went over to the fireplace, added two logs and stoked the fire. The shadows slowly receded as the fire grew. After a bit Applebloom got up and walked silently back to her room "I'll talk to Applejack tomorrow about it." .....
The once howling winds are now light and calm. The bone chilling rain is now warm tender sun light. Once dark looming clouds are white fluffy. Truthfully the only evidence there was a storm where the broken limbs of trees, the slightly damaged houses and the gentle coolness in the air.
Many the town residents were already started assessing the damage and had begun cleanup efforts.
"Last night was quiet the storm." Trixie commented as they walked through the town center.
"Yes, it was. Poor Opal the darling was running around night." Rarity sighed and continued to ramble.
Trixie shook her head. "The only one running around last night was you." Trixie kissed fiancee who stopped rambling. Rarity was a bit surprised by the kiss as her mind came to a screeching halt. "Was I rambling again?"
Trixie nodded her head. "I'm Sorry darling." Rarity blushed in embracement.
Trixie warped her arms around Rarity "It's ok Hun. As you're here to help me stay leveled, I'm here to help you when your' anxiety gets to be too much."
Rarity nodded her head "II..thankyou my dear. I Wonder how Twilight faired throughout the storm."
"She did just fine. Even if that storm was not benign." Trixie and Rarity turned around to see Zecora walking towards them.
"Ah Zecora good to see you dear." Rarity replied with a kind smile.
"I was asked by Twilight to give you this letter." Zecora hands Rarity the letter. "Now I Must be on my way. I must see what has happened to my home." Zecora resumed down the path towards her home.
Rarity gently opened the letter. "What does it say?" Trixie asked as she tried to read the letter over her lover's shoulder.
"Twilight has invited us over for tea later this evening at her new home." Rarity informed Trixie as she put the letter away in her purse. "We need to stop by the general store and pick a gift for Twilight."
Trixie looked a bit confused "Why?"
"Because my dear it is the proper thing to do when someone invites you to their home." Rarity replied with a gentle tone and one of understanding that her love was not use to these customs.
"That makes since now. My mother always had a gift bag with her when we went to other people's houses." Trixie mused as she started walking once more. "So, what should we get her?"
"Let's see what they have in the general store first then we will go from there." Rarity smiled and let her hand intertwine with her loves hand. And lead them towards the general store.
________________________________________________________
Soft warm light slowly filtered into an off-cream color room bring out the hues of yellow that adorned the walls. A gentle warm, cool breeze flows through the open window quietly ruffling the floral white curtains.
Slowly the occupant's eyes opened as the whispered song of birds lofted into the room. They slowly started moving around taking in their current location. "Where am I?" The girl thought as she slowly sat up wincing in pain.
As she continued to look around as set of polar blue eyes her own in a mirror on her vanity. She looked at the girl in a simple yet cute snow colored night gown. Her polar blue eyes trailed up awards to her sliver hair with stripes of light blue and light-yellow. In a quiet wisher as tears slowly rolled down her checks "That's not me?"
________________________________________________________ |
The Return | pre | "Well... me being the size I am I couldnt fight him... He'd hurt me bad. You can but something tells me you dont wanna.... and by the time of day I'd say it's probably about his daily nap time... Right?" Applejack looked to the sky. She then pulled my phone- yes mine. I could tell because of the case- from her pocket and checking it.
"Huh... damn right there... Three thirty on the dot... So yeah he's definitely asleep by now... but that dont explain what you're plannin here..." I strethed letting my wings stretch out.... glad I got a onsie with wing holes.
"Well... My size might freak Big Mac out if I kinda... toy with him while he's sleeping and if I'm right once he's out he's out... Maybe I go in and toy with him and wake him up somehow and you walk in on us and fake calling the guard on him to scare the hell out of him. Sound good?" I could see her think. Gave a little face of hesitancy but it also looked as if she was warming up to the idea.
"Well... As long as he doesnt freak out to the point of hitting someone or shitting himself.... I guess that could be good... but uh... something that might give it away? Your cutie mark?" I looked to my skirted flank.
"Shit... you're right...." I looked to AJ. "The diaper isnt going to help me and neither is going in naked..." I looked at the window to the bedroom. "...Cant use your underwear... It wouldnt fit..." I looked back at Applejack. "Which of our sisters has the biggest sized panties?" She looked at me... kinda weirdly... To be honest I felt weird even asking that.
"Applebloom... why....?"
"...Is it really going over your head?" She hesitantly nodded. "...And I'm the-" Stopped myself. "Ignore that... let's just get inside, sneak upstairs and get ready. Longer we take, the more harder it's gonna be for me to do anything." She just gave a huff before taking my hand and walking into the house. We could hear Big Mac snoring loudly in his room as we tiptoed upstairs. We carefully made our way over to Applebloom's room and opened the door. It was mess but we managed to get me changed out of my little skirt and onsie... and the now soggy diaper... went before we even got in the room... made me all tingly. Perfect for what was going to come... Didnt try on any more than one pair of Applebloom's panties because... they actually fit perfectly.... How is my ass the same size as Applebloom's here?! That doesnt matter. Only clad in nothing but a pair of my soon to be sister in laws panties- Dark orange with... frills. Comfortable compared to the panties Zecora gave me... dunno why she had that small of panties but I wont question it.- I made my way quietly down stairs and into Big Mac's room. He was in his tight boxers and you could see it.... And I dont mean through the bulge. These boxers were ones he wears when he thinks he's alone. Tight around the legs but if he moves at all during his sleep the waistband rolls down. And with what ever dream he was having? He was hanging out on his side. I carefully flew up and landed between his legs and grasped his cock. My hand almost didnt fit around it though I did use it to get him fully hard.
The other hand... lets just say it was in a naughty place for a filly like me. Big Mac smiled in his sleep. "...aw Miss Cheerilee..." He said. "...Right here....? In the park... you naughty mare..." Once that thing was fully erect it was.... huge... I licked the tip as I grabbed with both hands now and rubbed him. "...Y-your hands are so... so small..." I moved one hand down to fondle him as I jerked him off and went down a bit onto his tip suckling it. "....F-fuck.... I... I'm..." I felt his balls jump and his cock flare up before he shot a large load into my mouth making me gasp a bit choking on his thick cum. I pulled off and coughed a bit as more and more of his load shot out onto me. I quickly made my way out of my panties and started teasing myself as he shifted a bit. My god he was huge. I slowly eased myself down on him and had him enter my tight pussy. Good lord it felt amazing. I felt hot as I eased down onto his big dick. Only got half way down before he woke up. That was all I could fit too. I gave him a smile as he looked to me, his eyes sinking back into his skull.
"...B-big mac... I-I'm not Miss Cheerilee... but I can be your mare.... I've seen the way you look at her in class.... the way you wanna just bend her over on the table and do her in front of us." Oooh and that got to him. He screamed but uh... he didnt take it lying down. He quickly got up, pushed me off him AND the bed. Fell so hard I hit my face and immediately started to cry like a little filly. He threw me off the way he got up which was towards the door.
I guess that prompted Applejack to rush in. Couldnt see much other than my hands on my nose. "THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?!" I heard her snap as Big Mac rushed back to his bed.
I had to look at an angle to see him put a pillow between him and his sister. "A-AJ IT AINT WHAT YOU THINK! I DIDNT DO THIS I SWEAR!" He yelled. I saw AJ get at the side of his bed looking steamed.
"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT IT AINT WHAT I THINK! THAT'S FOR GRABBING ME IN THE WRONG PLACES!" She reeled back and gave Big Mac a hook to the face. "AND THAT'S FOR RYDER! HOW DARE YOU HURT HER!" She hurried over to my side after grabbing my panties off the side of the bed. "Here sugarcube lemme see..." She grabbed at my hands. I shrugged her off whining a bit. "I know it hurts... just let me see I wont touch anything here...." She moved my hands and took a close look at my nose. "Nope... No blood so that's good... just a hard fall..." I latched onto her crying my eyes out.... May have went on the floor too. She shushed me as I looked to Big Mac who definitely had a bloody nose as he looked at me shocked... I gave him the middle finger as I finished urinating on his floor. "...Poor sugarcube... one day as a filly and you're already pissin' yourself, getting hurt and getting it on with a stallion and just getting covered by him..." I clutched AJ as she got back up. "C'mon... I think he knows not to fuck with his little sister like that... Hope he enjoys the scars and the clean up... For now lets jus' getcha in the shower and clean ya up... After that we head out after dressin' ya and getcha down for a nap..."
I gave a nod and we went upstairs leaving Big Mac to sit in his cum and possibly blood stained sheets in his room smelling like sex and piss. We both washed up... Maybe she toyed with me a bit and I came... felt weird... but good. But as we were in there the door opened scaring both of us and making me cover up. Applejack sat on the edge of the tub facing the door as Big Mac came in wearing his basketball shorts and with bits of paper towel in his nose. "GET OUT!" I screamed.
He put his hands up. "Woah woah! J-just hear me out!" He said.
"OUT!"
I grabbed a shampoo bottle and reeled back. Applejack grabbed my arm before I had the chance to throw it. I looked to her and saw her looking at me a bit ticked. "Sugarcube no!" She said taking the bottle from me. I grunted covering myself more under the water. She looked back at Big Mac. "You turn around right now and talk to us... dont wanna see your damn face."
Big Mac huffed and rolled his eyes before turning and facing out into the hall. "Will ya hear me out now?" He asked.
"Talk but be-"
I peeked around Applejack and screamed "FUCK YOU!" Applejack looked back at me.
"One more word and you're gonna be treated like Applebloom when she says that!" I huffed. Didnt want soap in my mouth as a kid, dont want it now. She looked back to Big Mac. "Talk. Now."
He huffed. "....Alright I admit I fucked up..." He said. "But how the hell did Ryder turn to that?"
"SHE fell in joke after she went on that hike. Zecora doesnt have the ingredients for the cure so she's gonna be like this for a couple days. Better be nice to her and not fucking molest her like you did me!"
"I said I fucked up didnt I?? I know I shouldnt've done that but I just... I just snapped... Do ya know how it feels to look around every corner and see someone with someone they love? Lyra and Bon Bon? Dash and Fluttershy? You and Ryder? WHERE THE HELL IS MY LOVE?!"
"...Why dont you get your things together and take a trip north for a week and learn from Cadence? If not we can try to get her down here so she can teach ya to love but I swear to Celestia if you EVER. Touch me, Ryder OR the girls like that we arent gonna hesitate to kick your ass down the drive and leave ya there for the guard to find. You hear me?"
"...L-loud and clear sis... I... I'm sorry... to both you and Ry...."
"Good... Now get out of here while I get miss potty mouth here cleaned up and repadded... oughta get her that pacifier she keeps in the closet to keep her mouth shut!" I blushed as Big Mac left us crying. AJ turned around and gave a smile like nothing happened. "...There... I know you're mad but its fine now.... we got our revenge, he's gone, he knows we're pissed... but we should give him a chance at least to talk and tell us why he did it... He's lonely, he was horny and just needs someone to blow a load into." I looked down at myself. If he hadnt knocked me off... would he have knocked me up?
I stayed quiet the whole time. After the bath I was repadded, shoved back into that stupid onsie and skirt... wasnt all bad considering i had my pacifier and a stuffed toy to cuddle. I sat in the back seat of my car just staring out the window as Applejack drove. I had my mane tied into a ponytail to keep it straight and keep it out of my face. I took my pacifier out and glanced up at AJ. "...Applejack...?" I said. She glanced in the rearview.
"'s wrong sugarcube?"
"....Is it wrong to... feel dirty trying to scare Big Mac? I mean... I... I pretended to be a student in Miss Cheerilee's classroom... th-that's sick...." She sighed.
"Yeah... I guess so... but... ya gotta do what you gotta do... How did you get that idea anyways?"
"I... I dont know... I dont even wanna think about it anymore..."
"Alright. Wont ask anymore... Sorry if I yelled atcha in there....
"It's okay... can we just turn on some music please? I need to relax..." She gave a nod and flipped on the radio. It played a little classic rock. It was a slow song and... it kinda put my to sleep. I kinda was content now... I did wake up hours later but... by the time I woke up it was too late to call Dash for her clothes... guess I was stuck wearing this. Though it did feel nice to just use my diapers and ask AJ for a change... One of them may have been a messy one too. No regret. She just let it go on for the night. I slept right next to AJ cuddling up to her. Didnt sleep... well... May have had a big accident and leaked. I was changed out of the full pull on diaper and into a taped one that Twilight had to resize when woken up out of a dead sleep... She wasnt happy but we let her get back to sleep... with... us in her bed while guards flipped AJ's matress and cleaned the bedding. But after that I slept okay. |
The Return | Bit For Your Brains? | I wish I didnt have to talk about today but I had to... Today was great until... shit hit the fucking fan. The morning was good considering I was still a filly... Twilight had to give me one of her shirts to wear as a dress. I chose it because it was a Wonderbolts shirt. Short sleeves and barely at my knees just big enough for me to put my wings through it comfortably. Twilight and I were walking through the halls next to each other. She even gave me a pair of her shoes that she didnt wear much. They were just some running shoes. Had to resize them a bit but she made them comfortable with some matching blue socks for the shirt and even had my mane braided. Twilight was wearing jeans and a tank top and some sandals. I grabbed Twilight's hand seeing guards at the side kinda snicker a bit. She glanced at me. "Dont look at them." She said. "Word spread fast about this... Luna told Celestia about your adventure and after we dropped you off I uh... told them that you had a bit of an accident while you were out and after we found you and dropped you at that shop I may have called them and told them about what happened..."
I huffed. "...You're kidding right?" I asked looking at her. She shook her head. "So Celestia must've gotten word from Luna who probably was talking too loud so a guard could hear and he told his friends and so on... I hope they know I still have authority over them..." I looked forward again only to glance back at her. "...I do have authority over them still... right?" She nodded.
"Yep... Just gotta remind them who you are sometimes but uh.... something that might be a problem... One being how you're going to get around... Cant have you drive because from what I saw you can barely even get into the drivers seat of your own car without needing a stack of books to see over the steering wheel." I blushed as she gave a bit of a laugh. "Heh... Sorry... just cant help but have a bit of fun with you... take it as a bit of payback for yelling at me the other day." Oh. Yeah... Yelled at her because I was tired and cranky and she wanted me to help Spike find his comic when I wanted to take a nap. I sighed.
"Guess I deserve that..." Moments later we went inside of her dining area where I see Spike sitting at the table with his head hung and wearing a white tank top and a pair of camo shorts. He sat there with AJ who was wearing a pair of my basketball shorts and a teeshirt. Pinkie was in the kitchen wearing her feety pajama's as she pulled a tray of sweet smelling blueberry muffins out of the oven.
I hopped onto the seat next to Applejack. She smiled at me. "There ya are Ry. Was hopin' youd find something to wear." She said. "I'd say raid Dash's drawers here but she doesnt keep her clothes here. Only pajamas or just what ever she wears during the day... good thing she washes her clothes right?" I nodded.
"Eeyup... Girl cant keep her clothes clean doing the weather and I doubt she wants to smell like sweat all day." I said. I looked to Twilight as she sat down between me and Spike. "Speaking of Dash when are we going to call her? Gonna need something other than a resized shirt to wear... I'd rather have some shorts than feel the breeze."
Twilight smiled. "I guess we could call her soon." She said. "Maybe after we eat? I'll start to get the call up here soon. Anyone got their phone?" I shook my head.
"Left mine in AJ's room... hope the guards didnt take it." Twilight looked to Applejack.
"You have yours?"
Applejack shook her head. "Nope. Mine's back in my room with Ryder's." She said.
Pinkie came over with a few plates with a couple muffins each on them. "Mines at home! Didnt think I'd need it here!" She said.
Twilight sighed pinching her nose. "...So... nobody here has their phones...." She said.
Pinkie, AJ and I all made noises of disagreement. "You took mine away..." Spike said. Twilight huffed.
"Great... Gotta do everything myself..." She took a muffin from the plate and took a bite out of it. "After we eat we're going to the study for my computer... video call is the next best thing!" I huffed grabbing my own muffin and eating it. Even had Pinkie get me some juice. Apple juice. It was nice.
After breakfast we all headed towards Twilight's study. I rode on Pinkie's back because she offered and to be honest I didnt wanna take it at first but I warmed up to it. I felt like a little filly. As we got to the door I jumped off and did a little loopdeeloop as I landed. Never been able to do one that tight before. Always tried but ultimately ended up hurting myself. Not bad but... I do hurt myself. Pinkie giggled a bit. "It's been a while since I gave someone a Pinkie back ride!" She said. "Good thing you're light enough for me to carry!"
I laughed a bit. "Thank you for giving me that ride!" I said fluttering my wings excitedly like Scootaloo does. "It's been so long since I had one! Makes me feel like a kid again!" I sighed as Applejack and Twilight stopped at the door. "...Last I remember getting one was with my dad... he did it only because my mom asked him to..." I kinda teared up a bit. Being a mare kinda threw me into some emotions... either that or its the normal me.
Applejack gave a little aw and picked me up hugging me. "Now now dont cry sugarcube... I see them tears..." She said. She kissed me on the cheek and rested my head on her shoulder. I sniffled and wiped my eyes away.
"...Sorry... I just... Just good memories here..."
Twilight smiled a bit and had her horn glow dousing me and Applejack in hearts. I immediately felt better while AJ just giggled a bit. "There... some calming magic for you general." She said. "C'mon. Longer we wait around the more harder it is to convince Dash." Yeah... Gotta get her early in the morning otherwise she's a brick wall and sometimes you have to take a sledge hammer made of bits or a promise... We walked into her study and I went straight for the computer chair. Guess I was feeling too much like a kid but I guess it was okay considering Twilight moved the chair to the side with her magic. Pinkie came over and just spun me around a bit as we waited for Twi to open up the video chat program. Something I didnt wanna do but one of the only ways... Stupid thing is we'd be forced to do this anyways with phones. Dash's phone is kinda broken and glitches out and distorts voice when playing just audio. We tried everything and she cant get it fixed because she was out of warranty. Too stubborn to buy a new one too. But for some reason video chat works with audio... unsure how it works but oh well. And Fluttershy? She doesnt like video chat apps. Thinks someone will call her anyways when they dont know who she is. Always has them disabled.
As Twilight started up the computer Pinkie rolled me over a bit to the side of the computer. I could see Twilight click a few things, type a thing or two... saw my screen name from when I was in the war... lost the computer somewhere... fire I think. Next thing you know she clicked on Dash's screen name... 'WB#1 Rainbow Dash' ...Ego... Twilight double clicked the name and it brought up a chat log... Few things I didnt wanna see but kinda made me a bit horny. Dash's chest and a nude sleeping Fluttershy. She quickly hit the video call button before the chat log disappeared and a buzzing sound was heard. I looked over at Twilight and saw her blushing as she looked nervously at Applejack who was grinning herself. Pinkie giggled a bit too. I saw the mares in a little box. I wasnt in it. Next thing you know the screen lights up and we see Dash in a tank top and her mane looking messy. She smiled. "Hey girls!" She said. "Little sleep over at Twilight's and I wasnt invited?" Twilight chuckled a bit.
"Yeah sorry Dash. Got a bit lonely but we have a favor to ask." Dash looked at the camera confused.
"Uh.... You sure you got a favor to ask me...? Are you sure it isnt Flutters?" She turned the camera and all I saw was Fluttershy sleeping on her back and her bare chest. Ooh I just wanted to shove my hand in my pants and go to town to that. Might ask Dash later for a few pics of Fluttershy... IF she's okay with that.
"Uh... N-no no its definitely from you! Just... turn the camera back to you before she wakes up and sees us..." Dash quickly turned the camera back to just herself blushing a bit.
"Well... what's up? Need me to help somepony move something when I get home? Somepony wanna spend a night with me because they miss me? AJ need someone to replace Ryder?"
Applejack gave a huff as Dash laughed... she even sparked something in me that wanted to scream. "Fat chance girl. You saw the ring! You're just jealous someone has me now!" She snapped. I gave a silent laugh. "But in all seriousness its a favor for Ryder mostly... He went for a hike in Everfree and ended up getting himself into poison joke and well..." I could see her eyes dip into the back of her head for a bit.
"What happened to him? Did he become a potted plan? End up losing control of his bladder? Bowels? Lose control of his wings like i did?" Nobody answered.
Twilight just hesitantly turned the computer towards me until I was the only one in frame. I crossed my arms and pouted. She gasped a bit before busting up laughing. Laughed so loudly and so hard she fell out of bed and even woke Fluttershy. I heard her scream a bit. I rolled my eyes. "Yeah yeah laugh it up Rainbow Sprinkle!" I said. She stopped laughing and I heard Fluttershy sobbing a bit lightly. "Yeah that's right I said it! Now you have 'ten seconds flat' to tell me we can raid your things for some clothes for me. Otherwise I tell them what that name of yours means!"
"F-fine! Just go get my clothes! Take what ever you want! Just leave my shit alone when you get in there!"
The mares next to me laughed a bit as Dash quickly ended the call and showed the chat log again. Pinkie grabbed my arm a bit. "Please! Tell us what that name was about! She had that look on her face like she was scared of something!" She said.
Applejack wiped a tear from her eye. "Yeah sugarcube c'mon!" She said. "Be quick about that! Before I piss myself!"
I smiled a bit and rolled my eyes. "Guess I can now that you mention pissing yourself..." I said. "Rainbow Sprinkle was a nickname she got from my aunt and uncle when she wet her bed too much when we were little. Had to wear diapers and even had bedwetting pads just in case. Even at sleep overs!"
Everyone started laughing hard. Twilight even doubled over and started coughing a bit. I had myself a laugh too until I wet myself... They only found out when I grabbed Pinkie's arm with one hand and the other on my crotch under the shirt dress. Before we headed out Pinkie helped me change after I started to cry a bit. Yeah that fucking plant hates me and made me incontinent with sleeping and laughing... either that or its just remnant from Twilight's magic. Dunno. We went out in my car. Twilight drove this time and AJ was in the front seat while I cuddled with Pinkie. Twilight glanced into the mirror. "All comfy back there?" She asked. I was kinda a bit sniffly from my accident still. I know it's happened before but I dont like this. Pinkie gave a nod giving a loud 'Mhm!' Twilight sighed a bit. "Well that's good. Could probably check in with Zecora and see how she's doing with the hunt for those ingredients and if she needs anything."
I whimpered a bit. "....I hope she gets everything soon..." I said. "...I just want to be me again...."
Pinkie held me close and shushed me. "Dont worry... you'll be fine...." She said. "Just listen to good ol' aunty Pinkie and she'll make it all better..." I cuddled up to Pinkie a bit more and hugged her tight.
Applejack huffed. "Didnt wanna pull this card but when you get turned back into a stallion why dont you just go to town with whoever you want." She said. "Gives ya something to look forward to so you'll stop cryin'."
I admit it did kinda make me feel better but she was the only one I wanted to do was her. When we got to Dash's place I had to get out with Princess Twilight who flew with me up to Dash's door. Twilight had a skeleton key to her friends houses just in case there was an emergency and nopony was at home. So if Dash or Applejack broke their legs and nobody was with them and they hurt themselves, say like they broke an arm- which Dash has done on more than one occasion- they could text Twilight, she'd give a guard a key and get them into an ambulance and to the hospital or her infirmary in the castle. When we got inside the living room I looked around. Been a while since I was here. Dash had her couch dead center of the room, end table on each side and a flat screen TV against the wall with a DVD player on a shelf below it. Her medals were... everywhere.... all over the walls. While we were up there Twilight looked to me as I gave a hefty sigh. "You doing okay Ry?" She asked. I shrugged. "....This about the joke cure taking so long or the ruined trip that you wanted to take?"
I took her hand as we started walking upstairs. "...Kinda both... " I said. "...I wanted to have a nice get away but it spiraled out of control and look at me... I might be thirty two but I've got the appearance of a fucking fourteen year old girl with bladder control problems... I dont like being like this... I'm afraid... if... if i'm stuck like this... Aj isnt gonna love me any more..."
"Dont worry. She will still love and care for you... When I heard there was an accident I was sure you broke your leg or got attacked by an animal or something. I wasnt expecting a half naked filly running towards me crying... This was a significant change from a tall stallion who loves picking fights with his cousin to a loud mouth brat who needs a bit of a spanking and a time out... She agreed to stay with you through thick and thin, trouble and peace.... If she were to break it off now I'd see something that I didnt wanna see... and thats someone who's high ranked and respected by princesses and ponies alike crying... I'd say stallion but..." She smiled a bit blushing. I sighed averting my gaze.
"...Lets just get Dash's clothes so you can have your shirt back..." I heard her huff before taking me to Dash's room. She helped me out of the shirt just leaving me a bit exposed. I sat on Dash's bed in my socks and diaper. Had to remove my shoes and pick out some items of clothing. I picked out a few pairs of shorts, a teeshirt and just because I had free reign to do so: Dash's favorite short jacket hoodie. Short sleeved jacket and it fit me well. Didnt have to resize it. It was a grey short hoodie, Jean shorts that were tight but kinda loose- Tight around the waist but loose going to the legs- and her wonderbolts teeshirt. Even took one of her hairties to tie up my mane. Twilight even got it in a cute style where it was kinda covering one of my eyes. When we went back outside I didnt realize how high up i was. I froze right on the step as she closed the door. I quickly latched onto her burying my face into her side.
"Oh no... Dont worry... You're alright I gotcha... You get scared?" I nodded. She sighed and knelt down hugging me. "...I was afraid of a relapse... Just hold on to me tight and I'll fly us down... sound good....?" I clutched her and whined a bit. She sighed. "Alright... this isnt good..." She picked me up. I screamed a little bit but she shushed me as we went back inside. Good LORD I was scared. Not as scared as the first time i freaked out over heights... I didnt faint this time but I did kinda break down and cry. Twilight held me close as I shuttered scared. "It's alright... you're okay... Want me to call AJ?" I nodded hesitantly. She pried me off sitting me on the couch where I just grabbed a pillow and hugged it tight as I kinda wet myself again. I watched as she took her phone out of her pocket and walked over to the kitchen. She messed with her phone for a bit before she went an raided the fridge only to use her magic to bring out a few bottles of sports drink. Green and purple. She handed me the purple drink with her magic just as she tapped a few times at her phone before it was put on speaker to hear a bit of buzzing.
I grabbed the drink and opened it holding it with both hands... I was shaking badly. I slowly sipped it as the phone buzzed a bit before clicking. "Twilight?" I heard AJ said. "What's going on? Ry go and have another accident again?" Twilight looked to me and sighed. I kinda nodded a bit.
"Yeah kinda... But there is a reason for that..." I heard AJ sigh.
"Ah hell... Dont tell me Dash has a spider in her house..."
"She doesnt.... At least I hope not..." Twilight looked around. I did too. Nothing thank Celestia. "But uh no... No spiders that I see... Ryder did have an accident but she got scared when we came outside and we're kinda stuck up here.... I'm not gonna leave her up here alone and she wont come down even with me. Anything you girls can do to coax her out?" Applejack hummed.
"...Cant think of anythin... I'd say force her out but a whole good that's gonna do..."
Pinkie kinda made a noise like she had an idea. "Ooh! Ooh! Just toss her down! I'll catch her!" She said. I kinda screamed a bit crying more.
"Dammit Pinkie! Ya made her cry! That might've worked with Pound when he wouldnt get off the roof but not my sugarcube! C'mon you're sitting in front and I'm telling Mr. Cake what you said about her!" And we heard Pinkie start crying.
Twilight sighed. "Sorry Pinkie but that's what you get for that!" She said. "And I expect you to apologize to Ryder sincerely! She's going through a lot right now!" Applejack sighed as we heard the car door shut and Pinkie's cries silence... a bit.
"Sorry 'bout that Ry.... she's...she's just having a little temper tantrum now.... I got the keys and she knows you aint gonna be happy if she breaks anything in your car. Just c'mon down, I'm waiting right below and you and I can cuddle in the back until we get back home.
I sniffled capping my drink. "N-NO! No I'm not coming down! Too high!" I said.
Twilight brought me over to her to cuddle up to. She huffed. "Dash isnt here to help me with her" She said. "I cant get her down by myself since she doenst trust me holding on to her and Fluttershy cant calm her down through a video chat...."
I heard Applejack gasp a bit. "Gimme one second here." She said. "I got an idea but its just gonna be a minute." We didnt have time to answer back before she hung up leaving us to sit there in silence.
It was only a few minutes of silence with the occasional shush from Princess Twilight. That only lasted until we had a knock on the door. We both looked to the door as it opened and in came Gilda looking a bit surprised and tired. I got up and rushed her as she set suitcases aside. She was wearing a grungy looking leather jacket and black combat pants and boots. She hugged me back sighing as I cried into her stomach. Yeah she was that much taller than I was. Barely enough to have her rest her tits on my head but not enough to even reach them standing up all the way. "... Ah shit... Guess what Dash said was true..." She said. "Big tough stallion turned small mare..." She pried me off and knelt down looking me in the eye. "What's wrong? Was Dash mean to you?"
Twilight huffed as she came over and closed the door. "Nah... Just got scared from the heights..." She said. "You wanna help her down and take her home? Feels like she could use someone to cuddle with after this ordeal..." Gilda huffed.
"Sure... plane ride back here was hell, barely slept back home because of all the hate I was getting... the elder did make it public that it was an accident but some dont believe him about me.... Just glad to be back with someone who accepts me even if i do screw up..." Twilight rested a hand on Gilda's shoulder... One that I wasnt occupying for my crying.
"...Tomorrow I'll see if I cant scrounge together some bits and get them to agree to a video chat to resolve this issue. I want to see you accepted by your fellow griffons. The elder and I know it was a huge accident. I will even send a declaration or have Celestia make her appearance to rectify things there." Gilda yawned picking me up and holding me tight. I gripped her tightly with my arms around her neck and legs around her waist.
"....Yeah... guess that's okay... Lets just get going...." I clenched my eyes shut as we walked outside the door. "...Grab my bags please?"
After a while I was back home just cuddling with Gilda... I was tired but refusing to go to sleep... she was doing the same thing. We were in my bedroom upstairs. "....Hey Gilda....?" I said looking up at her. She looked at me.
"Yeah Ry?"
"...Do... do you think AJ still loves me like this...?"
"If she's stayed with you through you getting jailed, drafted and nearly killed in a plane crash and even lets you fuck my brains out I'd say she'd stay with you even if you look like this....I've seen worse when it comes to relationships..." I climbed on top of her resting my head on her chest. She held me close.
"...You have...?"
"Uh-huh... Was back home when this one happened... before shit hit the fan.... Saw a couple who broke up because the girl questioned him after he bought a scone from my stall. Said he was cheating, slapped me and accused me for being a seducer... the guard there let me get away with a slap after it was found that she was found out to abuse every mare her ex had made contact with... assault, molestation... hell she even kidnapped a few kids too... she was that greedy for a lover she removed anyone and everyone she deemed a threat.... even her own mother...."
"...In my time of the guard I've heard some shit... seen some shit... I had to go through a nightmare one day... four months into me being general... I went to a house to see about a domestic disturbance... Only go there to find a mare and a filly out on the lawn... Mother and daughter... daughter has a black eye... Mom tells me to go inside the house to get her husband and arrest him... Guy turned out to be the leader of a freaking sex traffickers and had fillies from all over Equestria in his basement... Some that I've even seen in Scootaloo's classes when she was younger... Felt good to get this guy off the streets but... seeing those children... most malnourished and others bruised.... All scarred from what this and possibly many other stallions have done... if Scoot was among them I... I dont know what I would've done... I would've beaten him, killed him... Probably worse...."
"Hell... Pretty sure you'd rip the guys arm off and beat him with it and even shove it right up his ass after salting his wounds with rat poison... You wanna protect your sister no matter what... Hell I kinda figured you'd do anything for her considering that wing you had to lop off to get home... How'd you get it back anyways?" I curled up a bit and yawned.
"...Luna gave it to me... a gift after all I've done..." Gilda yawned as well rolling me off of her.
"Good... I'd hate to see you with only one wing.... or no wings for that matter... Might be funny if we drove up to Cloudsdale and freaked a few ponies out with making them think you're just a blind earth pony who didnt know where they were going..." I kinda laughed a bit.
"Yeah... Might be a good prank... for now... naps.... But... change me before you sleep...?" Gilda sighed a bit and kissed my head before getting up out of the bed. While she was out getting diapers I passed out.
As I slept I fell into a dream... Nightmare really. I was thrown into my bedroom... my old bedroom... everything is burning but I'm a mare. "Ryder! HELP!" I hear AJ scream I rushed to my door and opened it only to see burning rubble blocking it. I looked back at my room and hurried towards the window. I tried lifting it but it was too heavy for me. I started coughing and hacking because of the smoke. "RYDER! HELP!" I frantically started to look around my room. I dont think I ever had one in my room but I found a baseball bat in my closet. It was a wooden one, taped up handle. I grabbed it and started beating at the debris. Nothing. Next thing you know I throw it at the window and it shatters. I quickly fly out and down to the ground only to rush into the front door to see the fire put out, Applejack on the floor wearing nothing but burnt tattered rags... She wasnt dead but she was crying. "...Wh-why sugarcube... why did you not save me?" I stammered a bit.
"A-AJ I'm sorry! I tried to get here as fast as-"
"NO!" She screamed springing up. Half her face was a bit burnt. "Your fastest wasnt good enough! Look at me! I'm scarred! I'm BURNED! NOBODY'S GONNA EVER LOVE ME!" I grabbed onto AJ's shoulders.
"Nonsense! I still love you!" She shrugged me off and pushed me back.
"BULLSHIT! YOU DONT LOVE ME! IF YOU LOVED ME YOU'D'VE CAME HERE AND SAVED ME!" She got up and put her bare foot hard down on my chest. "HOW CAN YOU LOVE ME WHEN YOU CANT SAVE ME?!" I couldnt answer I was so scared. "Pitiful piece of shit.... couldnt save me as a mare... cant please me as a stallion...." She reached down and grabbed me by the shirt i was wearing before picking me up, spinning for a moment and chucking me straight for the window.
I narrowly missed it but hit the wall instead... that forced me to wake up giving a scream. Gilda was still next to me on the bed just scared out of her mind after the scream. She flailed for a second before rushing to my side as I started to cry. My cries sounded almost like Scootaloo's after watching a scary movie... Loud and screeching. Just a bit over my cries I heard heavy steps to the ground before my door opened. I looked over to the door and saw Big Mac coming in.... He had his boots on, jeans and a black hoodie. "What in the hell is going on in here?!" He asked. "Why the hell is Ryder crying??"
Gilda huffed holding me tight. "I dont know! She just woke up and started screaming!" She said. "Scared the shit out of me too..." She looked to me. "You okay Ry?"
I sniffled a bit. "M-MOMMY!" I yelled. Gilda shushed me as I continued to cry. Gilda sighed a bit.
"Call AJ. Obviously needs her...."
"NO! NO NOT AJ ANYONE BUT HER!"
Big Mac sat on the bed next to us and huffed. "Well why not?!" He asked.
"...Sh-she... she doesnt love me... I j-just.... I want my mommy...." I almost couldnt believe i was calling my own mother mommy when I usually refer to her as Mama Spitfire. Big Mac sighed as he got up.
"....great... Now one of us is gonna have to fuckin' take him to his momma.... Cloudsdale 'n shit... Aint wantin' to do that.... My truck doesnt have that much gas for that kinda trip and AJ took his car..."
Gilda huffed as well. "My car is almost on empty too... Asshole went and siphoned gas from my gas tank at the airport..." She said. "Had enough bits for a bit of gas to get me home and here.... dont think I can get much more without a little kickback... Maybe Twilight can help us?" She looked to me. I nodded. "Alright... I'll have to call Twilight see what she can do... want a soda until then?" I sniffled and nodded. She looked to Big Mac. "Grab her a soda... I'll stay up here until you get back... Maybe get her changed... Feels soaked..." I looked down at myself and saw all I was in was the shirt I got from Dash's and one of Scoot's diapers. Diaper was soaked quite a bit. Gilda was kinda doing the same thing now that I noticed. She was wearing one of my tees and a diaper. Shirt was my torn sleeved Metallicolt tee. Her diaper looked soaked too. Yellow like she hadnt gotten enough water. I just cuddled up to her again sniffling as Big Mac left the room. My griffon friend huffed. "...Not sure what's gotten into me but I cant believe I'm acting motherly to you.... Such a big baby you are... calling for mommy and wetting yourself... Second one is pretty normal to me but... havent heard you call your mommy before... You sure you're alright?"
I sniffled. "...I... I hate this body...." I said. "...I feel... I feel like... I dont belong in this body... everyone looks at me weird, I'm shorter and flatter than Dash... I dont have my parts... I fit into extra small shirts and panties... AJ doesnt love me and... I feel like if i fucked anyone I'd be looked at like I was just a filly doing the wrong things.... I've even got the bladder of a fucking filly and I HATE IT!" Gilda shushed me holding me close.
"...Look... I know it's not easy but a lot of ponies go through what you're going through... they're trapped in a body they dont wanna be in and want some other equipment though.. it's not as easy to fix as your problem is... they even have ponies who had cared for them over years just turn on them because they dont feel comfortable in their own body or even in their own clothes... I can say I've... I've lost someone after they've gone and told their own parents about how they didnt feel good as a mare... Parents disowned them and the father threatened to send them to one of those camps to force you to say you are what you are... Hung himself up as they came to get him the next day... Parents were arrested when they found a suicide note saying the father beat him and his mother wanted to kill him.... had blades and everything to do so... Even acid to get rid of the body..." She sighed just laying me down onto the bed next to her as she got up and started to dig under the bed for a spare diaper and some wipes. "...Point is... I just hate hearing that you arent loved or arent happy.... It's making me afraid you're going to... do something I dont want..." My heart kinda sank. Was I really coming off that way? I sighed as Gilda came back up and set aside the wipes and a fresh diaper for me.
"...Sweet Celestia... I'm sorry... I just... I didnt know it hurt you that much..."
"...It's fine dweeb... Just... please dont say you hate yourself and that nobody loves you... I love you, AJ loves you... even your little sister... would you wanna leave them without a big brother? A husband? A friend they can look to for comfort?" I sighed and sniffled.
"...Almost did a few times... guard training I almost shot myself after my parents were murdered... Shining knocked the gun from my hand when taking me down.... I wanted to hang myself when I was out at war... Someone found the noose I tied, cut it, burned it and had me held down for a night and watched for a couple days until I was stable... Stuck with me for a bit through the plane crash and the fire... The fire I'm not gonna lie... I was just going to embrace it but... then again... something stopped me... I just... I need help Gil... badly...." I whimpered a bit... peed a little more too... Gilda shushed me as she started to change me.
"Calm down there you're gonna get yourself sick.... If you need help just say something... I'm here for you, Applejack and her brother are here for you, the princesses and anyone else you talk with is going to be glad to help you... I will wake up from a dead sleep for you to talk to me, hell I'll come all the way over here to get you to go to sleep if you're freaking out or cant sleep because you're the only one home... If you get kicked out and cant get the keys to your car I'd be down here with mine so you can sleep in the back seat... Hell I'd sleep in there if you could take my bed at Dash's place... I just wanna see you happy and alive for everyone involved."
I sobbed a bit. Gilda continued to shush me as she started to wipe down my crotch. She passed over my pussy and just drove me wild with the cold wipe. I could see her blush as I gave a loud moan. Oh and what she did next was just THE BEST. She looked to the door and then back at me motioning me to cover my mouth. I did as such and she started to finger me and sweet fucking celestia... I fell into some sort of state that wasnt quite bliss... possibly beyond. My wings puffed out from under me as I felt my face turn bright red before I quickly came, squirting a bit. She giggled a bit taking her claw out of me, licking her cum covered talons. I had actually started to pee again. Strong stream too. Gilda had to quickly lower herself a bit, open her diaper and allow me to piss on her and in her diaper... Yet that couldnt be at the worst time. We heard footsteps and they stopped close. A gasp was heard. I looked over and there was Big Mac just staring at us doing this with a can of soda in one hand and a phone in the other. He brought the phone up to his ear. "...Uh... Twi?" He said "I'll uh... I'll meetcha at the castle... Just make sure Pinkie and AJ arent there... Tell them to get some food for later..." He brought his phone down and huffed. "...Alright... I aint gonna ask what's going on up here and letcha finish... Just gonna let you know we're gonna have to head out soon. Both of ya get dressed and hurry. Only got a small window of opportunity to do this so empty whatcha got, change into some fresh'ns and lets go!" We both blushed giving a thumbs up as I dribbled to a stop.
Not long later I was redressed and rediapered. I sat right between Big Mac and Gilda in Big Mac's truck as we started to head towards the castle. I kinda cuddled up to Gilda feeling content with her... felt kind of a motherly aura with her. It wasnt much of an aura but i felt it... I looked to Big Mac. "... You uh... you okay today...?" I asked. He glanced at me and sighed.
"...Yeah... Just... Just been thinkin' about my life... Might head out to visit Braeburn or somethin' soon.... Think I've been workin' too much..."
"You have seemed a bit stressed lately... Getting snippy, working till you pass out in bed and taking the girls to school every morning not even letting me get a chance to... Just.... talk it over with AJ. She's gonna worry a bit..."
"Like I give a damn... I hurt her and you.... Damn near scared the life outta me when you said somethin' about being in Miss Cheerilee's class..." I kinda laughed a bit.
"That's what ya get. Had ya fooled didnt I?"
"...Scared the hell outta me is what ya did... Thought one of them school kids broke in and tried fucking me..."
Gilda looked to us a bit shocked. "Wait... WHAT did she do?" She asked.
"Ryder came into my room when I was taking a nap, buck naked and ended up messing around with me after I uh...." He glanced out the window as we stopped at a red light.
"After you what?"
"Look all I'm gonna say is that I fucked up BAD and hurt someone close to me. For revenge that someone told this guard here to do something to me and with her like this she couldnt think of a damn thing and jerked me off and tried to fuck me pretending he was one of our sisters classmates..." He looked at me. "How long you gonna be like this? Aint used to seeing another filly using my damn best friends name."
I huffed shifting a bit, crinkling my flank a bit. "Said a few days. Dont have all the ingredients on hand." I said. "... Can we just get me to the castle so I can see my mom... I just... I need her a lot right now..."
"Alright. Gotcha... Momma's girl..."
I just reached over and nailed him in the arm with a well placed punch. He just rubbed it as he pulled off from the light. Not long later I was Riding on Gilda's back as we followed Big Mac up into the castle. I just gripped Gilda kinda giggling a bit as she just kinda bounced around as we came to a plateau. Guess she wanted to do this to kinda cheer me up. We walked through the halls and had a few guards looking at us. I may have flipped off a few that chuckled at me. They knew what they were getting into. Soon we found Princess Twilight kinda pacing around in her study. She was wearing that tank top I was wearing as a dress earlier. The wonderbolt tank top and some jean capris pants as well as some running shoes... I think the same ones that I borrowed. She looked to us as we entered. "Good you're here!" She said. "We dont have much time. I've got a chopper inbound and Applejack will be back ANY moment. She and Pinkie are trying to decide what to eat and cant agree so they're out there arguing about whether to get hayburgers or pizza because I cant make up my mind to hide your being here!" Big Mac huffed.
"Aint my fault that Ry wanted his mama instead of AJ when she woke up screaming from a fuckin' nightmare!" Twilight looked at him quizzically as I dismounted Gilda.
"Uh.... confused much?" He blushed and looked away.
"Yeah I know she's a mare but that's still my friend there... Aint easy for me to refer to Ryder as such..." She huffed.
"Well try to keep calling her a her! I dont want someone to overhear and get pissed off because you keep calling a mare a guy! Only unless they wanna be preferred as such. And Ryder... She's been responding to mare stuff okay and-"
I huffed. "Can we just get this done and over with! Please?" I asked. "I just... I just need to go talk with my mother... it's important...." My voice kinda weakened as I looked away. Twilight approached me and knelt down. I started to tear up.
"...Is... is everything okay Ryder...?" I didnt answer. Just whined a bit before sobbing and burying my face into her shoulder. She looked up at Big Mac and Gilda. "You two should get going. I'll handle it from here."
Gilda sighed and knelt down picking me up. I grabbed onto her tight. "...Think I'll stay for her..." She said. "....Told me something important and... I just cant help but worry..."
"Uh... Okay... Maybe you can accompany him on the chopper when it gets here. I'll tell Dash you had to go with Ryder somewhere.... Maybe Dash and Fluttershy could meet you there...?" Gilda looked at me.
"...Want them to be there for ya Ry? Might help ya better than just me and your mother..." I sniffled and sobbed giving a nod. She looked back at Twilight. "Yeah... And... Tell Applejack- if she isnt back by the time we have to go- that... Ry still needed a little time to unwind from his stress... I'll tell his-her..." She looked to Big Mac. "...Shit this is hard... knowing someone for a while just for them to end up swapping sides on you really confuses you... But..." She looked back to me. "...I'll shell out the details of why she's like this... Maybe see if we cant stay in contact with you to get the heads up... but what is said doesnt leave to Applejack or Scootaloo... Capiche?" Twilight looked to Big Mac and vice versa. They both looked back.
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Twilight said.
We all looked to Big Mac. He just looked at us. "...What?" He said. Gilda and Twilight cleared their throats. He huffed. "Fine.... Fuckin' Pinkie promise... Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye"
Gilda sighed. "Good... Now if the dweeb comes crying to me because one of you blabbed OOH I'm gonna beat someone... Most likely gonna be the stallion here. Princesses get special treatment...." She said. "But the reason she's acting like this is because she's just.... been having thoughts... bad thoughts... thoughts that I had long ago..." She looked to me. "...She helped me get through them and I wanna be there for her through this... I wanna see to it she gets better..."
Twilight stammered a bit. "Uh... Wh-what kind of thoughts if... you dont mind me asking...?" She asked. Gilda held me with one had and did a motion with her other hand... I knew what motion she did without anyone saying anything and me not seeing anything. Twilight and Big Mac both gasped. "No! You cant be serious!" I felt Gilda hold me tight with both arms again. My wings started to shiver quite a bit.
"...W-wish I wasnt...."
I heard the door kinda hit the frame a bit. "...Holy shit.... You just... why...?" I hear Big Mac ask.
"...I... I dont wanna say... she could tell more than I could... but... we should get going now...." I felt Gilda start to move a bit before hearing heavy boots rush us and a loud grunt from Big Mac before I was just ripped away from Gilda... I screamed and maybe messed myself I was so scared. I cowered now in the grip of Big Mac.
"GOD DAMMIT TELL ME WHY YOU'RE THINKIN' THESE THINGS!!" I felt Gilda try to grab me before Big Mac pulled me away more. "DONT TOUCH HER! TRY THAT AGAIN AND I'LL GUT YOU YOU OVERGROWN CHICKEN!"
I felt some force grab us both... Twilight's magic. "YOU LET HER GO RIGHT NOW BIG MAC!" She snapped. "DONT MAKE ME CALL THE GUARD IN HERE! LET. HER. GO. SHE OBVIOUSLY DOESNT WANNA TALK!"
I just let out a loud blood curdling scream. "STOOOOOOOOOOOP IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" I screamed. I was suddenly dropped by both Twilight and Big Mac starting to break down even more. I got up and opened my eyes and looked at everyone looking scared, Gilda with tears in her eyes, Big Mac looking pissed with tears in his eyes and Twilight just looking worried. "Y-you wanna know why I thought those things...?! It's because I couldnt save my parents from a fucking murderer, I nearly lost my sister to a fucking guard, I couldnt save my house from burning down, I cant even make a good lover for my soon to be fucking wife AND I NEARLY KILLED MY TEAM ON A FUCKING FROZEN MOUNTAIN FOR FUCKS SAKE BY BEING A FUCKING DEAD WEIGHT! I HAD FUCKING FLASHBACKS OF KILLING AFTER I FUCKING EXECUTED THAT GOD DAMN SPY IN THE CAMP! WHAT THE FUCK WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO LET HIM LIVE AND LIVE WITH THE GUILT OF NOT BEING STRONG ENOUGH OR BRAVE ENOUGH TO SAVE WHAT I LOVE?!" I just broke down and collapsed.
Gilda hurried to my side snatching me up in her arms quickly shushing me. Twilight and Big Mac kinda rushed me too all getting in on the embrace."...You see now why I didnt want her to say anything...?" Gilda said. "She's obviously hurting... badly... Just needs a little bit of a helping hand to get back stability..."
Twilight sighed. "...I... I'm sorry..." She said. "... I... had no idea... Ryder if you would've said something I'd've helped... I'd've talked with you all day and night for your sanity... I wanna make sure my top guard is in his top form... I'll call Gilda later to talk with you... I just wanna make sure you're alright..."
I heard Big Mac give a huff too. "Yeah... same here..." He said holding back sobs. "...All that just... I just cant believe someone else would think of that..." He made me face him... He was just to the right of Gilda and Twilight was on the left. "...Y-you dont have anythin' that's gonna hurt ya at home right...? No... gun? Knife? Rope...?"
I sniffled. "...Closet... lock box... Key is under my side of the bed, taped down... get it away from me... hide it somewhere.... please..." I said. He kinda gave me a smile and nodded. That box? I... I got it for my gun given to me by the princess... I cant trust myself to use it or even have it near me...
Twilight sighed as she got a notification on her phone. I looked over to her as she pulled it out of her pocket. "...That's the pilot... Chopper is here..." She said. She looked us. "Gilda... Please call me later... I'll text Ry's mom and let her know what happened and that you're coming... I'll even have Dash and Fluttershy meet you there... But... You wanna say something or should I...? They have to know somehow so they can help you... I'll even let Celestia and Luna know if that's okay... They truly care about you... I know Luna will pry into your mind to fix things... but she'll talk to you about it first... I promise you they wont do anything bad to you. They do... you know what to do..." I sniffled and gave a nod. "Good... Now c'mon... lets get you to mommy..."
After that she and Big Mac walked through the hall with me and Gilda. When we got out to the roof with the chopper landing pad I had to clench my eyes shut as Gilda held me close... I felt a bit of wind whipping my mane around and the roar of the chopper blades. We soon boarded the chopper and the door was shut behind us. Gilda pried me off and strapped me in putting a headset on me... I quickly tuned it to the music channel and the station. It was calm hippie music and I loved it. The sound of a sitar, a bit of bongos to a jungle beat... Kindness for Tirek... Knew this song well. I watched as Gilda strapped herself in in front of me. Motioned to her I was listening to music and showed her what channel she can listen to it on. Even had to take her hand as best I could when we hit a bit of turbulence. It was only momentary but it frightened me. She had to move from her seat in front of me to one beside me to keep me calm. Maybe about an hour later we were starting to land at the Wonderbolts training area. I looked out the window as best I could only to see a few ponies on the tarmac. My mom being one of them and Soarin and Dash being the others. Mama Spitfire was wearing her jumpsuit, same with Soarin and Dash was wearing a blue hoodie and jeans with boots. Dash also sported a worried look as well as everyone else. Once we were grounded Gilda got up getting her headset off hanging it on a hook by my head. Even took mine off and hung it up as well. "Alright. This is gonna be a bit loud!" Gilda shouted. "Get ready!" She unhooked me and I grabbed onto her before she threw open the door letting the wind go through the cabin and we hopped out keeping our heads down. We rushed away just as the chopper started to take off once more. Gilda set me on the ground and looked to me. "You good?" I gave a hesitant nod. "...Alright... lets go see your mother now...." She took my hand and we started walking towards my mother who just kinda looked at me shocked.
I looked away embarrassed. Mama Spitfire approached and knelt down. "...R-ryder...?" She said. I kinda hid my face shyly. "...My god... what happened to my baby boy?" I hugged my mother but didnt answer her.
Dash came up and huffed. "...He... had a run in with poison joke..." She said kinda hesitantly. Both me and Mama Spitfire looked to Dash. "Poison joke is a plant that likes to screw with ponies and... Guess Ryder here fucked up and pissed the plant off turning your baby boy into a baby girl..." Mama Spitfire looked back at me. I just kinda looked away.
"My poor baby... are you going to be okay....?"
I whimpered a bit. "...I-I'm scared..." I said. She gave an aw and held me close.
"...Dont worry now... mama's here..." She looked back to Dash. "...Am I going to get my baby boy back soon?"
I looked over and saw my cousin give a smile. "...Yeah.. you should get him back after a bit of a bath in a cure we got cooking up soon..." She said. "Hopefully... Otherwise we got a little filly on our hands for a bit."
I huffed hopping from my mothers arms onto the ground looking to Dash. "I'm still older than you bitch!" I said. "Dont keep calling me a little filly or I swear I'll say what I said earlier." Dash looked at me a bit pissed.
"You... wouldnt... DARE...." She got in my face and I gave a smile. Smug as ever.
"Wanna bet? Rainbow...." She huffed.
"Okay okay! I wont call you a little filly just dont say that again... Pinkie called me that earlier yknow!" I kinda laughed as she turned bright pink.
Dash immediately went to Gilda and hugged her. Just as I looked back to my mom Soarin came over. "...What in the hell..." He said. "Is... Is that you General?" I kinda blushed a bit smiling at the stallion before me and gave him a nod getting my mane out of my face. "...Well... Shit... lost a few pounds have we?"
I giggled a bit. "And... a LOT more..." I said. He laughed.
"Nice but uh... Doesnt it feel weird not having anything there...?"
Mama Spitfire looked to him grabbing a hold of me. "Soarin! How dare you ask about her special places!" She snapped.
I huffed shrugging mom off. "Ma. I'm 32! I only look 15... Or younger..." I said. She gasped a bit and covered her mouth.
"Oh! Oh sweetie i'm sorry! Mommy's just...."
"I get it ma... You're not used to seeing a little filly who bears your sons name... I wanna be back to myself as much as you wanna see me back to myself." I looked back to Soarin. "But yeah... does feel weird not having anything down there... Just think of it like one of those dolls you've seen in your childhood with the smooth crotch area. Weird I know but... I think of it like that."
Soarin hummed kinda thinking it over as I took my mothers hand. "I... guess that's right...?" He said. "What ever... Lets just get you inside. "You hungry? Thirsty?" I was about to answer... until I felt the urge to pee and just up and wet myself... I kinda clenched my eyes, buckled my knees a bit and shoved my free hand between my legs. "Oh? Time for a change?"
Mama Spitfire picked me up and gave a little aw as I started to sob. When I wet myself usually I'm in control... when it just comes on suddenly like this then I cry... Kinda realized why i'm having accidents... Side effects of Twi's detox spell. "Aww... Did mommy's little baby have a widdwe accident?" She asked. I nodded giving a little sob. "Aww... It's okay... mommy's here..." She looked to Soarin. "Soarin. You remember where you put the diapers for when Scootaloo was here? Get them and bring them to the office. And... Bring a jumpsuit... She's kinda leaking a bit."
I heard Dash groan a bit. "Oh COME ON! THOSE ARE MY CLOTHES!" She yelled.
Next thing you know a slap. "Quiet!" I hear Gilda snap. "Who gives a shit if she had an accident in your clothes?! You know what's going on!"
My heart dropped as i felt mom turn around. "What? What's been going on?" She asked.
...And... That's when the urge hit... worse than it ever had. I forced myself out of Mama Spitfire's arms and fell a bit before starting to run off. I flew up away from Gilda and Dash who tried to grab me as tears came from my eyes. They knew what I was going to do. Soarin flew after me but I ended up flipping around and putting a shoe in his face knocking him out of the air.... lucky me we were only a few feet off the ground. I took aim at the mess hall and flew straight for it ramming the doors open. It was empty... I immediately flew towards the back kitchen area and grabbed a large knife off the racks... Sharp... asking for my blood. I climbed up on the counter and sat there just staring at the blade in my hand.... my tiny hand. Tears clouded my eyes but... I saw everyone rush in and stop in their tracks seeing me. I raised the blade and aimed it at my neck. "DONT MOVE!" I yelled. "NOBODY FUCKING MOVE! I'LL DO IT!" I watched as mom screamed a bit before fainting... Soarin caught her and carefully brought her up onto a table.
Dash put her hands up. "R-Ryder please... Put the knife DOWN!" She said. "Nobody has to die or get hurt... Please just put it down, we'll forget this ever happened..."
"WHY SHOULD I?! I'M A FAILURE!"
Gilda slammed her fist on a table. "DWEEB! DAMMIT DONT DO THIS!" She screamed having tears start to pour from her eyes. "I DIDNT COME ALL THIS WAY JUST TO SEE YOU FUCKING PUT A KNIFE TO YOUR NECK AND SLIT YOUR DAMN THROAT! I DIDNT CUDDLE WITH YOU IN YOUR SOON TO BE WIFES BED BECAUSE I WANTED TO SEE YOU SIX FEET BELOW WITH YOUR GOD DAMNED PARENTS AND LEAVING YOUR FUCKING SISTER ALONE!"
"I'M A FAILURE! I'M NO FUCKING HERO! I LET MY PARENTS DIE, I LET EVERYONE DOWN! I. DESERVE. TO. DIE."
Dash just turned and ran out crying. Not being able to watch me... knife against my neck and ready for the sweet embrace. Soarin raised his hands and took a step forward. "Come on Ry! Dont do this!" He said. "So much to do and live for General! Think of what you have back home! You have a little sister who looks up to you and worships you."
"SHE DOESNT FUCKING LOVE ME! I HAVE NOTHING AT HOME! I LIVE OUT OF A SHITTY FARM FOR FUCKS SAKE! MY REAL HOME BURNT DOWN AND I WAS NEARLY LEFT HOMELESS! I WOULD'VE BEEN BETTER OFF!"
"Ryder you'd be worse off if you were on the street! Trust me! I've seen ponies who come home from wars and have psychotic breaks like this! They're homeless! They're starving themselves and doing hard drugs to remedy the pain they feel! You've got so much more! You've got a sister! Friends who care for you and want to see you keep kicking! Celestia even spoke great things about you while you were away!"
"SHE DOESNT GIVE A FUCK! I'M ANOTHER PAWN IN HER GAME OF FUCKING CHESS THAT LUNA PUSHES AROUND TOO! THEY USE ME!"
Gilda pushed Soarin over to my mother. "RYDER YOU DROP THAT KNIFE RIGHT NOW!" She screamed. "DROP IT RIGHT NOW OR- OR..." She trailed off.
"OR WHAT?! I WONT GET FUCKING WHORE PUSSY FROM YOU AGAIN? I WONT SEE YOUR COCK HUNGRY ASSHOLE AGAIN? FUCK OFF!"
Soarin grabbed Gilda who obviously wanted to rush me and sat her down in a table next to him. She just lied her head down and broke down crying. Soarin looked back to me. "RYDER LOOK WHAT YOU'RE DOING!" He snapped. "YOUR MOTHER FAINTED AND YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE SCARED FOR YOUR SAFETY! YOUR COUSIN JUST RAN OUT HAVING A FUCKING PANIC ATTACK! THINK OF WHAT THIS COULD DO TO YOUR SISTER AND YOUR FIANCE!"
I took the knife from my neck and pushed the blade onto the topside of my arm quickly pulling it, cutting skin and drawing blood. I winced at the pain. Blood dripped down my arm onto the counter top once i had my arm go limp. Then another cut on my leg. Just as I was about to do one last cut... chest height... I heard someone scream. "RYDER NO!" They said. Mare. I looked up only to see Fluttershy coming down the middle of the aisle of tables passing both my passed out mother and crying Gilda. "BAD RYDER! PUT THAT KNIFE DOWN NOW!" I gripped the knife getting it ready as she came closer. Yet that was when it happened. Her stare. I froze as her walk speed slowed as she came towards me. Fluttershy was wearing heels, bell bottom jeans and a green sweatshirt with a heart on it. "Look at you! Hurting yourself and others! You put that knife down or so help me you arent getting ANYTHING from me at all for presents on your birthday or hearths warming!" I didnt listen. I just still gripped the knife staring at her. I raised the knife as if I was about to stab her as she rested her hands on my shoulders but before I could even do anything i felt someone grab my wrist. I looked over and saw Soarin as he shook the knife from my hand, tears pouring down his face.
"I'm sorry... But you left me no choice!" He reeled back and before I knew it he threw a punch and I was out.
I was thrown into a deteriorating dreamscape... Crumbling rocks, broken and burning trees and even an apocalyptic red sky with a solar eclipse going on. I sat in the middle of a field in tattered rags crying my eyes out. Just then I felt the shaky yet warm embrace of someone. "...There you are..." I hear a familiar voice say. I looked up and saw Princess Luna looking worried. She was in a bathrobe and I could see a bra and panties under it clearly. "....I'm.... I'm so sorry General... I ignored your dreams when clearly there was something wrong... something distressing you... Twilight told me what you've been feeling... That's why I'm here.... I'm going to root through your mind, find the bad thoughts, eradicate them and make sure you come out of this okay.... while I say this Princess Celestia is on her way out to see you and everyone at the WBTF... quite a few hurt hearts, a few panic attacks and a certain someone who needs some time away from work to recooperate and get their life together..."
I sobbed and just lied my head on Luna's shoulder. "...I... I'm sorry princess... I'm scared... Tired...." I said.
"It's going to be okay.... Listen to the sound of my voice... I want you to breathe... in and out slowly....In...." I did as she said. "And out.... In.... and out..... repeat more until you're calm... but still listen..." I kept breathing... a bit shakey but it still went on. "...Ryder... I'm hurt to hear that you feel like nopony loves you or cares about you... that you think Celestia and I are using you... We'd never use you... We trusted you to carry out things that others could not and you pulled through... though with losses pulling you downwards it was only a matter of time before the stress got to you and made you wanna let go and have you join your parents... They dont want to see you until you've gotten a silver mane and lived a full life... Your mother Spitfire? She woke up just after Soarin had to knock you out and she told me she was scared of losing her precious child again... she wants to be the mother to the foal given unto her by someone who wronged her but... she was scared she'd never get that opportunity anymore than she has... Celestia wants you to keep fighting... do what ever it takes... But I have a favor to ask and I want you to Pinkie Promise you wont break it. Understand?" I nodded sobbing a bit more. "...My favor is for you to come to Canterlot, call me or Celestia or go to Twilight if you have ANY thoughts like this again... we've had too many guards and friends end their lives by their own hands because they arent feeling like they do enough or get enough to be liked. You are well liked by many... Celestia and I even went as far as to get you and Applejack an early wedding present but we wont give it to you until just before the wedding... Cant divulge what it is but... it's something that truly shows that... you've been one of the best guards and the best friends Celestia and I have had through the millennia.... losing you would be a hard loss for everyone... AJ and your sister included... I can say me and Celestia would have a plan if that happened... we'd be taking your sister in, make her as comfortable as we could and give her a life you'd want her to live... but that doesnt mean you should end your life..."
"...I... I just... cut myself... almost stabbed Fluttershy.... fuck...." Luna shushed me more.
"It's okay.... From what I've been told you're in the infirmary at the Wonderbolts facility... Put Gilda into a bed along with your mother... Soarin should be watching over you... Everyone should be around.... Now I'm going to go fix your mind.. PLEASE please please please... come to us when you're feeling like doing something harsh... But remember... you're a hero to us General... Sure you were late for things but... fate has plans for you... good things in my eyes... Remember those dreams I've shown you about what if certain things didnt happen?" I gave a nod. "...well... think of that one dream where you and Applejack never got together and you never had to kill you-know-who..."
"....I... I guess that's..." She shushed me more hearing my shaky voice.
"...Sorry.... I just... I got scared when I heard you did this... I just... I wanna let you know you've got a special place in my heart Ryder... Next time you come to canterlot my door is going to be open to you amongst... other things...." She released me and just kinda gave me a flash of her breasts and pussy. "...They're yours at any time... Like Gilda- and yes Applejack has told me about her- its all yours.... I wont even object if you wanna feel when we're out... But it has to be requested first... okay?"
"...Y-yes princess..."
"...Good..." She fixed her undergarments and tied her bathrobe shut. "Now dont tell my sister anything... she'll probably have something to say after you're alone... Might have to have someone call for you but... for right now I'll get to work... You'll be waking up... Before I came in here I've given instructions and questions to ask to Soarin to make sure my work is done right... otherwise I either missed something or took out the wrong thing... But dont worry and dont be scared. I'll get it right first time around. Now..." She brought me close and kissed me on the forehead before setting me down and standing up. She was towering over me. Didnt notice at first but... shit.... "...Talk with you soon Ryder..."
I watched as her horn glowed and everything faded. After everything turned black I felt somethings digging into my wrists and my head pounding. I opened my eyes and shit was my whole body feeling horrible. I couldnt do much.... Just pulled at my hands and found they were tied up above my head which I could barely move it hurt so much. "Woah! Woah dont go and move so much!" I heard someone say. I looked over as best I could and saw Soarin at my bedside wearing a white teeshirt and sweat pants. The infirmary area was small. Couple beds, medical supplies and even a TV on the wall. The bed on the otherside of Soarin had my mother in it still in her jumpsuit. Guess on the one beyond was Gilda. "...Okay... I'm gonna just ask a few questions to you... after we're done I'm gonna cut you loose... okay?" I gave a nod. "Alright... Birthday and how old you are...." I coughed and wheezed when I tried to speak. "Ah. Hold on here. Let's get ya something to drink first." I watched as he got up and went to the otherside of the room opposite from where I was... Couldnt turn my head barely. Saw mom still passed out... Gilda was indeed in the bed beyond her. I could see her sitting up watching what was on TV. Couldnt tell what was on but she was too into it.... Well until Soarin whistled. He tossed her a water bottle and she caught it. I saw her just take a glance at me before looking back at the TV opening the water. Soarin sat back down opening a water bottle for me. He put it to my lips and tipped it back a bit. "Here. Drink..." I swallowed a bit of water and he kept tipping it slightly every few gulps. After a few big gulps he took the bottle away and recapped it. I panted and huffed feeling better. Head was less heavy but still hurt a bit. "There... better?" I nodded. "Good... Birthday and how old you are sweetie...."
"...O-october 28th... I'm 32... " He smiled setting the water down and picking up a clipboard from a table inbetween mine and my mothers bed. He marked it with a pen that was attached to it.
"Alright... Next one is... What is the car that you drive."
"My Dominator... Made to look like a post-apocalyptic car..." He marked at the clipboard again.
"Next question... Name your sister, marefriend, mother, friends that are here and yourself IN that order." I took a deep breath.
"...Scootaloo, Applejack, Spitfire, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Gilda... Soarin, Ryder..." He hummed marking the clipboard yet again.
"Good to see you consider me a good friend even after what I had to do..." He glanced to me. "You do know what I did to you right...?" I looked away.
"...You... you hit me..."
"...Yeah... Hard too... gave you a black eye... Sorry you had to do that but you forced my hand...." I kinda whimpered a bit. "Last question... do you hate yourself?" I thought for a moment... I knew why I would but... surprisingly I didnt.
"...No... No I dont..."
"Are you sorry for what you did and what was said...?" I started to tear up a bit. The ponies I've scared, the stuff i've done. I nodded. "...Well... I just wanna know... did you really mean those things about you not being loved? Not being a hero?" I sniffled a bit.
"...I was too late to save my parents from murder... could barely get off the mountain without telling my team to leave me to die... Almost killed them.... and not being loved? ...Scoot hasnt talked to me for a week... I had to sleep on the couch for a few days... Big Mac even yelled at me while we were working...."
"...So... that all built up to what happened..." I nodded. "...Sorry that happened... your parents died because you werent there... but you couldnt help it... you were at work if I remember from what Pinkie told me... You went to save your marefriend whos going to be your wife soon... And your sister has to love you... You saved her from a life in an orphanage away from you, her friends and such... Without you she would've been dragged off to who knows where. Away from you and everyone who loves her. And your brother in law? Stress... Your friend over there told me..." He pointed back at Gilda who was still watching TV. "Speaking of her... Do you wanna talk to her...?" I sniffled and nodded. "Alright... Just hold still and I'll cut you loose but you stay right there.... Okay?" I nodded.
I watched as he grabbed a little knife from the drawer on the side table and raised it to where my hands were. Two swift flicks was all it took and my hands were free. I rubbed at my wrists that had marks in them. Zip ties. Only for someone that would know- or possibly know- how to get out of cuffs. I saw a bandage wrapped around my arm where I cut myself. Even looked at the one on my knee under the covers... I was in just a teeshirt and a diaper. I sniffled a bit lowering the covers only to see Gilda coming over. She looked a bit stressed out. Tired mostly. She sat down where Soarin was and just looked at me. Nobody said a damn thing until she grabbed me, pulled me onto her lap and hugged me tight. "Dweeb..." She said. "Dont you EVER scare me like that again... Be grateful that I dont tell Applejack what happened and that I told Dash and Fluttershy not to say anything too... Otherwise..." I saw tears build in her eyes and she broke down fast. "RYDER!"
I couldnt help but cry with her as she held me tighter. "...G-gil... I... I'm so sorry..." I said. "...I.... I'm sorry i said those things... i just..."
"...P-please.... dont leave me... I dont... I dont wanna lose you..."
"...I wont... please forgive me..." She sniffled a bit.
"...I... I do... just... dont do that again..."
I shifted a bit laying my head on her shoulder. I watched as Soarin was digging through cabinets across from my moms bed. I looked to her and just saw her out of it. Motionless. I held Gilda close holding back more tears. Even watched as Soarin brought a little container over to my mothers face and open it before wafting what ever was in it towards my mothers face. Next thing you know she started to cough and sit up as Soarin pulled the container away and cap it again. Mama Spitfire groaned a bit holding her head. She looked to Soarin as he lied her back down. "...Soarin..? The fuck happened....?" She asked. Then she gasped a bit opening her eyes wide. I hid behind Gilda. "RYDER! RYDER WHERE IS MY BABY?! IS MY BABY OKAY?!"
I could hear Soarin shush my mother as she panicked and screamed a bit. "Spitfire! Spitfire calm down!" He snapped. "She's fine! Ryder's okay! Gilda! Give Ryder to her mother!"
I grabbed onto Gilda holding her tight. Kinda screaming. "NO! NO NO!" I yelled. Gilda tried to pry me off of her but I just kept clutching. "NO! I DONT WANNA GO! NO NO NO NO NO NO NOOOOOO!" I started crying even harder. Soarin ran around the bed and grabbed at me holding my arms into place and Gilda my legs. I struggled for a bit as they just put me on the bed with my mother. I scrambled to get off but Gilda pushed me back on and held me there.
I kinda covered myself bracing myself like I was about to get hit as my mother kinda reached for me before quickly grabbing me and hugging me. She shushed me a bit just stroking my mane a bit. May have wet myself more too. "It's okay Sweetie.... It's okay.... mommy's here... calm down now..." Mama Spitfire said. I coughed a bit and gagged HEAVILY. ...Actually to the point where I forced up some bile and got it all over mom. Soarin and Gilda both made audible grossed out noises but mom kept on shushing me. "....Oookay... Just calm down sweetie... Cant you see your making yourself sick...? Please calm down!""
"....N-NO! I hurt you! You're gonna hurt me!" I gagged a bit more. Dry heave. Mom shushed me and held me close, rubbing me with the vomit.
"No no! It's okay... If i wanted to hurt you it would've happened already... please dont scare mommy like that again..." I coughed a bit and that made me puke a bit more. Nothing but bile. I curled up in her arms as she shushed me more. "There we go... just... let it all out..." She shushed me more.
Soarin came over to us and rested a hand on the shoulder that DIDNT have my puke all over it. "There... All better...?" He said sounding kinda unsure. Spitfire nodded. "...Good... Now uh.. lets get you two into the showers and maybe get some food... One hell of a thing I never thought i'd have to deal with..."
Gilda coughed a bit. "... I'll just... I'll just get some water... See if I can keep that down at least after that..." She said.
After a shower and a quick meal I was sitting in a brand new wonderbolts jumpsuit- which you could clearly see a thick diaper under- and I was inside the barracks about ready to go down for a little nap. Though... before I could get to sleep I had to sit in a bunk across from both Dash and Fluttershy. Dash was still a bit freaked out while Flutters was calm. Dash was kinda stripped down to her sports bra and her underwear while Fluttershy was still fully clothed. "....Dash? Isnt there something you wanted to say to Ryder?" Fluttershy asked.
Dash moved part of her mane out of her face, still teary but tired looking. I blushed and just looked down at the ground. "...Ryder... I swear I was about to go home to tell your little sister you wont be coming back with me and AJ to find someone else to love..." She said. "...You scared the shit out of me AND Gilda! I had to have Fluttershy go out and get me a new pair after I threw the other away! You nearly gave your mother a fucking heart attack and I'm not sure how I'd even take that over your death if you went through with it!" Fluttershy looked at me. Yes I was still looking at the ground but... I could still feel the stare she does even when she's not using it.
"And you Ryder?" I didnt wanna say anything. Both the fear of crying and puking up what I ate and a fear of them- Dash specifically- not believing an apology. "Aww c'mon... At least say something... please?"
I knew this wouldnt go anywhere until I did say something. I took a deep breath, looked up and huffed. "...Dash... Flutters... I... I'm sorry I scared you two... and.... everyone else here..." I said. "I just... I guess I needed a good slap in the face, a hug and a shower to realize what i'd be leaving behind...." I looked to Fluttershy more. "...And Flutters... I apologize for threatening you with that knife... I... that wasnt me that wanted to do that.... sure I held it but.... I was under some dark control..."
"Well we're all okay now arent we? No bad feelings here?" I teared up again whimpering. Fluttershy got up from the bunk and grabbed me pulling me onto her and Dash's lap. "There there.... No more tears... just breathe.... Want me to sing you a little lullaby so you can sleep with Dashie?" Dash just made an audible groan. I couldnt help but give a smile and giggle. "Oh? Did I hear a laugh?" She pulled me and sat me up on her lap. "You sure you dont wanna cuddwe wif Dashie? She was vewy wowwied about you!" Dash groaned again. I giggled yet again. "Go on! Give her a hug!" I crawled over and just latched onto Dash giggling a bit. She hugged me and patted my padded but. "Oh and before i forget... Does Rainbow SPRINKLE want a diapie?" I looked to Fluttershy shocked as Dash jumped giving a little scared yelp.
My cousin whimpered a bit. "...Y-you heard that didnt you....?" She asked. Fluttershy nodded blushing a bit.
"I knew since we were kids Dash..." The pink maned mare averted her gaze. "I knew it bothered you when someone called you that but... I couldnt help myself there... Sorry..." Dash sighed gripping me a bit tighter.
"It's okay... Just... please dont call me that often please... and... yeah... I kinda would like a diaper... One accident can mean anothers on the way... Wanna be ready... And... maybe find me some pants to wear over them? ...I dont want Soarin to see me like that...." Flutters giggled.
"Alright. I'll go see if I can buy you a new pair of sweat pants and a teeshirt. Spitfire might give me a discount if her son- uh... child... is our friend right?" I felt Dash shrug.
"Not sure but... we should probably get her down for the count before anything... Kinda wanna pick them out before buying... Lullaby time?" Fluttershy grabbed me from Dash's arms and held me like a baby. Hand on my butt keeping me up and one hand on my back to keep me from going backwards. She started to sing and just rock me gently. I gave a large yawn drifting in and out getting sleepier and sleepier with each soothing note. Soon she lied me down in a nearby cot and covered me up with a blanket still singing her lullaby. She stopped singing and kissed me on the forehead. I struggled to stay awake and watched as Fluttershy helped Dash into a red bathrobe and walk away. Dash looked back at me before I just checked out.
As I slept I heard something... And I couldnt react any way. Couldnt scream, couldnt move and couldnt even wet or shit myself. "...Lucky my daughter severed that tie... I almost had you..." An echoey voice said. Couldnt tell whether male or female but... I knew who it was.... "She wont tell you... you wont remember or the ability to say about that tie... but i will have you... you even would've been a lovely little fuck-toy in that form.... too bad that window has closed.... Someone has given your cure.... stay asleep... say nothing... do nothing... I... Will.... Have you..." And that was that. Woke up after a couple hours seeing Dash cuddling with me, I found mom outside, she changed me, we flew around together... Snuck off with Gilda, had a little sex on a cloud, went out with everyone, Celestia met up with us for a meal and... even commented on my size... Said I was as cute as Scootaloo and just about her size. Got a ride back to the wonderbolts area and cuddled with Gilda after doing one last flight around and cuddled with her that night. Wet myself a few times during the night, washed up and IMMEDIATELY when we get back to Ponyville I'm taken into the ponyville spa where I'm tossed naked into a bath and fucking hell it hurt when everything grew back. Muscles, height and my package. Felt like I was kicked in the nuts when they came back out... Weirdest thing was my mane was still pretty long but I kept it that way. Headbangers mop for a hard rocking guard pony. Not to mention it would make great for cosplay. Alley Brawlers 2. But that's a story for another day. Right now I'm just glad the hell is over. |
The Return | Manehattan Panic (Part 1) | Today... Dark day in Equestria. As always we start from the beginning. It was early in the morning and I was PUMPED. This might've been a few weeks after the poison joke incident. I used that token Zecora gave me to get a potion to give AJ a little something special for when the time was right... Saving that somewhere where Scootaloo and Applebloom... and Winona... wont get to it. Yes Winona does weird shit. No joke I had a glass of juice up on the counter, turn my back for a second to make a sandwich and next thing you know Winona is up on the fucking counter and the glass is on the ground. As for now its about... four thirty in the morning if I'm right. I was pumped not only because I had a very caffeinated energy drink but that Twilight got me tickets to see Gems n Tulips in concert in Manehattan! I was so happy when she got me a ticket. The other? Some other guard she thought deserved them... Three tickets, I got one and the other guard got the other two. AJ and Big Mac didnt wanna go and I know Scoot would wanna go but... I kinda needed a drink... or four... I tried keeping it out of my system but I needed something. Plus uh.... Celestia said I would be able to get backstage since I'm somewhat a friend of the band... that's why I was going to drink. Party with the band. But yeah it was four in the morning and AJ and I were getting ready for our trip to Manehattan. I was wearing a black jean jacket, a black Gems shirt and black jeans and my combat boots as well as a bandana wrapped around my head keeping my mane out of my face. Applejack was wearing skinny jeans, her cowboy boots, a red flannel long sleeve and her hat. Her cowgirl hat. I looked to AJ as we were packing extra clothes into our suitcases. "Ooh this is SO exciting AJ!" I said. "I'm going to see Gems N Tulips!"
Applejack sighed a bit. "Yeah that's great..." She said letting out a yawn. "...Remind me to ask ya for a teeshirt when ya go see em..." She zipped up her suitcase and huffed. "Sorry if I sound a little sarcastic sugarcube... I aint to keen on seein' my uncle... He's been askin' if I've been thinkin' about sellin' the farm and he knows I cant do it. It's home, where I got my family and where I'm gonna raise kids one day!" She looked back at me... I was kinda stunned by her. "Well... at least I... hope I get some kids some day... Up to you there sugarcube..."
"...Maybe some day AJ but... Probably not any time soon..." I looked back to my bag as I stuffed my phone cord in a side pocket. "We're uh... we're getting a hotel somewhere that's close to the ground right?" She sighed.
"Lucky you we do.... Thing is my uncle is paying for it... I chose the place and he paid for it for a few days... Says we gotta at least visit for our cousin... Been through some shit while you were away." I zipped up my bag and stood it up on its wheels and extended the handle.
"Which cousin is this? They okay?"
"Babs is our cousin from Manehattan and yeah she's good... Hopefully... Uncle wouldnt go into detail when I asked what was wrong... all that he said a client was lost outta it. Probably made some rude comment about our cousin bein an annoyance but she cant help it... She's a bit of a Daddy's girl." I huffed.
"Sounds familiar. Kinda sounds like you during the dinner." She looked to me as I started for the door.
"Yeah... I was pretty much a daddy's girl. I mean he gave me my favorite hat. I gotta go every few years to Rarity to get it patched up... Always feels worn and weathered n such...." She sighed looking at her bag again making sure everything was secure. "Just go make sure the girls are ready... Before I start to cry...."
"Well please dont... I dont wanna have Big Mac think I hurt ya with what I said... I... Didnt did I?" She shook her head taking a few deep breaths. I gave a bit of a silent sigh before leaving the room and leaving my suitcase by the stairs before walking down to Scootaloo's door. It was open and she was struggling to stay awake. She had a backpack stuffed with her things and a stuffed wolf in her arms. She was wearing jeans, sneakers, a Wonderbolts hoodie and a lunar republic camo tee under it. "Scoot? You okay there?"
She snapped her eyes open shaking her head. "Oh uh! Y-yeah I'm good Ryder." She said. "Just a little tired is all...." I huffed a bit entering the room and helping her up.
"I did tell you to get to bed earlier. Gonna listen to me now?" She sighed hanging her head.
"Yes Ryder...."
"It's okay Scoot... Next time just please dont fight me on it... A good nights sleep is good for you!" She gave me kind of a derogatory look.
"...Dont you stay up until one in the morning playing your video games?" I almost couldnt answer there. With her words, she just had my balls in a vice grip.
"Yeah... I hate it when you're right but... shows you do pay attention... Try to use that during school sis..." She gave a little chuckle.
"I'll be sure to at least try there. Can I at least get something to eat for breakfast before we go?" I rolled my eyes.
"Grab a bag of nuts from the cupboard and a water. And put your toy in your bag. I dont want you forgetting it and end up crying about it the whole time." She gave a nod and turned around to stuff her wolf into her suit case. I walked out of her room and went to Applebloom's room. But a moment of explanation. She forgot her stuffed toy one night, went over to Sweetie Belle's and ended up having a sleep over with their friend Twist. Sweetie had to call me from her friends phone, Scootaloo was freaking out of her mind and I had to get over to her friends place, middle of the night, in my PJ's and I had to bring her her toy so she could sleep.... Guess Twist's father's both understood.
But anywho I walked up to Applebloom's door. It was closed. I knocked. "C'mon in!" I hear Big Mac yell. I opened the door and there inside near Applebloom's bed was Big Mac helping his little sister get dressed. Big Mac was wearing a brown leather jacket, a pair of jeans and his work boots... always his work boots. Applebloom was looking tired. She was wearing a teeshirt and a zip up sweater. She was just getting her pants on too. "You two all ready?" I gave a nod.
"Yeah. Everything okay in here?" Big Mac nodded a bit.
"Yeah... 'Bloom was a bit hard to get up. Lucky us we got a while on the train. That means a few of us can take a nap while the others can do what we need but uh.. one of us is gonna have to stay with our sisters while they're asleep.... Draw straws?"
"Well I'm wired on an energy drink, I gotta drive and make sure everyone's ready before we leave. After you're done there with her, make sure you have everything. We arent stopping before we get to the train station. And you're lucky guards are taking my car back to Twilight's castle and giving her the keys. Celestia has us being chauffeured around by some guards after what I went through." Big Mac huffed.
"Fine... Either gonna be me or AJ that has to watch over em... getting tired of being the babysitter anyways... Cant you take over with the girls every now n then? Let me go out and have some fun?"
"Sure you'd be able to do something at least but after I get back from that Gems concert! I have to be there!"
"Look you can still go just... Dammit watch the girls on the train! Last time I was on the train was while you were away and Celestia joined us for some time in Appleoosa. I had to keep AJ from crying while watching Soarin and Applebloom AND your sister in a fuckin' bed! Celestia was even doing a damn meet and greet with everyone on the train making sure they were alright! I couldnt do a damn thing! Had to trade off with Soarin after he woke up just to hit the bathroom because I had to freaking take a shit and get some food into me. He woke up after a couple hours of being knocked out!" He kinda breathed heavily staring at me looking pissed. Applebloom was on her bed covering herself with a pillow.
"...Why dont you just take a nap with them? Little on edge there dude..." He huffed a bit getting up with his sisters suitcase and pushed me against the wall as he went outside of the room. I looked to Applebloom. "C'mon. Hurry up and get dressed. Get some food if you want. I'll go make sure Big Mac's calm for the ride to the station." Applebloom set her pillow down and nodded quickly getting her pants up and buckling them soon going for her drawers to get some socks. I left her alone and followed Big Mac downstairs. He tossed his sisters things onto the recliner and went straight for his room. I followed him in and closed the door. "What the fuck is wrong with you Big Mac? Getting short with everyone? Scaring your sister?" He grabbed at a suitcase sitting on the bed and brought it down to the floor.
"You wanna know what my problem is? Why dont you fuckin' look in the mirror pretty boy! I'm not getting any mares, you're marrying my sister and it's making me feel like I aint good enough to fuckin' get anyone!"
"You're still on that road huh? Trying to justify your actions because of loneliness! You're lucky I didnt have you arrested and tried for molesting your oldest little sister! Just. Drop. It." He released his suitcase and rushed me grabbing me by the shirt.
"Lets see you drop seeing your own sister come home with a diamond ring, from someone who's cousin is tongue fucking her best friends animal shelter and forced to watch two little fillies knowing damn well you- specifically you- have got somepony on the side to take a whack at when you know you cant go for your best buddies sister who's either working or sleeping at that moment!"
"Not only of you're jealous of me having someone to fuck but you're jealous of how flexible AJ is with me taking out violent fucking on someone who likes to take it like that?" He said nothing and just went into a nearby drawer grabbing a few things out of it. "Are you ignoring me" No answer. "Okay... Fine... Be a little bitch alone and scared! And dont come crying to me when you bust a fucking nut in your shorts when you think about me getting it on with someone!" He dropped a shirt on his suitcase and rushed me. I dipped out of the way and he ran right into the wall. Even grabbed him by the arms crossing them as if I was about to arrest him and slammed his head pinning it against the wall. "Nice try... seems I've hit a fucking nerve... Do you wanna talk or am I gonna have to kick the crap out of you?"
"Let me GO Ryder!" He snapped. "I dont wanna hit you but I will if I have to!"
"Trust me Mac... I can take you down and toss you out that fucking window.... Might be a pegasus but that doesnt mean I'm not strong enough to hurt you! It's either I let you go, you tell me what you REALLY want... Or else someone's gonna be cuffed to a bed made to watch our sisters. Sound good to you?" He huffed.
"There's no winnin' with you is there?" He sighed. "Fine... Let me go, I'll talk AND watch the girls... And trust me, I know I can take you, I just choose not to use my full strength and let you win!" I released his hands, grabbed his shoulders and tossed him towards the bed where he landed and fell back onto it.
"Please... I had to headbutt you when you were drunk off your ass and knock you out! Now spit it out!" Big Mac took a deep breath and huffed hanging his head.
"...I just... I think I might be gay Ry...." He looked at his hand and sighed. "...I started getting panicked Ry.... I didnt wanna be caught jackin' off to a stallion and have AJ catch me.... She was just around the tree I was hiding in and.... I just.... did things to her... sure through her clothes but.... I still did things to her... she fought and nailed me between the legs before just running off... Next thing I know she's driving off with Twilight and Pinkie to go getcha.... You get the rest..." I looked to him as he hugged himself. Eyes clenched shut.
"Really.... you groped your own sister because you got to thinking you were gay.... And you think SHE would give a fuck about that? Pretty sure you've gone and pounded my ass while I was face first in her crotch. Hell if I got you pictures of Fluttershy- and I know Dash would take pictures of her for you- I bet you'd go and get hornier than Twilight with a dick." I walked over and sat on the bed next to him. "...Can you see it? Dash just lifting up Fluttershy's skirt without her knowing and you see everything? 'Shy just having a vibrator strapped to her leg, teasing her own pussy.... And you can hear her begging..." I kinda readied my throat a bit. "...B-big Mac... I need your thick cock... make me cum... i-if you want to cum inside that's okay...." I nearly mimicked Fluttershy's voice... I dont know how I do it but I do. I could just see a lovey smile on his face and a hard on in his pants. I grabbed at him. "What's this here? Someone needs a bit of release!" He smacked my hand away and pushed me off. He kinda looked a bit embarrassed.
"Could you not!? I just...." He stopped and listened closely as some feet tromped down the stairs along with other things. "Give me a minute to cool down, text Dash if she cant send me somethin' of that mare friend of hers and... maybe take a drive at Gilda? When we get home? You can ask her cant ya?"
"Maybe. Might take some convincing though... If you need a bit more help I'd probably talk with Luna. See if she cant do anything to help. Right now we should stop talking, fighting and what ever. Gotta hit the station soon..." He nodded and continued with his bag.
Not long later we were outside the train station. Applejack was making sure everyone had their things out of the car. Big Mac had both his and Applebloom's suit case as she rode on his back barely clinging to consciousness. I gave a sigh having a guard come from a nearby truck. Unicorn guard, silver coat but a very short mane. He had a slightly bronze tinted armor. Most likely a recruit. "Ah General. Good to see you sir." He said. I held up my keys and handed them to him.
"Nice to see you as well... knowing I wont have to leave my car out in the open for thieves to eye..." He gave a chuckle.
"Yeah... Classic with a new look and that's one for anyone to eye. I'll be sure to be careful with it sir."
"You better. Princess Twilight will look my car over personally. Any damage I dont know about is coming out of your paycheck. Total it? So will your job be. Understood?" He saluted me.
"Yes sir! And uh also..." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out an envelope. "Here. This comes straight from Princess Luna herself. I dont know what's inside but she said you'd appreciate it." I took it and ripped the flap of it. I reached in and pulled out tickets... Train tickets by the obvious train decal going along the side of it but taking a closer look my jaw dropped. I looked to my family.
"Applejack... Can you come here for a moment?"
Applejack looked to me and back to Big Mac as Scootaloo rubbed her eye and yawned. She came over leaving our bags by her brother. "What's up sugarcube? Everythin' okay?" She asked. I handed her the tickets.
"...Please tell me I'm seeing those right..." She looked at the tickets and took a double take.
"...You are KIDDING me... Who got us a private car on the train?!" She looked to me.
"Princess motherfuckin' Luna! And I didnt ask her shit!" I took the tickets back and looked to the guard. "If and when you can... tell Luna I said thank you."
The guard gave a smile. "Funny you should say that..." He said. He looked to the truck he came out of. "She oversaw this trade off. I'd go thank her as soon as you can. Train comes soon."
I couldnt help but give a smile and a nod. I saluted him, he saluted back and hurried around my car and got in. I went over to Big Mac and grabbed my bag having the tickets in my other hand. Big Mac and Scootaloo followed both me and AJ closely. The truck pulled out of the spot it was in and the back window started to roll down revealing Princess Luna wrapped in a blanket. She smiled as I got Scootaloo up on my arm to see her. "Well now seems someone is appreciative of a special gift." She said. "I've come to see you off on your journey to Manehattan. I hope all things are well with everyone here." She leaned out the window a bit and poked at Scootaloo. "And you're doing okay Scootaloo?"
Scoot giggled a bit. "I'm alright Princess... Bit tired but I'm fine...." She said. Luna sighed a bit.
"Alright but you be a good girl now. Maybe after you're back we can see about having a sleep over at Canterlot, you, your friends, get Ryder and Applejack and their friends in another part of the castle while we have our own separate fun. Maybe invite one or two of your school mates to make friends with maybe?" She kinda cuddled up to me.
"...Maybe... I've been trying to be friends more with Silver Spoon but she's always hanging out with Diamond Tiara... Last time I tried talking with Silver, Diamond pushed me to the ground and kicked dirt on me!" The Princess and I both huffed.
"I hope you let your teacher know about that. Just remember what we said: If she's picking on you, she's jealous of something." How I wish that were true but hey. Scootaloo's a good kid sometimes but she's actually making progress with Silver Spoon. She was with Sweetie Belle that one day... or those few days I was a mare and had a little sleep over with Silver. "But for now I have to get going to Twilight's castle. She's allowing me to sleep there for a few days while Celestia is out of the country... Gets lonely around the castle without her and I need someone to be there for me. As for now... I'll contact you later but please feel free to call me if you need anything at all. Reservations for restaurants that are busy, better rooms for a hotel or even a car but I know Celestia has arranged a limo service to pick you up at the Manehattan station."
I gave a smile as I set Scootaloo down having her grab her bag again. "Alright. See you later Princess. Rest well!" I said. She gave a yawn waving before rolling up her window. We all grabbed our bags and watched as the truck followed my car down the road away from us. It hurt a bit watching my car drive off without me. But it was well worth it. We grabbed our bags and walked up to the platform where we sat for about fifteen minutes before the train came.
As we boarded we were all brought back to one of the back cars. One side of it was walled off while the other remained open with a few chairs and such. We were just on the other side of the wall. On the otherside was a pretty good sized room stretching the whole car. One big bed near one end of the car, table and couch near to that, storage area and another bed on the other side of the car. It was nearly kinda mirrored but with very few differences. Painting here, hidden toilet there- yes there was a toilet in our room hidden behind a sound and smell proof curtain. Only figured it out when a little filly had a tummy ache while her soon-to-be step-sister was sleeping in the bed RIGHT NEXT TO IT. Not to mention I had to go in there to check on her. Scoot was crying a bit but at least i didnt have to find her a new pair of pants, underwear and a shower on a moving train. And considering we had our own thing here we told the girls to stay in here and nap. So that meant nobody did babysitting. Door locked Big Mac, AJ and I decided to go to the food car for a bit of breakfast. As we got into the dining car I see something kinda strange. Four stallions, wearing some foreign looking garb... Looking Steuropean... Eastern Steuropean. Two were carrying a large box, two flanked them on either side as they took it through the door on the other side of the car. The car wasnt very full. Mare here, stallion there, small family here. There was a bar in the corner with empty seats sitting there. Small kitchen area behind. Stove, grill, oven and a fridge. The stallion behind the counter smiled as we sat down. "What can I get you three today?" He asked.
"Tea and Lemonade mix please." He looked to Applejack.
AJ sighed. "Water please." She said. Then to Big Mac.
The stallion hummed a bit. "Cola. Light ice." He said.
The stallion nodded and ducked under the counter for a moment before coming up with a few bottles. One of cola and one of water. Even came up with a can of tea and a bottle of lemonade. Just as he turned to grab a glass from a chilled cabinet I broke the silence. "Do you know what was up with those guys carrying that box?" I asked.
He looked back at me bringing down a pint glass. "They've been working this train for a couple months." He said scooping some ice out of a little freezer hidden in the counter. "They've been getting cargo ready from the back car and bringing it up to the front car to ship out once we get to its destination. Never know where it goes." I hummed as he started to combine both the lemonade and the tea into one glass.
"Guess that's... okay... strange they arent wearing company uniform." He slid the glass over to me once the tea was empty. Still had some lemonade left.
"Well they are allowed to wear what ever they want. They arent part of the train company itself but they're a collab company. They need to ship across Equestria, we need use for cars that cant stay empty or converted into passenger cars that cant have tickets sold because not many ponies use the train these days. Those who do travel closer to home. Others do it for business and some decide to take vacation outside Equestria. Think I might ask where you're headed?"
"Manehattan. Some of us here for family, others to rock out. Mostly for vacation away from a farm. Great farm but a city boy here through and through."
Applejack huffed flashing the ring I gave her. Both to me and the stallion behind the counter. "Well get used to farm life sugarcube." She said. "You're in it for the long haul."
Both Big Mac and the stallion chuckled as my face turned red. For a while we ate, talked and joked. Ended up going back to our room after paying the bill and just passed out. Just climbed into the bed with Scootaloo and Applebloom who were just cutely cuddling and went to sleep. As I was asleep I felt frozen again. Not being able to move or say anything. "...Your time comes soon.." An echoey stallions voice said. "...Again you awaken but not be able to speak my name or my words for anyone... You wont even know what would happen or when... or even... that I spoke to you..." It trailed off into a maniacal laugh that just echoed and got deeper and demonic. It quickly faded and I woke up to someone shaking me.
"Sugarcube? C'mon sugarcube get up!" I heard Applejack say. I opened up my eyes and found myself cuddling a pillow. Applejack stood over me giving me a sweet smile. "There we are! C'mon lets get up. Train should be pulling into Manehattan soon."
I yawned as I crawled out of bed. Applebloom and Big Mac were at the far end of the room. Scootaloo was just coming from the bathroom again. Looked relieved. I looked back at AJ as she helped me up. "How long was I out?" I asked. She smiled a bit.
"Couple hours. Blew right past Appleoosa, and arrived in record time. Guess they were doing some remodels to the Appleoosa station. No stops there."
"Huh... Guess that's a bit of a time saver... It's a little relieving we dont have to wait anymore than we already have to."
"That anxious to get to your concert huh?" I nodded. "Just something before ya go to it please dont go crazy and get yourself wasted. You promised you werent gonna drink yourself silly when you took over with Scoot... I dont wanna see you drunk and getting jailed because you blacked out and assaulted someone or you come back to the hotel drunk out of your mind and you pissin' yourself and throwing up being a bad role model for your sister. I just dont wanna see her getting into bad things..." I sighed.
"I know... I just... I've gone so long without a drink it hurts to not have one... I mean... you know that warmth of a shot of whiskey just sliding down your throat? Always feels good right?" I could see it in her face she was dying for a drink. "...Maybe we can get a small bottle and we have a few shots and take the rest home..."
"Maybe but... seriously sugarcube... not a good idea... Especially in front of the fillies and my uncle... he's not a big alcohol guy anyways and you showin' up reekin' of booze might think you aint fit enough to even run the guard or even be my husband!" I gave a sigh and groaned a bit.
"Okay fine... Not getting any drinks... at least not until I get home?" AJ rolled her eyes.
"Alright fine... No drinks until we get home... but even then not around the house! And if you're blitzed around our friends you're staying with them otherwise you're sleeping outside or in a drunk tank again."
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." AJ hummed.
"Better stick to that... otherwise Pinkie'll know and I'd get my rope before giving ya a ten second headstart when we get home... Got me?"
I nodded and got up from the bed fixing my clothes, fixing my bandana and making sure I had everything. Maybe forty five minutes later after we got the girls something to eat that was more filling than a bag of nuts- few pancakes each- we were just getting off the train. The station was gorgeous. Black and white marble flooring, escalators, elevators to malls and a large fountain at either side of the tracks, greeting travelers as they got off. I saw advertisements for Gems N Tulips, Stores around the area and even had a mural of the skyline sitting above the train tracks. Big Mac threw an arm around me sighing. "We aint in a farm anymore..." He said. "Ready for this?" I gave a nod and took Scootaloo's hand starting to walk out of the station. Had to walk up some stairs and out from under the mall area to the outside. Cars everywhere, tall buildings even a chopper or two.
As we walked out to the street we were approached by a guard. Pegasus guard wearing gold armor, red mane and a grey coat. She smiled at me taking her helmet off and saluting. "Welcome to Manehattan General. Got word from Celestia you'd be here." She said. "Been out here all morning waiting. Didnt know what time you'd come in."
I sighed giving the guard a salute. "Glad she let someone know where I was going to be..." I said. "I guess you're going to be the one showing us around?" She nodded.
"Yeah. I'm not gonna let you get hustled by cabbies and bums on the street. Getcha to your hotel and what not."
"And you're okay with all this? Taking us around like this?"
"Yep. Light duty for me. Perfect thing for me while others are getting into the dirty work. Besides, we get in a little scuffle you're good to take em down arent you?"
Applejack huffed. "This is supposed to be a vacation for us ma'am." She said. "My sugarcube aint gonna lay a hand on any damn pony unless he's forced to do it himself and not by order of some other guard."
I rolled my eyes and looked to AJ. "Applejack... Yeah I know its an unwind period but what's gonna stop me from getting another dangerous criminal off the street?" I asked. She looked to me.
"You really wanna know?" I shook my head. "Good... Now lets keep it that way!" She looked to our guard guide. "Now how about we get to our hotel? Fourth and Rocksmith." I watched as AJ grabbed her bag and started to roll it towards a waiting transport truck. I looked to the guard as the rest followed her.
"I'm gonna apologize for her.... Bit tired I think still but I'm still willing to do what it takes to get another dangerous guy off the streets. Just... Only if it's close by.... I dont wanna be rushing off to a shop a few blocks down the road only to come back sweaty, shaking and maybe a few bruises if things dont go right. But... Yeah for now lets just get to the hotel and check in. Her uncle is supposed to be meeting us there." She nodded and just started walking along side me as we followed AJ and the rest. I glanced at the guard. "I'm sorry I actually dont know your name." She looked over and smiled.
"Well since I already know you General Ryder. How? Pepper. She told me about you a lot! She told me to ask you if you had the time to drop by while you're here she'd like to meet your family. Name's Cinder. Pepper and I are a couple. She kept telling me how you were one of the only ones who helped her out while she was on duty. Must've been scary during the plane crash too... How did you survive?" I gave a shrug.
"No clue... Luck I guess... But enough about that. When you get a chance tell Pepper I'll see her when I can. Maybe you could bring her by the hotel room tomorrow. Got a concert tonight and it's gonna be so SICK!"
"Gems? Few streets blocked off and its gonna be at the stadium! Need me to play some in the truck? Got all the albums, even their cover album!"
"Ooh! Yes! Can we play that one please? But uh... when Kindness for Tirek comes on.... just leave it on... please." She gave a smile.
"Sure. Wont ask your reasoning but I just like that song." Glad she didnt. I hate explaining it and having people look at me crazy. But it's what ever. Took us about a half hour to get to our hotel and check in, turns out Applejack's uncle went and got us a deluxe suite. Two beds, a large bathroom, walk in shower and a TV in the mirror! And AJ said we cant have a TV in the bathroom because of room constraints.. Jury rigging time! Kidding. Applejack wouldnt even let me do that at all. We just put our bags in and started to head out once more.
We hurried out to the truck and made the long trip to her uncles building. One of the tallest ones in Equestria. Office areas, living spaces and maybe some other things in there... Mostly office space I believe. But anyways we pulled up to the building and I was just relaxing with a little hippie tunes. I was kinda nervous to be honest for meeting her uncle. Her parents were country folk that kinda just... with it. Her uncle? From what she tells me he's someone who's all business, very strict and gets what he wants... One reason why Braeburn is out on his own... Lived with Uncle Orange after Applejack's aunt on her dads side passed away. Uncle Orange took him in with open arms and promise of a job, stock and a place to sleep but after he was found with a stallion... yeah.... Didnt go well but he's doing good. Heard he got himself a pool. But anyways the truck stopped in front of the building. He was standing in front. Green slicked back mane, orange coat, dark green suit and arms crossed. How could I tell that was Applejack's uncle? By the way everyone was reacting. Big Mac was neutral more or less, Applejack had a look of disgust on her face, Applebloom and Scootaloo were kinda excited to see his Daughter and AJ's cousin Babs. Cinder got out of the truck and rushed around to the door opening it. In order it was Applebloom and Scootaloo, Big Mac, Applejack and then me. Uncle Orange smiled as Applejack and her siblings approached. Me and Scootaloo stayed back. "Well if it isnt my neices and nephew!" He said. Deep voice, somewhat of an accent. Sounded western steuropean. "How is everyone? Good trip?"
Big Mac gave a laugh. "Eeyup! Thanks again for paying for our hotel but did it have to be a deluxe suite?" He asked. I saw him nod.
"Figured you'd get it for making the trip out here. Wish you did wanna stay here but unfortunately if you did we might've had to had someone share a room plus uh... I see you've brought some guests." He looked right at me and Scootaloo.
Applejack looked back at us. "Uncle Orange, this here's my fiance Ryder and his little sister Scootaloo." She said gesturing to us. "Both them got moved in with us after their house burnt down, met his dumbass after he got booted from his apartment and... things just came to this." I felt Scootaloo clutch my hand a bit knowing everything she was talking about as we walked closer to the group. He smiled and I shook his hand.
"Well nice to meet someone who's willing to marry my sister in laws daughter... Even if you are as you are described."
I gave a huff handing Scootaloo off to Big Mac. "None taken from AJ. I admit I kinda am sometimes." I said. "So uh... where's your daughter? AJ tells me a lot about her." He sighed a bit.
"Babs didnt wanna come down to see everyone. Said she needed to eat something." He turned to Applejack. "Speaking of which why dont we get on up to the penthouse? Might be about lunch time anyways."
Applejack smiled a bit. "Guess I could eat. Train food is good but I'd rather do it when my drink aint splashin' everywhere during a turn." She said. Everyone laughed a bit. Yeah... I remembered she nearly spilled her drink all over her chest. It was around the time I finished my meal but hey cant get everything you want... that's for later anyways. Uncle Orange turned to the door. Rotating door, marble flooring and it had an amazing lobby. Must've been part hotel as well.
"Alright then. Follow me. Hope everyone's hungry. My chef can make a great batch of sandwiches. Soup to go with it if ya want." As much as i hated to say it something wasnt sitting right in my gut. As we entered I looked around and I saw those same four stallions on the train loading a package onto an elevator before closing it up. I didnt pay much mind to it before looking forward once more as we approached the front desk. Applejack's uncle looked to the mare sitting behind the counter. "Open up the express elevator would you? Got family here and we'd like to get to my penthouse fast."
The mare smiled hitting a button. "Right away sir, and I must say what a lovely family you have." She said. We walked to the left of the counter she sat at and there behind her was an elevator door opening up. Almost looked like part of the wall. Walls were a light orange with intricate designs in them. The walls just slid open. Wouldnt even be able to tell there was anything there if she hadnt hit the button.
We quickly loaded into the elevator, I had to take Scootaloo's and Applebloom's hands. Why? Applebloom cant stand tight quarters and Scootaloo thinks if the elevator stops and starts falling that we can get out through the emergency door and fly to safety... even if it does mean leaving everyone else in it.... Anywho the ride took a few minutes tops. Sped through the floors fast. When the doors opened it came out into a large open living area. Brown carpeted floor, black leather couch, large flat screen TV hanging up on the wall, stairs to another floor, a somewhat large dining hall beyond the living room area and what I assumed was a kitchen off to the left of it. Sitting on the couch was a little filly. Orange coat, dark purple mane (A bit darker than Scootaloo's) wearing a long sleeve with some Gems n Tulips markings on the arms and black skinny jeans. Her mane was in sort of a medium length bob having it just cover her face. Applebloom and Scootaloo released my hands and rushed in as we all entered the penthouse. They ran right to the filly. "Babs!" Applebloom said. Scoot and her soon-to-be sister-in-law hopped the couch surprising the filly they called Babs.
Uncle orange smiled as we entered the penthouse. Above us was a large chandelier made of crystals, some with a bit of color. Saw a few blue ones. Sucker for shiny here. It wasnt anything like Canterlot but it was nice. "Welcome everyone!" Uncle Orange said. "Make yourselves at home! Kick your feet up, watch a little TV or even head upstairs, freshen up in the bath. Might have to wait a bit for lunch but hey its going to be ready sometime soon." He looked to me as Applejack and Big Mac went to the couch. "Ryder why dont you follow me? We can have a drink and talk. Kinda wanna learn more about you!" I smiled a bit and followed him as he went into the dining room. Big table, eight chairs, lovely candelabra sitting mid table. We walked right past it and into the kitchen. Few ovens, clean counter tops few fridges but we walked right through another door and holy shit this was beautiful. Stallions den like I've never seen it. Pool table, flat screen, fully stocked bar with very own bartender, lounge couch where... a lot of staff was sat watching a hoofball game just north of here. Few earth ponies, a pegasus, and some unicorn. We walked over to the couch a bit. "Everyone! Break time over! Family is here and they need lunch. Lemon Drop, to the bar please."
The pegasus got up and flew over to the bar. She was a light yellow pegasus mare with a more brighter yellow mane wearing a black vest, white button up and matching black pants and shoes. We walked over to the bar as she leaned on it. "Usual for ya sir?" She asked.
"Yeah. And what ever here for my nieces fiance here." I smiled as she looked to me.
"Just uh... You got anything nonalcoholic? A... Soda perchance?"
"Regular cola alright? It's going in Mr. Oranges drink anyways."
"Sure. Fine with me."
I looked to Uncle Orange as the mare grabbed a couple glasses. He looked to me curiously. "Really? You dont drink?" He asked. "Pretty sure a man of your... tastes might drink a bit." I sighed as the mare set a glass near me.
"I used to drink a bit before my parents passed away but.... That all changed when I rose the ranks and had to care for my sister... lately I feel like i've been having a relapse and I wanna stay as far away from getting shit faced." The curious look turned to a bit of shock, then disappointment.
"You.... You're a guard?"
"Yes sir... General, leader of the seventh battalion of nine hundred that just got back not too long ago... barley survived a plane going down and some idiot shooting me in the fucking leg on an evening stress flight."
"...A general... dressing like THAT?! You're kidding me!" I kinda gave him a scared look as I sipped my soda. "My sisters daughter is marrying a guard and he doesnt even act like it. You have to act better than that!"
"Hey it's not like there are other guards are like this!"
"Yeah but you're no fucking recruit! Only recruits dress like that off duty!"
"Well do I care what other ponies think about the way I dress? No! Should I? WHY?" I chugged what was left of my drink- yes it was half way by this point- and set the glass down getting up. "I'm not gonna sit here and fight this shit... Wish I couldve stayed on the train or back at the hotel..."
"Where do you think you're going? We're talking here!" I ignored him and went back through the kitchen. Passed by everyone starting to prepare veggies and other bits of foodstuffs for lunch. I even walked through to the dining hall and then into the living room area.
Applejack came up to me from the couch where I saw our sisters and Big Mac just enjoying the Tv. "Well that aint a face I wanna see..." She said. "The hell happened? You werent even back there for a couple minutes! What did he say to you?"
I huffed. "Your uncle is a fucking dickhead who thinks I'm not cut out to be a guard just because I dress like this and listen to Gems." I said. "I'm not gonna sit here and listen to him belittle me and call me a disgrace to you and your mother." She huffed.
"Always like him..." She looked over my shoulder and then back at me. "Wait here, let me do the talking." I watched as she went around me. Only turned around to see her getting between me and her uncle. He looked steamed. "What in the hell are you doing talkin' to my fiance like that!?"
Uncle Orange huffed. "You shouldnt be marrying anyone your mother wouldnt approve of!" He snapped. "She'd want you marrying some farm hand who can help benefit that farm of yours since you wont sell it out to me! I could make you just as wealthy as I am!"
"And you think I give a shit about the wealth I can have? Why do that and turn my farm into a fuckin' factory when we got that good old fashion handy work? And momma would've loved to meet Ryder! She'd be proud of me getting married!"
"And how would you know? She isnt here to say anything!" I glanced back at Applebloom and Big Mac. Both 'Bloom and Scootaloo climbed into Big Mac's lap.
I looked back to Applejack and Orange as they started to yell over each other. "BOTH OF YOU! SHUT UP!" I yelled. They both looked up at me. "Can you not seeing what you're doing to the girls?! You're scaring them!" Applejack and I hurried over to Big Mac each taking our scared sisters. Babs, Applejack's younger cousin seemed a bit unfazed and just kept watching the TV. I shushed Scootaloo feeling her wings trembling. "...It's okay Scoot... I gotcha.... You're okay...."
I looked back at Applejack who went back to her uncle, Applebloom in her arms. "Now look whatcha did!" She snapped. "Sure you didnt know that little filly my fiance is holding walked in on her parents after they were shot but that dont save you from the wrath you can feel from both of us! Now apologize before my family and I go back home, trip ruined and my fiance pissed that you made his sister cry! He takes her very seriously y'know!"
Uncle Orange huffed and took Applebloom in his arms hugging her tight. He whispered something before Applebloom gave him a kiss on the cheek. He set her down and approached me. I just held onto Scootaloo a bit tighter. He could see I wouldnt budge. "What's your sisters name?" He asked. I said nothing having Scoot whimper a bit. He huffed. "Are you gonna tell me your sisters name or are you going to be as thick skulled as you look?" Oh how I wanted to beat him in front of his daughter, his nieces and nephew and his servants....
Babs huffed looking at us. "Her name is Scootaloo dad." She said. Very thick Manehattan accent. I mean... The accent was as thick as butter if you could speak in oily dairy goodness. She looked back at the TV... Hoofball game. Same one that the servants were watching. I kept my grip on her as Uncle Orange rested his hand on her shoulder.
"I apologize Scootaloo dear for what I have said. I... I truly had no idea about the tragedies...." Scootaloo continued to whimper in my ear.
I huffed. "Some apologies dont do well through word...." I said giving her back to Big Mac. She went to him like she would for me. "With her she's just not gonna let me apologize and have everything be okay! Especially over something as topical as that! Sure you didnt know but it still doesnt help that it was mentioned!"
Big Mac looked up at his uncle as he tried to say something. "Before ya go and spout off- yes that's how his sisters head works. Gifts are the only way she'll listen- even if it's somethin' small like a candy bar she'll open up her ears, even if its for a moment otherwise it takes a while. Last time we couldnt get her a gift to apologize we had to draw with her... and it was a LOT of drawing... couple hours worth, too much paper, and a few broken crayons that we had to get new boxes of. So it's either wait a few days in order to apologize or we go out, get somethin' for her and apologize then. Otherwise she aint gonna eat, talk and maybe more accidents. So I hope you know a good shop around here for a little protection for her- and you- and I'm sure you dont wanna know what I mean there." Orange huffed.
"...Fine... Give me a moment and we'll get going...." He looked to Babs. "Wanna come with us darling? We could go get some ice cream for you and your friends after lunch!"
Babs sighed just staring at the TV. "Nah... I'm good... Probably gonna get a salad from the fridge and finish the game." She said. "If anything can you bring me back a hayburger for dinner tonight? Havent had one in foreva!" Manners in this one seemed to have ran off. Her father smiled.
"Of course Babs. You just sit right there, I'll get the salad for you and a drink." He looked to me. "Would you like anything to eat or drink... general?"
I looked at him confused. "What? I'm heading out with you to make sure my sister is okay!" I said. "I'll just get something out there!" He shook his head.
"Oh no you arent! Not going out with someone with that rank who dresses like that! This is Manehattan! A high society place that's better than what ever hovel you clearly crawled out of!"
"Says the stallion who lives in a city filled with bums, crime and home of a sex trafficking ring I broke up!"
Applejack came over pushed me and her uncle apart before looking at him. "Uncle Orange, just go get him a soda and a salad, same as Babs." She said. She looked to me. "Ryder you just stay here, dont worry about Scootaloo we got her. I'll give you a call later when she's back to her ol' self. Dont worry, we'll be back in time for you to head to your concert." I huffed sitting down on the couch.
"Alright... I'll stay... Better not give me diet soda.... dont wanna have a fucking headache...." I watched as Applejack went over to Applebloom and Uncle orange went back into the kitchen area. I looked over at Big Mac and Scootaloo. Scootaloo was curled up in Big Mac's arms, just looking at me with tears in her eyes as she was trying not to cry. I'd've wiped her tears away but between me and her was Babs and I didnt wanna get in the way of her view of the TV. I just whistled at Big Mac. He looked over and I motioned to him to wipe her tears away. He did so... It hurt a bit seeing her this way... I was about to just say for Uncle Orange to stay here but then again I wanted to be on his good side.
After a minute or two he came out with a chef holding a tray of two salads, croutons, cucumbers, carrots and a few hot peppers in each... strange but I wasnt complaining. He set it down on the coffee table before us, round glass table. Wasnt much but it was something. Even set down two glass bottles of Senor Salt. My favorite but after I drink it I gotta wash my mouth out before I can kiss AJ again. You know that stuff. I watched as Applejack came over and grabbed Scootaloo holding her close as Big Mac got up. She looked to me. I kinda blew her a kiss. Not one to do such things but... shows I love her without saying anything. She knows I care. No matter how much I yell at her, ground her or how much anger is shown I still love her. "Alright. Babs you know where the snacks are if you get hungry while we're out." Uncle Orange said. "If theres anything else you need Scootaloo's brother is here to watch you while we're out." He looked to me, his bright demeanor disappearing. "And you, my servants are gone after we leave, this will be the only food you get, if you need anything ask Babs but you be nice to her. One wrong word, she'll tell me, you'll be forbidden to come here even with my niece..."
Oh I wanted to yell at him and just tell him to fuck off... but I didnt. His daughter did however give her input grabbing a soda. "Dad lighten up! It's my friends brother, the friend you made cry!" She said. "Lighten up, relax on the restrictions!" I saw him roll his eyes.
"Fine... Anything for my little girl... but when it comes to my bar, that's off limits. Servants are still gone but you'll act as a servant to my daughter until we return. Am I clear?"
I huffed grabbing my food. "Understood sir." I said.
"Good... Now enjoy your stay. We'll be back." I watched as the group loaded into the elevator while the servant went back through the dining room and into the kitchen. We sat there alone for a few minutes as the game kept going on. Even had a few bites of my salad in the awkward tension between me and Babs. After a few moments of eating I stopped and grabbed my drink taking a sip. Felt good as it slid down my throat. Calmed me. I sighed setting my drink down. "...So... Babs is it...?" I glanced over at Babs. She looked up at me setting her food aside.
The filly gave a bit of a smile. "That's my name dont wear it out." She said with a bit of a laugh. "Whatcha need? Candy? Chips? Another bottle of pop?" I sighed.
"No... I think I'm good... I just... What do you like to do?" She gave a loud burp after taking a drink. Didnt even blush at it.
"I game, I watch TV, get into a little trouble at school for fighting. Usual stuff for a filly like me." I gave a worried look.
"You fight in school...? Why?" She huffed slouching in her seat.
"Yeah so what. Why do ya wanna know? You a guard or somethin'?"
"Would it be a problem if I was?" She just kinda looked to me. Stone faced at first. Then it turned sad as she looked away. "...Bit for your brains there?" No answer. I held out my hand on the armrest between us. "...I'm only here to help... nobody's gonna be in trouble unless you tell me otherwise." I could see her glance back at my open hand. She hesitated a bit. She grabbed my hand and just leaned over. "There we are.... wanna open up now?" I kinda watched as she grabbed my food and drink setting them on the table before crawling into my lap.... it was a bit weird at first but... I forced myself to think she was Scootaloo and not my wifes cousin. I just hugged her a bit.
"...The boys... they just want me to be their... 'play thing'... picking on me, hitting me with basket balls, even... trying to force me into the bathrooms...." She curled up even tighter than she already was. "...They didnt get me in once.... told teachers about it.... Dad only said I can fight to protect myself after..." She trailed off.
"After what... if I may ask....?" She sniffled getting tears in her eyes. I knew it was something bad.... didnt know what to say to stop it but... I couldnt.
"...A boy... one of my dads clients sons... he came over with his father.... his son kept hitting me with a plastic bass guitar when my dad tried to do business... I wanted to tell but... he said if I told he'd tell that I was lying and ruin the deal... that night I had nightmares.... Threw up a bit.... Next day he comes back with his dad... when we're alone he... pushes me down... tells me not to scream or he'll hit me again and he... he..." My heart dropped hearing this. I shushed her as she started whimpering a bit.
"...I'm sorry.... Did you tell anyone about him and what he did....?" She nodded. "Who did you tell....?"
"...I... I told... Princess Luna and Celestia.... Luna came to me in my dreams and.... she brought me into Celestia's... She... she said she had Scootaloo.... told her about things.... next day I go to my dad... told him about it... he didnt believe me until Luna came to the door, guards at her side.... she confronted the son and... he confessed everything.... dad called the deal off and treated me like his princess...." She sobbed a bit. I sighed holding her close.
"...Princess Luna does help everyone around... you, me, even Scootaloo and Applebloom... wanna know why Scootaloo was with the princesses anyways?" She nodded. "...Because both Princesses wanted to help me... Scootaloo was being watched by them while I was out at war...." I sat her back in her seat. "....Maybe sometime soon I can see about getting you, Scoot and the others with Luna and Celestia for a sleep over... Probably get a chance to thank the princess for that..."
"...You... you think she'll let me in to the sleep over....?"
"Of course... Speaking of sleep... you tired at all...?" She gave a hesitant nod. "Okay... after we're done eating why dont you just head up to your bed and take a nap? Might help...." She nodded rubbing her eyes. We ate still and finished up the game. The away team won. Canterlot Crushers. Manehattan maulers were who we were rooting for. Anyways I helped her upstairs after we finished eating. Cuddled up to me a bit like she was Scootaloo. As we got upstairs I looked to Babs. Kinda struggling to stay awake. "Need to go to the bathroom before bed?" She nodded. Her upstairs was a long hallway that opened up. Two doors on the left, two on the right. She pointed to the left.
"Bathroom's there...." I walked over and set her down.
"Here. Do what you need to. I'll be right out here if you need me." She gave a nod before opening the door and going inside having the door click behind her. I waited out there for a good few minutes before hearing a flush.
"Be out in a minute... just... dont laugh when I come out...."
"I wont. I promise." I waited a bit. Heard the sink run for a bit. After it shut off I waited about another minute. Heard nothing for a while until I head footsteps come to the door. I stepped back and I saw Babs poke her head out. "So you ready there Babs?" She blushed a bit.
"...Kinda... I just..."
"...You didnt have an accident did you?" She blushed more.
"...No... Not really but.... I uh...." She pushed open the door blushing hard as she came out with just her long sleeve shirt on. Her pants and underwear- she surprisingly wears boxers- were draped over her arm and around her waist I saw a plain white pull on diaper. She averted her gaze. "...M-my dad has been making me wear these these past weeks when I sleep... wet the bed once and I dont hear the end of it...." I gave a smile and sighed kneeling down.
"...Happens to the best of us... I can say your friends have been in the same spot you are... even i've been there..." I held my hand out and she took it with her free hand.
"...You wet the bed too...? But... you're a guard..."
"Just because I'm a guard doesnt mean I cant wet the bed or have nightmares that cause me to wet the bed... Last time I did I had to wear diapers for a week and sleep on the couch.... Even ask Applejack when your dad isnt around. Dunno if he'd use something like that against me.... Probably would try to." She gave a giggle as I stood up. "Y'know when I was your age my mom made me wear diapers to school after I had an accident... Just a single accident that easily could've been prevented but it cost me my teacher having to secretly check me at recess, at lunch and if i was she'd send me to the nurse to change. Good thing I never used it once."
"...My dad almost did that to me.... Watched a few scary movies, had a nightmare that made me have an accident, we were gonna have a scary movie day at school but the teacher called it off, said we couldnt watch those because the principal caught word and next thing you know we're watching some action movie from the eighties. Serial killers arent allowed but you show us some guy getting his head blown off with a shotgun? Good trade for my bladder I guess..." We walked over into her room, right across the hall. We walked inside and it was a pretty good sized room. Sports, music and some weird posters on the wall. Some with oriental writings... orientals like how who i thought was Shadow would write in. Her bed was full sized. Messy with black and red covers, a privacy window out into her fathers stallion cave. I could tell it was a privacy widow because of the almost limo tint. Not to mention there was a switch on the wall. I helped her into bed and under the covers before tucking her in.
"Alright there... Need anything else while I'm here?" She shook her head giving a yawn. "Alright... I'll be on the couch if you need me." She nodded grabbing a stuffed lion under her pillow. I gave a smile before walking out. I shut the door behind me and hit the restroom for a bit. Had to piss quite a bit... Held it for a good while watching the game. Soda didnt help. Nearly pissed myself in front of Babs. After that I went back to Babs. She was curled up with her toy. I just took my phone out and snapped a picture for AJ to see. I sent it off to her and went back downstairs. I sat back down on the couch for about a half hour. Realized we had just left our dirty dishes there but... heres where shit hit the fan and splattered everywhere... even across the entirety of Equestria. Just as I reached for the dishes the lights flickered and the TV went dark I didnt have time to react before a loud explosion rang out and the whole building shook. The TV fell off the wall, I fell right onto the table, shattering it. The TV fell right next to me. Barely missed me. Lucky for all the long clothing I was wearing I was lucky to get back up without hurting myself. I heard screams upstairs and flew quickly up the stairs and rushed Babs' room. I ran right in to the door not being able to open it. Jiggled the knob, everything. "Babs! Babs! C'mon open the door!" I waited a moment before the knob twisted and Babs rushed me after opening the door. She looked scared and she was just soaked. Bladder fills fast for a filly and she was kinda leaking when I picked her up and hugged her.
"W-what's happening....?" I huffed.
"I dont know. Are you okay?" She gave a hesitant nod. "Okay... Quickly get changed, grab some clothes together and get it in a bag. We gotta get out of here now!" I set her down and she went for her dresser. I turned away as she tossed her used padding away and got dressed. She grabbed the pair of pants she was wearing before and a new shirt, this one was a baseball tee. Saw as she reached under her bed and grabbed a backpack shoving her stuffed lion in first and then a few shirts, underwear and socks. She put some on her feet as the building shook again before throwing some shoes on before throwing it on her back and coming back to me. "C'mon lets go!" I picked her up again and started to rush down the stairs. Not even a clear button for the elevator but with what ever was happening I dont think taking the elevator was gonna be a good idea. I looked to her. "Any way out we can take? Stairwell maybe?" She nodded.
"...D-daddies stallions den... There's an emergency staircase just in case of a fire..." I nodded and rushed through the rooms, Babs in my arms. Kicked the kitchen door open to it and ran through it. Empty. No bottles on the bar but out the big window behind I saw smoke starting to rise. I looked around for the staircase and saw it to the right of another stairs portion going up to the rooms. One of the rooms had the privacy glass cracked. I hurried for the emergency door and kicked it open only to get a thick plume of smoke hitting me in the face. Babs and I coughed for a second as we got clear. I set her down and started to take my jacket off. I put it over the hacking filly and looked to her wiping a tear from her eye.
"Here. This should keep the smoke out of your face. Just try to breathe nice and easy okay?" She nodded and climbed back into my arms. I kept the jacket over her head the best I could as we braved the smoke and rushed down the steps. Seven to eight flights. We stopped there because one flight lower was covered in fire. I opened the door to the floor and there were ponies rushing to get out through other stair cases. Best thing I thought of was to dive in one of the rooms. It was a hotel room that was left wide open. Fancy. Almost looked like a room made from penthouse stuff. But there was no time to waste. Another explosion rang out and I fell right onto Babs on a bed as the building rocked once more. I didnt hurt her but it scared us both. I looked around the room and saw a chair. Sturdy wood, leather arm rests and cloth material. I lied Babs down as she cried hard. As I picked up the chair I got scared. All I could see now was my house on fire. I was just staring down a burning hallway hearing Scootaloo- not Babs- screaming. I shook my head shaking that reality away as I hoisted the heavy chair up. I readied it feet away from a window. Backed up and charged it. First time nothing. Second time, a crack. Third time was more cracks. I backed up a bit more than the first few times and yelled, my throat and eyes burning from the ash and soot before charging the window. That time it broke showering me in a few shards of glass. I shook off what I could while clearing what ever other large shards were stuck to the window and dumped the chair outside. I went back and quickly grabbed Babs sitting her in my arms once more. I looked to her. "Okay Babs I want you to hold on to me very tight! Arms, Legs, everything as tight as you can. We're gonna be falling very far, very fast. Dont be scared. I gotcha!" I waited a moment as she wrapped her arms and legs around me gripping tight. I think she wet herself more because I felt warmth run from my stomach down to my crotch. I held onto the jacket and backed up before running and jumping onto the window sill before just jumping out of the building, wings extended. Everything went in slow motion as we started to the ground. Again I got scared and now saw myself falling towards the mountain side after the plane was going down. I shook my head and squeezed the screaming filly as we dive bombed into the city. The lower we got I was straightening out. One more explosion rang out, this time it sounded extremely loud. I felt the heat behind us. As we land the unthinkable happened. I saw the building start to crumble. It fell straight down a large wall of smoke, soot and debris out and up. As the wall raced towards us I looked around and saw a building that looked abandoned. I went to the door of it and took my jacket off of Babs putting it over me as we hid in the corner. I felt harsh wind rush behind me as I shielded my fiances cousin. Even heard emergency sirens everywhere. I started hacking again after a few minutes and picked Babs up who was also coughing very badly. We walked out into the ash filled street and off down the road I see red and white lights flashing. I used the jacket as a flag waving it in the air. "HEY! HEY OVER HERE! HELP US! HELP US NOW!"
I was relieved when they flashed the headlights of the emergency vehicle. Ambulance, pulling up right in front of us. An EMT hopped out. Stallion, dark blue uniform, purple coat, lavender mane. "Whos hurt? Everyone okay?" He asked. I hacked and tried to pry Babs off of me. She didnt let go and I leaned to the side and just hurled I was so panicked. She just couldnt stop coughing. Neither could I. "Here get in! Get you hooked up to some oxygen! Obvious signs of smoke inhalation and stress induced vomit." He helped me and Babs both into the ambulence and lied us down on a gurney inside. He tried prying her off me as well. Nothing.
"...L-leave her! Just strap us in! Get oxygen! Now!" I looked at us and we were both covered in ash, dirtier than anything. Even started to cry myself, worried about Applejack, Scootaloo and the rest. This was a moment that would change Equestria- and me- forever... |
The Return | Manehattan Panic (Part 2) (AJ's POV) | Oh my stars... this day... I just.... One minute we were walking around, happy as can be next I'm shitting myself and just panicking... Well... Let me just.... start from a couple minutes before the blast... We were just out runnin' around. Uncle Orange had to stop by a small toy store for Scootaloo. Poor thing was crying a bit over momma n daddy... Course Uncle Orange didnt know when he was spouting off to Ryder. Uncle Orange was holding Applebloom's hand. Scoot was in Big Mac's arms enjoying her new little toy. A cute little stuffed dog, wearing a guard uniform like her big brother would wear. She loves him so much... maybe more than I do at times but hey... cant beat family love. Applebloom got a little somethin' too. A little stuffed yellow thing. Lightning bolt tail, black pointed ears and little rosy red cheeks. Didnt know what it was but it was cute. I was in charge of looking out for a place to eat since Uncle Orange doesnt eat out much. He does however know to accept when he wants some food that isnt cooked by his servants. "How about here?" I asked pointing to a tucked away sub shop.
Big Mac and Uncle Orange looked up and hummed. "Place should be good. Wasnt feelin' like a hayburger anyways..." Big Mac said. Sarcastic ass.... sarcastic fat ass more like it. I took a deep breath and sighed. Kinda enjoyed the city even being on a farm for lord knows how long.
"Ya know.... I think I'm gonna wait out here a bit...." I looked to my brother. "Get me a spinach and tofu bacon sub on wheat, with spicy mayo and honey mustard. Maybe get me a little baggie of apples too." I looked out into the hustle and bustlin' city. Ponies going every which way, cars and trucks going back and forth. "I'm just gonna stay out here.... get some fresh air.... maybe plan what we can do in these next few days. Today is just gonna be us relaxin..." He huffed as Uncle Orange went into the shop.
"Alright sis... Think I should get Ryder a sandwich for later?"
"Nah..." Shook my head. "...He has his salad. Could get something later as a family... Maybe before the concert..." I kinda trailed off in my thoughts for a while. Wondered if I'd get some time alone with my sugarcube.... visit with Uncle Orange and spend time with the girls... see Babs and how she's doing... My uncle tells me one of his clients kids wronged her.... pissed me off just hearing about it. Told me Princess Luna showed up with a couple guards, scared the shit out of the kid and made him confess his sins.... Uncle Orange closed the deal without agreement and nearly sued his ass... Woulda done it if I were him. Someone did that to my little sister, that parent or caretaker would get their ass handed to them, the kid might get their ass handed to them by 'Bloom or Scoot if they fought. I know them fillies got some fight in them. Hell Scoot busted a bullies nose a few weeks ago. She was sent to the office but thanks to yours truly she got off with a warnin'. After a bit I glanced into the shop. Was a bit busy. Line to the door, tables were somewhat packed. I just sighed and looked back out into the city.
We walked slow coming from my Uncles penthouse. Stopped at a few clothing stores, let the girls see a tech shop where Scoot messed with a virtual Reality game for a bit. She had a little fun with it. Applebloom had a turn with another game, kinda scared her when an enemy just ran up to her. Had the clerk change the game to a drawing game and she had her little fun making rainbows and such. Ten minutes for each filly and then we just came over here. After a bit we started eating. Only had a small sandwich while my uncle and Big Mac ate like hogs who hadnt had slop for weeks. Scoot and AB just had their little foal meals. Came with little toys. Scoot got a bouncy ball, Bloom got a little doll. After I finished I just went back outside... something didnt sit right. Next thing I know... my whole world changes. I hear a loud explosion ring out. I look over feeling a shockwave rumble everything around us. My heart stopped when I saw where it was coming from... my uncles building... I froze and watched as ponies rushed past me running away from everything. Some had children frightened by the blast. Few minutes go by, another explosion happens. Another side of the building. Next thing you know another... and another... Then what takes the cake... the building bisected itself... where the explosions were... then it collapsed. I saw a wall of dust rush out of the streets down the road. Tears built up in my eyes and I was just pulled in by Big Mac. "BABS! BABS NO! NOT MY LITTLE GIRL!" I heard my uncle cry out. I shook my head, ridding myself of the shock... most of it anyways. I looked to my brother... He was scared, shocked and worried.... Most of the other patrons had their bodies against the door blocking it keeping the debris cloud from getting inside.
Big Mac looked to me... "Sis..." He said. "...D-dont tell me what I think I saw...." I couldnt speak. Tears built up more in my eyes. "...Dont tell me I just saw a building where our family was just..." He couldnt even finish the though before just starting to break down. He hugged me, lowering his head onto my shoulder. I looked around, saw families holding each other close as they watched the chaos outside. Then my eyes locked to somepony near the window. Scootaloo. She watched the whole thing go down. I pried my brother off and handed him off to my screaming uncle just next to the door trying to claw his way out and went to Scoot... Applebloom was trying to get her friend to move away but... I just nudged her towards her brother and uncle. That was when I grabbed Scootaloo. It took her a moment but... She realized what happened and just started screaming, wailing and crying loudly. She struggled but I held her tight letting her cry into my shoulder. I held onto her tight.... she was struggling hard and I just took every kick, every headbutt and short punch she threw.
Even though she was hitting me... I hugged her tight, fighting off my own tears, still shocked on what I saw. What she saw.... What everyone saw... It hurt... not only to see my families home attacked but... to see where my sugarcube was just... vanish... I could only hug Scoot from behind as she thrashed. She was almost a lead dead weight when I picked her up... now a live wire... She only stopped when she started gagging badly. I carried her over to a trash can and it didnt take long for her to take aim and lose her lunch.... Lost it all, almost like a projectile. Even voided her self in her pants... Shit full force, pissed herself too. "I-it's okay... I gotcha... I gotcha Scoot... I wont let you go..." I said in an effort to calm her. She whimpered and mumbled to herself. Couldnt make out what she was even saying. She gagged again and puked more into the trash. "..C-calm yourself Scoot... Everything.... everything's gonna be okay.... I gotcha...." She spat into the trash can and all I could smell is piss, shit and her meal... Had to get a soda and spicy foods. I turned her around and held her the best I could without getting her more dirtier than she was. Her eyes were teared up but still in shock. "Scoot...? C'mon... c'mon talk to me girl!" She looked as if she was gonna speak but she just.... Her eyes rolled back into her head and she just went limp.... Think pissing herself again. Slowly I kinda lied her down getting more scared. "Scoot! Scootaloo! C'mon wake up! WAKE UP!"
I started hyperventilating something fierce... I saw Applebloom run over and kneel down by her friends head starting to shake her before seeing Big Mac lie Uncle Orange down against the wall before pulling Applebloom away. Barely heard it but... I heard Applebloom screaming a bit. "SCOOTALOO! SCOOTALOO!" She screamed.
Big Mac shushed her and nudged her to her uncle where she just collapsed onto him and cried into his shoulder. He went to Scootaloo and picked up her head just looking back into the shop as I just covered my mouth, feeling as if I were gonna puke as well. I choked it down. "Need a medic over here! Anyone here a doctor?!" He snapped. I felt myself just getting light headed and started swaying. Had myself propped up on my hands and knees.... Collapsed and fell onto my side and just as Big Mac came to my side I passed out.
I started to dream... It was something scary... I was in a maze... Fire down one way, crumbling in another... all roads led to my Ryder suffering... maybe with Babs.... I just heard some... distorted screaming.... Sounded like Ryders but... distorted... demonic like.... I was just wearing tattered rags... Just ran through the maze scared beyond belief... walls collapsed behind me, roof in front of me but I pulled a Daring Do and broke through it.... Daring Do... He just loved her books... Dont think he met A.K. Yearling yet... would've just went crazy. Now he cant.... I kept on taking turn after turn in this maze... the screams got more distorted. That was until I came to an intersection in the halls... All paths on fire... even the one I came from... That's where I just fell to my knees and started crying.... I covered my eyes and just bawled like a baby... that.... was until I felt someone rest a hand on my back. I looked up and saw Princess Luna... she had tears in her eyes and Scootaloo in her arms... Scootaloo was also wearing tattered rags. Luna was wearing black sweat pants, bunny slippers and a long sleeved gaming shirt. I quickly sprang up and just latched onto both of them. Luna shushed me as I cried into her shoulder. "...Applejack.... It's okay... you're okay...." She said.
I sniffled and broke off Luna a bit looking at her. "...I... I am not okay!" I snapped. "I just... I just watched my cousin and my fiance get crushed under rubble...." She shushed me more as Scootaloo cuddled up to her...
"Applejack... Listen to me... I felt your cousins dream presence during a nap... I was going to see how she was but... she woke up before I could get to her dream... and from what Scootaloo tells me.... he was in there watching your cousin while you were out getting food.... if I remember correctly he wasnt going to let anyone keep him down... he's as stubborn as a mule if my sisters words were correct." I honestly gave a little smile despite my sorrow... he always was a bit of a stubborn ass... More stubborn than Cranky.... When he turned into a mare he was kinda cute... Didnt stop him from being an asshole to the guards who gave him shit for looking the way he did. Pretty sure he hit one of them pretty hard for.... suggesting things.... I would've gotten him to. "...What I'm saying there is a chance he's still alive... but... I could be wrong and... I just hope I'm not..." She sat me down and put Scootaloo in my arms. "...If he is... come to Canterlot if you can.... If not... um..." She averted her gaze. "...My sister and I... might be taking guardianship over Scootaloo..." Both Scootaloo and I gasped. "I know... it's... it's something you dont want to hear but... Ryder and I agreed upon this... yes she has been adopted by Spitfire, and you're with her but... if something happened to Ryder- which we hope not- Celestia and I are to care for Scootaloo, give her a life worth living.... He wanted the best for her and we've grown attached to her.... we just wanna see her grow up safe and in good health like he wants!" I held Scootaloo closer.
"....Wh-what makes you think I cant give her that? I can be a good caretaker for my sugarcubes baby sister! She can b-be near her friends, Dash, I can take her to school, feed her and... and...." I just started whimpering a bit as I held Scootaloo close. Luna sighed and knelt down resting a hand on my shoulder.
"...She'll still see her friends... I just... I hope you'll... you'll...." She stopped. Her sad expression turned to a bit surprised... it was... like she just realized something. She looked to us and used her magic putting something over our eyes. She shushed us and we heard everything shift around us. Rocks fell into place, trees sprouted and the leaves formed.... even felt our clothes change... felt weird feeling my jeans kinda grow on me- literally grow. Didnt feel Scoot's clothes weird enough. But anyways we felt the world change around us. After it was done I felt Luna pull me yo my feet before taking Scootaloo from me.... Didnt wanna let her go but... She did take her whether I wanted to let her go or not. She took my hand and just walked with me.
"...J-just what the hell do ya think you're doin...? I cant see..." She shushed me and just let me go. I kept walking forward hesitantly... I didnt know if she wanted me brain dead walking off a cliff or what but... I was kinda scared not knowing what I'd walk into. Now I know what you're thinkin': Why didnt I take my blindfold off? I dont know. Wasnt the first thing I thought of. But as I walked I felt there was something in front of me. I put my arms in front of me so they could just feel my way to what I wasnt looking at. Next thing you know I feel something wrap around me making me jump, yelp a bit and kinda struggle as it pulled me close and held me tight.... even... felt a head rest on my shoulder.... I reached up and took my blindfold off and.... lord above I just about shit myself... I was... I was being hugged by my sugarcube... Ryder!
I was speechless as he hugged me. Got all teared up looking at his... burnt clothing... favorite shirt, eaten by flames, mane singed a bit and his wings almost charred.... He shushed me as I started to cry. "...P-Princess... whats going on...? Why is Applejack crying....?" I heard Scootaloo ask. I looked back and saw Luna take Scootaloo's blindfold off... Little fillies jaw dropped when she saw us... Flew out of the princesses arms and zoomed right for us. "RYDER! YOU'RE ALIVE!" She screamed. He tossed me aside and took the full force of Scootaloo to his chest and fell back. As he hugged his sister, both breaking down I looked around us. The orchard. Home. Few burned trees here, large scorch trail there... smoke in the sky there... Damaged but mostly okay. I was back to wearing my clothes I passed out in while Scootaloo was still in her rags. Guess'n Luna caught a whiff of what she dropped in her trousers. Diapers until further notice for her. Luna came over and helped me up as she teared up with this reunion... she looked relieved too. I went back over to Scootaloo and Ryder, helping Ryder up... I took Scootaloo out of his arms and she just flew around all excited and back into Luna's arms to hug her, still bawling. Looked back at my sugarcube and you know what I did? I went and grabbed him by the collar with one hand, back handed him with the other and when he looked at me scared I pulled him in and kissed him. Tongue and all. He was shocked at first but he fell into a bit of bliss. He backed away and I looked at him more mad than a bull in a red carpeted china shop.
"WHY THE HELL DIDNT YOU CALL AND MAKE SURE WE WERE OKAY?! YOUR SISTER HAD AN ACCIDENT AND I PASSED OUT! EXPLAIN! NOW!"
Ryder sniffled and averted his gaze. "...I'm sorry I didnt AJ... I just... I wasnt thinking..." He said. "...I had to rush to get Babs out of her room and stuff her a bag of clothes she could wear and get her the hell out... Knew it wasnt gonna last long, the building.... I was... even having a few freak out moments... saw my house burning... the plane crash that nearly killed me... But... Your cousin and I made it out alright.... doctors had to pry us apart to get me into a hospital gown... she didnt wanna even go to another bed away from me she was so scared..." He looked back at me. "...I did try for a moment... nobody answered... straight to voice mail but... I left a message... Just... please forgive me..." I sniffled a bit.
"...I.. I do forgive ya.... Just... please... dont scare us like that again... Did you even try Big Mac?" He nodded.
"Same thing... Phone lines were clogged up with calls... Couldnt even get a call out to Twilight but... I just... I wanna let you know... Babs is okay, I'm okay... we're just gonna be hospitalized for a bit... Doctors said mild smoke inhalation for me... Babs? ...She was crying and panicking... I tried to protect her from the smoke but... she inhaled a lot of it... she's alive and she'll be fine... At the moment I've got her cuddled up to me.... getting ready for a scrub down to get all the soot off of us... I just couldnt stay awake long enough.... fell asleep and... here I am... talking to you, seeing Scoot... I was scared i'd lose you for a bit... are you guys okay?"
"...Other than being scared n sick.... I think we're okay..." I looked to Scootaloo. "You... You gonna be okay over there Scoot?" The little filly nodded still wiping tears from her eyes. She was excited... happy that her brother was alive... she deserves more time with him than I do...
Luna approached and gave a smile handing Ryders sister over to me. "General... I truly thought you were dead when I found Scootaloo...." She said. "...My sister and I were herded into a safe room here in Canterlot once the first bomb went off... Terrorists from the army you defeated wanted revenge... hidden among the ponyfolk... guards are investigating... hopefully we leave the safe room soon... might be in here a day, maybe a week... this is just so sudden and so scary... your funeral would've been paid for by my sister and I personally... you'd've been given a lot.... plot beside your parents... maybe even a crypt... but... you're alive... all is well and...." She looked at me. "...I... Apologize for this Applejack but..." She turned back to him and pulled him in kissing him deeply... looking as if she was enjoying it too... had to cover Scoot's eyes not knowing if she'd just drop his trousers and go at it with him. He was shocked... looked a bit scared too. Once she broke off she hugged him tight and cried a bit.
Ryder looked to me stammering a bit. "A-AJ! I can explain!" He said. "I-I didnt- I didnt want this! She just- you saw it!"
I gave a sigh smiling a bit. "...It's okay sugarcube... not every day someone gets to smooch a princess..." I said. "Princess... Why dont you wake me and Scoot up? Keep this one for yourself for right now... Just run it by me if you wanna talk in private with him." She gave a smile. Ryder did as well.... blushed a bit too.
Luna sighed looking into Ryder's eyes... "I'll call for you later... for now... Just wake us up." I said. Luna gave a nod not even breaking from my sugarcubes gaze...
I watched as Luna's horn glow a bit before making everything fade. As things darkened I heard beeping. Felt cold. I groaned a bit. "Hey! Hey she's waking up!" I heard my big brother say. My eyes just fluttered open and I found myself looking up at Big Mac... My chest was colder than anything but... I was covered up by a blanket and I had a bit of pain in my arm. I looked around and I was in a hospital room... I sat up a bit but Big Mac eased me back down. "Hey... easy there sis... you feel okay?" I hesitantly nodded even though I felt a bit sick to my stomach... more thirsty than anything....
"...What... where are we...?" He sighed.
"Hospital.... no matter what we tried you and Scoot passed out and we couldnt wake you up... had someone in the sandwich shop get us here.... Had to wrap both you and Scoot in trash bags, make sure you didnt piss yourself or something..." He averted his gaze over to a bed next to me... a bed where I saw Scootaloo lying down just sipping on a juice box with Applebloom and Uncle Orange nearby. "...I had to be in the room with Scootaloo when they were cleaning her off... just in case she woke up and freaked out... she didnt... woke up before you though... poor filly... started talking about her brother, saying he's alive and well... I just... I cant help but feel sorry.... just... had to go with it and make sure she dont scream and cry again..." My eyes widened and I sat up again.
"R-Ryder! I gotta find him!" Big Mac shoved me back into the bed and held me there.
"Dammit sis! Dont make Scoot panic!" He snapped whispering. He looked back and smiled nervously. "Yeah sis you should go look for Ry but uh.... I think I'll go look for him! You just stay here!" I get it he thinks we're in denial and are confused. But he's the one who dont wanna believe us. I grabbed him by the shirt and pushed him back into a couch at the side of the room before feeling around my chest. Still had my bra on but my shirt was wide open. Had a heart monitor hooked to my chest and it was kinda going a bit high strung. I removed them, ripped one of em off my chest and it stung a bit. Didnt care as i heard the machine flatline and I got out of my bed. Even yanked my IV out flinging it.
Surprised they didnt take my shoes or pants off or anything... glad they didnt... I hurried to the door but immediately a few nurses grabbed me. Two big earth pony stallions both in blue doctors scrubs. I struggled seeing everyone around me looking scared. "Miss! Calm down! Get back in your bed!" The one to my right said.
I looked to him. "OH PISS OFF I GOTTA FIND MY FIANCE!" I snapped. I kept fighting even with them just trying to get more nurses onto me.
Oh I busted one right in the balls before Big Mac rushed over and grabbed me, forcing the other nurse away. Didnt even bat an eye.... Kinda was tearing up. "God dammit stop this!" He said grabbing me by the shoulders. He turned around and closed the door real quick before grabbing me again. "Your fiance is dead! My friend is dead! He aint coming back, there's no lookin' for him! WE WATCHED HIM DIE IN THAT FUCKING BUILDING COLLAPSE!" He stayed silent as everyone around us did... the nurses that tried to get me hobbled away and just left us there. "...And our cousin... barely thirteen... gone... she went with him... prolly holdin' his hand walkin' into those pearly gates to see his momma and ours... I just.... I hope they didnt suffer..." He brought me in close and just broke down. I turned him around and hugged him shushing him.
With my back against the wall... I see a few nurses eye us... some worried, others just... looking on in horror at what he said. I honestly couldnt say anymore to Big Mac.... one because I knew he was gonna yell again and two because he was holding me tighter than Dash's first time. Guess who that went to? But as I hugged him... I saw something that just made me smile. I saw a stallion in a wheel chair, oxygen mask hooked up to his face rolling up from around the nurses desk dressed in a hospital gown. His face was a little dirty but looked recently cleaned off somewhat. It was my sugarcube... Ryder. He gave a smile. I thought about shushing him but hey.... gotta hear his voice ASAP. "...Think you can yell any louder dude? I dont think they heard you back in Ponyville!" He said with a laugh. And oh my lord the way Big Mac jumped I thought he was gonna turn and beat the shit out of him. My brother bounces off of me, looks straight at him and just stares. Mouth open, tears still streaming from his eyes. Ryder rolls up to him, pulls him down a bit from his standing position and closes his mouth. "Careful. You'll catch flies that way you big lug."
"....Uh... I... You...."
"I'm alive, I'm a ghost, I'm something that cant be killed... Not while I have you guys." Oh I just couldnt help but bring both him and Mac in for a hug. Mac just grabbed both of us and just squeezed. Didnt say a word. "Careful there Mac! Dont pinch my oxygen tube!" When he heard that he dropped him like he was Winona obeying us... sorta... dog lately has a bit of trouble with commands but nothing time cant fix. Ryder looked to me. "So... Wanna take me in to see my baby sister? Gotta see what I nearly lost...."
I couldnt help but give a smile. I got behind Ryder, his bare back poking through the gown, wings looking a bit dark from the soot... could definitely smell it. Big Mac opened the door back up and walked in before us. Didnt say anything... just went and sat on the couch. Almost hesitated on rolling in just wanting Ryder for myself but... I couldnt. Not after everything. I rolled him in and I just saw Scootaloo's face light up. "RYDER!" She yelled.
Before he could even answer my uncle rushed him and grabbed him my the gown lifting him out of the seat. "YOU! YOU BASTARD YOU BETTER NOT'VE LEFT MY FUCKING DAUGHTER IN HER GOD DAMN ROOM!" He yelled. I grabbed at my uncle and pulled him off shoving him back into his seat, narrowly missing Applebloom who just climbed into the bed with Scoot, both of which looked a bit scared.
I huffed. "You need to SHUT UP!" I snapped. I looked to Applebloom. "Bloom, go close the door. I got some words for your uncle nobody else needs to hear...." Applebloom nodded and hopped from the bed carefully before running to the door shutting it... Ryder wheeled over around the bed and held his sisters hand noticing the IV in her arm. I kinda held my wound.... Bled a little. Wasnt worried. I looked back to my uncle as Applebloom went to her brother. "Now you listen here and you listen GOOD! My fiance isnt incompetent! He's smart, he's handsome and he aint gonna leave a filly behind!"
"THEN WHERE IS SHE?! WHERE IS BABS?!"
I heard Ryder huff before he wheeled around the bed up next to me. "She's lying in a fucking hospital bed, scared, tired and having a hard time breathing from her panicking in a smoke filled building that we had to jump out of!" He snapped. "WHY ELSE DO YOU THINK I'M WEARING THIS MASK! From fucking smoke inhalation! I got off easy because I stayed calm, held my own in something I've gone through before. My house burned down and I had to jump from a window to save my ass, hell I nearly got my wings burnt to a crisp and almost died falling from a drop plane. But yeah your daughter is getting herself cleaned off a bit, she's constrained to a bed, scared, breathing through an oxygen mask and wondering where you are! AND if you're okay! Now are you gonna keep bitching or are you gonna apologize and go find your daughter?" I looked to my uncle keeping my wound from bleeding any more than it had... went from my wrist down my hand... may have dripped a bit.
Uncle Orange didnt say a thing. I sighed. "We're gonna go see her whether you're coming or not." I said. "If ya dont wanna come, at least be useful and get us a nurse to patch up my arm and get Scoot out of her bed. Not gonna leave her here with her brother and certainly not leaving her here alone. Get me?" Uncle Orange just nodded and got up hesitantly before walking around us and straight to the door. Just looked to Scootaloo as he opened it and went out. "How you feelin' girl?"
Scootaloo smiled. "I'm alright... just a bit sick... I'll be fine if we cant get something to eat soon..." She said. I smiled.
"...Yeah... could get some food as well... feels like I lost my meal..."
Big Mac sniffled a bit getting up from the couch. "They uh... they had to pump your stomach when you got here...." He said. "You were gonna throw up but... it was all dry heaving the way you were laying and they didnt want you to get a bit stuck in your throat and stop your breathin... So.... I just... Hopefully we can getcha something to eat soon." He came over with Appleblooms hand in his. Ryder turned around and he knelt down. "...You sonova bitch... you dont cease to surprise me... You're a fuckin' hero!"
Ryder huffed. "...Dont feel like it...." He said. "...I might've saved one pony but... I couldnt save the others...." He just hung his head.
I took his hand and sighed but... before we could say anything we were interrupted by some footsteps coming in to the room. "Even if you couldnt save others Ryder you're still a hero!" A familiar voice said. We looked over and there was Princess Celestia, fully armored. Golden and white chest piece, matching arms and legs with solar empire engravings everywhere. Had a couple guards flanking her on either side, both heavily armored. Couldnt tell if they were stallions or mares. Both golden. She smiled as we all kinda bowed in respect to her... kinda being Scoot and Ryder as the exception. "Just give us a few minutes, we'll get you out of here. Luna told me about your heroism and it was confirmed by your chat here. And no matter how many times you say you arent you are truly a hero Ryder. Doesnt have to be about how many you've saved but just that you've saved. Agreed its a tragedy and many were lost but you got out alive with somepony your family cared about. Speaking of her where is she?"
I huffed setting myself upright still kinda holding my IV spot. "She's off getting what ever cleaned off of her and resting in a bed getting oxygen..." I said.
Ryder sighed. "Bad smoke inhalation... panicked as we were running down stairs..." He said. He averted his gaze coughing a bit. "...Why didnt we just break out a window up top? Would've saved a lot of stuff... Less health risks... maybe a few more ponies...."
Celestia came in, knelt down an lifted my sugarcubes chin making him face her. "Now listen Ryder... You acted on your instinct here...." She said. "But think of it this way... if you had done that where would you have left Babs? On a nearby building? She could've gotten hurt or worse. On the street below? Again she could've gotten hurt.... maybe she would go missing... but you saved her, got her to a hospital as safe as she can be. She can continue to see her family, and you can see yours... You ARE a hero!"
Ryder kinda smiled a bit.... Kinda being I could see in his eyes he was still tired... kinda bummed out. I knew what it was something on his mind. But before I could say anything I could hear my uncle call out. "Applejack! Can you tell these guards to let me in- or rather your fiance? Please?" He asked. Celestia looked to me.
"Someone you know?"
I sighed. "My uncle." I said. "Just let him in. He went to get us a nurse to get us all cleaned up, patched up and out of here...." She looked back at her guards, one of which blocked the way while the other still watched us.
"The nurse and her uncle are cleared for entry. Code delta niner foxtrot." I watched as the guards stepped aside and let my uncle in with a nurse mare at his side. They both stopped and bowed in respect to Celestia as she stood up. "Apologies for my guards what with the situation going on. Carry on your duties as normal but know I wish to have a few patients moved to Canterlot."
The nurse gave a nod and went to the sink to wash her hands. After she did she came over to me and started patching me up without saying a word. Ryder looked to my uncle who was just sitting back down in his seat before I had him get the nurse. My uncle huffed. "....Ryder... I... I would like to apologize..." Uncle Orange said. "I shouldnt have said you were incompetent... you're a good guard.... better stallion.... Shouldnt have said those things... shoulda kept drinking..."
Ryder huffed. "Yeah you shouldve!" He snapped. "Yeah you made the right call of leaving me in charge. But know if I was the man you said I was your daughter could've been dead without my help." My uncle said nothing as Ryder looked to his sister. Doc even just finished bandaging me up. "Guess you got really scared about me huh Scoot...?"
I looked over at her. She nodded a bit.... Looked a bit sad too. "Yeah..." I replied. "... Girl passed out right in my arms just voiding herself... Lost her lunch, had an accident... Thought the shock just... took her from us... 's how I ended up in here... passed out scared...." I knelt down next to Ryder. "....I just... I cant believe we nearly lost ya again...." I hugged him, resting my head on his shoulder... Just teared up fast and just let a sob out. He shushed me as I cried into his shoulder. Ryder looked to the nurse as she was tending to Scootaloo.
"Miss? Is there any way we can get some waters and an escort back to the room I was in? Should be three o'two or something like that." The nurse nodded as she took out Scootaloo's IV and patched her up. She winced a bit but didnt cry. Good girl. Not long later we were rolling down the hall, guards and princess at our sides. Ryder had Scootaloo on his lap cuddled up to him, diaper peekin' its way from under her hospital gown and Big Mac, Uncle Orange and Applebloom were right behind us. Uncle Orange pushed Ryder while Mac carried our little sis. The other patients were either shocked, smiling or afraid. Saw a little filly who just hid herself away as I walked past her holding Ryder's hand. Hell some folk thought he was in trouble or somethin. Few whispers here, some there. Celestia even had some guards patrolling the hall.
We stopped in front of a room. Three twenty four. "Alright. I checked with the nurses and your room should be this one." She said. "Other nurses should be finishing up now. Want me to check?"
"Yes please. Orange filly, purple mane. Just wanna make sure she's decent." The nurse smiled and slipped inside. I looked to Big Mac who was just joining us. He smiled. Ryder sighed. "...Swear you should've seen us... bailing out a window I had to break open... I honestly thought I was dead... like... My wings were just gonna stop working and we'd just hit the ground...."
Celestia put a hand on his shoulder. "Ryder. Stop talking like that... You're gonna scare somepony!" She snapped. Ryder's eyes sorta snapped open a bit and he shook his head.
"Ah... Sorry... I just... I had a freak out moment...." He hugged his sister a bit. "...Maybe Luna can do a little dig through my mind.... Fix some things..."
"If you think you need it we'll see what she can do... but... remember she wont do this often... I'm there for you as well if you wish to talk... Call me, come to Canterlot or even meet me half way at my summer home... I'm here for you. So is everypony else here." She rustled his mane and Scootaloos as well. She's caring I'll give her that... Luna I'll look the other way on if she wants some private time but when it comes to Celestia... Joining in. No questions asked.
Anyways the nurse came back out and smiled as other nurses came out, buckets, sponges and gloves in hand. "Alright you're cleared to go in now." She said. "Anything else you need?" I looked to Celestia as she hummed.
"I wish to acquire a few medical choppers for flight to Canterlot. One for me, my guards and my general here, the other for the filly in this room and her family. Would you think that can be done?" She hummed.
"I'm sure it would be done for you but... you might have to talk to the hospital administrator about that."
"Well if you can, take one of my guards here to meet with them, see if they cant spare a couple for transport. I should be fine surrounded by my other guards." The nurse nodded and one of Celestia's guards followed her away as we all went in.
As we walked in we heard whimpering, shushing and small sobs. "Dont worry... you're okay...." A mare said. "Got someone here to see you." We rounded the corner of the curtain just hidin most of the room there we saw Babs curled up in nothing but a hospital gown and a diaper, both Ryder's clothes and hers in plastic bags next to each other. Sitting in a chair next to Babs bed was a nurse trying to console her. The nurse glanced up for a moment and backed away. Honestly looked a bit scary. Babs was on her side sure but... I could see the IV feeding into her arm and an oxygen mask wrapped around her head covering her mouth... breathing sounded bad.
Uncle Orange pushed around us and rushed the bed. "Babs!" He said just hugging her.He was minding her IV and the mask... I could tell he was scared by the way he was breathing...
Babs rolled over and she looked like she was about to cry... but she was a bit weak. "Daddy...." She said. Ryder rolled up on the other side of her bed and rested a hand on her stomach.
"...Your m-mothers probably panicking... scared.... Wondering if we're alright...."
Celestia went by Ryder's side and Babs looked up at her. Tired and shocked. "... Hey there.... Babs right?" She asked. Babs nodded slowly. "...You're a lucky filly to get out of that... Luna's a bit worried about you..."
Babs grabbed Ryder's hand, squeezing it... Scootaloo and Applebloom were digging their heads into their brothers shoulders. "....P-princess.... I'm... I'm...." She said.... She tried saying she was scared but she coughed a bit... hoarse. Celestia shushed her.
"Dont speak... you're okay now... You're gonna come with all of us to Canterlot and stay with us... gonna make sure you're all better.... and if your dad will tell us your mothers name we can have her contacted, let her know you're okay...." She gave a smile as she met my uncles gaze.
I just approached the bed in Celestia's spot as she backed away. "...We're here for ya Babs... we all are...." I said.
Maybe about an hour later I was in the chopper with Scootaloo, Celestia and Ryder still in that gown of his. Ryder was strapped to a stretcher on the floor of the chopper, which then was also locked in to the floor. I sat by his head, Scootaloo across from me and Princess Celestia next to her. We all had headsets. Even Ryder. He looked to me best he could. "You alright there Applejack?" He asked. I looked down at him and gave a smile.
"Yeah... I'm good.... Cant say the same for Babs and my uncle... Hell... Big Mac is probably trying to keep Applebloom calm in the other chopper." I looked to the princess. She was just staring out the window at the city below... dust cloud of rubble, ash and still filled with screams... Heard some as we were on the roof surprisingly. "You good over there princess?"
The princess shut her eyes and shook her head, snapping her out of what ever trance she was in and looked at me. "Yes I'm... I'm fine." She said. "...Just... so shocked this happened... all those innocent ponies..."
"...I'd be careful whatcha say Princess..." She looked back and I pointed at Scoot who was kinda... Just trying to be ignorant what we were saying... "But uh... while we're on the topic... Is somepony gonna bring our stuff to Canterlot?"
"We had someone go find your hotel room and get your stuff. Your things should be in Canterlot by tonight and Luna should meet us on the roof and see to it that everypony is comfortable and not scarred in any way." She looked down at Ryder. "Ryder if you wish... We can put you and Babs into a room with a gaming console or two, maybe with a bed for loved ones or you can be put into separate rooms with beds for your family members. It's what ever you need...."
Ryder huffed a bit. "... Well... I just... I wanna be with my family but... I wanna make sure the filly I saved sleeps well..." He said. He averted his gaze to me. Then Scootaloo. "...I should be there for family... but... Babs was scared...."
"Well we cant have everypony in the room. It's either one per family, or both victims in the room."
I huffed. "Ry... Why dont you just spend time with Babs... she could use someone other than her father smotherin' her..." I said. "Mac can take care of the girls and if anythin'..." I glanced at the princess. "...I could be there with ya... make sure you two are comfortable... keep my uncle from getting too crazy with our cousin.... if my uncle and I could be near our loved ones..." I could see Celestia think for a moment. Putting numbers together in her head, changing rooms around. What ever the hell she was doing up there we could see in her face.
Just as she was about to answer we heard Scootaoo whimper a little bit. Just looked over to see her have a hand between her legs looking embarrassed. Ryder sighed. "Just go Scoot... Gonna be a bit before we get to the castle..." He said. "Yeah I get you wanna try to use the toilet but seriously it'll hurt more if you keep holding."
Scoot whined a bit. "But... I... I already went... and... i think I might leak..." She said.
I looked to Celestia. "Anythin' you can do?" I asked.
Celestia nodded and used her magic on Scoot. "Here. Found this out myself." She said. "This spell should make it more absorbent even with a little drawback...." We looked to Scoot and saw her sitting a bit higher blushing a bit harder... Her diapers just got a bit thicker. "...Just go slowly Scootaloo... This should work but I dont know how much you've already gone. I'll change you once we get to the castle!"
Even though Scootaloo went along and just went she started to cry. She took her hand from her thigh and just hid her face. Come to think of it she was doing good until today... I watched as Celestia reached over and grabbed her from her seat bringing the crying filly into her lap. Even swapped channels so we didnt have to hear her cry. Ryder sighed. "....I hope Scootaloo sleeps okay tonight after what happened...." He said. I looked down at him. He was just staring at them. "....I remember coming home from the war... My wing just chopped off by my team... Trudging through snow covered mountains to come to The Princess's snow lodge... next thing you know I'm coming through the doors to Canterlot.... I see... Scoot with Luna... Cadence and Celestia... then nothing..." Ryder looked up at me. "...knowing that i nearly died... she didnt know I was alive.... it hurts.... it really does..."
I sighed seeing him tear up a bit. "...Sugarcube... It'll be okay... Everything's gonna be okay...." I said. "But... Question... are you padded up at all...?" He blushed and looked to the seat where Scootaloo once sat.
"...Y-yeah... Had to convince the nurse it was for Babs to keep hers on... plus she... kinda pissed all over me inside the ambulance.... lucky the medic helping us understood how scared she was...." I gave a smile...
"Just take a deep breath sugarcube... I'll give ya a hug and... maybe a little something if i can change you..." He gave a nod and just started breathing. I looked over at Scootaloo. Saw her just cuddling up to the Princess, big poofy padding on her bottom and Celestia, arms wrapped right around her tight. "Give me a minute sugarcube. Gonna switch channels, see how your sister is doin..." I heard him break a bit sobbing. I just reached over and flicked my little switch a few times until I heard Scootaloo sobbing a bit and Celestia shushing her. "Just me here you two... Everyone okay over here....?"
Celestia sighed. "...Yeah... just somepony a little embarrassed, scared and a bit tired...." She said.
Scoot gave a little sob. "...I... I want Ryder...." She said.
"Dont worry... Ryder will be all yours after tonight... I'll have Luna do something special for both of you tonight... Make you feel okay.... Right now I think Babs needs him..." The Princess looked to me. "If anything I'll take on the responsibility for Applebloom and Scootaloo, make sure they do okay while you are with Ryder and your cousin and your uncle... Big Mac can do what ever he needs to relax. My spa will be open to help anyone relax. Even will hold a meditation session if anyone wishes to join." I sighed looking out my side of the chopper. I was looking away from Manehattan. Saw parts of the country side in what was now near sunset light. "Are you alright Applejack...?"
I shrugged. "I dont know... I'm worried about Ryder, Ryder's worried about Scootaloo and Babs... Just a lot of worry..." I said. "...seems like Ry's just got a string of bad luck... makes me think..."
"Well I wouldnt do much thinking... thinking like that can lead down a dark paranoia filled path... some of our guards got paranoid after certain things happened...." Celestia looked down at Scootaloo. "...Why dont you talk to your brother...? Make sure he's alright." Scootaloo nodded and Celestia went and changed the channel before putting the filly back into her seat, buckling her up. She looked to me and sighed. "...The guard we had go insane from paranoia went and shot himself...Body was found by his wife and... it wasnt pretty... Double barrel and both shells went off when nobody was home... nobody even called the guard..." She looked to Ryder. "... I wouldnt think about things like that... even if my life was in peril as it was sort of. Positive minds help even in the gravest of situations. Ryder... He knew they would get out and survive while Babs panicked and thought that she was gonna die... Luna and I are grateful that she isnt as well as Ryder..."
"Princess... Do you need to talk...?" I saw tears quickly build up in her eyes and heard her sob before looking at me.
"...I... I dont want Ryder to die... I just... he's... he's one of my best friends next to Twilight... and my sister... I just...." I shushed the princess.
"....You up for a little nap when we get to the castle...? Think everyone needs some rest... even me...." Celestia nodded. "...Alright if bunk with ya too? ...I... I want someone to cuddle but... I know it aint gonna be my Ryder..." She sniffled.
"....I... Normally I would allow this to Scootaloo but... I... I trust you so... yes... cuddle with me..." I gave a smile. After we got to Canterlot Celestia met up with Luna and passed Scootaloo off to get her changed and clothed with some spare clothes they have for her and left me and Celestia alone... We were in her room on her bed. I... I felt a bit awkward but.... we were tired... Very.... very tired. Celestia looked at me kinda... weirdly. Embarrassed but... loving. "...AJ... as much as I hate to ask this can you... uh... diaper me....?" I blushed hard kinda shocked. "...I only ask because.... Scootaloo has kinda grown on me... and I sometimes just.... relax with a diaper.... its embarrassing to even ask and reveal... but... will you please do this... for your princess and a close friend...?" I swallowed and blushed a bit feeling my bladder kinda... tighten a bit.
".... Only if you can pad me up.... I... kinda dont trust myself sleeping without protection..." Celestia smiled and got up from her bed.
"If it's to get you to feel comfortable... Consider it done." I watched as she got up from her bed and knelt down at my feet.... And honestly? I was just hot under the collar... almost begging for the princess to pry my legs open, take my pants off and just lick me into submission. Why was I this horny...? I just kept my composure and that thought in my head as she pulled out a chest and opened it. Inside I saw nothing but diapers, huge pacifiers, powder, wipes and what not. Some diapers huge, others Scoot's size. She grabbed one that was Scoot's size and put it in her magic and make it grow. She set it down and got back up but... I just did the unthinkable. I just pulled her in and kissed her on the lips! Oh god when I realized what I did I quickly broke off and hid my face.
"SORRYSORRYSORRYSORRY!" I fell back narrowly missing the princesses face as I tried to back away. Kicked and struggled a bit but curled up scared like Applebloom like she was gonna get a spankin'. Just as I was about to just scream and run out of the room, pissin' myself I heard a giggle.
"Applejack! No need to be scared!" I just sat up and looked at the princess, tears streaming down my face. She just sat there with a bit of a smile on hers. "You heard me. It's okay! Come here!" She opened her arms wide. I hesitated a bit. Was this a trick? I didnt know but... I kept crawling to her.... when I got close she grabbed me and startled me.... I... May have just up and soiled her sheets.... and my pants... pissed full force. It took her a second to realize it but when she did she held me away from her like Winona was puking. I just turned away even more embarrassed. "You poor thing... I'm sorry if I startled you like that but... how could you think I was mad about that kiss?" I sniffled and sobbed as she dried my pants and her bedding.
"...I... I didnt wanna do that... I dont... I dont know what came over me...." She shushed me as she started stripping my pants off... Panties were still soaked... Not just with piss though. I could even tell she caught a whiff of my juices...
"It's okay... i'll let it slide but next time ask... I'll be more than happy to oblige... As for your other problem... are you sure you still need the diaper? Or do we need to keep talking?" I didnt know what to say. "...I'm gonna say keep talking.. you obviously want something.... Is Ryder not being good enough in bed for you?" My heart skipped a beat. "What- or rather who has he been doing instead of you?" I whimpered a bit.
"...G-gilda... but.. for good reason... he's been having violent fits and... Gilda can handle him... he... he doesnt wanna hurt me.... but... not only has it been keeping him from getting in my pants... so has work, our sisters and even Rarity... She's been having him model suits and some... swimwear.... and few of those times I thought of just ruinin' those articles and pay for new ones...." She got up all the way and helped me out of my shirt, taking my bra with it... Now I was just bare chested with the princess. Then she was just stripping herself down... (Yeah she was out of her armor at this point. Down to jeans and a tank top.) She dropped her trousers revealing her pink panties and lifted her shirt letting her milk makers fly... not even a bra holding them up... And if I had a dick that thing would be putting some eyes out... She smiled as she crawled onto her bed and lied next to me.
"...Seems like he's doing okay.... as long as he isnt hurting you physically I see that as fine.... To you it doesnt seem right but... Think of Gilda as his stress ball... He lets out his anger and stress into her and keeps him from doing anything that'll get him thrown out of the guard, and into jail... you get his love while he hate fucks her... Do you want me to be your stallion or do you just want me to have my desert?"
"D-do you know those spells...?" She gave a bit of a nod. "...Cast it and take me Princess...Toys aint a thing compared to the real thing!" She gave a giggle as she took off her panties... Never have i thought I'd be fucking the princess... as well as Ryder getting it on with Luna... One minute I see her horn glow, next I got something poking me in the thigh. I looked down and see Celestia's big old dick... My heart skipped a beat and I just wanted it... I just rolled to my side and kissed her grabbing her breast. I squeezed it, just pinching her nipple. I felt her hand just travel up my leg and pull my panties aside and slip a finger into my soaking pussy. I kept kissing her until she pushed me off shushing me and just started to go to town with her fingers right on my gspot! Like right on it without needing to search! I covered my mouth as she snuck a second finger into there and started her digging.
"Goodness Applejack.... You're soaked! It really must have been a while since Ryder- or anyone for that matter- has touched you... Now tell me... how bad do you want it?" God I couldnt open my mouth... When I did the slightest I let out a moan. She gave me a smirk.... "I'm not hearing anything on how bad you want it! If you dont tell me you might as well show me! I grabbed her hand and brought it from my insides up to my mouth only to lick my juices off... I tasted sweet. Sweeter than Rainbow Dash after Pinkie poured honey on her ass... Blame Dash's bets on that. Loser ate something off the others ass- regardless of washing first... Honey off her sweaty, non wiped ass... Lucky it was cheek and not crack.... I would've gone and just thrown up on her, forced her to shower and I'd scrub the hell out of her ass. Steel wool, acid and even a bit of salt to help dry. Anyways Celestia hiked herself on top of her bed and just lied down on her back. "Come. Ride me like the little pony you are!" If i werent so horny I'd've told her off for a comment like that but... I was dying for a dick. Badly.
"Y-yes princess..." She grinned and licked her lips as I straddled her and started to tease myself with her cock.... Right before just slamming down hard onto it just losing myself. I covered my mouth and just before I started to ride her. I saw on her face how much she wanted me to scream and moan. Her horn glowed and she gave a little smile pinching my nipples with it.
"AJ... I know how much you wanna scream it out... Would it make you feel better if I put on a temporary noise canceling spell?" I gave a nod. Her horn glowed even brighter before having the magic disperse. "There... Room is sound proofed. Scream to your hearts desire, hell, suck on my tits if you want some of your princesses milk...." I just slammed down on her bringing my hands to her breasts and just grabbed one and started sucking, screaming and just falling into ecstasy as I rode hard and fast. Celestia even started thrusting and moaning a bit feeling my insides grip her tighter. I started to sweat from how much I was riding her... hell even felt my stomach bulging out while I was fucking her. We went at it for a few minutes more before I was at my limit. I came four times as I rode her... When she was about to blow she gritted her teeth and looked me in the eye. "...A-Applejack.... I'm... I'm going to.... To...." She didnt have time to finish her sentence before just grabbing my hips and holding me down as she just blew like a volcano filling me up... Like no joke, she was more pent up then a national park Geyser! Made my stomach just bulge out like I ate too much. My eyes just crossed, went back into my head and I just collapsed backwards onto my back letting her cock slump right out of me and disappear. She sat up and grabbed the diaper quickly taking my soaked and cum stained panties off before padding me up. "...Th-there.... I... wow... you really needed it didnt you.....?"
"...E-eeyup... It... it was so good... the ride... the sucking... fingering... and..." I gasped sitting up. "THE CREAM PIE! SHIT!" She pushed me back down and shushed me.
"Relax Applejack! You're in heat! I know that was a bad idea but it's sterile, no foal will come from it. I'm sure of it." I just started to breathe heavily.
"...H-how did you...." She raised my panties in the air before tossing them aside. "...R-right... but... how do I know your stuffin' aint gonna stuff me....?"
"Dont trust me on that? It's fine. How about we get dressed again, I can loan you my bathrobe and we head to my personal doctor to get you cleaned out?" I nodded. "...Oh and by the way.... check your stomach..." I looked at my bulging belly. "Do you see my cutiemark anywhere? It would've happened by now to indicate you were pregnant." Well... She is right... I've seen pregnant mares left and right with someone elses cutie mark on it. Hell... If I remember right my daddy's was on mommas stomach when she was havin' AB.... I looked to Celestia as she taped up the rest of the diaper on me.
"...Can... can we still get me cleaned up....? Please...? I... I dont want Ryder to think I'm screwin' around behind him without his knowin...."
"Sure.... dont trust yourself from this?" I shook my head. "Why not? You let Ryder stick it to who ever he needs but why not yourself?"
"...I... just..." I didnt know what to say.
"You're afraid to let your body wander... let someone in that takes advantage of it and tries to make you theirs... correct?" I nodded. "Who made you afraid to do this...? No trouble will be found but... just in case they do it again..."
"...M-my brother... he.... he forced himself on me... I... just... he felt like Ry and I were teasing him... and... he just... snapped.... groped me while Ry was out.... slipped a finger and I just...." I started to whimper a bit.
"...I hope you showed him what for then. Possible that Cadence can help him find someone? Maybe find something in himself he needs to let out. I can contact her after this if you'd like?"
"NO!" I looked away. "No... Just... My brother wouldnt trust me anymore if anyone said that! It's exactly why we didnt call the guard! I dont wanna lose my brother! I dont wanna lose my sugarcube! I... I just...." She grabbed a hold of me and shushed me.
"We can confront him without the guard being in play. I promise you if we can do this- with your permission of course- we can do this without him being arrested." She lied me back down. "Until that time, think about it, rest and we'll get you cleaned. Wont even know it's going on." I sniffled and nodded. Hell even with the shit I've seen today... I went down easy... passed right out. Slept for about an hour with Celestia in her bed, woke up to me just cuddling her, I woke her up, found my suitcase in a room the family was assigned to and changed into jeans, long sleeve and just checked in on Ryder... Fell asleep with Babs in the room, uncle passed out on a cot... Babs and Ryder both pissed their diapers, Babs was still breathing rough through the Oxygen mask and Ryder was still breathing a bit rough. Kinda. I just let them all rest in the room they were in. Flat screen on the TV, Babs and Ryder's bed next to a table with a game console on it and a couple wireless controllers, cots on either side for me and my uncle. Even a little call button for anyone who needs something from a guard. Even checked on Scootaloo and Applebloom... Both fillies still a bit shaken but... we're good... all fine... |
The Return | A time to be Daring (Ryder's POV) | I know my life has been hell after hell but... I think I've gotten a break with literally the best thing EVER. First off let me explain: I'm not at home. I couldnt stay at home because of Babs and Uncle Orange. Sure Uncle Orange is used to living with servants but seriously... I AM NOT ONE! Dont worry, Applejack made sure her aunt knew they were alright and to stay where she was- place out in Fillydelphia with a friend while they could find a new place to live. They're just lucky they have access to a bank with funds... didnt even keep a safe in the house. Smart. But that's not the only reason. I've been having somewhat... violent yet sexy nightmares... Dreams that started out with me fucking Applejack and a certain book character that I love but it ends up turning into a temple run that ends up getting someone killed... Earlier today I made my way into Canterlot, parked my car just inside the gate to the right of the castle doors. Walked up with a bag, met with Celestia- who still says i'm on vacation after the failed Gems concert- and just spent the day in the castle. Fun fact about that failed Gems concert, Celestia brought the band to Canterlot, made sure everyone was okay and Scoot and I had a blast. Even put a smile on Babs face when she got a signed picture... Maybe I got to drink a few shots with Jax and Gash, Scoot got time with Sparkplug and... For the life of me I cant remember the fourth members name but he was doing a meet and greet with everyone else. Even played a few games with Babs. Basically spent the whole next day there before going off to plan a concert with other bands for a tribute to what happened in Manehattan. Wanted me to be there. Anywho getting off track. As of now it's late and I'm walking around in sweat pants, slippers and a hoodie through Canterlot's halls. I woke up from the same dream described. My room was right near Luna's. Right town the hall was her gaming room. I yawned passing by some guards. One saluted. Bat pony mare, shadowy navy lunar republic blue. "General." She said. I saluted back just... half assed.
As I came to the door another guard looked to me as I entered. Luna was playing a racing game. She sat in the middle of the floor on a large pillow in the shape of her cutie mark, had a bowl of chips and a case of canned tea.... Even a package of extra absorbent diapers. Few luxury chairs on either side. And it didnt look like she was playing online. I gave an audible yawn alerting her and making her pause the game to look at me. She was wearing sweat pants and a sweatshirt as well, with a bit of a diaper waistband poking up. Not lying, I might or might not be padded too. "Ryder?" She said. I sat down in a chair she had moved aside. "Ryder what are you doing up at this hour?"
I sighed grabbing a can of tea from the case, cracking it open. "...Had a dream, had it turn into a nightmare... great dream too..." I said.
"Ah. One of those. I've seen many. One I remember clearly was just my sister walking through Canterlot before an attack on her... she dreamt I was slain in battle...." She got up and sat in a chair next to me. She looked to the guard at the door. "Leave us please. Private matters." The guard nodded and walked out. I looked back at her. "What was thine dream about?"
"Well... wasnt as dark as that but... it got dark... It started off as a walk in the forest... Or jungle rather...." I let out a yawn again. Sipped the tea again.
"Ryder why doesnt thy go back to bed? It isnt gonna be good for you to stay up like this for much longer. I can see what you want to talk about if I dream walk.... But... maybe the part before it turned sour. Sound alright?" I gave a hesitant nod. "You can finish your drink there, relax a bit and we go back to your room for a change, and a dream walk? The change is... I think you need to drink more water... I can smell your diaper from here..." Yeah nothing but soda since I left. Drove through McHoovians, got a hayburger and a soda, drove to Canterlot, had a soda while I filled up with gas, used the can at the gas station, drove to the castle, had another soda, then a nap, wet myself during the nap and went on with the day. I sighed a bit.
"Alright Princess... Just... please dont laugh at my dreams...."
"Since when have I laughed at your dreams?"
"Well... does that time you put me into a tight one piece swimsuit after we saw AJ dreaming about me in one count?"
"Technically that wasnt your dream but... I'll give it to you. It was pretty funny to see your reaction to both. Too bad its getting closer to winter... Otherwise it'd be interesting to see you do that in front of Gilda and Applejack doing that." I blushed hard sipping from my can.
"...Lucky I wouldnt mind doing that now for either... Just uh... make sure there's plenty of lube after... Maybe Cadence can get Shining and join in...." Luna chuckled a bit.
"Dont get all hot under your collar now general. I dont want the others to see their superior in a diaper with a hard on." She just put her hand on my crotch and rubbed it a bit. I grabbed her hand and moved it away.
"Luna... Fun time is over, job time for you...." She took her hand back, kinda holding herself.
"R-right... right... Professionalism..." She averted her gaze. I sighed.
"...Are you okay Princess...?" No answer. "Look... I only said that because I dont want you to do anything you wouldnt wanna do... We can still do something tomorrow maybe... find a place in the castle and do what ever..." She took a deep breath and sighed.
"No no... it's... it's fine... I can agree that I've gotten a bit crazy with our times together...I... I'm just... I'm afraid... Afraid of loss... Your moment... your memories... the plane crash... I've grown attached to you... my own sisters general...." She looked back to me. "...You're one of the only ones I trust around Equestria... yes I work with everybody but... you and your sister are ones I will spill myself out to... if I didnt have you two... what would I do...? Who would I go to? My sister yes but... she's always busy when i want to talk to her... and i dont want to keep invading my sisters dreams...."
"...It's understandable... I'm mortal... you arent... sorta.... What you're saying is what that you're afraid to lose me because I'm a vent to you... But what I hear is a cry for help for something bigger.... not only are you afraid of losing me... you're scared that you'll have the thoughts of following me where ever I go..." I heard her gasp slightly...I set my tea down and got up from my chair moving over to her chair and helping her out of it before hugging her. "...If I go... dont follow... you need to be there for others than just me... Scoot would need you, AJ... even my foals, and my grandfoals... and so on and so forth..." I felt her grip me tight and start to sob. "...It's okay princess... it's okay... I'm here for you...."
"...I... I'm sorry... I just..." I shushed her more...
"It's okay... why dont we just try to calm down, you take a nap with me and later we go to talk to your sister about these things... Hm? She'd want to know about what her little sister is thinking..." I went and kissed her on the cheek... I could tell she didnt want to but... what else would she do? Any way she says it it still would go to her sister. I helped her up out of her chair and held her hand as we walked back to my room. Had a guard turn her game off and bring the package of diapers to my room. No questions asked. I repadded her... after giving her a little.... fun... licked her cunt until she came... I ditched my diaper, she gave me a quick handy and made me cum into her diaper before she repadded me and we cuddled and passed out. Once we were out she came into a blank dreamscape with me. I was dressed in jungle camo pants tucked into combat boots and I was wearing a khaki green tanktop with a pinned up boonie hat. That was camo as well. Luna was wearing the Pajamas she was wearing. Even put a hoodie on to hide the waistband of the diaper she was wearing. She sighed.
"...I'm sorry you had to deal with that..." She took my hand. "...I didnt want to say it but... you read me like a book...."
"It's okay Princess... I know I do a lot for you and appreciate you but... i just wanna see you happy... regardless from where I'm watching you from... whether it be from dreams, real life, on a camera or even from the clouds... and I'm sure Celestia wouldnt like to see her sister go before her...."
"...I... I suppose she wouldnt.... Nor would I like to see her go first... But... while we're here you needed me to see a dream?"
"Yeah... This was what I'm wearing in each of my dreams... It's been the best at the beginning but... later? It's your call on which to see...." She hummed.
"Why dont we tap into the turning point first and end off with the good... Sound alright?" I nodded and her horn glowed creating where my dream always ended. We were on a cliffs edge over a raging river.... Inside the river were two ponies... Applejack holding onto a rock... Daring Do hanging onto a vine. Daring wearing her pith helmet, khaki green shirt and pants. Applejack wearing a more... tighter fitting military shirt and jeans... Even had her hat on. "...I see... You were forced to make a choice on who to save... Your soon to be wife or your fanfiction driven lover, Daring. And let me guess... you sat here wondering who to save."
"...Dont tell Applejack please...." I just hid my face. She sighed.
"I wont... but if a choice like this really did happen I hope you would make the right choice and save Applejack and not another mare!"
"I tried to save them both.... but... I... I hit the water and it carried me away... It just....Swept me away and I couldnt get back out... Wet myself every time this happened... no matter how hard I tried to stay well away from the water... I... I even tried making a lasso from a vine and tried to lasso them both.... Caught something that again dragged me into the water..."
"Hm... so that's what turned nightmare... two mares get stuck, you are tasked with saving them but you fell in somehow and woke up soggier than a wet blanket. Hopefully none of those times turned into a wet blanket... right?"
"Once... It was during a nap, nobody was home... Flipped the bed, stripped it and washed the bedding before anyone got home. Applejack didnt notice... until she checked the washer and found a pillow case... Diapers when I sleep for a while... Was gonna do that anyways even if she didnt know." Luna sighed.
"Probably for the best. But how did these dreams start I wonder? Wouldst thy like to explain or shall we go back to the beginning of this dream?" I looked to her and smiled still blushing a bit.
"....Maybe we can do both? I... I wouldnt mind seeing the beginning of this." She sighed rolling her eyes.
"Alright... Give me a moment...." She grabbed my hand and held it as she changed the world around us. It turned into an interior of a temple. Vines coming from holes in the ceiling, ivy climbing up the walls, a stone table in the middle of the room on a raised platform. On that platform, Applejack and Daring fully naked lying on top of one another, breasts just pressed together, kissing and tails just out of the way for everything to see. Luna blushed hard and pinched her nose sighing. "Yeah... should've guessed..." She looked to me. "Were you reading your Daring Do books again and fantasizing?" I gave a nervous smile and averted my gaze.
"Not really... It was Dash's books... Not mine... I dont really have any... at least not yet anyways. Havent found a complete set." I looked back to see her confused look. Made me give her a confused look too. "...what's that look for?"
"You... didnt get the gift from Celestia did you?" I hummed a bit.
"...I... I dont think so... Did she have something for me?" She nodded.
"Yes I'm quite sure of it... I am unsure if I should tell you about it or wait until the morning when we confront my sister about my issue... Couldst thy wait until then?" I sighed a bit.
"Okay... I... I guess I can wait... Just... please tell Celestia everything... dont beat around the bush when we tell her okay?"
"...Okay... And... Thank you Ryder.... For everything..." I smiled as Applejack and Daring faded. It hurt to see them fade away but... I dont think I'd stay asleep with another hard on. Especially with Luna around.
"You're welcome Princess... I'm forever grateful for your belief in me. All the support you've given me..."
"Any time Ryder... Now I'll give you time to wake up. Oh and once you do... find me in the entertainment room. Alright?" I nodded. "Alright. Sleep well general." Her horn glowed and slowly things started disappearing. Even she started fading. And I managed to sleep wonderfully the rest of the night before waking up to my phones alarm. Scared the living hell out of me. No joke when I say my alarm is a very loud alarm from that post apocalyptic game I love so much. Basically the alarm that goes off when shit goes down in the preservation stables. Yes. Stables. Dont question it. I dont know... but they had some fucked up experiments. I managed to shut my phone alarm off. I sat up found myself a bit full in my bladder... didnt even move as I went just straight into my pants. Thank goodness for the diaper. After that I ditched it, got dressed in my guard attire and even brushed up my mane. Had to put a cap on anyways.
My uniform was that lunar blue classic uniform. Cap and all. Not lying when my mane grew when I was a mare I've had a few ponies mistake me for a miss... How? I dont know. Trimmed it a bit from extremely long to medium length. Headbangers mop still. Anyways I shoved my phone in my pocket and yawned as I left my room only to be startled by a guard... thank god I wet myself before I got out here. "GENERAL!" The male guard yelled. I nearly decked the guy. I looked to him fixing my cap. Unicorn stallion. Grey coat, jet black mane, silver armor. "Apologies for that General but Princess Celestia requests that you come to the dining hall immediately!"
I gave a bit of a smile. "Okay I'll go as soon as I speak with Luna. She wanted me to visit her in the entertainment room." I replied. Just as I was about to walk off he stopped me.
"Princess Celestia clearly stated that you are to come straight to the dining hall. Other things are to wait until you have met with Celestia and she has given the clear for you to do so." I huffed losing my smile.
"...Fine... I'll go to the dining hall but Luna must come with me, because of set instructions she had left for me! Now are you gonna do this now or do I have to pull a card I dont want?" He sighed.
"Agreed then... You'll go to the dining hall for Celestia and I shall fetch Luna to also bring to the dining hall, if she is not already there."
"Alright. Dismissed!" I saluted the guard. He saluted right back. As I walked alone through the halls I questioned why she wanted me to come straight there. Even skip a bathroom break- if I needed one. I huffed and pulled my phone out of my pocket.
I started to swipe through the apps trying to find my contacts. When I found my contacts app I immediately started to call Applejack. I put the phone up to my ear as I walked passed a large window looking out over Canterlot. Foggy and cloudy outside. My phone buzzed a few times before I heard it click. Heard a bit of shifting too. "...Hello?" I heard Applejack ask
"Hey AJ... Sorry if I woke you..." I replied. She sighed.
"...It's fine sugarcube... Needed to get up anyways.... Babs wet the bed last night and I had to flip Scootaloo's bed since she insisted on staying in there... Same with Scoot wanting to make her feel comfortable... Had to bring em both into the room with me... Both diapered and just... lord I think my uncle might need a therapist for her... poor girls scared out of her britches and back into diapers...."
"...Poor girl. Is Scoot okay since I left?"
"Yeah... just one accident but that was only to make Babs feel better after she had one... Told her she should stop doing that. But... How're you doing? I know my uncle was pretty hard on ya but... he dont mean it... he's used to his non-self service life style..." I sighed turning a corner and going downstairs.
"I'm alright... Not really hurt by it but feels like he still degrades me without meaning to... I'm a general for Celestia's sake not some two bit servant for a CEO. Sure I serve for the princesses but... they treat me like I'm royalty, a friend. Not anything else." I heard Applejack huff.
"Hold on. Scoot's whimpering a bit... thinkin' she might be having a nightmare."
"Put the phone on speaker. I gotcha." I waited a moment and heard a little tapping before Scootaloo's whimpering was heard. "...Scoot it's okay... I gotcha... Big Brother's here.... You're okay... I'm okay... you're good..."
Scootaloo's whimpering stopped and I heard her sigh. "....I... love you Ry...." She said before just starting to snooze away again. I gave a smile.
"Love you too sis..." I turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs and stopped. "Alright AJ... you're good..."
I heard Applejack sigh. "Thanks Ry... Didnt wanna wake Babs... she's sleepin' okay.... maybe a bit wet but okay...." She said. "...But... yeah... I agree... My uncle is a bit of a numbskull when it comes to it... Y'know after you left he got into your cabinet and got your special bottle... drank about half of it before I took the bottle from him and my brother made him sleep in his bed half drunk... Gave him some ginger ale and some crackers after he woke up... even had himself a trashcan to hug and hurl into while the girls were out at Rarity's... And by the by Rarity wants you to model something uh.... sensual.... Your call on what you wanna do there... Hopefully I can come and watch... hopefully you dont ruin the clothes...."
"Well... She better have some precautions set..." I looked both left and right... Lost. "Uh... One sec AJ..." I went and muted my phone and went to the nearest guard... She was to my left. Smaller mare, cobalt blue mane, baby blue coat, golden armor. Pegasus. I smiled as I approached her. She saluted. "Uh... where to for the dining hall? Celestia requested me there and I havent been in here long enough to know where everything is."
The guard mare smiled a bit saluting. "Sure thing general." She said. "Just follow me." I gave her a bright smile as she started off.
"Thank you. If you dont mind I'll be just talking with my fiance." She gave a nod and I put my phone back to my ear only to hear a little crying. "AJ? Everything okay over there?"
Applejack huffed. "Yeah... Accidentally woke Babs trying to get out of bed... scared the poor girl..." She said shushing her cousin. "There there... I gotcha... wanna talk with Ryder? Got him on the phone here..." Didnt hear much. "Alright... here. Go on... talk to him..."
I heard a bit of whimpering. "...R-ryder...? Hello...?" I heard Babs ask... Poor thing.
I gave a little laugh. "Babs are you alright?" I asked.
"...I.... I had another nightmare... about... my home..."
"Well... I know you lost most of your stuff... I'm sorry about that... But you're okay... You breathing okay?"
"...I... I cough a bit still.... Are.... are you coming home soon...? Kinda wanted to see your car again..."
"You'll see it soon enough. Right now i'm with the princesses. Maybe if i can find Luna I can see if she can do something for me."
"...L-like what...?"
"Well... I was thinking maybe get you, Scoot, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle over here to have a sleep over.... That sound good?"
"...I... I guess so...?"
I heard Applejack chuckle. "Why that sounds like a mighty fine idea." She said. "When you can just ask her. I wanna hear it and help ya get it. I'm sure she'd love to have a sleep over. Who knows maybe you and I could chaperone! Two fillies for one of us! Aint no way she'd pass that up."
We came to the door to the dining hall. It was shut. A couple guards stood outside. "Yeah sounds good. Give me a sec here." I said. I covered the mic to my phone and looked to the mare leading me along. "Thank you. I think I'll be fine from here. I gotta wait for Princess Luna to arrive." The mare nodded before hurrying away. I put my phone back up to my ear. "Sorry... Just got to the dining hall... Now Babs I want you to listen to me. Dont tell my sister or Applebloom or even Sweetie that I'm doing this for you guys. Secret only that you me and AJ know... Got it?"
Babs whimpered a bit. "...Okay.... but... please dont tell the princess I had an accident...." She said.
"I wont... But you still might have to uh... you know... when you come over here for the sleep over...." I looked down the hall from where I came from. "It's not something you wanna do but its better than the alternative... and you know what that is..."
"...O... okay..."
I heard Applejack sigh a bit. "Alright... why dont you get your dad to change you....?" She said. "Say goodbye to Ryder? I'm sure he'll call ya later."
"...See ya Ryder.... I... I...."
"Go on... you can say it...."
"I... Love you Ryder...."
I gave a smile feeling my heart just warm. "Love you too Babs... Now get on with that. Wouldnt wanna keep your dad waiting." I said.
Applejack gave a little aw. "Look at that Ry... She's sweet for ya." She said. "Probably gonna hate when its time to go home... leave ya here... But I know one thing is for sure, my uncle is gonna make you a happy stallion. And I know I'm grateful for whatcha did for my family.... for our family..."
"You dont need to thank me... You already do it every day you stay with me... I might be an idiot, a fool, a bullheaded asshole but.. you look past all that and love me for who I am... I love you AJ..."
"Love you too sugarcube... Any sign of Luna at all yet?"
"She honestly should be coming any minute now..."
I jumped a bit gripping my phone tight as I could keeping it from dropping as I heard a giggle from behind me. "Or I could be right behind you general!" A familiar voice said. I turned around and saw it was Luna with a smile on her face, wearing her royal princess gown. Dark blue, black and white lunar markings.
"THE HELL?! How long have you been there!" She smiled.
"Long enough to know we have a little filly who's got a bit of a soft spot for her savior!" I blushed a bit. She giggled a bit.
"Oh dont be embarrassed Ryder she's fine. It's normal for victims of a scary thing be attached to their savior after the fact." She pointed to my phone. "Are you talking to Applejack at the moment? May I speak with her about Babs?" I kinda stammered a bit before just handing over my phone. "Dont worry I'll give it back after you speak with Celestia! Go on now!" I stammered a bit more but couldnt get a word out. She just snapped her fingers and pointed to the doors. "Sorry Applejack your fiance is being a little difficult... And he needs to get into the dining hall before he goes in with cuffs on his wrists!"
I huffed and went to the door knowing damn well I couldnt do anything. As I entered I took a deep breath and leaned on the door just calming myself down. I looked forward and just saw Celestia sitting at the farthest end of the table wearing her gown. White and gold. The sun was coming through the windows still showing the foggy outside. She stood up. "Thank you for coming General and about time too." She said. "Come! Sit and talk with me. We have much to discuss."
I went and flew over fast landing just before the end of the table and sitting down in a chair next to her. "What do we have to discuss? I was sure I was just coming here for a few days of rest after what happened." I said. She sighed.
"Yes.... yes you are but... what we have to discuss is something... very important... It has to do with what you saw or heard while out there. Anything suspicious?" I huffed.
"...Four ponies claiming to work for a train company carrying a heavy package both on the train and on the elevator to the building that came down... I wanna say they're most likely dead... I just... I wish I could remember their faces... what they looked like."
"Well it's fine if you dont... The scavenging team found pieces of the bombs used. Big ones. High yield but in an enclosed space it was over exerted. Even found dead bodies charred by the fire. We sent the corpses found that were charred to morgues everywhere and did perform autopsies to confirm cause of death. Still waiting results." I huffed leaning back in my chair.
"...They better have fucking died.... otherwise I'm gonna hunt em down, snap their neck, slit their throats and rip their chests open!" Celestia rolled her eyes.
"Look, dont go crazy. We dont want anything to corrupt your mind more than it already has. Now why dont you go into the kitchen and get a chef to take our order, maybe get yourself a drink to calm down. Okay?" I nodded and got up taking a breath before walking to the door to the kitchen. I felt it something weird going on as I entered the kitchen... There were no workers anywhere but things were ready to be made... ingredients set out, pots and pans being cleaned.... just sitting in water. Stove was on but no pots of water boiling or anything. What I did notice was that the food storage locker was opened a bit. I went over there to the door and peered inside. Before I could even react I got hit with water on one side of my face next thing you know I got blindsided by someone hitting me in the other side and pushing me into the pantry. I quickly gained my balance and fixed my cap before charging at the pantry door just before it closed and forced it open only to see a cloaked figure rush for the door. I chased after them and even out to where the princess was. As I burst through the door I look around and nothing. I saw Princess Celestia looking back at me. "Ryder? What's wrong? Why are you all wet? I told you to get a drink not drown yourself in the sink!"
"Princess get out of here its not safe! They're out here with you!" She looked at me confused.
"Ryder... If you saw them run this way theres only one way in and out. I would know there was someone here from those doors moving and there's only one other way out and those guards would nab them before they could even get out the door. Now get back in there and dry yourself off and bring me back a bottle of sparkling water. Raspberry flavor if you can." I nodded confused.
I shook my head and just turned back around and walked back into the cooking area and over to the sink grabbing a towel. Was I going crazy? They hit me with water and followed up with a sucker punch... and the chefs.... they still arent here.... I nearly wanted to go to Luna to knock me out, take me into a room and give me a psych evaluation. Nearly. Meaning I wanted it until someone startled me with a giggle. Sounded a bit demonic. "Dont like my little games general?" Someone said. Their voice was all distorted. I looked behind me and sitting on one of the prep tables was a cloaked and masked figure. "What? Are you frightened by me general? Scared to protect your princess?" I growled and flew at them tackling them off the counter and after a brief struggle I manage to cuff them and start dragging them out into the dining hall.
I just gave a laugh as I threw the cloaked figure onto the ground. "HA! I'm NOT crazy!" I said.
Celestia looked to me kinda shocked as she got out of her chair. "Uh... S-so you did.... Where were my kitchen staff?" She asked. I planted my boot on the cloaked figures back.
"Somewhere... Certainly not cooking or even in the pantry..." I looked down to the mystery pony under me. "So what do I do with this one?"
"Get them up and unmask them! I wanna see their face. I want to see who has the audacity to come into my castle uninvited and putting us in danger!" I gave a grin and forced them to their feet. I took down the hood and it revealed a grey scale mane and brown ears... Mane was very long. Even saw red glasses arms coming from behind a shiny black mask. Not even any features. As I removed the mask a wire fell from it and... I just about shit myself seeing who was under the mask. Celestia started laughing as I backed away from the mare. The mare gave a smile. "Ryder, might i present to you the one and only A.K. Yearling!"
"...I... How? WHAT?!" I looked to Celestia. "You didnt!"
"Oh but I did! Why dont you uncuff our guest and sit down? My staff will be notified and will resume their duties." I nodded and went back over to Miss Yearling and started to uncuff her, even with how shaky my hands were.
"Miss Yearling i am SO sorry! Did I hurt you at all? Anything I can do to remedy my actions?"
A.K. Yearling gave a smile and rubbed her wrists as I freed them. "It's fine, you were just performing your duties and I must say nice speed flight." She said. "Do you train with the wonderbolts or something?"
"W-well... yes actually.... My mother is actually Spitfire and she lets me fly the course with Soarin and I'm always racing my cousin. Have you met my cousin at all? She's a really big fan of yours, even her friend, Princess Twilight is a fan as well!" She gave me a confused look for a moment as we walked over to the table.
"Wait... Princess Twilight... Your cousin isnt Rainbow Dash is she?" I gave a nod. "Ah... The convention troublemaker... Princess Celestia dropped by my booth with her and she ended up snatching a filly and running off. Made quite the stir at the convention...."
"And that filly was my sister.... Nearly forgot about that incident and I need to get back at Dash."
"Your sister is very sweet as I've seen... Poor thing was hurt by Dash..."
I sat in my chair as Celestia sat in hers. "You shouldve seen how scared she was." The princess said. "Both Dash was scared and so was your sister.... Dash was scared she'd lose her cousin, Scootaloo was scared to be taken away from me... Yet they were both scared for you the most Ryder." I huffed.
"Princess? Why dont you present him with the gift I had given you? Did you give it to him already?" I saw Celestia think a bit.
"...You know... I dont think I did..." She looked to me. "I've got it stashed somewhere in my room. Give me a moment will you? Talk among yourselves!" She teleported away and just left me and Miss Yearling alone. I was nervous as hell... Miss Yearling sighed.
"Speaking of your sister how is the darling hm?"
I sighed. "She's good... Still a bit shaken by what happened in Manehattan..." I said. "...My fiance, another one of Princess Twilight's friends, told me Scootaloo watched the building I was in go down... thought she just watched me die...." I looked over and saw her looking at me a bit weird as she was just stepping out of her costume wearing a red dress.
"You? You were in the building that collapsed? What were you doing inside of it?"
"Watching my fiance's little cousin... She was napping, I was down on the couch watching Tv... Next thing I know bombs go off and I've gotta get the hell out of there... Had to get my little cousin in law, get her dressed, get spare clothes for her and get out of there.... She's screaming in my ear as we rush through four floors of smoke, screaming ponies and went into a room.... Had to break the window and... I was having a huge freakout moment... Survived getting evicted by fire from my house burning down and nearly died in a plane crash before that.... this wasnt gonna knock me out... I had to break out the window with a chair and jump out... heart was racing, my fiance's cousin screaming scared and we landed just before the building went down.... I.... may or may not have pissed myself when the building did go down... Sought shelter in a corner covering myself and the filly under my jacket...."
"My my what a hero! I thank you for your heroism." I blushed and gave a smile.
"C-coming from you... it's... I..."
"I get it. You're speechless. And about the plane crash? Might I inquire about that?" I averted my gaze losing my smile.
"...I'd rather not get into that... it's... a bit traumatic...."
"Not even a brief summary? A smidgen of information? A tiny tidbit?" I huffed.
"Might we leave this dog where it lies please Miss Yearling? I respect that you're interested with my personal accounts but... That one is something I'd rather not get into..."
"Oh... a-alright... sorry I asked General...." I ended up sitting there in a bit of silence for a minute or two until Princess Luna came in.
As Luna walked over she smiled as I got out of my chair and bowed in respect to her as well as Yearling. "Well if it isnt A.K. Yearling. what are you doing here?" She asked. Yearling huffed.
"Your sister invited me in yesterday and kept me away from everyone. Even had to use spells to have nobody know of my presence whilst walking through the halls. Didnt want to tip off the general here who seems to be very brave in his duty." She sat down with me. "He had just got done telling me about his experience in that terrorist attack in Manehattan. Told me he had to rescue a little filly and jump out of a window." Luna giggled setting my phone down in front of me.
"Ah yes. Quite brave indeed. I was actually just speaking with the little filly he's saved. She and her father are staying with his fiance and little sister at the moment. You've met with his fiance havent you? Applejack?"
"Really? She's getting married to a general?" Luna nodded. "Well congrats to her. And to Ryder as well."
I huffed. "Thanks miss yearling... " I said. I looked to Princess Luna. "Princess can you get somepony out here to take our order for some drinks or something? I'm a bit thirsty..." Miss Yearling gave a sigh.
"I actually need something to wet my whistle.... Havent had a drink for a while considering my secret invitation into the castle. Anything will do."
Luna smiled. "I shall return quickly with a few bottles of water. Hope that will suffice." She said. "Speaking of returning when will my sister return? She was supposed to be in here with you."
I sighed. "Went to go find a gift that she had for me." I said. "Left me and Yearling alone after probably the most harrowing experience with a so-called masked figure that made me look crazy. Went and sucker punched me, made me run out here, soaked and looking insane before going back only to bring Miss Yearling out in cuffs.... Craziest reveal I've seen outside of cartoons..."
"Ah... While I would've loved to see that it might've hurt to see you being called a loon. Now as for your waters I shall return posthaste." I watched as she teleported out yet again leaving us alone. I looked over to A.K. Yearling as she fixed her mane.
"Miss Yearling... I apologize for my attitude when you asked about the plane crash... I just... It's something I'm not fond of wanting to remember. And with you asking the questions, I'm not sure if you'll just steal my story and use it one of your books..."
I looked to Miss Yearling and she looked highly offended. "Me? Steal a story based upon somepony else? Sure other writers would but me? Surely you have mistaken me for a crook!" She snapped. "That Jade Singer might but me? A.K. Yearling? Being blamed for something as low as story stealing?"
"Well I dont know that you could! Writers could be prying for information to write a story on someone, change the name, some events and end up making a story and make money off it!" She huffed.
"So its a trust issue huh? What can I do to have you trust me enough to tell me that story about the crash?" I didnt answer. "Is it money you want? An autograph? Dinner and a movie?" I gave a smile.
"A secret. Big one. Not that 'I pick my nose' bullshit. Something that nobody else but you knows." I could see the emotion drain in her face after I said that. She seemed to study me for a moment.
"...I suppose so... But that waits till later. If my instincts are right... Luna should be back in... three... two... one..."
And on her count Princess Luna reappeared between us holding two bottles of water. She handed them to us smiling. "Sorry it took so long to get these." She said as we took the bottles. "A few guards needed help settling a dispute and I had to help unfortunately... That and the magic cooler is on the fritz..." I cracked my bottle open as Yearling sighed.
"It's fine. Gave the general and I time to chat. Celestia hasnt even returned yet." Luna hummed a bit.
"I see... Perhaps I will go aide her in finding this gift... I'm sure you'd want this and Miss Yearling wouldnt want it to go to waste."
"You do that. The general and I still have a lot to talk about." Princess Luna nodded and teleported again. As she did I looked to Miss Yearling. "Now then.... Your secret comes when we can be alone. And I mean more alone than this. A guard could walk in and ruin it, same with the princesses. Cant tell when they come in and out."
I hummed a bit. "Seems to be a big and embarrassing secret..." I said now feeling a tad uneasy. "....Wh-why dont I just tell you the crash story and we skip on the secret?" She sighed.
"It's not embarrassing at all but... I'll still accept the story but you are going to get your secret. It's something Dash knows but... I trust you enough but I need to show you so you'll believe me. Understand?" I nodded blushing a bit. Was she hiding a dick? Did she have some sort of scar that Dash gave her? I didnt know... But I huffed.
"Well... The story... Well I uh..."
As I was about to say something about the story both Princess Celestia and Luna teleported to the head of the table and smiled brightly as Celestia used her magic to set a box in front of me. "Here we are!" Celestia said. "Sorry it was delayed. Forgot where I put it.... Originally I gave it to Twilight, she couldnt trust herself with it so she gave it back to me and yeah... Here!" Excited I opened up the box and there was a full set of Daring Do novels! Daring Do and the Golden Totem to Daring Do and the Ring of Secrets! I picked up one of the middle ones and as I brought it over the edge of the box to look at it- there was an A.K. Yearling autograph on it by the by- a photo fell out fluttering to the ground. I went and picked it up and looked at the back. I hummed a bit seeing the markings. Writing.
"...Our little secret?" I looked to the princesses. "This one of your pictures?" Both Princesses shook their head. That's when Yearling snatched it out of my hand.
I looked to her and saw her smiling a bit. "Sorry! That ones mine!" She said. "I was planning giving this to one of my fellow writers but misplaced it. Thank you for finding it!" I grunted a bit.
"Cant I get a peak at what it is? I found it so I should be allowed to look!" I saw the princesses look at each other.
"I'm sorry but this one is private. A place of interest where us writers can go to write in peace without getting distracted by our homes and such. Now why dont we just go and order our food?"
The Princesses nodded and sat down at the table. "Ryder I wouldnt pry too much into Miss Yearling's privacy." Celestia said. "I invited her here to meet you and to relax and take a break from writing." I huffed and averted my gaze as Miss Yearling sighed.
"No need to worry about taking me away from my work. I was having writers block anyways... Cant really think of a treasure to go after in my books... I'll take suggestions if anyone has any."
I just stayed silent. Celestia and Luna didnt have any ideas either. We just sat there until Celestia had us order our food. Funfact: I ate the same thing as A.K. Yearling. Habanero hayburger, Senor Salt and curly fries! Luna had a bit of pasta, Celestia had waffles topped with blue berries and whipped cream. Something Scootaloo would want now that I think about it. After breakfast I went with Luna. She gave a sigh stretching as we walked back to her room. "That was a filling meal." She said. She looked to me. "Surprised that Miss Yearling is here to meet you?"
I nodded. "I was surprised that she came all the way here to meet me! Of all ponies!" I said. "I know I've said it before but it's an honor just to meet her! She's the best!" Luna giggled a bit.
"Lets hope she doesnt find out you've been ogling her character in your dreams!" I blushed.
"That will stay a secret to everyone, even Applejack! She'd kill me! Not only that Dash'd laugh at me if she caught on." She hummed a bit.
"Perhaps... Somehow I dont buy the picture being of a place her and other writers could write in peace... She's been feuding with Jade Singer and having her in the same place for their writing might indulge some scandal of some sort... Stolen work, harassment, a robbery, possibly one turning up dead in that same spot. Maybe go missing if we can ever find that spot. Other writers would probably safe guard that spot as their own..." I thought about it for a moment.
"Huh... You are right about that... And having her murdered might bring out the worst in her fans... Dash and Twilight especially. Me? If I were forced to work that case..."
"Yes yes you'd find who did it, shoot them and make love to their body with a salt ridden, barbed wire covered baseball bat. Need I go on about how much that would hurt your image?" I shook my head. "Good... Now about my room?" She gave a big yawn. I took her hand and kept leading her on.
"Dont go and pass out just yet Princess. Almost there." She sighed a bit.
"Nice of you to assume I would fall asleep on the spot." I huffed.
"Well you kinda do Princess... Should I remind you about your gaming room floor cuddle with a drool stained pillow?" I saw her blush a bit as we started nearing her door. "Sorry to pull that card but you're bringing up stuff I dont wanna even think about."
"Well I didnt say anything about how your image will be tarnished if such acts were carried out..." She took her hand back. "I can take it from here... You get back to Celestia and Yearling. They should be outside in the garden. Thou remember the garden dont you? It was where we sat and ate cherries in your dream."
"I think so... Might I use your bathroom balcony to fly over to there? It's still a bit confusing for me here..." She gave a nod.
"From my balcony just fly out to the right. Lucky my room is on the side of the backside of the castle..." She yawned again as I opened her door. The inside of her room was decked out in gaming posters, bookshelf in one corner, bed just to the right of that (was a big bed taking up a good portion of the room) and a desk full of handheld game devices and a little doll looking quite ancient in look despite being still new with its clothing and fabric that made it up. Luna's bed wasnt even made. The door to her bathroom was just to the left of her bed as well as a fish tank with web inside of it... housing... ugh... two tarantula spiders... Did I mention i fucking hate those eight legged demons? No? Well I do.
"Alright Princess. You sleep well. I'll be around." She nodded as I helped her lie down on her bed. "Need me to help cover you up or you good?" She yawned again.
"I'm fine... now go... Celestia needs you..." I nodded and went for the door just flinching from the spiders. Quickly ducked into the bathroom and shut the door behind me taking a deep breath. Inside her bathroom she had her shower dead center of the couple rooms it stretched. Toilet was against the wall and the balcony was just opposite that, sink just opposite me. I hurried over to the balcony and went outside. Saw a foggy part of canterlot to my left, open field to my right. Though when I looked over the edge..... Nope. Got scared. If you dont remember I had a freak out moment jumping out of that window with Babs so my fear of heights is still going on. And I thought I was doing good when I was training with Mama Spitfire and Soarin... Anyways I hurried back to Luna's bathroom door and opened it peeking my head out smiling nervously.
"P-princess? I uh... I... Kinda need a little help..." She mumbled a bit turning over from her position and looked at me.
"...Is there another Spider you dont want to go near?" I whimpered a bit.
"No... I... I got scared looking over the balcony... No accident... this time but... Can you fly with me please....?" She sighed.
"Alright.... give me a moment and I'll be in there to help... but I'm going back to bed and I'm not taking any more awakenings... those who do might see it as hostile workings..." I watched as she got up and stretched a bit before coming into her bathroom walking me over to the balcony. "I'd call you names but... I'm too tired and I know what you've been through...." She held out her hand. "Come.... lets go..." I took her hand blushing embarrassed. My face was on fire as we flapped our wings and flew off the balcony. I gripped her hand tighter as we flew over pathways and trimmed bushes until we were overlooking the garden area. It was split into four areas. Each with flowers making up a cutie mark of a princess. Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Twilight. We landed in Luna's garden plot and I sat her down on a bench. She yawned more.
"Uh... S-sorry Princess... Just wait here... I'll get Celestia to take you back to your room!"
"...Hurry... I... I dont think I can... stay... awake much... longer...." She just kinda slumped down a bit. I leaned her back and took my jacket off covering her up. I looked around and went for the first entrance to the other plots I've seen. This one was Cadence's plot. Ran for the other entrance that I saw that brought me right to Celestia's plot. There admiring a statue of Starswirl The Bearded was Celestia and Miss Yearling.
I ran over and bowed to respect to Celestia as she looked over. "Oh! There you are Ryder!" She said. "I hope my sister didnt make you carry her to her room!"
I stood up and averted my gaze. "She didnt but... uh... Someone might have to..." I said. I glanced at her.
"...What do you mean someone might have to?" I blushed hard and kicked the dust a bit almost acting like a small child.
"...I... Got scared trying to fly here by myself... She had to help me...." She sighed and pinched her nose as Yearling snickered a bit. The princess looked to Miss Yearling.
"If you'll excuse us I'd like to have a word with my general..." Yearling nodded and Celestia grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me around and nudged me along as we started to walk into the other plots from the way I came in. She sighed as we entered Cadence's plot. "Ryder I understand of your fears of Spiders and losing your family members but you're a pegasus! Pegasai shouldnt be afraid of heights!" I nudged her off and sat down in the bench.
"Princess I'm sorry okay?! Do you know how many times I've nearly died from coming from a great height with danger around me? The plane? My burning house? That building coming down!?" She huffed.
"General... I'll say this once and ONLY once... speak to me like that again and I will bend you over my knee and have your fiance, cousin and their friends take turns with a paddle in front of your mother and the other guards with LIVE camera crews watching the whole thing to show how much of a pussy my general is."
"Princess I'm no pussy! If I were that much of a pussy I wouldnt be here! Your army wouldnt have won the war, I wouldnt have saved my fiance's cousin from a burning building and you might've as well kissed one of the elements of harmony goodbye as well as my sister and me because our parents would be dead, Applejack would've gotten killed without me being there for her, SCOOTALOO WOULD BE IN AN ORPHANAGE AND THIS WHOLE FUCKING WORLD WOULD BE IN UTTER CHAOS BECAUSE I DIDNT DO ANYTHING BECAUSE I WOULD BE A FUCKING PUSSY!" She looked at me scared as I stood up and got in her face. Gently she pushed me back down sitting me on the bench.
"....Okay... I'm sorry for calling you that... but in all seriousness I dont want my top guard being in a foreign country with me and get scared only to piss himself just because he got a little too high up in the air... It'll make me look like a laughing stock as well as you.... Now just take a breather while I get my sister back to her room..." I gave a teary eyed nod to the princess. She sighed and used her magic to calm me a bit.... Low version of what Cadence can do. I wiped my eyes and watched as she went into Luna's plot. I stayed for a few moments taking deep breaths and looking over the misty garden plot. It was a bit relaxing. After about a minute I got up and started back towards Miss Yearling.
As I got to the entrance I heard a phone ring. Immediately I went to the side and peered in at Miss Yearling just looking at the statue as she pulled out a phone from her uh... chest area of her dress. She looked around for a moment and I hid away. Why did I hide? I dont know but... It paid off. I peeked out again and saw her turned towards the statue again. "You've got Daring." She said. My heart dropped for a second. Was she serious? Did she see me and make this a ploy? I listened more. "Make it quick. I'm with Princess Celestia and her General. They dont suspect a thing and they could be back any minute.... Really? An old tome alluding to old instruments? Is that the best you have?" She huffed. "Fine... I'll take a look at it when I get back... as for now I need to go. Get myself back into character before they arrive."
I heard her end the call and struggle a bit to put the phone back before trying to compose herself. I put my back against the wall breathing heavily... Problem was with this wall? Covered in leaves from bushes covering them. I didnt realize I gave myself away until she came up around the corner startling me and looking pissed. I jumped back and fell trying to run off and started backing up towards the other plot where Luna was but she ended up pinning me under her foot. "I- I- You..." I stammered. She knelt down onto my chest.
"...How much... did you hear?" I stammered a bit. She grabbed me by the collar and got into my face. "Are you gonna tell me or am I gonna have to beat it out of you?" ...I'm not gonna lie here I'm glad she wasnt any lower because I got hard as soon as her call was half way done. And after she asked that? I immediately just came in my pants... I had to push her off and just curl up embarrassed instead of get up. I whimpered a bit realizing what just happened. I fucking came in my pants in front of THE Daring Do! She huffed getting up. "Great.... soiled yourself didnt you?" I hesitantly nodded. "...Alright... Perhaps I can buy your silence with a little private time after you change into something more... clean... Does that sound alright?" I nodded again starting to cry. She sighed and took my hand helping me up. "It's alright... I dont see you any less than what you are for this..." I just hugged her and started to bawl into her shoulder. She grabbed hold of me and shushed me as well. "There there... You're alright...."
To be honest I was feeling a mix of emotions. Happy and excited that I was hugging the REAL Daring Do, confusion that there actually was a real Daring Do and embarrassed that I came in my pants in front of her. I couldnt dwell on it for long as I heard a large pair of wings flapping. Celestia. "What's gotten into him?" I heard Celestia say. "I leave for five minutes and he's crying?" Daring- Yearling... I dont know at this point- sighed.
"I'm not sure. Must've been what ever you said to him!" I heard a gasp. "I dont want to point blame princess but I heard yelling. I came in here and he was crying.... What did you say to him to make him like this?" I heard Celestia stammer a bit.
"...I-I only told him he needed to ditch his fear of heights! He's a general of the royal guard and he needs to act like it!"
"Well you know he's been through much! Isnt that why you brought me here? To recognize his heroism by saving a filly in a burning building during the Manehattan attack?" Celestia stayed silent. "Princess I apologize for my demeanor but this guard still has feelings." Celestia took a deep breath.
"...You're right.... I was a bit too harsh on him... Might I ask for forgiveness Ryder?" I continued to cry into the mare's shoulder.
"...Perhaps its best we take him inside and let him relax in his room for a bit... maybe give him a drink..."
"Oh uh.... Y-yeah.... seems like we should.... I'll apologize later when he's calmed down... Now I see where his sister gets it from..." Daring turned me around and took my hand. I could see Celestia's worried face. "Follow me... We'll take a route away from my guards so they dont see him like this... Dont mean to embarrass you Ryder but... He was turned into a mare in a plant called poison joke. The guards laughed at him... surprisingly they knew it was him... That's what Princess Twilight told me." I blushed harder as Daring gave a giggle.
"Apologies Ryder... Sounds horrid for you but... if someone has pictures I'd love to see how cute you were!" I blushed harder hiding my face under my cap. After a moment of their laughs we started walking. My heart was skipping beats as we were walking. She lied for me. I just kinda spaced out following the princess with Daring... Didnt notice anything anyone said, did or anything really... Mostly the princess and the mysterious mare holding my hand. After we had gone into my room- that Daring insisted on being in making sure I was going to be okay- we both sat down on the bed, me with my hands between my legs covering myself still embarrassed that I just... did that.... It was more embarrassing than just pissing myself. "There... Privacy... Now... Do you wanna get more comfortable? It can be in anything you want. You can change into a clean pair of underwear in front of me for all I care. Go on."
I swallowed and got up... Before anything I just went over and locked the door. I turned back and just looked at Daring. She had removed her glasses and set them down at her side. "...Y-you lied to the princess... and... made it seem like it was her fault for my crying..." I said. "...Why do that for me....? Some guy you barely know... One who you only knew through two ponies you met..." She sighed.
"Because I'm not one to see anyone cry.... you, your sister... Not even the mare who tried kidnapping your sister..." She averted her gaze. "And from what I've heard? You've lived almost as I have... Dodging danger at any point and being heroic in your own reasons. I respect that." She stood up. "Mind if I get a bit comfortable too? This dress is a bit constricting this long from having it on."
"Uh... G-go ahead... I need to change myself anyways..." She smiled and watched as I went over to my bags and started digging into them. I had a tad of trouble as I was trying to pull out some clean underwear but... I went and pulled a bit too hard and brought something else out along with a bunch of other clothes. A still folded up diaper. I blushed hard as it skid across the floor before stopping half way between me and Daring who had just tossed her dress aside. She was wearing bandages around her torso and khaki green shorts. She looked down at the padded wear and I just about shit myself scared. She knelt down and picked it up unfolding it before looking at me. She snickered a bit and tossed it back to me.
"Nothing but a big baby arent ya?" I hid my face with my boxers. "Hey it's okay. I get it. You have accidents at times. I do as well when I'm out adventuring. Most happen when I get scared by some traps or when a vine snaps when I'm swinging on it. Especially when I'm over a cliff... Scary when that happens." She turned around. "Mind helping me unravel these? Gotta let my wings breathe." I nodded and stood up coming over... I grabbed the end of the bandage and pulled and it all started unraveling itself. Slowly it revealed her wings, brown and fluffy as the rest of her coat. And she had a khaki green shirt on as well. It was amazing she wasnt sweating to death with all that on. She sighed and let the bandages drop to the floor. "That's the ticket..." She stretched her wings right in my face and I just stood there looking at her. She glanced back. "Go on. Touch them. Touch me... I know what you did in the garden." Boy did I take her up on that. A bit too much actually. I just reached around and grabbed her breasts. This next one she did herself I swear. She took one of my hands on her breasts and moved it down into her shorts... Yeah. She forced my hands into her shorts and panties. I felt her... She was wet, warm and my heart was going crazy. "How long have you wanted to do this?"
"...A-a while..."
"And does your fiance know you wanted this?" I didnt make a sound. Just kept rubbing her just right. She huffed and moaned a bit. "Ooh... Been a while since I've felt a stallions touch..." She grabbed my hand and took it out of her pants before turning around. "Get undressed... I NEED this..." I shushed her a moment and went to the door. I unlocked it and poked my head out and looked to a guard just to the right of the door. Unicorn guard, silver armor, yadda yadda do you really care?
"Could you uh... sound proof the door? I kinda wanted a nap... No interruptions please... And... that spell that sound proofs? That can work from both sides cant it? No sound in? No sound out?" He nodded. "Good... I have had a bad habit of talking in my sleep... as well as night terrors... I'll be fine though." I went back inside and closed the door only to see it glow for a moment before looking back at Daring. "There. Should buy us some time so we dont get any interruptions or freaked out guards thinking something else is going on." I walked over and pulled the curtains closed on the windows in my room only to turn back then to see Daring fully naked. I walked over and just started to ditch a few pieces of clothes, cap and jacket, even ditched my boots.
"Smart thinking.... Now get over here! I need a dick." I grinned.
"Gladly... You wanna take my phone and give Dash a subtle reminder to not hurt my baby sister? Just make sure she's alone... Dont want her to be with anyone and see this.... She does know right?" I took my phone from my pocket and handed it to her.
"Dash, Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and even Pinkie Pie... The lot of them basically. I take it Celestia knows too but to her knowledge you're as oblivious as the rest of my fans. Now... get it ready and try not to shoot off before the show starts." I blushed a bit before starting to ditch my clothes. Took off my shirt first, socks, then got rid of my pants and my underwear... my cum stained, sticky underwear. I tossed those aside just as she handed my phone back. "Alright. She's alone. You wanna start it?" I grinned and took it not even saying a word before starting a video call.
My phone buzzed for a moment as we got ready. I just started teasing her and shushed her cute moans. The screen brightened up revealing Dash's face with my face in the corner. "Alright dork... what do you need?" She asked sounding tired. Definitely looked it too. Tired eyes, messy mane. Still was even laying in bed.
I huffed. "No reason... Just wanted to remind you of something..." I said.
"...And what is that reminder?" I switched the camera to the out facing camera only to show Daring naked under me. Her face went from tired to shocked.
"The reminder to not go and hurt my baby sister... Otherwise it would break someones heart knowing someone cant do something the others cant...."
"R-Ryder... Wh-what are you doing right now....?"
Daring smiled. "Oh dont worry Dash... he's just taking care of me..." She said just before I went and penetrated her deep making her just gasp and moan arching her back. Dash blushed hard having her jaw drop.
I laughed a bit. "You fuck with me, I fuck with you." I said. I laughed a bit more. "Or rather her in this case... You have a fun day Dash. Text ya later!" I quickly ended the call and tossed my phone aside just falling on top of her just kissing her. I kept thrusting slowly as not to hurt her. She broke the kiss and looked me in the eye.
"You're bad.... worse than Ahuizotl... showing your cousin that you're fucking her idol as well..." I smiled a bit.
"She's gonna kill me but... worth it... Now... lets see how well you can take it!" I started thrusting harder and she just held onto me as I humped away at her. She was so tight and on fire. Ooh I wanted it to go on forever. She was just loving every minute of it. I pulled out of her and flipped her over only to grab her ass and just started getting her from behind.
"Pull my mane! Make me your whore!" Oh did I. I grabbed her mane with one hand and had both of her wrists in my other as I just thrusted slamming her. I could feel my dick push up against her womb but she was screaming, Came a few times squeezing my cock with each thrust. I released her arms and pinned her. She propped herself up as best she could and I just bent over and groped her tits as we went at it. I started thrusting faster feeling like I was getting closer to my climax. Even bit her ear a bit which drove her absolutely insane as she moaned. "....I-Inside... I want it... inside!"
"You.... you want me to... cum inside you?"
"D-dont worry! It's safe! I... I need your thick cum!" ...I shook my head a bit making sure I didnt have anything in my ear before just GOING for it. I held her tight going faster and faster, my hips smacking against her ass and I just came HARD. I came like I was pent up for a few months, like a fire hose that just got its kinks worked out and like Big Mac after he and I had a drinking contest. I uh... pissed myself if that makes it clear who won that. He pissed like a canon. Anyways Daring and I both came hard, screaming, wings exploding out, our feathers just frizzing out before I just collapsed on top of her. She pushed me off her and gasped as my cock slumped out of her and she just started pouring cum out of her cunt. I just couldnt get a word out I was so happy and so spent. Daring smiled at me just panting. She looked tired as if she had never slept a wink. She pulled me closer and kissed me on the lips before we passed out in each others arms.
When I woke up she was gone... It had only been a few hours from what I saw on my phone... as well as a picture message from an unknown number.... That and a few mad texts from Dash, some texts from Applejack and the other girls... Even Twilight... Twilight was... jealous but congratulated me on it... awkwardly... Blabbermouth Dash... When I checked the unknown number text it was... beautiful. It was Daring, licking her fingers and even showing off her own cum filled cunt. Even signed the text of a few pictures 'DD'. I looked at myself and found myself under the blanket but... something was a bit off. I threw off the covers and... I was diapered... more embarrassingly with a note attached to it. I took the note and started to read.
'Ryder,
I enjoyed our time here... Please keep my identity a secret from the princesses and everyone else... even your sister... Sure she's cute but she could be like Dash and blab... Yeah... Applejack told me when she called your phone while you were still asleep. Told her you got something good... and about that photo I snatched? Check book four, chapter six. You can speak with me at any time, maybe visit at conventions. If I dont answer, I might be working on something important but I will respond when I get the chance... By the by... You look adorable all padded up... Dont go and cry if you're reading this. I'm still in the castle and will be until tomorrow morning. Just... please try to bite your tongue about what we did. I think the guard will question why I was in here... Just gonna tell him I needed a bit of a nap too and didnt wanna walk all the way back to my room. Hope the princess doesnt suspect anything of fowl play upon your part but if she questions you, tell me and I'll set it straight. As for now rest well General. Hope to seeing you soon... perhaps with your fiance to give you a proper congrats on everything.
-Yearling, DD.' I smiled and folded up the note. Didnt even bother changing out of the padding before getting into something comfortable. Sweat pants and a long sleeve and baggy shirt. Metallicolt, Album 'The One'. Picture of a broken nuke with someone standing in front of it. Even put my sneakers on and wore a thin knit beanie. I asked the guard outside my door and they pointed me to the entertainment room. When I got there I found that the guards had moved all the chairs back and sitting in them was Daring dressed as Yearling sitting with Celestia as they were watching TV. I shushed the guard at the door and walked in slowly before carefully sitting in a seat behind Celestia. "I hope he isnt mad at me Miss Yearling..." Celestia said. "...If I had knew how harsh I was to him I'd've apologized right then and there..."
Daring sighed. "He seemed pretty hurt..." She said. "Tough pony with a soft spot. You might've hit him right in that soft part... Even Daring Do has her soft spots. She's even given up her freedom for a bit of bread for a few starving children."
I huffed startling both of them. "Chapter four of book three. Capture due to a wrong turn with a window closed and an overturned cart." I said. They both looked back at me. "Yeah... Wasnt the smartest move by Daring but... she gets herself out of trouble." 'Miss Yearling' smiled.
"You just sneak up on us dont you?" I nodded getting up and kneeling down in the middle of them. "Glad you remember my books. I wrote so many chapters I can barely remember the detais of each one but that I remember clearly. Fans tell me its their favorite moment."
I felt Celestia grab me and pull me onto her lap as she hugged me from behind. "Ryder I apologize for what I said earlier!" She said. "Can you please forgive me? I didnt mean to hurt you! I just didnt want my sister passed out in the open air! She could've gotten sick, hurt from falling asleep mid air or even from falling off the bench she was slumped over on!"
I sighed cuddling up to the princess. "I forgive you... Just... please dont try to force me to face my fears like that..." I said. "... Scoot told me how you were with her... cant you feel the same with me?"
"Of course Ryder... If you need we can go somewhere private and fly together. And I guess I can give you the liberty of holding my hand if need be. It's what i did with your sister when we went in the chopper and I can do that until you can be in the air by yourself... Or rather with someone not holding your hand. Unless that's your sister holding your hand when you're flying up to Cloudsdale to see the Wonderbolts fly... But just... You know what I mean." I sighed.
"Yeah... one of the things I wanna do soon... See my mother from the stands... Maybe fly with them to honor the fallen..."
"I'm sure that can be arranged... but as for a thought we still dont know much about who's officiating the wedding Ryder. A choice soon please?" I sighed.
"...Maybe we can have Applejack choose... Twilight has done a lot helping me plan everything... Now its either watch sisters be jealous of each other or watch Shining cry his eyes out again.... Might still see that anyways."
Celestia huffed sounding a bit ticked. Yearling giggled. "Now Ryder I wouldnt say such things like that." She said. "She might shove you back into diapers with her magic!"
Celestia gripped me tight against her. "Or I could make his tighter!" She said. And without warning the diaper I was wearing shrank and OOH it hurt... everything... jewels, sheathe and even asscrack...
I whimpered a bit holding myself. "I-I'm sorry! Please just fix that! Forget I said anything! PLEASE!" I pleaded giving both mares a laugh as I fell onto the floor. Celestia used her magic and fixed it... The relief... somewhat... rash still.
"Are you going to make that choice now or do I have to do it again?" I tightened up a bit holding my legs.
"No! No no more shrinking! Please! B-but still! AJ's choice! Not mine!" Celestia sighed a bit.
"Okay okay... I'll just ask her in a bit. You just wanna watch a movie with us before lunch?" I gave a nod and crawled my way to the open seat on the otherside of 'Miss Yearling' and just crawled onto it and sat down. Just spent the rest of the day with Miss Yearling with or without Celestia... When we were alone, she gave me that picture marked 'Our little secret'... It was a pinup image.... Cutie mark, wings and even sexy lingerie... Even had her finger up to her lips as if she was shushing me. I slipped that back into the book she had it in and kept going with the day with the box of books in my room. So that means I HAVE to keep this book set away from both Dash and Scootaloo.... And keep track of that picture.... but anywho after Lunch I had to go. Celestia pretty much kicked me out after that. Kinda hurt to leave who was here.... But I left with some good stuff. Box of a full set of books from my favorite author who is in turn their own character who I slept with and now own a naughty picture of. It's kind of nice. And I do have her number as well... Double sweet. After getting my padding I went home and showed AJ the loot I got. She was jealous but... kinda proud of me for getting to do that.... Even told me Dash fucking lost it hearing I did that and seeing it. Had to go to Fluttershy for comfort... and I guess I had to go find her to apologize... Maybe she licked my dick to taste her... awkward but she was... oddly pleasurable... To finish Fluttershy sucked me off and Dash uh.... you can guess... but hey. It was fun. Great, memorable, hopefully something to think back on if I'm having a bad day. |
The Return | Regressive Regret (Twilight's POV) | I'm having a bad day... Worse than when I got drunk and passed out with Pinkie and Rainbow Dash.... That's a story for another time though... Today was... bad... I went back to casting spells on Ryder to see how he'd perform with the effects upon him... The knowledge spell... That was immediate failure. But with the way I was? I was tired, hungry and just kinda grumpy since Spike was sleep eating a jewel from a necklace Cadence gave me. Grounded him and limited his game time for a while... and TV time since he was watching some more... adult humorous shows. But... Lets not dwell on that. This was early in the morning for me. Ryder was sleeping over (which one of the spells required him to sleep for it to take effects) and yes I told AJ I'd need to keep him over here for said reason just in case it put him into a fit of rage or something if woken up or something. Didnt know what the spell did. Wasnt even named. Yet it was in a spell book I had under 'unknown spells'. And why am I getting up early in the morning? I passed out reading Spike a bed time story and forgot to change my alarm settings... so guess who's up at four in the morning to check on her friend? I was wearing sweat pants and a long sleeve shirt as well as slippers and a beanie because it was just so cold in this castle. Yes the heating works somewhat but lately we've been having some issues... Gotta get Ryder to fix it when he can. But as for now time to check on him. I was walking down the hall to his room- now combined with Applejack's room since they're getting married... Still unsure who's officiating that wedding... Feel like Cadence should do it. But I was walking up to the door and saw Dash come out of her room, hand in her pants scratching her ass... as usual... She was wearing some tight looking running shorts, and a tee shirt... unsure how she can withstand the cold but she does anyways. She looked to me moving her mane from her face. "Mornin' Twi.... Checking on Ryder making sure he didnt wet the bed again?" She asked snickering.
I huffed. "Getting out of your room because Pinkie kept suffocating you with her tits?" I asked. She stayed silent. "That's what I thought. Just be quiet... I gotta check on him... Not sure what the spell did so... need to check on him... Might go back to bed after...." Dash sighed.
"...You think he'd mind if I climbed into bed with him? Pinkie's a bit too uh... snuggle crazy..." I shrugged.
"Dunno... could ask him or jump right in... if he does ask just say you walked into the wrong room during the night and got all turned around after you left the bathroom." She nodded. I opened up the door to Ryder's room slowly. It was dark in there... only light was from the door and it was barely hitting the corner of the bed. I walked in and used an illumination spell to illuminate the room slightly. I just saw a big lump under his covers. Must've curled up a bit. I pulled back the covers and... my heart dropped. Ryder's clothes were there but no Ryder... A black metallicolt tee, sweat pants and a used diaper... as gross as it was just to think he was running around naked... It was even scarier to know that no guards have seen him and reported him. I grabbed Dash and brought her to the door. "D-Dash! Go check the garage for Ryder's car! He's not in here!" She gasped a bit.
"Y-you're kidding! Sh-should I tell guards?" I gave a nod before shoving her out and slamming the door. But... as she was running away crying erupted from the bed. I hurried back over to the bed to see Ryder's shirt squirming a bit. I used my magic to turn on the lights and when I picked up his shirt a bit from the brim I peaked under and saw a foal... scared little colt... though.. this colt WAS Ryder... Had his cutie mark, wings but... he was buck naked.... I picked him up carefully swaddling him in his shirt and held him.... His shirt was soaked in pee as well as the pillow that was under him... I hurried out to the hall and looked around for a guard. None in sight. I shushed him as I hurried steadily over to Dash's room. And I know I didnt clarify earlier but Dash and Pinkie were over for a sleep over.
Just as I got to the door it opened and I got a face full of a very tired Pinkie, her milk makers hanging half way out of her bra which was slipping off her shoulder and she didnt even have any panties on... I nudged her back in and closed the door. "Twi...?" She asked me tiredly. "...Wh-when did you have a foal?"
I sighed handing her the foal. "I didnt! It's the after math of a spell!" I snapped. I used my magic on her breasts. "Here. Lactation spell. Use it! Feed him until I get back with some diapers!" I didnt even give her time to answer before teleporting away back to my room. I grabbed the package from under my bed for when Scootaloo was staying here. Poor filly wet her bed the night of her birthday and scared the hell out of Sweetie Belle and me... and my brother and Sparkplug... I still cant believe Celestia got Gems to play at my castle for her... but when I grabbed the diapers I ran out and swung by my bathroom taking a thing of baby powder and some toilet wipes for sensitive behinds before hurrying back to where the rooms were only to see Dash pacing panicked in front of the rooms. "Dash! Back in your room NOW!"
The rainbow maned mare grabbed a hold of me as I came close. "No! I need to find Ryder!" She said. "I-I know all of his hiding spots, all of his sleep over spots, h-he could be in the kitchen for all we know!" I shrugged her off and shoved the stuff into her arms before dragging her to her bedroom door and opening it heading inside only to close the door behind us and pin her against it pointing to Pinkie as she was breast feeding Ryder.... surprisingly mother like. Ryder was calmed just being lulled back to sleep by her embrace. And I guess her milk too.
"You see that foal there? That's Ryder..." I grabbed the items with my magic and walked over to Pinkie taking Ryder from her... cute little thing nodded off drinking his milk. I started to unravel his shirt and shrank a diaper to fit him. Dash came over as I wiped him down and powdered his little butt.
"...b-but... how... How is this my cousin?" I looked to her tabbing his padding up and drying his shirt to swaddle him up yet again.
"...A spell I cast.... it... required him to fall asleep... and.... he turned back into a foal...." My eyes started to well up with tears. "...I... I swear i didnt know that spell would do that.... It.... I cant face AJ like this... I turned her fucking fiance into a foal.... Who cant even keep himself dry!"
"...I... Well... Ryder almost never kept his pants dry anyways.... but..." She came over to me and hugged me. "...C'mere... it's not your fault.... If you didnt know you didnt know...." She looked to me. "You got anything you can put Ryder in to sleep? Looks like you need sleep too..." I pushed her off.
"I cant leave him like that! I need to turn him back!" She shushed me.
"C'mon... lets not wake him... Calm down and take a deeeeep breath...." I didnt wanna... but... I did anyways. "Good... just keep going... but listen to me.... You will fix this... you can do it later... right now you need sleep... But right now we have to find a place to put Ryder for him to be comfy and not wake up hurt.... Do you have anything he can sleep in?" I thought for a moment. I... I didnt have anything... I had an old crib stashed in the attic of the old Treebrary but that got destroyed by Tirek...
"...N-no... A-are we able to... do something about it...? I... I cant think of anything to put him in...."
"Doesnt Spike have a memory foam bean bag chair? He could sleep on that if we have one of the night guards watch him." I thought for a moment. Spike hasnt used it for a while... It's still in his room if i remember right...
"...Y-yeah.... we can... we can put it in here... or... back in his room or... I dont know somewhere warm where he wont catch a cold..."
Pinkie giggled a bit. "I can feed him with milk again!" She said softly. "He calmed right down after drinking a little bit! Anyone else want some?" Dash and I both blushed.
"...I think I'm good... I like mine from the fridge.... and cold... Didnt really want any from the tap since I was... well... You know..."
Dash huffed. "Maybe later Pinks.... Right now I gotta... I gotta get back to bed but... Kinda need to make sure Twi sleeps as well...." She said. She looked back to me. "Get Ryder, go back to your room, maybe uh... tell guards that we found him... I'll go get that beanbag from Spikes room and I better see you back in your room with him... Otherwise I'm calling out for a rogue princess!" I gave a nod grabbing Ryder and holding him gently. And that is a thing she's talking about. Rogue princess is basically a princess that is hell bent on doing what ever arent her orders and guards can act on it with force and arrest me. Nearly had to do that with Celestia at a time but it was called off by Luna who accidentally forgot to tell the guards she was doing something important... Meeting or something. But I went out and walked all the way back to my room finding a guard along the way and told him to put an all clear call for Ryder... He kinda seemed surprised when he saw Ryder but he was always good with kids so he volunteered to watch Ryder for the night. But... I told him I'd hang onto him until Dash got there. I sighed as I went inside and sat down on my bed.
"...I.... I'm sorry Ryder.... I didnt know this would happen... This... this is all my fault... when I turn you back... you have the right to slap me...."
Ryder shifted a bit yawning. "...mama...." He said. I held him close.
"...Yeah... you... you can see mama... I can get your mother out here to watch you while I try to fix this... She'd want a chance at taking care of her baby boy.... I'm just... I'm sorry.... I hope you'll forgive me..." I held back sobs as I held him... tears were another story. My door opened. I looked up and saw the guard with Dash at his side.
Dash sighed as she sat on the bed next to me. "Alright... Time to give him up and get back to bed...." She said. I kinda didnt want to... Didnt wanna give him up or even sleep. The guard gestured to me.... I was almost acting like someone had me under their control. I just.... gave him up... the guard took him and just walked out the door with his superior in his arms and shut the door behind him leaving me and Dash inside. Just when that lock clicked I just... I broke... I sniffled and sobbed before just covering my face up. Dash hugged me and shushed me. "It's alright Twi.... you can fix it...."
"...A-Applejack... she's... she's gonna kill me...."
"No she isnt Twi... It was all an accident. We can give him to her later and let her deal with him while we fix this..." I shoved her off and grabbed her wrists pulling her close again.
"WE CANT TELL AJ!" She huffed.
"Sorry for this but..." She took her head and rammed it into my chest and shrugged my hands off hers before she came and backhanded me. She hugged me after but... I was kinda shocked. She was smacking some sense into me. "...That... that hurt me more than it did you..." I started to sob harder. Just crying into her shoulder. I dont really remember much after that.... guess we passed out.
When I woke up a few hours later Dash was gone... probably back to her room I thought. I was sweating a bit, my face hurt slightly but... other than that I was fine. My phone was ringing and I just scrambled to the other side of the bed to get it. I looked at the screen and it was AJ... I didnt want to answer it but I had to... I tried my best to resist reaching for it so fast. But... I grabbed it and swiped at answer... Even put it on speaker. "Hello? Twi? Did I wake you?" I heard her southern drawl ask.
I huffed. "...Yeah... kinda...." I said.
"Oh uh.. Sorry... But just... can you help me here? I tried calling Ryder and see if he cant come home a bit early? Big Mac just drove off to Appleoosa and Scoot and Applebloom are with Rarity designing a childrens line of clothing and I'm gonna be stuck at home for a bit... I just need him for company.... Winona's good n all but.. she's uh... she aint good with conversations..." My heart kinda jumped a bit.
"R-Ryder was up late last night! I wouldnt wake him if I were you. You should know what he's like when he's tired." She sighed.
"Yeah.... Maybe I should call up Dash or Pinkie... Could get one of them over to chat.... My sugarcube needs his sleep."
"Oh! Uh... They're over here too... They both wanted to spend the night the other day and nearly forgot about it... I think Pinkie drank a bit too much so dont wake her up... Dash had to hold her down to get her padded up.... I had to oversee that Pinkie didnt do anything stupid during those drinks and I gotta make sure she didnt soak completely through her padding.... Remember the clean up of the last one?"
"Dont remind me... I'd see Shy but she's taking care of her animals today... Mind if I actually come over there with you after I drop Winona off?"
"I uh...."
"If you're worried I'll bug ya with being there I'll stay out of your mane if you wanna keep napping for a bit. Heck you can do what you need, I'll just be with my sugarcube!" She was pretty much backing me into a corner... And I know Applejack HATES to be alone. I mean she hates it. Ever since... well.. you know... that night... she's kinda been afraid to be alone in that house... basically thinks someone is gonna break in, sneak up on her and... yeah... I sighed knowing there was no way to avoid this...
"S-sure... I'll send a transport to you in a bit. Get a bag ready if you wanna stay the night. I... Might have to do some more spell casting on Ryder." Yeah... a lot more to try and fix what I've done.
"Thanks Twi. I'll tell Flutters you say hi. Just... Send the car out in about fifteen minutes. Should be ready by then."
"Alright... See ya soon." And I just... hung up. It... There was nothing I could do to stop her. I got up and just started getting dressed. Jeans, a long sleeve Wonderbolts shirt, and slippers before walking out into the hall. Told a guard to get a transport ready for AJ and a pet. Dont think Winona was ever good with car rides.
I walked just tugging at my mane with a brush I conjured with my magic. My mane was all matted. Would've done a straightening spell but last time I did that my mane kinda went a bit out of control... Got longer and even gained a bit of sentience.... Cadence helped me fix it.... And it turns out the spell I read was for a growth spell.... and I was so tired I combined it with a sentience spell which I didnt know could be done... especially by me. But yeah my hair went crazy... actually reminded me of the time we ended up in the maneiac comics. Wasnt good but it was fun. Walked all the way to the dining hall. When inside I saw Spike sitting at the table in his pajamas. Sweat pants and a tank top. Surprisingly he doesnt get cold. Unless exposed to elements. He's a bit weird and I've yet to figure it out. He yawned as he sipped from a mug of hot chocolate. "Mornin' Twi..." He said. "...Just waking up?"
"Yeah... Kinda...."
"Ah... was wondering what you were doing... I've been up for an hour or so..."
"Guess my alarm didnt go off right.... Either that or I just slept through it..." He looked at me closely. There's a little quirk about me when I lie... especially when its something as nearly spot on as this. When I lie my horn and my ears nearly line up perfectly and I dont realize it until someone points it out.
"Alright... What's wrong? You're hiding something!" I smiled nervously.
"N-No... nothing's wrong!" He sighed.
"Come on Twi. Tell me what's wrong." I sat down next to him and just lied my head down on the table.... didnt even take long for me to start whimpering. He rested a hand on my back and rubbed a bit. "...That bad... huh? Cant say anything without crying?" I nodded sniffling. "Need to take a couple breaths? Get something to drink. Ears are open when you're ready." I didnt answer. Just sniffled. "Need me to make you some hot chocolate? Tea? Just let me know which one you want. We can talk as you drink it." I looked to him. Tears started streaming from my eyes. "...Can we please talk about it? I dont think it's gonna be good to hide it before Princess Celestia gets here." My heart just froze. I just... I stared off blankly for a moment getting panicked.
"P-PRINCESS CELESTIA IS COMING?!" I just let out a blood curdling scream. Spike grabbed a hold of me and held me tight as a few guards rushed in.
"Woah Woah! What the heck Twi?!" I just broke down. He looked to the guards and quickly dismissed them. They just ran out of the room. I pushed Spike off and got up just starting to pace back and forth.
"Sh-she's gonna denoucne me as a princess, she's gonna throw me in the dungeon, let AJ slap me... rip my wings off and saw my horn off!" Spike huffed and got onto the table before pouncing on me when I turned my back. And he held on tight. My wings couldnt knock him off, couldnt really control my magic... plus I hesitated on the magic part because I didnt wanna hurt him. He hugged me from behind and kept a hold on me just shushing me until I dropped to my hands and knees. He hopped off and quickly dug in the fridge grabbing me a can of fruit punch. He sat me up and gave it to me. Cold to the touch.
"Twilight. Breathe. Breathe with me. In and out." Hesitantly I started to breathe... fast at first but it slowed and deepened. It was shaky. Spike huffed. "There.... what was that about?" I whimpered.
"....A-A spell I did... it.... it backfired.... AJ's gonna kill me, Celestia is gonna take away my title as Princess and I'm gonna be cast out of equestria...." He looked to me confused as he opened the can of juice for me to drink out of.
"What kind of spell did you do? Did you strip all the feathers off Ryder's wings? Set him on fire?"
"...Th-those... those spells would've been better than this... I... I did one of those unmarked spells... it.... it turned Ryder into a foal...." He looked at me even more confused.
"This... this sounds like some sort of dream... Are you sure you did it and it wasnt a dream?"
"...It's not a dream.... I did an unmarked spell, Ryder was the target and needed to sleep, and he's a foal... Checked on him earlier with Dash and... it just.... I... I just..." He sighed.
"Twi.... I thought you knew to stay away from those unmarked spells..."
"I do but... i-it wasnt my fault... Ryder was curious.... he talked me into doing it and... I didnt think it would turn out like this...." I sipped my drink hugging my legs. "...You should've heard him... 'Can we please do it Twilight? Arent you curious as to what it does?' ...Just... He's like a child... curious and just... He gave me the puppy dog face he gives AJ... He's got the male equivalent of Fluttershy's stare... Except his makes it impossible to say no..."
"Why dont you go sit down, I'll get breakfast ready.... Maybe get Dash and Pinkie ready for breakfast too?" I nodded. Hesitantly I got up from where I was and went to go sit down. I honestly forgot all about the princess visits. A week ago Celestia called up and asked to visit to get away from the castle. She's just had meeting after meeting with diplomats and got a bit snippy with some of the guards... So she's coming out here to rest, relax and visit with Scootaloo and Ryder... but Ryder? Yeah... Not good. As I sat there Spike sent the guards out to go get Dash and Pinkie... They took a few minutes to get there. Even with Ryder.
When they got there Dash was carrying Ryder who was still wrapped in his shirt. Didnt seem fussy. Dash was wearing a long hoodie with skinny jeans and her canvas sneakers, Pinkie was wearing a purple long sleeve, jeans and white running shoes. Dash yawned a bit. "Mornin' Twi..." She said. "You alright?" I sighed averting my gaze. "I'll take that as a no... But hey look whos up!" She sat down and showed me Ryder who was a little bit tired but smiled seeing me. "Look at him! Barely a care in the world about this!" She looked to Spike as Pinkie grabbed Ryder cuddling with him a bit. Even tickled him... giggles were kinda cute. "Spike, any way you'd be able to make a quick bit of apple sauce for Ry? Should be some ripe apples and some cinnamon around here right?" Spike looked back at us as he dug into the fridge again and grabbed some other drinks. Chocolate milk for Pinkie and an energy drink for Dash.
"Actually Applejack and Big Mac dropped some off the other day. I'll plate it out for him in a bit."
I looked over at Pinkie. "Think he needs a change?" I asked. She lifted Ryder to her nose and gave him a little sniff... gross... She gave a weird face and nodded. "Ooookay then.... Lets change him.... Dont need a rash around here..." I got up from the table and chugged my drink just as Pinkie got up and we walked out together. As we walked I sighed. "Pinkie... Do you... Do you think I messed up?"
Pinkie huffed. "Yeah but you gotta admit he's cute!" She said. "Can we get AJ over here soon? I want her to see him! I bet you he'll just love it! Having her tickle him, change him and even clean him and feed him. Think she would like the milky mamaries spell?"
"...Dunno... I mean... she's supposed to marry him soon... we NEED to change him back... She's gonna think he's cute for the time being but we gotta change him back before Celestia gets here!"
"We can fix him! But we should see if AJ cant take care of him while we try to find a way to fix him." She looked to Ryder. "Is that what you want? Have AJ take cawe of you fow a bit?" I could see Ryder kinda give a worried look. I sighed.
"...Yeah... you know what's going on... Want this to get done quick huh...?" To my surprise and Pinkie's he nodded. "Wow... Same amount of intelligence just in a little baby brain!" He stuck his tongue out and made a little raspberry sound at me. "I know I know I messed up! You were the one who pushed me to do the spell! So we're both at fault!" He grunted rolling his eyes. "Dont give me that now! You know what you did. And I kept telling you I didnt wanna do that unmarked spell! And look at what it did!" Pinkie giggled.
"Who's a little smarty pants? You are Ry! Yes you are!" She tickled him again and he just giggled and giggled.
I thought we were fine as we walked to get him changed. Nope. As we were walking down the hall I just about had a heart attack... That next corner we turned was just at the elevator and there just stepping off was Applejack... I slowed up but Pinkie held Ryder in one arm and waved at her as the guard who I sent out earlier started out of the elevator and down to her room. Applejack smiled and hurried on over. "Hey you two! Thanks for bringin' me over." She said. Her eyes locked onto Ryder. "And who's this little cutie?" She glanced over at me as the foal giggled a bit. I just... I froze up... didnt wanna say... Couldnt really say anything... She knows when someone lies, she knows when someone is just fudging the truth a bit and even when you dont say anything she'll still push to get you to talk. But... I didnt really have to... though I did wanna run...
"It's uh... It's Ryder..." I could see the smile on her face disappear slowly. She looked to Ryder, then to me, then to Pinkie, then to Ryder and then back to me looking very angry...
"What... Did you DO?!" Sweet fucking Celestia you could see the fire in her eyes, the smoke coming from her ears and the steam coming from her nose. Just as I turned to run she ran up and tackled me to the ground. I flashed away making her the one on the ground and me on my feet. I quickly turned and started running fast, even using my wings when I could turn corners... Only turned a few before diving into a room and leaning against the door. I teared up as I slowed my breathing. I listened as I heard boots coming around. I held my breath hearing the boots stop a bit. I hesitantly stepped away as quietly as I could but... it wasnt quiet as I thought... The door swung open, nicking me in my wings causing me to fall down and turn just to see Applejack standing over me. She reached down and grabbed my collar pulling me up and... I.. may have wet myself... Didnt use the toilet after I got up... bad idea... "TWILIGHT WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO MY FIANCE?!"
I whimpered trying to pry her off panicking. "...I... It wasnt my fault!" I said. She growled.
"BULLSHIT! YOU HAD TO HAVE A REASON TO TURN THE STALLION I LOVED INTO A FUCKING FOAL!"
"I DIDNT! HONEST!" She looked me over for a moment. Pissed my pants, crying and my once nice mane now messed up and cowering in the middle of a spare room.... Actually was a storage room for cleaning supplies now that i saw it.
But before she could answer we heard crying. We looked back to the door just to see Pinkie coming in a bit teary eyed with Ryder in her arms crying is eyes out. "Stop it you two! Look what you're doing to him!" She snapped. She turned her attention to Ryder and started shushing him.
Applejack threw me down and I just lied there and watched as she went back to Pinkie and grabbed the screaming foal as she handed him off to her. "Aww poor thing... I'm sorry there sugarcube..." She said. "Dont cry sugarcube I gotcha... mama AJ's gotcha..." She shushed him just gently bouncing him in her arms. I just started crying hiding my face in shame as I just soaked in my own urine.... Pinkie hurried over to me and helped me up hugging me. I just... broke down.... Pinkie shushed me.
"It's okay... Auntie Pinkie is here. You wanna go back to your room and change? I'll clean up here." I couldnt pass up that offer... I gently nudged Pinkie off and just teleported back to my room. When I got there I just.... I did change and gave myself a quick rinse off in my shower but... I changed into a diaper that Celestia had when she was here after the attack. Wore some baggy sweat pants, changed into a hoodie to hide the waistband and shape of the diaper and even grabbed some new shoes. Just ended up walking back to the kitchen, face hidden by my mane, in my hood, and head hung.
Walked past a few guards, none asked how I was, just thought I was cold. When I got back to the dining room Spike was already finished with food. Dash was eating and he had plates set for me and Pinkie with a little bowl of apple sauce for Ryder... Think they would've been done before I was but I guess not... Spike looked to me as I sat down on my end of the table... Pancakes and blueberries... my favorite... Just like mom used to make too with a bit of cinnamon in the batter. "There you are Twi!" He said placing a plate for himself. "Where's Ryder and Pinkie? He need a bath or something?"
I didnt answer. That was when Dash looked over swallowing a bite of her food. Same thing but with strawberries. Pinkie had sprinkles and a lot of whipped cream... a lot... of whipped cream. "Pinkie decide to go off with Ryder and have him drink her milk?" Again I didnt answer. Just picked up a fork and prodded at my food. Spike huffed.
"Oh great... this is the caught in the act mood...."
"What? You mean like... she was messing with herself kinda caught or did something bad caught?" Spike looked at my face and I hid more.
"Yeah... seems to be kinda both... messed up and got caught and...." He hummed. He gasped a moment later snapping his fingers. "AJ's here and made her piss herself." I just hunkered down and just pulled the strings on my hoodie hiding my face.
"Huh... hit the nail on the head... Now where's AJ? How mad was she?"
"From the hoodie, sweat pants and smell of talcum powder.... I'd say extremely... probably to the point of wanting to knock her out..."
"But if she does that Ryder wont get changed back right away and it might take a bit to turn him back..." I teared up a bit and just opened up my hood again.
I sniffled and whimpered holding back my sobs. "...Can... can we please not talk about this...?" I asked. "...I just.... Just...." I broke down again. "I'M SORRYYYYY!" Dash scooted over and hugged me as well as Spike. I felt bad for this whole ordeal... I wanted to practice spells, have fun with friends and have a nice sleep over... but I turned my best guard into a foal... pissed off his fiance too.... a princess of friendship, turned into a messy maned, diaper wearing pony...I just... I didnt like where this was going.
After a few minutes Dash calmed me down enough so I could eat. In that time Applejack came back with Pinkie holding Ryder. I averted my gaze as Applejack tried to meet mine. "Well hey there Dash. Spike." She said. "Whatcha guys been up to?" Dash didnt answer. Just stayed close to me knowing how hurt I was.
Spike huffed. "Just the usual stuff." He said. "Hosting sleep overs, testing magic and a few accidents here and there." He went over to the fridge as I prodded at my food again. "You want some food AJ? Just made a batch of pancakes and I can make a few more for you if you want!" Applejack sighed.
"I guess... Might need to eat after I feed this guy." She got Ryder from Pinkie and tickled him. He giggled. "Now aint he the cutest? Quick change and a little love and he's right as rain!" She was just doing this to spite me... I watched as Spike set a plate down and went back to the stove. I just... I nearly didnt wanna eat... nearly... but I was starving. Had to eat something. I just stayed quiet and collective as I ate... Nobody tried to talk to me or anything... Not even a mention of my name... after I was done I excused myself. Silently almost.
I walked all the way back to my room, locked the door behind me and lied down on my bed, curling up into a ball. I had my phone in my hand looking at texts... AJ mostly. Thanking me for letting her sleep over, me thanking her for care packages of snacks and even some apples for the guards. Even when Ryder had is episode as a mare but... she's kept that secret from him... actually think that's brought them closer. Even looked at Ryder's texts. Some about how excited he was to see Gems weeks back before the attack, some about foalsitting or keeping his car here while he went out drinking. Even tried to get me to perform a memory spell thinking he was blacked out drunk. I told him everything was fine. He even talked with me the other night about some thoughts on his mind... about how scared he was to be marrying Applejack thinking his fun was gonna be over... same with getting into danger or even making her a target if he arrests someone whos got help on the outside. Told him everything would be fine. And that I'd be there for any problem he had like Gilda would be... didnt realize she would talk with him for hours before he moved into AJ's farmhouse. After I was done I shoved my phone into my pocket. Just sitting in the dim light of my room clutching a pillow. Not even moments after i tucked my phone away my phone my door opened and I just didnt hesitate to use my magic to close it and put my pillow on my face. I heard a sigh. "Come on Twilight get up!" I heard Dash say. Wasnt fast enough... shit... "You cant just hide in your shame about turning my big baby of a cousin into an actual baby! You and I both know it was an accident, Pinkie does too and even Ryder knows it was an accident... I hope... but if you at least take the time to explain to Applejack that it was an accident and how it happened. Spike told me after breakfast when Pinkie and AJ took Ryder to the entertainment room that he gave you his puppy dog face wanting you to test that spell on him."
I sighed throwing the pillow onto the floor. "...Yeah... but... She's not gonna believe me..." I said. "...She's... she's gonna be bridezilla about this... 'you did this because you didnt want me married, you did this out of jealousy!' and all that bullshit.."
"No she wont! Element of honesty and she'll know when you're lying!"
"But... you didnt see how she wanted to hurt me when she got here... she... just tackled me... pinned me and chased me through the halls... made me just... piss myself out of fear... I... I never was so afraid of one of our friends... even Fluttershy when she was a bat pony... she didnt scare me that much..." Dash came over to the bed and climbed in straddling me.
"Me and Pinkie are gonna get you two together even if we have to put you into cuffs and take you to a meeting point. We dont wanna have you do it but we will if we need to! Now are you gonna come with me or do I call Rogue Princess?" I used my magic to get my pillow back... Funny thing is I hit her off of me before hiding my head again. She huffed. "Alright... I didnt wanna do this... but you've forced my hand!" I felt her move from my bead and heard her go the door opening it and opening the door. She closed it behind her and... she definitely had the balls... "ROGUE PRINCESS!" And I almost didnt have time to react. Reason being? The moment I took my pillow off my head four guards came in. Two restrained my arms, one restrained my legs and the last one put a magic disabling ring around my horn... They even tied my wings down and carried me out where Dash was leaning against the wall. "Follow me boys. She's got a little matter to attend to." And... they just... followed her like some sort of dictator. Fact about the 'Rogue Princess' rule... she who called it CALLS it... meaning she gets to make me do what is needed... Celestia could even do it to her sister if it came to that... for... what ever... even.... even if it meant forcing her to have... forced relations with a guard if it was a last request if said guard were dying.
But yeah... I didnt fight as we walked. Just acted like a dead weight. Didnt even speak. As we walked I heard the guards mumbling to each other about either why I was wearing a diaper or why Dash called Rogue princess. Couldnt really tell over their clanging armor and their boots against the ground. They followed Dash through the halls until we came into the entertainment room. Different from my den. Den was a relaxation area with a TV and more than enough room for a sleep over. That's IF its warm enough and the girls are feeling good enough to stay out of each others pants... No joke I find Dash fingering Fluttershy almost every time. Never say anything but uh... maybe... one of those times I may have had my own fun... soundproof my sleeping bag too...didnt help. Caught by Applejack and uh...she helped.... Rarity and Pinkie were too long gone. But anyways when we were in the entertainment room we saw Pinkie and Applejack watching cartoons with Ryder. Ryder just seemed to be enjoying them... either that or Applejack's chest... Anyways both mares looked back at us as Dash came to the side of where they were sitting. "Uh... what's.... What's going on...?" Applejack asked. Dash looked to the guards.
"Cuff the one with the foal too. Need them in a secluded room." One of the guards uncuffed my feet just as the two carrying my back legs dropped me and the front ones stood me up. The ones holding my legs walked inside over to Applejack. AJ had a terrified look on her face.
"D-Dash... What in the hay is going on? Why are you having me cuffed?!" I watched as she held Ryder securely. He just... started to cry...
"Give him to Pinkie AJ. Do we need more guards in here for this?" Applejack looked at both guards and then at Dash.
"Y-You're CRAZY! This is some sort of coup isnt it!? I aint letting him go!"
"Applejack... I'm gonna count to three... Give him to Pinkie... And come quietly." AJ hesitated. "...One...." The cow mare curled up a bit shielding the foal as he cried and screamed. "Two...." The guards readied themselves. "Two and a half...." Pinkie ended up springing to her feet and grabbed Ryder. The foal struggled a bit as he screamed louder and louder just as the guards forced Applejack to her feet and cuffed her...
"D-DASH! NO!" She looked back at Pinkie who was trying to console the screaming foal. "PINKIE! HELP! GET HELP! CALL BIG MAC!"
"PINKIE NO! This is for their own good!" Dash turned back to me and walked towards the door. "Now come on! We need somewhere we can put these two." The guards who held me walked me over to the side and... I couldnt see anything... All I could hear was a screaming foal, my screaming friend and another trying to plead to the guards to release her....
"R-Ryder! Dont c-cry honey! I'll be back! D-dont cry! Please... d-dont.." I heard Applejack say, breaking down between words... As Dash passed us we walked out behind her... followed her until we came to a sectioned off room. A room with a nearby soundproofed room with a damaged punching bag, a few chairs and a radio.
"In here. Get them in chairs and leave them there." She opened the door and the guards took us in there. One guard left my side and went into the room. "Sit them across from each other... couple feet apart." The guard did as such. I was sat in the seat closest to the door... AJ was sat in the chair furthest from the door. I glanced at her for a moment... All I could see was a scared and pained expression.... she didnt know what was happening...I just... I didnt wanna talk. Dash huffed as the guards looked to her. "Alright. Two of you can go. Other two I need standing outside the doors in the hall." Nobody questioned who went where. Two just teleported out and the remaining just walked out closing the door behind them. Applejack whimpered a bit.
"Dash... l-let me go... R-Ry.... he needs me!"
"Youll go back to him in time.... Right now Twilight needs to tell you something. And she needs to if you do want to be let go." She looked to me. "Understood Twilight?" I... I gave a hesitant nod. "Good. Then talk. I'll be right here." She walked to the side and Applejack looked at me.
"...C'mon Twi... just... just say it! I need to get back to Ryder! Poor thing's a wreck without me!"
I sniffled a bit as I teared up. I was... I was still in shock by Applejack getting Ryder nearly forced from her arms... I just.. I hope he wasnt hurt when Pinkie took him. "...No... Y-you're gonna hate me.... you didnt listen to me then, you wont listen now!" I said. She sniffled.
"Twi just say it! I'll listen promise!"
"No! You're gonna yell at me!" I watched as she carefully got up from her chair... Dash didnt even stop her. She came over to me and knelt down in front of me... I flinched... bad... forced a bit of pee out....
"Sugarcube... I'll always listen to what you have to say... just say it..." I whimpered.... hesitating.... biting my tongue almost.... I choked up on myself. "...What do I gotta say to you to getcha to talk Twi? Do i gotta kiss ya or somethin....? I will if I need to..." To be honest... I didnt know what came over me... whether it was taking her up on my offer to get myself to talk or just... sexual frustration... I kissed her... We held it together for a few moments... Enough for both of us to calm down...I was a bit jittery as I pulled away... shocked at what I did.
"...S-sorry AJ.... I... I just..." Applejack smiled a bit blushing. Could honestly feel my face just on fire...
"It's fine Twi... I just... I had hoped that you'd've answered instead but... I'll let this go ya cutie..." Sweet Celestia this is just as cheesy as one of those dirty videos... n-not that i've watched one... got me all fired up. "...Now you wanna tell me?" I nodded more sure of myself and sighed.
"....I guess... I wanted to tell you that... it.. it wasnt my fault Ryder was turned into a foal... he just... he begged me to do it... we didnt even know what this spell was and curiosity over took us... him mostly and he gave me his puppy dog eyes... you know you cant say no to him when he does that... especially with everything he does... how can you say no to someone who risked life and limb for us...? His friends, his sister... his fiance...? I... I was honestly scared AJ... when he was at war... when his house burnt down... even... even his episode... even when he went through that burning building to save your cousin... it... scares me so much I just... I cant bare to think about life without him... to see you sad, Scootaloo without someone to give her advice, Dash without someone to bug and I hate to mention it... but to Gilda who had her life saved by him... I wanna say no when I see him do it but... my heart... it feels like it's gonna break if I even utter the word.... I know he takes it but... I just... i owe him a lot...." Applejack's smile slowly disappeared when I said all that. Tears were running down my cheeks.
Dash knocked on the window of the room and the door opened having a guard walk in. "Release em. Rogue Princess is done." She said. The guard nodded and proceeded to uncuff me and take the ring off my horn... even released my wings... You dont know how fast I latched onto Applejack.
The guard released Applejack's cuffs too and she latched right back onto me and shushed me... "It's okay Twi... I gotcha... We all do..." She said. Dash came over and helped us stand up even joining in on the hug. Guess she felt sorry having to do that. "...And Ry...? Yeah... made me the happiest mare in Equestria when he proposed... but... if you need him for anythin... and I mean anything... just ask... Send him right over your way... drinks, spells even a little play time.... you're good... sos long you dont go and do something like this again without my Okay... and if you know how to fix it... You... do know how to fix it dont you?" I... shook my head into her shoulder. She huffed. "...Need to get some guards to start rummaging through the library to find some fixing spells to fix this mess... Can you have em do that...? Maybe have Spike help?"
I nodded sniffling. "...Y-yeah... ... I... I cant focus when Celestia is on her way...." I said. "...C-can we go see Ryder now? Maybe get something to drink...? I hope he's okay..." Applejack put her arm over me as Dash led us out of the room...
As we got out into the hall we all stopped... Scared. The guards just teleported away as we saw Princess Celestia walking towards us, Ryder in her arms and Pinkie following behind her. Celestia was wearing her white and gold gown. I froze pissing myself... again... Applejack got in front of me as Dash got behind me... pussy. "Twilight Sparkle!" Celestia said. "I come to visit, have dinner with my general and his fiance but only come here to find my general getting his dinner from Pinkie's chest and small enough to sleep in a crib... What... happened....?"
I wanted to say something but I was too frozen with fear. But that's when Applejack chimed it. "It werent her fault Princess!" She said. "My idiot of a foal you got there pushed her to do it! She did it because she couldnt say no to him! He worried her so much! Cant you say you were a bit scared hearing about the shit he's been through?" I could see Celestia start thinking... She looked down at Ryder who looked as if he was fighting to stay awake. Then she looked back to me... I just... I looked away hiding my face with my wings. She sighed.
"...I suppose I could say that... the day I heard Ryder's plane went down... I thought we lost him... we had his sister taken out of school early and driven all the way back to Canterlot... we were gonna tell her she was gonna stay with us for a while longer... lie about his whereabouts but... if he hadnt walked through those doors the way he did... we would've thought he was dead... cant lie when I say I had a bit of a heart attack and a good scream in the back of the transport truck... i didnt want to believe it but... the way my sister was... made it all too real..." She handed Ryder over to Applejack who cuddled with him and kissed him lovingly. She moved aside leaving me open... Celestia hugged me and picked me up. "...I apologize Twilight... you're alright... and Ryder will be alright as well... I'll help you change him back to himself but uh... not until we change a certain someone who I really think should drink more water! Not to mention I dont think you should be leaking a bit. My face grew red as I looked down only to see a slight stain between my legs. Dash snickered at me as I clutched Celestia's shoulders. "Dont worry... I gotcha..."
She walked with me in her arms all the way back to my room where she changed me... she was really... thorough with the change. Wiped me down, powdered and uh.... teased me a bit... got me all hot and bothered too... May or may not have had her finish what she started... Gave her one of my toys. It was fast... like... she did it before but... never have I thought she would have sex with anyone.... me especially.... after we were done she rediapered me, helped me change into some different clothes and get back out to see Applejack and fix Ryder. We had to meet them in another room that she had guards take all the furniture out... even had me, Applejack, Pinkie and Dash stand outside of. Applejack and I were pacing back and forth almost like he was in surgery... again... Dash sighed. "Guys dont worry. He's gonna be fine!" She said. She grabbed my arm and Applejacks and pulled us down to the floor. "Just sit here, cuddle do what ever. Just. Calm. Down."
Pinkie came over and sat next to us. "...Guess this means my chest wont give him any more meals..." She said.
Applejack huffed as I cuddled up to her. "He's still gonna drink that milk from ya Pinkie... My milk makers aint too sure about getting milk just yet." She said. "If he's up for it... I'll look the other way if he wants to cuddle up with someone tonight... dunno if he'd remember that I was kinda being a bit of a bitch to him anyways..."
I looked over at her. "...Was... was that why he was here?" I asked. She nodded. "...what happened?" She sighed.
"...Got into an argument... Mac had to take the girls the other night to Rarity's before heading off... Left me and Ry alone and I yelled at him... just asked him if he wanted to eat in or go out to dinner, I wanted a nice restaraunt, he wanted fast food, told him he was getting a belly on him from all the hayburgers and pizza, he said I was getting fat, I went back with his mane looking dumb the way he had it, he got defensive and told me I looked like some two bit stripper with stretch marks and my 'Apple bottom' aint looking like an apple bottom no more..." She looked to Dash. "...I... I look fine dont I? No stretch marks? Do I still got my apple bottom?"
Dash sighed. "You're fine AJ. Dont listen to what he said..." She replied. "He's a bit of an idiot and doesnt know what he's saying... Kinda sounded more of a baby than he did now." Everyone kinda chuckled. "And hey, if you need someone to show you that you still have that perfect apple ass...." She took her hand, made a bit of a 'rock on' hand signal before wiggling her tongue between her knuckles... made us all blush... Applejack harder than me and Pinkie... Pinkie just giggled.
I looked over at AJ... Kinda sighed a bit. "...Applejack... if Ryder is back to his normal self... can I... take him to my room tonight?" I asked. "...I... kinda wanted to apologize to him in a special way..."
Applejack gave a smile. "...I guess so sugarcube. I do kinda owe it to ya after you holdin' in your emotions after so long..." She said. "...Course I might drag Pinkie and Dash into my room after a few drinks to have ourselves some fun... You willing to have some drinks tonight though Twi?" I thought about it for a moment.
"...Well... if someone can go out and get a case of beer and maybe something hard I can look the other way..."
"Case of Appaloosan Cider and a bottle of whiskey. Sound alright?" I nodded. "I'd've brought my own cider if I knew y'all wanted some but last time I had cider someone here drank five bottles, pissed her pants and slept in a tree until my brother found her lookin' like she got knocked outta the sky during a storm."
Dash huffed. "That was one time! I told you I'd never go for your cider again! Even after you humiliated me!"
"That was before the tree. You were drunk both times, first time you were buck naked and I had to get Ryder to give you that hat to stop you from drinkin' cider, and had you make the other batch in a diaper and your sports bra so you didnt have another accident while workin' and getting our machine all covered in your piss."
"Okay. Now I'm serious about that. I wont touch your cider any more!"
"Better not. Otherwise my honesty might get out of control. And you know what I could say."
I sighed. "Alright no dirty laundry is gonna be aired." I said. I looked to them both. "You just stay sober because I think we might have a filly present. If I remember right we're gonna have Scootaloo over to see the princess." Applejack looked to me.
"Aint that tomorrow?"
"Well we still dont want all of us to have a hang over and do something we might regret.... Need I give examples?"
"...Yeah... me walkin' out naked again isnt gonna be fun..." Yeah.... She got hammered a few years ago before all this shit hit the fan with Ryder... Ended up going through the orchard naked, nearly made it out to the road before Dash caught her and flew her back to the house with Fluttershy and Big Mac had to hogtie her... went out like a light, puked and just lied in bed all day nursing her hangover. Fun day considering she offered to tongue fuck me... Almost took her up on that offer.
But we waited after that. Dash came and sat next to me, Pinkie on the other side of Applejack and we just cuddled in the hall outside the door. Applejack had a bit of a grip on my hand. Didnt say it but she was worried about Ryder. Didnt want him hurt. I was worried too but I tried to keep strong. Even for her. It took about fifteen minutes of silence before we hear the sound of Celestia's magic going to work. Guess she had to calm herself, calm Ryder and wait till we were calmed. Guess she heard us through the door.... The sound only lasted about a minute before we just feel a rush of wind come from under the door... Smelt of baby powder... We all got up. Just... staring at the door... Nopony said anything. Not even a sound... My heart was racing.... I just felt Applejack's hand grip tighter on mine... "TWILIIIIIIIIGHT!" I heard a very loud, very angry yet very familiar voice yell. "WHERE IS SHE!?"
I quickly hid behind Applejack just as I heard the door knob jostle a bit before having it open showing Ryder with his mane in his face, fully grown and half naked only wearing his shirt. Princess Celestia was behind him trying to hold him back. "Ryder! I-It was an accident! Dont hurt her please!" She said. He shrugged her off and came out slamming the door behind him before looking back to Applejack as Pinkie and Dash gave me a wall to hide behind.
"Applejack. MOVE!"
Applejack huffed. "I aint movin' an inch until you drop the attitude ya half naked dimwit!" She snapped. "Now either simmer down and put on pants or Dash here's gonna pin ya down when we force some on ya!" He growled a bit.
"Dash aint gonna do shit! Too much a pussy to get near a dick!" ...Yeah Dash wasnt putting up with him. Pushed him back against the door, reeled back and hit him in the balls... Ooh we all cringed.... I hid my eyes, Pinkie and Applejack dug their faces into each others shoulder and just... his voice... his scream... He's not using that for a week or so... When we looked back to him he was on the floor, crying, hands between his legs and Dash standing over him.
Dash huffed putting her foot on his chest. "Would you rather have a pussy than a weak spot?" She asked. "I suggest you... oh I dont know SHUT THE FUCK UP!" She backed off of him and huffed. "I'm hungry... Anyone gonna join me?" Pinkie hesitantly broke off and hurried after Dash. I didnt know if she didnt wanna see Ryder in this state or if she was scared something like this would happen to her but she just went off. Applejack broke off of me and went to her downed stallion. I just flashed away into the room to see Celestia just sitting against the wall. Hands covering face and breathing a bit heavily.
I walked over and knelt down grabbing her arm... kinda startled her a bit but I helped her up and hugged her. "...Th-thank you..." I said. "...He's back to himself after what you did...But dont worry... I'm fine... Might need to get him to the infirmary or at least somewhere we can put him to rest... Dash... Dash wasnt dealing with him...."
Celestia sighed. "...I... I didnt think he'd.... be hostile like that...." She said. "...is Applejack alright...? I heard him yelling at her."
"She's fine. Just making sure he's okay... or at least not damaged.... Lets just get him somewhere... ice him." She nodded and we both teleported out to the hall. We both picked up a pony. I got Applejack while she got Ryder. I told her to go get something with Dash and Pinkie and bring it back here. I just went with Celestia as we went back to his room and put a towel on his crotch with an ice pack on it. He cringed as Celestia set it on him. "You're gonna be okay Ry. Just..." I looked to Celestia. "...Can you... can you leave me here alone with him? Please?"
Celestia nodded and teleported out. I looked back at Ryder who just looked to me with a teary gaze. "...Dammit... Wh-why did you let me do that....?" He asked. "Why did you let Dash do that to me...? I think she ruptured something."
"...I... Kinda...." I huffed and just leaned over stealing a kiss from him. He just let it happen too... I think if its hard for me to say, I do it and it makes it easier. I backed off and sighed just climbing onto the bed, straddling his stomach and just lied down on him being careful of his injury. He hugged me back. "...I'm sorry... I just... I didnt wanna trigger a relapse into you or have you throw a tantrum... I know how you're like and... its hard for me to say no to someone who helps me a lot... even as one as special as you..." I got a bit teary eyed. "...You've just been through so much... I... I feel like saying no to you is just a crime against nature..." He sighed.
"...I... Thank you for feeling this way about me... I know a lot of ponies care about me... AJ, Scoot, mama Spitfire, the princesses... but coming from the princess of friendship? It's... extremely heartwarming... But know you dont have to do anything special for me... if I ask for something stupid like that again... Just... dont... I can take no for an answer. Even if it was from you..." He kissed me on my cheek. "...Thank you for giving me a place in life Princess.... I'm forever grateful... And uh... can I uh... f-feel you?" I looked to him.
"....my body's yours..." I carefully re-positioned and stripped myself a bit... Even tossed my diaper aside now just having my panties a bit down just airing out my pussy for him.... He put his hand on my crotch and slipped a finger in... I squeezed my breasts as he teased me continuously. I swear if his junk didnt hurt I'd be riding him harder than Applejack on a bucking bull. I knocked his hand away and just lost my panties and pants and just shoved it into his face. He just ate me out like it was an ice cream cone. Lucky we were in his room... otherwise I feel like we'd be giving some guards in the infirmary something to imagine if they didnt wanna leave bed with a hard-on. I held his head still as he licked at my clit and when I came.... oooh....Squirted on his face, I collapsed to my side and wiped his face off with my pants before putting my panties on and passing out next to him. Woke up about an hour later to find him asleep. Took his ice pack off and put it to the side before covering him up and teleporting to my room for new clothes... Jeans, maybe a pad for left over moisture... Even fixed my mane and joined my friends to eat my food and cuddle with Applejack watching a movie... but I gotta say it was something I didnt like. But it all worked out. |
The Return | Elements of Brotherhood (Ryder's POV) | It's been weeks since I was turned into a foal... That was a week of potty training again... No joke. I was asleep at Princess Twilight's castle after my... 'meal'... and may have wet the bed... Chalked that up to fatigue. Not when I pissed my pants a couple hours later and after I got home the next day... Scootaloo and Applebloom laughed at me a bit which kinda hurt but Applejack corrected them with a grounding each. But I'm glad that's done... Applejack had to even have Dash watch me and change me if I went.... Well... she made fun of me a bit too much... had to change a diaper after a habanero and pepperjack cheese hayburger with firey barbeque sauce. Oooh the look on her face. But why I'm glad that stopped? Not because I didnt wanna be walking about and just up and start leaking but... something happened. Applejack got up during the night but... she never got back into bed which is unlike her... always coming back and cuddling up for warmth. Woke up during the night thinking she just went to her sisters room to sleep on the floor because she had a nightmare. Didnt hear any crying or screaming but... she probably found her trying to get back to sleep or something... That was maybe about two in the morning but I still slept well. When I woke up my head was under the covers at the foot of the bed. Normally Winona would've been there in the morning but kinda havent seen her for a few days. Had to drop her with Fluttershy for a bit for a check up and a bit of time with some other dogs to play with. Even gets Fluttershy a little cuddle time. But any way I woke up, wasnt even on my pillow... or even wearing underwear for that matter for some reason. My alarm went off and I just tossed the covers off. "...shit... the hell did we do last night....?" I asked the empty room.
I got out of the bed and went for my drawers. Put on a blank tank top, my lunar republic camo pants and even got my combat boots on. As I walked out I stretched everything. Arms, legs and even my wings. Cracked my neck too. As I reached the ground floor Big Mac just walked out of his room wearing a black and white metalicolt tee, jeans and his work boots. He looked to me rubbing his eyes. "...Mornin' Ry..." He said. "You sleep alright...?" I walked over to the couch and hopped over landing on my back.
"Guess so... woke up in a weird position... Aj's probably in one of the girls rooms... Let em sleep... Scoot had a rough day yesterday..." Big Mac huffed as he went over to the kitchen.
"Still cant believe after all that Diamond Tiara makes fun of her after she's nice and invites her to her birthday party! Lucky 'Bloom was there to tell that girls father... Otherwise you'd have to get down there and talk to her father.... and I know how keen you are with your lingo..." I huffed.
"That was one time I threatened someone because he shoved your sister and my fiance as he was going up to his gym.... Who knew he would be more scared of losing his gym membership than he would of being stuck with an assault charge. Must assault mares for a fucking living... asshole..." I looked to him. "Pass me a chocolate cereal bar? ...maybe one of those canned coffees? Needing something in mah belleh...."
"Why dont you get it yourself lazy ass? I aint your damn maid..." I sat up and grabbed a pillow chucking it at him and nailing him in the face.
"You're closer dude. Just give me something to eat before I bite your god damn head off and have your brain for breakfast... Course with that skull of yours I'd probably starve before I could crack that thick skull."
"You wanna shut up? My skull aint as thick as yours! Fall out of a plane and shit and you still wanna try and crack yours open!"
"And whos the one who has more brain than brawn? You're the one who thinks he can do everything by himself and throw his back out doing it. Not to mention you keep going for it even after you hurt yourself."
"Am I the one who got drunk and started yellin' about everything Daring Do related?"
"No but you were the guy who got drunk, scared his sister and causing his two friends to bum rush him and knock his ass out just to cuff him on the couch. Dont regret having to knock your ass out. You dont know how good it felt to bring you down!" He walked over to me as I sat up on the couch.
"Well am I the guy who's hung up on his parents? Oh no! Mommy and daddy arent here! So sad!" I stood right up and got in his face.
"AT LEAST I'M NOT THE GUY WHO WET HIS BED SIX TIMES IN ONE WEEK AND HAD HIS SISTER DIAPER HIS SORRY ASS!" Oh and that just set him off. He threw a punch and tackled me over the back of the couch. I just flung him off before climbing onto him slapping him a few times before he just pushed me back over the couch making me hit the table and send it toppling over. I lied there for a moment before he came around the couch and grabbed me by my shirt raising a fist in the air. But something was off... "WAIT! WAIT DONT MAC! Something's wrong!" He lowered his fist and grabbed me by the shoulders.
"Better tell me right fucking now or so fucking help me I'll throw your ass through a window!" I shrugged him off, kicked him back onto the couch and got up. He nearly got up to get me until I pushed him back planting a boot on his chest.
"You wanna look around and see the damage we did? The noise we made? And nobody yelling or crying because of us?" He listened for a moment.
"...Yeah... we made a racket that someone in town probably heard... and AJ aint hearing us and neither of the girls are screaming or coming to check on us...." We both looked each other in the eye. He pushed my foot off and almost in unison we vaulted the couch and went for the stairs. I flew straight up as he scrambled up the stairs. He went all the way down the hall while I went to Scootaloos room and threw open the door. Nothing in there. A messy bed, windows shut closet opened and dressers full. Backpack was still where she left it from school. I looked under her bed, in her closet and just started losing it. I ran around the bed and back outside running into Big Mac.
"SCOOT ISNT IN HER ROOM!"
"Bloom aint in hers either, not even AJ!" I started hyperventilating something bad. Big Mac shoved me against the wall and back handed me before grabbing me by the shoulders. "GET YOURSELF TOGETHER! YOU'RE A GENERAL, NOT A FUCKING PUSSY!" I held my cheek tearing up. "Look... Not only your sister is gone.... so are mine... my family... Yours too I guess but... look at me? Am I gonna cry? No. Am I gonna kill someone? Probably. But I'm stronger than a god damn guard. But who knows? Maybe AJ took the girls somewhere and just didnt tell us. Ya think of that?" I shook my head hesitantly. "Alright... Grab your phone, call AJ, see where she's at. Okay?" I whimpered and nodded. "Deep breath Ry... Sorry for hittin' ya... just needed to get a hold of yourself."
"R..Right... I... gotta get a hold of myself... this is the mountain... after the crash... just... know you'll see Scoot... no matter what happens... busted wing, broken leg, caved in chest.... I can do this..." I took a deep breath and walked with Big Mac over to the bedroom door and walked in with him. He sat down on the bed while I grabbed at my phone... but... it was rubber... like a dog toy. I squeezed it making the charging wire pop out and having it make a squeaking sound. I wanted to cry... I wanted to scream. I. Was. PISSED. I looked to Big Mac and he looked at me back, ears folded, tail between his legs, eyes sunken into the back of his head. "...Phone replaced with rubber.... our sisters missing... us left alone? There's only one creature sick enough to get a kick out of our misery..." I threw my phone at the window only to have it bounce back into my face. That's when I grabbed the bed and lifted... I struggled with it for a moment but with the rage I felt I hoisted it over my head, readied it up as Big Mac jumped off and ran out and just sent it through the wall. "DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORD!" I hopped out of the wall I took out and ran over to the nearest tree and tried ripping it out of the ground only to stop, having my muscles just lock up and cramp causing me to scream loudly in pain. That's when Big Mac rushed out and grabbed me, dragging me back inside in agony. I could barely get a word out... "Cramps! CRAMP! OW!" Literally two words. Big Mac huffed taking me upstairs.
"What the HELL was that?! I aint never seen you do anything like that no matter how pissed you were! And I've seen you use my own shotgun to kill a murderer!" He dragged me into the bathroom and put me into the bathtub before turning the water on. Even was nice enough to remove my shoes and socks... Not my pants and underwear. But oh well. Turned it on warm water. "Here... Tensed up so much ya fucking cramped up huh? Why dont you sit here, relax, and I'll see if I cant see anything outside to help us find our sisters. Just call me if you need anything okay?" I nodded a bit. Hurt like hell but... My god that was AWESOME. I sat in that bath writhing in pain but as time went on the pain faded... Though I was on fire. Muscles and anger. After about fifteen minutes I managed to get up out of the tub, soaking wet I ditched my clothes, boots and all. I dug into a medicine cabinet and took some muscle relaxers. Downed a couple dry before going back to my room. Dried off with a towel from the hamper and dried myself off before getting into my alternate uniform... Celestia's gold, blue and a white tank top before digging into the closet and grabbing the duster Luna gave me. She likes her version better from my post apocalyptic game but I prefer the Celestian variant. White duster, light damage to it, blood splattered across the equestrian symbol on the back. Didnt even give time to drain the tub before jumping out of the large hole I had made... The worst thing? Didnt see our vehicles anywhere. No dirt bike, no family truck and my fucking dominator was gone! I walked towards the road and looked down it just to see Big Mac half way down the road, kneeling down looking at the dusty road. I started walking over to him. Didnt even look back as I got close.
"Find anything?" Kinda startled him when I said that. He stood up and huffed.
"Get your ass back in that house, get yourself rest!" I just looked at my hand.
"Not a fucking chance. We need help to find our sisters.... Discord had to have done it... who else would turn my phone into a damn dog toy? It woke me up this morning... But now? It's just a fucking squeaky toy and the only one who does that is a fucking weird corrupted fucking chaotic dragon thing... I'm gonna shove my fist so far up his ass he's gonna be tasting it. If he doesnt have one... I'll make one with a couple razor blades... and a baseball bat." He sighed.
"Alright but where the hell do we find him? He aint just gonna come to us is he?"
Oh sweet Celestia if that wasnt his queue I wouldnt know what else is. We just started hearing laughing... evil and just bodyless but we both knew who it was. "What a show so far... I hope you dont mind me taking your sisters... they put up quite a fight but they know better not to do." We heard Discord say. I looked around. Nothing. "Time's ticking General.... The more you wait... the less feathers someone has... the less mane someone has... maybe the less likely chances of getting their cutie mark...."
I growled. "LAY ONE FINGER ON THEM AND I FUCKING GUT YOU YOU DAMN DEMENTED SQUEAKY TOY ASSHAT!" I yelled. Not the best come back but... lord I was pissed. "SHOW YOURSELF! OTHERWISE I'M GONNA RIP YOU IN HALF AND FEED YOU YOUR ASS!"
"Oh come now... what happened to the razor blades? Tearing me a new asshole? Maybe I should put them in my captive pens... even in your friends restraints at Twilight's castle...." He gasped a bit. "...Me and my big mouth... save them now... Otherwise they're goners...." He laughed and it started to fade off. But as it did... Horrifying blood curdling wails came. Both Big Mac and I looked to the trees. Coming from the trees...Weird... zombie like candy monsters... nearly looked like a pony... Some were fast, others were slower but they had the look like they wanted to kill. I looked back to Big Mac and started pushing him a bit down the road towards the main road.
"MAC! RUN!" And just like that we broke out in a sprint. Some of the candy zombies just rushed us, I punched one off and it left freaking syrup- cherry flavored to be exact- on my fist. Theyre made of candy, yes I tasted it. He even shoulder checked one off to the side as we started nearing the end of the road. My eyes zeroed in on a delivery van with the back door opened a bit. "BIG MAC! VAN!" We both ran for the van and dove in. I shut the door behind me and just huffed taking a deep breath as Big Mac panted. "That fucking.... He's dead! DISCORD IS FUCKED!" I punched at the wall of the van. All it left was a large dent. Barely even hurt.
The red stallion looked to me. "You're fucking... We're killing him one way or another for threatening our sisters...." He said. "But how the hell we gonna get to the damn castle with no cars, no weapons to defend ourselves? If we had our guns we'd be blasting our way through but thanks to you, my gun's locked up in an evidence locker and yours is in a safe somewhere in an armory because you cant trust yourself." I sighed going through a little opening to the front. There were a few boxes in here but I bypassed them easily just wedging myself underneath the drivers seat.
"See if you can find something to defend ourselves while I try to get this damn thing hot wired... Why the driver took the keys I dont know... All I know is we might have some weird draquien blood on our hands..." I forced the little panel off to the ignition and took a few wires out before touching them together. They sparked a bit as the engine revved a bit. I didnt want to hot wire a vehicle at any time but I learned this in my shop class back before I got my dominator. Teacher looked the other way just because we were some of the better students of this class. He knew we wouldnt do anything bad... well some of us... One of the guys who taught me ended up getting arrested for what? Stealing a car, hotwiring it and bringing it into a chop shop... guy that used to work in the garage I was at. Was fired and another guard arrested him after I became general. But what I was doing here? Trying to steal someones vehicle. Kinda... Thing wouldnt even start. It just revved but never sparked to life. I huffed. "Dammit! Not even an ounce of fuel!" I sat up and looked at Big Mac who was just sitting at the side of the back of the truck. "And what the hell are you doing?! I told you to find something to protect ourselves with!" He looked to me giving a huff.
"Well I aint seeing a damn thing. Do you see a baseball bat with nails around here? I dont!" I huffed.
"Check these boxes. There's gotta be something in here."
"You're crazy right? You're a guard... General... opening someone elses mail? That's a damn felony!" I sighed kneeling down.
"Well we have good reason for this. Killer candy outside. We're in here. Friends? In danger. Our sisters? Extreme danger. Now help me look through these." The box I was knelt down at was a pretty long box. Wide. It was a wooden crate, as were the other two. Smaller ones but good sized too. I opened the box and inside was a few weapons. Perfect right? One of the weapons was a sword. Second was a large hammer. I grabbed the sword and the hammer just getting the sword sheathed and tied to my waist as I hooked the hammer to my back. I looked to Big Mac who was looking through the other boxes. He pulled out a few daggers with sheathes and even an axe. He tied the dagger sheathes around his waist and readied his axe. "What luck! We're gonna knock some heads.... got enough for who ever we gotta save..." He looked back at me as I got my hammer out.
"Who the hell are we saving anyways? Dash? Fluttershy? Pinkie? Hell Pinkie could probably eat these things and get us to the castle safely." I huffed.
"Dunno but... We're gonna find em, save em and we're gonna kick Discord's ass... Now you ready to go?" Big Mac nodded as I went to the doors. "Alright... Stand back..." He stepped back a bit as I readied my hammer and I just swung it at the door, hitting it and sending the doors off. I looked back at him as a couple zombie candy... things... Sweeties? Does that work? Oh well but that's what I'm gonna call them from now on. I looked to him as a couple sweeties just tried getting back up.
"...You know those were unlocked right?"
"Yeah but where's the fun in smashing heads when you cant make it badass?" I turned out the door and jumped out slamming the hammer down actually cracking the pavement and sending the sweeties away from the epicenter of a shockwave. Big Mac followed suit and stuck his axe into the faces of those things. We started running towards Ponyville as fast as we could, dodging, and bashing them. Sweet Celestia it was beautiful... Oooh if only I had some metal... or some big band music... Anything that I can kill to... yes i may be psychotic. OH WELL! As we fought I sheathed my hammer and grabbed a car lifting it over my head. Not in a million years have I thought I'd be able to do this. I just let out a war cry as I just chucked the car about a block away, having it roll through a horde of those sweet freaks. Oh you should've seen the parts that went flying. Car and Sweetie parts.... okay... I'm just gonna call them S. Freaks.... When I said Sweetie parts... I had an image of were Rarity would wanna kill me. Hell even I wanna kill me for even thinking that. Well other than that note... we fought until we ended up at a grocery store about half way from the towns edge and the castle. I was starved... Didnt get a chance to eat. We stopped there, barricaded ourselves with what ever we could find. I put a few shelving units against the doors blocking anything from coming in. I sighed as I set the last one in place. "There... We can rest for a bit... snag some food to regain some strength..." Big Mac looked to me. He thought for a moment but just sighed.
"Alright... I'll humor you and follow along... but if someone finds out we've been doing this I dont know you, I was just scared and wanting to seek safety." I rolled my eyes and huffed.
"We gotta try to survive somehow... Now c'mon... faster we get something to eat, less likely we are to die from fatigue and getting overwhelmed. Got me?" He sighed shaking his head going deeper into the empty store.
"You play too many of those damn games... Damn survival horrors are either gonna be our demise or they're gonna save our asses...." He followed me into the aisles. Most of these aisles were tipped over, the whole store was decrepit and all you could hear was the glitching staticky sound of the PA system. Eerie as it was I felt comfortable being armed with my best friend at my side. But I was still mad, almost burning inside that Discord had my baby sister, my fiance and her little sister. Didnt know where they are. Just hoped they were safe. We went until we found some toaster pastries. Took a box of peanut butter and jelly sandwich flavor before just cracking open the box and eating them. Ooh it was soooo goooood.... I was so hungry you wouldnt believe. Ate three packages of them just to get my fill and not stuff myself. I looked to Big Mac as he finished off a third small box of cereal.
"How you holding up over there?" He huffed swallowing the last bite of his honey rings.
"I'm alright... Feel the adrenaline coming down... What about you? Your muscles doing okay?" I nodded.
"Yeah... Hurts still but not as much... feels good...." I flexed a bit. "Not much of a change... You think this could be discords doing? Making things seem lighter, hitting me with muscle cramps and I pick something up only to have it drop on my head?" He huffed.
"Doubt it... Probably would've already done it by now..." He tossed his empty cereal box aside. "...Y'know... I'm almost scared for you to punch me... Hell... I'm kinda afraid what you'd do to Gilda when you uh... wanna be rough with her.... I blushed a bit.
"Now that you mention it... I could rip her fucking tit off... hell... I could crush Applejack or Scootaloo in their sleep if I wanted to cuddle!"
"Shit... Probably tear someone in half just by fucking them... You either dont touch em, or just bottom for a while. I mean... you take a pretty big dick!" He gave a chuckle as I blushed. I sighed.
"Better me than uh..."
"Than my sister?" I nodded. "Well... As long as I dont have to see it... Should probably leave you two alone after this... Unless Scoot's been scared outta her mind... wouldnt doubt it either... Maybe a bit of time with Scoot first, AJ second... Which ever first... I dont care... Long as you guys are happy." I huffed getting up from my position. Kinda felt a bit stiff. I sighed.
"When we get them back, I'm spending time with both of them... They're gonna be frightened... if AJ wants to go to you, she goes to you... I aint gonna hog her..." I stretched a bit and huffed helping him up. "Now c'mon. Longer we keep waiting here, shorter time our friends got. Lets go."
"Reckon we should... Lets hit the back door and try not to make much noise. Stay low, stay frosty just like a nice cold one." Honestly doesnt sound half bad... Just to knock back a brew right now... Cider more than anything. I nearly grabbed a six pack off the shelf and cracked one open as we started going through the warehouse. I looked around checking my corners... maybe grabbed a bag of chips and scarfed what little cheese puffs there were. He sighed as we came to the only two exits... One fire exit, one rusty chain opened receiving door. "Damn... Gonna attract noise any way we go..." He looked to me. "Wanna take a risk and open that fire door? Maybe see if you cant cut the alarm box on that thing? Or you wanna just get that door open and book it? Highly recommend the receiving door. Aint gonna attract much attention with that door." I huffed weighing the options.
"What about just opening the emergency door and running? They're all gonna be attracted to the noise and I could fly us onto a building. What about that?" He shook his head.
"Nope. Things gonna attract em sure but its gonna be safer to get to that castle. Why dont you leave that hammer on your back and start lopping some heads off with that sword?" I huffed.
"Would but... The hammer feels right to me... You wanna try the sword? Maybe the daggers?"
"Touche.... Lets just go." We walked over to the receiving door and found the chain locked to a hook against the wall. I got my hammer ready and Big Mac stood back as I tapped at the lock with my hammer before reeling back and slamming the lock against the wall, breaking it instantly. He grabbed the chain as I got my war hammer readied like I was gonna charge with a spear. Slowly he started pulling the chain opening the door... Creaks here and there, clanging chain here as well as his grunting. Once it was opened about half way we snuck out before hurrying down the alley. Almost void of stuff. Dumpster or two, back doors to neighboring buildings and even a homeless encampment... empty but it was obvious. Gonna remember that if we can save everyone.
Big Mac and I weaved through alley ways, avoiding the Sweet Freaks. None noticed us. Hordes of them everywhere. We got out lucky... But as we weaved through the alleys and streets... Something felt off... I whistled to Big Mac. He looked back at me and I just shushed him giving a hand signal to just stay low and stay put. I crouched coming out of an alley way and just looked around with my hammer in hand. I saw the Castle looming above us just a couple blocks away, a building in front of us with no way around it, windows and doors were boarded up and the cars on the road were parked like they were blocking off everything. Two cars in both lanes on one side, and the other. But what was strange was... no resistance... no surprises, no others holding out... Not even any raiders. You'd think with these Sweet Freaks running around someone would try to take this for an opportunity to steal... well... more than me and Mac did... Suddenly Discord's stupid laugh spooked me and Mac together going back to back. "What's wrong General? Not trusting of a clear path?" We heard him say. "Just go on... your friends dont have much time... I dont think they can last long without their own weapons..." His laugh echoed before fading.
I looked back at Big Mac. "Rush the street and we fly up to the building?" I asked. "Either we do that or make a break for the sides.... Dont trust it..."
Big Mac huffed. He looked to the road. Grabbed a rock and just chucked it straight across. Nothing... didnt hit anything invisible, no noise... but I still didnt trust it. "Seems too easy..." He looked back at me. "...You wanna test the waters?" I sighed shaking my head.
"...Course it's me... always me..." I got my hammer ready as I broke away. "I die, you tell your sister it was your doing for this ya big baby...."
"Says the stallion who wears diapers to bed... Just get out there.... Anything gets ya I'll be there to help ya..." I huffed and turned back to the street. I walked out in the middle of it. Nothing... no trap or anything. But just as I was going to fly up I felt like I hit my head on a ceiling maybe... six to eight feet above me right as the building in front of us was about to come to its roof.
I landed just as Discord's laugh came. I ran to the side and ran into another wall... "Invisible walls! Just like in your games!" The laughing Draquien said. "Dont you just love those? Something you want just out of reach and no way to get it...."
I growled a bit as Big Mac ran over to me. "YOURE DEAD WHEN I GET YOU DISCORD!" I yelled into the air. "I HOPE CELESTIA WILL BE GLAD YOUR HEAD IS MOUNTED ON MY WALL!" Discord sighed from laughing.
"Well come now... I'd think about where you're going to go... Your yelling seems to have caught some attention..." He started laughing again as we readied ourselves against a few rushing Sweet Freaks. I started to think of where to go... Couldnt go up, couldnt hit the streets... under pressure like this? I cant think.
Big Mac huffed sticking his axe into the face of a freak. "Ry! Smash the wall. I'll cover you!" He said.I grunted and took out about four of the freaks before charging the wall. Took a couple hits but it came down... may or may not have gotten a sweet freak with the last swing but that doesnt matter. When that wall opened up we had to fight a few waiting for the dust to settle and the debris to stop falling. Wasnt long but I just wanted to get a little blood thirsty and just started stomping them out one by one! Holy shit it was beautiful. But we didnt have time to gawk at the destruction we created. When we had the opening we ran through the hole in the wall. Just an empty office building we broke into. We ran past cubicles, I bowled one over when I charged it and when we were going towards the front door I didnt wanna waste time opening it because I just grabbed a heavy paperweight and chucked it at the windows next to the door shattering them. We ran right on through and quickly broke to the right to get to the castle. There was a horde of them at the door. I just slammed groups of them out of the way just to get to the door.
When we got inside we sighed slamming and locking the door behind us. We looked up at the stairs before us and I just sighed. "Great... We're here... but no time to rest..." I said. "Gotta get up there to get who ever is up there... See if we cant get to Applejack and the girls fast...." We started rushing up the stairs... Kinda... We went as fast as we could while trying not to kill ourselves... Either by falling down the stairs because we collapsed and because neither of us wanted to trip.
The castle was baron. No guards, no Twilight, no Pinkie, Rarity, Dash or even Fluttershy. Pretty sure I'd hear at least one of them screaming... Come to think of it it was nothing even coming to our ears... No yells of help from anyone. Who's here I wondered. Was Discord pulling a ruse to trap us here? Or was it just my mind doing these things while I slept? Making it seem like this was a nightmare I wouldnt wake up from? Was I going crazy from the shit I've been through? Well... That was what I thought until I heard a familiar yell... one I havent heard in years mind you but it was still from a familiar stallion. "HEEEEEEEELLLLP!" They yelled. I looked to Big Mac. He met my gaze.
"Was that who I think it was?"
Mac huffed. "Eeyup... Shining..." He said. "What ever's there we gotta go fast and get him outta there!" We hurried up to the main level and just started looking around. "You go left, I'll go right, cover more ground that way. I nodded and sighed before breaking away going left at the top of the steps. I really felt like my character in my post apocalyptic game. Similar outfit, hammer type weapon and honestly I should have some gun with me when melee wont work... that's not what I speced into. Litterally... I've got an assault build in that game, unique assault rifle, weird pistol that uses fifty caliber ammo and a hammer to smash some enemy skulls when my guns dont do their job.... Damn robot scorpions around Las Pegasus.... EMP Smashy stick good. Okay but onto the story. I ran through the halls listening to Shining's screams. Went left, right looked in rooms where I thought he was, checked the kitchen and even Twilight's room. Nothing but a messy bed... Twilight always makes her bed... Didnt even see Spike either... if she didnt make it he did... But it was still messy... To be honest this had me more scared even with my sister and Applejack on my mind. Shining yelled once more. Couldnt make out what he said. All I know is I just ran off in the direction that I heard it. Throne room.
As I ran towards it I saw Big Mac running that way too. As we got closer we heard his screams more clearly. "C'MON! SOMEONE! ANYONE! SPIKE! TWILY!" Shining yelled. When we got to the throne room we stopped seeing just a gate blocking me and Mac off from the inside. Inside Shining was tied to his sisters throne and just a few seats over in Dash's spot was Soarin. Both were surrounded by magical shields Shining was casting to keep some Sweet Freaks hitting the shields. I sheathed my hammer and grabbed the bars of the gate just forcing them open, creaking as I bent the bars. We stepped through and I just didnt hesitate from booting the damn freaks over and smashing their heads sending candy everywhere. Mac handled a few of the others before Shining looked at us. He struggled a bit and started to laugh slightly seeing us. He lowered his shields allowing me and Mac to get to them... Poor Soarin was passed out.... Panicked too much. Could see the stress and tiredness on his eyes. "Ryder! Mac! Sweet fucking Celestia what's... what's going on?!"
I huffed as I untied Soarin and lifted him out of the chair laying him down. He was dressed in a button up shirt, blue jeans and worst part was he pissed his pants. "Discord. He's kidnapped Applejack and the girls.... I'm gonna fucking kill him when I get my hands on him...." I said.
"Shit!" He said as Big Mac untied him. "S-So that wasnt a dream!" He said. "Th-the guards... They tied me up... I thought this was a joke! I thought I had a dream that Discord kidnapped my sister and her friends! That was all REAL!" He started struggling again as Big Mac was trying to untie him.
That's when Big Mac slapped him. His freaking out stopped. "Dammit Shining get it together!" He snapped. "Freaking out aint gonna save your sister, and it sure aint gonna save mine!" He pointed to me as I was trying to get Soarin up. Didnt wanna slap him or uh...touch him weirdly... Yeah... I had those thoughts. "You better help that boy get him up so we can get out of here at least!" Shining nodded and hurried to Soarin's side nudging me away before just ultimately backhanding Soaring causing him to wake up screaming a bit.
Soarin looked to Shining holding his cheek. "...What the hell dude! I was sleeping!" He snapped. "May have been having a nightmare but seriously! You didnt need to hit me!" I kicked Shining off and helped Soarin up.
Soarin smiled a bit seeing me. "Yeah... Nightmare..." I said. "Soarin, Mac and I need your help as well as Shining's. But you gotta keep a cool head under pressure here..."
"Uh... Sure thing Ry.... What the hell am I doing here anyways?"
"I guess you uh... passed out, pissed yourself and were tied to a chair... Not sure why you were passed out or something... but uh... Discord kidnapped Princess Twilight, Applejack and Scootaloo as well as her soon to be sister in law. We need your help getting them back but we gotta figure out where we need to go." He looked down at himself and blushed hard.
"Aw man! Spitfire's gonna make me do my laundry separate! Again!" I sighed putting my arm around him standing up.
"Worry not dude. Got some spares here... Did it myself a few times..." I looked to Big Mac. "Mac. You and Shining think of a way out of here. Give him the spare weapons you dont use. Gotta get Soarin into some fresh pants." Big Mac gave a thumbs up as me and Soarin started out. I unstrapped my sword and handed it to him. "Here. This should help us protect ourselves from those freaks..." He looked at me blushing.
"Freaks...? What are they?"
"Well... think Zombies but made of candy and they still wanna kill us."
"O-oh... I... Shit... Is everyone alright...? Are my teammates okay...?"
"Not sure but... Hope they are... I dont think I'd be able to lose my mother again..." I took a deep breath and tried to keep my mind on Applejack. Just think how scared she was. Didnt wanna think of what mom was doing. We weaved through the halls fast to get to mine and Applejack's room. I opened the door and allowed him inside. "Get on in there. My stuff is the right side of the bed, spare pants and boxers there. I'll stand watch. Just make sure you have that sword when you come out." I closed the door behind him and just paced back and forth looking down each end of the hallway. Nothing but I still knew those things were banging at the door downstairs. Only took him a few minutes for him to come back out in a fresh pair of my jeans... Guess he took one of my shirts too but no biggy. He was wearing grey camo pants with his running shoes, and one of my grey Gems n Tulips tees. He had his sword attached to his waist. "Ready?" He huffed.
"...I guess so.... Just.... Scared is all I guess.... Arent you freaking out over Scootaloo?" I shook my head.
"I should be... because she's the closest one in my immediate family left... But I'm more filled with rage that someone took her from me... and my fiance.... I cant do this alone. You Mac and Shining are the guys I need....But to keep me from completely destroying Ponyville is having you guys support me... just be around me..." He looked at me confused.
"Destroy Ponyville...? Wh- how would you do that....?" I huffed.
"...Well... It'd be better if I showed you but when I do just dont piss your pants again... I'm not letting you borrow another pair!" He stopped for a moment but just kept following me. He followed me all the way to the throne room again where we see Big Mac and Shining standing next to each other looking over a holographic map of Equestria. I stopped at the door as Soarin went over to them. "Mac. Shining. On me." They both turned around and came my way but before they could get anywhere near me I rushed them and grabbed them before picking them both up. Shining screamed a bit while Big Mac grunted. I picked em both up over my shoulders. Soarin looked back at me eyes sunken into his head. "Now you think I wouldnt destroy ponyville if I couldnt pick up an earth pony and a unicorn stallion at the same time?" I set them both down. Shining ran away from me while Big Mac punched me in the arm.
Big Mac grabbed my arm. "WHAT IN THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT!?" He yelled. I shrugged him off.
"Trying to prove a point... and I guess it worked..."
"Well try to prove that point elsewhere. Shinin' and I are trying to figure out where our sisters are!" I followed him over to the map and looked over it. I saw showing all the prominent landmarks of Equestria from the castle here in Ponyville, to Canterlot, Las Pegasus and even the Clousdale, Rainbow Falls.... Could see if I cant get Cadence to set up a spot where me and Applejack could uh... you know. "We're thinkin' it could be somewhere here in Ponyville, or even Canterlot. But Discord aint that stupid... I mean... He's stupid in the sense of messing with the head captain and the general of the Equestrian guard, one of which came back from the war, lopped off wing, busted legs and a god damn spark that never dies." I looked closely at the map. You never know how big Equestria is until the map before you shows it all. From Vanhoover to Fillydelphia and even Ikkebuckero. But a glint of light caught my eye. I backed up a bit and saw a holographic form of my cutiemark flying around me. My cutie mark for those who dont know is a gear covering two crossed wrenches. The gear was kinda moving as if it were in a machine as it flew. We all watched as it flew around the castle here in Ponyville and made its way over Ponyville, past Sweet Apple Acres and ending... "...Well I'll be damned...."
"He's got them at Celestia's summer home!" My cutie mark was hovering above Celestia's summer home... It was a while outside of Ponyville but close enough to Sweet Apple Acres for me to drive out there and be back before dinner. Maybe about an hour but still fairly close.
Soarin huffed. "So.... they're there... but we're here...." He said pointing at the castle. "How are we gonna get from here to there? Me and Ryder would fly but you two would be left to walk it, walking through those hordes would be hell for us and I wanna be as defensive as I can get."
Shining twirled his daggers in his hands. "Well we could always use one of the trucks down below..." He said. "But I would like to carve through some of those freaks...."
I sighed. "Well we're gonna have to do one of them... Me and Mac didnt have our cars when we left the house." I said. "We could check for some cars in the garage but if nothing is there we gotta hack and slash our way out. But uh... Maybe you three could get some protection first? I think I'm good like this."
My pegasus friend hummed a bit. "Well... Protection from these guys seems like the right thing... maybe we'll get some extra fire power." Soarin said.
Shining hummed and thought as we came away from the map. "Well... there should be some armor downstairs in the armory." He said. "Guns are all locked up but if we can get some we gotta watch our fire around each other. And three of us here dont know how to use a firearm."
I looked to Shining confused. "Three?" I asked.
"Yeah. Soarin' cant aim for shit, you dont trust yourself with one and me? I used guns too much and it just... I felt something could go wrong if I kept using them."
"And how can Soarin not aim for shit?"
Soarin chuckled a bit. "Paint ball. Went with some of the 'Bolts and Shining saw us when he was with his wife and she sectioned off a field for his team and mine...." He said. "Ended up making a pincushion of Thunderlane's ass... Shining ended up getting us."
I rolled my eyes a bit as we moved to the door. Big Mac laughed a bit. "Well lets just see if we cant just get that damn armor." He said. "And hell if he's anything like Ryder in his war games... boy cant go two rounds without friendly fire... lucky him he didnt do that in real life..."
I huffed drawing my hammer. "Come on. Sooner we get down there sooner we get my sister back..." I said. And the three stallions followed me. Shining drew his daggers and followed behind Soarin and Big Mac while I led the way. We walked in silence almost. Almost being our shoes hitting the ground with each step and Soarin's frightened whimpers.
As we loaded into the elevator down the hall Shining looked to me as he pressed the button towards the armory. "You doing okay dude?" He asked. "You seem pretty calm considering a chaotic embodiment has your sister and fiance...." I looked to him.
"I'm staying calm because otherwise someone here could get hurt. But deep down inside me I'm just so pissed that I could rip someone in half, bathe in their blood and light myself on fire before charging through the town.... Wouldnt doubt it'd take a tranquilizer to take down a fully grown elephant to bring me down... That fucker has my sister, who I've fought tooth, nail and wing for, and my fiance who I plan on marrying soon and who I've given every ounce of love I have... Someone's gonna die and I prefer it not be any of you guys...." He huffed.
"As good as that would be we cant do anything bad... Of course I cant stop you unless I had some strength. But to hold you back, think of if you hurt your sister with your strength... say she saw you do that and got scared of you? Wouldnt let you hold her? Wouldnt even let you touch anyone because you accidentally hurt one of your friends? Maybe hid your keys because she'd be afraid you'd crash and kill somebody with another car. Maybe... and I hate to put it like this... Over force yourself with Gilda and draw blood and cause major injury.... and that's to put it nicely. Pretty sure you wanna... not rip off someponies wings or scare your sister... Catch my drift?" I huffed.
"Wish it was that easy... you'd have to quench the fire before you calm the beast... It's basically cut the gas before you put out the fire. I dont get my sister back, the beast wont stay quiet. Once I get her? Beast sleeps until awakened by the anger."
"Well put the beast to sleep before someone does get hurt. Think of me as your handler. Hurt your handler, more chance for any good stuff. Unless I say the word, keep using that hammer. Am I clear?" I stayed silent. "I said AM I CLEAR?" I pushed him against the wall and got in his face.
"Yes fucking sir Captain Jackass!"
Big Mac and Soarin pried me and Shining apart. Big Mac pushed me against the wall and slapped me. "You better watch yourself Ry!" He snapped. "You start going off on us we'll be going off on you! You forget we have weapons?" He drew his axe and wavered it around a bit. I shoved him back and grabbed my hammer planting it in the floor at my side. Didnt pierce the elevator but I made my point.
Soarin huffed. "Guys stop fighting! We've gotta stick together if we wanna get through this!" He snapped. "Ryder, you listen to what we say just so nobody gets hurt." He looked to Shining as Big Mac joined him on the other side of the elevator. "Try to be nice. That's his fiance and sister he got taken from him. Of course he's gonna be pissed. Just try to speak calmly to him, try to not bark orders at him like Spitfire does to the recruits. And I'm pretty sure Ryder doesnt like to be yelled at... I mean... last time he was...."
I sighed. "Last time I was yelled at I started bawling like a baby... and that was only because mom thought I was a recruit ..." I said. "Cried for a bit but... It was already a bad day... But just lasted for maybe a few minutes while momma Spitfire calmed me down... I hope she's okay as well as Scoot and AJ..." Soarin came over and hugged me.
"They're fine... I'll see if we cant get Spitfire to take off and visit with you when this is all done.... Maybe get Scootaloo and Applejack and see if you cant get away as a good family time...."
"...Sounds good... Just... hopefully they're okay...." I just... started to take some deep breaths. Just to calm myself..... I was still pissed towards Discord mind you but I'm going to try to keep my cool around these guys. The elevator ride was maybe a few moments more. Once we hit the bottom the doors opened revealing the open garage.
The sounds of those sweet freaks echoed throughout the underground stallion made cavern. I walked out first with my hammer drawn and surveyed it. Nothing in sight but quite a few trucks... Hopefully they had fuel. Big Mac walked out behind me and huffed. "Alright Shinin' lead on to that damn armory...." He said. Yea we're in the garage. Armory is hidden somewhere in here. Very well to tell you that much. Just in case of a siege or some catastrophe it is used as a shelter. Also made important that Princess Twilight- along with any other royalty and other chosen few who have spots in the shelter- get in first. Then others for either protection or saving. Shining came out of the elevator and started leading us to the right.
The unicorn stallion huffed. "Alright. Ryder, with me. Mac, Soarin. You two see if you cant get a vehicle running." He said. And just like that Big Mac and Soarin ran off for the nearest truck. I followed Shining through the rest of the garage before we just came upon a wall with a small lever hidden inside a fire extinguisher case. He opened it up and pulled the lever making a panel of concrete disappear. It revealed a number pad. "You know my sisters birthday?" I shook my head. "May twentieth. Numbers correspond to the month and day." I nodded and typed in '0-5-2-0' into the key pad and hit the pound key. Yes it was like it was a phone booth key pad shut up. And after I did that more concrete opened up inwards like a large double door revealing the bunker/armory. There's a way to get into the armory through the castle but we needed an in and out thing without getting charged by more freaks. Shining and I rushed in and started scouring the place. All the guns were freaking foam dart or squirt guns and some of the armor was torn up leaving scraps of metal everywhere.
I huffed grabbing a rubber assault rifle and just squeezing it making it squeak. Stuck with melee... I hate melee builds in game but this can work... Hopefully they get a car running to get us there faster..." I said. Shining grunted kicking some of the armor scraps aside.
"Got the armor too... We're fucked unless the back ups are there...." I looked to him confused as he went to a wall with rifles blocking it moving them all aside, squeaking at least one of them. He looked back at me. "Ry. Gonna need your help here but be careful with me here. Need you to punch a hole in the middle here and just pull if you can." I smiled.
"Oh hell yeah...." I sheathed my hammer and cracked my knuckles. I wound up as Shining got out of the way and full force I just punched the wall dead center. Hurt a bit but my hand went right through. I took my hand out and just started prying it open with both hands. Oh it felt like I was ripping apart a tin can but sounded like a car wreck. I pried a hole open, ripped off a chunk of the metal I punched revealing a darkened hole only lit by the light here in the bunker/armory room. Shining went and climbed in as I tossed the metal chunks aside having them crash down with all the metal pieces of armor. I could see him use his magic as a light inside the room. I crawled in after him and looked at everything bathed in his blue magic.
"Alright... Figure it's about time I tell you about this armor. This armor is only for the elite guards... And when I mean elite I mean better than you or I. We might get reprimanded for this but for now its an emergency. We're going to take this armor and use it to our advantage with Discord." We approached the wall and flicked on the lights from a switch. I looked to the far end of the room and saw Black Armor... Familiar armor but... I couldnt put my finger on where it was before. Four chest pieces. Three helmets. I went over taking my overcoat off and putting the armor on before putting my over coat back on. The armor was metal.... Had some tech on the inside but i couldnt tell what was in there... It wasnt as bulky as I thought it was but just... Lighter than the other armor... could've been my new found strength or the way Shining grabbed and equipped his armor and helmet while carrying the two other chest pieces. I followed through with the helmets as he took the pieces in his magic and crawled through the hole again. We hurried out to the lot and saw freaks just swarming the place. I drew my hammer and just did swung knocking them everywhere.
"HOW THE HELL DID THESE FUCKERS GET IN HERE?!" I quickly did a small smashing circle with my hammer narrowly missing Shining.
"I dont know but SEND EM TO HELL!" Oh the cotton candy, the peppermint shards and even bits of chocolate and marshmallow went EVERYWHERE. I think I even caught a little chocolate bit in my mouth. Tasted like victory.
"BIG MAC! SOARIN! WHERE ARE YOU?!" We couldnt hear anything over the screeching of these fucking freaks. I dont know what I did but something sparked inside of me. I just raised my hammer up and slammed it down sending a shockwave out in front of me sending the freaks flying, destroying most. That's when the laughing started.... God I was insane when this started. Started swinging at freaks here, smashing them against the wall there and even launching them in the air with an upward swing. Shining was enjoying it because I was doing most of the work... at least i think I was.... I was freaking myself out with this. I dont know what happened until Shining hit me in the face with one of the helmets.
"RYDER! Jeez dude! Calm down! They're gone!" I looked around and only saw nothing but candy everywhere. That and... maybe the door and glass shards from a truck's windows. And the truck I smashed? Gooey candy mess all over it, the mangled remains of its doors and everything else. I blushed a bit having my ears go back as I looked to Shining smiling nervously.
"Uh.... Guess I got carried away...."
"Since it saved our asses I'll look the other way. Now we gotta find Mac and Soarin." I nodded and sheathed my hammer and just started running through the parking lot. Shit I forgot how big this garage was. We ran for a little while until we saw a truck coming towards us from around the corner of the ramp leading out. One of the guard trucks and you know who I see driving it? Big Mac with Soarin in the passenger seat! They pulled around us and parked it facing the way we needed to go out. They both hopped out. "Now thats what I'm talking about! You got one working! Where'd you find the keys?"
Big Mac gave a confused look. "Keys?" He asked. "We just uh... hotwired it... Didnt know the keys would be somewhere..." Shining sighed as he gave the guys their armor.
"First Ryder loses his shit, next you completely fuck our transports...." He looked to me. "Once this is over, you're gonna fix this. And by the by, I'm glad you never did this!" And I hope he doesnt find out. I climbed into the back seat putting my hammer across my lap as the other guys put their armor on. Soon after we were on the road taking down freak after freak, dodging other cars left in the road heading back out of the city.
Soarin and I were looking out the windows at the eerie emptiness of the town and the freak body parts just flying around. And then we passed by a familiar site to me. "Hey Mac... When you were coming to get us did you see what happened to that building there?" He asked. Yeah... the building I charged through and utterly destroyed. Guess I took out a load bearing wall and it came down after we left the building.
Big Mac huffed. "Let's just say someone here got kinda pissed and needed a way to get is rage out!" He said. We turned down a road and just started plowing through larger hordes of those freaks. Sure they were far away in between but we sent em all flying just plowing through them. "...Ya know... It's hard to believe this shit went down over night.... just didnt realize until we woke up to it...." He glanced in the rearview mirror. "Shining? How'd you say you got tied up again?"
Shining huffed. "Discord went and kidnapped my sister... I fainted and woke up there..." He said. "What about you and Ryder?"
"Started fighting over breakfast and made a ruckus but nobody came down to stop us... Oh you shoulda seen this boy when he through his own bed through the wall and almost uprooting a tree before his muscles cramped up. Good lord I thought he'd've had to be put down with his screams...."
I huffed. "Fucking hurt like a bitch..." I said. "Now I just let the pain fuel me... Hurts but not as bad..." I looked to Soarin. "What about you Soarin? How'd you get dragged into this?"
Soarin huffed. "Dunno.... went to bed last night after kinda having a shouting match with some of the recruits, one was pissing me off, two were mocking me and Spitfire gave me the okay to put them in their place which I hate to do and good lord did I hate it when one of them started to cry." He said. "Dunno if I made the other wet himself but he went to his bunk fast after I finished yelling... didnt even dismiss them... Not even Spitfire's pissed off line of 'get out of my sight'"
Big Mac gasped a bit. "Alright guys hold on! Horde coming up and this one looks like its a doozy!" He said gunning the engine. We all held on tight as he just plowed through the horde. Kinda swerved a bit but he kept control of it. "Holy shit... Hordes are getting bigger!" We looked beyond and saw nothing but hordes left and right. Almost covering the road too.
I huffed grabbing my hammer. "Big Mac! Keep driving! Aim for the thinner parts of the hordes even if it means having to swerve!" I said. "I got a bad feeling about this and I need to be ready. Just keep going until I give the signal!" He looked out at me as I went and rolled down the window before looking back at the road.
"What is the damn signal?" I looked to him as I started sticking my hammer out of the window.
"You'll know. Just. DRIVE!"
Shining huffed. "Trust me Big Mac. You're gonna wanna listen to him." He said.
Big Mac grunted. "Alright... Cant believe I'm doing this..." He said. "Just get out there and you better make that damn signal loud!" I waited a moment as we smashed through another horde. May have grabbed a bit of chocolate out of the air before climbing out the window and onto the roof. My coat tails flew in the wind as I kept down on the roof letting the harsh wind blow my mane everywhere. Oh how I wish I had the gas mask that went with this costume... Oh but this felt just amazing... I saw hordes left and right for maybe about a mile... I was cold yes. But did I care? No. Soon we were out of the town and just past Sweet Apple Acres.... Just a couple miles more i thought. Horde after horde of the sweet freaks hit the truck, making it kinda fishtail a bit but Big Mac kept it straight. That's when I saw it. A massive horde outside of Celestias summer home... But... It had cotton candy clouds hovering over it, peppermint lightning flashing.
And that's when I let out a blood curdling scream like war cry. And just as Big Mac hit the brakes I was airborne for a moment as I got my hammer ready... I felt as if everything were in slow motion with the last second questioning myself.... Was I really doing this? Yes. Yes I was. I brought that hammer down hard creating a shockwave that even brought up the road and flinging the sweet freaks like toy dolls on a blanket you were trying to straighten.... Those that I didnt hit ran right for me and I just left my hammer on the ground tearing them apart with my hands. The fire raged inside me so hot I felt like I could burst into flames. I just ripped through them, tore them up and just went full on animal... Hell I even grabbed two of them and just smashed them together before just tossing them down the road. Shit was I losing it. Only came back when Big Mac started laying on the horn as Shining and Soarin were rushing me. I grabbed my hammer and sheathed it as Shining grabbed my arm. Soarin huffed. "I dont know what that was but... shit remind m not to piss you off..." He said taking my other arm.
Shining sighed. "Alright... just take a deep breath... we're almost there... Dont wanna have you freak out like that again and hurt AJ and my sister..." He said. "Snuff the fire to embers. Let it burn a little but keep it in control dude.... Get me?" I nodded starting to take deep breaths. "There we go... Now C'mon lets head back to the-" And just then the truck backfired and the engine just sputtered to a stop. We all just looked at it like we couldnt believe what was going on. Big Mac hopped out and I shrugged Soarin and Shining off me before going over to the hood of the truck and opening it up. What we found? Melted chocolate, candy canes and cotton candy just gunking up the engine, even throwing the belt and plugging up the pistons.
I growled a bit. "You boys have ten seconds to get what you need from the truck before I break the gate down with it...." I said. That was when I started counting... the guys were so frightened by my counting they scrambled for the truck. They grabbed their weapons out of it, Soarin grabbed his sneakers (Didnt realize he wasnt wearing any at that moment) Shining grabbed his helmet as well as Soarin's and Big Mac's... and once I hit ten Shining just about pissed himself as I grabbed the front bumper and started to lift it up before I just started pushing it further and further up as I went for the middle axel and the pipes under it. Just as I turned to start walking with this thing they scrambled away. I only took a few steps before just turning around a couple times before vaulting that truck, smashing part of the wall, mangling half the gate and watch as the truck burst in to flames before just exploding. But there I guess I pushed myself too far... I just fell to my hands and knees only to puke up what I ate... Toaster pastries are good going down but coming up? Nah.... Shining huffed as he slowly helped me back to my feet with Big Mac on my other side. I saw Soarin just off to the side rubbing his throat looking at the sky.
"Well... there we are.... I guess.... Take it slow Ry...." I coughed a bit before spitting onto my pastry pile.
"...The hell I will... bastard has my baby sister.... He's gonna pay for each feather my sister has on her wings, hairs on her head and tail and multiply that by the amount of ponies Celestia has seen in her life time..."
Big Mac huffed. "Ryder NO!" He snapped. "What if your sisters there to witness the whole thing? She aint gonna touch you, look atcha, and god knows Applejack aint gonna like it if you're scaring your sister into pissing her pants at the mention of your name. Do you want that?"
"Well somethings gonna happen to him! I'm either gonna break his arm or rip off his horns.... Maybe skin him and make him a coat...."
Shining huffed and pushed Big Mac back before looking at me. "He's right Ryder. What if Scootaloo was in the room with Discord?" He asked. "If you did those things you said you'd do, you'd lose her respect, her love and I wouldnt be surprised if she'd be scarred by the things you did in front of her! I know she was scarred by seeing your parents after they were murdered in cold blood! I was there for her when she was wetting her bed with Celestia in there.... How much laundry would you have to do, diapers that you'd have to change, and tears you'd have to dry when you do the things that cause them?" I huffed.... I took my arms back and crossed them.
"Fine. Hammer stays where it is, hands stay where they are unless needed.... But if he does something... Do I have permission to hurt him?"
I could see the guys look to each other. Speaking to each other without words. Shining looked to me. "Hit him but make it nonlethal and with as minimal limb breaking." He said. "So anything below his head around his arms and above his legs.... tail will be fair game if we wanna throw him around. Sound good?" I nodded. "Good. Lets move. Stay calm and we can get through this." I sighed and just started leaning on Shining as we started to walk. Big Mac and Soarin had their weapons drawn ready to protect us if anything rushed us.
We approached the hole I made and I broke away from Shining, still staying by his side. One by one we stepped over the rubble and slipped into Celestia's Summer Home compound. We came just around a busted guard post kinda hit with debris from the wall and rocked with the explosion. I looked to the darkened windows. Some cracked from the bang, others broken from flying debris. But then what I hear next just makes me stop. Screaming. And not just from anyone... from. My. Sister. Big Mac, Shining and Soarin all grab onto me and put all their weight on me. "HEEEELP! HELP ME! RYDER! CELESTIA! ANYONE!" She screamed. And when it suddenly stopped.... Something in me snapped and all I saw was red. My wings extended and I threw the guys off, Shining taking my hammer but I didnt give a fuck. I just flew up and roared into the sky before doing a small loop and through a window. When I was inside I looked around.
It looked like there was no inside to this at all... I saw the glass shards around me, felt the cuts that they made. But there was nothing in here but... What looked to be a dirt path with grass around it. Dead grass mind you but that's all i saw. The window I came through wasnt even there. I just started running on the path. Didnt see anything but the path. Beyond what I could see was void. Felt like I was running for a while but that's when I came to a door just out in the middle of the path. I looked around it, didnt see anything. That's when I just kicked it down but here's the scary part. This door went somewhere. Not to the other side of the path. But a room... covered in... blood... orange feathers. I walked in and looked up just to see Discord floating there. Shit eating grin, blood all over his claws and just feathers here and there on him... even wore a head dress of em.... "Well now... Generals here to save his sister... but I'm afraid its too late! Lollygagging as usual, not caring whether or not someone lives or dies..." He said. He took his headdress off and tossed it aside, feathers falling off as it hit the ground.... and what I see inside holding the feathers together? A red hair ribbon. Applejack's hair ribbons.
I looked back at him and didnt even hesitate on flying up to him fast, grabbing him and throwing him against the wall, pinning him by the neck. "MY FIANCE, MY BABY SISTER! WHERE ARE THEY?!" I yelled. He laughed a bit.... Almost like he was using helium making his voice lighter.
"It's obvious where one was... The other... I'm obliged to say she's okay... for the time being... hopefully she passes through unharmed!" And that's when he reached into his mouth with his talons and pulled out another ribbon with blonde mane hairs attached to it. And that sends me over the fucking edge. I headbutt him, throw him to the ground, fly down so fast I crush his ribcage with my boots and just start punching him over, and over and over again, each punch getting my fist bloodier and bloodier. That's when he pushed me off, unfazed by the damages I did and popped bones back into place, healing his wounds with just a snap.
"...Well... It appears time is up.... thanks for playing...." He started to laugh before blowing some weird dust all over me. That's when I started coughing and feeling weird.
My vision started to fade and I fainted. But... I felt cushioning under me. Next thing you know a nudge. That made my eyes snap open and making me spring up where I found myself in a bed, covers thrown off, me in a teeshirt and a .... diaper... and right next to the bed? Applejack wearing a white teeshirt under blue overalls, and her work boots... even having her mane tied up with her hat on her head. I scrambled out of the bed and just broke down once I hit the ground. She knelt down and shushed me as she stroked my mane. "There there sugarcube.. you're alright... I'm alright..." She said.
"...I-It's over.... Sc-scootaloo... She's.... Discord... He's...." She shushed me more as she lied on top of me hugging me.
"Hey hey! She's alright! Scootaloo's with her friends and Celestia!" My heart dropped hard.
"....G-god no.... he killed them..."
"Killed em? Oh sugarcube no! That was just a bad dream! I'm alright! Scoot's alright too! Want me to get her for ya?" I sniffled and nodded. She kissed me on the cheek and got off me before heading out of the room. I took a closer look at the room and just saw it dimly lit by sunlight. But this wasnt my room, Scoot's room, or even anyone of our friends rooms. We were in Canterlot. I got up slowly and hobbled my way to the door... diaper was soaked. I looked around and just saw Applejack walking away. And walking towards me coming from the opposite way from where she went? Celestia! I just flew at her fast and just hugged her taking her up in the air.
Celestia kinda screamed a moment but was kinda happy to see me. "R-Ryder! Can you uh... put me down please!! I think.... I think you may have cracked something...." She said... almost sounding as if she were in pain.... I looked to her confused and then... I realized... I was a few feet in the air with her in my arms like I usually have Applejack in at times... and Celestia's a few ponies away from being my weight... I dropped her scared but didnt even give her time to get her feet ready... just flopped on her back, ruffling her wings and hitting her head hard.
I gasped and landed next to her. "OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT SORRY! I'M SO SORRY PRINCESS!" I yelled. She groaned a bit holding her arm and the back of her head.
"Ah fuck... that's a cracked skull... and a dislocated elbow... maybe a busted wing too...." I started breaking down again on top of her.
"PRINCESS! NO I'M SORRY! D-DONT GET ME IN TROUBLE!" She looked to me.
"R-Ryder please calm down and listen to me! In my bra... there's a pill box in the right breast cleavage pocket... Grab it for me will you?" Hesitantly I reached for it... didnt go for it a few times but I did... so soft of breasts but I found the box she spoke of and pulled it out... it was a single pill box with a red and green capsule inside. She grabbed it from me with her good arm and opened the box before popping the pill into her mouth and swallowing. "...Help me sit up please? I.... I'm hurting a lot at the moment.... and... please dont hug me again... that... that hurt...." I pulled her up carefully. She whimpered a bit as I sat her up, pushing on her wing... It did look bad. I couldnt even stop myself from crying at all... I needed a hug so bad.... She started sniffling trying to keep it all together as she scooted herself closer to the wall leaning on it. I just curled up next to her sniffling. "It's okay General.... please calm down you're not in trouble... I promise! It's a complete accident!"
Celestia shushed me as I rested my head on her leg. We waited there for about a minute before I heard the sound of shoes hitting the floor. I looked up from where I was and just saw Applejack coming over with Scootaloo. Celestia held me where I was with her magic. Didnt even wanna move anyways. "Ryder!" My sweet sister said jumping onto Celestia's lap and crawling onto my back hugging me.
Applejack huffed. "See Sugarcube? She's okay... You gonna be okay now?" She asked.
I sniffled. "...I... I dont know..." I said. "... Wh-what's going on....? What was that...? Why am I here...?"
Celestia huffed.... Even as I heard bones pop back into place. "I... Suppose I can explain...." She said rustling my mane. "Mother thought it would be wise to put a team together in case of confrontations with my father.... You and your friends are the perfect candidates but uh... where this strength came from is beyond even I.... Luna was observing you from afar and even she doesnt know!"
"...Can... can someone get me some pants... I'm freezing a bit...."
"Why dont you just get back in your room and I'll have Applejack grab a blanket for you? I need to rest here a bit... still kinda hurts...." I whimpered a bit and glanced back at Scootaloo...
"...Scoot... Can you get off me please? Stay with Celestia for the moment?"
Scootaloo gave a bit of an 'aw'. "But why? I wanna make sure you're okay...." She said.
Celestia sighed taking my sister off of me and releasing me from her magic. "Scootaloo I'd listen to him... I need some companionship right now and he needs to calm down until Luna gets here with some new pants for him. Think you can just stay with me for a while? Like old times?" Scootaloo sighed.
"...Okay... but only because I miss you sometimes..." Celestia gave my baby sister a kiss on the forehead.
"Well... good thing we're having a sleep over here. You and your friends are gonna share a room near mine...." I watched as she just nuzzled the princess cuddling up to her. Celestia just gave me a hand signal telling me to just go into the room. I did and shut the door behind me where I just sat on what I just found out was a stripped bed.
I sat on it wondering... what the hell was that...? It felt so real but... it was all a dream? I sat there confused for a while until Applejack came in holding a folded blanket before draping it over me. I lied down and curled up under the blanket. Applejack sighed. "There we are. Feel better sugarcube?" She asked. I nodded. She giggled a bit as she got in the bed with me lying on top of me. "Well I'm glad about that... didnt know what was going on in your head when you were out that whole time... But seems like it freaked you out bad huh?" I nodded.
I whimpered a bit. "....I just.... it was so Scary... no you, no Scootaloo.... candy zombies everywhere...." I said. "....Just... got the shit beaten out of me... I was angry... pissed beyond belief that... you two were gone... out of my life because someone took you from me... but when I got to you.... you were gone... nothing to bring you back, nobody to say a final goodbye...." Tears started welling up again.
"...It's alright sugarcube.... I'm okay, your sisters okay.... aint nothing gonna put us down before our time... I know it's scary to think about... but that was all a dream scenario... The Princesses told me that it would test you, see how you'd do in this scenario up against someone more powerful than you and it seems like you passed with flying colors.... Problem is I just didnt know how dark it got... But I'm here for you... any time ya need me..." She nuzzled me. I just nuzzled back. "There we are... who's my big baby boy?" I blushed and smiled nervously. "Oh? Is that a smile I see?" She started tickling me a bit. I couldnt help but giggle. "Come on! Who's my special man?" I just busted up laughing... maybe wet myself too.
"I am! I am! Just stop! I just peed!" She stopped and let me just finish pissing myself before actually shitting myself and just lied down on top of me again... Oh it felt so good to feel her touch, hear her voice after what I saw in that hell they called a scenario. I nudged her off and invited her into the blanket to help warm me up. I just lied down flat on my back while she just kissed me on the lips, pushing her soft tits against me...I wanted to hug her but... I know I couldnt. I wanted to fall asleep again but before we could do anything the door opened and in walked Luna.
Luna was smiling but the smile disappeared as we scrambled out from under the blanket. She was wearing her regal blue and black dress and she had a bag in her hand. Looked to be from a clothing store. She sighed as we just smiled back seeing us.... Applejack mostly... Fully clothed. "Okay... Good.... I didnt just find myself walking into some love making..." She said. She approached the bed. "It's good to see you finally awake Ryder. I apologize PROFUSELY about what happened in that scenario.... Discord should not have gone that far!" I gave a yelp wetting myself more.... even brought the blanket over my head.
"D-Discord was real in that?! Oh shit I'm fucked....." Luna grabbed a hold of me and hugged me. I kept my hands where they were.
"It's okay! Discord figured it out the hard way not to fuck with you like that! He wont do anything more to you but with the brutality of the end result.... Thoust might want to apologize...." She started to strip the blanket off of me and lie me back. "Here. Allow me to change you and get you into new clothes so you can join your friends for a drink.... Got some whiskey special for you if you need it." I whimpered a bit as she proceeded with the change. Applejack watched and just tried to keep me calm by stroking my mane, wiping my tears and trying to get me to smile like when I was a foal because of a fucked spell. It was only for a few moments between the used padding and the fresh powder and padding to cover me. She even helped me get into a new outfit. One that was formal but... not too far off my style. Gave me a pair of black jeans, black sneakers and a white button up with a black vest. I felt good all freshened up.
After the change Applejack went back to where ever she was but that left me and Luna alone for me to calm down. I was still a whimpering shivering mess. She shushed me but i kept my hands on my lap. A knock came to the door before it opened. I admit I was still startled by the knock. Didnt know who it was. But as the door opened Celestia came walking in looking as right as rain. She sighed. "Alright... Changed, clothed and fit for duty." She said. She looked to Luna."Sister uh... We have a slight problem with Ryder. It seems that super strength that you gave Ryder in his dream carried on over to the real world.... Nearly severed my spine when he greeted me out in the halls... dropped me on my ass from a few feet in the air above the floor too... Damned if I wouldnt hear guards speaking of a loud sound one floor below." Luna looked to her sister confused.
"Strength? I didnt give him any strength... I swear that was something to do with the dream being more powerful than reality... arst thy sure you didnt get a bump on your head when he rushed you?" Celestia shook her head. Luna started to think as I got up from the bed. She got up as well but... I didnt mean to scare her but I grabbed her by the legs and lifted her up, being careful trying not to break anything. I handed her off to Celestia who set her down next to her as she just looked at me shocked. "WHAT THE HELL?! Th-this shouldnt be possible! A pegasus stallion having the strength of twenty earth ponies? Even that of my sister?!"
I huffed. "I dont know how, who or why.... but... I need this fixed..." I said. "I'm too scared to hold my sister and AJ fearing I'd split them in half! And even Babs! She's gonna want a hug every time she sees me! I dont even wanna rip the door off my car when I'm trying to open it!" Luna hummed.
"...This is somewhat scary... it's not what I expected but... I can fix this... Though it would take an enchantment of something you'd have to keep on you at all times...." She looked to her sister. "Perhaps a bracelet? Necklace?"
Celestia hummed. "Something that's easily hidden and doesnt need to be taken off for uh... relations." She said. "Perhaps an arm band? Rings?" They thought among themselves as I grew a bit more worried.
I just started pacing back and forth in front of them, holding myself fearing I'd just rip a hole into the next room, break the bed, put a few holes in the door. You name it. "There has to be something!" I said. I looked to them. "Cant you put a spell on me reducing my strength? Do you need to know the limit at which my strength goes? Just to know how to do it with an enchanted item?"
"Perhaps we can send an expert through the Canterlot library for a spell book on alterations for things such as strength mentality and endurance and set a temporary charm onto you for say about a week but we dont know if you'll have a momentary strength boost or if the spell will be too strong and render you too weak to even stand! But... We might need to help you out... unless..." Celestia looked to Luna.
"Do you.... Do you think Twilight would know a quick fix?"
"Perhaps... Do you wanna go get her? I can stay here with Ryder!"
"And let something happen between you? There's something more that I need to speak with him about than wanting to whore yourself out to him." Luna gasped.
"You did NOT just call me a whore!"
I growled. "WOULD ONE OF YOU JUST FUCKING GET TWILIGHT BEFORE I RIP THAT DOOR OFF AND FIND HER MYSELF?!" I yelled. Luna and Celestia both flinched. Luna looked to her sister.
"Why uh... why dont you just... stay with me and we both get Twiight?"
Luna smiled. "S-sure! We're unsure of where she is.... Cover more ground right?" She asked. Celestia nodded and they both teleported out of the room.
I just started pacing as I broke down... went and just hid my face as I sat back down on the bed. I sat there for what felt like fifteen minutes. Hating myself for yelling at the princesses... but I'm sure they're going to forgive me knowing what I had gone through, and what I'm going through now. Not long after I got a knock at the door. I whistled a bit and the door opened having Twilight, Shining and Big Mac come in. Twilight was wearing a blue royal dress. Shining was wearing his guard armor and jeans while Big Mac was wearing a long grey flannel shirt, black jeans and some nice looking dress shoes. Shining whistled as I got up. "Look at you! Snazzy!" He said. "Princesses said you had some sort of problem here? Any pain or something?"
I shook my head. "Not really but...." I said looking to Twilight. "Can you uh... just step off to the side please?" She nodded and walked off to the side leaning on the wall. I looked to Big Mac and Shining. "Can you guys get in front of me and turn away." They looked to each other. Mac shrugged and walked over with Shining. They both got in front of me and I knelt down putting my arms out, flexing my muscles. "Alright guys. Sit on my shoulders." Shining looked back at me.
"Dude... You're gonna hurt yourself!"
"Need I ask again?" They both huffed and did as they were told. I held their waists and counted to three in my head. One. Two. Three. And that's when I lifted. Holy shit its like they were nothing. I scared both of them causing them to yelp while Twilight laughed a bit.
"SHIT NOT AGAIN! PUT ME DOWN!" I laughed a bit putting them both down. Shining went to his sisters side.
Big Mac looked to me. "I swear you need to warn me when you do that!" He snapped. "You do that without warning me, I'm grabbing what ever I can and smashing it over your head. Capiche?!" I kinda shrugged giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Twilight sighed and approached me as Big Mac scoffed and just walked over to the wall. "Well I see the problem..." She said. "Extreme strength, extreme need to screw with friends, and a low chance of apologies while still making a princess laugh at her newly found hero brothers." I blushed a bit.
"Yeah... hero... but is there any spell you have to hinder the strength I have? Be it temporary or what ever... I just wanna hug my sister without breaking her in half." She hummed.
"Well... I do know of a spell that helped Bulk Biceps to relax on lifting random things.... even give a softer massage and it lasted for a week. I suppose I could use it on you and see how you fare with things. Up to try for it?"
"As long as by the end of the week we can have a better solution other than a weekly check up."
"Agreed. Now you may feel a slight aching after this so be ready. One, two and..." She didnt even give me time to brace for it before hitting me with a blast of magic. It only lasted for a moment but that aching she said would happen? Yeah... That was just cramping muscles and it hurt. I just started crying out in pain as I collapsed onto the floor. Twilight immediately hit me with a spell that numbed the pain as well but still let me do my own stuff like use the toilet, breathe, walk, shit like that. When we went to join the others, I found EVERYONE there. Babs, Scootaloo, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Soarin, Mama Spitfire, Spike, Rarity, Celestia and Luna and even Pinkie who just... blew her party canons everywhere for us. Celestia even had me and the guys line up to bestow medals onto us all representing something. I got strength, Soarin got wisdom, Big Mac got courage and Shining got protection. My medal had a dumbell on it, Soarin's had an eye, Shining's a shield and Big Mac had a fist that rose in triumph. I didnt know what this meant for us in the future but... I was glad we were chosen to aide in protetion of Equestria. |
The Return | Second Thoughts | Confusion here, sweating there.... anxiety more here. Pretty much what my day was. Maybe these past couple days. Hid most of it well with Applejack... the anxiety.... harder to hide. Kept saying I saw a spider. Didnt see where it went. But today I aim to get away from AJ.... Even while I'm under Big Mac's watch. It was early morning. I was getting dressed with Applejack sleeping behind me. Reason i'm getting dressed? She wants someone to keep track of Big Mac and stay with him while he's out in Appleoosa and I dont blame her. He's been drinking lately and nearly started a fight at a bar we were drinking at the other night. If it werent for my dog tags both being intimidating for ponies not to hit me and having them also dilute my strength tenfold so I dont go crushing, breaking or lifting anything. Twilight enchanted them herself after I showed her my strength more fully. Lifted a truck, held it up one handed and set it down. Even had me lift weights and have more weights put on it more and more, even stacking stallions on it. I can lift a hell of a lot. But I'm getting off track. I got into my military garb. Lunar republic pants, black combat boots and a black shirt under my matching jacket. Even stuffed a bag full of clothes and even tied my now somewhat long mane (since Applejack made me cut it a bit after our manes got tangled together when we were cuddling). I turned back to Applejack and was about to kiss her goodbye but... crying started. But this wasnt Applebloom or Scootaloo. I sighed as AJ stirred. "Dont worry AJ... I got it...." I said. I slung my pack over my shoulder and walked out of the room into the dimly lit hallway. The only light that was on was the kitchen light downstairs where I saw Big Mac wearing a leather jacket, white shirt and jeans as well as his work boots.
I walked over a few doors to Appleblooms room only to open the door and turn on the light only to see Babs sitting in the middle of Applebloom's bed crying. I set my bag down and approached. She was wearing a long sleeve pajama top with little lightning bolts all over it and was wearing a very soaked diaper. She just sprang up and jumped onto me hugging me scared. "...D-dont let daddy die... I dont want daddy to die..." She said. I shushed her patting her padded bottom.
"Hey hey its okay! It was just a nightmare! Nothings gonna happen to your dad... He's gonna be fine..." Right now her dad is out looking for a new home. They've been in and out of fancy hotels for about half a year now. Maybe less. Time flies when shits hitting the fan. I shushed her lying her back down. "Now look...I'm gonna get you changed and put you in bed with Applejack so you can get back to sleep... Sound good?" Babs sniffled nodding. "Alright... sit tight... I'll be back in a sec okay?" She sniffled and grabbed one of Applebloom's stuffed toys to cuddle. I walked out, grabbed some diapers and some powder from the cabinet and just peek in at Scootaloo and Applebloom sleeping in Scoots bed since it was big enough for both of them. So cute.
I heard a sigh behind me and jumped. I looked behind me and there was Big Mac at the top of the stairs. "What's she crying about now?" He asked. I huffed.
"Nightmare about her dad... Must still be a bit freaked out from what happened...." I held the powder out. "You wanna change her? I always feel like someones gonna yell at me cuz she isnt my sister..."
"Ry your fine... We trust you, her parents trust you and even she does. Hell pretty sure Winona would just sit by and bite anyone who didnt trust you!" I just gave him an uneasy look. He sighed and took the powder and diapers from me. "Alright... I'll change her... Just at least sit in there with me, talk with her. Ya dont gotta look. Just be there for her okay?" I nodded and pulled out my phone and we walked back in together. I went and sat next to the bed while Big Mac started to change his sniffling cousin. "There we go... Somepony have a nightmare?" Babs sniffled a bit with an audible 'mhmm'. "Well... its okay Babs... we gotcha here... Your safe, your daddys safe, and your momma is too..."
Babs sobbed a bit more. "...I... I want daddy...." She said. Big Mac shushed her.
"Dont worry... he's coming by later to see ya...." Big Mac looked to me as I was screwing around with my contacts, deleting a few that I knew I didnt need. That and texting Luna telling her to check on Babs in a bit. "Did ya want Ryder to call him? Make sure you know he's okay?"
"...Please?" I kinda rolled my eyes here.
I gave a bit of a chuckle. "Sure. I'll call but... I'm not sure if he's gonna answer. It is pretty late..." I said.
"...Ryder... please... please call him... I wanna talk to my daddy... please..." I went and found uncle oranges contact and tapped the call button. I got up onto the bed as Big Mac tabbed the filly up and sat her up as I put my phone on speaker. It buzzed a few times before it clicked.
We heard a grumbling and a huff. "...Wh-who's ziss....? Callin' me this early in the mornin..." Uncle Orange said.
I looked over at Babs. "Hey Uncle Orange. Ryder here." I said. "Sorry for calling you like this but Babs woke up crying from a nightmare and she wanted me to call you... Poor thing had a bit of an accident too." He gave an aw.
"Babs its alright honey... I'm okay... Everything will be alright my dear sweet daughter...Just go back to bed... We'll see if we cant find you a therapist soon for all these nightmares..."
Babs sniffled. "...O-okay.... I.. I love you daddy..." She said.
"Love you too sweet pea... Just be good for your cousins until we come by later tonight..."
"I will... see you..." Big Mac grabbed Babs and started out of the room.
I sighed. "Hope you find a place soon Uncle Orange... It's good seeing Babs but I'm sure she doesnt wanna live on a farm for a while... Maybe you could see about getting a place somewhere in town? Might not be a pent house but there could be something out here that you'd be able to call home." I said. "I'd even offer my services to help you guys. I mean... you've stayed at Canterlot Castle while only having it be for a few nights while we celebrated, Twilight's until some of the guards started threatening to boot you out and here while I was a bit unpleased by the neediness... No offense."
Uncle Orange yawned audibly. "None taken Ryder... I admit I was a fool for using a hero as a butler..." He said. "I appreciate the offer but I'm not sure if I could live out in Ponyville... I've got friends in places where Ponyville to them seems like an ant hill.... Maybe we could look out in Fillydelphia or maybe something south of Las Pegasus..."
"As nice as those places are you gotta think about things... Some places in Fillydelphia might be nice but the rich are targeted by gangs. And do you really wanna see Babs growing up around slot machines and card tables? Ponyville might be the closest thing you have to a safe place, having a happy daughter and still be able to conduct business. I mean... hell if your friends see you here what are they going to say? Its a trash town with farmers, princesses and a fucking guard general about? Anyone does anything here, we've got guards on em in a matter of moments. And nopony dare goes for the rich if they want to get caught with their pants down coming off of their spiked fences." Yeah. Happened one time. Late night, around the home of Filthy Rich, someone tried to break in and ended up getting them a wedgie where they dropped their gun, dropped their sack and even phone... some of that out of the huge hole in his pants. Lucky him he nearly got penetrated. Uncle Orange sighed.
"Alright... I'll talk with the wife later... as for now just.... lemme sleep... Night Ryder..."
"Night sir. Sleep well. Sorry again."
"Its fine... Babs was scared about me... needed to talk to me even this late in the morning... You know that isnt the first time she's had a nightmare where she needed to talk to me this late.... Happened a few days after what happened.... We were still freaked out over the thing.... had her inside the Princesses castle to recooperate from the smoke inhalation and she finally got to sleep after you went off to spend time with your sister... About an hour after she started screaming like a banshee, sitting in a puddle and reeking of something most foul....The Princess herself came in and washed her personally and lulled her back to sleep for us.... To this day it hurts to even hear her crying... my fault for leaving her at the house when both of you should've been taken with us... I dont think I'd ever think of a way to repay you...."
"Well... No need to repay me... seeing her alive and happy... thats enough for me...."
"Oh come on now... There has to be something that you'd want.... money for me isnt as much as I'd want after that... penhouse went down with everything.... dont want as much anymore... Dont want to be a simplist either.... so what ever you want, any time you want... just ask... please...." I smiled.
"I will... Now if you'll excuse me I've got a train to catch... Sleep well sir." The phone clicked and I stuffed it away in my pocket. I sat there for a moment. I dont want this filly to go down a dark hole... one that I went down. I wanna see her happy... Something better than where nopony wants her to go. Especially the stallion who saved her life, risking his own for it... I got up and grabbed my bag, slinging it back over my shoulder and shutting the light off.... felt bittersweet... as if I were turning the lights off in this room for the last time. I dont know why. I walked over to my room door and peered in only to see Big Mac tucking Babs in next to Applejack.... Poor thing didnt wanna go back to sleep but she was losing the fight to stay awake. Applejack flipped over to her and threw an arm around her cousin and just like that she was out. I sighed looking to Big Mac. "Come on. Transport should be here any minute to take us to the train station."
Mac sighed. "Alright... Just give me a minute... need to leave a note... Want em to call one of us when they wake up... maybe give us an hour after they wake up..." He said going for my side drawer. He opened it and dug into it. He grabbed a pen and note pad out writing on it quickly. Too dim in the room to see a damn thing but I could see him writing. As soon as he finished he placed it on Applejack's side of the bed and came out to me. "Ojay... lets go." I nodded and just paused at the door as he walked out. Just followed him after a second and went downstairs. He grabbed his bag and flipped a light off in the living room that he had to turn on after he was done in the kitchen I guess. I followed him outside and locked the door behind us just looking back at the orchard. The sunrise was nearing the horizon but it was night that still ruled the skies. The air was cool but somewhat thick with morning fog. Barely could see the road past the sixth and seventh tree. I looked to Big Mac as we started for the road.
"You think Applejack's gonna be okay alone with the girls? Even for a few days?" He sighed.
"Yeah. She's gonna be fine."
"...What about Babs? Think she's gonna be okay?" Silence. Just the dirt crunching under our boots. "She seemed pretty freaked out when she woke up crying... Went to the room and before I knew it she was on me more than Winona was on a bug flying through the air." Yeah... Winona likes chasing flies around the house... Caught one or two the other day...
"I dont know Ry... She's just a filly... she went through something just so scary she didnt think she'd see her father again..." He glanced at me. "I mean... stuff like that aint easy when it comes to having something like that happen... Scoot and AJ watched the building go down... Think how they were? Scoot just pissed, shit and puked all over herself before just passing out, Applejack had to try to be strong but ended up going the same way your sister went...Betcha remember both them just pissing the bed after that..."
"Yeah... Luna woke me up one night when I was still watching Babs as she slept and both Scoot and AJ had to be moved to different rooms along with having a new change of clothes brought in for both and some comfort.... They had to share a bed next door to where Babs was and when they were back to sleep Babs woke up and just.... Ugh... That night was hell for me but Luna understood, Celestia did so as well... But it left me tired and I had to sleep for a couple hours into the morning... even lay down with Babs for a nap..."
"...Well she's definitely got an imprint on you Ry.... Just help as much as you can... dont go crazy giving her and my uncle every bit you have for her happiness."
"I wont... Just offering my services for a family pushed out of their home..." I looked around as we came out to the side of the road. I put a hand on his shoulder kinda feeling uneasy. Didnt know where our transport was that I requested. Plus my mind went back to that zombie thing that we did in order to be 'EoB' stuff. Wasnt foggy in there but one of the games I played after that was set in fog, with zombies... freaked me the hell out. Gave it to Button who had to have his mom clear it first... Lucky him he and I are good friends when gaming online. Little bit of a trash talker but hes fun to play with. I had to call the local guard depot only to find out the gate for the transport trucks is jammed. Sooooo.... We had to go back and grab my car... After I had to sneak in through a window upstairs. The only window that can be jimmied. Need to fix it but Applejack said as long as nobody saw it, we're good.
Big Mac and I both took turns driving going towards Appleoosa. Stopped for gas once and food for a few times. Didnt wanna drive but I didnt exactly wanna take a train either. Big Mac convinced me a bit. Driving was better, he said hed take over for a few hours. I drove the first stretch, when we stopped to get gas the sun was rising and Big Mac drove the rest of the way. Took a bit of a nap for maybe an hour. And holy shit did heads turn when I was awake. We were stopped at a light in a small town between the rest stop and Appleoosa. Woke up a bit just to see where we were and I saw ponies taking pictures of my ride. Luna did a damn good job with this... I went back to sleep for a little while longer until I feel us stop. Thought it was another light so I just kept my eyes closed. Wrong. Big Mac honked the horn (I forget this thing has a truck horn legally put in) and I jumped. He laughed a bit as I panicked looking around. We were in a desert town. Small in size but with a very large population. We were just outside of the train station where we saw a stallion pacing back and forth. Yellowish coat, brown cowboy hat, long mane, wearing a brown tank top and jeans as well as some work boots. Big Mac honked the horn again getting the stallions attention. He had a shocked look for a moment but then looked releived as he ran over to the car as Big Mac rolled down the window. "Dammit Big Mac this aint the first time ya left me waiting here panicking!" He said. "I told you to text me next time you aint taking the train!"
Big Mac huffed. "I did text you Braeburn!" He said. "I texted you about an hour ago! Check your damn phone next time!"
"Look my phone died! I tried calling but you never answered!"
"Must've gotten us going through that tunnel!"
"Why didnt you take the train anyways? And who's ride is this?" Big Mac pointed to me.
"Those questions you'd wanna direct at this feller over here?"
I looked at him and smiled and honestly... his eyes grew wide and he just had a look in his eyes I gave somepony a lot. "Nice to meet ya Brae. I'm Ryder." I said. "Reason we didnt take the train is because we had a bit of a bad experience with trains before the Manehattan attack..." The stallion sighed.
"Well I'm sorry about that. It sucks that even happened... lucky my family got out of there alright..."
Big Mac looked back as a horn honked behind us. He then looked back at Braeburn. "Why dont we get back to your place and talk?" He asked. "Gotta get set up for our arrangements cuz." Braeburn nodded and just hurried around the car going to an old jeep. Looked military, doors were painted over. Even had a canopy made of reinforced fibers. All a desert brown. We just pulled out of the other side of the parking lot and waited for Brae to pull out. Followed him all the way to his place. Just outside of town there was a house just off the beaten path with a small orchard of Apples outside as well as a fenced off pool area. We drove up and parked in a large two door shed filled with different stuff. Some car parts and tools on one wall, pictures and news papers on another and a dirt bike on the other side of Braeburn's jeep. As we got out I felt the heat just hit me.
Honestly felt good considering we were cold back home. But as we started unloading our luggage it proved to be too much for me. I took off my jacket and slung my pack over my shoulder, folding my jacket over my arm. "Damn... How hot is it out here?" I asked. Big Mac took out his phone and looked at it.
"...Hundred and two... just the last damn weeks of spring.... Dont even think I brought my damn swim trunks either..."
Braeburn giggled a bit. "That's fine. Pretty sure you left your other pair here." He said. "I aint sure what Ryder there's gonna wear but I aint gonna mind if he wants to do it naked."
I blushed a bit. So did Big Mac but he kinda made an audible noise of disgust. "As fun as that sounds Brae... Id prefer to not do that in front of Mac here." I said. "Besides. That stuff I'd usually like privacy."
Big Mac huffed. "Well if ya do do something.... Just be careful." He said as we exited the shed. "He's gonna be marrying Applejack soon and we dont need him walking funny up to the altar." I looked to Big Mac.
"Now who's saying I'll be the one walking funny? I think I know a stallion who takes it as good as he gives it when I see one." I glanced to Braeburn shooting him a grin. He blushed a bit smiling right back. Big Mac groaned a bit and just walked on with us.
When we got inside it was a nice place. Living room was very nice. Flat screen TV mounted on the wall, fireplace against the wall, couch and coffee table in the middle. Kitchen was just off to the right, fancy fridge, and surprisingly a wine fridge in the corner. "Okay unfortunately I've only got one spare room open since I needed to redo the entire wall paper and fix some leaky piping in the wall and its still kinda broken up." Brae said. "One of ya might either sleep out on the couch or you'll just have to share a bed." He glanced back at me. "Course I dont mind if someone wants to share a bed with me." Cant believe I got a stallion hitting on me. Yes I have a fiance that is his cousin but I dont mind.
Big Mac huffed. "You do that ya'll better get him some diapers so he doesnt piss all over anything!" He said giving a chuckle. I blushed a bit. Braeburn chuckled a bit too.
"Big Mac be nice. Aint like you shit yourself when we were out on the town last time you were here. Not to mention the smell I had to deal with after you 'cleaned' yourself up in a bar restroom. Lucky you didnt leave any permanent smells in my car." He looked to him as I set my stuff down by a wall.
"Brae! Dammit that was supposed to stay with us! And besides you know what your damn chili does to me!"
"Well dont eat it if its too spicy for ya! And if you do dont trust any gas. Now come on, show that boy around while I get changed. Damn near sweating...." He walked off down the hall in front of us and into a side room. Big Mac looked to me as I looked around the living area some more. Saw a door on the other side of the kitchen, and a large double door at the end of the hall.
"Well... Up to you where ya wanna sleep but... I guess you and I gotta be getting the layout here...." He sighed. "Here ya got the kitchen and living room, careful about his wine, ask if ya want some, no wine anywhere near the pool or by the trees." He grabbed his stuff, I grabbed mine. "Also... try not to help yourself to his food... Always wants to make his guests some food if they're hungry. Even if it means having to run to the store for whatcha need. Boy does everything himself, even built this place up and dug his own pool... Took a couple years for that to take hold and a few tents to cover the hole he dug." He started leading me down the hall. Three doors, one on the left (The one Braeburn went into.) and two on the right. "That one there on the left is Braeburns changing room... boy has so many outfits its basically his own walk in closet, and these rooms on the right are one of the bathrooms and his room. Again. Dont go in unless you're invited." We started walking forward again and came to a split with the large double doors in front. "Got a porch off to our left if ya wanna sit and gaze at the stars through his glass ceiling in there if ya cant sleep and to the right is a more closed off dining room and that's attached to the kitchen back there." He turned to the door. "And here... Just past here is what he cant admit to my uncle and made me promise not to tell him next I saw him."
He opened it up and walked in. I walked in after him and I just... Inside was a large stallions den. Large Screen TV mounted over a fire place, pool table in the middle of the room and a stocked fridge filled with Soda, cider, even some cold snacks. Cabinets around that fridge probably filled with dry goods. Decorating the place were Equestrian flags coming down from the ceiling, gaming posters along some of the walls that include Nukes Galore (That post apocalyptic game I play), Honorless, Bass Villain, World At Arms and even Right to Die (one of my favorite zombie games). Even had a few game shelves full of games for what consoles that were on the side of the TV. And... Something I saw in the corner that just sent me into just fangasm. An exact replica of Bounty Hunter armor from the second Nukes Galore game. EVEN A SIGNED COPY OF THE GAME INSIDE THE CASE IN THE HANDS OF THE THING. "No fucking way! NO FUCKING WAY!" I said dropping my shit and rushing over to it. I kept my hands off the glass and just saw it in its beauty. "Braeburn is the luckiest guy EVER!" I looked to Big Mac. "What do I have to do to let him take a pic of me with this thing? Suck him off? Because I will!" Big Mac smiled a bit and sighed.
"He'd like that buuuut you'd have to ask him about that. One reason he doesnt wanna let anyone mess with his things without someone asking is because he's kinda paranoid..." I looked at him confused.
"Why?" He huffed and pulled me in close.
"Because..." He whispered before looking over his shoulder. He looked back at me. "Because he got into a huge fight with my uncle when he kicked him out and he even threatened to kill him and its been getting to him ever since. Hasnt even told him where he was nor his mom or his sister. Only reason he fought with his father is because he uh.... Does what you wanna do to get that picture.... a lot..." I blushed a bit. I knew he was gay but that just made me scared.
"..Who's uh... Who's his father?"
"My uncle who'd ya think? And that means Babs is his sister!" I gasped a bit.
"Babs! Shit we forgot to call her!" He huffed grabbing my stuff.
"Rooms on the left and right. Middle is the bathroom! You go left I go right? Said one of these rooms is under construction and its time to find out so we can call her!" I quickly rushed to the room on the left and just jiggled the knob a bit. It opened up and I looked in only to see it torn apart. I closed it and ran over just as Big Mac opened it and went inside. I dipped inside as he closed the door. Inside was a pretty standard room. Large bed, a few end tables and a vanity on the side of the room. We set our stuff aside and sat on the bed as I pulled out my phone. Few texts we missed apparently. All from AJ. Mostly wanting a sitrep on where we were and what we were doing. I just started calling her and sighed as it buzzed. "...Oh shit I hope we arent too late..."
"I hope so too Mac... Cant believe it we almost forgot!" We waited for a moment as the phone buzzed.
I honestly was anxious to hear Babs. Part of me really really hoped it wasnt too late to say good morning. That was when the phone clicked. It rustled a moment before we heard the tail end from a yawn. "...Morning sugarcube. Just was about to call ya...." She said. "You guys get to Appleoosa alright?" I sighed.
"Yeah. Had to take my car because we werent gonna wait for another transport or bug anyone for the train station. Better do it ourselves than wait for a train a few hours away." She sighed.
"I'm sorry sugarcube. I know you dont like taking your car anywhere that aint protected or hidden away."
"It's fine... Gives me a chance to show it off... Especially to Braeburn who's got one of the most iconic sets of armor sitting in his house."
"Oh that old thing? Almost forgot he loves that game as much as you do. Coulda sworn I said something about that to ya but... guess not..."
Big Mac chuckled a bit. "Guess'n I forgot too sis..." He said. "But uh... telling you about that aint why we're calling."
"Ah yeah... Babs. She's just cleaning up after another accident this morning. Wasnt what I needed to smell when I woke up but I guess she had a bit of a tummy ache. Should be out in a minute or so... Should probably check on her.... Wait a tick here guys." We waited hearing the sounds of rustling, doors opening and shutting and some mumbling. "C'mon now. Ry's on the phone for ya. Got it on speaker. Just say something sugarcube."
I couldnt help but give a slight smile. "Babs? You alright over there?" I asked.
I heard a whimper. "...Uh... Yes and no...." She said. "I had another accident... In the bath right now...."
"But you're not scared anymore right?"
"Not really.... but... I just... Dad keeps saying we're gonna find some place new to live... its been a while... are we really going to find somewhere to live...?"
"Yeah... yeah you are and I'm gonna help Babs... I dont like seeing you and your family coming in and out of a hotel only to go back in, or move to another one. If anything try to convince your dad to be out there near us... It'd be near to the ground, you might have some high end home and you'd be able to visit every now and then if your dad wants to let you. He doesnt wanna but... I'm sure he'll listen to you... Right now you're the most important thing in his life. Now get clean and go play with Scoot and Applebloom. I'll call your dad later and say goodnight to you okay?"
"Alright... And Ryder?"
"Yeah Babs?"
I could hear her hesitate a bit. Applejack snickered a bit. "Go on Babs. Tell him. It's okay!" She said.
Babs hesitated again but took a deep breath. "... I... I love you Ryder...." She said just starting to break down. Applejack, me and even Big Mac gave a little aw.
"Hear that? You've made an imprint on her sugarcube. Thank ya for being part of this family sugarcube... Love ya..."
I sighed a bit. "Love you too AJ... you as well Babs..." I said. "You guys have fun at the house. Me and Big Mac will keep in touch."
Big Mac laughed a bit throwing an arm over me. "Yeah sis I'll call ya later." He said. "Brae and I are gonna make this stallion of yours relax and learn to have a little fun that aint guard fun."
Applejack chuckled. "Alright. You boys have fun now." She said. "And Ry... Please if you're gonna drink make sure you hide your phone. Last time ya drunk dialed me your words were a bit too colorful... Not to mention... Big Mac if he gets drunk at all make sure you're sober enough to not let him use your phone... Dont wanna get some uh... pictures of my fiance's stuff from my big brother... Okay?"
"Gotcha sis. I'll make sure if drinks are involved we'll do what we can to prevent those things. You're safe from us."
"Alright. But I dunno who it should be just... try to be safe.... I dont wanna hear from Brae that one of ya got arrested because you both got drunk... I'll be seeing ya both." And just like that she hung up. Didnt even give me any time to update Scootaloo which I know she'll hate. That and doesnt like it when someone else has to tell her stuff that I could've. Kinda trusts my word more than Applejack's even though she's honest as anything. Guess she doesnt trust anyone to tell her anything unless its me or Celestia... probably on the counts that... someone... someone lied to her or something I dont know why she doesnt trust anyone but me or Celestia for truth. Big Mac sighed just patting me on the shoulder.
"...Think of what would happen if you hadnt come to us in our time of need... one of us coulda been with our parents, the other not knowing what to do..." He brought me in and hugged me. "Glad you're marrying AJ... Glad to call you kin."
I smiled and bushed a bit. "...Thanks Mac...I just..." I said, hesitating. Why? Not sure. "...My mind is still stuck on Babs..."
"Hey now. Today is a day to relax, no worries." He released me and got up taking my phone from me. "Ya need a nap? Kinda looks like ya need a lie down from the bags under your eyes." To be honest I felt tired but I didnt want to sleep. I fought it tooth and nail against the feeling of tiredness.
"Cant I just get an energy drink? Does Braeburn have any?" He huffed.
"Afraid not. Doesnt want 'liquid crack' as he calls it in his home. Only natural energy. Says them energy drinks are gonna give ya something bad... dont remember what so basically its either take a nap now or get cranky later. Pick your poison and live with it. I'll give ya a few minutes to think on it. I'll come back and check on ya alright?" I nodded and just watched as he left. I sat there, looked at my phone for a few minutes, lied back in bed and just got comfortable.
And wouldnt you know before I knew it I was out like a light. Worst to say I fought it a bit but lost that fight. As I slept I found myself starting to dream. I found myself in a suit just outside of a church. The suit was black and red, nice black tie, comfortable looking dress shoes and a limo sitting right in front of me. I looked back at the church hearing songs being played on the pipe organ. I hurried up the steps to the church and opened the door slightly slipping in. I looked around and i saw a wedding going on... my own... Applejack was at the altar, Big Mac standing just off to the side of her and waiting in a beautiful dress just behind Applejack was Princess Celestia. I hurried a bit in my walking as I came to the altar. Saw Mama Spitfire and the wonderbolts on one side, Uncle Orange, Babs, and a bunch of other of Applejack's family on the other. Even saw Aunt Misty and Uncle red sitting with Dash on my side. Celestia smiled as I approached. "Thank you for being so kind as to join us Ryder." She said.
I blushed a bit. AJ gave a sigh. "Thought you'd never show up." She said. "What took ya?" I honestly stammered on what I could say.
That's when Luna appeared. "Come on now get on with the ceremony! We've been waiting forever!" She said.
Then some random stallion joined in. "Come on! Get em married or send em packing already!" He snapped. I honestly started to grow nervous.
Big Mac looked to me from the other side of Applejack and her smiling face. "You love her dont ya? Go on! Get er done!" He said.
Mama Spitfire spoke up. "That's my baby boy! Marry her and bring me some grand foals!" She said.
Soarin chuckled a bit. "Yeah dude! Get me some nieces and nephews!" He said. Yeah... he's like a brother to me.
Then Gilda appeared just as I noticed them all starting to crowd around me getting me even more nervous. "Keep going with this and my legs are closed for ya!" She said.
Then Shining appeared. "Do this or you're gonna piss off Cadence! AJ looks pissed enough as it is!" He said. I looked to Applejack and her smiling face turned into a disgruntled look.
With each pony adding in to my panic her face grew more and more pissed until she reeled back with the bouquet of roses and before I could react the roses came around not as flowers but as a metal mace that hit me hard waking me up in a panic and in pain. I found myself half naked, tangled in a blanket, sweating and even breathing heavily. I scrambled out of the blanket and went for my pants just hanging at the end of the bed. I put those on as fast I could and even got my boots back on. Why did i wear my uniform? Celestia gave it to me for a reason. To show I was someone who fought and won... but then again at the moment... I didnt feel like I wanted to win here.... The thoughts going through my mind raced as fast as my heart. Couldnt think straight as I threw my clothes on and just rifled through my bag for my cap. Yes I didnt wear it the entire time while out on the road but I had it with me. I just threw those clothes on and ran out the door and not even a few steps out I ran into Big Mac bouncing off him back into the wall, he just fell on his ass dazed. Braeburn was over at the fridge with a pudding cup in hand wearing a tank top and short shorts... Holy shit he looks hot... especially with a bulge. He just watched as Big Mac got to his feet while I had to recooperate for a moment. Big Mac held out his hand and tried helping me up. I just slapped it out of the way and scrambled past him charging through the door and through the hall, to the living room and out the front door. "STAY AWAY FROM ME!" I yelled. I honestly wanted to go for my car but I realized I didnt have the keys... Just flew up and out of the area...
My heart rate slowed down as I was leaving the homestead. I could hear Big Mac and Braeburn yelling for me to come back... But right now... I didnt wanna face em...Tears started flowing from my eyes as I flew.... I was beside myself. Was I about to hurt the mare I love and her family? Biggest part of me wanted to keep running while the other said to go back, breathe and apologize. Fight or flight? My body chose flight... flight away from where I was. I found a tree a ways out. Landed in it for the shade and sat down... Realized I had my phone in pocket even when I dont remember getting it before leaving. Felt it press up against my leg as I brought my leg up. Where I was? It was just on the outskirts of town. I was maybe a few meters from where the nearest building was but still hidden from the main road. Felt it start vibrating. Heard Big Mac's ringtone. I took my phone out and just rejected it. Tried a few more times. Rejected those times as tears started pouring down my face. It didnt ring at all after the fourth time. I choked back sobs as a notification came to my phone of a missed call and new voice mail. I just went into my voice mail and just gave him the courtesy of listening to it. "Ryder what in sour apple hell is wrong with you?!" He asked. "I go to check on you after hearing you fall outta bed, next thing you know you're running out of there, slamming into me and just scream at me telling me to stay away from you? If it's a dream ya had just come back, talk with me, tell me what happened. I aint gonna be mad!"
I heard a bit of a struggle with the phone before hearing some frantic breathing. "Ryder you get that cute ass back here!" I heard Braeburn say. "We're worried sick about you! Just werent no warning before ya ran out! You best be answering us! Just c'mon back! Anything ya want its yours!" Another short struggle before hearing Big Mac sigh.
"Just get your ass back here and it wont be dented and imprinted with the bottom of my boot!"
My phone went silent for a moment. Then the automated message asking if I wanted to call them back, delete the message or just skip it played. I just hung up. I sat there and just stared at the sky. I sniffled a bit. "...Mom... dad... I... I'm sorry..." I said. "....I... I cant do it... I cant go through with the marriage.... th-there's too much pressure... to many variables.... I could piss myself at the altar, have a heart attack having sex with her, crash my car and be unable to walk or fly... I... I cant do it..." And right there I just started bawling. I've never felt so crushed in my life... not even when I have Pinkie, Applejack AND Big Mac piled on top of me.... You dont know how badly I wanted to just have a gun fall from the tree next to me and blow my brains out when it hit the ground... it hurt that badly. I cried for a few minutes before my phone started ringing again. I didnt even check who it was before answering. Barely could hear the ring tone over my sobs but I did feel the constant vibration of it. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?! CANT YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?!"
I sniffled for a moment having my phone up to my ear... then I hear a slightly familiar voice that I havent heard for a while... since the plane crash. "...Uh... General? Is this a bad time?" A mare said. I recognized this voice. I looked to my phone and saw a photo with the name Pepper under it. The photo? Me and Pepper posing with what once was my prosthetic wing.
"...O-oh... Pepper... I... I'm sorry..." I spat off to the side and wiped my eyes. Yeah I know. Phone call but still.
"It's okay... have you been crying? Is everything okay?" I had to think of something fast.
"I... I have been crying..." I replied. "...It's just that... I... I got into it with my fiance's brother... and... he chewed me out in front of his cousin and... he just... I'm sitting under a tree outside of Appleoosa.... crying my eyes out in this fucking desert heat...."
"Huh.... I thought that might've been you...." I made a sound of confusion. "Look behind you. Towards the road." I did as she asked and looked towards the road. There I saw a beautiful car. Cherry red, classic, rag top with the top down, and a familiar looking mare walking my way. Brown coat, white mane now with a red streak through it. Pepper. She was wearing camo shorts and a black tank top showing off her cleavage... Didnt really notice her bust size during the war but... damn... I got up hesitantly and just started walking towards her, head hung. When we met in the middle I just couldnt help but hug her, resting my head on her shoulder. Still had our phones in hand. "...Hey... I gotcha... You're alright General..." She broke the embrace and took my hand returning my phone to my pocket as well as her own phone to her pocket. "C'mon.... lets get back to my car and listen to some music... kay?" I sniffled and nodded letting a sob or two escape. We walked over to the car together. Slowly heard power ballad from Raging Bull, hard rock/metal band of the eighties. Dont remember their name off hand. Pepper sat me in the passenger seat and helped me buckle in. I just listened to the music as she walked around the car and got into the drivers seat. I sniffled and looked to her as she started driving into town.
"...Wh-what are you doing here...? Arent you M-Manehattan based?"
"Yeah... I nearly shit myself when those bombs went off... Seeing the building come down and everyone around us screaming... What scared me more? To know that my partner drove you to the building that went down... Clean up is still going on and my partner is seeing over some groups of the recovery teams for remains... The depot put me on leave because my partner rushed home to find me barricaded in the bathroom, soaked in my own piss and smelling of vomit." She glanced over at me. "...Can... can I ask what happened when you were in there? It's fine if you dont wanna say..." I took a few deep breaths feeling my heart sink lower. Wiped my eyes on my sleeves.
"...I was.... watching my... sisters friend... She was napping upstairs and once the first bomb went off I had to hurry.. She pissed herself... had to get her changed quickly so she didnt get a rash, had to pack some clothes for her and have her bring some stuff along so she'd at least have something after the fact... didnt know if this would've been something we could go back to... Second bomb goes off and we're trying to keep our footing... Third we were half way down the stairs in smoke... forth went off when we had to jump from a broken window... I.... Oh my god I was freaking out.... like I was jumping from the plane again.... jumping out of my own window to escape my burning house.... we landed and we had to find cover fast.... Wall of dust hit us hard... lucky we got picked up by a medic heading to the scene... shit... That filly didnt wanna let go of me.... we were lucky it was only us there... sister and my marefriend were out getting food with my friend I just fought with and his uncle.... I.... I just..."
"General. Deep breaths. I can feel another break down coming... panic attack maybe..." I started to breathe a bit.... It was shaky... remembering all of that... reciting it word for word... remembering like it had just happened yesterday.... "Okay... I'm sorry for even asking that. Obviously hurts you very much so... but... I'm glad you're okay... you made it through the war, survived a plane crash, didnt bleed out thanks to some field medicine and saved a filly from a burning tower during a terrorist attack..." She turned down a few side streets. "You hungry? We can head to the bar around the corner from my hotel. Drinks and food are on me okay?" I kinda hesitantly nodded. I admit I was hungry. A few drinks wouldnt have been bad either... We just kept driving for a few blocks. Saw folk walking down the streets left and right... Few cars parked on the streets... maybe a county sheriff's vehicle or two. Guards and sheriff work together at times. Most of the time sheriff work on their own for small town justice. We just ask for the details for the reports.Even have someone looking for certain things that dont make quite a lot of sense.
Caught a few things a few months ago. Sheriff arrested a zebra on drug charges, had him list some drugs and asked a few friends and family about the stallion in question, mother said he was a straight A student, had a dog sniff about his room, his vehicle and even friends rooms. Nothing. Stallion set free, sheriff given strict sanctions and let the guards run things for a while, keeping an eye on making things a bit easier. I guess... Making sure they did thorough investigations. But anyways it took maybe a few minutes to get to the bar. In that time I got a few texts. Both from Braeburn and Big Mac. The one from Big Mac said: 'Ry I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt here... Get on and calm down, if you see this I aint mad, what ever nightmare you had scared you away from me. I'll give you until tonight to come back here. You dont come back before then we're sending the local sheriff after ya.'
Braeburns? His was more... more of what Applejack would've texted. 'Ryder please come back! If it was something I said I'm sorry, what ever it was it has to have been my fault! Didnt like that you had to share a bed with Big Mac? You can have mine! I'll sleep on the couch! Didnt like my outfit? I'll walk around stark naked just please come back!' ...okay maybe not like what Applejack would've said but she'd be as frantic... but... I just didnt listen to em. When we got there Pepper had to help me out of the car. I didnt wanna do much of anything. I honestly wanted to take her keys and take her car as far away from here as possible the way I felt... make myself go missing in a sense... As we entered we saw it was an interesting place. Small saloon but had some gambling tables upstairs as well as a fully stocked bar and kitchen. Patrons were everywhere enjoying food or drinks and maybe even a few games of darts. Some stopped to look at us- me most of all- whispering to each other. We sat down in a booth in the corner. I took my cap off and had it set down at my side. My long mane fell into my face but I knocked it back a bit getting it out of my face. We sat there for a few moments before a stallion came to us with menu's. He was wearing just jeans and a button up shirt. Nothing special. He looked to Pepper. "Welcome back Miss. Might I say you're looking nice today." He said.
Pepper gave a sigh. "Thanks but uh... can we get a few moments to pick what we wanna eat?" She asked. "Just bring us some water to start." The stallion nodded and walked off for the bar. Pepper looked to me. "You doing okay there General?"
I huffed. "Just call me Ryder please..." I said. "General is fine when we're working but while civilians we gotta just stick to our names.... or... rather I'd like to stick to mine if that's okay..."
"Sure thing Ryder. Now... about what you wanna eat? Maybe a drink or two? I dont mind sharing if you wanna share something. Hell get a soda if you're not feeling up to alcohol." I scanned the menu a bit. Saw a hayburger with spice on it and a Dodge City Daquiri. Ordered those from the stallion and waited. Yeah. Boring.
A drink or two later on my part (since my drink was mixed and Peppers was straight whiskey for two drinks) a stallion approached us. Black trucker cap, red cut off flannel shirt, jeans. Earth pony with a dark red coat, even darker mane. "You two aint soldiers are ya?" He asked Pepper. "Only ask because your friend here's got his uniform and it aint every day we see em out here." Pepper smiled as I was about a few bites into my burger. Jalapeno's, pepper jack cheese, crushed red pepper just... yes.
"Yeah. Just got back from the war not too long ago." She said. "Took a toll on all of us. Even my squad leader right here." She gestured to me.
I swallowed my food and huffed. "Yeah... Wasnt fun for most of us..." I said. "Fucking nearly died to a plane crash, I narrowly died from blood loss after my wing got lopped off and almost froze to death after one of our squad mates fucking left us to fend for ourselves. But lucky me, I got connections that made this prosthetic look like the original!" I extended the wing that I had to cut off but was later turned real by Hellfire who I'm pretty much at war with now... asshole...
The stallion huffed. "Bull shit. Wing looks like the real thing to me!" He snapped.
Pepper laughed a bit. "Really? You're gonna doubt a guy who suffered just about anything the enemy could throw at us and a downed plane in the Foal Mountains?" She asked. "He might've been napping but this stallion is telling the truth. That plane went down and we were forced to bail. He nearly died if it werent for something hitting him in the face and having to cut the straps holding him in. He had to get that chute on and run for the exit. Just made it out before the plane blew burning his parachute and singeing his wings. We got split up and he fell so fast he couldnt catch himself yet only the snow softened the fall. When we found him we thought we'd be pulling a recovery operation but when he woke up when we tried to move him oh the scream he let out... Had us take a look at his wings, low and behold one was busted too bad to even fix. He even had us salvage parts of the plane to help amputate. Had to make makeshift bandages out of his clothes. Only place we could get to safety was outside of a ski lodge, part of which was owned by Celestia herself." So on and so forth.
I just kept eating my food. Listened to her babble on about that day... I didnt stop her. Nor did I have to correct her. Guess it sat in her mind the same way it sat in mine. But We kept strong through the retelling. Hell. Couple of the guys that listened bought us a few more drinks, bar tender got us a drink more on the house and holy shit... we... were... DRUNK. I havent been like this since.... shit when was I last drunk? Nevermind. Story. One of us might've been really drunk but the other was good.... But neither of us were good to drive. I had to take her keys and hold them until someone had to take us back to her hotel room. We went a few blocks in a taxi someone called for us. The guy inside even helped us to our room, said he used to be a bouncer for a club back in Vanhoover. Dealt with drunk guards too sooo.... yeah... we're not the first for him. When we got in to her room we had a look around. A couple bags set up in the corner, bed neatly made, small TV on a wall unit on the other side from the bed. Pepper went towards a door towards the back of the room on the other side of the wall unit- most likely the bathroom by how frantic she was. I didnt have to go that bad but I'd certainly try once she got out. I just sat on the bed as she slammed the door. Just as I did my phone started to ring. I took it from my pocket hearing the ringtone I have set for those who I dont have numbers for. I answered it and all I heard was grunting and crying. "D-Dammit Brae! I told you not to call him!" I heard Big Mac say. "He's gonna come back on his own! Give me the damn phone!"
I heard Braeburn's grunt and a smack. "No! He's gonna come back even if I gotta bribe him!" He said. "Seein' his cute bottom fly way aint good if he was cryin! Tears coulda blocked his vision! He coulda crashed!"
"No he wouldnt! HE knows how ta-" I just ended the call hearing them fight. I wanted to go back to stop it but... I just couldnt.... With as much liquid courage as I was fueled with I still couldnt face them... couldnt even talk, telling them I was there... I couldnt even call AJ... tell her what was going on... what I was feeling.
I sighed getting up from the bed. "Pepper!" I called out. "I'm gonna take a short walk. Just stay inside and get comfortable after youre out of there!"
Pepper said something but I couldnt make it out through the walls. Sounded like she was alright with it. I went to the door fixing my cap. Opened it up and walked out just to lean on the railing outside. Look at the stuff across the street. Why she was up three floors on this hotel.... well.. small motel I guess... I dont know. There was a bank across the street, few restaurants, a realty place and even a pawn shop. Local hot spot right there. But the street side wasnt supposed to be in my sights. I just looked to the sky, blue as can be. Sun shining, and birds chirping... all telling me to leave my life behind... start new... fresh... maybe fake my death but... then Scootaloo's name screamed out in my mind. That's one filly I couldnt disappoint. Or leave behind. As I stood there I felt like... like someone was watching me. I just held my hand out to the side, snapped my fingers a couple times and glanced over. Just in the corner blocked from the view of the streets appeared Mythic. The cloaking field he had hid him but not his presence. "Huh... Thought I woulda caught ya off guard this time lad...." He said. "You've been a piece o'work lately.... I still cant believe I had to watch you do something that hurt everyone around ya... Wont say what but... I have a feelin' you know...." I sighed as he joined me looking over the ledge.
"Yeah... I know what you're talking about... Kinda... Luna... she erased most of that from my mind...." He huffed.
"I almost wanted to step in... was hiding in the rafters above ya... I didnt because of your mother and everyone else..." I looked to him fully.
"Why were you there anyways?" He sighed. Stayed silent for a moment looking at the sky and then to the ground.
"...Well... I just... I wanted to try to apologize... she aint gonna take it lightly... not even my presence... if she had a gun... probably would blow a hole right through my head..."
"Yeah bullshit. Why were you really there?" He looked at me.
"...Ryder... I'm bein' as honest with ya as ever... I wanted to talk the first time we met... You attacked and I felt threatened but I was in territory of the lions pride. Alpha away from his pack, lioness and cubs vulnerable... I get it. But I really was there to talk... you talked with me that second time... let me explain myself. Thought I'd even give your mother a chance but... I just..." He looked away. "How can I face the mare I did wrong and have her freak out, send her own son after me...? She aint gonna listen... no amount of what ever alcohol you got on your breath is gonna change that..." He glanced back at me digging into his pocket pulling out some breath freshening tabs. "Seriously son ya smell like a washed up drunk who just spent the night in a pub's urinal. Take these. Gonna help." I huffed blushing taking the tabs. Popped a few in my mouth. Powerful.
"Okay... So maybe you were telling the truth. But now... why are you here? Daddy just making sure his drunk baby boy isnt gonna fall?"
"Sorta... but.. Dont take this the wrong way but... I've been followin' ya today... Desert heat is hell on me but I saw you run off from your house... nice car by the by, aint touchin' just admiring there. But I saw you run from the house cryin.... Sit under the tree outside town and get picked up by your squad mate in there. Looker she is. Tryin' ta get frisky without the fiance knowin'?" I looked back at the door and back to him nodding towards the walk way away from the room. He nodded and followed me as we walked. "Somethin' on yer mind? Think you'd just say it outright... guess not..." I sighed.
"...Guess there is something wrong... I'm just... I'm afraid to go through with this marriage... So many things could go wrong between now and the wedding.... Dont even know who's gonna officiate this wedding..." We turned the corner and started down stairs. About half way down we stopped and stepped on the ledge of the railing overlooking a wall. Both of us jumped and landed on the wall landing on the other side when we jumped off. "I've not made many friends doing guard work.... Only ones I have made were my squad mates during the war. Those who I've made enemies with have connections... some have seen me take their friends away... since they did nothing wrong in what ever crime was committed I couldnt take em in, cut the word from being spread. I've just... I've got a bad feeling about things...."
"Ryder. If you'll listen I'm gonna give ya some advice." Mythic replied as we just started walking down an alley. "Might not have been the best father, raping your mother and leaving her alone with you but... I wanna say your thought process is an interesting one. Things go right for a while, a bunch of paranoid thoughts ensue. Find a bag of bits on the ground, someone could jump ya, rob you, someone could peg you for a thief, that bag could have a bomb in it in the shape of a bit. You dont know until ya know you're safe. This wedding? I see how things could go wrong. Bad blood between families, someone could object at the last moment, the wife could leave ya at the altar, that sorta thing is common. Your thoughts? Maybe a bit uncommon but with some high profile targets, being princesses, you and your mother, other problems open up, same with those problems and it just starts multiplying." We walked out onto the road on the other side of the buildings. Had some stallions walk past us, not even bat an eye. "Hell from what I've seen ya could piss yourself at the altar trying to say your vows. Worst comes to worse ya can take precautions if you get nervous or those thoughts. In my field, seeing things and creating the problem algorithm in your head is a good thing, you just have to counteract that algorithm with solutions based on what you've thought. Gonna piss yourself nervous? Go before the ceremony or diaper yourself. Ya. I saw your griffon friend doin' that before ya had your breakdown. Lucky her she's got someone who's got an open relationship." I blushed.
"Oh real fucking great... pervert peeking in at his own son and his friends.... You watch us fuck too?" We turned a corner.
"Nah. Not that nasty but I've seen her handle business outside in the open. And it takes a pervert to know a pervert ya wee shite.... But in all seriousness once those problems come up, counteract. Give ya a few things. If you think someone's gonna bring a gun into the wedding area, have guards around, pat em down and give clearance. Need a quick slap in the face or calming? Bend that griffon over the nearest table and rail her until you're calm, dont have access to her? Just breathe or find something to do that'll calm ya until the ceremony. I just dont wanna see ya ruin your life because something you started thinking of. That mare of yours has powerful friends that can ruin your life if you ruin hers." We just started walking somewhere after taking a turn left... just spaced out after that.
"....I've been so paranoid on what things could happen ever since I was in high school.... Bully said he'd get me after I snitched on him. Never happened but I've been watching over my shoulder, thinking where he could've been. Even when I went back to the house that was burnt to a crisp charring all the memories I had.... I could've died in that house, my sister could've been there and she could've gotten hurt... could've ended up like me when the plane crashed..." He huffed.
"Y'see there ya go doin' the overthinkin. She wasnt there, you got out alright. Sure, your shit burns but are you putting that shit over your own life?" I didnt answer. "Fine. Seriously dont go and value an object over your own damn life. Your life is important, you're meant to do important things. Not lose it because you left your phone in your pants during an earthquake or storm. But that overthinking crap has got to stop. Now what I want you to do for when you get back home, make a list of things you think could go wrong and send it to one of the princesses, asking them to see if they cant make precautions for things but not to make it over dramatic. Make sure things are fixated in place, exits secure, weapons stay sheathed on guards and if you feel the need, keep yourself armed but i'd highly advise against it. That dance at the after party isnt gonna be fun if you forget you had a gun and it falls out trying to do the worm." This was something that happened a while back. Guard had to be at a wedding after work, went mostly in uniform minus the armor and forgot he had his gun holster somehow... thing went off as it hit the ground. Grazed a party guest, was almost covered by the music.. Exactly why we now have a policy to keep guns secure in E-Z snap, strong hold holsters. Those things can take a beating and cant fall out or go off and only who ever pulls the snap can release it. Gotta be a certain way. Unless the enemy knows how to do this when trying to steal the guards weapon to use it on him he's gonna fuck up, get caught... and in most cases... shot... I sighed.
"...O-Okay... but what about who's going to officiate the wedding? I... I cant choose, AJ cant choose.... I'm kinda overthinking this stuff now too..." Mythic gave a sigh and smiled.
"Lad... The choice is obvious. Love's got your side, let love speak on your behalf. It's the best choice you can make when its such short notice." I looked at him confused. "Just look to the skies boyo... Let your heart do the talking." He kinda nodded one way. I looked the way he nodded and found myself back at the tree and when I looked back he was gone.
"What the.... Mythic! Son ova...." I kicked the dust swearing under my breath like anyone would hear it. But... That's when my ear caught the sound of a helicopter. I looked to my right and I saw a familiar looking chopper. Cadence's chopper. "...Let love speak for me..." I walked out from under the tree and started waving my arms around waving it down. I saw it turn about real quick and just starting to lower about ten yards away. As it lowered it kicked dust up everywhere. I dug into my pocket and took out the breath freshening tabs that I didnt exactly give back to Mythic. Popped a few more just as the doors opened up having Shining jump out in full armor.
I approached him and he drew his gun aiming at me. I just jumped back a bit getting a bit scared. "RYDER! HANDS UP!" He yelled over the chopper blades.
"Shining! What the fuck!"
"HANDS UP! COME ON RYDER LISTEN! I DONT WANNA HAVE TO TRANQ YOU! YOU KNOW I WILL!" My hands went up and I just dropped to my knees, heart racing. He approached me and forced my hands to my back. "You are SO lucky I found you.... Otherwise Big Mac would've had to call Applejack and she would've had a fucking heart attack!" He shoved me to the ground knocking my cap off and cuffing me. "What do you have to say for yourself?!" I sighed as he stood me up grabbing my cap.
"Sorry for making my own friend panic and call my other friend who puts a gun in my face and cuffs me knowing damn well what I can do if I didnt have these tags on?" He huffed shoving me towards the chopper.
"I'll take it but do anything like that again, those tranquilizers wont stay in the gun. Got it?" I nodded. "Good. Now go. Cadence needs to have a word with you..." I swallowed and huffed as I walked with Shining back to the chopper. Last time I was in cuffs was.... th-that night... so this wasnt a good feeling.
I had another guard help me in and sat across from Cadence while Shining climbed in and buckled me in. Cadence didnt look happy but more worried than anything. Shining undid the cuffs and let my hands free. Even put my headset on for me. For a moment all I could hear was the chopper blades. As we took off Shining closed the door. I heard Cadence sigh. "Ryder... Shining tells me you had run off from your soon-to-be brother in law and his cousin. Is this true?" She asked. Without a word I nodded. "You gave them quite a scare. Lucky you Shining and I were in Manehattan overseeing the rest of the clean up, and so Shining could give back to the families of those who fell with the building that was bombed... lucky you werent caught in it..."
I huffed making a noise that sounded unsure of what to say. "...Pardon me Cadence but... Didnt Celestia and Luna tell you?" I asked.
"Tell me what?" She gave me a confused look.
"...I kinda was in that building... Visited AJ's uncle and her little cousin who I had to fly out a broken window away from the building just to get her to a hospital..."
"That was you?!" I nodded. "Shining told me that someone else made it out while you were trying to get folks off the streets!"
"Well Shining can just learn to tell the truth once in a while." I glanced at him giving a pissed look.
"Ah... I'll see to it that he does be a bit more truthful.... As for other news... Luna showed me a little snap shot of a dream you had earlier..." She pulled her phone from between her breasts and started to tap away at the screen before showing it to me. My heart dropped seeing the chapel in my dreams and the ponies crowded around a cowering me. "Does this look familiar?"
"...Uh... Y-yes Princess.... How did she...?" She took her phone back and shoved it back where it came from.
"That isnt important... I'm guessing this is why you ran?" I hung my head... nodded. "Ryder...Tell me... is everything alright between you and Applejack?" I sighed.
"Everything is fine... but... just...so many things could go wrong at this wedding.... I'm nervous... I dont wanna feel as if i'm throwing my life away or that I'm making the wrong decision..."
"Ryder its okay to feel nervous. Shining was a nervous wreck before our wedding.... even if the changelings tried to steal him from me. But it's as nerve wracking as it is for you as it is for Applejack. I feel as if she could be having the same thoughts. Both are afraid to say what's on their mind, fearing they will hurt the other. We wont delve into that but I will talk with her. As for now why dont we take a breather. Maybe start talking about the officiate of the wedding. If this is something you want to leave well enough alone just tell me and I can ask later after you've had a breather." I took a deep breath and sighed.
"...well... I ran into a squad mate here... Talked with her a while and it kinda made me come to a conclusion on who to choose with this problem... took some thinking, alcohol and a sudden realization that the choice was as obvious as anything... Why make it a hard choice when I should choose the mare that helped me set this up, to make sure I had what I needed and who stayed with this nervous wreck of a stallion through it all, greeting him with a smile every time...." I looked to Cadence. "I choose you to officiate my wedding Princess... if you will I will be forever grateful for this. Joining me and my fiance with what you speak and preach about love." She looked at me a bit shocked, blushing a bit. That shock then turned to happiness. She sighed.
"Well... I'm glad to be a part of this.... Choosing me over Luna and Celestia, who had more of a hand in your development as a General... its an honor." I bowed in my seat.
"The pleasure is all mine... Now... if you could tell the pilot to hover a bit? I think this is my stop." I unhooked myself and took my headset off as Cadence told the pilot to start hovering. They knew what I was gonna do and let me do it. What did I do you ask? I opened the chopper door by Shining, looked him straight in the face giving him the two finger 'see-ya later' send off salute before just falling backwards out of the chopper going into a dive in which I pulled up just feet from the ground and just started flying fast back to Braeburns house, just a football fields length out. I dodged a bird a few bushes and pulled up just to land outside the fencing just at the side of the garage. I put my back up against it as I saw the chopper fly low overhead and hover slightly before Shining dropped down from it now wearing what was under his armor. Jeans, his boots and a semi long sleeve shirt of Tumbling Rocks with their logo- wings of bones and flowers- on the back.
That's when I saw Big Mac run out as Shining straightened himself up dusting what he could off. I just hid against the shed. Big Mac looked to Shining and then up at the chopper as Cadence waved before teleporting down. The chopper quickly flew off and I looked back at the trio. They were talking a bit. Shining was kinda distracting Big Mac by trying to keep him calm. I just crept over to the side of the house and slipped into the side door in the dining area. Why Brae had it unlocked I dont know but it made for easy and undetected access. I slowly made my way over to the halls and stopped just before the doors. They opened a bit and Braeburn walked out a bit, whimpering.... He was scared. I quickly grabbed him, threw my hand over his mouth and dragged him off to the side putting him against the wall. I shushed him. He just latched onto me a bit but I pushed him off again shushing him again. He nodded and wiped a tear from his eye. I kinda rolled mine giving something a quick thought... then followed through. I took my hand away from his face and quickly kissed him having him just follow into bliss... I broke it and he looked at me. "...Th-thank you..." He said whispering. I smiled a bit.
"...Wanna help me here? Open the front door, but quietly... kay? Maybe you help me here... I give you something else to kiss...." I could see him blush HARD. He nodded and took a deep breath starting to take his shoes off, starting to sneak through the hall and up to the front door.
When he was at the front door having it wide open I saw Shining looking at me and Big Mac hugging him looking the opposite way. I got myself ready and pointed to him and motioned him to split off from Big Mac and Cadence and stay clear. Shining gave a quick thumbs up as he patted our friends back before backing away. "W-wait... y'gotta find him! I cant think of what trouble he's getting in!" Big Mac said trying to get Shining's arm. Shining pushed him back with his magic and pulled Cadence aside. I grinned and just broke into a full sprint.
"BANZAIIIII!" I yelled charging him. He turned and I made contact tackling him to the ground. He pushed me off and scrambled to his feet hiding behind Shining and pointing at me.
"TH-THERE HE IS SHININ! GET HIM! GET HIM!"
Shining hummed a bit turning around throwing an arm around my shoulders. "Nah... Guard time is out, friend time is in..." He said. "Besides. No crime in surprising his friend." He looked to me. "You sure he wasnt hiding around here the whole time when you called me Mac?" Big Mac shook his head scared. Shining nudged me aside and good fucking god I nearly shit myself when Big Mac grabbed me.
"WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU AND DONT GIVE ME THAT 'AROUND' SHIT!" I pushed Big Mac back with my foot.
I huffed. "You touch me like that again and I'm kicking your ass!" I snapped. Shining hummed and looked me in the face.
The stallion brought me over and faced me towards the sunlight and looked me in the eyes, even going as far as opening my eye lids more. He hummed. Even smelled my breath when he was close to me. "...Huh... knew I smelt something...." He said. He looked to Big Mac as he dusted himself off with Cadence and Braeburn helping him too. "Yeah... he's been drinking."
"Have not!" And I couldnt lie my way out of this... not even after I let out a loud burp. Smelt of whiskey and perhaps a bit of vodka... okay a lot of vodka. Drinks I had were two parts vodka, one part whiskey and some parsley and others... Shining looked to me.
"Where were you drinking?" I blushed a bit.
"...I... met with a friend in town and we went to a saloon a few blocks from her hotel.... She's more blitzed than I am to be honest...."
"Who was it?"
"Pepper. One of my squad mates who helped me after the war... She was one of the ones holding me up I think...." I could see him think.
"Oh her. Think she's been discharged after something happened in Manehattan. Should at least let her know you're back where you need to be if you havent already." And I havent at all. But... something tells me I wasnt going to be able to do that. Something in my stomach... lucky me... it wasnt coming back up. I grabbed my phone and shoved it into Shining's stomach.
"Password is my birthday, I gotta go! NOW!" I looked to Braeburn. "Bathroom?!"
Brae looked to me still helping his cousin dust off as best he could. "Just right across from my room! Be sure to light a match after you're done!" He said. I just started running back into the house and just hurried to plant my bare ass on his toilet.Okay... Guess it's been so long I forgot some alcohol is like a laxative for me. And with a spicy burger...? Asshole: On fire. Might as well be wearing a hazmat suit with a flap in the back while I'm in here.... But that would do a lot worse. Gas mask maybe? Yeah. That bad. I lit a match, a candle and even sprayed outside the door with air freshener spray. Later that night Cadence stayed with us as well as Shining.... though... they took the room... Big Mac slept on the couch and I took up a bed net to Braeburn... he was a bit grabby but... he's a gentle cuddler... even if I was padded next to him... Had to be considering Shining had to cast an anti-hangover spell that reduced headache, but still kinda weakened me also cutting back on nausea once it hit. I felt it still, but said everything should be okay once I'm passed out.... Okay maybe I didnt sleep for a bit.... had to give Brae a 'helping hand' if you catch my meaning.... he was grateful. Loved every minute of it.
As I slept Luna came and visited me. I was in my full Solar Empire uniform, cap and all. I had myself sitting over the Rainbow Falls with the lake far below made into a large heart. Luna sighed coming to my side. "Finally made your choice havent you?" She asked. I nodded. "Well... Cadence was a fine choice to be your officiate. Celestia and I would've just envied each other, begging to do it instead of them but this saves us the guards fearing one of us would start fighting the other which has happened when things werent going our ways."
I sighed cuddling up to her as she sat down. "....To be honest Princess... I got scared.... did you see my nightmare?" I asked. She nodded. "...I didnt want to say anything but... I can see how silly it was in the past... Just needed someone to give me a push forward and in the right direction... didnt think it be an unlikely ally...." She looked at me confused.
"And who might that be?"
"...Well... i... I honestly dont wanna say but... I guess he's seeking redemption after years of thinking and regret. Does he deserve that forgiveness? I can make that decision given the time..."
"Ryder... I want you to be honest. No trouble will come to who ever this is, nor will it come to you. Take thine word to heart? Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye?" Pinkie Promise... not to mention she was giving me a little puppy dog face.
"...Princess... You're curious yes but... I just... I dont know how to put it without giving away too much....But... It's someone I just... Well... I've got mixed reactions about him right now...." She hummed.
"Is this who I think it is....?"
"Probably... But yeah.... He just helped me make this decision... felt right to listen to him... talked some sense into me...."
"Perhaps it was wise to listen to him... maybe forgiveness can be earned in this case.... anything happens let me know. News of this will be kept hidden from my sister. Agreeable?" I nodded. "Good... Now... Suppose Celestia and I forget a bag of bits somewhere near the orchard... think you two would have some fun in different places? I can tell you I can get the ladies around for a bit of a Bachelorette party while Shining can get everyone you know for a Bachelor party. Probably have it somewhere close to home and under watch of someone trustworthy as to not see anyone stripping naked or something in that nature."
"Dont worry. If anything we can get ourselves a hotel room in Las Pegasus and maybe invite one of the Wonderbolts who dont drink. Gotta have Big Mac, Shining and Soarin there. MAYBE Uncle Orange to have a little bit of fun too. Same night AJ and the girls can have their fun and perhaps you and Celestia could have a sleep over with the fillies? You guys alright with that?" Luna chuckled a bit.
"I'd be more than happy to speak for both Celestia and I that we'd love to have your sister and her friends over at any time." I smiled at her.
"Thanks Princess... I... I dont think I can thank you enough..."
"Trust me... you thank me enough every day...." She sat me up a bit and kissed my forehead. "Why dont you just rest up now? I'm gonna check on Scootaloo and Babs, see how they're doing." I nodded sitting all the way up.
"Make sure that you help Babs with some things.... I'm worried she's still going through things... another accident last night and her dad is being a stubborn ass.... Maybe you could try getting him to decide on having a home near Ponyville... Y'know... For Babs' sake."
"Are you sure it isnt for your sake?" I gave a bit of a groan.
"Princess... It's for her sake. Honest. I think last time we visited Twilight she had a bit of a freak out moment when she went out on her balcony. Didnt have an accident but it did make her freak out slightly. I honestly wanna find her close to the ground and close to her friends... It would break my heart to know she would wet herself every time she looks out a twentieth story window, in a city she doesnt even know anything about..." She sighed.
"I'll see what I can do with this Ryder. Babs does need all the help she can get. Especially with what she has been through it would help... You're her hero after all... they should take your word."
"Thank you Princess... Apologies if this seems more forced about that..."
"It's alright... I get you want whats best for Babs and her family as well as yours...." She stood up on the cloud. "Now really General... Let me get to work with Babs and her father and see what's happening with your sister as well. The night doesnt last forever you know?" I nodded just not breaking my gaze from the heart below as it gained other colors. Golden circle in the middle with AJ's cutie mark in it... My heart was set on it. I glanced up for a moment to watch Luna just fly out over the rainbow falls and disappear behind a cloud. Dream lasted longer after she left....
I got up to try and fly around but I froze.... dark storm clouds circled around me. "...You're almost mine...." A disembodied voice said. "...Memory of this incident- wiped.... cant say a thing about this.... will wake up just fine...."
TO BE CONTINUED. |
The Return | The Beginning | Y'know I can say I've been scared before... but never like this... I woke up... My head was pounding... Like... Like I'd been drinking heavily but without the nauseous feeling. I felt cold but I was sweating, wings were shaking vigorously as if I've been scared shitless- which I kinda was- and I just... I honestly felt the need to piss. Badly. I opened my eyes and coughed alerting someone to my presence. What I saw? Scared me even more... gladly didnt piss myself. Gash standing over me, bat in hand being held back by guards. "Dammit let me go! He'll hurt EVERYONE!" He snapped at the guards. He shoulder checked one and hit the other in the face with the end of the bat sending them both off before readying himself over me. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!? NOD YOUR FUCKING HEAD IF YOU UNDERSTAND ME!" I kinda stammered a bit. "DONT FUCKING TALK! NOD. YOUR. FUCKING. HEAD! THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!"
Scared I just nodded and he threw the bat down. Just as he was about to kneel down the guards rushed him and I started to struggle but I couldnt do anything. I was cuffed, shackled, and stripped to my underwear which didnt look like they were going to cover much if I started walking. Though I did have my tags on... glad they respected those... otherwise something would've broken but... question is why was I bound like that? "L-Let him go!" I snapped, my mouth feeling dryer than a cat box. "Th-That's an o-order!" I started hacking and coughing badly. Shit if my bladder wasnt feeling like iron lately (due to a week long temporary test spell from Twilight that cuts back on accidents and strengthens the bladder muscles) I'd be pissing everywhere. The guards stopped struggling with the rocker and let him go looking to each other confused. "Few questions... First off... Something to drink please? And second WHY THE FUCK AM I CUFFED AND HALF NAKED?!"
The guards huffed a bit. Both unicorn guards. Silver armor. They looked to each other and one nodded towards the door. Gash went off to sit to the side with the baseball bat in hand. Closer look at him revealed he was wearing his signature fedora, his sunglasses a black jean vest and skinny jeans with his canvas sneakers. The guard that remained looked to me. "Sir you're being detained on the grounds of causing thousands of dollars in damages and endangering citizens of Equestria!" My heart dropped.
"Wh-what?! I could never do that! There must be some mistake!"
Gash huffed. "Believe it asshole...." He said. "You fucking destroyed our new venue, scared the shit out of Jax and Spark and you nearly killed your friends with that shit you pulled!" I gave him a confused look.
"You gotta be making this shit up! I havent done a damn thing!"
The guard huffed. "That's what they all say." He said kneeling down. "We have Celestia on her way to let us know what to do with you.... Orders are listen to an extent but we keep you detained." I huffed.
"Well someone's gonna have to help me to the bathroom then. Maybe something to cover my ass up! It's cold in here... where are we anyways?" I looked around closer at the room we were in. Door behind the guard, clothing rack on the wall next to Gash, a mirror opposite them with makeup, open alcohol bottles, pictures and even sitting nearby Gash's signature guitar but... it looked busted... Strings snapped, head of the guitar taped on and having it burnt here and there looked like.
"Shining Armor had to Tranquilize you with four darts. Amazing you didnt overdose on it but it was the only way to get you to go back to normal! We're still at the Mega Sound Amphitheater in Las Pegasus. Streets have been blocked off and all the citizens know is that it was a malfunctioning generator to cover this up and any workers inside the Amphitheater are not to say anything about this incident." My heart jumped a bit having just remembered something... Shining, Big Mac and Soarin were with me....
"Wait! Wait where are my friends?!"
"Dont worry. They're safe. Being questioned as we speak about the incident. Each is giving a consistent story from what I've heard."
"Alright. Now about my naked and needing a bathroom situation?" The guard huffed and undid the shackles on my legs before helping me up. My legs buckled a bit under me but he kept me upright.
"Hold on there.... You're gonna be a bit woozy here but you should be fine if you stick with me."
"Well alright... just hope you know you're helping me with this more than just helping me get to the bathroom." He rolled his eyes. Lucky us the bathroom was right across the hall. My vision went dark a bit while walking but I kept my composure. The guard didnt mind helping me take a piss... Guess he had to help a lot of detained folk who were detained for reasons and if they were reasonable with things being done. Was there for a good few minutes draining my aching bladder... Certainly wasnt awkward when he shook and stuffed me back in....
When we got back into the room the guard uncuffed me but kept at the door as Gash gave me clothes to wear... Worst part was... I... had to get naked in front of Gash... i was fucking blushing embarrassed that i had to strip down in front of him.... yeah... embarrassed about that but not about my guard underling grabbing my dick. I had to get into some boxers that Gash had the other guard bring in from his stuff personally (freak out moment a bit) and also got some jeans, socks and a long sleeve Gems shirt from their merch. Though after I was done being dressed up I had to be recuffed... and to a chair in front of me as I sat back on the couch I woke up on... The guard basically trusted me enough to stand outside and wait for Celestia to arrive. Gash sat in another chair facing me with his bat ready in his hands. "So you really dont remember anything that happened yesterday?" He asked. "I've done some hot shit in my days being just a garage band but I never seen anything like that in my highs." I huffed a bit.
"What did I do?! How much did I drink? I have so many questions we could be here for hours for me trying to figure out what i did! Did I get a hold of a bomb somehow?!"
"You honestly might've done less damage than that with a bomb. Fucked up my guitar nearly blowing out the amps... hell you blew a hole into the roof of the place.... Surprisingly perfect from stage view... You dont remember all of that?" I glanced at his guitar... for some reason.. it... it sounded as if it called to me... I shook my head and looked at him.
"I did THAT to your guitar?!" He nodded. "Oh my fucking... I ... I..." I swallowed a bit. "I swear what ever that guitar is worth to get fixed I'll pay it, hell if it cant be fixed I'll buy you a new one!" He huffed.
"That guitar was actually a replica believe it or not... never let the fans touch the real one and you're lucky about that... But dammit that guitar was one I tended to myself when the strings did break, I even fixed the hardware on it and even made the stock! And fixing that? It's not worth anyones time to try and fix! Not even yours! And yes- I saw the cutie mark..." He looked away. "Hope Celestia gets here soon... Need to go cool off..." I just leaned back as best I could on the couch.
"...I... I'm fucked... Celestia's not gonna care what I say and just fucking jail me... My fiance... my sister.... all... all of that's gonna be gone... all that is just... its going to ruin me.... Why does this shit always happen to me?!" I kicked the chair forgetting that I was cuffed to it only to have me lurch forward. Gash fixed it and huffed.
"Calm down there. Dont go hurting yourself. Things should be fine... hopefully... Lucky nobody was killed or injured... just scared the shit out of us..." I had tears well up in my eyes... damn heart beating out of my chest. "Come on dude... deep breath..." He reached over and grabbed a water bottle from a nearby desk and cracked it open. He got up from his chair and put it to my mouth. "C'mon. Drink slowly." He tipped it back and oh my goodness it was amazing... it felt good as I swallowed quenching what ever fucking thirst I was experiencing. I ended up drinking the whole bottle not even giving it up until it was empty. Had to catch my breath after that. Took a few deep breaths just to gain it back. "Alright... You good now?" I nodded. "Good... now just... sit tight dude. Everything should be fine.... I'm gonna see where Celestia is. Maybe could see if you cant be uncuffed for a little bit.... I trust you enough to not threaten me with the bat like I did you." He tossed the bat aside. "....Scared the shit outta me when you did what you did... Almost thought I had to put you out again just to keep everyone safe...." He got up and kicked his chair aside. "If you do get out of this without getting arrested... come see me." I gave a nod and watched as he walked through the door behind him.
Yeah I was scared and confused but... Still wondering what I did to deserve the cuffing and the tranquilizing. How my friends were? Were they okay? The questions piled up as I sat there... had to move to my side and topple the chair to its side to be somewhat comfortable. But I only lied there for a few minutes before Celestia came in with the door guard at the side... as well as Shining. She was wearing her white and gold dress and Shining was in jeans a white cut off Gems shirt and he just looked a bit frightened. I sat up and just hugged my legs hiding my face in my knees. I was scared shitless. "Ryder? Ryder come on... talk with me! There's no trouble!" Celestia said. I didnt look up... nor did I acknowledge her. I felt the chair move a bit as well as someone sit at my side. "Ryder look at me here! Please?" I hugged my legs tighter... the cuffs digging into my wrists... I heard a huff. Next thing I know I feel someone grab my wrists and yank me forward a bit... extremely strong... Celestia. I wanted to take them back but I just kept my head in my knees. I felt one of the cuffs release and I quickly took my hand back holding it back... I thought they were gonna take it back and cuff me again forcing me to the floor or something.... But no.... instead the other cuff was released but... my wrists were grabbed before being forced around someone... Celestia... I just went face first into her breast. She shushed me and stroked my mane a bit. "See Ryder? I'm not here to hurt you at all... Neither is Shining...."
I heard Shining huff, feeling him put a hand on my back. "Ry come on... deep breather... your wings are all frizzy dude." He said. "Come on... Deep breath in..." I took that deep breath... smelt of perfume. "And out..." I exhaled as best I could... shaky... Had to tilt my head a bit to not breathe right into my boss's tit. We repeated a few more times.... my god this feeling sucked... I was confused, panicking, near to crying and just... I almost couldnt get a grip on myself. I calmed down as much as I could... still was a bit shaky and panicked. After maybe about a few minutes Shining and Celestia lied me down on their laps, my head on Celestias side. "There we go... I... guess...." Shining looked to Celestia. Seemed a bit uneasy. "...A-are you sure it's wise to even show him the damages...? He doesnt look stable...."
"He needs to see it... He's stable... If you dont think he is let me cast a spell I learned from Cadence... Only had one successful cast... Others... Well... Lets say the teddy bears burst into flames..." My heart jumped a bit and I scrambled out of her lap and onto the floor just to cower by the door... Lucky I had already gotten to the bathroom.... Probably would've shit myself.... Or pissed myself... didnt shit.... what ever. Shining huffed getting up from his seat, hands where I could see them.
"Woah woah! She was kidding Ryder.... You need to calm down... Otherwise you're gonna get sick... Get me?" He knelt down next to me and held his hand out. I took it and got up with his help... But once on my feet... I just hugged him. "There we go... I gotcha... See? We arent gonna hurt you...." Celestia looked at me... worried but...I felt more trusting.
"Now Ryder.... Tell me.... do you remember anything from yesterday?" I thought for a moment as Shining hugged me tighter... stroking my wings. Then I met her gaze and shook my head. "Nothing at all? Not even arriving here?" I shook my head again... "Huh... Deleted day for you... Well... If you can please take a walk with us... We can explain everything." She got up and rested a hand on my shoulder. "Will you please come with us?" I hesitated a bit. Just tried to breathe keeping myself from crying. And trying to calm myself down. It wasnt easy to do with everything going on... me not having any idea what happened and having woken up cuffed and scared.
We started walking I just couldnt help but hold myself next to Shining who had a hand on my shoulder nudging me along. I glanced at Shining. "... Wh-what the fuck did i do...?" I asked. "...I-is everyone okay? Any exterior damage?" Celestia huffed
"Well... The damage that you did did kinda get to the outside.. mostly cracks in windshields and such... Surprisingly what you did was so powerful it basically disintegrated any debris that basically could've done a lot of damage or even killed someone... but it made it into a fine dust and small rocks a few passersby who breathed it in are in intensive care but are expected to survive. No charges will be pressed because of the 'malfunctioning' generators. You have nothing to worry about because any and all security footage is destroyed."
Shining glanced over at me. "Well... Not all of it but we're deleting it after we show you." He said. "Mac has your phone and he recorded the whole thing and swore not to tell Applejack about it. Only that you're okay and went to bed after you met with the band at a restaurant. She's none the wiser there. Soarin and I even vouched for you."
I took a deep shuttery breath. "...G-good... th-thank you.... I hope sh-sh-she isnt too worried about me..." I said. I looked to Shining. "...m-maybe after we survey what the fuck I did... can.. can we get something to eat? What time is it?" I watched as Shining took out his phone and checked it even showing me.
"It's... just about three in the morning... This happened last night around... I dont know sixish? You didnt even eat dinner... hell some of us couldnt even stomach dinner worrying about how laid out you were when I hit you with four fucking darts... You took two times the dose thats enough to kill you! You should be dead but here you are walking around next to me! And before you ask how you know you're not dead..." He then proceeded to smack the back of my head, pinch my arm and flick my nose... all of which kinda hurt. "So you have anything to say?" I huffed.
"Asshole... I wasnt gonna ask that... I.... I just need a little something to eat... maybe to get back to sleep?"
Celestia sighed as we turned the corner to a backstage door and stopped in front of it turning back to us. "That can come in a bit. Right now we have business to get to." She said. She turned back to the door and opened it ducking inside and holding it open for me and Shining to come on through. We came out to the stage area... There was a breeze coming through. Next thing I know more memories come rushing back. Seeing the band on stage, practicing a song and Gash offering to have me play guitar... Then nothing.
I kinda collapsed into Shining but he kept me upright. He huffed. "Woah! Woah woah you okay? Need to sit down?" Shining asked. I nodded. "Alright... lets get over to the edge of the stage... I'll hold on to you okay?" I felt light headed again. Felt myself breaking out in a cold sweat. He aided me over to the side of the stage and sat me down on the edge as he sat next to me, holding me upright. "You're good... Everything's alright..." I looked around... Some of the seats had lights from above smashed into them, broken glass here and there... even smelt something burning. When I looked up I just grabbed onto Shining. "Woah there.... You good? Not gonna pass out or anything? No sick feeling?" I shook my head. I stammered a bit pointing at the roof. Huge. Fucking. Hole. Round. "Yeah... that's what happened... Lucky nothing was beyond that... freaked out some ponies but you're good! I swear!"
I shivered a bit taking a deep breath. "...H-how did I do THAT?!" I asked. I looked to him.
"Well uh... it's a bit hard to explain...." He looked away. He looked to Celestia who flew off the stage and landed just before us. "Princess... Can you maybe get Big Mac to send that video to me and delete it off Ryder's phone after he does? I wanna see to it he calms down." Celestia nodded and teleported away leaving me and Shining alone. He looked to me. "There... Was Celestia making you nervous?" I shook my head. "Well.. just take a deep breath... You fall asleep we'll get you to the nearest room to sleep for a while longer. Okay?"
"...I.. Fuck what I said about going back to sleep...."
"Dont make me hit you with darts again. I'm not even sure if one is gonna OD you or what...." He thought for a moment. "Dont you calm down by flying around a bit? Or... was that Dash?" I sat up on my own.
"...N-no that was me... A-a-and Dash I guess...."
"Alright. If you're feeling up to flying around thats okay. Just... Please dont do anything to cause us to panic okay?" I nodded and carefully got myself to my feet. I glanced at him.
"...Uh.... any chance you can hijack a speaker to play some music? That helps me calm down too yknow..." Shining smiled a bit and stood up. Just as he started to go backstage I just heard the strum of guitar strings.
We both looked behind us and there we saw Gash strumming away on a guitar with a smaller speaker on his hip with his signature guitar... which... called to me for some reason. Almost like what was happening with the busted guitar... whispers of some kind... I shook my head and just started to fly around. "CONSIDER THIS A FAVOR!" Gash called out over the guitar... he was playing Paradise Island. I just flew around listening to what he was playing, imagining more stuff in my mind since I've listened to the song so many times. I swear once that solo hit I turned over onto my back and just did a little air guitar trying to mimic the buttons I hit on Bass Villain. They always give us choice on if we wanna play lead guitar or bass guitar which it started out with originally. Oh well.
Once I calmed down to where I felt comfortable I landed and sat in a seat in the front row. Yeah not like these things will get use when Gems is around. Shining hopped off the stage with Gash on his heels. Shining huffed as he grabbed a seat next to me. "There. Feel better now?" He asked. I nodded. "Same song I would've played if this werent a guitar only version." He looked to Gash as he took a seat on the other side of me. "Thanks for that." Gash smiled a bit.
"No problem. Anything for the guard... That and Celestia. She was the one who told me to come play for ya... Saw how distraught our friend here was." He playfully nudged my shoulder. I just blushed and smiled.
"Ah good. She can read him like a book and knows every which way to calm him down, even his sister."
"Well she does a good job. He definitely looks better then when he woke up..." He looked to me. "Again sorry about greeting you with a bat when you woke up."
I huffed. "You're good... Judging by the damage that happened it was really needed for your own protection." Just then Shining's phone got a notification. I looked to Shining. "And judging by that... Something tells me that's what happened to this place.... Right?" Shining pulled his phone and looked at the screen... just a picture of him and Cadence. And the notification that came from my phone with the caption saying 'Ryder sent a video!' Shining nodded. "Alright just... Just play it, lets get it over with."
Shining nodded and opened up his phone and went to his messages and went to my texts pulling up the video. He looked to me keeping what was on the screen to himself. "Alright... When I do show you this I want you to remain calm... Okay?" He asked. I nodded.
"Cross my heart, hope to fly stick a cupcake in my eye." Gash made a noise of confusion. I glanced at him. "Best not to ask." He shrugged and Shining put the phone in front of us.
The video started out a bit shaky but I could hear everyone laughing and having a good time. Next I saw me next to Gash who was making sure the guitar was ready for me, tuning it, turning knobs on the amp and what not. I heard Big Mac give a chuckle. "Look at this lucky sum'bitch! Getting to play one of his favorite band's guitarists guitars!" He said. "Shit dude I'd consider this a damn honor! How you feeling Ry?" I looked to the camera.
"Nervous as hell but excited this is happening!"
I heard Shining laugh a bit. "So you're Nervouscited?" He asked off cam. Next thing you know a bit of a roar of laughter from band and friends alike. Then I looked to Gash.
"Is it ready? Can I play yet?"
Gash laughed slightly. "Hold on there dude... Aaalmost done..." He said strumming a string on the guitar. Once it was tuned he huffed playing the first few chords to Paradise Island. "There! All good!" He took the strap off and readied it. "Alright... Hopefully you know how to at least strum..." The others laughed at me. I just blushed a bit. Then I saw Gash put the guitar over my head and as I gripped the neck and readied my hand near the strings.... My face... it lost all emotion, embarrassment, happiness or anything else. It was just neutral... I allowed Gash and everyone else to back away as I started to strum... but then my eyes widened... glowing white and the guitar I played did a solo and I shot runes around my feet... burning runes. Then I started chanting something in like.... a demonic voice... I heard nothing from the others. I had to grab at Shining's leg to contain myself. I saw my wings extend, before I just just started playing something that it was like... charging up a weapon... Shining and Soarin charged me but... they were forced away by some sort of force field before I aimed the neck of the guitar and strummed a chord firing off the blast... I heard screams, lights flickered and everyone was yelling... I started charging up another blast before hearing Shining's dart gun fire off a few times... I slowly lowered to the ground and passed out.
Shining rushed me again, now lying passed out on the ground and looked back at the camera. "MAC! STOP FILMING AND HELP ME!" He yelled. Then the video cut.
I slumped back in my chair breathing heavily. "...H-holy... shit... I dont remember.... ANY of that...." I said. Shining huffed putting his phone away.
"You should've seen me after! I could swear I killed you with those! I didnt know what to say to Celestia when news broke out. We kept it secret from Applejack and everyone else back home... I dont even know if anyone can take another scare like after that plane crash... Did I mention during clean up we found something of yours?" I... I understood what he was referring to.... I huffed.
"Well... Hopefully they knew it wasnt of use to me any more..." I huffed getting up. "...Can... can I just take a walk please? Gotta... gotta clear my head...."
"Sure thing Ry... Just uh... try and find your way back to the stage. Might have a guard patrolling here incase someone gets a bit snoopy. Can probably point you in the direction of a room to sleep in... Probably to where we'll be. Okay?"
I gave a nod and just started heading towards the side of the stage and flew up onto the stage going out the opposite way we came in. Actually caught a glance at the runes peppering the floor where I once stood.... Passed through the door just to see more of back stage. Just grabbed my neck and started breathing as I walked. Maybe a few doors down I felt something... as if someone was watching me... I looked around... No doors opened... The one I came through just closed... I shook my head shaking off that feeling but it just wouldnt go away. I thought I was just getting paranoid. Continued walking. I kept walking down the hall breathing.... I stopped just near a room and leaned on the door. Looked to be a sound studio from the sign. I sighed and just as I was about to get up and go back, the door opened behind me and I stumbled back with a yelp before having it closed behind me. I fell back onto my ass saving my head with my hands. As I scrambled up I found myself in a tight embrace but... something that felt more loving then dangerous... I felt a tough material between me and the tight feeling... felt military-esque. Then a very feminine shushing... Someone stroking my mane too. I was lead over in the darkness to a chair before being sat down and having a sigh come to my ears.... Thats when a light turned on and I was surprised to who I found. Daring Do! She was wearing a black beanie, a black military style service shirt, and combat pants and boots. She gave me a smile. "Surprise! Sorry for that scare general." She said. "Just... Just wanted to ask why you're here."
I huffed. "I should be asking why you're here!" I snapped whispering. "This place is crawling with guards! You're gonna get caught, in trouble and exposed!"
"Please. I've gotten myself past guards in places I didnt think would have them. Not to mention its easy when you can hide in shadows and still go incognito when walking through streets from your hotel." She helped me up. "I'm tracking the cause of that strange energy blast... had the soundwaves of a guitar but the look of a super powerful weapon. Now... tell me why you're here?"
"Well uh... this is... it was supposed to be my bachelor party... meet a band, have dinner with em and be back for the show the next day.... Maybe greeted as a guest and as a guard to thank for everything.... and... That blast? Apparently that was my doing and I just didnt realize it until I saw the video." Her eyes widened in what little light we had from a desk on.
"W-wait wait wait that was YOU?! And you have video?!" I nodded. "Can I see it? Please?"
"By now they probably deleted it off my phone... I dont even have much of a place to sleep or charge my phone. Had our bags sitting inside of a nearby hotel and we dont even have our room yet. Celestia even said we'd get our rooms paid for but we havent found one." She huffed.
"Why dont I handle the hotel rooms? I've got a suite in the Rock's Rolling hotel. Casino is shit but they're having a convention where I have a booth. Convention is over but I'm willing to stay another night for you and your friends safety. Anyone curious could come waltzing in and know what happened."
"Like you did?" No reaction from her. "Alright... You get out of here and I'll convince the guys to go to the Rock's. Hotel we picked sounded like shit anyways... If not I can try to convince Celestia to let me go with you if you want me to risk it for you... Maybe make up a story?"
"But what would we tell her? From what I saw on the outside there are guards running around on patrols, making sure nopony is coming anywhere near this building! I was only lucky enough to get in because a guard stopped to piss behind a trash can. Lucky it wasnt the bush I was hiding in.... I'd've cause a red alert and gave him a bloody nose." I gave a bit of a chuckle.
"Would've been a lucky guard...." She huffed.
"Alright yeah I get it, you have your fantasies but this is serious business! Just.... Help me get out of here, find a way to get to the Rock's and I'll be in the lobby in my normal attire. Or... what you consider normal. Now think and dont give yourself a headache!" I huffed and leaned against the door. Thought for a moment. I looked to her.
"What about something like what you did when we met up in Canterlot? The little ring around the rosie you did?" She thought for a moment and huffed.
"How would that work? Where would I even do that at? I'd have to alert the guards in order to do that and this whole facility would be on lockdown! We'd be back at the hotel, your friends and Celestia would be trapped here thinking there could be an assassin and you'd be gone which would raise alarms for your fiance if word got out." I huffed.
"Then do you want me to get Celestia here to have you escorted out under secrecy? Because I do have an idea!" She huffed.
"Alright... I'll fucking humor you... but if we get caught I'm telling them you let me in... Got it?" I nodded and got up off the wall.
"Just follow my lead. Everything will be alright. You get caught? I call the shots still even though I'm the one who broke this place up."
"Then again it will be on your head for letting me in... need I remind you?" I rolled my eyes and huffed opening the door. I just looked around outside before nodding out. We came out and walked down the hall from where I came from. As we neared the door Daring grabbed my hand, holding it scared. I just let her. We stopped at the door and I looked to her.
"Stay here, get ready for the disappearing act. Shining told me there would be a guard waiting for me here."
"With Canterlot it was doors that swung either way.... These only go one way...." She pushed on the door. "Can you check on the other side, find me a place to hide? Maybe distract who ever was there so I can sneak out once you leave?"
"I'll try but... Let me see what was left for me and where we are..." I opened the door and looked out... Stage in front of us and standing in the middle of the stage was Shining and Celestia. I huffed looking at Daring. "Shit.... Celestia is out there.... I... I might have to pull out a distraction with something big... but... Ugh I dont know! Just... Just slip in, wait until I have something...."
Daring nodded and followed me in ducking behind a nearby crate in the shadows. I let the door close behind me, alerting Celestia and Shining. Celestia sighed smiling as I approached her. "There you are General!" She said. "Come along now. It's time to get back and get your hotel room."
"I uh... I would but... Can I speak to you? Alone please?" She looked to me curious.
"May I ask why?" I stayed silent.... Looked to the left and back at Celestia just kinda giving her a worried look. She looked back at Shining. "Shining. Leave us at once. We'll meet you at the transport." Shining nodded and teleported away... He gave me a worried look as he did. Celestia looked back at me. "Is something wrong General? Worried about something?" I kinda nodded. "...Well if its about what happened here you're forgiven... No word will get to Applejack or anyone unless you say... But you have to know you trust them enough with said information...."
"...Well... Its a yes and no there... I... Kinda do wanna tell someone... but... this pony is trustworthy and maybe she can help me out... figure out what's going on... but she kinda needs to get out and... Just.... Can you please help me get her out... Maybe look the other way while she makes her get away?" She gave me a confused look.
"...What do you mean by this...?"
"...Well... I'm... This..." I grunted and kicked the stage a bit. "G-give me a moment please?!" She nodded and just watched as I went back to where Daring was and just leaned back against the wall and slid to a sitting position.
Daring looked at me a bit worried. "Well? C-can I go?" She asked whispering.
"N-no...." I whispered back. "I... I cant say anything without revealing who you are... My marefriend and her friends know but... I... I cant do this... not to Celestia..." She huffed.
"...You're kidding..." I hugged my legs scared. "...You arent..." She looked away from me... "I..." She looked back. "...J-just do it... make her promise not to say a THING!"
That's when we heard a laugh that scared the living hell out of us... had to hug each other and hold tight we were that scared... "I can promise if you ask nicely!" We heard Celestia say. We both looked up and saw her standing over the crate. "General would you introduce me to your friend here?" I stammered a bit... scared... She came around and knelt down in front of us. "I recognize the face... but... something tells me A.K. Yearling needs her glasses... Did you wander here seeking your hotel or are you just someone who acts like Yearling in disguise?"
Daring quickly pushed me off and tried to scramble away. I grabbed at her. "I swear I said NOTHING!" I said. She struggled a bit trying to get away from us. That's when Celestia grabbed us both with her magic and pried us apart. She brought Daring over to her and hugged her shushing her.
"Hey hey! It's okay! I know who you are but I've always known! Even when I invited you to the castle." That's when Daring started breaking down crying. Hesitantly I got up and hugged with them. I shushed Daring as she sobbed, tearing up myself. Celestia pried us both off. "Here.... why dont we just get to the transports? You and Ryder can have your own if you'd like... I wont tell a soul about this.... I promise... Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye..." I kept a hold on Daring as she sobbed. I looked up to Celestia.
"Princess... Why dont you get the transport ready...? I can go with our guest here... If you can... Get our bags, meet us at the Rock's Rolling hotel... And... Can I get my phone back please?" She sighed.
"You can get that back after I have Shining wipe it clean..."
"Wait! Please! Do not wipe that phone, I need the video on it! You know... For... Reasons!" I rolled my eyes towards the sobbing mare on my arm. I looked Celestia deep in the eye. I could see her piecing things together. She sighed.
"Okay... I... I see... you just wanna make sure you dont do that again... and remind yourself what cause it..."
"Good... Now... Can we go?" She nodded.
We followed her through the door as she cast a spell that hid me and Daring's presence, even though Daring was crying. She told Shining that I'd be on the next transport because I had a stomach ache. And that I would be given my phone back with the reasons I 'gave' to her. He agreed hesitantly from what I saw... Once they were gone Celestia revealed our presence and I said my goodbyes to the band... Jax was a bit hesitant to say anything but... I had to apologize profusely, on my knees, promise some time with Scootaloo and a meeting with my mother to get Sparkplug to say anything... Gash just acted as if nothing happened. When we were in the transport we got in with Celestia.... Daring and I both kinda cuddled on one seat. She was a bit shaken by what Celestia had said. Daring glanced over at the princess who sat across from us. "...I... How... How long did you know...?" She asked.
Celestia sighed. "Well... I've had the feeling when your book series started but only figured it out around when my faithful student let it slip but please dont blame her for this. I'm trustworthy with this.... Please forgive me for scaring you miss Do..." She said. Lucky us, we had a sound proof window between us and the driver.
"...I... I forgive you but... if you know... dont do that... it scares the living hell out of me... what if my enemies found out? I'd be dead...."
"Your enemies, if anything happens, I'm sure my general would make them pay for doing anything to you. That and his marefriend as well as her friends.... You've got some helping hands with us."
I shushed Daring as she broke a bit. "...It's okay... you're tired... If its okay... I'd like to be in your room with you... make sure you're comfortable..." I said.
Daring looked to me... I wiped a tear from her eye. "... Please?" She asked. I nodded. "...Thanks... I... I just... I do need some comfort at the moment... I've been up for maybe a few hours of sleep... got too excited for this to see what went down... that and... I saw a spider trying to get into the amphitheater... sucker was a big one... got away without startling the guards or pissing myself..." I honestly shivered.
Celestia kinda cringed a bit too. "I understand... Those things are eight legged demons..." She said. "I can tell you many times I've had run ins with those things I've had to have my sister deal with them and two times out of ten, a guard to clean up a puddle I've left..." She blushed a bit. "...Lucky me my guards know to keep quiet... I trust you two can do the same."
I looked over at the Princess. "We wont say a thing... You can count on that...." I said. I glanced out the window. The large Rock's Rolling casino and hotel loomed over us as we pulled up to the front. "...We should get out and get into the room.... get rest..." Celestia nodded and got out with us.
There were still ponies milling about in the streets. They just looked to us but Celestia ordered everyone to ignore us, Even used a bit of a light spell that kinda made it hard to look at us. I admit it was mean but she did everything she could to have them not notice Daring. We broke off and made a break for the elevator and made our way up to her room... seventeenth floor, room number 1705... Inside we basically just ditched our clothes.... Sat on her bed in our underwear with the shades shut and a do not disturb sign on the door. Daring sniffled a bit as she fell back onto the bed in the dimly lit room. "...I... I... that scared... the living... shit... out of me..." She said. "...Happy that it was metaphorical.... and not literal.... I dont want to make an embarrassing panty run and a hide in an alley way with napkins to clean myself..." I huffed.
"On behalf of the princess I'm sorry about that...why dont we do something to calm you down?" She looked to me.
"...Wh-what did you have in mind?"
"Well... This is only if you wanna... I'm not making you do this.... But... to calm myself down I just like to uh...." I kinda mumbled to myself. She got a bit closer to me as I blushed.
"Say again?" Again... I kinda mumbled. "Come now Ryder... Speak up. What ever it is I'll try it... Deep breath and just say it alright?" I just grabbed Daring's shoulders and took a deep breath... I blushed hard... "Ryder.... Is this something lewd?" I nodded. "...Come now... I wont be mad if it is what ever it is." I closed my eyes and gave a huff.
"....Well... I... I like to.... wet myself when I'm panicked.... it... calms me.... forces me to relax.... It's an idea but... you dont have to do it if you dont wanna...." I could see her blush.
"... If I understand you.... you just want me to wet myself to get off dont you?" I blushed harder.
"...Well..." I averted my gaze. "...Y-yes and no? Again you can choose not to do it... I'm just suggesting..." I looked back to her. She kinda gave a smile.
"Heh... cant get those images of me out of my head.... Can you? The way you wanna hand off to my books and me in particular.... What would your fiance say?" I gave a nervous smile.
"Well... Sh-she wouldnt say no..." She took my hand and got up from the bed and started walking towards the bathroom.
"Well... I'll honor your wish... But if i were you i'd get out of those boxers... dont want those smelling like another mares piss. Should be enough reason for me to get rid of mine too...." And just like that I was rock hard. When we got into the bathroom I scrambled to take my shorts off and I just watched her slowly strip her underwear off... shoving a hand between her legs, teasing herself.... Then took her bra off, squeezing her breasts as she pulled it off.... Just seeing those black lacey panties and matte black bra hit the floor and the mare above them... Just sexy. The bathroom we were in had the walls just covered... No windows... Toilet was off to the right, bath and shower in front of us with some towels on a rack nearby. Best thing about this bath was the size. Big enough for a few ponies, shower head over the bath and a faucet off to the side that was somewhat adjustable. Somewhat being it only moved enough to still get water into the bath and not be rigged for some sort of prank someone could pull. Daring looked at me and beckoned me over.... I hesitantly came over and she held my hand as I helped her into the tub and she helped me in after..... She sat me down on the seats in the tub and just put a leg up spreading her pussy.... I just brought my hands up hesitantly and squeezed her breasts just as she started to relax and just started peeing on me.... It felt so warm and just the look on her face said it all... The way she pissed was as if she just holding it for hours... She sprayed it all over me, my cock and even got some on her leg.... I just watched the whole time as she just drenched me... I could tell when she was almost out when she started dribbling to a stop giving a sigh. I gave her a grin.
"Feeling better?" She sighed and nodded. "Wanna wash off and get more dirty or just wanna relax and wait until we get in bed?" She grabbed at my dick.
"Why dont we just shower up... I gave you a show... And I'm sorry but this stays until we wash up... Okay?" I gave a little whimper like a puppy. She rolled her eyes. "Okay fine.... I'll give the puppy his treat... But you just make sure you wash my mane okay?" I nodded and she started teasing her own pussy with my cock before turning the water on.... But of course it was freezing cold and it kinda ruined the mood... We both kinda scrambled out of the shower and waited for it to warm up. Pegasai are the worst with cold water. At worst the water has to be luke warm. Best? Warm enough to not burn our feathers off.... Not like I've felt my wings actually burn off or anything.
After that we went and cuddled in bed.... Maybe I copped a feel when we got under the covers and teased her but that was until we fell asleep together. When I fell asleep I came into a dream world... hearing voices whispering but I couldnt make out what they were saying. Then I found myself on stage... the whispers continued... as quiet as they were it sounded like a crowd cheering. There was nobody in the audience. I wandered around on stage just looking at everything.... I stopped at the side of the stage seeing a fire sprout up in front of me and slowly burn around me leaving some rapidly changing runes in the burn marks.... I honestly didnt get much of a look at em to be honest. Just as the fire finished a breeze whipped through and the whispers stopped. I heard a sigh and turned around to see Princess Luna in sweat pants and a teeshirt as well as slippers. "Good... Just caught you before bed... Both Shining and my sister said not to enter your dreams until given the okay." She said walking up to me. I stepped out of the circle of runes and hugged her. "Glad to see your mind is still in commission..." She held me tighter but... I felt her chin kinda dig into my shoulder... Weird having this be a bit of a dream. "....But... something has a hold on you but... it doesnt look anything underwordly..." She broke the embrace and nudged me aside before kneeling near the rapidly changing rune circle.
"...It's what happened when the uh... thing happened..." I turned and walked over to her. "I dont accurately know what the runes mean... I've got a bit of a.... Lets call her a specialist... who probably could translate them but... I need pictures of the runes for the help." She hummed.
"And who is this 'specialist' you have?" I honestly hesitated. But I took a deep breath and looked to her.
"Well uh.... If I tell you... can you please just... feign ignorance and say you've either always known or that Celestia told you and you wouldnt say ANYTHING about what I'm about to tell you...."
"Okay... Well... Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.... I guess...."
"Well i uh... well.... She's...." Again I hesitated... started stammering. She just looked on a bit confused. Curious almost. I stopped trying to talk and huffed giving up on speech. Then... I just... started to think... That thinking put a poster on the floor in the middle of the runes... It was rolled up but I picked it up and unrolled it... On it? Daring Do... Yet she was stark naked covering herself with leaves.... Luna blushed a bit as I showed her... I blushed too and got a tad hard too.
"This? She's your expert? But... this is Daring Do... a fictional character!" I averted my gaze. "Wait... you're serious so... she's.... Sweet mother in heaven.... Where is she?! Can I meet her?!" I huffed.
"Well... You kinda already did... In uh... Canterlot when I was there meeting Yearling..." I looked back to her and she was stone faced.
"You... you mean that... Daring is...?" I nodded. "...Shit.. she... she hides it WELL.... What was your reaction when you found out?!" I blushed harder rolling up the poster.
"I... I may or may not have had a waking wet dream..."
"You came in your pants?" I nodded. "Oh... Oh my... I hope she didnt notice..." I gave a little yelp. "... She did didnt she?" I nodded. "Ah... and the result?"
"Surprisingly the opposite of what you would think... most mares would be disgusted or laugh but... she felt for me and helped me clean up... even uh... well... made dreams come true...."
"Ah... No wonder Dash was pissed off... I thought she was spouting nonsense when she called me late at night yelling... I thought she was sleep talking or drunk... But you are a lucky dog for that...." She took the poster from my hand. "And perhaps... I can see about making a more... safe version for you... possibly with 'Yearling's' permission." I took the poster back and ripped it making it disappear.
"As much as I would like that, it would leave evidence about her real identity for her enemies.... and I dont think we'd wanna see Ahuizotl or Dr. Caballeron breaking down the door to a farm house for a poster. I mean... If she's real, they're real too."
"Hm...." Luna turned her attention back to the runes. "Has anyone else seen these runes?" I hummed.
"Maybe Shining and the guys did... I'm not sure though... I was passed out most of the time... maybe awake for an hour and a half... Just got back to sleep not too long ago..." She huffed getting up.
"I'll have my sister send me a picture of said runes as well as you so that 'specialist' can help with your findings." She gave a wink smiling. I smiled back.
"Thank's princess... I'll be sure to give you an update. Just... wake me up please?" She nodded and gave me a hug before her horn started to glow making everything fade.
When I woke up I found myself still cuddling the naked Daring. She was snoring slightly but she was just out of it. I carefully got out of the bed and went straight for my clothes putting them on. I sat on the bed after I was done. Kinda glanced out the window, through the shades too without revealing too much of the room. City was beautiful even though the sun was just rising and yes I did feel well rested (probably because the tranquilizers I got hit with). Just saw ponies and cars on the street... Come to think of it how did we get here again? Think we had a guard truck take us here... Either that or limo... Oh well. I basically just stayed around the room for maybe ten minutes before going into the bathroom. A strange sight... my phone was on the floor in front of the toilet and I dont remember doing anything with my phone last night... or the toilet even.... Just as I got close it started ringing... Loud guitar in a slightly echoey bathroom? Not a good thing when someone in the next room is sleeping. I quickly grabbed it and answered it with a 'tired' hum. "Ryder? Ryder this is Celestia. You okay over there?" She asked. "My sister said she talked with you... What did you ask of her?"
"I didnt really ask of anything Princess." I whispered. "She came into my dream and checked on me, I'm grateful for that but she saw the runes and I'm a bit scared of what those mean... She wants to see them better."
"She told me. Again this is up to you, to move on with this. Reveal only to who you trust though."
"I understand. But is anyone- even our guest- allowed back into that site? It's going to be a target for news reporters and others if they see guards coming and going from that site... And what of the band? They were gonna play there! Are they gonna have to move venue? Are they still gonna go with that?"
"They're going to have to go through with this. I paid for this venue for them giving your sister a special show of her own for her birthday. I'm not paying to relocate them. Apologies for that but.... perhaps they could do something with said hole..."
"Can you think about that later Princess? Right now we need to conduct an investigation on what the actual fuck went on! I'm sorry if i'm being rude princess but I dont wanna get in trouble nor do I want our guest to be seen. Please just... help me think of a way to get in and out of there without questions being asked."
"Right right... It's fine that you were getting snippy I'm just afraid of that being pinned on ME! The owner of said Amphitheater is wondering what's going on and why security tapes are being replaced. I'm trying to pay to have that fixed after the concert but the guy wants an expansion!" I huffed glancing back out at the bed. Daring was still sleeping thankfully.
"If by expansion he means he wants a boot up the ass I'll gladly make that request a reality- and yes I know, I'm a general of the Celestian guard yadda yadda... but this guy is a jackass! Tell him you're paying for the hole and that's it! If he doesnt go for that tell him you'll pay for something like new lighting or something reasonable. Just do what you can, assert yourself as a princess and dont let him take you for a wimp! Now idea's. Please?" I heard Celestia huff.
"Alright. Wake 'Miss Yearling' and bring her up to the penthouse. Hotel owners gave it to me after I told them I was trying to keep everyone from taking pictures. It was awkward but they were okay with it, even had my guards check those affected by my light... Lucky some only had temporary spotty vision... I apologized profusely to everyone in the lobby." I huffed.
"Alright. Meet you up there in a few Princess. Any specific elevator we gotta take?"
"Yes. The elevator you take is down in the lobby. I'll give word about your arrival for my guards and possibly have one of them meet you. You can get her down without being seen too much cant you?" I thought for a moment going out into the room looking around. Her clothes were strewn about but she had a few bags stowed in the corner.
"Maybe... Hopefully she has a disguise that doesnt raise questions... Why would AK Yearling meet with Celestia?"
"Perhaps because said princess is a secret fan and you were sent as an envoy to meet Miss Yearling and bring her to the princess. I'd suggest you get dressed and get our guest up so we can chat about what was seen. I'll even have breakfast ready for you when you arrive. See you soon."
"Oh and where was my bag? Did the guys get it?"
"Oh silly me I forgot to give it to you! Just get ready in what ever you need and meet me upstairs and you can change into what ever up here."
"Got it. See you soon." I quickly hung up and shoved my phone back into my pocket and walked over to Daring sitting on the bed again. I nudged her. "Hey. Hey wake up! We gotta go soon!"
Daring grunted slightly and shifted in her sleep. "....N-nah now mizzur teddee.... i... I jus..... gotta.... swim'cross diz river...." She mumbled. I gasped a bit and started shaking her.
"Wake up NOW! Dont go swimming what ever you do! Build a bridge and go over! Head for the door in the tree! Just wake up!" Daring snorted waking up as she sprang up and had her wings puffed out. She panted a bit looking around. I shushed her holding her. "There... It's okay... I gotcha... You didnt go swimming did you?" She pushed off me and looked at me.
"N-no... I... I was about to but... W-w-what would've happened if I did?" I averted my gaze.
"Well... I guess the hotel staff wouldnt like to clean that up.... Lets just leave it at that.... Now... I'd suggest using the restroom and getting dressed. We need to meet Celestia upstairs in the penthouse." She looked around and huffed.
"Alright just... let me get ready.... Maybe help me to the toilet? I feel like I'm about to burst...." I nodded and carefully grabbed her picking her up. I carefully made my way over to the bathroom. She gave little whimpers here and there and I honestly wanted to just stop in the middle of the room and make her walk the rest of the way just to see her wet herself but I had my fill of her piss. I helped her over to the toilet and just listened at the torrent she let out.
After that I helped her get into her AK Yearling costume by tying her wings down with bandages and I maaaaay or may not have teased her slightly when helping her into her panties... She didnt mind though. After that we started for the lobby. Few fans noticed, she signed a book or two, I was asked a question of who I was. Just a guard bringing her to Celestia- because at this point EVERYONE kinda knew that Celestia was here. When we got to the lobby more ponies coming and leaving here noticed us but we went straight to the front desk where we were met by the concierge. Told him I was requested to bring AK Yearling to Celestia. They had gotten word quickly apparently and we were escorted to the private elevator. Guard met us in the elevator and rode up with us. I... I kinda grabbed onto 'Yearling's' hand feeling something spark in me... memories of when I saved Babs... I was visibly disturbed by how high we were going up in the elevator... I even had to sit down and breathe a bit though Daring knew... The guard not so much but he knows the stresses I've been through. Once we got to the top I just didnt wanna get up... Daring had to get the guard to get the Princess while she tried calming me down. My breathing was heavy, uneven at most points and I was shaking.... vigorously at most. When Celestia got there she took me off the ground with her magic, and lied me in her arms, shushing me. "It's okay Ryder.... I gotcha..." She said softly in a motherly voice. She looked to Daring. "Follow me Miss Yearling. I've got a place we can talk."
Daring nodded and followed us around an elegant looking penthouse suite. Fully stocked bar, flat screen TV with a few guards watching a crime show and we just walked up a small set of stairs into a bedroom fit for Celestia herself. She carefully lied me down on the bed, lying down with me. I saw her wearing sweats, a teeshirt and socks. She used her magic and closed the door behind Daring locking it. Daring huffed. "Princess.... Is he gonna be alright?" She asked.
"He should be alright.... Just needs some calming down... this is the worst I've seen him but... it's understandable why he's like this.... long elevator ride to a top floor... its Manehattan all over again for him... but everything will be fine...." The princess cuddled up with me as I just whimpered scared. Daring huffed.
"Thought so.... I know he was involved in it but... he didnt specify what happened I dont think.... Alright to ask for a small version here?" The princess looked to me... I gave no form of confirmation or even deniability for said info release.... She huffed looking back to Daring.
"Well... I... I think you can help him... He was in the penthouse of his fiance's rich uncle and apparently there were terrorists on the train he was riding that bombed the building... He had to jump from the window to save himself and his fiance's cousin... he managed to only to get out just as the building was collapsing... to think he nearly died in that... as well as that plane crash and getting shot...." Daring sighed looking at me as I teared up.
"You poor thing... Scared shitless and just... wow... so much...." She wiped a tear from my eye and brushed my mane back. "I think you should stay here with the princess...We can investigate later tonight when you're calmed down... I can wait as long as they dont clean everything up." I wanted to say something but I couldnt... I was choked up on my own fear.... that and the sobs that were coming out when I wanted to. Celestia sighed.
"I can send his friend in to take pictures of the destruction and anything else needed in this investigation including these... runes my sister saw in Ryder's dream. And perhaps we can meet later for a meal? We're just gonna try to let Ryder relax for a couple more days... get his mind off work and get it onto having fun... Perhaps later we can swing by the booth at the convention you were at?" Daring gave me a smile.
"Sure... I gotta get some breakfast here soon anyways... Maybe look to get some new clothes for me to walk about in still being yearling and hiding myself whilst still being able to do my thing.... Maybe get something for you you'd be able to get from me before I leave..." She looked to Celestia. "You have my contact information just in case anything comes up alright?" Celestia nodded and held me close as I broke a bit. Daring kissed me on my forehead. "I know you hate this Ryder.... but... I'll see you later.... You can see me later once you calm down... might have something for you then okay?" I nodded and hesitantly she started off... Stopped only for a moment to glance back but still left anyways. I was left along with Celestia now... sobbing, scared...
"I got you Ryder.... You're safe...." Celestia shushed me... I didnt know what was going on with what happened... I hadnt spoken to AJ since who knows when, my fears kicked in hard and crippled me a bit. I was just a broken stallion beyond repair here at this moment. "Do we need to call Applejack? Your mother?" I hesitantly nodded.... hesitantly being a minute of dead silence... then a whimpering nod. She took her phone out and hummed. "...Perhaps we shouldnt really bother Applejack with these things... especially when she's with the girls and my sister.... lets just check in with mommy okay?" She cuddled me close showing me on her phone. She scrolled all the way down in her contacts for Spitfire and tapped the call icon.
I sat there for maybe a few minutes, less than that even. I turned over and cuddled up to the princess nestling myself into her chest... Princess didnt mind. I just listened to the buzzing. Then it clicked. "What is it?! WHAT DO YOU BILL COLLECTORS WANT?!" I heard my mother yell.... kinda flinched a bit.
"Uh... Miss Spitfire? This is Princess Celestia... Are you free to talk for a bit?" I heard a gasp from Celestia's phone.
"Oh! Oh princess I am so sorry! Of course I have time to talk!" We heard something kinda hit the phone. "THUNDERLANE! TELL THESE RECRUITS WHAT TO DO!" I clutched Celestia more when my mother yelled. She just stroked my wings and shushed me. "Apologies about that. So do you need us for an event or something?" Celestia huffed.
"At the moment no. But I've got Ryder here and he's a mess... Should probably get him out of the penthouse soon... Perhaps you can talk to him, try to get him on his own feet? He had to be carried to my room in the hotel."
"Oh dear... not again... Ryder? Ryder it's mommy are you okay?" I wanted to respond.... I couldnt. Flashes of explosions, crumbling buildings... I just started muttering things about my family, babs and just...
"Ryder? Ryder come on say something!" I just looked up at Celestia and whimpered. She huffed. "I'm gonna get him down from here.... he's too scared to move, too scared to talk... maybe his next visits with you are more closer to the ground... I'll call you back in a couple minutes when we're out of here... He should be more cooperative when we're street side."
"Okay.... Ryder if you're listening dont be scared. You're going to be okay... you're in the Princesses hands and she wont let anything happen to you! Take a deep breath sweetie!" I did just as my mother told me and started taking deep breaths. Did it after Celestia hung up, did it while Celestia was helping me dress, and even whilst i was clutching her legs as we went down the elevator. She got me all padded up with diapers I had in my suit case, dressed me in jeans, my sneakers and with my Celestian guard jacket on with the sleeves rolled up. We got to the bottom and I just stepped out of the elevator and collapsed onto my hands and knees breathing somewhat regularly now.
"Feeling better now that we're down on the ground?" Celestia helped me up. I nodded. "Good... Now lets call your mother back when we get back into the transport."
I nodded and walked out with the princess. Ponies left and right bowed in respect, some were a bit sauced and most were nice and just gave us room... possibly because they were nervous with Celestia with us. After we got in I just sat next to Princess Celestia a bit misty eyed and all around embarrassed. "...Princess?" I asked. She looked down at me as she pulled her phone back out. "...dont you hate me for being like this? Breaking down like a child, crying, not speaking when scared and even being scared?" She sighed.
"I dont hate you Ryder but honestly I'm worried... I've seen the stuff you've been through but its these things that make or break you... they do a little of both but the broken side is shown more than what strength it has given you... all these things you survived were scary... both for you and loved ones knowing you were in those..." She glanced out the window whilst we drove down the road. "What that was? It was that burning building... the terrorist attack in Manehattan... The elevator ride up, the memories flooding back crippling you... I feel like we might have to send Luna back in to help you with this..." I grabbed Celestia's hand.
"I'm sorry Princess.. but I dont want your sister to feel like she's becoming my personal therapist for things... I just... I just need a helping hand through these things...No medication, no magical lobotomy, just some grit that can help me but I cant do anything without some help... Just... Just like stage fright but with high buildings and stuff like that...."
"But Ryder this is really bad... I dont want to see you broken like this and my sister can help!"
"She can help but she stays out of my mind... unless its for a dream visit but.... I wanna do it without magical help... these are hurdles I can get over but with some help... not some magical cheat code as Luna would put it... and that's what it feels like to me.... Like i'm using a cheat code just to get through life.... I appreciate all you do but... I just feel like I'm abusing your power..."
"Well you arent General... Its of my own and my sisters will to do these things for you, your sister and other members of your family. But if you really feel like this is something you want I wont stop you but it's always open for you to do... Now about your mother?" I nodded and released her hand so she could dial on the phone. I put up the barrier between the driver and us just as she hit call.
We waited a moment before the click was heard. "Princess? Princess is my baby boy okay?" I heard mom ask.
I sighed. "Yeah... Yeah ma I'm alright..." I said. "Just... Just had a moment... I... I'm sorry if i didnt say anything last time..."
"Ryder it's okay... Does mommy need to come keep her baby boy company? Make sure he's okay in the high buildings?" I blushed a bit.
"Thanks but... no thank Ma... I think I'll be fine as long as I stay on a lower floor... I was fine in another room with friends... I... I guess the elevator and the high floor just scared the hell out of me more than you'd think...." My mother sighed.
"Well... lets hope we dont have to have Soarin come and help you with heights again..."
Celestia huffed a bit. "I'm afraid that's what it might come to Miss Spitfire..." She said. "...He's denying any help from me or my sister in search of more physical help rather than magical and I'm willing to accept those parameters. And I know what you're thinking. This is your child, you dont want to see him scared and you want what's best for him. He wants whats best for himself but this is the best he wants that isnt magic of any kind. Not any spell that erases memories from his mind, magic that puts him in sedation. Maybe even magic to calm his nerves but I'm not sure..." Mama Spitfire gave a little moan.
"Ryder... Why dont you wanna let the princess help you?"
I huffed. "I dont wanna have them feel like they're being used! I'm not that kinda guy to use someone with power for my own advantage!" I said. "They've done a lot for me yes but I just... I just feel like I'm getting too much from them...."
"Ryder I want my baby boy to be okay and I am ordering you to let the princess do what they want!"
"Mom... Let me do this... Please!" For a moment we heard silence. A bit of a whimper as well.
"...Princess.... I-if he does want to go through with this... please just... keep an eye on him and his mental health... I... I want to be able to hug my baby boy.... he's... he's...."
Princess Celestia huffed. "Spitfire... I'll be sure he'll be fine..." She said. "Your son wont have another episode I'm sure of it... Perhaps I can meet you in Canterlot and we can plan something out for Ryder and his sister to have a family day including you. As for now just sit down, have a drink and try to get back to your recruits. We can contact you later about this."
"...O... Okay... I... I just dont want another scare..."
I huffed. "Ma... I'll be fine... I love you..." I said. She sniffled and a sob broke out a bit through the phone.
"...I... I love you too sweetie... just... please... d-dont scare mommy..."
"Mom... please... calm down... I promise you I'll be okay... I'll send you a text or even call letting you know I'm good... Okay?"
"...Please....?"
"Yeah... I will... Now I gotta go Ma... Me and the Princess gotta find somewhere to go to eat... Maybe meet the guys to keep going on this bachelor party... You and some of the other Wonderbolts are coming to my wedding arent you?"
"...Yeah... Yeah we are... just... go do what you can... Love you Ryder.... See you soon..." And with that the princess hung up. I looked to the Princess. She gave me a smile and threw an arm around me. Just made me cuddle up to her. Comforted me. That said not much happened from here on out. I got together with the guys, Celestia took us to the convention, I got some 'private time' with Daring, and we did end up getting pictures of those runes and the destruction. Sent em off to an Email and marked it as urgent for 'Yearling' to see and 'Yearling' met us for dinner at the hotels restaurant. Stayed for a few days more, gambled a bit, won a couple hundred bits surprisingly and spent some of it on some souvineers... apparently a few shops out here had some stuff from the games I play with post apocalyptic shit. Nukes Galore. Play so many post apocalyptic shooters i almost dont remember em all... Maybe I bought myself a case or two of the sodas that are in the games as well as a shirt or two... or four... Celestia got me those.
When I was back home I was the only one up. Applejack was asleep in bed, smelling of half a bottle of whiskey, Scootaloo, Applebloom and Babs were over with Sweetie Belle, Shining and Big Mac just gave me and AJ the house. I had my phone and I was sitting in my pajamas downstairs playing a game trying to get myself to fall asleep. But a phone call interrupted my game... was kinda pissed but surprised at who the caller was. Daring. I answered it but before I could say a word I herd a huff. "Ryder. Daring. These runes are very archaic... something nopony has seen in years nor do they know what they mean... I have a contact that I'm guessing you heard speak to me when we were in Canterlot that might know something but they've gone dark for a few weeks." She said. "And that hole? Facing due east, southeast. Something tells me theres something off that way but there's no telling what... Might need some time to map out things... The video didnt help much but I can try analyzing sound waves and what not. If you're ever near Vanhoover find 'The Divide' dive bar. Use the phrase 'Time's up, Drop off'. Keep this in mind."
I sighed. "Definitely will." I whispered back. "Please keep in touch with things. Text, email or something... If you need to speak with me personally you have my number, you also know where I am if things need to get physical with tests." She huffed.
"Ry... keep your dick in your pants...And you're getting married soon. I dont think your wife would appreciate it if you kept fucking other mares...."
"I'm actually serious. If you need to test things on me for something like... I dont know anything you think you need to test on me... like..." I started to think... The whispers from my dream, the guitar calling to me. "...Like... giving me a guitar and seeing the effects of what's going on... when I woke up from being tranq'd I heard the guitar call to me... like... it wanted me... to use it as a weapon... or... something..." I heard her type a bit on a computer.
"Noted... Wish this would've been there earlier.... Something else to work off of... I've gotta get on this on camera myself if I want to see these things... possibly in containment with contingencies about this... I'm gonna have to do somethings to prepare... I'll contact you in a week or so. I've got to research stuff."
"Alright. Night. Study well I guess..." She didnt say another word before hanging up. I saw my game for a split second before it crashed sending me to the home screen. I just huffed and went back upstairs just to go back to bed. Cuddled up to AJ, maybe putting a hand on her breast and giving it a slight squeeze as I drifted off to sleep. I cant tell if shit is this way because I'm special or that I'm just a target big enough to shield others from this shit. But all I knew that this was only the beginning. |
The Return | Cold Reception (Part 1) | ...I thought today was supposed to be the happiest day of my life... Yet this day is scaring the ever loving shit out of me.... Its like... It's like you're going to a birthday party but you end up seeing the clown and you just dont trust whoevers party it is because their dad is the clown and you also found out that he got a pet spider for a present. That kinda scared.... well... if you hate clowns and are a huge fucking arachnophobe like I am... Let me just... just start from the beginning. It was early in the morning (about four in the morning to be exact) and I had woken up to Scootaloo screaming like a banshee. I had to run from my room and I guess Applejack had to follow it was that bad. We quickly flicked the light switch only to see Scootaloo scrambling out of bed to me.... Bed was soaked, so were her little wonderbolts PJ's she got from Mama Spitfire. I hugged her as Applejack looked around her room. I was in a long sleeve shirt and a diaper and Applejack was in her bra and basketball shorts that Dash bought... apparently dumb Dash thought they'd fit Fluttershy but she was a size too small for them. "Sweet Celestia... The hell made that girl scream like that?" Applejack asked.
I knelt down holding my now sobbing sister. "I dont know! Just... Just make sure there's nothing on her covers..." I said. I turned my attention to my sister who just clutched me tight. I shushed her as I looked as best I could at her wings and her messy mane making sure there was nothing in either. Didnt even feel anything when I was stroking her wings and fixing her mane. "It's okay Scoot.... You're okay... You're okay... big brother's gotcha...." I picked her up and looked to Applejack. "I'm gonna go get her cleaned up and padded... Think you can strip her bed?" She huffed.
"Might as well toss this mattress and get her a new one with waterproof sheets at this point...." I nodded and went into the bathroom and set her down only to leave her there and go grab a towel and her diapers as well as some powder. I heard Big Mac tromp heavily up the stairs with Winona hot on his heels just as I was heading into the bathroom. He looked a bit panicked but I closed the door behind me and looked back to Scoot who was already stripping herself down. I sighed.
"Havent heard a scream like that for a while.... everything okay Scoot....?" She sniffled as I handed her the towel, shaking her head. "What happened? Have another nightmare about falling while flying?" She shook her head again and looked to me.
A few sobs escaped as she covered herself with the towel. "...I... I thought I heard a bear.... another Ur... Ursa minor...." She said. "...It... it made me wet my bed...." I sighed.
"There's no bears around here... and definitely no Ursa Minor... Trust me we'd be out of here a lot earlier with some warning.... Pretty sure Twilight did something to alert us to magical creatures near the outer edge to Everfree so Ponyville would have time to Evac. Now... Wanna lie down so I can pad you up?" She blushed and nodded wiping a tear from her eye. "..... I'd honestly hate to see you if one did come around... but... dont worry... big brother isnt gonna let anything happen to you.... You gonna be okay?" She shrugged as I got the diaper ready under her. "...We're here for you Scoot... Nothing's gonna happen..." Just then a chill just went down my spine... Like... Like it just got extremely cold all of a sudden. I looked over my shoulder hesitantly grabbing the powder.
"...I...Is everything okay... R-R-Ry...?" I looked back to her.
"Uh... Yeah yeah... Forgot to grab you new clothes...." I quickly powdered her up and tabbed her up before just getting up and hurrying back to her room with her soaked clothes.
Applejack was just getting finished stuffing Scootaloo's sheets into her hamper and Big Mac was just getting Scoots mattress all raised up on the wall. Applejack smiled a bit as I stuffed the clothes in with the sheets. "Is the little darlin' okay?" She asked.
"She's good just... she thought there was a bear around. Damn near scared us into a heart attack huh AJ?"
Big Mac huffed. "Lucky you.... I wasnt so lucky with that... Scared me into pissing myself...." He said. Me and Applejack met each others gaze confused. Then back to him. Big Mac was wearing sweat pants and a hoodie. He pulled his sweats down to around knee level and he was wearing a freaking soaked diaper. "Glad I nabbed this one and neither of ya noticed until now... and that I took until tonight to put it on.... Other wise I'd be stripping my bed down too...." He pulled his pants up. "Now why dont you two get on back to bed? I'll finish up here..." I nodded and started raiding Scootaloo's drawers for new pajama pants and a new shirt before walking out with Applejack and into the bathroom. She helped me get my sister dressed and even carried her back to our bed.
Applejack just looked to me as she lied down with Scootaloo. "You coming to bed?" She asked as I was going over to the window, grabbing my pants off the floor.
I huffed. "Nah... Not yet... Just gonna sit up on the roof..." I said opening the window. "Her screaming got the adrenaline pumping... Gotta calm down a bit but I'll be back in bed before you know it.... Might give Gilda a call and talk to her if I can...." Applejack yawned reaching over and grabbing my phone off the charger tossing it to me. I caught it barely.
"Gonna need that if you're wanting to talk with her.... now go on and get out there... just try not to be too loud... wouldnt wantcha keeping us up... mainly this little filly here...." She gave Scootaloo a quick kiss on the forehead... she looked tired but... she was looking at me... worried. I turned back to the bed and knelt down at my side.
"Everything's okay Scoot... I'm not going far.... Just go back to sleep... AJ's here to protect you and Big Mac isnt gonna let anything get to us..." Applejack grabbed my sister cuddling her.
"Just go on now sugar cube... I got her from here...." I gave a smile and kissed my sister on her forehead before heading back to the window, opening it and flying out and up to the roof.
I landed on the roof and sat down just looking out... The air was still, cool and the night sky was a beautiful deep blue with stars sparkling even though the sun was just below the horizon. I sighed taking out my phone and just looked around as I started going through my phone contacts. I had that feeling someone was watching me... but it didnt seem like Mythic... he would've made himself known. I took a deep breath and huffed pulling up Gilda's contact and starting the call. I waited a moment listening to the buzzing. Then a click. "Dweeb...calling this early...?" I hear Gilda ask. "...Lucky I was already up... what's up?"
I huffed. "Not much.... Scootaloo scared the shit out of everyone screaming..." I said softly. "She thought there was a bear. And... I just... I got a feeling in my bones that I cant shake..."
"Wait wait... arent you getting married later tonight?"
"Yeah... but this isnt anything normal... I'm not getting cold feet I swear but... shit... I'm a bit freaked out by something but I dont know what...."
"And youre sure youre not paranoid....? I mean... stallions do get nervous on the day of their wedding but this is ridiculous..."
"Gil I swear I'm not paranoid. Something really just feels wrong!" Gilda sighed.
"Okay... I'll give you the benefit of the doubt... You're tired and that you're starting to believe that there is a bear or something running around your house.... Just... I dont know take a deep breath, piss yourself and calm down. Maybe uh.... maybe send me a soggy sag pic if you can... I'm uh... I'm kinda wanting something to get my juices flowing if ya catch my drift." I huffed.
"Okay but just know its only gonna be me and AJ at the after party so its just doing the horizontal mambo... Might see if Celestia cant section something off somewhere for us... maybe tell who ever is there that its a wedding photoshoot but.... it wont be...."
"Can it! Piss! Now!" I huffed....
"Well someone's definitely horny.... Just... Give me a minute okay?" I admit I'm surprised I didnt piss myself when Scootaloo screamed but I did have a few drinks earlier in the day and maaay not have went potty before bed... I seriously wasnt holding to wake up wet I swear. I stood up and being the naughty colt I am I actually started a video call with her and flew down to the family truck and I just looked to my phone as I sat down. She was naked almost... but her tits were hanging out of her bra and she was touching herself. So wet from what I saw in the light of her room. I shushed her and dropped my pants turning on the light on the front facing camera before just kicking my pants aside before kneeling down onto them setting the phone against the side of the truck bed. God the look in her eyes and the way she licked her beak as I just started crinkling my padding around and pulling up my shirt to have her see the brim of the crinkly underwear and patted my crotch a bit before taking a deep breath and sighing. Holy shit did it just start coming out fast... I was sure she could hear the hissing because of the face she made and the best part? She could see it stain. Yeah... nothing but soda and tea all day. I felt it just start sagging and I could hear the it pool at the bottom of the soaking diaper. And just like that she came and is it bad I saw the stream when she squirted? She tried keeping her moan silent but she sighed starting to lick her talons for the camera. "Better?"
"Yeah... I... I had to go so bad but... I needed to get off too... I... I think I'm gonna...." Aaand she passed out. I could hear her piss pooling below her before I cut the call. I quickly put my pants back on and flew back up to the window and slowly climbed in before closing it softly. I looked to the bed and sighed seeing both Scootaloo and Applejack asleep. Just hurried to the bathroom, cleaned myself off, rubbed one out and just got back to bed after putting a fresh one on. And yes I washed my hands. Dont want my sister or my soon to be wife smelling piss and spunk on my hand.
I woke up about a few hours later and surprisingly felt well rested. No Scootaloo or Applejack in bed so I just felt content. I sighed getting up knowing what I had to do. I got out of my pajamas.... may have gone again in the diaper before getting rid of my diaper in a corner bin with a lid. Lucky us that rids us of smell... if we close the lid fast enough. Well... I got into something that wasnt pajamas. Jeans, a nice button up and sneakers. Might as well feel comfortable before slipping into a monkeysuit. As I exited the room and went for the stairs I saw Big Mac just coming from the kitchen with a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He looked up at me as I descended into the living room. "There he is... Sleep well?" He asked. I nodded. "Good... Wancha to be awake later so you dont go and fall asleep at the damn altar."
I sighed. "Yeah... Dont wanna have that happen trying to say my 'I Do's' and I'm falling asleep standing up..." I said giving a sigh. "Where were we a few years ago?" I watched him take a bite of his sandwich and huff downing a glass of milk he had sitting by.
"Few years ago? I was helping you move back in with your parents... Week later... it happened... After that we get our truck back, you're back in AJ's arms and nary a problem to your name.... next thing I know you're sleeping with my sister, helping out in the orchard... Just.... Doing shit... Panicking about your parents and shit... Just be lucky AJ nor the girls are here to hear us talk about that... Scoot would be making sure you aint still hung up on something that happened long ago, 'Bloom would be uncomfortable and AJ? Yeah she'd be on your side with this but she'd be kinda uncomfortable with it... thinks you might slip back into your uh... 'regressive' state." I sighed.
"Well I'm not gonna... Not after everything we've been through... I seriously have gone through terrorist attacks, gunshot wounds, and a fire that burnt down the house I grew up in... and later tonight... I'm getting married to your sister... I... I honestly couldnt have asked for a better family to be married into.... even better friends surrounding us, supporting me and everyone just picking me back up when I fall down..." I threw my arm around him. "Thanks for being there for me dude..." He gave me a smile.
"You're welcome. Always there for ya. Glad this didnt have to be a shotgun wedding... all on accounts you didnt knock my sister up and wanna run off and that I dont even have my shotgun... Hopefully we can find a new one for the family protection." I huffed.
"Well sorry that it got stuck in an evidence locker. I dont think I can get it out but can we just... I dont know, relax? Might need a bit of food before we head off and meet Twilight for how the day is gonna plan out... I mean... Rarity is helping AJ with her dress right now right? And that takes all day! Especially with Rarity. She's gotta alter, realter, add things and even keep trying to make it fit perfectly for Applejack to wear."
"You know Rarity... Gotta make sure everything is perfect. Especially with her clients dresses and when it comes to wedding dresses she's gonna have to make it the way she wants it and how it suits her clients. Lucky you she got your tux done early... if she'd've made you late to your own damn funeral if she did take her time on it"
And then we heard a laugh that just gave us a heart attack causing us to stand up and looking behind us. There we saw Twilight standing there in her royal dress on the steps leaning on the railing. "Sorry guys. Just needed to drop in, make sure nopony's thinking about running!" She said glancing at me. I gave a sigh as Big Mac coughed up a chewed piece of sandwich he kinda choked on.
"Well at least use the door and knock before we know we could've run!" Shit my heart was pounding... Last time someone startled me I pissed my pants... I was sitting against a tree by the road, Applejack snuck up on me and there goes the cider into my pants and she had to walk me back to the house holding my hand and help me wash up when I was crying. Lucky I had already gone before I came down here. Twilight chuckled a bit.
"Sorry boys. Someone seemed to have left the window open upstairs and I could swear someone was in their room but I guess not." She glared at me a bit. I just blushed... I maaaaay have left the window open a crack because closing it all the way meant i would've had to slam it because it likes to get stuck an inch and a half down. Didnt wanna do that. I huffed.
"Well I'll fix it when we can take down this wall! Only way to do that is take the window out but taking that out would mean half the house would come down with it."
"Well that's something you're gonna have to deal with down the line. As for now why dont you boys get what you can to eat and come with me? We've got stuff to do." I sighed and went to the kitchen. Grabbed a granola bar and chocolate protein milk bottle from the fridge. Big Mac just tried to eat the rest of his sandwiches before running into his room to get dressed. Came out in jeans, sneakers, a white teeshirt under a black button up, opened.
We walked out into the orchard and just looked up. Sun was shining, birds singing and... it just felt like a day I'd enjoy almost forgetting about the trouble last night. She had a guard truck waiting nearby but I just... I couldnt shake the feeling of someone watching me.... I stopped just as Big Mac and Twilight climbed into the truck and looked around. Even looked to the sky and saw a hawk flying around way above... Even back at the house. Nothing. "You coming Ryder?" I hear Big Mac ask. I looked to the hawk again and shuttered getting in. Big Mac and Twilight looked to me weirdly as I sat in the seat across from them. "You good there? Lookin' like you're paranoid about something!"
I huffed. "I-I'm fine.... Just taking one last look at things as an unwed stallion... I know I'm coming back here but as a stallion who's got a beautiful wife!" I said smiling nervously. He huffed.
"Sure... I'll choose to believe that... Just sit back and relax dude. You're gonna be good."
Twilight gave a sigh as I closed the door and we just turned about in the truck. "Alright first up on the list, we need to pick up the suit you're gonna be wearing. Buuuut since Rarity has it we're gonna have to blindfold you just so you dont see Applejack. And I know you're gonna take a peak so its gonna be me getting it while Big Mac makes sure you just keep your eyes shut."
i huffed. "Why? I'm not gonna-" I said but she cut me off by holding my mouth shut with her magic.
"Yyeeeaahh... we both know thats bullshit... Last time we told you not to look at something, you spoiled your own birthday presents." Yeah... I was too excited and spoiled a new Gems and Metallicolt album... But then again they kinda made it obvious asking where the radio was. I just huffed and rolled my eyes. She released my mouth and huffed. "Now you're going to sit there, entertain yourself and wait. I dont wanna have to cuff you just to wait out your wedding."
"And you wont. I promise I'll be on my best behavior. Maybe you'll deal with a bitch and a moan but maybe a few times. Just.... Do what you can?" She nodded.
"I guess I will and what I can be a lot because you know what the girls and I went through for this."
"And I thank you for this princess. Just... Lets just get this done." She nodded and we just relaxed listening to some classic rock and some hippie rock. We stopped at Rarity's and I stayed with Big Mac as Princess Twilight went in to retrieve my suit. As we waited again I felt watched... I started to look around only to notice a pony across the street, leaning against the pole looking at the guard truck. I just... I felt highly uncomfortable. The pony was an earth pony mare, gold coat, bronze looking mane and wearing exercise clothing. Big Mac grabbed me and lied me down on the seat.
He huffed. "Dammit... dont be getting curious now boy...." He said. "Just quiet down, relax and shit... Just uh... keep your mouth away from that zipper... Get me?" I blushed and nodded. This was when panic was setting in. My heart started racing a bit but I kept down and at least looked calm.
I just lied there, listened to the music playing on the radio but it didnt help. I heard the front door of the truck open before shutting a moment after and the door to the passenger area open. I jumped a bit expecting the pony to be rushing in because she got the guard but it was just Twilight. I played it off best I could. As she sat back down she sighed. "There. Suits in the front seat, guard is gearing up to head off to the castle to relax." She said. "Maybe get our manes done and probably a shower to be fresh at the wedding." She looked to us as the truck lurched forward. I looked around quickly and saw nothing of the mare staring at the truck. "Maybe you two can play some of the games Luna left at the castle to strengthen your bond as brothers."
Big Mac chuckled pulling me in close. "Nah. Me an' Ry here are closer than two tangled wires." He said. "Almost inseparable unless you took the time to pry us apart." He looked to me. "Aint that right?" I smiled nervously and nodded. Twilight just looked to me questionably as we started off in the truck again.
"Is everything alright with you? You've been acting weird since we picked you up at the house!"
I gave a little chuckle. "I'm fine! I'm fine! Really! I swear i'm not nervous or anything! Perfectly fine!" I said. She huffed.
"...If you say so... Just... talk with us if there's something wrong. Maybe you need a drink?" She didnt even wait for an answer. Just slammed her fist down on the seat having a small cooler pop up in between our seat. I grabbed a bottle of cola not seeing my Senor Salt anywhere... didnt wanna drink it anyways on account of AJ's allergies. If she had a major reaction due to me drinking some or she just grabbed the wrong can from the fridge (she drinks cola by the by and both cans are a blueish tint) and we have to take her to the hospital it would really kill me. Like no joke I have a fear of her throat closing up all because I either had my soda or she drank the wrong thing and if it happened, heart attack inbound.
"Y-yeah... Just... just need a drink is all...." I cracked it open and took a sip. Tasted good, bubbles went down kinda hard almost like razor blades scratching my throat. I capped it and clutched it leaning on Big Mac. There was something following me but... I just couldnt pinpoint what or who...I kept looking out the window at things that passed. Sugarcube corner, the old treebrary site, even a little playground as well as the school yard. We listened to more music. Songbird Seranade and Coloratura as well as some Sapphire Shores. Weird fact: AJ knows Coloratura. I doubt it sometimes but always kept being the same story. Almost never lies either. Havent been introduced yet but definitely waiting on that day.
As we pulled into the castle at the garage I saw a group of ponies... they just looked like tourists taking pictures of the castle but one just... she just didnt seem right. Staring at the truck. Oh it made me just go panicking hard. I just grabbed onto Big Mac and hugged him tight. He just looked at me hugging me back confused. "The hell is going on with you Ry?" He asked. "Is getting married scaring you this much?" I didnt answer. "God dammit..." He looked to Twilight. "Glad he's got his tags on but he really needs to lay off! Mind helping me ?" She huffed and used her magic prying me off and holding me to the seat.
She made me look at her and she didnt look happy. "Now Ryder... We're gonna stop soon... when I let you go, follow my orders and I wont have guards detain you until the time of your wedding... Understood?" She asked. I whimpered a bit. "Ryder... We're not letting you ruin this... Both Big Mac and I know some way to ruin your life if you ruin this day... Not only would we ruin your life someone else will to... we all would...."
"Eeyup. Dont want it to be a shotgun wedding but I'm sure Twilight will look the other way if I borrow a gun and make ya marry my sister like you've been wanting to do this whole time!" I just started breathing heavily feeling scared, light headed and I even broke out in a sweat... I couldnt move because of Twilight's magic which made things worse. Their words went quiet and all I heard was my breathing and my heart beat. Well... Until I just blacked out. My stress was just up that high, that I blacked out. I was thrown into a dreamscape where it was just the apocalypse. I was outside a church, broken, the bell still chiming slowly. As if it were a funeral. I was dressed in a suit, destroyed by what ever cataclysm went on. All I saw were storm clouds overhead and a wasteland around. I tried running away only to hear a shotgun blast having the shell hit by my feet.
I stopped and looked back and saw Applejack in her wedding dress just looking pissed... She was holding the shotgun that was shot off and it scared the hell out of me. She approached me cocking the gun. "And where the HELL do you think you're going....?" She asked aiming the gun. I just put my hands up and stammered a bit just slowly stepping closer. She huffed and tossed the gun towards me but she threw it over me. I could've caught it but I was pushed towards her but stopped just feet from her as another shot rang out from behind me landing just between us. I looked back and just saw Big Mac in his suit aiming the gun at me.
"You're gonna marry her aintcha!? I didnt wanna have to make this a shotgun wedding but ya forced my hand!" Applejack pushed me towards him and I stopped dead center hearing all sorts of guns cock. I looked back and saw Applejack with her friends aiming different kinds of guns at me. Pinkie had her party canons, Fluttershy had a sniper, Dash had some SMG's, Rarity had a fancy looking double barrel shotgun with a bunch of different designs on it. White grip and golden barrel. Twilight had dual wield pistols and Applejack had another gun again.... This one scared me more... Mini gun. All spooled up.
Next thing I know more guns cock behind me. Shining and a full platoon of guards surround me, assault rifles aimed at me, some in soldiers uniforms, some in guard armor, some in swat gear. Some faces I even knew. Pepper, Rouge, and even Shadow but... he was a changeling... reality he's Rocky but in this dream it was Shadow but he had all the detail of a changeling. Just then a nuke went off blinding all of us, vaporizing some of the generic guards...That nuke stopped exploding and just sucked itself back up yet everyone else faded leaving me to drop to my knees. The guns clattered to the ground, getting consumed by the dust. I started hacking and wheezing. A shadow passed over me before landing in front of me. I looked up to see Princess Luna wearing a dress ready for a wedding. She sighed picking me up and hugging me. "My... that was a bit much...." She said. "Arest thou alright Ryder? That didnt look like anything good that I saw... glad I came just in time... That nuke would've thrown me out of the dream and woke you up... What has you thinking like this?"
I stammered a bit and she shushed me. I took deep breaths as she calmed me. Shushing me. It took me a minute to be able to speak. "...Th-there's someone following me... someone or something... I... I cant tell but... I can feel them watching me!" I said. "This... this is supposed to be a good day... b-but... I... I just feel someones eyes crawling on my back.... Watching my every move...." She hummed.
"So its a trust issue huh... Would it make you feel better if I beefed up security around? It wouldnt be just for your wedding area but for your person as well. Bodyguards perhaps like us Princess get?" I thought about it... hesitantly nodded. "Alright... Now... do you wish to pick them out for yourself or do you trust Twilight to assign them to you? Or perhaps myself?"
"T...Twilight's choice... please... I... I dont think I can make a call stressed out like this..." She nudged me off a bit and looked me in the eye giving me a smile.
"You're going to be fine Ryder... We're happy you're doing something to better your life... finding someone to settle down with... Some place to call home..." She released me. "We're still here to help Ryder... You know that, we know that... in case anything comes up please let us know... Now I'll see you later... Time to wake up... we'll see you soon." I nodded but before she did anything I hugged her once more. She hugged me back, kissed my forehead and started making things fade.
When I woke up I found myself stripped down to my boxers. It was mine and AJ's combined room. It was dimmed to just where I could see everything. My clothes were folded up nicely along with my shoes and a note. I grabbed the note and turned on the light next to the bed where my clothes were. I looked at the note. It was from Twilight.
'Ryder,
I brought you to your room to sleep for a bit after you passed out. Probably wasnt right to panic you in any way because of this day. I told Princess Celestia and Luna about this, Luna went to check on you. Me and Big Mac went to wash up for a bit, not sure if you need it but its recommended from me for studies that warm showers and music relax you. Someone is posted outside your door just in case you need someone to look for me or Big Mac. Food will be provided as well as well as nausea meds in case of nervous stomach. But in all due respect Ryder I apologize for getting restrictive with this. I've put so much work on this wedding it's gonna hurt to know you dont wanna go through with this and ruin all our hard work... Just please... pull through with this for me, for the girls... even AJ... You should've seen her getting her dress on but then again that's bad luck... dont blame me for believing in that stuff... blame Pinkie for making me believe that stuff more. But she looked happy, excited. And just all around beautiful. As I'm writing this I'm getting misty eyed... both fearing this was all for nothing and that this will go through as normal. Basically being my brother at his own wedding... and how I think he'd be at mine. Maybe just come find me after you wake up. See you soon.
-Twilight.'
I huffed and started getting dressed back in my clothes. I felt calmer than earlier. Was I just being panicked by getting married? Was AJ gonna tell me I was only gonna be after her tail? Not someone elses? What was it about everything that made me scared? Those were the things I thought about as I walked down the hall with the guard leading me to Twilight. Just took a while, guard didnt say much. Only saluted me when I greeted him and just started leading me to Twilight as I asked. When we found her she was in her study. She was wearing jeans, socks and a black short sleeved shirt. She looked up from her book and smiled as I dismissed the guard. "Good... You're awake... Big Mac and I were worried we'd have to cancel or postpone the wedding for a while..." She said. "You alright?"
I sighed giving a little nod. "Yeah... I... I should be okay..." I said sitting in an open chair across the desk from her. "I just... I did speak with Luna... did she call you at all after you talked with her the first time?" She nodded.
"Yeah. Told me to help you choose bodyguards so you dont flip out like that again... Told me you were having trust issues, feeling like someone was going to ruin your day. That true?" I nodded. "Well from what I've read that's surprisingly normal...." She pointed to the cover of her book. 'Mixed feelings of ones wedding day- The Psychology of prewed ponies'. No surprise she'd have a book on this. "This book tells me common facts that revealed under stress such as lack of sleep, paranoia and fear of being rejected and left at the altar, all of those would trigger something in you to be afraid of getting married. With reinforcement such as your bodyguards should help you get that fear to repress itself so you'd feel a lot better until after this thing is over. That and music. As well as a quick urination session if you're interested in diapering up or just up and pissing your pants and if you're too scared to go I can go too I guess. Just uh... gotta find some place good for that." I huffed.
"I dont know... last thing I wanna do is wet my pants on my wedding day... Even though I've gone and peed my pants on my birthday... and AJ's... Yet AJ wanted me to... i swear!" She chuckled a bit getting up from her chair.
"Well that's too bad... I actually thought for sure you'd at least want to! I mean... AJ's birthday? That's been a while hasnt it? You dont have anything in the tank to let loose? Feel the warmth run down your legs to feel babied at least once when someone washes you and maybe diapers you up? Hm?" I had to admit it has been four months since I've gone and pissed my pants willingly... give or take a few accidents... and I did feel like I had to go. I looked back at the door seeing it shut. I looked to Twilight.
"Okay well... maybe I can... if it helps calm me down... Maybe... I dont know... take me somewhere away from expensive books and linen? I dont wanna get any princess things smelling like urine...." She got up and took my hand.
"Well come on. I've actually got a room for that set up just in case someone we know is piss drunk. Especially Gilda and last I checked I know you like seeing Gilda pissing her pants... Did I tell you I took pictures when she was here? So drunk she didnt care!" I blushed a bit as she started leading me out the door. "And dont worry... I asked AJ if I'd be able to do anything with you after your 'nap' to help you calm down and she said she'd look the other way on what's done." I hummed a bit taking my hand back as we closed the door behind us.
"Well before we do? How do I like it?" She looked to me and smiled a bit.
"Snug but not too tight around the waist and your hay burger spicy. With BBQ sauce and jalapenos and/or habanero peppers."
"Good..." I took her hand again. We made a quick surefire way to tell if someone's a fake after my trip to the Crystal Empire to have Cadence help me with the proposal. We have a set of questions to ask and we can only ask one and each question has multiple answers that have to be said otherwise guards get called in to throw up a magic suppression field that works on changelings and yes- it works because we had Shining bring Rocky and test it. Tested it on one room and that was with me, Cadence, Twilight and Rocky. No other guards knew she was a changeling. "Have you.... done something like this recently? To have a room set up for us just in case we were so drunk we peed our pants? Or even wet the bed?" She sighed.
"Few weeks ago I decided to have a drink with Pinkie and Gilda, Gilda decided to challenge us, Pinkie passed out, I nearly out drank her but tapped out after four shots and she just kept going and well... how do you think I got those pics?" I hummed. "Yeah... But I just decided that's just gonna be a temporary super drunk tank. Still figuring out what to do with it so we dont have to keep changing sheets on the bed or mop up piss puddles... or vomit... Lucky me I took those pics before I lost it...."
"Yeah... Someone should've warned you Gilda has had so many drinks alcohol content isnt a word to her until she wakes up with a hang over the next day. I've seen that girl down half a bottle of whiskey and a third of a bottle of rum before passing out. Only certain brands she can drink for a while but she can drink. And uh... maybe send those pics to my phone? I want something for when nobody's home and I'm feeling a bit frisky." She sighed.
"Oh Ryder... Libido like a rabbit. I'm surprised Luna doesnt have to shower off after doing a dream walk." She lead me all the way to a bedroom with a stripped bed and a pile of towels in the corner as well as a shelf with diapers and a chest of drawers. Six drawers, three on the left and right. Three on the left labeled mares with sizes, stallions on the right also labeled with sizes and a hamper in the corner furthest from the bed which looked like it had waterproof sheets on it. "Well here we are.... coulda sworn we had some blankets to put on it but I guess not. But I dont think we're gonna need that." I closed the door and made sure it was locked. I looked to her as she went over to the wall. "Need a drink to get started?" She leaned against the wall and punched it only to yelp as the ground shot up from under her having the edge of the cooler that appeared right under her feet! She teleported to me and hugged me scared but not before I heard a hissing sound, Twilight whimper and a little pitter patter on the floor. I kinda nudged her off a bit still keeping her close only to look down and see she was peeing her pants. I looked her in her face and saw tears in her eyes and her just blushing.
"Forgot where that new cooler was?" She nodded as the pitter patter stopped slowly. "You wanna get changed? I think I'll be fine trying it myself but... Kinda need to get my shoes off too..." She sniffled and nodded.
"...I just... I was only gonna go if you did... j-just to make you feel better...." I kicked my shoes off to the side narrowly missing her before bringing her in close.
"It's okay... You didnt have to but... thank you anyways...." I gave her a little kiss on the cheek and broke off. "Why dont you put a towel down and dry up your puddle? I think I'll be fine by myself. Just need to fuel up for a few so... yeah..." She sniffled, nodded and just went for the pile of towels grabbing a few and throwing one of them over to me. I caught it and set it down soaking up her puddle before she teleported away leaving me alone. I sighed starting to grab a bottle or two of water and just cracked them open downing them. Only had to drink three before I felt the huuuuuge urge to go. I grabbed four towels and unfolded them to where they were half and just piled them on top of one another before standing on them, curling my toes, feeling the towels under me before just taking my phone from my pocket, making sure my pockets were empty before just starting to relax. Took maybe a second or two just to get a full stream going... hoohohohhohoooooo.... my bladder loved me, I shivered as I felt it start running down my legs... Even closed my legs together and pulled my shirt like I was trying to hide it and bit my lip a bit acting all embarrassed. Oh it felt like it took a few minutes for me to fully empty but as I was just slowing down I felt my phone vibrate a few times in my hand. I took a look and all I saw was 'Princess Twilight sent you some pics!' I opened them up and... My god if I wasnt already hard from wetting my pants this would've done it. What I saw? Three pictures of a drunk and lewd Gilda and... one of a naked Twilight teasing me with wet panties and her tits with the caption: For you General... Even had a little blushie face on it. I just dropped my pants right there, took my soggy socks off and just started to rub a load out into a few other towels... Oooooh my god it felt so good... The one that made this happen? Gilda, pants down, fingering herself, tits hanging out, ass being eaten out by Pinkie and Gilda just pissing on the bed. The others? Topless gilda in pissy wet pants and the other just flashing the camera.
I cleaned up a bit, grabbed a new pair of underwear and pants and even had a passing guard get me some socks while i cleaned up a bit more making sure to put my soiled pants on top of the hamper now stuffed with towels. When I left with new socks and shoes I met up with Twilight who introduced me to a bodyguard detail comprised of three guards in black suits. Honestly didnt think much of them. Talked with them, mostly to them the whole time. Got food, showered, and went on our way to Canterlot. While we were at the chapel I was thrown into a room by myself to freshen up a little, and just relax with a little music. At this point I was excited to even get married... thought I was psyching myself out for nothing... well... until my guard detail knocked at the door. I opened the door and one forced me back closing the door while the others stood guard. I gave him a questionable look... until his two sets of eyelids blinked revealing some blue compound eyes. "Surprise!" He said before just spraying me with a weird mist from his mouth. I was about to say something but.... I couldnt... I quickly grew weak and stumbled around a bit feeling dizzy before just.... passing out.
From there I dont know what happened until I woke up hours later... Smelt like I was in a sewer but I couldnt see anything. My vision was all fuzzy but it felt like there was something over my face. Only to hear a laugh... one I've heard once before. "Wakey wakey GENERAL!" A raspy feminine voice said.
I coughed a bit clearing my throat and spitting something to the side... didnt feel like phlegm but something close. "Wh-who are you? Where am I?" I asked. Fuck I felt thirsty. Shit just felt gross. I kinda turned a bit but couldnt move my arms... they were held out to the side with something rough and even my legs were held apart. I was stuck. The raspy voice laughed.
"Oh you should know who I am... and where we are? I suppose it wouldnt hurt to tell you since you cant do anything...." I felt a hand brush my chin, gently caressing my jaw. "We're under Canterlot... few miles from where we picked you up you delicate little pony... Another marriage broken and this one.... this one nopony knows anythings wrong... well... hopefully if nopony came looking for you... but if they did where would they even look?" The hand released my jaw and made its way to my cheek before ripping something from my face. It hurt because of how it pulled some of my mane. I was blinded by a weird light. Greenish but still looked as if it lit up the room normally. I groaned having my head ache from the light, lack of something to drink and what ever I was hit with sticking in my nose, my mouth and my lungs making it hurt to breathe. "What's wrong? Someone need something?" I coughed a bit which made everything hurt. Maybe a drink perhaps?" I nodded. Yeah I was captured but I needed something to drink BADLY.
"...J... Just wash this shit out of my face... it burns my eyes... my nostrils... my fucking throat...." I coughed more. The mare gave a raspy laugh.
"Ah... Pheromones still in effect... Be lucky my drones get us fresh water.... sewer swill will only get us so far and few drones have already gotten sick because of it..." I could hear the crinkle of a plastic water bottle before feeling cool liquid run down my face. I opened my eyes to wash the burn out, I even tilted my head up to drink a little bit as well and oh my god it felt like heaven. Only part I didnt like? Actually being able to open my eyes and seeing Queen Chrysalis standing in front of me with a few bottles of water on a very worn table and an empty one in her hand. I gave a bit of a scream seeing Chrysalis and cowered shutting my eyes again. She tossed the bottle aside in an underground maintenance area from what I saw and gave a huff. "Oh come now... Is that any way to greet your queen? Fear and disdain towards me? I've treated you nicely so far! I've kept you safe from the other drones who wished to do you harm, I've even given you water such as you asked to wash your eyes and your gullet and I even let you keep your clothes! I adore a stallion in a suit like yours... Such militaresque... Unique for a stallion like you and even your superior..." Oh yeah... didnt mention the suit I had. Military like. Black suit, gold sash under the jacket , grey button up underneath, nice and comfortable dress shoes and black dress pants as well as a few pins on the lapel of the jacket, one being my insignia for rank and the other a symbol of the Equestrian empire. Real good of me to tell you the suit I was wearing while in captivity but... yeah...
"P... Please... let me go! I need to get back to my wife... my sister... th-they're freaking out right now! Guards are probably swarming looking for me!" Chrysalis approached and grabbed my face forcing me to face her. Didnt wanna look at her ugly mug just keeping my eyes closed.
"You dont need them... all you need is me. Being married to royalty is better than some farm hand... Do you want to be treated like royalty or do you want to be a pitiful farmer shoveling shit from animals? Picking corn and being considered an incestuous hillbilly? I bet your wife has seen more of her family naked than you have her!" I opened my eyes and quickly tried to bite her knowing damn well I could only move my head. I narrowly missed her fingers. She grinned a bit. "Feisty as ever... even after a blast of pheromones..." I spat in her face.
"LET ME GO YOU FUCKING BUG!" And right there is where she wiped off the loogie I spat onto her and just wiped it on me before back handing me and punching me a couple times making my tags reveal themselves I convulsed so hard.
"I've been civil with you General... I've given you things when asked, I've tried talking but now you have me resort to violence? And here I thought this is something you've wanted! To be civil! Talk it out but no! You've had to make me hit you!" She punched me once more in the jaw. I spat once more just avoiding her. Tasted blood. I looked to Chrysalis and smiled a bit.
"Damn... Bug bitch got a fucking hook..." An idea came to my head... my hurting throbbing head. "My queen... perhaps we could do something over a little wager and I'm sure you've got your reasons but just hear me out on this!" She grabbed a water bottle and cracked it open taking a sip.
"Do go on... I'll listen but if I dont like what I hear i'm gonna get some friends of mine to keep that pretty mouth shut..." She glanced on her shoulder and there was a spider crawling on her shoulder. I kinda jumped a bit and turned my head away.
"I-I will just... please... send your uh... 'f-f-friends' away... They make me nervous and I'm sure you dont want this room smelling worse than it already does..." She looked to the spider and just made a little bit of a disturbing clicking with her mouth and it hopped off her shoulder towards a metal door with a hole in it and it just crawled out. Few others crawled from hidden places and went out the little hole too. She looked back to me.
"There. They're gone. Now... talk." I cleared my throat a bit.
"Well... I... I want to play a little bit of a game with you. We take turns hitting each other, probably in the arm or somewhere that wont effect performance, if it hurts the one who was hit they take off an article of clothing starting small. Each hit could get bigger results or gain no results. If you get me naked first, I'll sleep with you and do as you ask. If I get you naked? I go free. No trouble from your drones. Agreed?" I could see her think.
"So... If i win, you're my brood stallion and slave.... but if you win... you get to go... And if you do win how can i trust you to not tell the guard about the hive?"
"You have my word. If I go free, I blame local crime like I just stepped outside for a breather and was held at gunpoint to be kidnapped. So... Do we have a deal?" I saw her grin a bit.
"Deal... Hands where I can see them when I release you alright?" I nodded. She came closer and grabbed at the... stuff holding my hands together ripping them each with one hand. I fell to the floor going to my knees making her back up a bit. She knelt down and ripped the stuff from around my feet and helped me up. "Here. Sit down for a moment, get something to drink... I'll give you a few moments to get your strength back. Only so we can do this properly..." She was falling for it hook line and sinker. I just wasnt leading on. I grabbed some water that wasnt already drank or dirty. I drank maybe half the bottle before I got up from where I was feeling a bit better and cracking my knuckles and stressing.
"So... Do you wanna go first or do you want me to go first?" She smiled a bit.
"You issued this... you go first..." I nodded and punched her. Didnt even full force it but made it seem like I did. "Nothing. My turn... plaything..." I got ready as she cracked her knuckles... ooh sounded as if she broke something with a shell. She wound up and hit me and it actually did hurt. I gave a little yelp and just started rubbing my arm kinda whining a bit. "Ha! Win for me..." She looked me over as I held my sore arm. Then her eyes locked on the shine of my tags. "Hm... How about those dog tags... They'd be better on a collar instead of that chain... that comes off first..." Yes. Yes there it was.... She grabbed hold of my tags and gave them a swift tug, breaking the chain. Now I know I said that the tags suppress my strength they dont. Its the chain COMBINED with the tags. Two tags, one with my cutie mark on one side, AJ's on the other, dash and Scootaloo's coat colors and medical info on the other. Once that came off... I gave the queen a quick shoulder check sending her against the wall. She dropped my tags and wheezed as she hit the ground. Knocked the wind right out of her. I grabbed the tags and shoved them in my pocket- surprisingly still having my phone- and looked to her giving a slight salute.
"I win! See ya never ya fuck! Time to crush some bugs!" I turned around and just rammed the door sending it off the hinges and into a few changeling drones. There were others that looked at me shocked before some started to swarm me. Punched each of them, roundhoused a few more and just scared a bunch more away as I started flying through the tunnels of the sewer. I kicked more and more changeling tail before stopping sensing something dangerous. Five seconds later after I knocked a drone out into the sewage, the roof above explodes sending debris, chunks of cement and stuff everywhere. And what I see drop down via rope? Big Mac, Shining, Soarin and... Mythic... my father.... Mythic the only one that wasnt in a suit. I landed on the side as Big Mac and Soarin started hacking at changelings as they swarmed us.
Mythic gave me a smile. "THERE YA ARE BOY! YOU'RE LATE FOR YOUR OWN WEDDING!" He yelled over the commotion. I quickly turned and sent a few changelings flying into another swarm knocking them out of the air.
"I KNOW! LETS GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! EVAC CANTERLOT AND EVICT THESE CHANGELINGS!"
Shining booted a few changelings and shot them with his pistol. "CANTERLOT IS ON LOCK DOWN! GOT GAURDS STATIONED AT EVERY SEWER ENTRANCE, EVEN ABOVE TO GET THESE GUYS OUT!" He yelled. "WE GOTTA GO! NOW!" He teleported out and Soarin flew out. I had to help both Mythic and Big Mac out and away from the hole as a group of unicorn guards used their magic on the hole. Not even a second later swarms of changelings just funneled out and started flying away from Canterlot, forced by magic. I sat down next to a guard truck with Big Mac and just watched this happen. Shining kinda helped using his magic. Soarin just kept his weapons ready for any strays.
Mythic looked to me leaning against the truck. "Your welcome. Damn near gave everyone a heart attack at your wedding." He said. "Wife's gone and broke down thinking you ran off, mother screamed when she saw me but... I saw what went on... None of those fuckers saw me... Thanks to my armor. Could get you a set of this just in case...."
I sighed as he knelt down. "Thanks... I guess... Just... Contact me later about that... I'm tired, hungry and just... Shit..." I said. He nodded and just disappeared. Big Mac kinda looked on shocked as he watched my father disappear right before his eyes. I looked to him. "Yeah... yeah me too..." It took maybe a good ten to fifteen minutes for the changelings to be expelled from the sewers. I had to see a medic to check me over, undergo the same test I had to do in the Crystal Empire. Exposed to concentrated love, answer questions about myself. Even screwed with me with a question. Asked me what my most hated color was and why it was. Seafoam green is my most hated color. It's just.... weird...
After that I went back and met with Shining who just hugged me. "Holy shit I didnt know what to think when you disappeared...." He said. "Half the church got talking... Even the princesses... They thought you ran out or were just nervous...Only until that guy who uh... called himself your father.... only until he came in and said you were taken.... thank celestia I know how that feels to be hit with Pheromones. Should be okay now."
"And hows Applejack? Is she okay?"
"Scared mostly. Big Mac was ready to gut you until he figured out through Mythic that you were taken. Had one of the guards radio in and tell AJ we found you... Maybe postpone the wedding until tomorrow... have a little private ceremony." I huffed.
"Yeah... Only trusted folks there... Family and you guys... Princesses too.... And that other we can trust..." I glanced at him. "Was she okay? You know who I'm talking about right?"
"Yeah... She was scared when we had to administer the test but Cadence and I vouched for her and even had her reveal herself to Luna and Celestia... sure they had her cuffed but Cadence stayed near to make sure they didnt do anything more."
"Wait they had her cuffed?" Shining nodded.
"Celestia's orders. Cadence had to have a shouting match with Celestia just to keep her out of guard control and be under hers." I huffed shivering thinking what could've been done to Rocky...
"Lets just go... I need to lie down... And... Can you contact Twilight to enchant another necklace for my tags? Make it easy to take off and maybe give it something that when I do take it off it doesnt keep the enchantment... Yknow just in case we get somewhere and I need to bust down a wall but still keep it on something tight enough to not just slip over my head... Lot to ask but she'd be able to do that right?" He nodded.
"Cadence and I will get the chain and you'll have it before tonight. Though... we might as well seclude you just for the enchantment to get done.... Yknow just to not to crush when cuddling someone... Got me?" I nodded. Honestly nothing much happened after that. We went back to Canterlot, I reunited with AJ and Scoot and mom and my god they were all freaking out.... Applejack actually cried even when Shining and Big Mac were trying to pry us apart and I told her everythings gonna be okay. I had to sleep in the same room as them, talk with them and just make sure they slept well.... Shining did however have to put a protective shield over me that only allowed me to come and go as I please just in case I needed to use the toilet or something... Scoot had a little accident but Aj changed her... But they slept soundly after. I did too. I just... I wish I knew what I missed. |
The Return | Cold Reception (Part 2) (Shining Armor's POV) | This day wasnt supposed to go like this. I was happy for Ryder. Getting married and settling down with someone he loved. Something fucked it up. Bad. When we got to the wedding chapel everything was fine. Ponies were conversing, Ryder and AJ were getting ready in the back and I was just standing by my wife waiting for things to kick off. I know nobody is supposed to upstage the bride or groom with what is being worn but its hard not to when most of those invited were Princesses. And yes. Including Cadence. Applejack and Ryder were getting ready at this point so we had no clue what was going on. I was wearing the suit I got married in. Red jacket, gold collar and shoulder pauldrons, black pants and even my nicest dress shoes. Cadence wore a regal gown, pink, covered in crystaline design and with a heart right about where her chest is. Had her mane done up all pretty too. She was just as beautiful as she was on our wedding day... She looked to me as I approached her giving a smile. "Reminds you of our wedding day huh Cadie?" I asked.
Cadence sighed. "Yeah... Except you and I were in Ryder's and Applejack's position..." She said. "...It's just.... It's amazing Ryder is getting married... Dont you remember when he was just going home because he lost his apartment?" I sighed.
"Yeah... then a week later he kills a mare who killed his parents... But he's come a long way since then. He's become the general of the guard, war hero, and he's got royalty on his side... He had Celestia watch Scootaloo because he's just that good with her." I looked out and just saw Scootaloo sitting with Dash, Spitfire and Fluttershy. Each of them were just wearing their dresses, looking all nice for the wedding. Spitfire got up from the pew setting Scootaloo with Dash and approached us.
I gave her a smile as she stepped up bowing in respect to my wife. "Princess.... I... I'm eagerly waiting of all this and its making me nervous!" She said. "I dont know if its my maternal side or what but... I just want to get this over with... see my baby boy get married... Just rip it off like a bandage!"
Cadence gave a chuckle. "Dont worry Miss Spitfire its almost time!" She said. "We dont want this to be like when Shining's parents were trying to rush our wedding...." She gave a confused look.
"I probably shouldnt ask but... what happened?"
I gave a huff. "My parents got so worked up over me getting married they tried to take me home and chain me up." I said. "Hell even during the wedding practice kept telling us to speed it up... Then my mother started crying and just.... Ooh we needed a contingency. Move them somewhere they can see but we cant hear them over Princess Celestia and our own vows.... Just please dont be like that."
"I wont... I promise.... But... Do you know somewhere close I can get a little pack of tissues? I feel as if this is gonna overwhelm me with emotion...." I reached inside my suit coat pocket and grabbed one of the four packs of tissues I have stashed there.... Yeah Liquid pride as I call it. I handed it to her.
"Here. Take it. If you need more some guards along the aisles have some they can give out." She gave me a smile.
"...Thank you sir... I... I need to go sit down before I break down...." I nodded and helped her back to her seat.
That's when Luna and Celestia got here. When they entered EVERYONE gave either a gasp, a surprised sound or just bowed in respect in their seats. Both were wearing fancy gowns like Cadence except with their own lunar or solar marks on them. I saluted them both. Luna smiled. "Such a warm welcome!" She said as Celestia started walking towards Cadence. "We didnt miss anything did we?"
I sighed. "Thank goodness no. Otherwise we'd definitely do something for you tomorrow and make it special." I said. I glanced around a bit. "Have you seen a dark oriental stallion somewhere? Ryder specifically told us to invite him and a few other squad mates he had but he's the only one who made it and it would really make his day if he knew at least one of his squadmates came." I could see Luna think before looking around.
"I could swear i did see somepony like that..." She looked back to me. "If I find him I'll point him in your direction. For now why dont you go get the bride and groom ready? Some of these guests look a bit antsy." She pointed towards Spitfire who was just kinda holding on to Dash's hand breathing a bit heavily it seemed.
"Maybe tell Celestia about him. Need look outs on all parts. Now if you'll excuse me...." I broke off from Luna walking towards the door of the chapel just as Gilda came in.
Gilda was working the door, making sure guests were accounted for and nobody that said they were invited got in. She was wearing a suit as well. Her suit was kinda wrinkled here and there but it was as appropriate as it could get for this. Especially with Ryder. She had the guest book in her hand which she gave to a guard that greeted her. She looked to me as I walked up. "Shining! Thanks again for letting me be... somewhat of a bouncer for the dweeb's wedding." She said. "Everyone except for some of Ry's squadmates came.... One Pepper and the other Rouge... Though Shadow is here... Kinda waiting outside... says he's a bit nervous being packed in with other ponies...." I huffed.
"Well he was on the plane with Ryder when it went down... He's good standing aside just in case he needs to take a step outside. Why dont you bring him in? I gotta get Ryder and AJ ready." Gilda nodded and turned back outside as I just darted to my right. Weaved around some ponies talking... Think it was part of AJ's family... Like most of everypony here including the filly he saved from Manehattan. Think she was with Sweetie Belle and Applebloom somewhere near the front row in the dresses they wore during our wedding. And that filly Ryder saved? Such a sweet heart! Nervous at first meeting me and Cadence but she was just precious! I could see why her father basically assaulted a guard over her like SOMEONE I know... Except this time charges werent even a thought in a crisis... Wish it were the same for Ryder considering the circumstances... Also glad it went the way it did... Not the murders obviously. The way he got out of jail unscathed... I still freak out when I have to hear a call for a suicide attempt...
Anyways I went and walked into the side hallway. Few doors in there. Offices, dressing rooms, bathrooms. One had three guards in front of it. This was Ryder's. Applejack was a door down with Big Mac standing at the door guarding it like the guards. His suit was a bit big for him but it fit nonetheless. I gave him a fist bump before standing before the doors. "Almost ready out there Shining?" Big Mac asked. I leaned against the wall.
"Yeah. Everyones accounted for. Those two getting along okay?" Big Mac nodded.
"Eeyup. AJ's having Twilight help her with her dress all nice. Talking with her, taking pictures.... Definitely having fun in there." I kinda blushed... getting a little image I didnt need. I huffed.
"Well... I hope things are staying clean...." I looked to the guards at Ryders door. Middle one mostly. "And that of the General? Hows he doing?"
The middle guard saluted. "He's doing just fine sir. Waiting on a soda he requested and yes his fiance's brother told us about the soda he cant have." He said. "Someone should be by soon. Hopefully. I'll go in in a bit to see if he's almost ready."
"Alright. While we're waiting on him we might as well get the bride ready outside. Tell her Ryder's just getting a drink to calm his stomach." Big Mac nodded and knocked on the door. I walked over before the door opened revealing my sister and Applejack. Twily was wearing the princess dress Rarity made her for her coronation and Applejack.... My god Ryder is gonna cry when he sees this. Her mane was done in braids, make up looking all pretty, dress was white, veil covering her face, and a custom pure white cowgirl hat. "Hey girls. Time for AJ to get ready outside." I looked to Applejack. "By the way... you look absolutely beautiful."
Applejack blushed. "Well... thanks Shinin...." She said grabbing her bouquet we had gotten for her. White roses, with the single red one. Cadence's idea for that. "Ryder's alright right? Last I heard from Twilight he was napping but he was freaking out before that...." I gave a smile.
"Yeah. He's fine dont you worry! He's strong, can handle anything thrown at him. He's excited and nervous about screwing up." She sighed.
"Boy was always screwy when it came to this stuff.... He did overcome it in the end." She came out of the room and followed me to the side door at the far end of the hall. "I still remember when he became a guard... nervous as shit starting out as General... So scared but look at that fool! I kinda regret actin' the way I did..."
Big Mac sighed opening the door. "It's fine sis... you was just worried about him... we all were... now he's gonna be protecting you like he does the princess..." He said. "Now cmon. Gotta do this here." Applejack nodded and walked out with her brother, giving my sister one last hug before walking out that door. Twilight got a little tear in her eye before walking back with me.
I lead her back to her seat sitting her with Pinkie, Rarity and Soarin. Had to keep Soarin and Dash separated for reasons. Yeah... Those reasons. Anywho after I sat Twily with her friends I went and joined Cadence near the altar. She smiled at me. "Everyone ready?" She asked.
I rubbed my neck a bit nervous for Ryder. He's not used to being the center of attention. "Almost. Ryder's getting a little something to drink from a guard he asked." I replied. "Aj's getting ready outside. Perhaps we should at least say something so these guests dont get too antsy?" Cadence nodded and stepped to the altar.
"Attention! Attention everyone! Listen up I dont want to have to repeat myself!" Few ponies looked, others kept jabbering on. Mostly Spitfire's little group from earlier. I huffed and just cupped my hands around my mouth.
"EVERYONE! LISTEN UP!" And everyone went silent. "Alright! Pay attention please! Princess Cadence has something to say!" Cadence sighed.
"Alright first off I want to apologize for my husband having to yell at all of you but we're going to be starting soon. We're just waiting on the groom. This is going to take a while so he's just hydrating as best he can. For now just talk amongst yourselves and we will start soon!" I could see how many ponies were excited going from Ryder's friends and family to Applejacks and even some of the guards also including Princess Celestia and Luna as they went back to conversing with Soarin. And we waited. I started talking with a few ponies, got reports from some guards, texted my parents telling them why they werent invited because of it being restricted to mostly AJ's and Ryder's family and even met up with Rocky. She was very convincing with her portrayal of 'Shadow'... I still cant believe Rocky was one of the ones who got Ryder through the war. And... That he had a changeling so close to him and he didnt know... Rocky was nervous but this kinda excited her the way she'd be getting a free buffet of love to feast on... I have to give her hugs, let her cuddle when we're back in the Crystal Empire. But she was also afraid on being found out. Something that I thought wouldnt happen at all.
Maybe about a half hour after waiting Gilda came up to me. I had to send 'Shadow' away to speak with Cadence. "Shining. You said we'd be starting soon! Where's the dweeb?" She asked.
I shrugged. "Not sure. I feel like he just chugged that drink and got a little stomach ache. Probably ducked into the bathroom to make sure he gets it all out." I said. And that just gave me an uneasy feeling. When he's in the bathroom after he chugs something thats gonna do more harm than good he needs to lay down for a while. I looked back to Gilda. "Yeah maybe we should go find him..." She gave a nod and followed me towards the front door. I glanced at Luna having her look at me curious. I nodded and she followed me giving her sister but a word.
Luna gave a huff as we stopped at the door to the hall. "Shining what is going on?" She asked pulling on my arm. I huffed.
"Going to check on Ryder. I feel like he should've been out by now. Either in the bathroom or he got nervous again and locked himself in the room. Might need you two to coax him out either way." Luna rolled her eyes and nodded. I opened the door a bit letting them slip through but as I went through they stopped. I closed the door behind me and just pushed aside... to my horror those guards guarding Ryder's door were passed out on the ground... yet there were only two of them I pulled my pistol from a holster hidden in my suit jacket. Rarity enchanted it thank goodness. Luna readied hers as well. "Check em! See if they're still alive!" I readied myself by Ryder's door as they went and put a hand up to their necks.
"I have a pulse here Shining!"
Gilda huffed getting hers onto his back. "Pulse here too. Need us to wake them?" She asked getting a hand ready to back hand em.
I huffed. "Gilda. Get a couple guards from the other room but dont cause alarm. Maybe get one to get Big Mac and Gilda inside too." I said. She nodded and just got up rushing back to the chapel area. I went and knocked on Ryder's door. "Ryder! Is everything alright in there?" No answer. I looked to Luna. "Princess, back up just in case...." Luna nodded and got up backing towards the window. I grabbed the knob and slowly started opening it but as soon as I cracked it a familiar smell came to my nose making my heart drop. Smelt of rotten eggs, hot peppers and mint. Weird combo but... I knew this smell. I saw Luna try to walk closer but I forced her back with my magic. "Princess! No! You get out there, tell the guards to lock this whole place down, even shut down Canterlot! Nobody in or out!"
I could see in her eyes a bit of shock. "Wh-why? What's wrong?!" She asked. I pinched my nose and gestured to her to do the same. She did so and I pushed the door open more revealing an empty room, few things knocked over. I looked back to her hearing a gasp.
"Ryder got taken by changelings. I can smell their pheromones and its strong. Smells like it just happened!" Without a word she ran back out into the chapel area. I was just about to turn into the room to try to investigate but thats when I hear a bloodcurdling scream. I rushed back out there and saw a stallion standing by the door, guards on either side afraid to touch him. He was a brown earth pony stallion, dark brown mohawk mane and wearing black armor and an eyepatch. His gaze met with Spitfire's who was just trying to use another guard for cover I aimed my gun at him."FREEZE! Dont you fucking move!"
The stallion looked over at me as I pushed the gun into his neck. "Now what are ya doin' a think like that fer? Aimin a gun in a crowded church and there are kids present!" He said. Thick eastern... or western steuropean accent... never got those dialects right. "Go on! Put it away! I'm not gonna hurt anyone! If I was going to, wouldnt ya think I'd've done it already?" I hesitated. "Look at me! I got no weapons on me. Lucky you I dont take you down like I took down your boy Ryder. But It aint me who nabbed him today. Lookin' fer changelin's aintcha?" I hesitantly nodded. "Put. The gun. Away... I just wanna talk... Not for just my sake but probably for the fillys who've seen too many get gunned down...." He pointed to Scootaloo who was just holding Dash tight. I was honestly scared to even put my gun away but... I did... I slipped it back into my harness and fastened the button in place. "Alright... Can I talk now?" I nodded. "Alright!" He looked out to the chapel. "I need Big MacIntosh, Soarin and Shining Armor right here NOW!" He looked back to me. "You get your boys to make sure everyone here is who they say they are. I'll know those I've named when they get here." I grabbed him by the shoulder gently. He nearly reacted like he was gonna drop me but stopped.
"Dont you think you know who you're talking to? Shining Armor. Captain of the guard. Every guard in Canterlot, Equestria and the Crystal Empire report to me as well as Ryder. Now where the fuck is he?" He shrugged me off.
"Do what I say first, then I can help ya find your boy." He looked to Applejack who looked as if she didnt want to let go of Big Mac. They were by the altar with the princesses and Shadow.... Rocky... All being covered by a guard.... Rocky sitting back and freaking out against a wall. I looked to the guards and the whole chapel.
"Alright! Everybody remain calm! This whole chapel is being put on lockdown as well as Canterlot being put on lock down! Nobody is allowed in or out of here! Those who are must be accompanied by guards at all times! And to the guards here.... Code Charlie Lima Bravo!" And just like that a few unicorn guards teleported to the front of the chapel. "Everyone! Please direct your attention to the front and look forward at all times! Anyone who turns their head will be detained!" The whole congregation looked forward, Dash had to hold Scootaloo to look forward with the help of Fluttershy. I looked to Cadence. Then to the stranger next to me. "You stay where you are..." He nodded as I went towards the front of the chapel and grabbed Rocky as Shadow off the floor and hugged him. She started to cry onto my shoulder freaking out a lot. I looked out to the congregation. "Alright! Everyone here will be subjected to Concentrated love magic! This will determine who here is and is not a Changeling!" I heard gasps erupt from the crowd before me... Applebloom and Sweetie Belle started crying scared. Applejack and Big Mac were moved by one of the guards into the aisle sitting them in some chairs he had teleported in. "Thats right! I said Changeling! For those who dont know a changeling is a shapeshifting bug pony who live off the magic of love! They invaded my wedding with Cadence and now they're here too!" I think Applejack knew what was wrong with the look in her eyes... same with Big Mac... I glanced down at 'Shadow' and huffed. "I'm sorry but I need to do this... for your safety... Trust me..." I looked to another guard just protecting Celestia near the wall. "You! Cuffs! Now!" He tossed his cuffs to me and Rocky backed up a bit looking at me with this pained look.... one that asked why without saying anything. I sighed and turned 'Shadow' around and started cuffing their wrists. Cadence had to help be considering she buckled a bit but as I clasped the second cuff... her illusion was broken. Shadow burned away and became Rocky. A few guards tried Rushing us but me and Cadence got Rocky in between us. "WOAH! WOAH STOP! THIS ONE IS SAFE!"
Cadence hugged Rocky as she broke down once more. "Believe us! She's just scared! She wont hurt you!" She said. "Any guards that even try to touch her are DONE! Anyone who tries to hurt her, ARRESTED!" She looked to the guards at the altar readying the box with the condensed love. "Proceed!" And with that the guards opened the box bathing the whole room with pink light. Some ponies cringed a bit but kept their eyes open the best they could. Changelings as we've figured out look at the light or turn their head or just break what ever illusion they have to attack when subjected. I took Cadence and Rocky to the corner and sat them both down, Rocky just trying to cuddle up comfortably to Cadence's chest. I looked back at the congregation as the guards closed the box.
"Alright! Everyone here's who they say they are! As for the stallion at the door..." I looked to Big Mac. "Big Mac. On me with Soarin!" Big Mac looked to his sister, putting her arms at her side. Just looked to her and whispered something. Probably along the lines of 'everythings gonna be okay'. I walked towards him and Soarin came to my side. We helped him up just as Applejack actually got up and went for the princesses.... Twilight had to move the guard to get to her friend. Anyways we walked towards the stallion and followed him out the door. Once outside all we heard were sirens on the streets. Gaurd trucks flying everywhere. I grabbed the stallion at the bottom of the steps and turned him around to face us. "Alright just who the fuck are you and what the fuck do you know about our friend?!"
The stallion huffed. "You guys can call me Mythic." He said. "I'm part of an elite group I shouldnt even be mentioning. It's important you know we operate behind the scenes. Watch targets we're given to either ensure safety or they meet their demise because they have something planned. Obviously we cant watch everyone at one time leaving enough for the UFG to handle. Ryder is one I'm supposed to protect. But what happened was something I couldnt stop. Not with his wife standing outside. I'm taking a chance on even telling you this but I need your guys help." I huffed.
"And the help is with Changelings kidnapping Ryder huh?" Mythic nodded.
Big Mac looked to me. "So Ry was taken by changelings?! Why the hell did you do all that, get my family and my sister freaking out?!" He asked. I grabbed Big Mac and got in his face.
"BECAUSE ANYONE OF YOU COULD'VE BEEN ONE THERE TO HURT THE PRINCESSES, BOMB THE CHURCH OR SOMETHING!"
Soarin pushed me and Big Mac apart. "Can it you two!" He snapped. "Being at each others throats now isnt gonna help us find Ryder any faster!" He looked to me. "You're in charge here. Act like it! Now we gotta figure out a plan to find Ryder and get him back!" I huffed dusting myself off. I looked to Mythic.
"You better talk now. Otherwise someone here's getting hurt...."
Mythic sighed. "As I was saying... I'm taking a chance on your guys help. I'm not supposed to reveal myself." He said. "Revealing myself is gonna cost me a lot but its nothing compared to you. As you can hear guards are shutting down the city getting everyone inside. We need to commandeer a guard truck, blend in with the chaos and find EVERYWHERE you think a changeling nest would be!" I nodded and huffed.
"You need me, the captain of the guard to get a guard truck, commandeer it, and drive all over Canterlot to find him...."
"Only places like warehouses, abandoned areas, anywhere you think a hive of changelings could hide. Even map something out outside the city."
"We need things inside the city. They couldnt have gone anywhere outside the city! We need some abandoned warehouses, gutted out slums, even the sewer cistern! Youre leading this investigation, you choose where we go!" He huffed. Just gave me a bit of a stink eye.
"Alright... Just get your guard vehicle, lets go then..." I huffed and pulled out my phone giving a call to the local precinct. Didnt give the guard on the other end time to talk as Mythic turned to the street, Big Mac just stared at the chapel behind me and Soarin just looked to the skies.
"Foxtrot, Silo, Gamma! This is Shining Armor, requesting transport at the Chapel of Light for four ponies! Need to pack a few guards into it as well for a tight patrol around the chapel to make sure nopony goes in or out! Provide food and drinks for everyone inside, Children and princesses included! Transport needed ASAP! The rest can take a bit but not too long! Trusted sources only!" And yes we have a tight list of trusted sources to give food to ponies if needed- and it is needed. I hung my phone up and looked. "Transport inbound. For now just patrol, keep your guard up and weapons drawn." Soarin and Big Mac looked to me confused. I huffed and reached towards my belt grabbing at nothing but when I pulled away from my body I drew two daggers forming seemingly out of nowhere before 'sheathing' them away. Soarin hesitantly reached back and drew a sword from its invisible sheathe while Big Mac drew an axe from his belt and flipped it in the air catching the handle. Mythic looked back at us confuse.
"What the... How the hell did you manage that? I dont remember those weapons anywhere near ya before!" I huffed.
"We dont ask about your employers, you dont ask about our weapons. Understood?" Mythic nodded. Soarin flew up onto the roof and started a little patrol up there, seeing all around us. Alleyways, back streets, even the skies. Big Mac, Mythic and I just patrolled the front of the chapel. I honestly felt bad for what I had to do with Rocky but it was the only way to keep her safe... Reveal her, give her trust onto others.... I dont know what was going through Soarin's or Big Mac's heads. Big Mac was probably more worried about his sister... wondered if she was going to be okay after this... Soarin? I've seen the way he's taken care of Scootaloo while she was in the care of Celestia. Maybe he was thinking about how to protect her. Maybe the squadmates of his that were in there... Pretty sure I saw Fleetfoot and Thunderlane in there somewhere too... All I could think about was getting Ryder back from the changelings... maybe dome a few just to make me feel less angry that I had to do something I didnt think I'd have to do again. The test with the concentrated love. Rocky was frightened after the first time that Chrysalis would come back for her. And that the guard seeing her wouldnt go after her. I just hope she's okay after this blows over.
Didnt take all that long for our transport to get here. The guards that funneled out went straight for the door. One of them even handed off the keys to me. Counted six guards total. Two from the front, four from the back. Soarin joined me as they piled in to the chapel. We started walking getting Big Mac and Mythic to follow us. We went into the truck. I got into the drivers seat, Mythic riding shotgun, Big Mac and Soarin in the back. And we just drove. Silent almost. Heard the jabber on the radio between guards about Changelings, most telling some clear sectors. I turned it off just as Soarin huffed. "So. Where do we start?" He asked.
Mythic gave a huff. "There should be some warehouses on the east side of Canterlot. Four of which are abandoned." He said. "Right on Cedar avenue. Left on Rose Lane. When we get there, stick together. Nobody goes in alone, otherwise we're gonna get overwhelmed if they're there!"
Big Mac leaned a bit over my seat. "Four of us, against a possible army of changelings!" He said. "Overwhelmed is an understatement! We're fucked!"
I glanced in the rearview mirror as I turned the sirens on and turned the corner. "Big Mac, do NOT think like that!" I snapped. "We're going to work as a team, be strong for each other and our friend- Your brother in law! I've encountered these fucks before and as a swarm they are tough yes but we can over power them if we find em straight at the heart."
"Fine but if we get over run I'm gonna say I told you so..."
Mythic reached back and shoved Big Mac back into his seat. "Dammit you need to shut up!" He said setting himself back in his seat. "Sweet fuckin' Celestia... Go back to being quiet... Never seen ya this damn talkative..." Big Mac huffed.
"What are you talking about? I've never seen you before today! You dont know what I'm like!" The stallion glanced back.
"Wanna bet? I've seen almost everything you and your little family went through!" We fell silent for a few streets. My heart kinda jumped.
"Like.... what?" Mythic huffed.
"...I saw everything from the murders to the fuckin' time he went off to war! Things I didnt see are the things you're glad I didnt see! But know one thing: You're going to forget I was here, forget I existed and forget I said anything. And if you think I'm gonna watch you more, it's best not to think about it. Do ya understand?" I heard Big Mac stammer a bit. Only before sighing.
"Yes sir... just know if I find you around my family once more and it aint an emergency you best clear out before I'm on ya gutting you!"
"Please! Ya couldnt take me down even if you tried! Ryder couldnt, you cant! Not even other ponies in my agency cant! I'M THE BEST THEY GOT!" Big Mac got up between us again.
"THEN IF YOU'RE THE BEST THEY GOT WHY THE HELL DID YOU LET RYDER GET KIDNAPPED?!" That's when I slammed on the breaks, holding Big Mac in my magic as we skid to a stop. I shoved him back in his seat, buckled him, buckled Soarin, and Mythic.
"I looked at all of them. "WOULD YOU JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I yelled. "YOUR GOD DAMN BICKERING IS DRIVING ME INSANE! BE LUCKY WE NEED EVERYONE HERE OTHERWISE WE MIGHT NOT EVER GET RYDER BACK AND HIS SISTER AND WIFE ARE GONNA BE DISTRAUGHT LIKE HE WAS DEAD! HE VERY WELL COULD BE AT THIS POINT! FUCK!" I slammed my head on the horn, leaving it there for a solid minute.
Mythic sighed. "Well lets hope my son aint dead... otherwise someone here's taking the fall!" He said. I took my head off the horn and looked at him confuse. We all looked at him confused. He just stared out the front almost blindly.
"...Wh-what did you say...?" Mythic just looked out the window away from me.
"I said... Ryder's my son... I just...." He looked to me. "...You saw the way Spitfire reacted to seeing me... didnt ya?" I hesitantly nodded. "Well..." He looked back out the window. "... she and I used to be something... until I got aggressive and took her without permission... gave her Ryder.... She gave him up and just... Not too long ago... he found out Spitfire was his mother... told him I was dead... that I hung myself in the cell I was in.... Tha's only the cover story... But there I go... showing up one day and trying to tell my side of the story... that I did these things but i felt like I wasnt in control... apologies wouldnt have helped that late in the game but... I just regret it..." He looked back at Big Mac. "Apploosa... two months ago... You and Ryder were there for a small bachelors getaway. He ran off and you only found him thanks to him being a bit wasted and by a roadside tree. Guess who got him there?" Big Mac said nothing though I saw his expression change in the mirror. "Ya... I did... He was about to go at an old squadmate... have his fun behind his wifes back but I stopped him, talked him sense into him and got him to this point. The squadmate? Checked herself into an asylum for mental help. Thought it was her PTSD talkin' thinking that Ryder was there with her. Even had to pay off most of the folk in the bar they were at to say she was there on her own. She's getting some needed help though. Should be out in a week or so."
To be honest I couldnt believe what I was hearing. Both that he's Ryder's father... and that he's got the power to bribe anyone to say anything just to make someone seem crazy... wondered why this squad mate didnt show but... at least I know... The other Ry's gonna have to look into. Anyways I started off again without a word. The air was tense in this vehicle. Only until Soarin spoke up. "So... is... is it weird knowing your kid is the general of the guard?" He asked. Mythic huffed.
"It was kinda bittersweet the way I saw it. I saw him get picked up at his house... Lucky my cloaking device didnt short out from the rain... Damn thing likes to do that at times. Havent got a new one yet.... But I saw him get picked up at his house, taken to the precinct. I had to bail at that point... Had to come back out weeks after after my employers go and tell me he was out. Had to watch. Not much happened until the robbery at that bakery.... I could see a broken stallion learn something other than his special talent. A talent he's surprisingly hidden. A second cutie mark or what have you. Though he was scared. Almost made me want to step in, be a father. Yet I didnt do that until recently... that boy didnt trust me until he had second thoughts... Only because of his mother... it's understood she doesnt trust me... After what I did? Not a chance..."
I huffed turning down a road. Didnt see what road. All I knew is that there were guards everywhere. "I'm willing to look past that even though I shouldnt..." I said. "You're helping us save our friend. Your son. Right now, you're just another guard to me. After? We'll see." And you know? Just to have some bring up in mood, I hit the radio. Of course the first few stations reported on Canterlot being on lockdown, other cities having active patrols. I flipped to one station that had music playing. I know not the best song to play but... it was one of Ryder's favorites. Gems song. But it pumped us up.
Gave us the confidence to get to where we are with high heads. When we got to the warehouses there were guards already sweeping the place. We got out of the truck near the front gate. Four guards stood there and they saluted me as I approached. "Are the princesses alright Prince Shining?" One of them asked. Pegasus guard. I huffed.
"Yes. All safe. The General however is missing. Anything here on your end?" The guard nodded.
"We've cornered changelings in one of these warehouses. We've tried to gain access many different ways but we cant even get in without the owner reporting us to Celestia for an unlawful search." I sighed.
"Tell him the captain of the guard is here! And that we're having a look anyways. Captains orders and give him the reason of the changelings, make em sound threatening. It's either he obeys and lets us in or be arrested." That worked. Didnt take long for him to give up, come out with the guards in cuffs. Pissed. But we were keeping him safe. I actually told four groups of guards to patrol each side of the complex while me and the guys went in. Even had one guard give us his gun, trade it in for a little extra fire power in the back of a truck. Rifle. Semi auto. Only got it for Mythic who I kinda thought was unfair he didnt have a weapon. They guys thought it was a mistake giving him a gun but... Something in me told me to trust him.
The first one we busted into was empty. I mean REALLY empty. Nothing inside. Not even shelving for pallets. Checked office rooms and even catwalks and floating pods. Nothing. Second one, had shelving, a few boxes but turned up nothing. As we got to the third one Big Mac huffed. Gave his axe a good spin with the handle. "We better find these damn changelings soon... Otherwise I just...." He said.... His voice sounded weak... I sighed.
"Big Mac. Chill. You and Soarin guard this door. Breathe. Everythings gonna be fine!" Big Mac 'sheathed' his weapon sitting against the wall. Soarin knelt down next to him comforting him. Mythic and I went on in, shutting the door and locking it. Shelves were stocked full of stuff, place was empty though. Sounded as much. I motioned to Mythic, had him go left when I went right. Even kept him low when I went high onto the cat walks. I looked over everything. Just... Through the aisles of storage, overlooking everything. Even taking peeks inside of some of the pods up here. Well... Only until I found four ponies, three stallions and a mare. They were looking over the edge of a window down below. Didnt notice me until I aimed my gun at them. "DONT MOVE!" The four ponies jumped, putting their hands up. "MYTHIC! UP STAIRS PRONTO!" I wavered my gun around a bit making sure I had a good shot on anyone who tried anything.
Mythic hurried up and once he got upstairs he did the same thing. Aimed his gun at them. "YOU TWO! ON THE RIGHT! GET UP SLOWLY!" He yelled. Two stallions got up slowly. "Turn around! Face the wall!" They did as they were told. He nodded me toward them. "Cuff em!" I holstered my gun and used my magic to get two pairs of cuffs out. And lucky us... Two changelings. Cuffed em and they revealed themselves. The others didnt give us a chance to cuff them before revealing themselves. Cuffed them too. I sat them all back down getting my gun out again. I looked to them and paced in front of them.
"I'm gonna ask this ONCE! Each of you have a chance to answer before we count to ten.... and all it takes is a few well placed shots... nobody walks or flies back to their hive... Understand?" The changelings did nothing. I stopped in front of them and faced towards them. "Where's your hive located! The queen specifically!" I looked at the left one. "One.... Two...." Then the one next to them. "Three... four... five..." Then one next to them. "Six.... Seven... Eight..." Then the last one... "Nine..." That's when Mythic got up close... aimed the gun right at one of their skulls.
The one second to the left screamed. Was the mare I think. "WAIT! WAIT WAIT NO PLEASE!" She yelled. I motioned to Mythic to back down and I knelt in front of the now crying changeling.
"So... you gonna speak for your friends here?" She nodded.
"Th-the queen... she wanted prime substance for love... her own Prince.... Went to the last place anyone would check!"
"And where is that?" She sniffled breaking a bit. I huffed knowing I damn well could get weird looks but I didnt care at this point. I picked her up... she kinda fought for a bit but only until she felt me start hugging her.... Shushing her. "C'mon... it's okay.... no ones gonna get hurt now.... Just tell me where the hive is and nobody will be hurt!"
"...I.... It's underground... the sewers... j-just let us go...." I sighed and broke the embrace. I looked to her as I passed her off to Mythic.
"Here. Go with my friend here... He'll escort you outside." I looked to him and gave him a stern look at which he rolled his eyes to. Then helped the other changelings up. "Everyone else is free to go too. Just follow orders and once we're out on the street we'll remove the cuffs!" They followed without a hitch. Soarin and Big Mac were a bit surprised when they saw us come out with four changelings. They each took one and followed us out onto the street where the guards were just getting their guns ready to fire as soon as we stepped away. "GUNS DOWN! WEAPONS DOWN!" I looked at each one. Few put their weapons down confused. Others wanted to fire. "I SAID WEAPONS DOWN! HOLSTER EM, DROP EM! DO IT NOW!" We waited a moment and they all either set the guns down, holstered them or just didnt even grip them right. Hope the safety was on for most of them if not all. I handed my changeling off to Mythic who took them as I walked out in front of them. "ALRIGHT! NOBODY IS TO FIRE ON THESE CHANGELINGS! WE'VE GOT THE LOCATION OF THE HIVE! WE'RE GONNA SET THEM FREE AND BANISH THEM WITH THE SPELL USED AT MY WEDDING! AND I'M GONNA NEED TWO SQUADS OF GUARDS PER MAN HOLE IN THIS CITY! UNDERSTOOD?!" I got a crowd yelling 'sir yes sir' and I was pleased. I tossed my keys to Soarin who started unlocking his changelings cuffs. Then went down the line as me and the other unicorn guards blasted them with a banishing spell.
After that we drove all over town, stopped at a manhole cover and since this one was cemented in, plastic explosive brute forced us in. And from there it went pretty weird. Ryder crawled out unscathed, stunk like shit but unharmed, handed me off his tags which broke, and we banished all the changelings in the sewers. It was a bittersweet victory kinda... We had to carry Ryder in to Canterlot Castle from the truck since he passed out. Mythic disappeared and everyone in the chapel was given a room inside the castle. Applejack and Ryder were reunited though Twily had to put a spell on Ryder to keep him from crushing his wife and his sister when hugging them... even made sure his mother was okay after Mythic came along. She was fine.... ish... still a bit freaked out but calmed knowing her boy was back. That night I stayed up with Cadence and Rocky. Rocky was looking like hell... freaking out over her revealed form. Cadence sighed as we walked through the halls in our pajamas. "Shining... she was crying scared the whole time you were looking for Ryder." She said putting a hand on Rocky's shoulder. "I had to bring the fillys over just to show the others there was no harm and that we could trust her... Scootaloo was the more easy going out of her friends and new sister in law... I had to tell her Ryder saved her. She felt a bit better but..."
Rocky looked at me. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" She snapped. I shushed her. "Why did you make me show who I was!? Everyone there could've killed me! Overpowered the guard and ripped my wings off!"
I sighed. "Rocky... That was for your own protection... it was either that or have that test reveal who you were... if that happened it would've put you in danger.... I did it out of love for you.... We've accepted you as a part of our family in the castle... Cadence? She was uneasy with you at first but learned to deal with it... you're going to be fine tonight, fine tomorrow and even until we go back home... Cant you still trust me? Just think of the things that could've happened if I didnt do that!" I could see it in her eyes... she was thinking pretty deep into it... Tears came quickly until she just charged into my stomach. I shushed her and hugged her. Cadence even used her magic to calm her... made me a bit happier too. "There there.... See....? I do love you Rocky... Cadence too...." I looked to Cadence and sighed handing the little bug pony off to her. "Here. Take her back to the room and cuddle with her... I gotta check on Ryder." She nodded and kept walking with Rocky. I walked back a few doors only to open it and see Ryder in his own bed sleeping away cuddling a pillow and Scootaloo and Applejack sleeping in the other. Scootaloo and AJ both had to be padded... AJ because Scoot doesnt like padding alone and Scoot? Yeah... that frightened her so much she nearly didnt make it to the bathroom before she wet herself from what Celestia told me... that and she was kinda throwing up scared... lucky the guards were trained medically. I just closed the door quietly as not to wake them and teleported back to my room with Twilight... She was scared too... needed her big brother.
I cuddled with my sister, made her a bit more comfortable in bed and slept. Though... The next day we had to have our own little private wedding. Me, Big Mac, Soarin, Ryder, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Celestia, Cadence, Luna, Rocky and even Ryder's mom and the Cutie Mark Crusaders... Basically Ryder's sister with AJ's sister and Rarity's sister too. Everyone but Ryder and Applejack was sat down. Cadence was stood up at the podium with Ryder and Applejack. We actually had to convert this room from the dining room. Celestia and Luna moved the table with their magic while me and Twilight and Cadence got the seats set up. "Alright... I know we've been waiting for this moment for a long time but had a hitch in plan yesterday." Cadence said. She looked to Ryder. "Are we all ready?" She looked to us all in the small congregation. "No potty breaks? No more interruptions?" I kinda gave a chuckle a bit.
"No more stalling?" Everyone else had a laugh. Cadence just rolled her eyes and shook her head. But before she could start Celestia and Luna teleported to her side. Celestia whispered something into her ear. Cadence looked to the princess confused.
"Other guests? Didnt they all go home?"
Celestia looked to Luna who gave a smile and looked out to us holding her hand up. "Alright everyone! Pinkie Promise time!" The princess of the night said. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." And we all repeated, a choir of voices deep and petite reciting this... rather uncanny oath. "Alright... Now that's been said... You're wondering why I did that... Well... Celestia and I think this wedding needs more guests... rather some special guests who are a bit late to the party so to speak..."
Celestia stepped forward. "Yes. We made you promise not to say anything about this moment. It's super secretive that only special ponies like yourselves know." She said. "Now.. Without further ado allow me to get these guests... We watched as she went into a side room and closed the door behind her. We were all a bit confused before seeing a bright light come from the room she disappeared in. Most of us just went to talking to each other at this point. Few minutes pass by and the door opened up again. This time Celestia comes through and trailing behind her? Ryder's parents. Applejack's Parents and grandmother and even Celestia's and Luna's mother. Heavens light. It was... rather heart warming... Applebloom and Big Mac greeted their parents, Scootaloo hers and even Spitfire looked on in awe at what she was seeing. Few of us had to give up our seats in the front for the parents and grandparent all in white suits and dresses I might add. Ryder and Luna hugged for a moment before Luna went and hugged Applejack. Celestia joined them back at the altar with her mother. "Might I welcome our guests to the wedding. Mr. And Mrs. Apple as well as Granny Smith, and Mr. And Mrs. Wheeler. Without them this wedding wouldnt be complete!" She looked to Heavens Light. "And thank you Mother for letting this happen..."
Heavens light smiled hugging her daughters. "On with the wedding! Some of us might cry!" Twilight cried out looking at me in particular. I admit I had a bit of misty eyes seeing this.
Everyone had a bit of a laugh on my part. Didnt mind. I was happy. Ryder was happy. We all turned our attention back to Cadence. "Alright... Now... Lets get started." She said making the ring pillow appear between her. "Let us start with the vows." She looked to Applejack. "Would you like to start Applejack?"
Applejack nodded before looking to Ryder. "Ryder... I knew from the first day I laid eyes on you things would be good between us... didnt think that it'd go this far..." She said. "But with events that happened between that time and now we've been through a lot together.... whether it's you being your hard headed self, being the target of a changeling attack or just shittin' yourself at the worst possible times I just cant help but to look at you and say... Hey... That's the stallion I love... And what ever happens? I'll just stick to my guns..." Everyone gave a bit of an aw as Cadence turned her attention to Ryder.
"Ryder? Your vows please?"
Ryder looked as if he could've broken down. Kinda like me. Liquid pride. "Applejack... Everyday since the start I've had a few things on my mind... one of which... that i'd get to see those beautiful eyes, that luscious mane and even hear that drawl of yours when you speak.... You've picked me up off the ground when it seemed nobody else did... Even when something happened... you always believed I could make something of myself, keep myself above where I was before you... It was a rocky start sure but... I... I...." He stopped and kinda sobbed a bit. I got up as well as Big Mac, Soarin, Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash and... honestly most of this tiny congregation and went up to him. All kinda gave him a nudge letting him know we were there too... His adoptive mother and father even came up and wiped his tears away.
"Seems the team grows stronger every day..." She looked to Applejack. "Do you Applejack, take Ryder, to love and to hold, in sickness and in health, through good and bad to be your lawfully wed husband?"
Applejack sniffled a bit. "I do..." She said. Cadence looked to Ryder.
"And do you Ryder take Applejack, through life and...." She looked to his parents. She couldnt muster it up actually.
Ryder gave a small sob and sniffled. "I do..." He replied.
"Then... By the power vested in me... I now pronounce you husband and wife... You may kiss..." And with that Ryder brought Applejack in and kissed her deeply. Cadence did forget the rings part but she slipped them on for them with her magic. It's been one hell of a ride with Ryder... he's been through so much ups and downs... some of the downs I never thought he'd even come back from... But he's married now. Loving sister, great brother in law, and the list goes on from there. After the wedding we went and spent time with everyone. Met with Ryder's adoptive parents, told them how great he was and that it was an honor for them to even be there. Same with Applejack's. Lord knows how Aj's dad took that wedding... he looked pleased with it though... that he had completed his life, even after death... and with that... I think it's best to leave off until next time. |
Best Served Cold | pre | She could see it all, her servants making out, all of them in various disguises to add even more passion to the orgy as they lustfully kissed one another, moaning in pleasure as they groaped each other, sucked off, ate out, or simply just fucked each other's brains out.
All this lust... and no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't stop it from entering her body.
"This is your punishment, Chrysalis. To be forced to witness every second of this lovely orgy... and unable to pleasure yourself, I'll pump every bit of lustful energy unto you to the point where you'll be begging for the agony to end!"
Back on the bed, "Applejack'' pressed her marehood right up against Flash's lips. "Com'on sugarcube, we both know ya'll are itchin' fer a taste of mah apple pie~'' She cooed, shivering as his lips rubbed up against her clit while the Pegasus breathed in her scent."Hurry up and dig in~"
Flash immediately stuck his tongue between the Earth Pony's nether lips, caressing her hot pussy with his tongue as Applejack moaned loudly, her back arching as the sensations shot through her body. "AHHH! Mmph! OOOhh yeah!" She gasped as she pressed her marehood against Flash's muzzle as the stallion's tongue aggressively flicked around her clit, causing her body to shiver wildly in delight. "Oooh! Y-yer doin' great, sugarcube!" Applejack moaned as she started bucking her hips, her entire body quaking with desire as she gazed into Flash's eyes. "Yer a natural, Flash!"
The Pegasus simply kept licking her marehood, his tongue pushing deeper into her slit and stroked her inner walls. Applejack's moans only grew in volume as her body continued to quiver, her eyes closing as her head started to spin. "Mmmmmm! Flash, yer tongue is... oohhh yeeeeah~!" She gasped as she rocked her hips faster and faster, feeling wave after wave of pleasure wash over her body as the stallion's tongue slipped deeper into her pussy, almost completely burying itself inside Applejack's nether lips. The Earth Pony's legs started shaking as she felt her lover's lip rubbing against her clit as he eagerly slurped and licked every inch of her slit, sending jolts of ecstasy through her body as her body bucked violently against Flash's mouth. "AAAaahh! Flash! Ooh, yer doin' wonderful, sugarcube~!" Applejack gasped in pure bliss, closing her eyes and throwing her head back as her body continued to convulse.
Pleased by her reaction, Flash started suckling on her clit, teasing it with the tip of his tongue, causing her entire body to shake in pleasure as her moans grew in volume and her body spasmed. "W-wait-mmmph! Aaagh!" Applejack moaned as her hips bucked once again, her entire body shaking as Flash breathed in her intoxicating scent, ignoring the mare's cries for him to stop and just keep going. "Y-yessss, yer makin' me feel so... aaahhh!" The farmpony continued to moan as she tilted her hips up, forcing Flash's tongue deeper into her hole as the Pegasus continued to suck and lick every inch of her marehood, driving her crazy with lust as she quivered in absolute pleasure.
"D-don't st-stop..." The farmpony gasped as her whole body started trembling, the mind-shattering pleasure that was building up within her loins suddenly overtaking her body. The closer she came to her climax, the more intense her movements became as she continued to spasm against Flash's mouth. "Please... don't stop... Ah... Ah'm c-cummin'!" Flash soon felt Applejack's body tense up as her pussy quivered around his tongue, her entire body shuddering violently as her back arched and her eyes rolling back. The Pegasus then felt her lower body shaking on top of him as a gush of her pleasure nectar hit his tongue,
Flash soon felt Applejack's body tense up as her pussy quivered around his tongue, her entire body shuddering violently as her back arched and her eyes rolling back. The Pegasus then felt her lower body shaking on top of him as a gush of her pleasure nectar hit his tongue, coating it with the warm fluid as he swallowed and licked up every drop that he could possibly could, not leaving one crevice along the Earth Pony's love tunnel unattended. Applejack continued to squirm atop him, her lower body shaking as the last of her pleasure juices flowed out of her, the mare succumbing to the blissful pleasure." AHh... Flash, y-y-yer a... a natural..." Applejack sighed, her body still trembling from such a powerful climax.
Giving his lover a few seconds to recover, Flash gently licked her marehood clean. "So, didja enjoy yourself, sugarcube?" He smirked, mimicking her accent as the Earth Pony fell to the side, breathing heavily with a satisfied smile on her face, basking in the afterglow of her orgasm.
"Heh... cute... but don't think ah'm done... just yet..." Applejack chuckled between breaths as her mind began to clear. "Besides, Ah owe ya fer that wonderful tongue action..." She smirked as her body was engulfed in pink flames yet again, forcing Flash to cover his eyes as he sat up... and as his vision cleared, he found himself staring at none other than Dragon lord Ember herself.
"I must admit, I was skeptical when you of all Ponies were chosen as Equestria's Ambassador..." The Dragoness cooed as she rolled onto her stomach and started crawling towards the Peaasus, her eyes locked on to his stallionhood, which was currently at half-mast. "...but if you're this well-hung, I think we can reach an agreement of some sort..."
Flash shivered as Ember's long, serpentine tongue slither out from between her lips and slowly licked along the underside of his shaft. "W-Well ma'am, I'm looking forward to our n-n-negotiations..." he stammered as she licked his shaft slowly from the base up to the tip, teasing him with her tongue as it danced along his shaft.
"Then you'll love this~" Ember grinned as she began to wrap her tongue around his throbbing stallionhood, which began to twitch and lengthen within its tender, yet comfortably firm grasp.
"OOoohh f-f-fuuuuck..." The Pegasus groaned as he felt the Dragoness' warm tongue wrap around his cock at least twice, three-no-four times before tightening around the Pegasus' shaft, sending wave after wave blissful sensations through his body and making him gasp in pleasure as nearly his entire length was cocooned by her tongue.
Letting out a playful giggle, Ember proceeded to stroke his cock with her tongue cocoon, sliding it up and down on Flash's dick. "M-Man that feels... weird. Ugh, I m-mean... it's not bad weird, it's j-j-just... aahhh." The Pegasus sighed, his heart pounding with excitement as his dick pulsed within her tongue's grasp.
The Dragoness grinned slyly as she continued stroking his shaft, the Pegasus hissing in pleasure as the tip of the Dragoness' tongue flicked the underside of his balls before slowly sucking his cock into her mouth, eagerly swallowing his entire length. "Ooohhhh f-f-f-fuck..." Flash groaned as his lover tightened her tongue around his stallionhood, pulling his length down her throat as a rather noticeable bulge in her neck became visible.
Ember then proceeded to pull her head back to the point where only the tip of his shaft was in her mouth, the rest of it remaining in her tongue's grasp, and them pushed his length down her throat once more, the bulge on her neck becoming much bigger as Flash's shaft was pushed halfway down her throat, throbbing harder and harder. It wasn't long before the Dragoness began bobbing her head up and down on his cock, the bulge moving up and down her neck while the tip of her tongue teased and tickled his balls, practically coating them with her saliva before worming it's way between his asscheeks and licking his anus as well.
All the while the Dragon Lord stared up at her lover with a ravenous gaze, knowing he wasn't far from his second climax.
"F-Fuck, oohh f-f-fuck that's amazing..." The Pegasus grunted bucking his hips frantically as dollops of pre-cum dribbled from the tip of his stallionhood, the almost maddening sensations leaving him teetering on the edge. "Twi-Ember! I... I need t-to... I'm gonna...!!" Before he'd made a conscious decision, Flash's hands suddenly moved on their own, grabbing the Dragon Lord's horns and yanking her down hard as he pushed his hips forward.
"Mmph!?" Ember grunted as her eyes widened and rolled back into her head, her throat bulging as Flash buried his shaft right up to the hilt.
Shuddering at her lover's sudden and abrupt roughness, the Dragoness' overextended tongue loosened and her wings sprang open as she moaned around his thrusting cock. With each frantic thrust her form was repeatedly bathed in pink flames as shifted back to Twilight, then back to Ember, and then into a Draconic version of Twilight.
Meanwhile, the former Queen continued her vain attempts to escape, struggling violently in her cocoon prison. And yet as she struggled she could still feel her connection to the hivemind being forcibly activated. It was like an ocean of lust slowly consuming her, driving her insane with desire as her nether regions burned with pure lust... and her unable to much as rub her legs together to alleviate the feeling.
'I have to focus...' Chrysalis thought as a weak spark of magic erupted from her horn. '...if I could just call upon just one of them I could-'
"Ah-ah-ah~" Twilight's voice interrupted as another wave of lust poured into the former Queen's body, causing her loins to heat up. "You shouldn't interrupt their fun, but if you really wanna see how fun they're having..."
Chrysalis' eyes widened in terror as her body started spasming uncontrollably. NO! NO DON'T-'
"Oooh yes! Ahh! F-Fuck me harder!!" A white-coated Unicorn with purple mane cried out in pleasure as she leaned against the wall for support. Behind her was a rather large purple Dragon with green spikes, his claws holding on to her slender waist as he slammed his shaft in and out of her pussy at an alarmingly fast pace.
"Fuck me! Fuck me harder! Use me as your personal cum dump! Oh, f-fuuuck yes!" She cried out passionately her eyes widening before rolling back as the Dragon continued to fuck her...
Chrysalis gasped as the vision ended, the lust-fueled torture leaving her panting and writhing as she struggled to gather her thoughts. 'I... I c-c-can't surrender... I w-won't s-surrender!' She thought to herself, desperately to ignore her more lustful urges as her womanhood began to throb.
"I do hope you don't, otherwise my revenge would be rather short-lived." Twilight's voice responded within her mind, prompting the former Queen to glare at her as the new Queen was violently deep-throated by her lover.
Twilight shifted back to her "natural" form as Flash continued thrusting with near manic desire. Her long tongue receded as stallion's cock was pumped in and out of her throat, shuddering in delight as she relished the feeling of being face-fucked so violently as Flash kept a firm grip on both sides of her face.
He was close, she could feel it.
Despite gagging a little, she kept sucking, licking along the bottom of his shaft as she wrapped her arms around his waist and tightly gripped his buttcheeks, pulling him in closer. Flash grunted in surprise but didn't loosen his grip or slow down his thrusts. "Gonna-ooohh! Oh my Celestia, you are so fucking good-uggh!!" He gasped as he held tightly on to Twilight's head and slammed his hips against her face.
"Mmmmph..." Twilight moaned, relaxing her throat slightly as she bobbed her head faster and faster, as if determined to take all of his cock as he came. The Changeling Queen then gave a guttural roar as she felt her stallion's dick begin to pulsate and jerk as he finally erupted deep inside her throat. "Hhrrkk, gulkk, grrkk!!!" She gagged as thick ropes of cum shot out from her lover's stallionhood. Drunk with lust, she eagerly swallowed as much of his seed as she could, with some of it dripping down her chin and onto the bed sheets.
Flash eventually let out a satisfied sigh as his cock began to soften. Despite this however, Twilight kept licking, slowly cleaning it off as it slipped out of her mouth, leaving a strand of saliva and cum connecting her to the tip of his shaft.
"Oooh... sweet Celestia..." Flash sighed as he fell onto his back, panting as if he'd just ran a marathon as his lover ran her tongue up the underside of his shaft, savoring the last drops of his seed as it leaked from the tip of his now limp stallionhood.
"Well, if you must invoke her name..." He heard Twilight chuckle, her voice becoming distorted as her body was bathed in flames yet again. Flash could only tilt his head to the side as his lover's form shifted to none other than that of Princess Celestia herself. "...I suppose this would be the most appropriate time~" The Sun Princess cooed as she towered over the stallion, gazing down at him as she seductively ran her hands underneath her heavy breasts. "So many of my Royal Guards have fantasized about the warm embrace of my breasts... and now you get them all to yourself~" The Alicorn giggled as her horn began to glow, her magic aura surrounding Flash's limp stallionhood as she lifted her boobs and spread them apart invitingly.
"P-Princess... pl-please... I j-just came-ooohh~!" Flash gasped as his shaft guided between her tits, groaning as the Princess slowly and gently closed her soft yet massive tits around his cock. "...I-I need... n-n-need to rest..." The Pegasus moaned as he felt the warmth and softness of her breasts practically smothering his shaft, unable to stop his hips from bucking on pure instinct.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that~" Celestia cooed as her horn began to glow. Her magic aura engulfed her own breasts and squished them together, slowly moving them up and down while gently sliding his slowly hardening length between her tits. "Just relax, Flash. This next spell will give you the energy you need~" The Princess added with a perverse glint in her eyes as she moved her now-free hands down to softly cup Flash's balls, her fingers brushing against the tender skin as she gently massaged them and gave them a playful squeeze. "There's no need to be so tense, sweetie. Just relax, enjoy the ride... and let your Princess do all the work~"
"Mmm... s-so soft..." The Pegasus sighed, relaxing as he felt her soft cleavage running along his stallionhood. A comforting warmth spread from his loins as his cock continued to grow, each stroke and squeeze sending a pulse of energy through his entire body while his shaft continued to rise.
"Mmhmhm, you can feel your energy returning, can't you~?" Celestia whispered as she used her magic to playfully spread her breasts apart, revealing his gradually hardening length twitching right in the middle of her deep cavern before she squished them back together again. "This spell was made just for you, love. And these big girls were made to bring you to the very apex of pleasure~" The Alicorn explained, running her hands gently along the surface of his soft balls and giving them a gentle caress in between squeezes.
With each passing moment, Flash's hips instinctively thrust upwards, getting even harder with stroke as Celestia gently squeezed and massaged her tits around his shaft. "Mmm mother of Faust... this... f-feels incredible!" He sighed as the Princess lovingly bounced her breasts up and down, occasionally allowing the very tip of his cock to poke out just a few inches underneath her chin.
"Oh ho ho, there we go~" Celestia giggled, glancing at the head of her lover's erect shaft right before her cleavage swallowed up his entire length yet again. "Oh my~, so this is what my student gets to enjoy all the time? Mmm Twilight picked a good one, didn't she?" She cooed, licking her lips as his cock throbbed within the soft embrace of her cleavage.
Celestia eventually stopped pumping and let Flash's cock spring free from her breasts, leaving it pointing right at the ceiling and twitching excitedly, each little spasm followed by him squirting out another few drops of precum. "I'd say you now have more than enough energy for one more round, wouldn't you~?" The Sun Princess cooed as her body was bathed in pink flames once more.
"Heh, anything for you, my Princess-" He began as he sat back up, but the moment the flames disappeared, he found himself face-to-face with none other than Queen Novo.
"I think you mean "my Queen"~" The "Seapony" chuckled, her long, finned tail playfully wound its way around his stomach before pulling the Pegasus closer with lifting him off the bed, positioning his throbbing stallionhood mere inches away from her muzzle. "Mmm, I do so love sampling the local cuisine whenever I visit Equestria~" The Queen cooed, kissing the tip of his shaft and sending shivers down Flash's spine as a low moan escaped his lips.
Queen Novo didn't stop there however, as she lowered her lover down onto the bed, she started planting kisses across his chest, making her way up the left side of his neck before reaching the side of his jaw. "Shame that we're not underwater, then I'd really be able to show you a good time~" The Seapony whispered seductively as her webbed left hand slid behind his neck and her right gently grasped his shaft. She then continued kissing her down his jaw to his chin, her right hand then gave his cock a firm squeeze, earning a groan of pleasure from the Pegasus.
And at that very moment, Flash's moan was cut off as Novo locked lips with him, her tongue sliding into his mouth as she pulled him closer, pressing her breasts against his chest and pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss. The Pegasus offered up no resistance, letting the Queen's slender tongue slither into his mouth, hungrily caressing his own while tasting every part of his mouth it could reach.
As they made out, Flash slid his hands around her back, gently running his hands across the top fin in the middle of her back. He then slid both hands down toward her rear, the feeling of soft flesh at her hips suddenly changing to smooth scales as he took a firm grasp of her buttocks, prompting the Queen to moan into his mouth as she continued to stroke his stallionhood. It wasn't long until the Pegasus began to rock his hips in response, his waiting shaft throbbing with the desire to be buried inside his lover once more.
"Mmm, getting a little more forward, are we?" Novo purred as she broke the kiss, smiling at Flash with half-lidded eyes as she laid back while pulling him on top of her.
"With a body like yours, can you really blame me?" The Pegasus chuckled as his left hand slipped away from her rear and up to her marehood. His fingers gently rubbing against her nether lips, causing the Seapony to gasp softly as she felt her sensitive flesh being teased. "Besides, I think we both know you want this as much as I do..." Flash addsd as he rubbed her slit up and down before digging his fingers in between her lips and spreading them apart, fully exposing the pink flesh of her dripping pussy lips. "...and there lies the proof."
Biting her lip, Novo moved her mouth to his ear and whispered into his ear. "Well then my stallion, I believe it's time for you to fertilize my eggs~" The Queen cooed right before pressing her nether lips against Flash's cock. Both Ponies shuddered in anticipation as the Pegasus' erect stallionhood glided over the Seapony's wet, spread pussy, pulsing and twitching as it was pushed against her wet and waiting entrance. "Now fuck me, and prove you deserve your position as a Royal Guard~"
Smirking, Flash pressed the tip of his shaft right into her slit. "As you wish, my Queen~" He whispered into Novo's ear just as her lower lips parted and his tip slipped inside.
"Aaaah!!" Novo moaned and chewed on her lower lip as she felt her lover's cock finally slide in, rubbing along the Queen's warm and rigid inner walls as her pussy lips tightly gripped his stallionhood, pulling him in deeper and deeper. "Ooohh yeah~"
Back in her cocoon, the former Changeling Queen seethed in rage as she struggled to free herself, to call the hive, to do... anything that would free her from the torment of watching these two lovebirds going at it like rabbits!
'This humiliating! Infuriating!' Chrysalis thought as she struggled, her loins aching for any form of stimulation as wave after wave of lust was pumped into her body. 'I am the Queen of the Changelings! I don't deserve-'
"You deserve all of this, and more..." She heard Twilight's voice echo through her mind. "You took my lover away from me, raped him right in front of me, and left me for DEAD!" Chrysalis winced at her tone, shivering as her body was engulfed in another wave of lust, which came close to overwhelming her mind. "You nearly took everything away from me..." Twilight continued as Chrysalis' horn began to spark. "...so I'll take everything away from you. Your title as Queen, you hive, and most importantly... your mind!"
'N-No! Wait!' She mentally shrieked as she felt herself being forcefully connected to the hivemind once more. 'Not again! Not ag-'
Pure rage suddenly filled her mind as she was suddenly forced to witness Shining Armor pressing his stallionhood against Cadence's muzzle, the Princess of Love wrapping her hands around her lover's shaft as she breathed in his musk before eagerly licking the tip as she gazed up at her lover.
"You know... I have considered giving Flurry Heart a younger sibling..." Shining sighed, giving Cadence a coy smirk as she gently caressed his balls.
"Oh? Eager to see me with another bun in the oven already?" Cadence chuckled lightly, grinning as she gave the tip of his cock another lick while gazing up at her lover. As she ran her tongue along the Unicorn's shaft, she gave his balls an affectionate squeeze, making the Stallion shudder in delight. "Well, if you insist... provided that I get a taste first~"
"No argument there, Princess." Shining replied playfully as his member quickly slipped between Cadence's lips, the Princess taking it in as she ran her tongue along his girthy shaft and pulled his member up and down her throat. She made a gagging sound as she quickly darted her tongue out of the Pegasus's cock and used her forehooves to grip his hips, making a contented purring sound as she worked her way up his length. "Mmm... starting to think you want this more than I do.. "
Cadence gave him a mischievous wink, humming playfully and breathing in his scent as she managed to take a few more inches into her mouth. With a light sucking sound, she began to slowly bob her head up and down his shaft, keeping her eyes locked with the eyes of her handsome stallion.
Chrysalis' eye twitched as she was forced to watch as one of her most hated enemies slowly moved up and down his shaft, eliciting a groan from the stallion. She knew they were just drones acting out the part, but her body didn't seem to care as her womanhood burned with a desperate need to be filled, penetrated, fingered, stimulated, anything!
And it only got worse from there...
"Ooohhh, sweet Celesta!" The Unicorn moaned out as he pushed his cock deeper into her mouth, with the Alicorn's lips forming a lustful smirk around his cock as her left hand cradled his balls and the right began stroking her shaft.
Chrysalis suddenly shivered as a bizarre sensation sent a jolt of pleasure through her body. At first, she was naturally confused... until the feeling of Cadence's tongue gently massaging Shining's cock caused her to instinctively buck her hips!
'No...' She thought. 'No, no, no, no, PLEASE NO!!' The former Queen mentally screamed, it was at that moment that she realized just how far Twilight was willing to go for her revenge, for the spell she had cast not only forced Chrysalis to witness every erotic act her drones were indulging in, but also allowed her to feel every bit of pleasure they expirenced... all without being able to climax.
"Let's see if you still have a gag reflex!" She heard Shining shout as he forced his stallionhood down her throat.
Chrysalis' gritted her teeth as she felt the Princess if Love licking from nearly every angle almost perfectly, as much as the former Queen hated her, she had to admit the Alicorn had skill.
But things didn't stop there, no.
As the Princess continued deepthroating her with absolute ease, hardly even gagging, Shining grabbed both sides of her head and started thrusting in and out of her mouth with an euphoric smile. The former Queen was now writhing in agony, her eyes rolling back as each pump from her non-existent cock brought about a familiar feeling from her loins.
She was close... oh so very, very close...
"Oooh yeah, that's it! I'm almost... I'm gonna..." Shining gasped in pleasure as he thrusted harder, his saliva-lubed cock slipping in and out of Cadence's throat. "Yes! Yes! YES! YEEES!!" The Stallion then let out a long groan and with one final thrust, buried his cock to her further into his lover's throat and orgasmed intensely, letting loose a torrent of cum.
But for Chrysalis, there was no release, no bliss-filled climax... only an empty feeling of envy as she watched the stallion shooting his seed down the mare's throat. To Chrysalis' surprise, she swallowed it all down until her small stomach had a tiny bump from such a large amount, all while panting around his cock until it slipped out of her mouth, now coated in a fine sheen of spit and precum.
"Mother of Celesta that felt good!" Chrysalis heard Shining sigh just as she was brought out of her vision... and forced to witness Twilight and Flash making love... and endure all the phantom jolts of pleasure that came with it.
'NO, NO MORE!! LET ME CUM, JUST LET ME CUM!!!' Chrysalis hissed and groaned through her slime-gag, her ears assaulted by the sickening wet and sloppy noises of Flash's cock as it pumped in and out.
But her mental cries fell on deaf ears...
It wasn't long before Flash found himself almost fully buried inside the Seapony, his stallionhood warm and twitching gently inside his lover's marehood as her inner walls squeezed around it.
"Mmmm, that's it, k-keep going~" Novo purred, letting out a satisfied sigh as she felt his stallionhood pulsing against her rigid walls as it sank into her pussy right down to the base. She could even feel his heart that was beating once his chest pressed up against her breasts. "Aaaah... huhuhu..." The Queen gasped and shuddered, the inner walls of her pussy rippling around Flash's stallionhood as he started bucking his hips, massaging and squeezing with each desperate thrust. "D-d-don't stop! O-ooh, y-y-you're not allowed to s-stop-Ooohh!!"
"I don't plan to... my Queen..." Flash replied, closing his eyes and groaning as he picked up the pace, his shaft easily sliding inside while spreading her warm pussy walls open. "...especially... w-when you're so warm and ti-mmmph!" The Pegasus found himself cut off by Novo's lips pressing against his own. The Seapony's tongue quickly slithered between Flash's lips and right into his mouth, both of them closing their eyes as the Queen explored her lover's mouth, the stallion moaning heavily into the kiss.
"Haaaaah, oh f-fuck..." Flash moaned as his cock slammed in and out of the Seapony's marehood. Novo in turn gasped as she felt his cock fill her and leave her over and over again, his balls slapping against her with each thrust as they continued to make out.
The kiss between the two finally broke, with a string of saliva being all that connected their lips and their tongues hung out of their mouths. "Keep going big boy, whatever happens don't stop!" Novo grunted as she was consumed by pink flames once more...
...but instead of changing into yet another individual, she remained mostly the same... until her mouth shifted into a beak, two massive feathered wings sprouted out of her back, and her long tail unwrapped itself from around Flash's body, splitting into two legs with talons in place of feet, completing her transformation into a Hippogriff. Novo then wrapped her arms and wings around Flash's back and then proceeded to lift her legs and hook them around the stallion's waist, suddenly pulling his hips down and slamming his shaft into her waiting marehood once more. "Mmm, how does it feel, my love?" Novo asked, pressing her forehead against Flash's, brushing her clawed fingers against his cheek.
"S-S-Sooo good~" The stallion groaned in response, the sensation of her warm, velvety walls gliding and clenching around his sensitive cock driving him over the edge as he pulled his stallionhood out as far as he could before slamming it back inside the Hippogriff's depths.
"Aaahhh!!" Novo gasped in pure bliss as her pussy hugged Flash's smooth cock, keeping her legs wrapped around him as he slid in and out at a faster pace, going faster and faster to the point where It felt like he couldn't control his hips anymore. "Hmmph, that's it baby! Keep fucking your Queen!"
Meanwhile, Chrysalis' body was spasming non-stop within her cocoon as her body was forced to endure the phantom sensations of pleasure. The former Queen gritting her teeth as she was fucked, fondled, and teased from various angles, all without the joy of a wonderous climax at the end...
Wet slapping noises combined with the two lover's moans and gasps echoed throughout the room as she closed her eyes, unwilling to watch any more... only for her surroundings to suddenly shift and distort as her vision took on a green hue... after a few seconds, Chrysalis saw that she was staring right at Flash Sentry! It didn't take long for her to realize Twilight was using the exact same spell she had used at the villa! Forcing her to see through Twilight's eyes!
This, combined with the various sensations soon caused the Queen to lose her composure even further.
She had to cum!
She needed to cum!
But even as they reached their unified climax, the new Queen wouldn't let her...
"M-My Queen! I'm close... hhhnng s-s-so close!!" Flash groaned between thrusts, and with a few more thrusts, the Pegasus slammed his cock into the Hippogriff one final time, pushing as deep into her as he possibly could before shooting thick ropes of his seed into the Queen.
"Aaaah yeah~!" Novo moaned, shivering as her lover shot load after load of his warm seed into her waiting pussy, his balls pressed hard against the Hippogriff's soft buttcheeks as he emptied himself into her. "Oooh yes, th-that's it! Let it out! Let it all out-OOOHH!?" She gasped, suddenly feeling herself reaching her tipping point as she arched her back, her own blissful climax shooting through her body as her eyes rolled back.
Soon a mixture of both her cum and Flash's cum spurted out of her marehood, soaking her rear, tail, and even the bed they were fucking on as they rode out their orgasm together. And as the Pegasus shot his last rope of cum into the Hippogriff, the Queen finally shifted back to her original form.
With his mouth agape as he gasped and panted, trying to catch his breath, Flash pulled his cock out of Twilight's marehood, allowing every drop of cum he'd emptied into her to spill out from her pussy, pooling messily around her rear.
Not that she minded, a part of her couldn't help but relish the possibility of him impregnating her... but that was a thought for another time.
"Oooh sweet Celestia~" Twilight moaned out as Flash fell to her side, his shaft finally going flacid. "That was incredible... you gave me so much love... mmm, and so much cum~" She added with a sultry chuckle.
"Glad I could... satisfy you..." Flash sighed, brushing his fingers through Twilight's mane as she turned over to face him with a smile. "I know I don't have as much... stamina as you... especially after you... Uh, transformed, but I'll try to do better."
Twilight chuckled, leaning over and giving Flash a gentle peck on the lips. "Don't worry about that sweetie, I'm still getting used to this form myself." She replied, gently caressing his cheek as her horn and eyes began to glow.
The Pegasus let out a content sigh as he felt a sudden sense of drowsiness take over his senses, his eyes becoming heavy and tired as his body relaxed. "Tw-Twilight... I-"
"Shhhh... you've been through enough for today..." Twilight cooed, placing a finger on his lips as she cast her spell. "Just rest sweetie... rest..." She whispered, watching as her lover fell into a peaceful slumber...
As soon as she was sure her lover was fast asleep, Twilight turned her attention to the cocooned Changeling, her expression going from kind to furious in seconds. "Now then Chrysalis, where were we~?" She began as she got off the bed and made her way towards the former Queen.
'Enjoy yourself, bitch?' Chrysalis thought, only able to glare at Twilight with unrestrained fury, still unable to move while her loins burned with pure lust.
"Y'know, when I escaped from that burning villa, my first thoughts for revenge were very... well, let's just say you'd be in even more pain than you are right now..." Twilight explained calmly as she paced around her cocoon. "But you need not worry, for despite all you've done to me, there is still a small part of me that knows mercy. As such, you will live..."
Chrysalis' eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this. 'Mercy? HA! This is why you weak ponies will always come up short in the end!' She thought, smirking under her gag. 'You can try to "reform" me all you want, but once I'm free, I'll-'
"...as a broodmare."
The former Queen froze, very sure that her heart might've stopped.
'...what!?'
"If there's one thing you've proven to me, it's that you're too dangerous to be left running around." Twilight continued, her tone becoming more stern and serious as she stared the former Queen right in the eye. "But I feel with enough time spent birthing and nurturing the new hatchlings, you'll be able to learn empathy and eventually live among the new, reformed Changeling hive..."
A sudden realization hit the former Queen like a wrecking ball and she started breathing heavily as Twilight started to shapeshift once again, her marehood quickly shifting into a rather massive stallionhood twice as long as Flash's!
'No... no no no, you wouldn't DARE...'
"Of course, it'll most likely be a long and difficult process spanning months, even years..." Twilight continued, pressing her rather bestial endowment up against Chrysalis' chin, pushing her head up so she was gazing into her eyes once more. "But don't worry, I'll be there for you. every. step. of. the. way."
The former Queen could only gulp nervously as Twilight's smile became much more sadistic. "Hope you're looking forward to your "rehabilitation" Chrysalis, I know I am~" |
The Legend of Starlight-Book 2: Love at Second Sight | pre | "Thanks, Shy. If she asks, tell her I'm at Rarity's." I jumped up and tapped into Rainbow's cutie mark. I rose in the air and zoomed away to the boutique.
I crossed from Rarity's to Sugercube Corner, then to Sweet Apple Acres to back to Twilight's. All of them were suppose to stall Gilda in some way. Fluttershy had asked for help with the animals, Rarity gave her a makeover, Pinkie had her bake treats with her and Applejack had asked for help with gathering apples. "Phew!" I said to Twi. "I think it's working. Gilda's been stalking me all day."
"It's not enough." The purple unicorn said. "We need more time for Rainbow to get what she needs."
As we saw Gilda land outside the house I said to Twilight. "I'll handle this."
"Careful Prince." she said. "Remember, Gilda will apparently do anything to have you."
"Just gotta make sure she doesn't have a chance." I said, leaving though the front door. "Hey Gilda. You up for a little race?" I rose in the air.
Gilda nodded. "I've been flying all day, but I never miss a chance to destroy somepony in a race!"
"That's what I'm counting on." I said to myself. "Race ends when you catch me!" I yelled to the griffon, then took off. ...
Rainbow wasn't allowed to fly really fast in the library, but after saying that she was on an official errand for the prince, she was allowed to fly at all. In the spells section of the library, she asked the librarian pony. "So, did a griffon come in here in the last few days?"
"Why, yes." he said. "It was about 2 days ago. Before the party Ponyville tried to throw for the prince."
"And did she check any books out specifically?"
The librarian thought for a second. "No, but she did spend a lot of time looking at these two books." He left the aisle and returned with two books. Rainbow read the cover of one. "The Art of Spell Changing."
"Thanks!" Rainbow said. "I'll bring these back later!" She glanced at the title of the second book and paled. "Sorry, gotta dash!" she said, zipping out the door.
Twilight had cast a special telepathic spell on herself and Rainbow before she left for the library, so it was no surprise when Rainbow heard in her head. "How's it going, Rainbow?"
"I think I found something." she said. "I might need to look more..."
"Don't know if that's a good idea, Dash." Twilight said. "Gilda's racing with Starlight now."
"Dang! I didn't know we would get this far in the plan yet!" Rainbow said. "Buck! Good thing I'm on my way back. See you in a bit!"
Rainbow quickly returned to Twilight's with the books. Bursting though the front door, she saw all of her friends there. "Oh Rainbow, you look absolutely tired!" Rarity said, walking over to her. "Come, sit down and rest for a while."
Rainbow shook her head. "No time. Twilight, look at these!" She pulled the books out of her bag and set them on the table. Twilight came over to look at them.
"The Art of Spell Changing? Well, that would explain how the words she wrote actually worked. She must have been planning this for a while." Twilight said.
"That isn't the worst part." Rainbow said, pointing at the second book.
Applejack looked at it. "The Practices of Darkness? Now what kind of nonsense is that?"
Twilight started flipping though the book, stopping where a page had a claw mark. "She must have been planning to look at this part again...." She sat down, lost in the pages.
Pinkie started bouncing around. "You all have GOT to try the cake Gilda and I baked. It is YUMMY!"
"Pinkie." Applejack said. "Ah don't think we have much time for that."
"Oh you silly!" Pinkie said, laughing. "There's always time for sweets!" She stopped bouncing as they all heard Twilight gasp.
"We might have a problem." Twilight said.
"Pardon me dear, but I thought we already did." Rarity said.
"It's worse then we thought." Twilight explained. "Gilda somehow cast a hex on herself that gave her the power of darkness."
"If that's the case." Rainbow said. "Why didn't she just use it against Starlight?"
"Because she needed to see darkness first." Twilight said. "That's why she messed up the spell. It filled my horn with darkness. The book says that you have to witness true darkness before you can wield it. And when the prince drew all the dark magic from my horn, he made himself temporally weaker to it."
Applejack gasped. "She's gonna blast him until he gives into her!"
"Not while I'm here!" Rainbow said. Suddenly they heard a loud crash outside the house. Running outside they saw Starlight lying on the ground half conscious with Gilda over him, trying to kiss him. Rainbow's eyes flashed and she flew at them, proceeding to buck Gilda straight off of Starlight. She landed infront of her, rage in her eyes.
"Don't do anything rash, Rainbow!" Twilight yelled. ...
I slowly stood up, rather tired. I had Gilda chasing me from Ponyville to Canterlot, twice. She had finally caught up to me around the area with me and Rainbow's cloud. I watched the pegasus and the griffon face each other, ready to jump in if needed.
"So you tried to steal him from me, Gilda!" Rainbow said, with barely suppressed anger. "Just like back in flight school."
"Oh come on, Dash." Gilda said, rolling her eyes. "You didn't need that stallion in the end anyway. Remember how you used to say, "I fly better alone?" Besides, he was a jerk anyway."
"That's not the point!" Rainbow said. "I learned something from my time living in Ponyville. I don't need to keep living in a shell." She looked at us and smiled. "These are my friends, Gilda. They helped me learn how to live, to REALLY live."
"Oh yeah?" Gilda asked, narrowing her eyes. "And what is that human doing for you?"
I narrowed my eyes, but Applejack stood in front of me. "Not yet, Sugercube. This is Rainbow's part."
"That "human" is the prince of Equestria as you very well know." Rainbow said.
"Enough!" Gilda yelled, unfurling her wings. Rainbow stepped back and I saw an aura of darkness around the enraged griffon. "Guess what Dash, I think it's time to show you how I was always the best flyer!" The sky above us darkened and Gilda's feathers turned completely black.
Applejack moved from in front of me. "Now you can go." I smiled and yelled, "Now, Fluttershy!" Gilda turned and flapped her wings extremely hard, blowing us all back. She then grabbed Rainbow in one of her claws and flew straight up. Fluttershy and I followed.
"I'm not sure I can do this, Prince." She said, shy as ever.
"I believe in you, Fluttershy. Just remember the routine we went though." I said. I used a spell and shot up.
Summoning Stormtide, I stabbed Gilda in the claw, forcing her to let go of Rainbow. Rainbow's wings had been pinned, so she couldn't fly yet. But right on schedule, Fluttershy swooped up and caught her. "House! Now!" I yelled. She nodded and flew back down.
Suddenly I felt a claw around my throat. "Fine then. I'll just beat you up until she gives you to me!" Gilda said softly.
"I'm not a birthday present!" I gasped. She then proceeded to throw me in the direction of Ponyville.
I slammed into the ground and rolled as Gilda almost crushed me. "Stop Gilda!" I yelled. "You really don't want to tick me off more than you already have!"
"Too late for that!" She said. "You could have had me, Starlight. ME! But you decide to chose some flight school dropout instead?"
"There's a difference between the two of you." I said. "Rainbow actually loves me, whereas you just wanted to use me for my powers and my title."
Gilda reeled back. "How would you...?"
"My magic isn't really under control, so I accidentally read your mind. Good thing, huh?" I said mockingly.
Gilda's eyes turned completely red. Not good. "Won't change a thing!"
She then picked up a piece of the ground and threw it at me. I sliced it in half and charged at her. She somehow grew her claws out so far that they were more like big daggers. She started slashing at me, I parried with my sword. Finding an opening, I slipped between her claws and sliced completely though them. I then back-stabbed her in the backside. She roared and fired a dark lazer beam from her mouth, hitting me in the chest.
"Ahhhh!" I yelled, flying into a applecart. Gilda rose in the air, gathering darkness and shaping in into a ball, then threw it at me. I shot myself out of there as she blew up the cart behind me. I tapped into Rarity's power and blocked a steady dark beam with a hastily summoned diamond. The diamond started to break from the sheer pressure of Gilda's attack.
"Getting tired, prince? Too bad!" She yelled, and redoubled the power. The beam broke though the diamond and slammed into me, sending me flying again. Gilda then flew behind me as I was flying and whacked me into the air. She then whipped above me and slammed me down, sending me into the ground. She then walked up to me. "You can always surrender yourself."
"Not..gonna..happen." I gasped. Gilda smiled and picked me up with her dark magic.
"Leave him alone!" We turned and saw my friends standing there. Twilight and Rarity had their horns sparking and they blasted Gilda, making her drop me. Rainbow landed infront of me. "You'll have to go though us first."
"Fine by me." Gilda said. "Let me just even the odds first." She pointed at my horn and it turned completly black. I felt drained and passed out. ...
"Starlight!" Rainbow yelled, flying to him. Gilda swooped over and rammed into Rainbow, the two of them sent flying.
Twilght took charge. "Applejack, help me move the prince to a safe spot! Pinkie, and Fluttershy, get every other pony somewhere safe! Rarity, run back to my house and grab my healing spellbook!" The other ponies ran to do what she said.
"Hurry, Applejack!" Twilight said. The two of them slowly pushed Starlight behind the applecart that Gilda had thrown him into eailer.
"Ah'm not gonna lie to you, Twilight." Applejack said. "I'm worried about Rainbow."
Twlight fliched as Rarity teleported back with the book. "We need to wake Starlight up, before Gilda does." ...
Rainbow slammed into the ground painfully as Gilda shot at her over and over. The cyan pegasus rolled and leapt to her hooves, dashing down the road.
"Give up now, Dashie!" Gilda yelled. "I don't want to have to kill you!"
"Oh don't worry about that!" Rainbow panted. "You won't get the chance!" She rose up in the air and back-hooved Gilda in the mouth.
Gilda recovered and slammed her wings together, creating a dark shockwave. Rainbow flew over it and brought her front hooves into the griffons face. She then turned and kicked her in the face, knocking her away. "How do you like that, you bucking jerk!"
"I'll send you back to Starlight in pieces!" Gilda's eyes turned completly black. Rainbow gasped in horror. ...
Twilight and Rarity, their horns glowing pure white, stood in front of Starlight. They pointed at the prince and covered him in the light. Starlight started to stir.
"I think it's working!" Twilight said.
"Good, we don't have much time!" Rarity said, looking at the darkening sky. ...
I slowly opened my eyes, regaining my strength. Twlight and Applejack helped me stand. "Are you ok, Prince?" Twilight asked.
"What happened?" I said. "I couldn't do anything at all."
"She tried to absorb your magic." Twilight said. "Apperently alicorns are immune to that."
"Still knocked me out." I said, flexing. We all flinched as we heard a thunderclap. "Come on! To the square!" I yelled, the other ponies close behind.
I looked up and saw Gilda and Rainbow fighting. I wasn't strong enough to fly yet, so I started to charge up some magic. "No, you might hit Rainbow!" Twilight said. The ponies stood around me, worried.
I could see the darkness rising off of the griffon. Gilda whipped around Rainbow and blasted her in the head with a ball of darkness, sending her to the ground. I ran forward and caught her. Gilda slammed on the ground so hard that I fell over and Rainbow flew out of my hands. Gilda levitated Rainbow and threw her at the other ponies, hitting them and knocking them over.
At seeing my friends hurt, something snapped within me. I remembered what I had told my sisters at my coronation, that I would protect Equestria.
And I wasn't about to fail now.
I looked up at Gilda, fire dancing in my eyes. "So that's how you want to play it then?" I held my right hand up and yelled, "Celesta! Grant me the power of the stars!" In a flash of light, my sword was glowing and so were my eyes. I saw that Gilda had fear in her eyes.
Without any warning I rushed at Gilda and upward slashed her into the air. I shot upward, continuing to slash her. I then turned and kicked her upward. I raised my hand and a thin white beam shot out and wrapped around her leg. I pulled her downward, and myself up. Rising above her, I yelled, "Falling Star!" A ball, not much bigger then a baseball grew in my hand. I threw it at the falling griffon. It struck her and caused a explosion, slamming her into the ground. I fell then, faster and faster...and drove my sword into the fallen griffon. The force of the impact cause a mini shock wave. I pulled the sword from her and flipped off her as my friends galloped up to us. Suddenly, Stormtide disappeared and I fell over, my eyes not glowing anymore. Rainbow supported me up.
Gilda was still clinging on to life. "Star....light. Thank you. I guess I never realized what I was doing to everypony around me." She raised a claw to Rainbow. "Please, when you think about me, remember our good times." Rainbow nodded, clearly upset.
She then turned to me, with a little anger. "Prince, do me a favor and wipe that lame-o Nightmare from Equestria.
"She's the one that put you up to this, isn't she?" I asked.
She nodded. "Tell her...tell her that I won alright?" We all nodded. Rainbow held Gilda's claw.
"Finally," Gilda said. "Now for the ultimate race. Give me a decent head start this time Dash." Then she laid her head back, and died.
I laid my hand on her and said, "Dwell with the stars, Gilda." Above us, the sky turned blue again. |
The Legend of Starlight-Book 2: Love at Second Sight | Facing the Fact | Chapter 8-Facing the Fact
We held the funeral for Gilda 3 days later. Celestia and Luna were both there as well as everypony from Ponyville and Canterlot. It was quite a big deal because nopony had died recently, as Celestia told me. I was at the funeral, but I couldn't say anything. I didn't feel as if I had a right to. We buried Gilda under the stars.
I woke up about 3 days after the funeral, seeing that I was in my room in Canterlot. Slowly, I got up and dressed myself, brushed my teeth and other morning stuff. I picked up my crown, but hung it on the side of my pants instead on putting it on.
I wandered around the castle for a while, not having any clear goal. I came across Luna in the banquet hall. "You're finally awake, brother." she said.
"So I did pass out?" I asked.
Luna nodded. "Tia took care of you while I was helping the town. She barely left your side."
"Thanks, Lu-lu." I said, smirking. She narrowed her eyes and shot a small beam of magic at me. I dodged it and ran off, laughing. I didn't know that Luna was smiling behind me.
I walked along the ramparts and saw Celestia. As I approached her, she saw me and beckoned me closer, hugging me when I got to her. "I'm so glad you're awake."
"Thanks sis." I said. "Why did I pass out?"
"When I allowed you to use your true magic, it drained all of the energy from your body." she explained. "Your body was running on nothing but pure magic for the last 3 days."
I nodded but asked, "Let me use it?"
"Star." Tia said, softly. "You are very strong for an alicorn your age. It's possible you might be stronger then me and your sister. But if you use too much of it at once, you could possibly drain all of your power and kill yourself. I was able to limit your power when you used it so you didn't die. I couldn't keep up so that's why your body ran on magic."
"Will I ever be able to use all of my powers?" I asked.
My sister nodded. "You asked for my help, so that's why I could help you. I don't have natural control over you The reason you couldn't do it by yourself is because your body is still cursed." I looked away, thinking.
"Starlight." Celestia said, not looking me in the eyes. "I'm sorry we couldn't help you." I looked at her, a questioning look on my face. "We knew that you needed to learn how to fight without us."
"But I have!" I said. "Didn't I beat Nightmare twice?"
"She was letting you." Celestia said. "It's a favorite trick of her's. She was testing your strength so she could use that against you."
I looked away, starting to cry. "Why, what is wrong, Star?" Celestia asked.
"I-I didn't want to kill her." I said. "I didn't know what to do and I...." I lost it then, crying like a baby.
Celestia drew me closer to her and wrapped me in a sisterly hug. "I know, brother." We stayed like that until I stopped crying. "That fact that you can shed tears if prove enough that you have won."
I looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"Nightmare wanted to turn you into a killer." Celestia explained. "A killer without feeling. One who can slaughter thousands, and feel no regret afterward. I know, because she tried to do that to me."
I stayed silent. I knew that I would stop anyone that tried to bring harm to Equestria. But what lengths would I have to go to?
"Killing wouldn't be your first choice, right Star?" Tia asked. I nodded. "I want you to know that even though many ponies will be confused for a while, Luna and I are proud of you. And you have beaten Nightmare, she just doesn't know it yet."
Sitting up there with my big sister and hearing that she was proud of me, it made me feel a lot better. ...
I spent the next two days learning more about what Celestia and Luna did. Apparently Celestia raised the sun and Luna raised the moon. I was supposed to be the stars, but seeing as they were already up there I was at a loss with THAT. Luna told me just to work on becoming stronger with the Cutie Stamp for when Nightmare returned.
I was by the main door when I saw the guards stop somepony from entering. Walking up I saw that it was Derpy. "It's okay guys." I said to the guards. "She can come in." They let Derpy though, whereas she gave me a big hug.
"We've missed you, Starlight!" she said, clearly excited to see me. "Letter for ya!" She reached into her bag and pulled out a letter.
Taking it I said. "Thanks Derpy. Hold on a sec." I flew into the kitchen and returned. "Here, It's a bag of muffins. Don't eat them all in one day alright?"
"THANK YOU!", she yelled, then flew out of the castle.
I smiled and took the letter back to my room and opened it.
"Dear Prince Starlight,
We've missed you for a while and were wondering if you would like to come back to Ponyville and hang out with us. We are having a little party and just HAD to invite you. Come meet Pinkie at Sugercube Corner and she'll take you to the party. See you soon!
Twilight Sparkle"
I flew though the air, loving the feeling of the wind in my air. As I flew over Ponyville it seemed kind of.....deserted. I touched down in the square and walked around. "Hmm, what are they up to?" I said. Remembering what the letter had said, I walked over to Sugercube Corner. Going inside, I saw Pinkie asleep on the floor. What?
"Pinkie? Pinkie! Wake up!" I said, shaking her. She yawned and opened her eyes.
"Hey there, Prince." She yawned, not at all like herself. "About time you got here. Follow me." She slowly walked back to the square, I followed, worried.
We reached the square and I looked at the stage. "Did you guys ever fix this thing?" I turned around and suddenly there was an explosion of color.
"SURPRISE!!!!!" All of the ponies in Ponyville sprang out and yelled. Balloons were tied, confetti was flying everywhere. It was like the craziest party in the universe. And I was the center of it. My other five friends came up and I saw...two Pinkies?! "Wha...?"
The Pinkie standing by me turned into Twilight. "Phew, I practiced THAT spell for a while!" They all hugged me, and the party truly began. ...
The party lasted all day. I had so many treats, I think I lost my sweet tooth. Not to mention the all the games and general fun. I. was sitting at Sugercube Corner when dark fell. "Awesome party, Pinkie!"
She jumped up and down happily. "I know right?! This is my best party EVER!"
I hugged her and sat back down. "Party wore me out." I told the hyper pony. "Totally one of your best parties."
"Hope you aren't too tired to go for a little flight." I heard. Turning I saw my cyan colored marefriend.
"Course not." I hopped up and left the store. The two of us flew off into the sky. Looking down, I saw the town all lit up for the party. "I can't believe that this was all for me." I said
Rainbow nodded. "We convinced the princess to keep you in Canterlot so we could get it all done. I think it worked out well though."
I nodded, "It sure did." We finished our flight by landing on our cloud. Rainbow had pushed it over the town.
I laid down on the cloud and Rainbow landed. Still standing she watched the town for a while. "Starlight, I don't want you to think that I hated you for killing Gilda." She said. "You tried, we all tried to help her. She was just so corrupted by Nightmare that she let herself be used by her." She stopped talking for a minute. "I don't want to push you away from me Starlight."
"I didn't leave because I thought you were mad at me, Dash." I said, turning over. "I passed out because I tried to infuse my body with stars." Rainbow smiled at that.
She turned and looked at me. "I do love you, Starlight." She sat down and nestled into me. "Promise to remember that?"
I gave her a long kiss. "I could never forget that. I promise." We laid down and watched Pinkie's fireworks explode over the sky. It was a truly beautiful sight. "You do realize that we are going to explain to our friends about us?"
"Let's cross that bridge when when we come to it, kay?" She told me. I laughed and kissed her again, holding her and watching the stars. |
The Legend of Starlight-Book 2: Love at Second Sight | A Bright Hope, A Dark Plot | Chapter 9-A Bright Hope, A Dark Plot
Karen shut the book she was reading and sighed. "I know you're out there Star, and you better be safe." Her best friend had grown wings in the gym class and disappeared over a month ago. Because she had been closer to Starlight then anyone else, even his parents, she had been questioned repeatedly. Fortunately, after getting no answers because she didn't know anything, everyone had let up on her. A day didn't go by that she missed her friend.
Her brother, Tom was babysitting her, but he was upstairs on the phone. Karen wandered into the living room, not really sure what to do. Suddenly, she heard a knock at the door. "Good, I needed someone to talk to." she thought. She opened the door....and almost had a heart attack. Standing in front of her was none other then Princess Celestia.
"Hello, Karen I believe?" The white alicorn said. "Might I come in? I don't want anypony to see me." Karen nodded, speechless and quickly ushered her inside.
Celestia looked around the house. "This is a very nice place, young human. But I apologize because I do not have much time to talk."
Karen led Celestia into the living room. "You-you're the real Princess Celestia? This isn't a joke or anything like that?"
Celestia smiled and nodded. "I am the real Celestia." Karen walked over and the princess allowed her to touch her head and horn.
"Wow," Karen said, falling into a chair. "This is intense." She looked at Celestia for a minute, then suddenly stiffened. "Wait, that means Star really did go to Equestria! Is he okay?! Will I see him again?! How is he.....?"
Celestia held up a hoof, silencing the excited young girl. "I know you have many questions, but please only ask the ones you know are important. I do not have long."
Karen asked, "How did you get here and find me?"
Celestia sat down. "When Starlight landed on Equestria, he lost almost all of his memories from this planet. However, any strong memories he had were preserved."
"Strong memories?" Karen asked.
"Anything he refused to let go." Celestia explained. "His strongest memory was of you, so I read his mind and learned your name and where you lived."
Karen thought, "Does he truly remember me?"
"No, but he will." Celestia explained. "That's why I'm here. You will have a crucial part in helping Starlight against his fight against Nightmare soon. I needed to know if you would help him. I must tell you that it probably will put you in danger."
"How did you even get to Earth?" Karen asked.
"Starlight." Celestia said. "He's sleeping now, but I am able to reproduce what his true magic can do. Starlight has the unique ability to cross over the dimensional barrier."
"That would explain why you are ponies and we are humans." Karen said. "A parallel dimension."
Celestia nodded, "Yes. Luna and I decided to copy that and turn it into a spell so I could talk with you. Unfortunately, we are on a timer because I normally cannot come here. I teleported here and Luna is maintaining a spell that will keep me here."
"What did you need me to do?" Karen said. "How can I help Starlight?"
Celestia created two books out of thin air. "Karen, these are Starlight's journals. They are created by magic, pure magic. They document the details of my brother's life ever since he knew who he was again."
Karen reached for the books, but Celestia moved them from her. "I'm asking you to be the Keeper of his journals. If you accept and take these, Starlight's journals will magically appear to you whenever the magic starts to create them. But I warn you now, you will be a part of Equestria, if not literally. You cannot show any human these journals or explain about Starlight. And when the time comes, you will help Starlight. Please think carefully about this as this is a decision that you cannot turn back from.
Karen looked at the books. She knew all she needed to do was to shake her head and that Celestia would leave. She wouldn't be a part of this battle and she would just live her normal life. But as she looked at the books, she knew what she wanted to be a part of what her friend went though. Then she made a decision that would forever change her life.
She reached out and took the books from the princess.
Suddenly, she dropped them as her right hand started to burn. As it stopped, she was amazed to see that she had a image of a heart on her head. One half was red and the other half was blue. There also was an hourglass in the middle of the heart.
"Thank you, Karen." Celestia said, gratefully. She stood up.
"So I just....wait now?" she said, in shock of her very own cutie mark.
"You will receive Starlight's next journal very soon I believe." Celestia said. "For now, read his first two and learn."
Hearing her brother start to come downstairs, Karen jumped up and escorted the princess to the front door. "One more thing, Karen." Celestia said. "When you see my brother again, make sure he stamps you." She walked onto the front lawn and spread her wings. Rising into the air, she suddenly disappeared in a flash of light.
Karen walked inside and shut the door. "Looks like I have some reading to do." she said, rubbing her hand. She sat down and picked up the first book. "It's not easy being a teenager in this world....." ...
Nightmare Moon flew though the halls of the dark castle, coming up to the room where her father was. Walking in she said, "I am here."
"Nightmare." A dark voice said. "It appears your plan was a success."
"But, how?!" Nightmare gasped. "The prince killed the griffon."
"I know that." The voice said. "I wanted to prove that the prince would kill to achieve his goals of "protecting" Ponyville. There is still hope that I can get him to kill without feeling or regret."
Nightmare was silent. "You have a thought? Speak it." the voice said.
"What if we attack the ponies he's closest too?" Nightmare said. "Make him think that we don't really need him."
"That would work at another time." The voice said, "We will attack the rainbow colored one."
"But, why specificity her?" Nightmare asked.
"The prince has make a grave mistake. He has given his heart to the rainbow pony. Now all we need to do it destroy it."
Nightmare asked," What do you mean?"
The dark voice was silent for just a moment. "The heart is the most fragile part of anypony. By so callously admitting to her that he loves her, he gave himself a weakness." The voice was quiet for just a moment. "She doesn't know it, but soon she'll learn that it was smarter for her to keep her feelings bottled in."
The voice grew stronger. "Leave me now, Nightmare. Dream of a way to use the rainbow pony against him."
Nightmare left the room. "I will do that but first, lets make sure the prince stays "distracted" for a while." she said to herself. She walked to an open window and flew out. |
The Legend of Starlight-Book 2: Love at Second Sight | And Now, A Word from our Author | Hey, twow443 here. If you read though my whole story I just wanna extend a giant THANK YOU. If you liked anypart, please leave a like(or a dislike, I ain't judging.) And if you have any spare time, PLEASE leave a comment. It helps me know what I'm doing wrong or right! This is not a one-pony story,my pegasister is writing it with me. I write and she edits it, she isn't on this site though. I really do appreciate any type of criticism. I'm not going to drag this on anymore, next books on it's way very soon. Also, if you have any ideas for Starlight's next adventure or a pony that he should Cutie Stamp, PM me and I might use it in my next book!
Peace.
Brohoof /)
Twow443 |
The Legend of Starlight-Book 2: Love at Second Sight | The True Epilogue | Chapter 10-The True Epilogue
Celestia walked into her bedroom, tired from the day. She removed her crown and walked over to her mirror and looked at herself. She sighed and tapped on the mirror 4 times. The mirror shimmered and Celestia walked though the mirror.
She went down a dark hallway and into a large room. There was a giant mirror in front of her. It also shimmered and a silhouette appeared. "Hello there, Celestia. Tired from your long day?"
"Shut up." She said wearily. "You know why I'm here. You sent the griffon here didn't you?"
"Maybe." the voice said. "I just wanted to see how he would hold up in a real fight. You don't think Nightmare was actually trying when she fought him, do you?"
Celestia shook her head, "Just....leave him alone for a while. He's still trying to adjust."
"No!" The voice boomed, making the princess flinch. "I've waited for over a thousand years when you sent him to that planet. You're weaker now then you were then. Raising the sun, moon AND keeping the stars lit is a hard task for one alicorn. Don't think that I won't come and reclaim my debt you owe."
"And just what makes you think you can take it?" Celestia asked, hardning her voice. "My siblings and I would stop you."
The voice laughed. "Oh sure. One tired alicorn, one alicorn that still struggles with her past, and one alicorn that has a cursed body and too much power to even know what to do with."
"I just need to remove the curse and then..." Celestia started.
"Then what? You know that alicorns aren't immortal. Why have Starlight believe that?"
"I...." Celestia stopped.
"You don't even know." The voice said. "Or maybe you do, and you're too ashamed to admit it. One more thing, princess. What will the prince do when you pass on from this world?"
Celestia looked up, looking worn out again. "He's stronger then me and Luna. She can help him learn how to raise the sun until I find a predecessor."
The voice chuckled. "It's truly pathetic, how I have more control of you then you do yourself. I'll call you again when I want to talk, but remember this. I will collect my debt from you, and it will be soon." The silhouette disappeared.
Celestia turned and walked back to her bedroom, ending the spell on the mirror. She walked onto her balcony overlooking Canterlot. "I'm so sorry, Starlight...." |
The Dagger 2: Innocence Lost | pre | Also, the benefits of having sex are well documented. Ponies that are sexually active are calmer, are sharper thinkers, more creative, and are even healthier. Why SHOULDN'T ponies be able to get that?
Wow... I guess that does make sense. When you explain it like that, you're giving ponies something wonderful.
Also, this has done wonders for my self esteem. I'm more confident, I feel sexier, and I've been able to speak up more and be myself. Becoming "Madam Butterfly" has been the best thing that could have happened to me.
So if that's true, where does Silver Streak come into play?
He started out as one of my clients. He was new, and asked for the full package. Normally I research new clients' backgrounds ahead of time before I take on a new job, but for some reason I skipped that this time. He was already well known in the media for his flight team, so I stupidly figured... I'd just take a chance. And... I paid for it...
She already got a bad vibe from this. Normally she liked to meet in higher class places, but Silver Streak had given her the address of what was more of a rundown motel. Why was the leader of a flight team meeting her here?
Maybe she should have asked Discord to look into this stallion for her. Oooh, it was too late now though. She was here, and her client was expecting her to show. Wearing her sexy red dress, matching high heels, long red trench coat and large hat, Fluttershy walked over to the room that was said to be his and knocked on the door. A second later, the white coat and gray maned Silver Streak opened the door.
"Whoa! This is a surprise," Silver Streak said with a smirk, "I wasn't expecting Kindness on the Council of Friendship to be Madam Butterfly. I mean, Generosity maybe, but this is a surprise."
She wasn't sure how she felt, hearing him talk about one of her closest friends and calling her essentially a slut. Still, she shrugged it off.
"You payed for the full package," Fluttershy said, "That means you want this to be an actual date with sex at the end, right?"
"Well..." Silver Streak looked to the side smirking, "Why don't you come in and make yourself comfortable?"
"Um... I don't know," Fluttershy felt really uncomfortable with this for some reason.
"Is something wrong?" Silver Streak asked caressing her cheek, "I payed for the full package, so that means I get the date of my choice, right?"
"I-I mean, I guess it could be interpreted that way," Fluttershy said looking to the side. Actually the description of the full package was "client gets to go on a date with me at a location of their preference, followed by sex at the end". Still, if he wanted to spend time in his room for a bit, that was okay.
Silver Streak guided Fluttershy into the simple room and closed the door. When she heard the door lock behind her, her heart leaped out of her chest. He then walked behind her and took off her coat and hat.
"You smell very, Fluttershy," he whispered into her ear, "That's your name, right?
"I mean, it is," Fluttershy said, "But I prefer to be called Madam Butterfly when on-" she gasped as Silver Streak grasped her breasts tightly.
"Mmmm, you have such lovely breasts, Fluttershy," Silver Streak said groping her.
"U-um... this is typically the last thing we-"
"Are you saying no to me?" Silver Streak asked with a dangerous edge, "I paid in full already, didn't I Fluttershy?"
She really wished he'd stop using her real name like that. Even Blueblood knew to call her by her work name when they were together, and they were practically friends now. But, he was right. He did pay already.
"Um... I-I mean... y-yes, but..."
"See, I have very specific sexual desires," Silver Streak whispered as he continued to grope Fluttershy's left breast, "I was hoping that tonight, you'd help me with that. That's what you do, right? You help ponies with their sexual needs?"
Again with the misinterpretations. She helped ponies by offering to give them an "experience". But... that could have been interpreted as how he said it, so...
"Um... that is my job, I guess, it's just-"
"Perfect," he threw her onto the bed, and then reached to the side drawer. He then pulled out a pair of handcuffs, and used them to bind Fluttershy to the head board of the bed. This was beginning to make her super uncomfortable! She wasn't opposed to rougher play or fetishes, but she preferred to know ahead of time.
"I'm not sure how I feel about this!" Fluttershy cried pulling at the handcuffs binding her, "Um, could you please-" he smacked her on the flank hard cutting her off.
"Don't. Speak," he commanded, "Right now, you're mine to do with as I please," he then silenced her with a red ball gag, "And I plan on enjoying this to the fullest."
Fluttershy closed her eyes and started crying. He called her so he could rape her! What resulted was the roughest, most degrading sexual experience she had on the job. He kept her handcuffed to the bed the whole time, only adjusting her bindings, but never once letting her go. He also took her multiple times, and much to her dismay she actually did cum at least two of those times. All the while, she kept crying, pulling at her bindings and trying to beg him to release her.
But he ignored her the whole time.
It wasn't empowering. It was degrading. He kept calling me a slut, and made an absolute mess of me. When he was done, he threw me out of his room and forced me to fly home, dress, mane, and tail in disarray, and covered in his cum. I felt so filthy and used.
Oh... my God...
That wasn't even the only time he came for me either. After the first night, he came to my cottage a few days later and...
"W-why are you here...?" Fluttershy asked backing away from the door of her house. It was daytime, and she was in her normal attire, yet here was Silver Streak, walking into her cottage like he belonged there.
"I just thought I'd come to see where you lived," he said looking around, "For a slut, you have a really nice cottage."
"You need to leave!" Fluttershy commanded, "Right now!"
"See, I'm not sure I want to," Silver Streak said closing the door and locking it, "I was thinking that maybe we could have an encore of the other night."
"No!" Fluttershy commanded, "First off, in the daytime, I'm not Madam Butterfly, and second off, you can't just come in here unannounced like this!" she backed up against a wall as Silver Streak walked closer to her, "N-now, I'm going to tell you one more time to-" he back handed her in the face.
"Shut up," he said sternly, "Now I came here for you, and I expected you to show a little more gratitude."
"How... dare you!" Fluttershy cried shoving him away from her, "That's it! I'm calling the guard on-" Silver Streak grabbed her by the wrist, turned her around, and roughly held her to the wall. He then proceeded to unbutton her jeans and stuck his fingers right inside of her.
"You're gonna pay for shoving me, bitch," Silver Streak seethed, "It's time I showed you your place!"
Then came the second assault, this time in broad daylight in her own home. He only took her once, but he made sure that it was rough, raw, and leave her a mess just like last time. Afterward, he left her on the floor, and threw a few bits down next to her.
"Thanks for the fuck," Silver Streak said with a sneer, "We'll have to do this again."
With that he left her house. Now alone, she laid on the ground and cried harder than she'd cried in years. After an unknown period of time, her door swung open again, and somepony ran to her side.
"Oh my God! Fluttershy!" Twilight cried scooping her up, "What happened?! Who did this to you?!"
She could barely speak. All she could do was sob in Twilight's arms.
Eventually, I did tell Twilight what happened. She was horrified, and immediately had him arrested.
But... he's still harassing you. That means...
I think you know where this is going...
Fluttershy felt so small right now, sitting next to the judge being questioned by Silver Streak's lawyer. While her friends were all there to support her, including Blueblood, they could only do that. None of them were witnesses to the main assault, and they were too biased. Even Applejack was deemed as such.
Therefore, none of them could help Fluttershy with this part.
"Tell the court what your occupation is, Miss Fluttershy," the Lawyer said pacing back and forth.
"I... work as an animal caretaker..." Fluttershy said softly.
"Mmm, but what is your second job?" the Defense Lawyer asked.
"Objection!" Fluttershy's Lawyer, the prosecutor shouted, "Your Honor, relevance to the rape?"
"Sustained," the judge said, "Are you going somewhere with this?"
"Yes, Your Honor," the Defense Lawyer said, "Allow me to rephrase the question," he leaned in close to Fluttershy, "It is true that you're a prostitute, and that you were hired by my client?"
She closed her eyes tightly shedding tears, "Y-yes..."
"Tell me, what did my client pay for?"
"He... paid for the... the full package..." Fluttershy felt her heart drop. She could almost feel the judgment coming from the jury.
"And... what does this full package entail?"
"It... allows my clients to... get the full experience..." Fluttershy explained, "I take them on a date... of their choosing, and-"
"A date of their choosing," he repeated cutting her off, "So it's safe to say that you willingly give control to the client?"
"Y-yes, but that doesn't give him the right to-"
"You consented to allowing my client to have sex with you in the manner of his choosing, did you not?"
"I-I mean, yes, for THAT night," Fluttershy pressed, "But then he came to my house and-"
"My client told me that he paid you for your services," the Lawyer said with a confident smirk, "Was this a lie? Or did he not leave money right before he left."
"H-he did, but-"
"No further questions, Your Honor," the Defense Lawyer said sitting down next to Silver Streak, who kept smirking the whole time at her. Fluttershy rushed over to her Lawyer and cried in his arms. The only thing that could be done was wait for the jury to come to a decision.
With how fast said decision was reached though, Fluttershy already knew the outcome.
"Has the jury reached a verdict?" the judge asked.
"We have, Your Honor," the head juror said standing up, "We the jury, find the defendant... not guilty."
"WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"The hell he ain't guilty!" Applejack seethed.
"Your Honor, you can't be serious!" Rarity cried.
"Order! Order!" the judge slammed the gavel on his desk, "The jury has spoken. Court is dismissed!"
With that, the court emptied out. Fluttershy couldn't stop crying. Even when her friends gathered around her, she was inconsolable. She looked back at Silver Streak, who shook hands with his lawyer, and then smirked at Fluttershy. Now she was trapped.
After that, he began calling me more often, to the point where he'd monopolize my time with other clients. Every session with him is torture, but I can't fight him. If I resist, he'll go after my animals, or even ME.
So... you just go to him whenever he calls?
I'm not strong like my friends are. Besides, I've exhausted all of my other options. The only reason I don't just kill myself is because the Council of Friendship needs me.
"What about Discord?" Sweetie Belle asked sitting next to Fluttershy on a nearby stone.
"He wanted to torture Silver Streak for her actions," Fluttershy admitted looking down, "But he made a pact with the Princesses that he'd never use his magic on another living pony again."
That made sense. It would be too easy for him, and there was always the risk that he'd return to his old ways. Still, she could only imagine how Discord felt, knowing that his best friend was in turmoil and not being able to do anything but watch.
"This is my only option," Fluttershy sobbed, "Either the Dark Brotherhood kills him, or..."
"Fine," Sweetie Belle said, "I'll do it."
Fluttershy stopped and turned to Sweetie Belle in shock, "Are you... sure...?"
"There's no other solution, right?" Sweetie Belle turned to Fluttershy, "You summoned the Dark Brotherhood, and well, I don't think they'll mind if I just take this job personally," especially if she used her free kill for it.
"Sweetie Belle... does Rarity know that you're-"
"No, she doesn't," Sweetie Belle said sternly, looking Fluttershy dead in the eyes. After a moment, Fluttershy nodded.
"Then, I won't tell her," Fluttershy said, "After you've... done it, please come back to me."
"I will," Sweetie Belle said with a nod, "The Dark Brotherhood accepts your request."
"Thank you," Fluttershy said smiling a bit in relief, "Thank you so much."
Sweetie Belle simply turned and walked out of the Everfree Forest, back to her home. Tomorrow was a school day, and apparently Silver Streak was supposed to be speaking at her school. She read him then.
As she returned home, she let her mind wander to the request she heard, and how she felt. The scary thing was, she didn't feel the least bit guilty for wanting to kill him. After all, he hurt someone close to her.
I hate you, Silver Streak.
I'm going to make sure you're death is slow, and painful. |
The Dagger 2: Innocence Lost | Chapter 5 | Chapter 5
Sweetie Belle took the rest of her weekend to get herself mentally prepared for what she was going to do. She couldn't believe it. She was actually planning on killing a pony! This wasn't like Rumble. That was self defense ultimately. That and a bit of an accident. This was her choosing to actually take a pony's life herself.
Could she actually do this?
The night before she went back to school for the week, she sat in her bed nursing her dagger. Silver Streak was a horrible pony based off what Fluttershy had told her, but did he truly deserve to die?
"Sweetie Belle?" Rarity asked knocking on the door, "You're light's still on, are you up?"
"Y-yeah," Sweetie Belle said putting the dagger away, "I'm up. Come in."
Rarity opened the door and stepped in looking worried, "Sweetie Belle, it's awfully late. Shouldn't you be in bed?"
"I couldn't sleep," Sweetie Belle sighed looking away, "I've been... thinking about a lot lately."
"Is there anything you'd like to talk about?" Rarity asked sitting on the bed next to Sweetie Belle.
"N-not really," Sweetie Belle hugged her legs close to her chest, "I just... need to work some things out in my head."
"Sweetie Belle, I can assure that there's nothing you could say that I wouldn't understand," Rarity said placing a hand on her sister's shoulder, "Talking to another pony might help put things into perspective."
Oh if only that were true, Sweetie Belle thought. Still, she did wonder what Rarity would do in this situation.
"Rarity, let's say that someone you cared about was in danger," Sweetie Belle started, "Like, someone was hurting them, and... there was no way for this pony to get out if it. What would you do?"
"Well, if it's a legal issue, I'd have this pony arrested," Rarity answered.
"What if that didn't work though?" Sweetie Belle pressed, "Like, the system failed, and now this friend was constantly being harassed. What would you do then?"
Rarity took a deep breath, "That's... a hard one honestly. I mean, the natural response to that would be to want to take matters into your own hands, but..."
"But...?"
"There are laws against that. That's the hard reality, isn't it? Truth is... we want to help everypony, but we can't save everyone," Rarity looked somber, "There are a number of moments in my life where I wish I could have taken action myself, but the law prevents that. Our system isn't perfect, but... there isn't much we can do about it."
"But... hypothetically, if you could do something, and you knew without a doubt that you wouldn't get caught, you'd do it?"
"Hypothetically? I suppose I would take action then," Rarity confirmed.
"Y-you would?" Sweetie Belle asked a bit shocked.
"Tell me, this friend, if nothing is done, what will happen?" Rarity asked, now intrigued apparently.
"I don't know. That's the scary part, Rarity. This pony is at the end of their rope. The system failed them, and now somepony is harassing them, and... there's nothing they can do."
Rarity took a deep breath, "I see. Interesting."
"How so?"
"Well, what you're describing, it reminds me of something that... a friend of mine is going through right now."
Did she mean... "Um... who is it? If you don't mind telling me."
Rarity looked to the side unsure, but then relented, "It's... Fluttershy. I shouldn't put her business out there, but... recently I heard from Rainbow Dash that a pony has been harassing her. Someone that we know very well. He was arrested, but because of a technicality, he walked."
She was talking about Silver Streak, "How does it feel? Knowing that he's still hurting Fluttershy?"
"I hate it," Rarity said immediately, "Honestly, I wish he'd just... go away."
That resonated with Sweetie Belle. That phrase. Go away.
"If you could make him go away right now, and you knew that you wouldn't get caught, would you do it?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"In a heartbeat," Rarity stated venomously, "The only thing stopping me from doing it right now is, well, you know."
"Yeah, I know," Sweetie Belle said, secretly holding the dagger under her covers, "Hey, I'm going to try and get some sleep."
"Did I help you, darling?" Rarity asked. Sweetie Belle nodded with a slight smile.
"Yeah, more than you realize."
Rarity smiled and kissed Sweetie Belle's forehead, right above her horn, "Good night Sis. I love you."
"Night Sis. I love you too," Sweetie Belle said, lying down on her bed and pretending to drift off. Rarity stepped out of the room, and turned off the light before closing the door. Once she was sure she was alone, Sweetie Belle pulled out the dagger, this time gripping it.
"It's decided then," Sweetie Belle said darkly, "I'll make Silver Streak disappear, forever."
The following that at school, Silver Streak was apparently scheduled to give a presentation at her school. It was perfect, because it gave her a chance to scope out the target. She read the book that Bloody Harvest gave her and learned that the Dark Brotherhood had a process that they followed.
Step 1: Learn about the target's motives. This is to confirm that the target truly needs to be murdered.
Sweetie Belle wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying. Mostly she was looking at his mannerisms. He was apparently talking about his flight team, the Silver Streaks. He was so arrogant that he even named his team after himself.
"Gods, can you believe this asshole?"
Sweetie Belle turned to her left and saw Diamond Tiara sitting back at her desk with a smug smile.
"Um, what?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"This guy's a real piece of work," Diamond Tiara said, "It's almost like he actually believes his own bullshit."
"Look around," Silver Streak said to the students, "Each and every one of you kids can become great. All you have to do is be willing to take what you want, by any means necessary. Let nothing stop you, and just like me, you can become the ruler of your world."
All of the students applauded, and were eating up his words. Sweetie Belle couldn't believe it. She looked around, seeing even Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looking inspired. Next to her, Diamond Tiara shook her head and rolled her eyes, and in the back, Silver Spoon sat back in her seat hiding her face behind a book.
At least some of them aren't falling for it.
She looked up at Silver Streak, taking note of his mannerisms again. The way he sat up straighter, the smirk on his face, and the way his wings flared out. He felt empowered. He was almost driven by the applause.
Is that all he cares about?
"That was truly inspiring," Cheerilee said clapping her hands as well, "Now, are there any questions from the students."
"Yes," Sweetie Belle raised her hand, "I have a question."
Silver Streak's eyes went to her, and twinkled in an odd manner. He licked his lips in a very subtle way, making Sweetie Belle cringe internally.
Oh my Gods, he is NOT checking me out! I'm like, thirteen!
"Go ahead, Sweetie Belle," Cheerilee said, a little nervous, "What's your question?"
"You said that in order to become the rulers of our worlds, we have to have the courage to take what we want, by any means necessary, right?" Sweetie Belle asked, crossing her legs under her desk, hating how she could see his eyes lower to her view them.
"Yeah, that's right Sweetie," Silver Streak said.
"It's Sweetie Belle," she shot back at him, "I was just wondering what you'd do if the thing that you wanted, didn't want you."
Silver Streak frowned a bit confused, "I'm, not sure I understand."
"Like, if what you were striving to get, was out of your reach?" Sweetie Belle sat back and folded her arms, "Or was just, not yours to have? What would you do then?"
"Nothing is out of my reach," Silver Streak said arrogantly, "If I want it, I'll take it."
"And if the thing that you want resists, what then?" Sweetie Belle asked darkly, narrowing her eyes.
"If that's the case," he walked over to Sweetie Belle, placing his hands on her desk and looking her in the eyes, "Then all you have to do is persuade it. Even then, if it figuratively says "no", all you have to do is say yes right to its face."
Oh yeah, she could tell. He was exactly what Fluttershy said he was, and he wasn't even sorry.
Cheerilee laughed awkwardly, "Okay, that's enough. Um, why don't we all go out for recess? Silver Streak, could you stick around for a bit."
"Sure thing, Miss Cheerilee," Silver Streak said, putting on a fake smile, "Whatever you say."
Sweetie Belle noticed that his eyes went right to her breasts when he turned to Cheerilee. She was incredulous.
Oh you have GOT to be kidding me! He's already raping Fluttershy, and he's checking out my teacher?!
As the students all rose up to head out, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo walked over to Sweetie Belle.
"So, what was that about?" Apple Bloom asked her gothic friend, "You sounded like you were attackin' him or somethin."
"You couldn't tell?" Sweetie Belle asked, taken aback, "He doesn't believe any of this shit! All he's trying to do is look good for Miss Cheerilee!"
"I was inspired though," Scootaloo said rubbing her arm, "I mean, the whole class was."
"It's not hard to say a bunch of inspiring words that make ponies think they can do anything," Sweetie Belle said harshly, "Ponies do it all the time, and make money off of it. Besides, I know you noticed how he was checking me out."
"Sweetie Belle, I mean," Apple Bloom looked away grimacing, "Ah don't know. That's kind of a stretch."
"He was looking at my legs!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, "I even saw him licking his lips!"
"Well, if he was... it might be because you're still dressed so... you know," Scootaloo winced.
"That's not the point!" Sweetie Belle said, "He's an adult, I'm a kid! It's creepy as fuck!"
"Whoa, whoa, language!" Scootaloo scolded lightly, "Okay, I mean, if he was, that is creepy, but it doesn't mean he's going to do anything."
She couldn't believe it. They literally only saw what they wanted to see. Were they that determined to see him as a good pony?
"Sweetie Belle, could I talk to you for a bit?" Cheerilee requested. Sweetie Belle groaned.
"Great, now I get to be scolded by her," Sweetie Belle sighed. She rolled her eyes and pushed past her friends without a word. They both shrugged and went out of the classroom outside.
"Sweetie Belle, those questions seemed like a personal attack on Silver Streak. Is everything okay?" Cheerilee asked.
"Nothing is wrong, Miss Cheerilee," Sweetie Belle muttered rubbing her arm, "Can I just go outside?"
Cheerilee sighed placing a hand on Sweetie Belle's shoulders, "I'm just worried about you, Sweetie Belle. Lately it seems like you're always angry about something, and then this. You made Silver Streak uncomfortable."
Sweetie Belle wanted to say that he made her uncomfortable, but refrained. Instead, she tried a different approach.
"What about Fluttershy?" Sweetie Belle asked Cheerilee almost accusingly, "You know that he's a rapist, right?"
Cheerilee gasped and pulled Sweetie Belle to the corner of the classroom, "Sweetie Belle, what have you heard about that?!"
"I heard that he raped Fluttershy and then got arrested!" Sweetie Belle shot, "The only reason he's not in jail right now is because he walked! Why is he even here?!"
"I don't know how you found this out," Cheerilee said looking around a bit, "But he was proven innocent."
"No, he was judged innocent. Does that make Fluttershy a liar?" Sweetie Belle asked. Cheerilee bit her lip looking away from Sweetie Belle.
"I don't want to say yes, but... there are things about her that I'd rather not tell a child."
Sweetie Belle was aghast. Cheerilee honestly was judging Fluttershy because she was a prostitute. Suddenly, she wasn't sure how she felt about her teacher.
"I'm going outside," Sweetie Belle turned and walked to the door.
"Sweetie Belle-" she slammed the door shut, refusing to even look at her teacher, who had lost a lot of respect from Sweetie Belle. She walked down the hall to the exit of the school, seeing Silver Streak waiting for her by the door.
"So, are we okay, Sweetie?" Silver Streak asked with that same smug smile. Sweetie Belle took a deep breath.
"Belle. Sweetie Belle," she said through gritted teeth, "And no, we're not okay. I know what you did."
"What are you talking about?" Silver Streak asked walking over to Sweetie Belle, "Did I do something to offend you?"
"I don't know. Gone to visit Fluttershy lately," Sweetie Belle asked venomously. The way Silver Streak's eyes widened briefly said everything. That was step two.
Step 2: Confront the target. Let them know that their crimes won't go unpunished. Do not mention the brotherhood yet.
"I'd be very careful, if I were you," Silver Streak narrowed his eyes, "You don't want to start accusing ponies of things they didn't do."
"I'm not," Sweetie Belle said narrowing her eyes as well, "I'm just letting you know that there are ponies out there who know the truth, and they're not pleased with you."
"Oooh, I'm so scared," Silver Streak taunted waving his arms, "Did she put you up to this?"
"No, she didn't," Sweetie Belle lied, "But she's a very good friend of mine, and she's afraid of you. Now, I'm going to give you one chance to make this right. One, and that's it. Will you leave Fluttershy alone?"
Silver Streak laughed loudly, "Listen to you! You're trying to sound intimidating! Look, Sweetie, you seem like a good kid, and I like your spirit," he backed her up against a wall and leaned in close to her, "But if I were you, I'd stay out of the affairs of adults. What goes on between me and that whore of a pegasus, is our business. Now, I'll let this go, if you apologize to me."
Sweetie Belle's heart was racing, but she knew that this wasn't going to work. He wasn't the type to retaliate, nor would he be afraid of a warning. So she nodded.
"You're right Mr. Streak. I should stay out of adult affairs. I'm sorry if I upset you."
Silver Streak smirked, "It's fine. I accept your apology."
With that, he moved out of the way, and Sweetie Belle pushed outside. Her hatred for Silver Streak was growing. He wasn't just a criminal. He was a monster. He was even worse than Rumble. Him, she killed by accident, and she at the time regretted it.
Silver Streak, she'd enjoy killing.
"Wait, was she serious?" Diamond Tiara asked, hiding behind a corner listening to that exchange, "Oh Hermes, it's just like that book I read. Could she actually be with THEM?" she looked down in deep thought, "I better keep an eye on this, just in case."
School ended without incident. Thankfully Silver Streak stayed at the school for the rest of the day. She didn't want him to mess around and go after Fluttershy. She was following the guidelines of the book, but she knew there was a risk of him hurting Fluttershy. Especially since she still had school. Once it ended though, Sweetie Belle ran away from the school building before anyone had the chance to get her attention.
She stayed close to Silver Streak, noticing that he seemed to be real busy through town. At one point, he did track down Fluttershy, actually watching her while she was talking to Twilight about something.
The way he narrowed his eyes at her had Sweetie Belle worried, but as she was with a friend, she was safe. Still, she knew that she had to see this through now, or else Silver Streak was going to get revenge on Fluttershy.
She shadowed him for the rest of the day, keeping a distance and observing him as he moved around through the day. She wanted to make sure she got him when he was alone.
Step 3: Watch the target, and capture them when they're alone if possible. If not possible, ensure that you have an escape route.
She followed Silver Streak all the way toward where his hotel was apparently. It was close to an entrance to the Everfree forest, so that was good. He stood outside of the hotel and lit up a cigarette, which gave Sweetie Belle the opening that she needed.
It's all or nothing now. Time to make this world just a bit cleaner.
Silver Streak finished his cigarette and flicked it away. He debated on whether or not to call Fluttershy. He didn't think that she had anything to do with that weird kid in the gothic dress, but still. She knew about what happened, and she could end up getting others involved.
So maybe he should head over to her place and shut her up good.
Right when he resolved to head over though, he saw someone walking over to him. They stepped out of the shadows, revealing that filly. She slowly sauntered over to him, her eyes downcast, and her horn glowing a light green.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked, "Shouldn't you be home doing your homework?"
"I am," Sweetie Belle looked up at Silver Streak, giving him a hateful glare, "And you're my assignment."
She shot a bright green light out of her horn, and a second later his whole world went dark.
Silver Streak stirred awake, realizing that he couldn't move. There was a tree behind him, and he was tightly bound to it, sitting in front of the tree with his legs spread out. Even his wings were spread out and tied to the tree. He seemed to be in the Everfree Forest.
"Finally. I thought that you'd never wake up."
Sweetie Belle was sitting on a nearby boulder, her math book open, and using her horn as a light, as it was nighttime now.
"I was able to finish all of my homework from school," Sweetie Belle said, closing her book and walking over to Silver Streak, "You're a real heavy sleeper, you know that?"
Silver Streak shook his head laughing, "Oh this is rich. This is some kind of prank, isn't it?"
"No prank," Sweetie Belle knelt down in front of him, "I warned you, didn't I? That there were ponies who weren't pleased with what you were doing with Fluttershy?"
"She did put you up to this, didn't she?" Silver Streak seethed, struggling against the ropes.
"She called for help, and I just so happened to be the one who answered," she lifted up the side of her black skirt, pulling out her dagger and holding it as his neck, "I'm here to take your life in the name of the Night Mother."
Silver Streak's eyes widened, and he looked down at the dagger. For a second he seemed to be trying to rationalize what was happening, but then he laughed, "You're here to kill me?! Come on, Sweetie, you're not really going to-" he screamed as she stabbed him in the shoulder.
"How many times do I have to say it?!" Sweetie Belle shouted, "My name is Sweetie Belle! I'm not your "Sweetie" or anything like it!"
"You're... insane!" Silver Streak said wincing in pain, "You're going to be in a lot of trouble for this, you know that?!"
"I'm going to be in a lot of trouble? I'm not the one who gets pleasure in raping innocent mares! I'm not the one who harassed Fluttershy to the point where she's all but completely broken! She's the nicest pony I've ever met, and you treat her like she's nothing but a cheap slut!"
"That's because she is a slut!" Silver Streak seethed. Sweetie Belle narrowed her eyes at Silver Streak.
"What?" Sweetie Belle asked, her voice low and even.
"I did research on that bitch before I called her," Silver Streak said with a sneer, "Not only is she a prostitute, but get this. She enjoys it. A filthy slut inside and out. I figured that I'd do her a favor and make her feel like a real slut."
Sweetie Belle looked away nodding, "So, you literally did this, just to hurt her."
"That bitch thinks she's doing the world a "service", that she's "helping" ponies. All she's doing is feeding her own addiction. So now she gets to feed my addiction. I get a helpless bitch to fuck anytime I want, and she gets the fucking that she needs and deserves."
Sweetie Belle took that in, "Thank you, Silver Streak."
He raised an eyebrow, "What are you thanking me for?"
"For telling me that. I'll admit, I was having second thoughts about this, like, could I actually do this. But... now that I heard you, I realized something," she turned to Silver Streak with a look of realization, "I actually do want to kill you."
The color faded from Silver Streak's face, "Wait, were you serious about killing me?"
"But, I don't want to it quickly," Sweetie Belle took her dagger and ran is along his cheek, "No, I want you to suffer a bit. I want this death to be as painful as possible."
Silver Streak winced in pain as the dagger ran down his cheek. He couldn't speak at all, and just looked at Sweetie Belle in horror as the reality hit him. He wasn't leaving this forest alive.
"Now, what can I do that's really going to hurt?" Sweetie Belle said thoughtfully, "Oh, I know. That's perfect."
"W-what's perfect?" Silver Streak asked trembling. Sweetie Belle went to his pants and lowered them, revealing his dick. His eyes went wide as he saw the dagger run along it.
"I was thinking a bit of poetic justice," Sweetie Belle said examining the member before her, "You like tying up mares and taking their power away, right? Well, now you're tied up, and I'm going to take your power away."
"No... No please!" he begged as his cock was held in Sweetie Belle's magic aura, "Don't do this! Stop! STOP!!!"
SLICE
He screamed loudly as the gothic preteen sliced his dick clean off with her black dagger. Sweetie Belle stood over him and looked down in hatred as the grown stallion cried his eyes out in pain.
"Do you like this feeling?" Sweetie Belle asked scowling at the stallion, "This is exactly how Fluttershy feels right now. This is what you do to her!"
"I-I'm sorry!" Silver Streak sobbed looking up at Sweetie Belle, "Please, have mercy!"
"It's too late for mercy!" she stabbed her dagger in his left wing, pinning it to the tree and making him scream again. She stormed over to her backpack and pulled out her Dark Brotherhood book and showed it to Silver Streak, "Tell me, do you know what this is?"
Silver Streak looked at the book's title and read it, "The Dark Brotherhood? B-but they're just a..." he looked up at Sweetie Belle, a horrified look on his face, "Oh Gods..."
"They're real," Sweetie Belle said, voice low and oozing with venom, "And I'm one of their members. Fluttershy performed the Black Sacrament, and the Night Mother sent me as her black angel of judgment."
"But... y-you're a..." he trembled.
"Now, before I kill you, I want you to do something," she pulled out her dagger, "Say my name."
"I..." Silver Streak screamed again as Sweetie Belle used her magic to blast his wing clean off.
"Say my name!" Sweetie Belle commanded. Silver Streak was still screaming, and Sweetie Belle gripped him by the mane getting right in the face, "SAY! MY! NAME!!!"
"SWEETIE BELLE!!!" Silver Streak screamed. Sweetie Belle charged her horn to full power, and for a split second, her eyes flashed red.
"AND DON'T YOU FUCKING FORGET IT!!!" she fired another large blast out of her horn at Silver Streak, hitting him right in the chest and going through him. The life left him immediately.
Silver Streak was assassinated.
Sweetie Belle stepped away from Silver Streak's body and looked over her work. She had done it. She had killed him. She killed someone, and did it of her own free will. Her heart was racing, and she stepped away from the deceased trembling.
"I... I killed him..." Sweetie Belle said to herself, "I killed... another pony..."
"And what a glorious kill it was, Sweetie Belle."
Sweetie Belle turned around suddenly, and saw a mare walk toward her, wearing the skintight red and black body suit and hooded mask of the Dark Brotherhood. Her shimmering blue eyes cutting through the darkness.
"Bloody Harvest..." Sweetie Belle said, tearing up a bit at the sight of the mare that introduced her to this side of herself. She was right. She did kill again. And she did wanted to kill him.
Bloody Harvest stood before Sweetie Belle, and pulled her into a comforting embrace.
"It's okay, Sweetie Belle," Bloody Harvest said, her voice a soft comforting whisper, "The first and second ones are always the hardest. Just let it out, child."
Sweetie Belle completely broke down, and actually held onto Bloody Harvest in a tight embrace. She didn't know if she hated this mare or not, but right now, she was the only one who understood what was going on in her head.
But oddly, the more the thought about it, the more she realized it. She wasn't guilty in the slightest. |
The Dagger 2: Innocence Lost | Chapter 6 | Chapter 6
Fluttershy couldn't remember the last time she was this nervous. She knew that it wouldn't be taken care of quickly, but it had already been two days. She didn't want Silver Streak to come to her house and attack her or her anima-
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Fluttershy yelped in shock, and slowly turned to the door trembling. It was late, and she hadn't seen him at all today. Was that...
"Fluttershy, it's me," Sweetie Belle said from outside, "I know its late, but could I come in?"
Fluttershy's heart leaped out of her chest. It was Sweetie Belle. Did that mean that she did it? She ran over to the door and opened it slightly, poking her head out and looking at the young girl.
"Is it over?" she asked softly. Sweetie Belle nodded.
"Yeah Fluttershy," she said somberly, "It's over now. Silver Streak won't bother you again.
Fluttershy's eyes widened. This wasn't real, was it? The nightmare was over? She was free now? Before she could stop them, tears began to stream down her face. She then opened the door completely and pulled Sweetie Belle into a tight embrace.
"Thank you!" she cried, "Thank you so much, Sweetie Belle!"
"Y-you're welcome," Sweetie Belle said softly, wrapping her arms around the crying pegasus.
Sweetie Belle was invited in for tea, so she came up with an alibi that would appease Rarity and chose to stay with Fluttershy for a bit. She spent a full three minutes crying, and had finally recovered enough to actually get up and move around.
As she waited for Fluttershy to get back, Angel Bunny had jumped on her lap and nuzzled her. It seemed like he was thanking her for saving Fluttershy. In fact, at different points a few different animals came over to her and made various gestures or sounds that seemed synonymous with gratitude.
"You were worried about her too, weren't you?" Sweetie Belle asked the normally bratty bunny in her lap, "It's okay now. The bad man is... is gone," Sweetie Belle looked to the side biting her lip. She still couldn't believe that she had actually done it. She's actually killed a stallion herself.
The scariest thing was, she didn't feel guilty about it.
"Sorry about how long it took," Fluttershy said, walking out of the kitchen with two cups of tea, "I, might have cried a bit again while I was in the kitchen."
"Are you okay, Fluttershy?" Sweetie Belle asked, taking the tea that Fluttershy handed to her. Fluttershy sat down next to Sweetie Belle, wrapping a wing around her.
"Yes, I am," Fluttershy said softly, "I mean, I'm happy that its done, but..."
"Do you feel guilty for having him killed?" Sweetie Belle asked Fluttershy.
"No," Fluttershy replied immediately, "There was no other way. He wasn't going to stop harassing me. I think, if anything I'm just," Fluttershy turned to Sweetie Belle and looked at her seriously, "Can I ask you to be honest with me?"
"Y-yes," Sweetie Belle said, her heart racing a bit. She had a feeling she knew what this was about.
"I promise not to tell anyone, but, why are you with the Dark Brotherhood?" Fluttershy asked with clear reservation.
Yeah, Sweetie Belle expected that. She took a deep breath and then looked down at her tea, "Okay, so, you know about Rumble, right? How he vanished."
"Yes, I remember that," Fluttershy said with a slight frown, "You know where he is, don't you?"
Sweetie Belle nodded, "He's dead. I... I killed him..."
Fluttershy's eyes widened in shock, "S-Sweetie Belle. But... why?"
"It was an accident, I swear!" Sweetie Belle urged, "He was coming onto me, and my body reacted, and before I knew it, I had... blasted him with my magic and..."
"Oh my, Sweetie Belle..." Fluttershy put her tea on the coffee table and embraced Sweetie Belle.
"The Dark Brotherhood approached me, and told me that if I joined them, they'd cover up Rumble's death," Sweetie Belle said, tears welling up in her eyes, "Fluttershy, I'm not sorry that I did it. I'm not sorry that I killed Rumble, or that I killed Silver Streak."
"It's okay, honey," Fluttershy petted her head softly, trying to help the young filly calm down.
"Please don't tell Rarity," Sweetie Belle begged looking into Fluttershy's eyes, "She'd be so upset if she knew! I don't want to get into trouble and get arrested and-"
"You're not going to get arrested," Fluttershy said, placing her hands on Sweetie Belle's shoulders and looking her in the eyes, "I'll keep your secret Sweetie Belle. No matter what, I won't tell anyone. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
"Fluttershy..." Sweetie Belle broke down and embraced the older mare tightly. Both of them had dark secrets, and they'd protect each other and their secrets no matter what. Fluttershy really was the Element of Kindness.
"Ooh, I need to give you something," Fluttershy released Sweetie Belle left the room briefly. When she came back, she had a pouch of some sort, "Here. It's not much of a reward, but this I don't even want to look at anymore."
Sweetie Belle took the pouch and opened it, her eyes widening in shock. Inside were coins! Fluttershy gave her MONEY!
"F-Fluttershy, how much money is this?" Sweetie Belle asked looking up at the exuberant mare.
"It's only three hundred bits," Fluttershy said sheepishly, "The book said that the Dark Brotherhood get paid a lot more for their kills, but that's all I can spare."
ONLY three hundred? This was more money than Sweetie Belle had ever seen!
"Thank you, Fluttershy!" Sweetie Belle said, still shocked by the gift, "I... wasn't expecting to be paid for this, but..."
"No, thank you," Fluttershy knelt down in front of Sweetie Belle and smiled peacefully, "You saved my life. Now I can begin working again, and not have to worry about Silver Streak ruining it for me."
Sweetie Belle took that smile in. This happened because she killed Silver Streak. She brought Fluttershy happiness. If she hadn't done that, then Fluttershy might have tried to hurt herself, or take the law into her own hands. This way, she was safe now. And best of all, her hands were clean. She was still unsure of how she felt about killing, but one thing was definitely made certain with that smile.
I... I really did a good thing. I saved her life.
After seeing Sweetie Belle out, Fluttershy leaned against the closed door and giggled. Said giggle increased in volume, until she was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes.
"I'm free! I'm truly truly free!"
She flew in a circle around her living room, laughing happily the entire time. She didn't just feel like her normal self again. She felt BETTER than her normal self. She took matters into her own hands, and while she hadn't taken his life herself, she'd at least initiated it. Silver Streak was gone, and it because she called the Dark Brotherhood.
She flew over to where she kept her cellphone, and pulled up Silver Streaks number. She wasted no time deleting it, along with anything that pertained to him.
I hope you rot in Tartarus, Silver Streak. You'll never hurt me ever again.
Fluttershy scrolled down her phone, stopping on Blueblood's number. He'd even left a text on her phone, just to check up on her and ask if she was okay. She smiled and dialed his number.
"Hello?"
"Hey there Blueblood," Fluttershy said, leaning against a wall and twirling her mane around her finger a bit, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Yes, it has," he sounded relieved, "You sound better now."
"I've had a pretty good night," Fluttershy said twirling her mane around her finger, "Silver Streak hasn't called me in a while. Not sure why though."
"Well I'm not complaining. Personally, it'd be nice if you and I could meet up one day soon. I miss you a lot."
"I miss you too," Fluttershy closed her eyes, feeling an old fire within her come out. She was returning, "So, would you like to buy my services tonight then?"
"Um, if you're sure," Blueblood said taken aback, "Um, I don't want to inconvenience you at all."
"Actually, work sounds wonderful right now. So much, that I might make this one on the house."
"M-Madam Butterfly, are you sure?" Blueblood asked, "I don't want to take away potential work from you."
"Right now, I just need to be with someone who cares," Fluttershy said, blushing a bit, "Someone who can remind me of why I enjoy my escort work so much."
Blueblood was silent for a few seconds, "I understand, Madam Butterfly. Where do you want to meet?"
"Your place," Fluttershy requested, "I'll head over there in a few minutes."
"Perfect," Blueblood said, "See you in a few."
Fluttershy kissed the phone and hung up. Leaning against the wall, she looked down with a soft smile, laughing softly to herself.
"Time to let Madam Butterfly out to play again."
Sweetie Belle walked through Ponyville, stopping on the bridge where she killed Rumble. She looked down at the water, picturing Rumble's body against the rocks. That one was an accident. But, the more she thought about it, the more she had to wonder, was it an accident?
She didn't have to use her horn like that, did she? She could have shot a weaker blast at him. Or maybe when he fell, she could have used her telekinesis to grab him. But no. Instead, she let him fall to his death.
And what of Silver Streak? There was no excuse there. She planned it out, she captured him, and she killed him herself. He was a bad pony, and Fluttershy looked so happy when she found out that he was gone. There was no other way. The law abandoned Fluttershy, and with the exception of her friends, most ponies probably thought she was asking for it.
Cheerilee was an example of that.
Sweetie Belle leaned over the bridge a bit resting her arms on the side. She was so confused and frustrated. Was killing Silver Streak really the only solution in this?
"What's wrong with my life right now?!" Sweetie Belle screamed in frustration, "Why is this happening to me?! Why is the world suddenly so screwed up?!"
"Because now you look at the world with opened eyes."
Sweetie Belle was startled, and turned behind her to see Bloody Harvest behind her, leaning on the other side of the bridge. She'd removed her hood and mask, revealing her long red and black mane and gorgeous face.
"What do you mean I'm seeing the world with opened eyes?" Sweetie Belle asked defensively.
"Exactly what I said," Bloody Harvest said walking toward Sweetie Belle, standing next to her and resting her arms on the railing as well, "You're beginning to see the true face of this world. Ponyville, Canterlot, all of Equestria really, it's all one big lie.
"Ponies live their lives, go about their days, thinking that nothing bad happens. They see the good in everypony, and create this idealized world. A world where good people are good all the time, bad people get punished, you can count on the Guard to protect you, certain adults will always give good advice, and if you just do as they say, you'll grow up and live happy lives. They even tell you that if you follow your Cutie Mark, you'll find your purpose. But you, Sweetie Belle, have had your eyes opened to the true face of the world.
"First, you saw someone that was the vision of good in your idealized world get pushed to the breaking point where she wanted to have someone killed. In your world, that yellow pony doesn't have a mean bone in her body. After all, she's the Element of Kindness, right?"
"T-that's true," Sweetie Belle looked down at the water again, "She's so nice. That was why I was so upset when I heard what Silver Streak had done. For her to be pushed to the point of wanting to kill him though... that just doesn't..."
Bloody Harvest nodded sadly, "Next, you learned just how much the law protects some ponies. How a stallion as horrible as Silver Streak could not only walk away from committing a terrible crime, but also be seen as a hero."
Sweetie Belle's expression darkened, "I couldn't believe when I saw him in my school. Just because Fluttershy is an escort, she's the bad guy, and he gets to walk away and keep hurting her. My own teacher even sided with him."
"And that's the final thing you saw today," Bloody Harvest continued, "You got to see just how flawed adults really are. They tell you to accept others, and to see the good in ponies around you."
"And then they turn around and judge a pony based on what they see," Sweetie Belle finished for her, tears beginning to well up in her eyes, "I looked up to Miss Cheerilee so much, but when she judged Fluttershy like that..."
"I'm sorry," Bloody Harvest said placing a hand on Sweetie Belle's back, "I know this was a hard lesson to learn, but it was necessary."
"Was that why you gave me that free kill?" Sweetie Belle asked looking up at the older mare, who seemed to be about as old as Rarity.
"It was," she nodded, "By placing the life of one single pony in your hands, you were forced to see the true face of the world. Most ponies who join us are already adults, but you're so young. I needed to shatter the paradise that the adults in your life created for you. That way, you could choose for yourself what to do."
"Was there any other way?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Like... maybe having him locked up for something else?"
"That isn't a perfect solution," Bloody Harvest replied, "For one, he wouldn't be paying for what he did to Fluttershy. In a sense, she'd never get the justice that she wanted. Also, either way unless he committed a crime big enough, he'd eventually walk out of jail. What if he left out and continued to rape ponies?"
Sweetie Belle looked down pained, "Fuck... this world is just so..."
"That's why we're here," Bloody Harvest said rubbing Sweetie Belle's back, "We're the blade of the ponies who are tired of this world. We're fighting a war, Sweetie Belle. A war against those who created this idealized world."
"The Dark Brotherhood?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"We're not bad. We're honest," Bloody Harvest explained, "In this world that only sees what it wants to see, we view the world for what it actually is, and we give ponies the chance to fight back against the ideal world. Sometimes we strike first, but most of the time we wait for ponies to do the Black Sacrament."
"It's sort of like what Fluttershy does," Sweetie Belle realized, "She's a prostitute, but she does it for good reasons. She uses her body to help ponies. It's sort of like that, just with killing."
"Now you're beginning to understand," Bloody Harvest smiled, "So Sweetie Belle, what do you say? Do you want to keep living in the illusion of your happy and pure life? Or, do you want to face the truth with your eyes open?"
Sweetie Belle looked down thinking about that. Honestly, she couldn't go back to her simple life even if she wanted to. The past few days showed her that. This world was filthy, and Sweetie Belle couldn't stomach a world where ponies like Silver Streak were in power. She wanted to fight back. She reached for her dagger and pulled it out, examining it as the realization hit her.
Now she could fight back.
"I'm in," Sweetie Belle said after a second, "Not just to cover my own sin anymore. But to clean up the sins of others, and use my sin to protect those I deem innocent."
Bloody Harvest turned to Sweetie Belle, smiled, and placed her hand on her head.
"Then I officially welcome you into the Dark Brotherhood, my sister in arms." |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | pre | "Indeed", Eadgil said. "This isn't an option at all."
"So what are you going to do with me?", Shadow Amethyst said and blinked.
The stag heard Deepest Desire sigh behind him. "I really have to do this again, don't I?"
She suddenly passed by him, grabbed Shadow Amethyst's collar and dragged her towards herself until their faces almost clashed, forcing the other mare to look into her stern eyes.
"Alright then, seems like it's up to me to take up this burden", she said. "You want to be kept as a slave? Fine then, I'll take you. Don't try to fool me. The caribou may care about gender, but I know well enough you don't, and this place follows different rules. I also know you well enough to keep you in check - you know it wouldn't be the first time. So you will call me Mistress from now on, and you will be just as loyal to me as you would be to any other Master. As soon as we're alone, I'll give you a good old-fashioned caning for this little speech of yours. If you behave from now on, I might allow you to pleasure me afterward."
For a moment, Shadow Amethyst was completely surprised. Then, as soon as Deepest Desire let go of her, she sank down before the other mare and kissed her hooves. "Mistress, I thank you. Thank you so much. I promise I will be good from now on. I won't disappoint you, I promise."
"Stand up!", Deepest Desire commanded. "You're embarrassing your Mistress in front of her friends!"
The crystal earth pony immediately complied and got back on her feet with an almost unbelievable speed.
"I am not happy with this arrangement", Spring Breeze admitted. "Deepest Desire, if any other mare but you had made this suggestion, I'd veto it - but it was you who came up with this project in the first place, and you managed to convince a caribou to abolish slavery. Therefore, I believe you that you suggest this out of necessity and not out of a desire to subjugate others. I hate to admit it, but right now this seems to be the best solution. At least she seems to be okay with it - and to be frank, I couldn't care less about what consenting mares do with each other in private. We just have to make sure that it doesn't become the foundation for new forms of actual oppression and abuse..."
Shadow Amethyst laughed cynically.
Deepest Desire immediately grabbed the crystal mare's collar and pulled her towards herself again, looking sternly into her eyes. "Forgetting your promise?", she asked.
Shadow Amethyst yelped, then mumbled a short apology, and Deepest Desire let go of her again.
"I wasn't finished", Spring Breeze said. "I don't want you treat each other like this while other mares are around, at least not if it can be avoided. It could trigger bad memories. She also still has to lose her collar. Ari, your job!"
For a moment, Eadgil smiled. Spring Breeze hadn't addressed him as 'caribou'. She had used the name he had told her he wanted his friends to call him by. He wasn't sure if it meant anything, but he saw it as a good sign.
"Stand still!", Deepest Desire commanded Shadow Amethyst. She obeyed immediately.
"Alright then", the stag said and took the crystal mare's collar off. She sighed a little.
"Don't be disappointed", Deepest Desire said. "If you're a good mare, I'll ask Spring Breeze and the other mares for permission to give you a simple non-magical leather collar later."
Spring Breeze sighed. "A bit weird if you ask me, but this is all a bit weird. We'll discuss this with the other mares later. We might want to set up rules for this kind of relationships, defining your responsibilities toward each other, so the community can intervene in case of... undesirable developments."
For a moment, Shadow Amethyst seemed to be amused again, but a stern look from Deepest Desire disinclined her from making any further noise.
Spring Breeze clapped her hands together. "Well then... now that this is settled, let's return to our quarters. Ari, as mentioned earlier, we have decided to give the Eastern wing of the castle to you and your people. It's in a bad shape and requires quite a bit of work, but there should be enough habitable rooms for all of you, including your females. Of course, we will expect you to restore it on your own, as well as help us with the rest of the castle. You'll do that instead of paying us rent. I think that's a fair offer."
He nodded. "That's more than generous. Thank you." Restoring the castle had always been their plan anyway.
She continued. "You and I will meet tomorrow evening to discuss further matters. You'll come in the evening. Also, none of us has any medical education, so that doctor of yours will come tomorrow and begin taking off the wing sheaths of the pegasi, inspecting our general health and treating those of us who need treatment. Aside from that, we don't want to see any of your people in any other part of the castle for now. The east wing has its own exit, so if you need to leave the castle, you can take that one. I don't think it will be necessary though. We have enough supplies to sustain us for quite some time."
"Well, we have quite a lot of work to do", Eadgil added for consideration. "The castle needs to be restored, and we should also start to cultivate the land around the castle and turn it into farmland as soon as possible, so we can start growing our own food here once spring comes. I know you don't want to see us, but I think these works require the cooperation of both our groups. This project will go nowhere unless work together. You also have to take into account the fact that until we find a way to restore your horns, we stags are unfortunately still the only ones who can use magic."
"Don't remind me of that", Spring Breeze said. "But you have a point. I still have to discuss this with the other mares, but for now I'd say we meet each day at 10 am and work together for a few hours. But as I said, I'll need to discuss this with the others. I'll personally come to inform you about our decision tomorrow morning at 9 am."
Deepest Desire sighed. "You shouldn't go alone. I'll come with you."
"Alright then", Spring Breeze concluded before turning back to Eadgil. "You've removed all our collars, so you may leave now."
The two groups separated, and Eadgil went to the east wing with the rest of his people to choose their new quarters... |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 3: Ein Hauch von Heimat (A Scent of Home) | As they had decided the day before, Eadgil visited Spring Breeze in her office room the next evening in order to discuss matters of politics and of building the community. He knocked at her door, and upon hearing her voice asking him in, he opened it and stepped in.
"Well then, caribou", the pegasus said, sitting at her desk, not bothering with any formal or informal welcome. "Please, sit."
The caribou sat down on the second chair in front of her desk, facing her. "How is it?", he asked.
She looked at him coldly. "Most of the other mares feel very well, and they really like it here. Unfortunately, I'm not similarly well. Your doctor has been here earlier today to remove my wing sheaths. What was his name again... Baldr, I believe. The name is tricky to pronounce, but I have to say, he is kind... for a caribou. He said that with the right treatment, the pegasi who were red collars might regrow their feathers relatively normally and might be able to fly again in a year or two. But the wing sheaths of black collars are less... gentle to the wings, so in my case, they seem to have caused permanent damage. He admitted to not being an expert for pony anatomy, but in his opinion, if we don't find a way to cure them somehow, I almost certainly won't be able to fly any more, and it's even doubtful whether I'll regrow my feathers. Your doctor says he has no idea if there is any way to heal them. I still have a faint hope that he's simply wrong."
"I'm... really sorry to hear that", Eadgil said. "If I can do anything..."
"Unless you want to offer yourself as a punching bag for my frustration again, you can try to stay out of my way, thank you", the pegasus responded rudely.
"Of course!", Eadgil said.
"Even in case of the former red collars, it isn't entirely without problems", Spring Breeze continued. "With the wing sheaths removed, there is a certain risk of infection. Your doctor wants to monitor the wings of all of us regularly, to make sure they stay healthy and recover correctly."
"I see", Eadgil answered. "Very well, I will tell Baldr that he is freed from construction and restoration work, so he can take enough time for you an the others. That said, I wanted to thank you."
"Huh." Spring Breeze scratched her head. "For what"?
"Well... the mares came over earlier today to search our rooms for whips and canes. I wanted to thank you that you left us our ropes and leashes. Most of our cows still like being tied down or lead on a leash, you know...?"
"Well, I guess I have to trust you about this... for now", she said, apparently not convinced. "But what do your cows have to do with anything? Ropes are essential for your construction and restoration work. You should know this."
Eadgil looked down. "Um... yeah. That too, I guess."
She chuckled. "As I see it, the important thing for us was to take away your weapons. Shock sticks, anti-magic breastplates, blades, whips, these sorts things. Taking away everything that could theoretically be used as a tool to discipline your cows is simply impractical. It's not just that this would leave you completely incapable of doing any kind of work here. It goes far beyond that. For example, how are you and your cows supposed to keep the floors clean if we took away your brooms? As I see it, taking away your canes was more of a psychological thing - but no, you're not getting them back for now. But I guess that we'll also soon have to return your knives to you, for pretty much the same reason. They're needed for work. Of course we're sceptical of your treatment of your own females, but right now we also have no idea what we could do for them short of throwing you out and keeping them here - which is also impractical for obvious reasons. Plus, we would have no idea what to do with them either, and most mares really don't want them close, myself included. Right now, I don't see any other option than leaving them with you. You seem to be trying to find a different way with them as well, and I guess we just have to trust you for now."
"Well, I actually do have a suggestion when it comes to this", Eadgil said. "But I'll come to that later. What about the leashes? Why didn't you take those away?"
Spring Breeze shrugged her shoulders. "Quite frankly, we couldn't care less about that. If we take them away, you'll just end up using ropes instead. Plus, we can't take away the collars of your cows anyway. Not only would we need you to remove them, but, weird as it sounds, they seem to have a rather strong emotional attachment to them."
Eadgil smiled. "That's... probably true. Thank you, Spring Breeze."
The two went silent for a while, then Eadgil spoke again. "Spring Breeze, I have to tell you something. I know details about the... I know details about what my people call 'the cure'. The thing that brought most of the stallions to our side. It is magical in nature."
"Well, I'm not an expert, but I guessed that much", Spring Breeze answered.
"That's not all", Eadgil said. "It's not just magic, it's pony magic."
Spring Breeze raised an eyebrow. "What? Is this supposed to be an insult? What could have..." Mid-sentence, her face suddenly changed from anger to sudden realization, then to pure shock. "It's the Crystal Heart, isn't it? Or the... Crystal... whatever it's called now. I knew it. The power to manipulate the emotions of all of Equestria... no one should have that power, no matter how it's used. The thing should have been destroyed after we defeated Sombra. But anyway... how do you even know about that? I guessed something like that would only be known by the caribou leaders, and by those who altered the artifact's magic."
Eadgil nodded. "Among us caribou, it's probably not that big of a secret. The king and his men are bragging all the time how they used the ponies' own magic to 'cure' them, and they did showcase the Crystal Heart during the parade shortly after the takeover of Canterlot. I guess many of us have counted two and two together by now, and I think quite a few ponies might also have." He paused for a moment. "However, unlike most of them, I actually have confirmation. When I was still in the military, I was serving under Vestri's command. One day, shortly after we took the Crystal Empire, I had guard duty, and I overheard a conversation of the council where they discussed the Crystal Heart, and how it could be used to bring the Princesses to their heels."
"Interesting", Spring Breeze said. "So you were one of Vestri's men, huh? Anyway, do you have any idea why it only affects stallions?"
"Honestly, I don't know", the stag answered. "At this point, even they didn't know yet what could be done with it, but they wanted to use it to manipulate the population of Equestria in order to swing the balance of power in their favor. As I see it, there are two possibilities here. Either something about the Crystal Heart made it more feasible to use it this way... or the council simply considered it more important to change the minds of the males than those of the females. But then again, there are some females that do seem to be affected in a way - mostly female unicorns and crystal ponies."
She nodded. "I know what you're talking about. It is a bit odd, but then again, I don't even understand why your people want to enslave us mares in the first place. Your own females seem to be so much more suited to fit your needs."
The stag sighed. "You have a point, clearly - but the important part here is that if the behavior of the stallions is the result of mind control magic, there might be ways to disturb their mind control. We just have to find them. But interesting that you would mention the cows. That's actually one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. There is something regarding the cows I would like to ask for."
"What is it, caribou?", she asked.
"Well... we have promised to stay out of your way until you decide otherwise, and we will keep that promise. But... may I ask you... if you would allow the cows to spend some time around you?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Is this a trick, caribou? Are you hoping that contact with the cows might make us a bit more like them? More subservient? If this is what you're trying, I can tell you in advance that it won't work."
"No, it's nothing like that", he answered. "You don't even have to let them interact with you at all. Just... let them spend some time around you. I promise they won't be a bother."
He sighed once again, then continued. "As a matter of fact, it's exactly the other way around. I ask this because I hope that they might become a little bit more like you. As they are now, they simply need us as their Masters. But we're more like... a necessary evil, aren't we? I mean... I think you will agree that we're not exactly the best influence. So while they still need us to give them direction, I don't want them to spend all of their time with us. So I wonder if they could stay with you for some time each day. As I said, I think you might be a much better influence than we are. They won't bother you, I promise. As a matter of fact, we will order them to obey your commands to the letter."
She raised an eyebrow and smiled a little. "Interesting. That's what you talked about earlier, isn't it? Your suggestion about how we could have an eye on how you treat your own females? I have to say, I'm... flattered. You put quite a bit of trust in us with this."
He grinned widely. "We will of course also use them to spy on you. Just so things are clear between us."
She laughed. "If you want to spy on us, I think it's not exactly a good strategy to let us know about it in advance."
The stag chuckled and winked. "Yeah, that's the point."
"Well, in that case, we'll also poke them with questions about you.", she said. "If you really tell them to obey our every command, you should expect your darkest secrets to be revealed to us!"
Eadgil looked down, avoiding her gaze. "To be honest, I don't think we have that much to lose in this respect any more, unfortunately."
The pegasus became serious again. "Well, this certainly is a good opportunity for us to have an eye on how you treat them. We might notice if a cow is treated in a way that is harmful to her or to the community."
Eadgil smiled. "That was exactly one of my thoughts. It's also the main reason why we made the cows communal property - so the stags can have an eye on each other's behavior as well. We'll still have to see if that idea works out, but I guess it would help if you mares also got involved."
"I can see that", she said. "Seems to be a good idea. Personally, I don't really have any objections, but I will have to discuss this with the others. It's late, but I will call a meeting immediately, and inform you about our decision tomorrow morning. If it is positive, the cows can come over and spend some time with us as of tomorrow. I think that would be all for now. If you would excuse me, I have to call in the meeting."
The caribou stood up, nodded respectfully, then left the room and returned to my quarters.
The next morning, Spring Breeze came to Eadgil's quarters to inform him about their decision. "Please enter", the stag said when he heard her knocking at his door.
She opened and came in. "Good morning, caribou", she said in a not-too-friendly but polite voice. "I am here to inform you of our decision. We have discussed your request and decided to allow this for now. But do not make the mistake to take this for granted. If the cows cause any trouble, we'll void this decision immediately. Most importantly, we don't want them to come too close to us without our permission. You know what I mean. Tell them that."
He nodded. "Thank you very much, Spring Breeze. I very much appreciate it. I will immediately tell the others. Expect the cows to come over this afternoon."
She nodded. "I also have important business to attend. Normally our next meeting would be in six days, but I would like to see you tomorrow evening, to give you a report on how the cows are doing, and whether they have caused any trouble."
"I will be there", he said. "But now I really have to inform the others."
She nodded. "I also have to leave."
They left the stag's room together and then went separate ways.
Eadgil immediately went to gather the stags, and then they gathered the cows. The stags still hadn't told them what to expect of the future, mainly because they hadn't even been sure themselves, so they were still visibly afraid. He addressed them.
"You probably wonder why we have gathered you all here. First of all, we wanted to assure you that will still give you everything you need. Our guidance, direction, protection, our hard cocks..." Eadgil saw the eyes of most of the cows brighten with anticipation as he spoke of the sex to come. The caribou were still settling in and the stags had a lot of work to do, so the cows hadn't gotten that much from them the last days.
"However", he continued, "there will be a few changes from now on. First of all, we have decided that from now on, each of you doesn't belong to a single Master. Each of you will see all of us as their Masters from now on. This is not meant as a punishment. You have not disappointed us. We simply decide to try something new. Also, we have another new task for you, starting from now on. You will observe us and how we do things. And you will also observe the mares. You know we've told you not to go to their part of the castle, but we cancel this order. From now on, you will spend a few hours each day with them. You will observe them, learn from them. If you have any questions, you can come to us and ask at any time, and about once a week, you will come to us and give a small report about what you have seen. Can you do this?"
The cows nodded weakly, not sure what to think about this.
"You will not cause them any trouble", Eadgil continued with a stern voice. "If they tell you to do something, you will do it. If they tell you not to do something, you won't. You will not touch them unless they give you permission to do so. We have decided to have a very relaxed approach to punishments here, but forgetting about these particular orders is one of the things that will result in a severe punishment. To make sure you don't forget, I will repeat the rules once again. While you are around the mares, you will treat them like Masters, which means you will follow their orders to the letter. Most importantly, you will not touch them without their explicit permission. You may touch us while you are with us though."
The cows' eyes went wide with surprise. Had he said something wrong? Eadgil suddenly felt a sense of confusion.
Bruna stepped forward. "Master... are we really allowed to touch you now without asking for permission first?" She giggled a little. "My Master doesn't have many rules, but... such an idea never came to me."
In an instant, Eadgil realized what he had done. He cast a look at Baldr. The other stag grinned, but then he gave a quick nod. Eadgil really hoped the others wouldn't hang him for this, but he decided to go along with it.
"We're giving you permission now, aren't we? Yes, you can seek out contact with any one of us whenever you feel like it. If it's not a good time, if we're busy or not in the mood, we'll just chase you away or order you to do something else. You don't have to worry. If that happens, it doesn't mean you did something wrong, it just means this Master is busy right now."
Hearing this, the cows instantly rushed to their Masters to make use of their newly found feeling of freedom. The stags had some time at their hands, so they decided to let them. Bruna approached Eadgil with a big, happy smile. She slowly reached out with her hand, giggled shyly, then withdrew it again.
Eadgil shot a quick glance at Baldr. He was already busy with two cows, having one arm around each of them. He had the one to his left locked into a deep kiss. Eadgil didn't know why, it didn't even make any sense, but for a brief moment, he found the sight of a cow and a stag kissing slightly odd - but he dismissed that weird feeling. The other cow was passionately kissing and licking his chest while her hands clumsily fumbled on his belt. It was obvious that Baldr didn't even think about paying any attention to him or Bruna.
Eadgil smiled a little, then returned his attention to the cow in front of himself. "What are you afraid of, little one?", he asked. "I gave you permission, didn't I?"
Bruna's smile widened as her hand touched his chest, then moved downward across his belly. "Oooh, you're heavyset...", she mumbled.
The cow's remark caught him completely by surprise. "I... apparently... I mean...", he stuttered. "I mean I gained some weight during the last months. The life in Canterlot made me lazy. I really need to start to exercise again..."
Bruna blushed, withdrew her hand and looked down. "I'm sorry, Master. It wasn't meant as an insult. I... I wanted to say... I like that, Master."
He raised an eyebrow. "Really?", he asked. He then let his hand run down her cheek in a comforting manner until it was under her chin, then raised her head so he was looking into her eyes. "No offense taken, little one", he reassured her. Then he bowed down a little and kissed her on the lips.
"Mmmh", she whispered softly. "Your kisses are sweet! What can I do to serve you, Master?"
He looked around. The other stags and cows were already enjoying each other in various ways. "Very well. You will begin with sucking me off, Bruna", he decided. "Would you like that?"
The cow gave an enthusiastic nod.
"Very well then", he added. "Go to your knees and present yourself."
She went to her knees, spreading her legs a little and presenting her nude body to her new Master. "Does Master like what he sees?", she asked, giving him another one of her smiles.
"You're lovely", he answered. "But now do as you were told."
She reached out with her hands, undid his belt, and opened his pants to reveal his cock. It was already semi-hard, and she gave it a few quick rubs with her hand to get it fully erect. She was talented with her hands, there was no doubt about that. Eadgil wondered if she was equally talented with her mouth and tongue - but he found out only a few seconds later, when he felt her tongue running along his throbbing shaft. "Mmmh, that feels good", he said, giving her a few gentle strokes between her small horns. "Now take it all in!"
She instantly wrapped her muzzle around his cock and began to suck it, while continuing to caress it with her tongue. Eadgil realized how eager she was to please him. For a moment, he wondered if she intended to swallow him whole. He didn't even have time to pull out when he came - not that he would have wanted to anyway.
After he had come in her mouth, she swallowed, gave his cock a few more licks to clean it up, then leaned back again and smiled. "Oooh... sucking you off has really made me horny, Master." She grinned. "May I... touch you some more?"
"Sure", he said, returning the grin. "Would you mind if we went somewhere else? Like my room?" He wasn't used to having sex while others were present. He had detested most other stags he had met in the past, with only very few exceptions, and even more so the stallions ever since the king and his men had altered their minds, so he used to avoid situations where he was around too many other males, particularly if sex was involved. The stags here were all far more pleasant to be around than most others, he had even already made friends with a few of them, and he had to admit that such an orgy did have its appeal when the stags present were all good friends and the cows were willing and eager - but he felt it still wasn't exactly his thing. At that moment, he just wanted to be alone with this wonderful cow that had come to him so willingly, and was so eager to please him.
"Whatever pleases you, Master", she answered softly.
He instantly grabbed her by her hand and dragged her to her feet. "Come with me, then!", he commanded, dragging her along while rushing towards his bedroom.
Bruna giggled. "It seems like Master is just as horny as I am!"
Not giving this remark any response, Eadgil dragged her into his room, then lightly tossed her on the bed face down. "Present your ass and cunt!", he commanded.
She instantly complied, stretching her ass up and out and spreading her legs.
He smiled a little, then went straight past her to the desk at the end of the room, grabbed a bottle of wine and poured himself half a glass, letting her wait for him in this position while taking in the view. He realized how much he still enjoyed such little mind games.
He turned around to look at her again, then took a good sip. "So, Bruna... how do you like it?", he asked with a devious grin on my face. "Gentle? Or rough?"
He wasn't sure if he had caught her by surprise with his question or if cows are simply generally insecure about what they want, but Bruna began to stutter. "Um... well... Master... I mean, Baldr is always very gentle."
He took another big sip from my glass. "I think that isn't an answer to my question, cow", he said in a more demanding voice.
"I'm sorry, Master ", she responded. "But I think I... would like to try something new."
Once again, he wasn't sure if she had answered like that because she really wanted to, or because she had guessed that he was hoping for that answer. "Are you sure?", he asked.
"Yes, Master", she responded. "Please take me roughly!" It sounded quite a bit more certain this time.
He grinned. "I have an idea. Stretch out your arms above your head." Once again, she complied without question. Eadgil didn't know if Bruna liked being tied, but he was about to find out. He emptied his glass, put it back on the desk, took out a rope from a drawer, then sat on the bed besides Bruna. "Roll around, face me and give me your hands", he commanded.
Awkwardly, she rolled to the side, stretching out her hands toward him. "Tying, Master?"
"Is something wrong?", he asked in a softer voice.
"No, it's just... Baldr doesn't like tying us down while fucking us, and he doesn't usually share outside the family." She giggled again. "I have been tied up, of course - on the ship, for example. Just not really during sex. It's... a bit new to me. I'm a bit scared... but also excited."
Eadgil was a bit surprised about this new information. Baldr was the only stag he had ever known who wasn't into bondage. He had to ask his friend about that later. But for now, he just nodded. "I see. So you don't want me to tie your hands?"
"No, it's okay, Master", she replied. "I said I was scared, but... the thrill feels arousing." She blushed a little. "I.. have been dreaming about this. About a stag who takes me, ties me up and uses me roughly. About a stag who really owns me. But... Baldr really doesn't like that sort of thing." She thought for a moment. "I also think he wouldn't be good at it."
Eadgil found that statement a bit odd, but decided to postpone his inquiries in favor of the more immediate concern in front of him. "Well, for now, I'm just going to tie your hands, and in front of you, not behind your back. I promise I won't make it too uncomfortable for you." He took her hands and skillfully tied them together.
"That seems fine", he said, pleased with my work. "Now return to your position!"
She turned on her belly and stretched out her ass and cunt again, stretching out her tied arms in front of her head. The stag stood up, gently moved his hand along her right ass cheek, then grabbed it firmly while fingering her cunt with his thumb. He looked at the beauty in front of him like a price he was about to claim. Then, he rubbed his cock between her legs a few times until he noticed she was getting wet, finally placing the tip of his cock right outside her vaginal opening, ready to push in.
Involuntarily, he licked his lips.
Without giving her another warning, he rammed into her cunt and began to pound her hard, making her moan in surprise and pleasure. He put his left hand on her shoulder and pushed her down into the cushions. Then he put his right hand below her right leg and lifted it up. This seemed to please her, as she started to push herself toward him even more, as well as she could, while letting out soft moans of pleasure.
Her movements got him even more excited. In one movement, he let go of her leg and instead put his right hand under her hip and pushed her towards him, grinding himself into her even more. Then he let himself fall onto the bed on top of her, using his hands to control his descent so as not to hurt her, but now pushing her down with the full weight of his body, his belly pressed against her back. Her moaning intensified. "Mmmmh... M... Mast...er... this... is why..." - she didn't finish her sentence, and Eadgil never found out what she wanted to say.
He continued to remorselessly push her down with all his weight and pound her from behind, now also letting the fingers of his right hand run along her clit, while letting his left hand run across her entire body, shifting between holding her down and roughly feeling her up. Her intensified moaning indicated that she was approaching her climax - and so was he.
"I know you want to cum", he whispered. "You are allowed to do so."
She instantly made use of his permission.
"Aaaah, thank you, Master!", she moaned while coming hard. He also came inside her only seconds later.
He rolled off from her, lying on his back next to her, both of them panting heavily. Then, he pulled her towards him, holding her in a close embrace while unbinding her hands, then guiding them until they came to rest on his chest. He then let his left hand rest on her soft caribou butt while letting his right arm fall to his side.
"Ah, Master...", she whispered. "I haven't been fucked like this since... mmmh, ever, I think. It was just like in my dreams! You were in full control. It was so wonderful... just giving in to you, Master."
"Interesting", he said. "You already said that Baldr prefers to be gentle. But does he not take control at all? I find that hard to believe." He thought for a moment. "As a matter of fact, given what I've seen and heard from you so far, I don't know how that would even work."
"Master... I mean, Baldr is nice, and he takes control, sure, but... it's not the same. I can feel it's not what he wants. D... does that make sense, Master? Or am I... rambling stupid cow stuff again?" She giggled a little.
"No, I think you're making sense", he answered. "But of course, that begs the question. Baldr doesn't like bondage, he doesn't like to fuck roughly, or to take control... so what does he want?" He chuckled a little. "Except being a gentlestag, I mean."
"I think he... I mean, he hasn't told me, but I know him. I think he wants the same things I want", Bruna said.
"What do you mean?", he asked.
"I mean he also wants... someone who takes control of him", she replied hesitantly.
"Oh, so he wants another male?", Eadgil asked instinctively. "Interesting. Maybe I should make a move..."
Bruna looked at him with sadness and compassion in her eyes. "No, Master. That wasn't what I meant. No, I'm sure about that. He doesn't want a male."
It took Eadgil a moment to parse what she had just said. "Oh", he finally said. "Oh, I see."
He realized how stupid his remark had been. He had instinctively assumed that Baldr's wish to be dominated amounted to him wanting a male. The thought that this might not be the case hadn't even occurred to him - but he realized that this was another example of how one's acquired bias could override what one knew from experience. After all, he knew a female who was able to dominate. He had seen Deepest Desire assert dominance over Shadow Amethyst more than once, and he had no doubt whatsoever that she was able to do the same to a male. She also had a certain dominance over Snowflake, although in a different, much sweeter sense. Seeing a mare this capable of taking charge had actually been one of the things that had convinced him to abandon enslavement of mares altogether. Deepest Desire was his equal in all meaningful ways, if not even more than that in some ways. Eadgil instantly considered the possibility to set up a date between her and Baldr. But first he would have to verify what Bruna had told him about his friend.
"It's impossible, isn't it?", Bruna asked in a sad voice. "My brother wants something that doesn't exist."
"What makes you think that?", he asked. "Why do you think it's impossible?"
"I... simply... don't know any female who could give him what he wants", Bruna said.
"But Baldr only owned cows.", Eadgil argued. "Mares are different. You'll find out soon."
"Oh!", Bruna said, suddenly realizing something. "Oooooh! Is that why Baldr was ogling that green pegasus mare who punched you in the face, Master?"
"You mean Spring Breeze?", he asked, getting a quick nod from Bruna in response. Thinking back, he realized that he had indeed seen Baldr look in her general direction a few times. He also remembered the weird expression on his friends when he had helped him up after Spring Breeze had knocked him to the ground with her punch on Dawn Blaze's behalf.
"I don't know", he said. "Maybe."
They both went silent for a while. He continued to hold her close and firm, realizing he hadn't felt that much at peace for a long time. He wanted to feel like that forever.
"Master", Bruna finally asked. "Have you claimed me now? I mean... am I... yours now? I mean, only yours?"
"Hm", he said. "Didn't Baldr say cows in your family are property of the entire family?"
"Yes", Bruna answered. "But ever since we left the old homeland, Baldr was the only stag in the family. He owned us alone, and I was fine with that." She giggled. "As I said, I want to feel owned."
For a moment, Eadgil struggled to come to terms with what she had just said. The idea to declare the cows communal property had come to him relatively spontaneously, but by now, he had found good reasons for it, and built a strategy around it. His aim was threefold. He was trying to prevent each cow from becoming emotionally and materially dependent on a single individual stag, thereby preventing the return of the patriarchal familiar relations that subjected the cows to the heads of their respective household, and their individual caprice. Second, with the cows being communal property, it would be in the interest of all stags to make sure no stag treated a cow in ways that would harm her. And third, with the cows not subject to a single Master, but a greater number of relative authorities, they would have to become more independent in their reactions to every single Master's commands. His idea to have the cows spend time with the mares was another piece of that strategy.
He realized that Bruna was presenting him with the one possibility he hadn't considered. What if the cows - or at least some of them - actually wanted to be the slaves and private property of individual stags? He had suspected that the greatest resistance to his plan would come from the stags, but now he had to consider the possibility that it would come from a completely different direction.
But was that really what was going on here? Or did he have to frame things differently?
He decided to ask himself a different question. Why did Bruna want him specifically as her owner? She had come to him after all, effectively selecting him. Baldr couldn't dominate Bruna the way she would have liked it, and Eadgil had been the first stag who could, but she couldn't have known that in advance. Other stags in Freeville would be just as capable of dominating her as he was, and he was fairly certain that she knew this. Maybe what she really wanted was a relationship, and apparently with him. He felt flattered, but that also meant that he had already re-privatized her in a certain sense. He would have to choose his words carefully from now on though, so as not to hurt her emotionally.
"Look", he said. "You don't have to spend time with other stags if you don't want to. You also don't have to have sex with any stag if you don't want to. You can tell that to the other cows as well..."
He suddenly noticed an expression of confusion in Bruna's face. He stopped, nodding to her as a sign that he was pausing in order to allow her to speak.
"I will, Master. But... I'm confused. Why would I not want to have sex with a stag?"
Eadgil blinked, now confused himself. He had lived with mares for too long, but Bruna was still a cow. But then again, she had told him that she wanted to be owned by a single stag - but that apparently didn't stop her from wanting to fuck other stags as well. He realized cows were just as complicated as mares - only in a completely different, even opposite way.
"I mean... the stags here all seem nice", she said, stuttering a bit. "Sure, if I had a Master and he wouldn't want it... I want to please him after all. But Baldr has adopted them all, and now you say they're all my Masters. So why would I not have sex with them? But... well, I... maybe I have to think about this some more." She giggled. "We cows aren't exactly used to thinking too much."
Eadgil smiled a little. "Well, that's the point. The idea is to force you cows to think for yourselves about what you want. And also about who you want to be with."
"Oh", Bruna responded. "Yes, I... think I understand. I sometimes have... trouble to tell apart what I want from what Masters expect of me...", she confessed. "I know many cows have even more trouble with that than I do. Is... is that why you want me not to spend too much time with you, Master? So I... don't get confused about this any more?"
He felt a glimmer of hope again - hope, and also pride. He had helped a cow understand what was at stake here - but he was also proud of her. It became more and more obvious to him that she was particularly smart for a cow. However, he also realized that this problem couldn't be solved as long as the cows just stayed among the stags and each other. He began to suspect that his decision to let the cows spend time with the mares might prove to be more important than he had realized at first.
"Look", he said. "If you want to spend time with me specifically, that's fine. I'm sure you'll find a way to stick around me." He gave her a little wink. "There are enough cows here for all of us after all - more than enough, not least thanks to your brother. How many cows did he bring in? Eight? Nine? More than any other stag, that's for sure. I just don't want you to be around me all the time, or see me as your only Master. One reason why I've recommended giving up private property is because I think it isn't healthy for a cow to let a single stag have total power over her."
She didn't seem satisfied with that, and he also wasn't - but he also knew didn't have to have an answer to everything.
"You know what?", he asked. "Why don't you ask Baldr what to do, at least for now? He knows you longer than me, he knows more about cows than I do, and you have more reason to trust him than me. I'm sure you can talk to him more openly about your feelings for me than you could with me."
She nodded. This seemed to be more satisfying to her.
He continued. "But that aside, I also want you to remember the order I gave you and the others earlier, concerning the mares. You will take a few hours each day to spend time with the mares, you'll observe them, report to us, and you will obey the orders we've given you with regards to that. Do you still remember them?"
"Of course", Bruna responded. She began to recite the orders almost mechanically. "Observe them. Tell you what they do, and what we feel and think about it. Do what they tell us. Most importantly, don't touch them without their permission. I don't think any cow will forget about the last part, especially not after what you said about punishment." She smiled shyly. He smiled back at her and nodded in approval.
Once again, we lay silent for about a minute, her head still resting on my chest.
"Master, you like punishment, don't you?", she finally asked.
The stag looked at her in surprise.
"I mean you like to... punish your females, d... don't you?", she stuttered. "It turns you on..."
She had managed to surprise him again. How had she guessed that? And why did she have to bring that up? He would have preferred to discuss this topic somewhere else, at another time, and most definitely with someone else.
"Yes, Bruna. Yes, I'm a sadist. It's a way to demonstrate power, to show myself and my partner who is in control. You already know I like that. It doesn't have to be a female though - I would take a male if I found him attractive and knew we were both into it. Unlike some other stags, I do have limits though. But how do you know that?"
Bruna looked up to him shyly. "I don't know, Master. I just... took a guess?"
"Well... now that you know the truth, does it scare you?", he asked.
She paused for a few seconds, collecting her thoughts. "Yes, Master", she admitted. "I want to be taken and used, even harshly if Master desires so... and you showed me that I also like being tied, and feeling helpless. Thank you so much for that..." She giggled a little, but then became serious again. "But... real pain... as in whips and canes... I don't think I would like that, Master. I know many Masters enjoy doing it to their cows, and I know some cows enjoy it as well. But... I'm not one of them. I hope... I hope this doesn't disappoint you, Master."
"You're very eloquent for a cow", Eadgil noticed.
"Ehlok... I'm... what?", she asked.
"I was giving you a compliment", he said. "It means that you can speak very well. You can say clearly what you think and feel. It seems to me that this is an ability you don't find very often among cows."
Bruna smiled. "Baldr taught me. He says that it is important for a cow to learn to say what she feels. I'm also... I really don't want to brag, but... I think I'm learning such things a bit faster than most other cows, Master."
"It seems so, yes", he affirmed. "As for Baldr's lessons, I couldn't agree more. I always wanted my females to be able to speak as clearly as possible. I don't know if Baldr wants to continue your lessons, but if not, I will teach you instead. I will talk to him about that."
"Thank you, Master. But... let me say what I wanted to, before I forget it, um... what was it about again..." She giggled softly. It seemed to take her some time to recollect her thoughts again. "The way you fucked me earlier was... wonderful", she finally said. "The way you took control of me. If you give me that again, I... I think I can also take the pain." She stopped herself for a moment, seemingly struggling to correct herself. "Or at least some of it", she then said.
"Bruna, I don't want to cause you pain", he said.
He realized with surprise that he hadn't even thought about it. He had never really wanted to hurt anyone who wasn't into it as well, and he still felt deeply ashamed about the fact that he had wronged others in the past. But this was more than that. This wasn't just his conscience, nor was it merely the fact that he didn't want to disappoint Baldr. He realized Bruna was trying to offer him a bargain, an agreement, a quid pro quo of sorts. She was willing to accept his bad side along with his good side, or at least with what she perceived as such, as long as she got enough of the latter - but he didn't want her to have to bear up with his bad side. He had somewhat similar feelings towards Snowflake, but that was in part due to Deepest Desire's influence, and it didn't feel exactly the same. For Snowflake, he felt sympathy and compassion, but what he felt right now seemed to be something else.
Hearing his words, Bruna slipped from his embrace and turned to her back, stretching her body and letting her hands run over it, emphasizing her features. "But why not, Master?", she asked, letting her hands run across her big tits. "Do you not find me sexy?"
He turned towards her and let his right hand run across her upper leg, then placed it between her legs and began to finger her gently. She began to moan softly.
"Bruna, I find you very sexy", he said.
"Oooh... thank you, Master. But... then why do you not want to hurt me?"
"I guess... I want my partner to enjoy it as well", he answered. "I don't want to do it to someone who doesn't like it. I don't want you to agree to it just because you want to see me happy. If you don't really like it, I don't want to do it."
"I understand, Master... I think. It's the same problem again, isn't it? I need to tell apart my wishes from what I think you'd expect from me." She smiled, spreading her legs wide. "But you want to fuck me again, don't you?" She smiled at him. "Please, Master, take me again. I... also want and need it."
He gave her a brief nod, rolled on top of her, put his hands around her waist and pulled her towards him. He decided to be gentle this time - and it would be a good opportunity to show that he could nonetheless take control. "This time, I will be more gentle", he said. "I know now that you like it rough, but you will comply."
She blushed a little, smiled and nodded. "Yes, Master. It's your choice. You're in control."
He slowly pushed forward and entered her. "I want to look upon your face this time", he informed her. Being slightly smaller than him, she raised her head so he could look into her wonderful amber eyes. He pushed forward slowly, embracing her and pulling her towards me while doing so. She moaned softly, her mouth slightly opened. While fucking and kissing her, he took her wrists in his hands and pinned her arms down at the sides of her head.
While continuing to fuck her gently, he let his lips make contact with hers. His tongue entered her muzzle and began to explore. Hers made a few shy advances as well, and when she noticed that he didn't stop her by breaking the kiss or otherwise showing disapproval, she became bolder. After a few seconds, they were locked in a long, deep kiss while he continued to pin her down and fuck her slowly. He moved his right hand from her wrist to the back of her head, firmly holding her in place while continuing to kiss her. Not moving her arm despite it being free again, she moaned into his muzzle.
He broke the kiss the moment he felt his orgasm approaching, and looked into her eyes again. They both came together, in a soft wave that ran through both of their bodies.
When their orgasms slowly faded, making way for soft feelings of afterglow, he rolled off her again, assuming the position they had before they had started to fuck again. Bruna instinctively also returned to that position, resting her head and arms on his chest. He put his arm around her again and pulled her close.
"Ah, Master... that was wonderful... again", she moaned in afterglow. "You were gentle, but you still held me down and enjoyed me the way you wanted without shame." She was still blushing. "You are a true Master. My Master. I know I'm not yours alone, but I'm so happy and proud that you want to spend time with me."
He gently let his hand run across her head. She let out a soft sign.
There was one thing he still needed to address. He knew he would have to talk to Baldr about this matter anyway, and he would have preferred to do so on his own terms, but now that Bruna already knew it, he could just as well bring it up as soon as possible.
"Bruna, are you going to tell Baldr about that talk we had... regarding my sadistic tendencies?", he asked.
"I usually... tell him everything important that happens to me", Bruna answered shyly. "But I won't tell him if you don't want me to. I trust you."
He shook his head. "Thank you, Bruna. That means a lot to me. But I actually want you to tell him. I want there to be no secrets between him and me, and I also most definitely don't want there to be any secrets between you and him. This is part of why I made ownership of cows communal - so we stags can have an eye on each other. I would have preferred to bring this up myself in time, but now that you already know about it, why not bring it up now? I'll bring this up next time I talk to your brother anyway, so feel free to tell him. As a matter of fact, I want you to give him a full account of what happened between us, from your perspective, as soon as possible."
He was proud of himself. It was a first application of his new approach. He wondered what would come of it, but he was hopeful.
They both went silent again and lied beside each other for a while.
Finally, he took a short glance out of the window to assess the time. Bruna's gaze followed his. It was already late afternoon.
Suddenly, Bruna became nervous. "Oh, Master... I'm so sorry! I almost forgot my orders! I am to spend time with the mares every day, no? I... I'm sorry, Master. I have to leave!"
Eadgil nodded. "Then go. But before you go to them, I think you should take a bath or something. I don't think the mares would appreciate you running around their area with spots of my hardened cum all over you." He smiled. "You have permission to leave now, little one.
Bruna giggled again. "Yes, Master. I'm sure you also have very important Master stuff to do. I will leave you now, with your permission."
He smiled. "Permission granted, little one." He thought for a minute, then he rose from the bed as well. "As a matter of fact, I will accompany you. I completely forgot that I promised Spring Breeze to come by today. Just give me a minute to get dressed."
He quickly put his trousers and my shirt back on and they left together.
Once they had arrived at the mares' wing of the castle, Eadgil and Bruna parted with each other. He promised her to see her again as soon as he could find the time.
He arrived at Spring Breeze's quarters and knocked at the door, and she asked him to come in.
"Good evening, Spring Breeze", he said after he had taken place at the chair in front of her desk again. "How's the situation? I hope the cows haven't caused you any trouble."
"Well, it has only been two days, but so far, they have been quiet and not much of a nuisance. We haven't interacted much with them yet, but some of them might even prove useful."
He grinned. "Yeah, that sounds like a good description of the females of my species."
She was unimpressed by his joke. "There is one thing though. On our very first plenary meeting, we had already decided to only walk around dressed except in our own private quarters. A few former red collars objected, but they were overruled. The cows, however, are nude all the time except for their collars. I realize we can't ask them to remove those, they seem to place quite a big importance on them. It's almost as if they wear them with pride. We just ask you to order them to get dressed when they're around us. Their nudity simply further fuels existing conflicts among ourselves, and we really don't want that to happen."
He grinned at her and said: "Why don't you tell them?"
"What?", she asked.
"As promised, we've told them to obey your orders as long as they are around you, so you can simply tell them to cover themselves - if they're able to obey your order, they will. But this is quite a problem, isn't it? We only have males' clothing here, it's even a bit big for most of you, and our cows are even smaller. For now, I might suggest you give them some sheets or pieces of cloth to cover themselves. I'm not sure if all of them know how to do this though. Since you don't want to touch them, we might show them, but as you may have already guessed, we are also not really experienced in getting a female dressed properly."
"Well, I think this won't be a problem", Spring Breeze said. "Frankly, I don't really want them anywhere near me, but there are a few of us, particularly former red collars, who have already said that they have much less problems with touching a cow, at least as long as she doesn't get frisky. I think they would be willing to help them. Also, we'll provide them with what we can spare."
"Thank you, so this problem should be solved", he said. "I also have another request. We want to ask if we stags might use the library of your castle. We don't want to take it from you, we just want to be able to use it for our studies."
Spring Breeze was immediately back to her usual suspicious, abrasive self. "And why exactly should we allow this to you?", she asked.
He sighed. "Well, for a start, some of us, myself included, know how to deal with old books. They are a quite delicate matter, you know? We can work to preserve the library. There seem to be some magical wards in place that already prevent decay, but it'll help if we can put some additional work to preserving the library. Second, we will also add most of our own books to the library. Most of us want to keep one or two books that are special to us for ourselves, but we are willing to give most of what we have to the library. After all, we also have an interest in making those books available to each other. Third, you know that this isn't just a new kind of community, we are here to find ways to change and free all of Equestria. We also have to find ways to disrupt the magic of the Crystal Heart. Maybe we'll find knowledge in the library that might prove useful for this aim."
She relaxed. "I still don't exactly like you, but what you say makes a lot of sense. I will discuss this with the others tomorrow, and I'll come by to give you our decision afterward. This time I'll vote for your request myself, actually. I'm not really interested in books anyway, and you did make a reasonable argument. Oh, before you leave, another thing. That doctor of yours came by earlier today and asked if we would allow him to use a small plot of land to plant some herbs, and maybe one or two cherry trees. Now I can get the herbs, he's a doctor after all, but do you know why he would want to plant cherries?"
He smiled. "I think it's for an alcoholic beverage. A secret recipe of his. Seriously, you have to try this, it's really good. I think he still has a few bottles left. I'll ask him to give me one, so we can drink it together some time."
"Sounds good", she said.
"Now if you will excuse me, I have a long night of wing pain and uncomfortable lying positions ahead of myself." Once again, the caribou gave her a sheepish look as he left the room.
For some reason, he felt the urge to take a walk. He returned to the eastern wing, but instead of returning to his quarters, he left the castle through the eastern gate. He knew if he went straight ahead, he would come across the Tree of Harmony in only a short walk - but he had already taken a look at it when he and Deepest Desire spent our first nights here, and he wanted to go a bit deeper into the forest, so he decided to turn north instead. He felt the grassy forest ground under his hooves. He had gotten used to concrete during his time in the Crystal Empire and Canterlot, but walking the forest felt unusually well. He couldn't help but admire its beauty. Not only was it impressive, it also felt oddly familiar, in a way his people's old homeland across the sea never had to him. He almost felt at home here. He knew there were dangerous plants and animals in the forest, and he was on his guard, but he couldn't shake the odd feeling that the forest didn't intend to harm him. He almost had the feeling that it was welcoming him.
After about ten minutes, he stumbled upon a small clearing, with a creek running through it, and only a single tree in the middle. Its bark was white, and just like most of the trees, it had not yet begun to drop its leaves, but they had taken a bold shade of red. He did not know if that was normal for trees in this region, or if this year's autumn was simply unusually mild. For some reason, he felt drawn to it. He approached it, and finally touched it with the palm of his right hand. Immediately, he felt an odd, almost magical connection with the tree. Almost as though he and the tree had become one. Almost as though his consciousness had somehow fused with the tree, he felt the gentle breeze of the afternoon touch its branches, which only a few hours ago had still felt the sun of autumn. He felt its roots, deeply ingrained in the ground. He also felt the change of seasons, but this autumn was milder than usual.
He felt something landing on one of the tree's highest branches. Instinctively looking up, he saw an owl sitting in my crown.
"Who", said the owl.
"Oh, hello there", the stag said. "Are you watching over the forest for me?"
"Who", said the owl.
"I see", he answered, smiling. "Well, that is good to know. I feel much safer now. Well, then... fly, little owl", he said. "Fly, and watch over the forest!"
The owl stretched out its wings and rose to the sky.
"Farewell, little owl", he said. "I'm sure we'll see each other again."
He withdrew his hand from the tree. The connection, or the illusion of connection, immediately passed away. He was alone in his own body again. What an odd experience. He had to tell Baldr about it. But for now, he decided to return to the castle. He felt tired. He knew he needed to get some rest. |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 4: Encownters (part 1) | "I don't get it."
Baldr shook his head, then took a big mouthful of Amber Glow from his glass.
"Is this some new kind of fetish?", he asked. "I mean, why would anyone want to be a tree?"
Eadgil shook his head. "That wasn't what I said. I didn't say I was the tree, or that I wanted to be the tree. I said I felt connected to the tree - as if my consciousness had merged with it somehow."
His eyes scouted around the room. A cow was wiping the floor. Something about her seemed familiar to him. He knew she was one of Baldr's, but he could have sworn he had seen her somewhere else before. She cast the stags, and particularly him, glances that seemed like she was frightened - following every move, almost as though she was afraid he would jump up any moment and do something terrible.
He was certain he had seen her somewhere else before. But he couldn't say where.
Baldr's voice disrupted his attempts to dig deeper into his memories.
"If what you say is true, it sounds like some kind of magic. Maybe you accidentally stumbled across that... tree of harmony thing. I don't know much about it, but I know it's supposed to be somewhere close to here."
"No, I know where the Tree of Harmony is and what it looks like. This was just an ordinary Everfree forest tree, albeit admittedly a strong and healthy one."
"I see", Baldr responded. "Or maybe it was just afterglow. After all, you did have sex shortly before, and from what I've heard, I infer that it was quite pleasurable."
"Several hours before", Eadgil corrected him.
He grinned. "Well, Bruna was still smiling several hours after she came from you."
Eadgil stared into his glass. "She did tell you what I told her?", he asked.
"Of course", the other stag answered. "Nothing I hadn't already guessed."
"Hmmm...", Eadgil just said.
"I mean, it's not exactly uncommon among our people to feel this way, is it?", Baldr said. "The desire to assert one's domination over the partner by letting him or her feel some kind of distress."
"True, but the majority of stags don't exactly qualify as role models", Eadgil responded. "I would rather not have too much similarity with them."
"Unfortunately, we don't really choose our fetishes", Baldr remarked. "Believe me, no one knows that as well as I do."
Eadgil decided not to inquire about Baldr's preferences for now. "But why do you trust me?", he asked.
"Well, you came up with this project, and you seem to be serious about wanting to change yourself and our people. I guess that already speaks for you. Aside from that, Bruna trusts you. She was almost enthusiastic when she returned from you. I think you really struck a chord in her. Bruna clearly has a wish to be dominated, and despite her low pain tolerance, I also think she does have a certain masochistic side to her. It's rather common among cows, even though my family and I don't encourage it. But she wants and needs someone who can deal with this responsibly, someone who actually cares for her."
Eadgil nodded. "I guessed something like this. She wants a relationship. It's still not without problems though. She also said she wants to be owned. We only recently abandoned the idea of private ownership of cows, and for good reason." His eyes darted around the room again.
Baldr sighed. "Yes, I know, and I also know you already told her that that's not going to happen. Bruna may have had a more fortunate upbringing than other cows, but that doesn't mean she always knows what's best for her. But I think she also kind of understands why we abandoned private handling of the cows in Freeville - or at least what she told me about your conversation with you seems to indicate that. Our family was similar after all, although for the last years it had only been me."
The stags fell silent for a minute, and Eadgil's eyes once again fell on the cow who was still on all fours wiping the floor.
"Hey, Baldr... is that cow there one of yours?", he finally asked. "She looks familiar. As though I had already seen her somewhere else. Maybe only in the corner of an eye... but still..."
Baldr thought for a moment, then he smiled a little. "That's actually quite possible, now that I think about it. I bought her in Lindisbarne about a year ago, only months after we've taken the town. You know quite a few stags sold their cows once they had taken a few mares." He chuckled a little. "But we're horribly impolite, aren't we? Why don't you ask her?"
"Hm. Didn't think about that." Eadgil looked over to the cow. "Hey, you there! Cow! Would you come over here for a second, please?"
She instantly dropped what she was doing, lowered her head and crawled towards him. "Master", she said with a meek voice that sounded frightened, pushing her head to the floor. "Use this slave in any way you like, but please..." She interrupted herself.
"Please what?", he asked.
"P... please give this slave whatever she deserves", she whimpered.
He looked over to Baldr. "Huh. What's her deal?", he asked. "You said she has been with you for more than a year...?"
Baldr sighed. "Her former Master was thorough with his 'training', and he must have had her for quite a while. I'm absolutely certain he's one of those stags who enjoy this kind of 'training' - breaking a female down until she's nothing more than a twitching mess, scared to death of every male who comes by her. In addition to that, I'm fairly certain he regularly used the Veizla treatment on his females. You know, the owner switcharoo, in order to ingrain feelings of insecurity. I think she still fears that if she shows even the slightest bit of misbehavior, her old owner will jump from some corner to take her back and give her a good beating to start with. Of course I told her over and over again that this isn't going to happen, but her former Master was very effective at ingraining a general fear and distrust of all males into her."
"Hm...", Eadgil made, turning my attention back to the female. "Alright then", he said. "You may sit up."
She instantly raised her head and body, now kneeling on the floor, legs spread, back stretched in order to present her tits, hands resting on her thighs, her eyes still avoiding his gaze.
"I would like to know your name, little one", he asked.
"This slave's name is Ivana, Master", Ivana stuttered. "Given to her by her former Master."
"Ivana...", he mumbled. Then it clicked. "Hey, now I know you!", he exclaimed. "You were one of Vestri's cows, weren't you? He sold you all shortly after he took that Sunny mare. Now I remember!"
Baldr nodded. "Yes, and I bought two or three from him - as many as I could afford back then. They are all like this. There are a few cows I could help, but not the ones I bought from him. I told you, he's thorough."
Eadgil gave him a nod of understanding, then turned his attention back to the cow. "What did he do to you?", he asked. "You said he gave you your name. He named you after his brother, I assume?"
She nodded. "Yes, Master. His brother gave me to him for his birthday. They trained me together. I will... th... this cow will be forever thankful to them, for teaching her how a slave should behave, for giving her the discipline she required, and... for giving her her true name."
"I see", Eadgil said. "What were you called before that?"
She started to shake again. "I... don't remember...", she confessed.
"Why not?", he inquired further. "Has it been too long ago?"
"It has been long ago. Or it feels like... long ago. But they... taught me my true name", she whimpered. "They made me forget the wrong name I had before that."
"Made you forget?", he asked. "How?" The mindwipe spell was a pony invention. Vestri couldn't have had access to it that early.
"They... at first, they still sometimes called this slave by her wrong name, and then... gave her the harsh punishment she deserved whenever she reacted to it. They taught her well. She owes them thanks for all eternity." She was shaking even more than before.
"And that really worked?", Eadgil asked. Seeing how she was shaking, he decided not to ask her about what exactly they did to her. She had said they had trained her together, and he knew that whenever the two brothers actually agreed on something, Ivangir's brutish cruelty and Vestri's inventiveness when it came to things like discipline and manipulation usually proved to be a bad combination.
Eadgil decided to shift the topic away from them and investigate in a different direction. "I guess you also don't remember much about your life before you came to Vestri?", he asked. To his disappointment, but not to his surprise, she shook her head.
"I told you he was thorough", Baldr said.
Eadgil didn't pay attention to his friend's sideline remarks. In his mind, his wish to help the cow in front of him blended together with his own anger at Vestri, with his desire for revenge. He felt how he became determined to break through this conditioning, to undo what his old Lieutenant had done. Ivana's entire body was shaking of fear now, and she was struggling hard to hold back her tears. "Give me your hands", he ordered her.
Ivana stretched out her hands, shaking in fear. Eadgil took them into his own and just held them, looking into her eyes, trying to be as comforting as he could, despite his rising anger at his former commanding officer. "You don't have to be afraid any more. Vestri isn't here, and he never will be. I don't know what exactly he did to you, but he will never do it to you again. You're among friends here. We are all here to protect you. Whatever he did, I promise to you that I will make sure that he will never get the chance to do this to anyone ever again." He spoke his last words slowly, with emphasis. "Do you understand?"
She was still looking at him with wet eyes.
"Don't be afraid", he said. "It's okay. You don't need to hold back any more."
When she let her head sink into his arms and started to cry, he caught her. "It's okay", he reassured her. "Don't hold back."
She cried for a while, and with the tears came relaxation. She stopped to shake and calmed down. "You don't have to be afraid any more", the stag repeated, gently letting his hand run across her head.
When she was fully calmed down, he gently let go of her, and she sank to her knees again, daring to speak again. "Does Master want to f... to use this cow now?", she asked.
"Is this really what you want?", he asked. "Or just what you've come to expect?"
"I'm... not sure, Master", she admitted.
"Well, then take some time to think about it!", he commanded. "You can take as much time as you need to work through all the thoughts in your head. Think about what you really want, and try to tell it apart from the stuff you only believe you need because Vestri and others taught you to. If you've made up your mind and then you still want me to fuck you, I will. I promise. But only if you really want to."
"That's... I'm not sure if... that's how... is that... right?" She didn't move an inch. Her eyes were scanning the room, desperately searching for some kind of confirmation, no matter from where.
When Ivana's eyes finally looked at Baldr, he chuckled a little. "I'm fairly certain that was an order. Ari, was that an order?"
"Damn right it was.", the other stag affirmed.
She clumsily struggled to her feet, then bowed down slightly. "Th... thank you, Master." She seemed to think for a moment. "I just remembered... you gave all of us the order to join the mares for a few hours each day. I haven't been there yet today. I hope you are not angry." She stiffened up again for a moment, but when she saw both stags shake their heads, she relaxed. "May I... take my leave and go there now, Master?", she asked the stag in front of her.
"Permission granted", Eadgil said, giving a quick nod. "But don't forget to set some time aside for yourself, to think about what I've told you."
She nodded, then rushed out of the room.
"Great...", Baldr mumbled. "Now who's going to finish wiping this floor?"
The other stag grinned. "I'm sure you'll find someone."
Baldr grimaced. "Yeah. I guess I will."
Eadgil grabbed his glass of Amber Glow. It was still half full. "Why can't I shake the feeling that this was some kind of test?"
"You seem think I'm more cunning than I actually am", Baldr answered. "But if it had been a test, you would have exceeded all my expectations. I have no idea how you did what you did, but you accomplished in an hour what I couldn't do in over a year. Ivana is probably still far from fully overcoming her fears, but she made a first step today. Really... no idea how you did that."
"I fear now you are the one who is giving me too much credit", Eadgil said. "To be honest, I also have no idea what I did. I just tried to tell her as honestly as possible what I think of Vestri."
"Maybe that's it", his friend just said.
After a few seconds of silence, Eadgil spoke again. "I have to admit... watching her crawl before me and degrade herself... seeing her whimper as I tortured her poor mind with my questions... it did feel somewhat arousing", he said sheepishly. "Although hearing her glorify Vestri was kind of a downer", he then added, more to myself.
"I guessed it was", Baldr said. "And judging from some of her reactions, I'm fairly certain Ivana noticed it as well. But you don't choose to be aroused, it just happens. When it comes down to it, it only matters how you acted."
"I guess you're right", Eadgil said, emptying his glass of Amber Glow.
Once again, the two stags sat there for a minute.
"Is it true?", Eadgil finally asked. "What Bruna said about you."
"Probably", Baldr chuckled. "What did she say about me?"
"She said you have... submission fantasies", his friend said bluntly.
Baldr sighed. "Ari, you're a good friend, but I'm not interested in you that way."
"That is really not the reason why I'm asking", Eadgil said quickly. "Bruna already told me that you're not interested in males."
Baldr nodded. "She's correct, I'm not. I tried it, of course. It's not that it disgusts me... it just doesn't give me anything, that's all. It's not what I'm looking for."
"So is it true?", Eadgil asked. "Do you have submission fantasies?"
''Yes, Ari", the other stag admitted hesitantly. "It is true."
"That's really good to know", Eadgil said enthusiastically. "You know, I was actually thinking about trying to set up a date between you and Deepest Desire. I know for a fact she's a dominant, and she is interested in both genders. But Bruna told me she thinks you're interested in Spring Breeze. Is that true? I don't know if she's into that sort of thing though..."
"So you don't find it weird?", Baldr asked.
''Why would I?", his friend asked. Thinking for a moment, he added: "Well, yeah, if... if you had asked me two years ago, yeah, I would have found it weird. But now... I know for a fact that there are dominant females. So why wouldn't there be submissive males as well? If you think about it, it would be kind of weird if one existed and the other didn't, wouldn't it?''
Baldr sighed with relief. ''I'm... glad that you don't find it weird. So far, Bruna was the only one who had a clue about this... it does feel like a relief to have someone else know.''
Eadgil smiled. 'Well, I have to leave now. I've got a lot of things to do tomorrow and need some rest.'' He rose from his seat.
Baldr nodded. ''See you soon.''
"See you", Eadgil said and left the room.
The next day, Eadgil sat at his desk when he heard a faint knock at his door.
"Yes please?", he answered.
"Master", he heard a voice say. "I'm returning from the mares to give you my first report."
Eadgil recognized the voice as Bruna's. He had somewhat expected her to go to Baldr with her report though - but he also knew she was drawn to him, so he wasn't too surprised.
"You may enter", he said. She opened the door and stepped in.
His eyes widened in surprise. "Bruna, you're still wearing your clothes?", he asked.
She blushed and immediately let her clothes drop to the floor. It wasn't too difficult, they were improvised and the mares had created something simple enough for the cows (who weren't used to putting on clothing after all) to put on by themselves. "I'm sorry, Master", she said. "I just came back from the mares and I forgot to take them off. I hope I haven't angered you."
"You didn't anger me", he responded, smiling at her. "I was just surprised, that's all. I actually like these clothes, you look nice in them. So, you're here to report about your observations about us, and about the mares? Please sit down and begin."
He hadn't specified where she should sit, so she instinctively chose the bed.
"First of all", she said, "they don't need sex that much. Not as much as we do, I mean. When we don't feel the closeness of our masters' bodies for some time, we become afraid and insecure. It's not like that with them. They don't need it. Or at least not that much."
"Well, that one is for certain", the stag responded. "Good. What else?"
"I find it extremely odd that they want us to wear clothes, and that they don't like our collars. They don't want us to talk well about our Masters, or about how we enjoy serving you, or about how we can serve you even better. Some of them even become angry. Most cows don't have much else to talk about, so they remain silent. I spoke a bit with some of the mares though. One of them asked me a lot of questions about you." She smiled.
"About us stags?", Ari asked.
"No, about you, Master." She giggled softly. "I had mentioned that you have taken me after moving in, and that one mare wanted to hear details about you - about us." She giggled again. "Some other mares would have become angry if I talked about that, but she specifically asked me. Pulled me to a table far away from the others and started to ask questions."
"Huh, odd", Eadgil said. "Anyway, proceed. What about the others?"
"Well... they don't like to talk about the same things we cows like to talk about, so I tried to listen to their conversations closely to find out what they're talking about among each other. Maybe to find some... common ground?", she asked, a bit insecure.
Eadgil smiled. "You're quite clever", he said.
She smiled back. "Thank you, Master. Well, the... the mares mostly talk about what they want to do, about things they like to do, about plans they have for the future. Most of us don't understand that. We are usually happy to have Masters who make all those bothering decisions for us. But on the other hand, it did feel nice when I made the decision to come to you the other day instead of sticking with Baldr, or just picking any stag at random, Master."
"Maybe you like making decisions on your own more than you thought?", Eadgil said.
"Yes", she responded softly, with a hint of insecurity in her voice. "I guess I'm also more comfortable with the idea than most cows. But most of the mares seem almost obsessed with being in control of their own decisions. They often talk about how horrible it was for them to be slaves, and how happy they are that they aren't any more. I know my family raise cows differently, we're more open to ideas like this, but even I have trouble understanding it - the others even more so. Usually we would try to find out about this by touching them and feel their reactions - but you have forbidden, and we respect your word."
"Good", Eadgil said. "It is important that you follow this instruction. Don't touch them unless they give you permission. The idea of finding common ground has merit though. For now, I would suggest that you ask the mares if they would be willing to introduce you to the things they do. Just the easiest and least dangerous ones. Maybe ask them if you can do a few chores for them. You know, all the little things we also let you do for us."
"We should serve them just like we serve you?", Bruna asked.
"If you want to put it that way."
Bruna seemed a bit scared of the idea. "Well, they are... better at doing things on their own than we are. They make mistakes sometimes, but they don't need correction from Masters, they correct themselves. They are almost a bit like..." She stopped short.
Eadgil raised his eyes to look at her. She instantly had his full attention. "They are almost like... what?", he inquired.
He immediately realized that he had made a mistake with that reaction. She seemed to think he was trying to correct her, or prevent her from saying something stupid. "Sorry, no", she stuttered. "I was mistaken. I thought something dumb for a moment. I sometimes think silly things." She giggled.
Now Eadgil really wanted to hear the rest of what she had to say. "Don't worry, you didn't say anything wrong. Go on, please."
"How do they do it?", she immediately asked. "The mares, I mean. How do they do it. Making plans, doing things on their own without Masters. How do they do it? How do they know what to do?"
Eadgil said a short thanks to the Ancestors in his head. That cow had just given him something to build on.
"How do we do it?", he asked.
She was confused. "I don't understand... Master." Had she already forgotten that she wanted to make the same comparison herself only a second ago?
"Well, how do we do it? Remember, we also gave you the order to observe us - your masters. We decide what to do all the time. And not just for ourselves but for you as well. So how do we do it?"
She thought for a minute. "So it's the same with... you and them?", she asked.
Eadgil nodded. "Sure, why not?"
Bruna giggled softly. "We've... talked about this, haven't we? I remember. About... females who are like Masters. When we were lying beside each other the other day, talking about what kind of female Baldr wants. So does that mean that the mares are Masters, too?"
Eadgil chuckled. "Not quite, I think", he responded. "Although for now, it might be a good idea to think of them that way. They're definitely more similar to Masters than to slaves."
Bruna giggled again. "Well, I... as I said, I made a decision as well when I came to you, and it felt kind of good. I also think I didn't make a mistake with it. Does that mean I'm like a Master, too?"
Eadgil smiled. "I wouldn't go that far, although I think you're closer to us than most cows are. I think it's not entirely a matter of nature - you said it yourself, you had a different upbringing. But remember: You still have a tendency to confuse what you want with what is expected of you, and you also still crave for a male who takes control."
"Yes, I do", Bruna whispered seductively, spreading her legs.
Eadgil looked at her firm, big tits and exposed cowhood and found what he saw very pleasant. How could a healthy caribou male not find this arousing?
"You want me to take control?", he asked.
"Yes, Master", she said, smiling at him happily.
"You want to try out some more bondage?", Eadgil inquired. "Something a bit more daring this time?"
"Oh yes, Master. That would be wonderful."
Eadgil went over to his cupboard and took out two long ropes. "This will require two ropes", he said.
"Oooh!", Bruna mooed. "Double the fun!"
Eadgil chuckled a little. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to use the first rope to tie a chest harness, and the second to tie your hands to your back with a one-column tie, tied to the harness."
"Sounds complicated", Bruna said.
"It's fairly simple", he responded. "First, I want you to stand up from the bed."
Bruna immediately stood up from the bed, presenting herself with her breasts stretched out, hands behind her back, and legs spread.
"Not like this", Eadgil said coldly. "We're tying the chest harness first, so you don't need to have your hands behind your back just yet. As a matter of fact, I need you to raise your arms to chest height."
She complied, stretching out her arms to her sides at chest height.
Eadgil looked at her while feeling up the rope to find the exact middle of the rope. "Wonderful", he said, smiling. Once he had found the middle of the rope, he folded it back onto itself, forming an U-shaped bight. He moved around her, then ran the rope over the top of her breasts and around her until the bight came to sit in the middle of her back. Then he took the other side of the rope with the ends, ran it through the bight, then cinched. He then lead the rope back along the front of her body, this time underneath her breasts, leading it around to the back on the other side. He then ran it through the middle and let it go the opposite direction again, making another pass on top of her breasts, making sure the lines were parallel to each other. Once he had brought the rope back to her back, he ran it through underneath the middle, then pulling upwards.
"You can drop your arms now", he said, and the cow let her arms sink to the side of her body.
He then led the rope across her right shoulder, to the front of the harness, underneath the top line, then underneath the bottom line, then tugged it back up and around both the bottom line and itself, finally leading it back up, through the top line, and across her left shoulder, back to her back and to the middle, where he finished off with an overhand knot.
He grabbed the knot and tugged her back a little. "Nice and tight."
"Mmmh... it's squeezing my tits nicely, Master", Bruna noticed.
"Eh, not too much", he replied. "Now, hands to the back!"
She complied, putting her arms behind her back, crossing them slightly above her butt.
"Not like that!", he commanded. "You need to put them in parallel to each other, and further up." Once again, she complied.
He took the second rope, folded it at the bight, then let it go around both her wrists three times. He passed the bight over and through, then tied a square knot. He then pulled her arms up a bit further, then took the rest of his rope and tied it into the chest harness.
"Mmmh, I'm tightly packed", Bruna muttered. "Ready for you to use me any way you want." She giggled.
"Not as tightly as you could be", he answered. "I could tie up your arms as far up as this." He took the rope that tied her arms to the harness and pulled up, then held it like that for a bit.
"Oh... that feels... oh. Oh, mh. Why... don't you tie it like that, Master?"
Eadgil sighed a little. "Because then it's more difficult to undo the rope. It's not safe right now. Usually I always have my dagger at hand when I do bondage, so I can cut the other person free if something goes wrong. But Spring Breeze has my dagger right now, so I have to see how quickly I can undo this setup if necessary", he said, then quickly tied her hands to the chest harness again.
"Now this is very important", he continued. "If your hands go to sleep, tell me, because then I have to loosen it a bit more. If you feel any sudden, shooting pains, I need to know immediately. Understood?"
Bruna nodded. "Yes, Master."
Eadgil let his right hand run across her cheek, smiling at her. "That's my good girl."
She giggled. "Master, I... I'm so excited. My legs feel like pudding. May I go to my knees for you?"
"You may", he responded, smiling as he watched her slowly sink to her knees before him. He then approached her from the side, taking her head with one hand and pushing it towards his crotch while he was still wearing his pants. He hold her head tight in this position, close to him, while she was moaning in blissful expectation. They remained like this for about a minute.
"M... Master", Bruna finally said. "Please, leash me."
"Huh?", he asked. "Alright."
He let go of her head, leaving her in this kneeling position, then he went to his cupboard and opened it again, taking out a leash. He then returned to her, bowed down a little, and slowly attached it to the ring in her collar.
She giggled a little. "Mmmh... will you use this to pull me close again, Master?"
He smiled. "I will." He then pulled on her leash, pulling her towards him and holding her head in position with his hand again. They remained like this in silence for a while.
Finally, Bruna spoke again, blushing and looking down. "Master, you probably want me to suck you off now, then fuck me, but... may I ask you of something Master? A little dream of mine that I had for a while?"
He let his hand run across her cheek again. "Of course, Bruna. You may always tell me your dreams. As a matter of fact, I want to know. I will decide which one of them is safe, and which one of them I'm willing to fulfill with you. So by all means, tell me."
Bruna still looked down. "It's... something I've wanted for a while now. Baldr wanted to hear nothing of it, and in a place like Lin... Lindis... that town we lived before we came here, it wouldn't have been a good idea anyway. But I think it would be okay here. Also... I actually feel more comfortable asking you than him. You seem to be... into such things."
This was beginning to get interesting.
"What is it, little one?", he asked.
She lifted her head and looked up at him with big, begging cow eyes. "Would you be willing to... take me for a walk?"
Eadgil scratched his chin. "You want me to drag you on a leash and parade you around the caribou quarters?"
"Yes, Master. Mh... drag me closely behind you, keep me on a short leash. Make it difficult for me to keep up with you." She giggled. "Make me struggle to please you! Show my weakness and helplessness to everyone!"
The stag smiled. "Intriguing. Yes, I think I could do that. Stand up!"
Without her hands to support her, the cow awkwardly stumbled to her feet. Once she stood in front of him, Eadgil instantly grabbed her leash close to her collar, giving her very little room for movement. "I will keep you on a short leash and drag you along. You better keep up!"
Bruna nodded, giggling a little. "Yes, Master."
Eadgil instantly turned around and left the room, dragging her with him closely behind him. Still holding her leash close to her collar, he gave her only very little space to maneuver, forcing her to stay close. She stumbled behind him, trying her best to keep up with her new Master. She found it funny, but the fact that she had chosen him actually made her even more eager not to disappoint him. After a while, she was able to keep her balance and even keep up with his fast steps, although she had to keep fully focused on the task. She giggled as he was dragging her along.
He paraded her through the eastern wing. Some of the stags who came by turned their heads, but they all didn't think too much of it. A few of them were dragging along or carrying cows themselves. Once again, Eadgil noticed that cows and mares behaved very different from each other. The cows here seemed happy with the attention they were getting, and excited for it. But he also noticed a clear difference between the treatment of cows here in Luna's castle and what he had seen among the rest of his people. There was no pressure here, no need to constantly physically enforce discipline. The interaction between stags and cows here was a fun game. While cows had been forced into silence in the rest of caribou society, here in Freeville, where their free expression wasn't constantly repressed and they didn't have to dedicate themselves to the whims of a single Master, at least some of them were flirting with the stags and teasing them much more openly. For a moment, Eadgil was reminded of the months of building Hornvik, before they had taken the Crystal Empire.
Back then, King Dainn and the council had decided to rent a bunch of cows from private owners for easy construction and decoration work, but mainly for keeping the stags entertained. For the time they were leased by the state, they had been in a somewhat similar situation of de-facto public ownership - and for a brief moment, a similar scent of free expression had been hanging in the air. Only here in Luna's castle, it was even more open and light-hearted than it had been back then. Back in Hornvik, the cows were eventually re-privatized once the outpost was complete, and particularly once the Crystal Empire was taken - and even during this short period of buildup, most stags had of course still seen the cows as mere tools at best and worthless meat at worst, hadn't cared too much about their feelings or fates, and had demanded perfect behavior from them and often harshly enforced it.
The stags they had gathered here in Luna's castle were far more light-hearted in their approach to cows. Of course they were still the dominant partners in all interactions, but they didn't feel the need to constantly punish them, or keep them sexualized and humiliated at all times at any cost, or enforce perfect behavior. Instead, they focused on discovering new ways to simply enjoy their females' company. It was an atmosphere of experimentation. New relationships were formed, and old ones were re-explored in new ways, and seemingly with very little pressure. There was of course also a certain potential for missteps, and Eadgil guessed that they would sooner or later have to find ways to identify and stop eventual mis-developments. But for now, it seemed to him that they had really started something new and so far unheard of - or at least unheard of outside of the protective secrecy of Baldr's family.
But of course, many of the stags they came across weren't even with cows. They had a lot of restoration and construction work to do right now, so they didn't have too much time for fun and games. For the same reason, most of the cows weren't even around the stags. Eadgil knew that quite a few of them were around the mares right now in order to study them, but he also guessed that the great majority of the cows were among each other in the rooms that had specifically been set aside for them. Of course it wasn't a prohibited area for the stags, they still went there to fetch one or two willing cows whenever they felt the urge, but for the most part, this was a place where the cows could be among themselves and interact with each other without constant male interference. The stags hadn't even consciously decided to arrange things that way - it seemed to be a direct result of keeping the cows as public property, and of the fact that the stags had much work to do.
Once they had explored most of the eastern wing, Eadgil finally took a right turn in order to return to his quarters. Somewhere along the way, his subconscious must have decided that it was also more comfortable for him to give Bruna more room for maneuvering, for by now he was holding the leash further toward its end, and Bruna was behind him a few steps. "Master... are we returning to your room already?", she asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "There are so many places we haven't been to yet."
Eadgil turned around. "We can't visit the mares like this, if that's what you're talking about."
Bruna shook her head. "No, I... was talking about visiting the other cows. I've told them so much about you. How amazing you are. I want to show it to them, Master."
Eadgil chuckled, moved close to her, let his right hand run along her cheek and below her chin, then raised her head gently, like he had done a few times already. But this time, Bruna was surprised not to see his usual gentle smile, but a stern, imposing stare.
"Bruna... are you saying that you want to showcase me?", the stag asked. "Like a new toy you've found? Is that what I am to you? A trophy Master you can present to your little pals to make them jealous?"
"Master...", Bruna stuttered. "I... I..."
Eadgil grinned. "Well, I guess given everything, that's just fair. Let's go!"
"So, you're not angry with me?", Bruna asked.
His grin got even wider. "Nah, I was just messing with you." He grabbed her leash close to her collar again, once again giving her little room to maneuver. "No reason to go easy on you though." She yelped as he started to drag her along closely once again.
After a short walk, they reached the cows' rooms. A few of them were busy getting to know each other, but a surprising amount of them was busy with different things altogether. Some were doing some easy decorating, others were drawing or painting images.
Once again, Eadgil felt reminded of Hornvik. There were of course many images with sexual content, most of them more expressions of the artist's fantasies than adequate depictions of reality. But there was also a surprising number of images with no sexual content whatsoever. There were quite a few landscape paintings that showed the parts of the Everfree forest that were visible from the castle windows, and Eadgil found them surprisingly well done. There were also a few still lifes, some of them of sex toys, but also some of them of completely nonsexual objects like food. Cows were frequently horny, there was no doubt about that, but Eadgil found that the usual idea that they were incapable of thinking about anything else than sex was simply not true. Maybe they were simply easily aroused by the presence of males.
The reactions he got seemed to confirm this idea. He and Bruna had only just arrived, but he was already turning heads and earning giggles. Quite a few cows had dropped what they were doing and gathered around them.
"Hello, Ladies", Eadgil said, smiling and tipping an imaginary hat. The cows giggled.
"See?", Bruna asked around, to no one in particular. "Isn't he exactly how I said he was? I'm tightly packed, and once we leave here, I bet he'll take me somewhere else and do all kinds of naughty stuff to me, and there's nothing I can do to stop him!" She giggled, and the other cows joined in again.
Eadgil sighed. "Seems like I really am a trophy Master."
"Oooh! Take me, too!", one of them said.
"No, me!", another one joined in.
Eadgil looked at Bruna. "What do you say? Should we take one or two of your girlfriends with us?" He chuckled. "I let you choose."
Bruna looked down, blushing a little. "If you want to, Master. But... I had hoped to spend some time with you alone later."
"Well, then why did you bring me here to begin with?", Eadgil asked. Then he turned back to the others. "Oh well. You heard her, ladies! Today I'm going to abide by her wishes. That is, at least until later when I'm all alone with her - then I'll make her abide by my wishes, and I'll make her love every moment of it!"
Bruna giggled again at this, and despite their disappointment, the other cows joined in.
Eadgil tipped his imaginary hat again. "Sorry to disappoint you, ladies. Maybe another time. I'm sure I can make some time to get to know at least some of you a little better. You should keep in mind that Bruna is particularly dear to my heart - but there are many other good, kind stags here in Freeville. Many of them are better people than I am. You are all really wonderful, and I'm sure each of you will find a stag who sees you as dear to his heart. We will take our leave now. Bruna, say goodbye to your friends!"
"See you later", Bruna said, smiling friendly.
They left the cows' place. Once they were far away enough that Eadgil was certain they wouldn't be heard, he looked sternly at Bruna again. "You really did let me lead you there to make them jealous, didn't you?"
She looked down, blushing. "Y... yes, Master."
"You're a naughty little cow. I'll have to see how I punish you. Don't worry, I won't be harsh. I'm glad that you're honest. Did you come up with this idea all on your own?"
"I... yes and no, Master. I decided to try this out, so I accept your punishment. But... you remember that mare I told you about earlier? I mentioned to her that I wanted to be led around by you. She asked me if I wanted you to parade me in front of the other cows in order to make them jealous. I didn't think of it that way before she said that."
"A mare gave you that idea?", Eadgil asked. "Now I'm really curious about her."
"I'm sure she'll turn up sooner or later. She seemed really interested in you, Master", Bruna said. "But... before we return to your room... I was wondering if we could go outside. I want to see the forest. Something... draws me out there. I know I can't go alone, it's too dangerous. There are all the nasty animals and plants we brought here from our homelands, and I know this forest also has dangerous animals of its own. I could ask Baldr to keep me safe, but..." She looked at him with begging eyes. "But I really want to go with you! We can have our fun times out there if you know a romantic place." She giggled.
Eadgil smiled at her. "How could I say no if you ask me like this? Also, I do indeed know a romantic little clearing in the forest that I could show you. It should be safe going there."
Bruna smiled happily.
Ivana was stumbling through the hallways, on her way to her daily visit of the mares' quarters. The castle was complicated and a cow could easily get lost, but by now Ivana knew the way with relative certainty. So far she hadn't really interacted with the mares, but she enjoyed watching them. They were so pretty. More independent, more certain of themselves than any female she had ever known - even a little bit like Masters, she sometimes thought. They almost seemed like the females from her dreams - but of course, she knew that was impossible. These were just silly fantasies of a dumb, useless cow.
Ivana somewhat suspected that the illusion that the mares were like Masters was created by the fact that, for some reason she did not understand, the Masters now forced them to wear clothing and cover themselves. It must have been difficult for them, she suspected. She herself still had great trouble getting accustomed to clothing, but the mares had told her to do so, and the Masters had told her to obey their commands to the letter.
In the end, she figured she was just a dumb cow and couldn't possibly understand the intentions of the Masters, and really shouldn't even try. It was better to get along with everything that was demanded of her. She only wished she could get closer to a mare to get to know her, the only way two females could really get to know each other, so she could at least understand them a bit better - but the Masters had also forbidden her to do so without the mares' explicit permission. For now, she could not do much more but observe them, wait, and hope. She sighed a little.
She had almost reached the mares' community rooms when she encountered a mare, blocking a doorway she was about to pass. The mare was pretty, Ivana thought. She had a dark blue coat that seemed to sparkle mysteriously. Ivana had heard that mares like her come from a place called the Crystal Empire. She had never been there though. Back in Lindisbarne, after Master Vestri had sold her, Master Baldr had stayed there when the other the caribou marched to conquer the rest of Equestria. He had never left the town until they had moved to this castle, and subsequently, she also hadn't. This was the first time she saw a mare like this one from close.
"Look what we have here!", Shadow Amethyst smirked. "A little caribou cunt, on her way to spy on us for her Masters. Now what are we going to do with you?"
Ivana sheepishly cast her eyes down. "Th... this cow does not know of spying. She is here to spend time around you and the other mares... as the Masters have commanded", she responded. She looked up and smiled at the pretty, sparkling mare. "M... maybe I could spend some time with you."
In a quick move, Shadow Amethyst grabbed her right shoulder and pushed her against the wall, making her yelp in surprise. "You think you're clever, huh? Listen, bitch! I don't care what your own males do to you when you're over with them. But from now on, as long as you're here with us, you'll be my personal punching bag. Do you understand? You're my property now. You will do as I say, and you will gladly offer yourself as a punching bag and pleasure toy whenever I need to act out my frustrations. From now on, you will call me Mistress Shadow Amethyst." She pushed her even harder against the wall. "Do. You. Understand. Cunt?"
Ivana was completely surprised. "Yes, M... Mistress Shadow Amethyst... b... but... wh... what is a... Mistress?", she stuttered.
Shadow Amethyst put her left hand on the cow's tit, which was still covered by her thin white blouse, pushing and squeezing harshly at the same time, which caused Ivana to yelp in pain.
"Damn, you cows really are as stupid as everyone says!", the crystal mare said while placing her right leg between Ivana's legs and continuing to push her harshly against the wall. "Do you know nothing? A Mistress is a female Master."
Ivana's heart made a jump. She couldn't believe it. This was so much like her dreams! For a moment, she was wondering if she was indeed just having yet another daydream. But here she was. For all she knew, this was as real as anything could possibly be.
Shadow Amethyst moved her left arm under the blouse, starting to fondle the cow's tit directly. Then, she moved her leg upwards until it was directly below Ivana's cunt, which, pushing against it, with only the cow's thin skirt preventing her leg from making direct contact. She would get rid of that soon enough. "What are you waiting for?", she asked. "Hump my leg like the stupid fucking bitch you are!"
Ivana began to rub herself against the mare's leg slowly, but eagerly. She was almost ecstatic. She couldn't believe this was actually happening.
"Damn, you're enjoying this, aren't you?", Shadow asked, giving the cow a short but harsh slap to the face. "You enjoy being bullied and raped, you dumb fuck! Seems like I have to teach you a lesson..."
She was interrupted mid-sentence. A hand covered in dark grey fur grabbed the crystal mare by the shoulder and forcefully dragged her away from Ivana. "What is going on here?", a female voice asked.
Ivana looked up to see who the hand and the voice belonged to. What she saw was the prettiest, most beautiful female she had ever seen. The mare was tall, quite a bit taller than Shadow Amethyst, and also seemed quite strong, but she was still very feminine. Her coat had a wonderful, dark grey shade and seemed almost silken. She had a long, light grey mane, almost white, and the most impressive, light blue eyes Ivana had ever seen. She also seemed to be quite strong, holding Shadow Amethyst in a tight grip that prevented the smaller crystal mare from doing anything - and Ivana had just gotten a taste of Shadow Amethyst's own strength, which had already surpassed that of any female she had known so far. Nothing about the looks of this new mare would have given away her physical strength though. Ivana knew that the horn stump on her forehead identified her as a unicorn, just like the mare Master Vestri had taken back in Lindisbarne, briefly before he had sold her to Master Baldr. Ivana thought that this grey mare must have been even prettier when her horn was still there - but then she cut this train of thought and stopped herself from questioning the will of the Masters.
"M... Mistress Desire!", the crystal pony stuttered. "Please! It's not what it looks like!"
Mistress Desire? Ivana was confused. Hadn't Shadow Amethyst just commanded her to call her Mistress? The cow had heard and guessed that mares thought somehow differently of Masters and slaves than her own people - but were they really so confused about their place in the world that even their slaves were allowed to have slaves?
"Uh-huh", Mistress Desire said. "And what exactly does it look like?"
The crystal mare stuttered something Ivana couldn't make out.
"Yeah", Mistress Desire said with a stern voice. "That's what I thought." Then, she turned her gaze to Ivana. "You there! What's your name, little cow?"
Ivana instinctively looked down, avoiding the Mistress' gaze. "This cow's slave name is Ivana, Mistress", she responded.
Mistress Desire nodded. "Very well, Ivana", she said. "Since this crystal bitch here has apparently forgotten how to speak properly, I want you to tell me what happened here. Leave no detail out, I want to know everything. No opinions, just the facts."
The Masters had told her to follow the mares' commands to the letter, so Ivana gave the unicorn a detailed description of what had happened, reproducing her exchange with Shadow Amethyst word for word. Master Vestri and his brother had beaten most of her long-term memories out of her, but her short-term memory was still quite intact. She was confident that she hadn't missed a single detail. However, it made her a bit sad that she couldn't tell Mistress Desire about her dreams, about how Shadow Amethyst's actions had matched them so well, and about how she had enjoyed it. But the mare had commanded her to leave out opinions, so she only gave her the facts.
"So this is what you do when I'm not around to keep an eye on you, huh?", Mistress Desire asked the other mare. "Harassing and almost raping poor, helpless cows now? I know you're fucked up in the head, but that's low even for your standards. Seems like I can't leave you alone even for a second. I'll have to come up with a fitting punishment for you."
Shadow Amethyst whimpered a little.
"I have to find a punishment that actually affects you. You clearly need some time to think about what you've done." She paused for a moment. "Ah, I know. Give me the key to your room. I'm going to lock you in for two days, so you can think about what you've done. If Spring Breeze asks where you are, I'll tell her what you did, and that I locked you up in your room as a punishment. I have no doubt she'll support my decision."
"Mistress, please", Shadow Amethyst pleaded.
"Give me. The key. To your room. Now!", Deepest Desire repeated slowly and insistently.
Shadow Amethyst gulped and reluctantly pulled out a key, then put it into her Mistress' hand. She was still whimpering and trying to stutter half-assed excuses.
"You're getting off easy with this", Deepest Desire said coldly. "I'll take the two days to think about what other punishment might be appropriate, so you better behave from now on." Still holding the whimpering crystal mare, she now started to push her towards what Ivana assumed was the direction of Shadow Amethyst's room. The cow almost instinctively followed them, keeping a small distance from them.
A little more than a minute later, they reached a door to another room. Mistress Desire quickly pushed the crystal mare through the door, then closed it behind her, took out the key and locked the door. Then, she turned around to Ivana.
"Still here, huh?", Deepest Desire sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry this happened. I guess it's my fault. I should have kept a closer eye on Shadow."
Once again, Ivana looked down, avoiding her gaze. "Th... thank you, Mistress. M... may this cow speak her mind?"
"Of course!", Mistress Desire responded.
"This dumb cow apologizes, but she is confused. She understands little about how ponies think, but... she understands that the crystal mare needs to be punished for not knowing her place as your slave, for... p... pretending to be a Mistress herself. But... Mistress seems to think that the crystal mare needs to be punished for wronging this slave somehow."
Mistress Desire looked down at her and blinked. "Of course she wronged you", she said calmly. "She was bullying you, she was practically about to rape you when I intervened, and she would have done who knows what other things to you. Your Masters might see such things as desirable everyday trivialities, but as far as we are concerned, that means she wronged you."
"It's... um, it's... just... th... this cow had dreams of something like this...", Ivana said. "Of a... what do you call it... Mistress. A female that could act like a Master, and claim this cow as her little slave." She looked up briefly and gave the mare a shy smile, but then immediately cast her gaze down again.
"Huh", Mistress Desire said. "Now that's a surprise. Who would have thought?"
"This slave thought it was just a silly cow fantasy", Ivana continued. "Something she had to forget in order to become a good slave for her Masters, but that kept returning in her dreams because she is a dumb, worthless cow. This cow would never have guessed that... it could actually be real."
"I see", Mistress Desire said.
She came a step closer. "Listen, I understand if you want to have a Mistress. I find it endearing, actually. In a way, you're about to liberate yourself from your own culture. But trust me, Shadow Amethyst is not a suitable candidate. She wouldn't be a good Mistress. She would only use you and have her fun on your expense, without caring for you even the slightest bit."
"Isn't... um... this cow apologizes if she is saying something dumb, but isn't that the point of... being a Master?", Ivana asked. "I mean a Mistress", she quickly corrected herself, not even noticing her use of the first-person pronoun.
"It really isn't", Mistress Desire said, with an absolute determination in her voice that made Ivana shiver.
"Mistress... when the crystal mare pushed this cow against the wall and started to make use of her... it felt like one of this cow's dreams. But... this cow does not really want the crystal mare as her Mistress."
"Well, good that we agree on this", Deepest Desire said, then turned around and started to walk down the hallway. Ivana instinctively followed her. In order to get to the communal area of the other mares, she would have to go in the other direction. But she couldn't take her eyes or thoughts off this wonderful, pretty, strong and smart mare. She didn't want the crystal mare to be her Mistress, but that didn't mean she didn't want a Mistress any more.
After a few steps, Deepest Desire turned around, looked at the little cow, raised an eyebrow and sighed. "You want me as your Mistress, don't you?"
Ivana nodded weakly. "Th... this cow... knows that she has no say-so in this matter. She is just a slave. But... if Mistress wants to take her, she will happily submit."
Deepest Desire sighed again. "Why do the problem cases always end up being sent in my direction here? Well, I guess it comes with my profession."
She approached the cow who still had her eyes cast down, put her hand under her chin, softly raised it so she could look into Ivana's eyes, and gave her a welcoming smile. "Very well, little one. As I said, you might be in the process of liberating yourself from your own cultural upbringing, and who am I to deny you that chance? If you really want to be with me, I will take you. Don't worry, I will be a kind Mistress." She looked deeply into the cow's eyes. "You have pretty eyes, little one. Have you ever been told that?"
Ivana beamed with joy. "No, Mistress! Thank you, Mistress!"
Suddenly, Deepest Desire noticed something really odd about the cow in front of her. Her eyes widened in surprise. How was this even possible?
"I mean, um...", Ivana stuttered sheepishly, noticing her new Mistress' reaction, but interpreting it wrongly. "Th... this cow is not worthy of her Mistress' praise. She thanks her Mistress, but she promises not to let it go to her head..."
Deepest Desire was still so surprised that she didn't even listen to the cow's self-humiliating stuttering. How could this even be possible?, she thought once again.
She had to be sure. Slowly, she put her right index finger on Ivana's muzzle, shutting her up. "Shhh", she made. "It's alright. I mean it. Your Mistress isn't lying to you, so just accept her word. You have beautiful eyes and a cute smile, and I know you have a good heart." Then, she moved her head down and forward, pushing her lips on Ivana's. Only slowly at first - but then, a familiar feeling kicked in, and with a force she hadn't expected. She put her right hand on the back of Ivana's head and locked her in a deep, passionate kiss.
Don't be too brisk, she had to remind herself. There is still the possibility that you're wrong. Everything seemed to point to the contrary though. But still, better to err on the side of caution.
She broke the kiss, then looked the cow in the eye again. "That was... wonderful", she said. "You... are wonderful, little cow."
"Mistress...", Ivana stuttered, about to fall into her usual verbal self-degradation again. Once again, Deepest Desire smiled and put her index finger on her muzzle. "Shh, don't say anything. Take your Mistress' word for it."
"Yes, Mistress", Ivana said, her eyes cast down, avoiding her new Mistress' gaze.
"What do you say?", Deepest Desire asked. "Do you want to come with me to my room to deepen this... relationship?"
"If... if Mistress wants her cow to follow her... so she can make use of her cow's body for her pleasure... th... this cow will be happy to comply", Ivana said with a smile that was outright serene.
Deepest Desire smiled. "I take that as a Yes. Very well, give me your hand. I'll lead you." She extended her open hand towards the cow.
Ivana slowly placed her own hand in that of her Mistress. Deepest Desire smiled at her.
"Let me show you the way", she said. "From now on, I will show you the way."
As Ivana followed her new Mistress, her smile was as bright as the sun. |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 5: Encownters (part 2) | It was late afternoon when Eadgil and Bruna arrived at the clearing. The light of the autumn sun painted the forest in a mysterious and romantic light. Most of the non-evergreen parts of the forest had begun to lose their leaves, but the lone tree in the middle of the clearing still kept a full crown of red leaves, having lost only a few. Eadgil had untied Bruna's hands for the time being, but she was still wearing the rope chest harness, and he still lead her on the leash, so they wouldn't lose each other on the way through the woods.
When she saw the beauty of the place, Bruna smiled happily. "Master, it is wonderful here!", she said. "Thank you for leading me here. It's so beautiful..."
"It is, isn't it?", Eadgil confirmed. "This is my favorite place here so far, and the path isn't too difficult to find... but now, put your hands behind your back!", he commanded firmly, preparing the second rope he had been carrying in his other hand. "I'm going to tie them to your back again."
Almost like in trance, Bruna obeyed while enjoying the view of the clearing and the forest. Eadgil took her arms and tied them to her chest harness, once again using the one-column tie. "Tightly packed", he said, pleased with his work. He then took her leash again and led her to the tree. "Lean against it!", he commanded.
Bruna leaned against the tree with her back, spreading her legs so as to give the stag a good view of herself. "It's so lonely here", she said, as if lost in thoughts. Then she giggled a little. "Master, I'm tightly packed. If you wanted to turn me around and spank me, and then use me roughly from behind, there would be nothing I could do to stop you." She giggled again.
Eadgil chuckled and put his right hand to the tree next to her head, then brought his own head and body close to hers and looked her deep in the eyes. "That almost sounds like you want me to do that."
The cow giggled again. "Who says I don't?"
"I thought you don't like pain and punishment?", Eadgil inquired.
"Not too much, probably", Bruna answered, blushing a little. "But... you still have to punish me for showing you off in front of the other cows, remember?" She giggled softly. "I never expected to get off free for that. I wouldn't want to. I mean... you can't let me, can you?" She gave him a shy but encouraging smile.
With a quick move, Eadgil roughly turned her around and pushed her against the tree, then he let his hand run along her butt. "Do you really want this? Or are you suggesting it only because it would please me? Bruna... is this you confusing your own wishes with your Master's again?"
"I..." Bruna hesitated. "I'm not... I don't think so, Master. I told you I can't take too much pain, but... that doesn't mean I haven't been dreaming about it. Plus, as I said, I deserve it this time." She giggled again. "I've been a naughty cow, haven't I? Presenting my Master in front of all the other cows, using him to make them jealous... without asking for his approval first..."
Eadgil laughed. "Alright, you've convinced me. Don't worry, I won't be too harsh. A good old-fashioned sensual spanking, to get us both in the mood for a good fucking." He chuckled again. "But seriously, you have to introduce me to that mare who put these ideas in your head. I think I have to have a serious talk with her."
He raised his hand and brought it down on the cow's butt with medium force - strong enough to cause some pain, but still gentle enough to be sensual. Bruna yelped loudly. She was right, she was indeed sensitive to pain.
"Too harsh?", he asked?
"No, it's fine, Master", she responded. "I think I like it... a little bit."
Eadgil smiled deviously. "Well, that's not exactly the purpose of a punishment now, is it?" He raised his hand and brought it down on her ass once again, this time with more force, which resulted in an even louder, more painful yelp.
"Are you alright?", he asked after a few seconds.
"That... hurt", Bruna said. "But it's okay. I still feel like I deserve it." She giggled shyly.
"Well, in that case...", Eadgil mumbled, then slapped her butt harshly once again, which resulted in yet another loud yelp from his beloved cow. Not asking again, he continued the spanking, now returning to the more sensual slaps he had started with. He noticed how her little yelps slowly got him semi-hard.
"Master... I think I'm getting wet", Bruna observed.
Eadgil stopped with the spanking and indeed started to feel up Bruna's cunt with his fingers. She was indeed starting to get wet. "Given that this is supposed to be a punishment, you're enjoying this far too much", he said. "But alright... you're wet and I'm getting hard, so let's conclude the punishment and move on."
He unzipped his pants, released his cock and placed its tip right outside her vaginal opening. Without pushing in yet, he pushed the entire weight of his body against hers, pinning her to the tree. "Since you enjoyed the spanking, let's give our fuck a little punishment aspect as well. I'm going to use you roughly and without regard for your desire. You are allowed to come if you can, but I won't bother taking care of it."
Bruna sighed a little. "Yes, Master... that... sounds fair."
Eadgil chuckled and placed two fingers of his right hand on her clit while putting his left arm around her right below her breasts, pulling her towards him. "Don't worry, I also won't make it too difficult for you to get some pleasure out of this."
With these words, he forcefully pushed into her and started to fuck her harshly, while starting to tease her clit. She mooed in pleasure as he pounded her harshly, alternating between pushing her against the tree and pulling her back towards himself, not leaving her any moment of rest. Meanwhile, he started to roughly feel up her tits with his left hand while using the weight of his own body to push her against the tree. She yelped loudly as she felt more and more overwhelmed, a first orgasm building up inside her. Finally, she came, and involuntarily released a loud mooing sound.
Eadgil moved his right hand below her chin, holding her head gently but firmly. He was far from done himself. "You came, hm? Good for you, but you're far from having earned a rest. I still can go on for quite a while, and you're going to endure it as long as I wish."
Bruna blushed a little. "Yes, Master. I'm yours, use me for as long as you desire."
The stag now moved his left hand to her clit and continued the stimulation, while he guided her head to face left, bringing his own face close to hers. Instinctively knowing what he wanted from her, she opened her muzzle a little, expecting his kiss.
His lips connected with hers, and his tongue began to explore her muzzle. Her own tongue stayed down obediently, waiting for permission or nonverbal encouragement - but none came. He wanted her passive and receptive for now, and she felt content to comply to his wish.
With his own orgasm slowly approaching, his thrusts became even more rough and fierce. Being pushed against the tree by the weight and force of his body, having her muzzle filled with his tongue and her cunt filled with his cock, Bruna felt her second orgasm approaching.
"You're about to come again, aren't you?", Eadgil asked, breaking the kiss. "You will come with me this time", he commanded.
"Yes, ah... Master...", Bruna responded, struggling to keep herself restrained.
When he finally shot his seed into her womb, she also let loose and came a second time. They moaned and mooed in their shared pleasure, and finally relaxed, remaining in this position, leaned against the tree in their embrace, both panting heavily, enjoying the warmth of each others' bodies.
Eventually, Eadgil took a few steps back from the tree. Then, with one move, he grabbed Bruna and turned her around, then let go of her again and yanked her leash to make her stumble towards him. With a broad grin, he caught her in his arms as she fell towards him.
"Oh", Bruna yelped in surprise. Feeling his strong arms around her again, she started to giggle. "Master, you know how to make me feel weak." She let her body sink into his arms and pushed her head against his chest, burying it in his chest fur. "Mh, so cozy", she mooed softly.
He held her tight and once again, they just stood there for a while, enjoying the presence of each others' bodies.
"Master... you lied to me", Bruna eventually whispered, giggling a little.
"Huh?", Eadgil wondered.
The cow giggled even more. "You said you wouldn't bother to take care of making me come. But you did, didn't you? You made me come twice. After you said you wouldn't bother, I wasn't sure if I would come at all..."
Eadgil had to chuckle. "Heh... maybe I just can't bring myself to using you without giving you at least something in return." He paused for a moment, then he chuckled again. "Or maybe you are so turned on by me that my mere presence inside you was enough to make you come twice, and you misinterpreted it as me putting in effort. Who knows?" He chuckled again. "Or maybe both is true. I wouldn't count on it though."
Bruna giggled. "Well, um... if you wanted to try to make me long for you even more by not letting me come for a while, I might come to like that, I guess."
"You mean orgasm denial? Very well, I will keep it in mind, little one", Eadgil said, continuing to grin widely.
"Master...", Bruna whispered while pushing closer into him. "I want to thank you, and give you something back. Your cock is still covered in your cum and my fluids." She giggled again. "May I... clean it up for you, Master?"
The stag smiled and let go of her. "You may. Very well, Bruna. Go to your knees and do your work."
Smiling happily, she went to her knees before him, taking his cock into her hands and beginning to lick off his fluids, as well as her own.
Eadgil noticed how he was getting hard again. He grinned down at her. "You're doing a good job, Bruna. Keep this up and you're going to get a creamy, salty treat."
Bruna giggled a little and continued to lick his cock and balls clean. Eventually, she was done cleaning him, and he was rock hard again. She stared at his cock and licked her lips. "May I?", she asked. After a moment of thought, she added: "Um... Master?"
"Well, you don't want to just let it stand like this, do you?", Eadgil asked. "Get on with it!"
She instantly wrapped her muzzle around his cock and began to suck while massaging it with her tongue. A wave of pride rushed through her mind as she heard the stag moan in pleasure, a sound that instantly made her more eager. She was practically milking his cock with her muzzle at this point, and it didn't take long for him to cum into her muzzle. Feeling his cock going limp, she released it from her muzzle, keeping the cum in for a bit longer, savoring the flavor, before she swallowed. Then, she stuck out her tongue and cleaned up the rest of his cum as well.
Eadgil let his hand run across her head, petting her behind her ears. "Mh, that was good. You did an excellent job, little one. I'm proud of you."
Bruna smiled at him happily. "I... also really liked what we did, Master. I think the tree also liked it."
For a moment, Eadgil looked at her in confusion.
"I mean... um... at first when you were spanking me, the tree was almost disturbed, until he realized I was okay with it. Then it was fine. Especially when we were..." She giggled. "Making love. The tree seems to be really happy about our feelings for each other, Master. Maybe it'll even make the tree more healthy... or something." She interrupted herself for a moment, seemingly unsure. "Or... did my mind just... make that up? Am I rambling stupid cow stuff, Master?"
Still pondering what she had just told him, he didn't even seem to notice the insecure stutters she followed it up with. "So you felt a connection, too...", he mumbled, lost in thought.
Bruna's face became brighter. "So it's not just me? You felt it too?", she asked.
"Not this time", Eadgil said. "But the last time I was here, I felt a similar connection. Not words or thoughts though... it was more like I was picking up feelings and impressions from the tree."
"Yes", Bruna admitted. "No thoughts. Feelings. You didn't pick them up this time?"
The stag grinned. "Well, I didn't have much direct contact with it this time. After all, you were between us."
Bruna smiled. "That's true, Master."
"We still have a bit of time until we have to return", Eadgil said, sitting down and leaning against the tree. "Still a bit of time to just be here and relax. Come on, sit with me! I just want to hold you close..."
Still smiling, Bruna nodded and sat down in his lap, her hands still tied behind her back. The stag pulled her towards him and held her close. They closed their eyes and began to relax...
Deepest Desire had to go only a few steps from Shadow Amethyst's quarters to her own. Ivana followed her, still holding her hand.
The unicorn mare took out the key to her own room and put it in - but then she realized that the room wasn't locked. Snowflake had a key as well, and she suddenly realized that she had completely forgotten about her, and the fact that they wanted to meet up here. Immediately, she also noticed her own appetite.
She sighed and stepped in, Ivana following her. Snowflake's clothes were lying folded on a chair in the corner. The pegasus herself was lying on Deepest Desire's bed, naked save for a leather collar and cuffs. "Mistress, I'm ready for our daily... oh!"
Snowflake sat up in the bed. "Now look at that... Dee-dee, you realize that a cow has been following you here?" She smirked a little.
"Yeah, Shadow Amethyst was bullying her, and was about to take advantage of her", Deepest Desire reported. "I swear to Celestia, that crystal mare is a real pest! You can't leave her alone for even a second! I locked her up in her room now, so she can think about what she's done. Well, and then... this cow just started to follow her. I think she wants me to be her Mistress. I also... I've discovered something that I need to tell you about. It's kind of huge."
"First things first!", Snowflake said. "Don't you need... you know..." She cast a glance at the cow.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about", Deepest Desire answered. "I only know Ivana for maybe half an hour, but... I think she loves me. I showed her only a little bit of kindness, but she already feels real, genuine love for me. You understand?"
"Oh", Snowflake responded, walking over to the chair and picking up her clothes. "Well, I think that means you don't really need me today, do you?"
Deepest Desire moved close to the pegasus, gently grabbed her collar and forced her to look her in the eye. "Hey", she said. "You know that's not the only reason I want to be with you."
Snowflake smiled. "Yes, I know. I'm not disappointed or jealous, or anything silly like that. Believe me, no one knows as well as I do how you feel for me. But I still think I should leave."
Deepest Desire let her hand run along Snowflake's cheek. "You really don't need to leave."
Snowflake shook her head, still smiling. "No, it's fine. You should really take some time to get to know your new cowfriend." She chuckled a little, then looked over to Ivana. "Ivana was her name, right? I'm looking forward to getting to know her. I really do. Just... not today. I should really give you two some time to get to know each other better."
The unicorn let go of her, and she started to put on her clothes again. "I understand", Deepest Desire said.
Once she was dressed again, Snowflake moved in the direction of the door. "Hey!", Deepest Desire said, shortly before Snowflake left the room.
"Hm?", Snowflake made.
"If you don't want to be alone for the rest of the day, I could give you the key to Shadow Amethyst's room. I don't want you to let her out just yet, but you can tell her that if she promises to be a good girl, keep you company and do what you say, I would be willing to let her out a bit earlier. Maybe tomorrow evening. Of course, you can also discipline her in my name if she acts out."
Snowflake giggled. "Not sure if it would be okay to use her like that."
Deepest Desire shook her head. "You seem to forget that this is how she wants to be treated. She will only respect us if we show her that we don't hesitate to make use of her. I know it's fucked up, but that's how her brain seems to be wired. She gave herself to me willingly because she knew I wouldn't hesitate, and I already made it clear to her that I expect her to pay you the same respect she would give to me."
Snowflake raised an eyebrow. "Dee-dee, if you're trying to convince me that this is an okay situation, you're failing."
Deepest Desire sighed. "You're right. It's fucked up in all kinds of ways. It isn't her fault that she turned out the way she is now. I have taken Shadow Amethyst and treat her in the only way she seems to be able to respect because it's our only option. I would prefer if I didn't have to do this. I can't force you to go along with it like this." She pulled out the key to Shadow Amethyst's room. "I just want to give you the opportunity to help me deal with her, that's all. Maybe we'll change something if all three of us grow closer together. But it's your choice if you want to do it this way."
Snowflake thought for a moment. Then she reached for the key and took it, said another quick Goodbye to Deepest Desire, then went back to the door. Before leaving the room, she turned around again, facing the cow, who was still waiting patiently on one side of the room. "Bye, Ivana", she added. "I hope we'll be seeing each other again soon." She gave her a friendly smile, then turned around, left the room and closed the door.
"Well, that was Snowflake", Deepest Desire said. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to introduce you two properly. I'm sure I will be able to do so next time." She smiled. "I have to admit, this was a bit awkward..."
The cow still seemed to be confused. "May this cow ask a question, Mistress?", she asked.
"Always", Deepest Desire answered.
"Thank you, Mistress. Is... is Snow... Snowflake another one of your slaves, Mistress?", she asked. "Is she your... top mare?" She giggled a little.
Deepest Desire smiled patiently. The menage a trois between her, Snowflake, and Shadow Amethyst was already complicated, way out of the ordinary, and difficult to understand for the three of them, let alone anyone who would look at it from the outside. For a caribou cow, it was probably almost impossible to understand what was going on - at least judging by what she knew about them.
"Well... not quite", Deepest Desire answered. "Snowflake enjoys serving me, but she is here entirely of her own free will." She sighed. "Sadly, it's not that easy with Shadow Amethyst. But yes, I guess you could say Snowflake is my... what did you call it... top mare? I guess that would be a mare who is in charge of keeping her Master's or Mistress' other females in line?"
The cow smiled a little and nodded.
"Well... then yes, I guess you could call her my top mare. Shadow Amethyst knows that Snowflake is in charge whenever I'm not around, and that I'll punish her if she defies Snowflake."
Ivana looked down and giggled a little. "Will Mistress expect this cow to obey her like that as well?"
Deepest Desire moved close to her, let her hand run down her cheek and under her chin, then raised up her head to look into her eyes. "I don't expect you to do anything you don't want", she informed her.
The cow blushed and tried to avoid the unicorn's gaze. "But... this cow is a servant. She is not allowed to refuse her Master... or Mistress... or to have her own wishes." She thought for a second. "Although... one of the Masters also ordered this cow to take time to think about what she wants. That... friend of Master Baldr... umm..." She was trying to remember the stag's name. "Master A-ree?", she pronounced clumsily.
"Hm? Oh, Ari", Deepest Desire said. "You talked to him? Yeah, I guess he would say such a thing. Good idea, by the way. I also want you to do that."
Ivana smiled. "Thank you, Mistress. This cow thinks that Snowflake is pretty. Not as pretty as Mistress, of course. She seems nice as well. This cow wouldn't mind serving and obeying her as well. She will give her the respect befitting of Mistress' top mare."
Deepest Desire smiled. "I'm sure she will be glad to hear that. But there is another thing. I want you to stop refering to yourself in third person." She paused a moment, but once she noticed Ivana's confused face, she continued. "I mean I don't want you to refer to yourself as this cow or this slave any more. I know I said you don't expect you to do anything you don't want, but this is not negotiable. You're not a thing, you're a person, and a wonderful one at that."
Ivana blushed heavily. "Th... thank you, Mistress. This c... um... I just hope I will remember it. W... will you punish me if I slip up?" She gave Deepest Desire a shy look and a little smile.
"Hmmm..." Deepest Desire scratched her skin.
"It would really help me remember, Mistress", Ivana emphasized. "Mistress doesn't have to be harsh if she doesn't want to, just a quick spanking..." She still smiled.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me", Deepest Desire said. "I also don't want you to address me in third person as well. But okay, if you really think it could help you remember, I'll think about it."
Ivana smiled widely. "Thank you, Mistress!" She placed herself over the chair, belly down and butt up.
"What are you doing?", Deepest Desire asked.
"Um... I already... got it wrong a few times, I think", Ivana answered.
"Not since I gave you the order", Deepest Desire said. "You want me to punish you retroactively?"
"M... Mistress should do what sh... you... I mean...", Ivana stuttered. "You should do what you think is right."
Deepest Desire took place behind her and placed her right hand onto the cow's butt cheek. "Very well, if this really helps you remember and not slip up any more. You will get ten hard slaps. You will count, and thank your Mistress for them."
Despite her awkward position, Ivana nodded. "Yes, Mistress."
Deepest Desire raised her hand, then brought it down on the cow's ass harshly.
"Ah!", Ivana yelped. "One! Thank you, Mistress!"
Deepest Desire raised her hand again, then brought it down again.
"Th... two! Thank you, Mistress!"
Deepest Desire continued, keeping up her established rhythm, until the cow had counted to ten. Then, she gently let her hand run across her butt cheek. "You're a good cow, Ivana", she said. "A wonderful cow. You feel so soft, mmmh." She let her hand find its way between the cow's legs, then started to slowly and softly tease her with her fingers. The cow responded with soft moans of pleasure, and a few giggles.
Finally, Deepest Desire removed her hand, which got her a slightly disappointed sigh from the cow. "Leave my lap!", she commanded, and Ivana obeyed immediately, now kneeling before her. Deepest Desire rose from her seat and smiled down at her. "You may stand up." She pointed over to her bed. "I want you to go over there and lie down on your back for me."
Ivana slowly rose to her feet, nodded shyly, then walked over to Deepest Desire's bed and lay down on her back. Trying to look appealing to her new Mistress, she stretched, lifting up and presenting her firm, round breasts, and spreading her legs a little to give her Mistress a view, and access in case she wanted to take her. She turned her head to Deepest Desire and gave her another shy, but inviting smile.
Deepest Desire walked over to the table and picked up something. "Look at that. Looks like Snowflake left her leather handcuffs here." She looked over to Ivana. "Would you like me to use them on you? I won't do it if you don't want to, but I figured maybe you'd like that." She paused for a moment. "I don't... I mean I don't really understand how you cows work yet, so maybe I'm completely off..."
"This c...", Ivana started to answer, but then interrupted herself. "I have been chained or tied up often in the past. Master Baldr didn't do it, but Master Vestri put me in chains very often, for punishment or for his own amusement..."
Deepest Desire's eyes grew wide as she heard the name of the stag who she really held responsible for the loss of her horn, even despite the fact that it had been Eadgil who had done the cutting. "Vestri?", she asked. "Do you mean Councilman Vestri? King Dainn's right hand? Are you telling me that you were his cow once?"
Ivana nodded shyly. "Yes, Mistress. He sold me and his other cows after we landed in Lind... Lindis... that town where we landed, after he had taken his first mare."
Deepest Desire shook her head. "Why am I not surprised?", she asked, more to herself. "I assume he didn't give much about whether you wanted it or not?"
Ivana shyly shook her head. "No, Mistress."
"I'm sorry", Deepest Desire said. "I'm really sorry. For a moment, I forgot what you've been through. I shouldn't have asked."
"But why not, Mistress?", Ivana said, with a hint of disappointment in her voice. This c... I mean... I'm not entitled to an opinion, Mistress. If you want to cuff me and then take me, it is your right to do so."
Deepest Desire sighed. "This isn't going to work", she said. "I already said that I won't do it if you don't want me to."
Ivana turned her eyes toward Deepest Desire again, looking into her eyes. She blushed heavily, knowing that this was technically a transgression, and she prepared herself for Mistress' punishment - but she had to say something, and she had to look into her Mistress' eyes. "Mistress, I've... I've dreamed of this for so long. Not just of being with a female - of having a female Mas... Mistress. A female who would use me for her own pleasure, and value me depending on how well I serve her."
"Why do the difficult cases always end up with me?", Deepest Desire sighed. "You're not just submissive, you're codependent. It's probably the result of how Vestri and others treated you, probably all your life. Not to mention that you're highly susceptible to that sort of thing anyway. I should really have realized it. I shouldn't even have asked about the cuffs without further inquiry." She sighed. "Sometimes my own will to dominate others gets the best of me, I guess. I apologize"
Ivana didn't understand anything anymore. Was there something wrong with her? Had her Mistress just rejected her? Despite her Mistress' orders, she crawled out of her bed. On all fours, head close to the ground, she crawled towards Deepest Desire. "Mistress, did I do something wrong? Do you not want me any more? Please, this was almost a dream come true for me!" She reached out and grabbed her Mistress' leg, clutching close to it. "Y... you still want me, yes?", she whimpered - oddly enough, now with a bit more certainty in her voice.
Suddenly, Deepest Desire remembered what she had discovered about caribou cows - or at least about this caribou cow - earlier today. That little, very interesting feature about the psycho-magical setup of their minds that she had picked up. It was almost certainly part of what had turned Ivana into the whimpering mess she was now, but Deepest Desire realized that if she interacted with her in the right way, she could use this to help Ivana, maybe even fairly quickly. She also suddenly remembered why she had agreed to become her Mistress in the first place. She was fairly certain that she would be able to help this poor little thing - and a sudden feeling of emptiness reminded her that there was also still something she needed from her as well. But she would have to guard her feelings closely. Any wrong step could make the situation worse - but she also realized that rejecting Ivana now would also be a wrong step. For better or for worse, she would have to be dominant - and in this case, it first and foremost meant controlling herself.
She went to her knees so she could look the cow in the eyes. Then, she put her right hand on Ivana's cheek, gently holding her head. "Ivana, I'll say it again", she said firmly. "I won't do anything you don't want. I don't want you to comply because you feel obligated to me, or because you think you don't have the right to object, or any such thing. I only want to do it if you want it as well. I want to get an honest response from you." She held the cuffs in front of the cow's eyes, showing them to her. "Do you want me to use these to tie you up, and then make love to you? Yes or no?"
The cow nodded weakly. "Yes, Mistress." Then she smiled at her Mistress, affirming her decision. "Yes, I want you to tie me up and use me. I'm sure I will enjoy it very much, being used by a kind and beautiful Mistress like you."
Very well, Ivana", Deepest Deepest said. "I will take you - any way I want, just like you expect it from your Mistress. Stand up, return to the bed, and assume your position again."
The cow weakly rose to her feet, stumbled back to the bed, and laid on her back again, assuming the position she was in before she had left the bed, presenting her curves to her Mistress.
"Now that's a good servant", Deepest Desire said, picking up the cuffs again, then walking over to her bed as well. "Now lift your arms above your head", she commanded. "I will cuff you to the bed, and then I will... mmmh... enjoy you." Gazing upon the exotic beauty in front of her, she couldn't help but lick her lips.
Obeying her orders, Ivana looked at her shyly and gave her a little smile. "Mistress wants me...", she whispered happily.
Deepest Desire nodded. "Yes, I want you, Ivana." Lying down on top of the cow, she carefully cuffed her hands to the bed. Then, her right hand moved to Ivana's breast, while her left hand moved further down, finding its way to her thigh.
Ivana instinctively spread her legs even further in expectation of her Mistress' hand to move upwards. She didn't have to wait long. Only a few seconds later, she felt Deepest Desire's fingers gently massaging her outer folds. "Oh!", she moaned in pleasure.
Deepest Desire began to gently caress the cow's breast while continuing to feel up her folds. Eventually, her fingers found her way into Ivana's folds, and she started to gently finger-fuck her, trying to find her G-spot. Ivana's moaning got stronger.
"I love you, Ivana", Deepest Desire gently whispered into Ivana's ear.
Ivana looked at her with wide, happy eyes and a big smile. "Really?", she said, though she needed no confirmation. "Mistress... I lo..."
Before she could finish that sentence, Deepest Desire pushed her lips onto the cow's and locked her in a passionate kiss. She almost felt a bit guilty about using the cow that way - but she also remembered that it was also the only way to test her hypothesis, and that it might help Ivana as well.
When her Mistress broke the kiss, Ivana felt a bit dizzy, and even oddly distant - but Deepest Desire was already back to caressing her body with her hands, entering her with her fingers and beginning to finger-fuck her. While her other hand caressed the cow's left breast, the mare began to gently suck on the nipple of her other breast. Ivana moaned in pleasure while Deepest Desire once again began to tell her what a good cow she was, and how much she valued her. When the cow felt her feelings of dizziness slowly disappear and be replaced by renewed feelings of love and lust, she let herself fall once again, basking in the pleasure of her Mistress' fierce, but still gentle touch.
Finally, Ivana felt her orgasm approaching. Overwhelmed by the pleasure, she only managed to stutter. "Oooh, M... Mistress... I'm c... may I c... ooh!"
Deepest Desire looked her in the eyes and smiled. "Come for me, little cow!", she commanded.
Ivana exploded with pleasure, her entire body convulsing. Immediately, Deepest Desire pushed her lips onto the cow's again and locked her into yet another kiss that lasted until Ivana's orgasm started to ebb down.
Don't overdo it, Deepest Desire reminded herself, finally breaking the kiss, then gently undoing the cuffs.
She let her right hand run along Ivana's breast. "How did you like that, little cow."
Ivana smiled at her Mistress. "Mh, Mistress... your touch feels sooo wonderful." She thought for a moment. "Your kisses feel a bit odd, if... if I may say so. But only a little bit." She giggled.
Deepest Desire smiled back at her. "Yes, I guess they would. But good to hear that you're satisfied."
Ivana smiled at her shyly. "Mistress, you... you haven't come yet", she asserted truthfully.
"You're right, I haven't", Deepest Desire said, still smiling benevolently.
"Shall your little slave do something about that?", Ivana asked, blushing a little.
"First person, Ivana!", Deepest Desire reminded her, which resulted in Ivana blushing even more. "You don't have to do that if you don't want to. You already gave me more than you can possibly imagine."
"I did?", Ivana asked. "Well, I... it... it doesn't feel right, receiving the gift of such a wonderful orgasm from my Mistress and then not giving anything back. It's just not how things are supposed to be."
Deepest Desire put her hand on Ivana's cheek again. "I understand why you feel that way. Very well, you may pleasure me." She looked out of the window and noticed that it was getting dark already. "But we have to do it quickly, I still have other things to do."
She sat up in her bed. "Very well, Ivana. Kneel before me!"
Ivana left the bed and knelt before her Mistress, who parted her legs. The cow licked her lips as she got a good look at her Mistress' marehood.
Deepest Desire grabbed her by the collar and dragged her head toward her. "Very well, Ivana. Let's see how well you can use your tongue. Start to pleasure your mistress!"
Ivana began to lick her Mistress' outer folds, and eventually moved her tongue a bit up to lick around Deepest Desire's clit. The moans of her Mistress made her bolder, so eventually, she moved her tongue down again and entered her.
Almost instinctively, Deepest Desire put her right hand on the back of 'her' cow's head and held her in place.
Ivana's tongue was now deep inside her Mistress' cunt, exploring every last centimeter of it, taking in the taste. But her Mistress had commanded her to hurry, so she made sure to concentrate on the sensitive spots. Meanwhile, Deepest Desire had begun to pet the cow and compliment her again, encouraging her to continue.
Eventually, Deepest Desire came. It wasn't a spectacular orgasm, but when she pulled Ivana's head away from her again, she looked her in the eyes and praised her. "Mh, that was good. You're such a good cow." Upon hearing her Mistress' words, the cow smiled happily.
Deepest Desire pulled her up by the collar, then pulled her into another fierce kiss. This time, she broke it quickly though. Then, she moved backwards, onto the bed, bringing some distance between her and Ivana, who now stood before her. They smiled at each other for a moment.
Ivana herself now took a glance out of the window. It was getting dark fast.
"Mistress, I'm sorry that I took so much of your time. I know you have very important Mistress stuff to do", she said, giggling a little. "And I think Master Baldr is probably worried sick about me by now. I have to return to him, and tell him that I found a wonderful Mistress here."
Deepest Desire smiled. "Will I see you tomorrow."
Ivana smiled back. "If Mistress wishes it. I will be here with the other mares again tomorrow, so you know where to find me."
"Very well", Deepest Desire said. "Dismissed!"
Ivana looked at her for a moment.
"That means you can go", Deepest Desire added.
Ivana giggled, turned around and left the room, humming a little tune to herself - something she hadn't done since Master Vestri had beaten it out of her, but for some reason, she now felt the confidence to do it again. She didn't know what it was, but something about her Mistress was special.
Once the cow had left the room, Deepest Desire rose from the bed and went over to the great mirror that hang on the wall in her room. Carefully, she let the fingers of her right hand run around her horn stump, then over it. For a moment, she gave her own image in the mirror a mysterious smile. |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 6: Speaking Differences | Eadgil sat under the tree, his arms wrapped around Bruna, holding her close, for quite a while before he decided it was time to return back to the castle.
He told her it was time to return, and they made their way back the same way they had come, arriving at the castle shortly before dusk. When they arrived at his room, he pulled out his key, opened the door, and let Bruna in. She was still tied in her chest harness with her arms bound behind her back.
They stood beside each other for a moment. Then he grabbed her by the collar and gently forced her to her knees, standing close to her.
Bruna giggled. "Do you wish another blowjob, master?"
Eadgil smiled, letting his hand run across her head gently. "No, I just like to see you kneel before me." He grinned. Bruna giggled shyly.
"Alright, time to get you untied, Bruna", Eadgil said. "I want to do some reading, and you probably want to return to the other cows."
He went around her, then began to untie her. She sighed a little as she felt her arms being freed.
"Very well", he said when he was finished. "Rise!", he commanded.
Bruna stood up. "Thank you for this afternoon, master", she said. "It was wonderful."
Eadgil nodded. "May many wonderful afternoons follow this one", he said, putting his right hand to her cheek and giving her muzzle a short, gentle kiss. "I will see you tomorrow, little one."
Bruna nodded, picked up her dress which she had left in the room when they had left for the forest, then slowly left and softly closed the door behind her.
Eadgil returned to his desk and opened the volume of Clover the Clever's Magical Stones and Their Uses, which he had borrowed from the castle library. Like the other tomes in the library, the book had somehow survived the centuries in the midst of a ruin - Eadgil somewhat suspected that some kind of magic was preventing their decay, yet he did not understand why it had not stopped other parts of the castle from aging. Or maybe the books themselves were enchanted. If so, it was a magic his own people had sadly never heard of, and he also wasn't sure if it was still known to ponykind today. There were of course ways to test the books for magic, but so far, he hadn't had the time to do so. He also feared that testing things without proper precaution might damage the books.
But this was not the time to solve this riddle anyway. In time, he would conduct the appropriate tests and try to find the books about the castle itself in the library, but right now, he had more important tasks. He opened the book carefully. Maybe here he would find something useful for breaking the Crystal Heart spell, or at least weakening it.
After only a few minutes, he heard a knocking on his door.
"Bruna, is that you?", Eadgil asked loudly.
He got no response. Instead, there was just a repetition of the knocking sound.
Eadgil sighed, and turned around in his chair. "Come in!", he said. "The door is not locked."
The door opened, and a light-blue coated mare entered the room. She was a unicorn, and quite attractive. She was dressed in something that was surprisingly revealing - probably as revealing as she could get away with within the rules set up by the mares. It reminded him of Bruna's dress.
"Hello... there", Eadgil said, still not sure how to talk to her. "I didn't expect any mare but Spring Breeze to come here. How can I help you?" He paused for a second. "I hope there isn't any problem with the other stags?", he said in a worried tone.
"Huh? No, nothing like that!", the mare said. "Sorry if I've worried you. I just wanted to meet you. I mean I wanted to get to know you, sir."
She emphasized the last word, but there was nothing meek in her voice. She stood there with the certainty of a mare who knew exactly what she wanted.
"Oh?", Eadgil just asked.
"Yeah, I think you're a fascinating individual", the mare said. "I've been interesed ever since I saw you - back when you and the others took off our collars. Of course, I wanted to learn a few things about you before outright approaching - I would have come far earlier otherwise." She chuckled a little.
"You've been stalking me?", the stag asked.
"Nothing so drastic." The mare shook her head. "No, I just asked that cow of yours a few questions. A sweet thing, isn't she?"
Eadgil nodded, and then his mind connected the dots. He rose from his seat with a neutral expression on his face.
"So you're the mare who put all those wicked little ideas into Bruna's head?", he asked.
The mare lowered her head and looked at him with playfully apologetic eyes. "Yeah, that would be me", she admitted with a grin. "Are you mad at me, sir?"
"Don't tease me like that", Eadgil said in a harsh voice. "You should just know that I punished Bruna for showing me off to the other cows like some sort of trophy."
The mare's face went from playfulness to genuine worry in a second. "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to get your cow into trouble." There was something in her voice that seemed like she was reconsidering her choice to come here.
Eadgil abandoned his stern face and laughed. "Trouble? That wasn't trouble. I think Bruna had more fun at it than I had. You can ask her tomorrow if you don't believe me."
The mare visibly relaxed. "I believe you. Good to hear that I didn't misjudge you, sir."
"To be honest, I find it refreshing", Eadgil said, apparently ignoring her last sentence. "Bruna is already bolder than other cows, which is how she came to me in the first place. I think supporting this trait is beneficial. But I think you haven't introduced yourself yet."
"Oh, I'm sorry", the mare said. "How improper of me." Once again, she chuckled. "I'm Star Charmer. And I understand your name is Ari?", she asked. "Is that a usual caribou name?"
"It is a chosen name", Eadgil informed her. "It's not usually used as a name, but it is a word in our language. Or rather, it used to be - it was a word in an older version of our language, and today it is used only in poetic language."
"I see", Star Charmer said. "What does it mean? I know it means lion in Zebrew, but I guess it's different in your language."
"Ari used to mean eagle", Eadgil just said. "But I didn't choose it because of that. Someone called me that... in a dream."
Star Charmer suddenly became very interested. "A dream?", she asked. "You have to tell me about that!"
"You sure are a curious mare", Eadgil said. "But I would prefer not to speak about that topic right now." He still remembered the nightmare he had in the first night he and Deepest Desire had spent in the vast, dark castle ruins. As a matter of fact, he remembered it a bit too vividly for a mere dream. It still sent chills down his spine, and he sometimes worried that if it weren't for Baldr, Bruna, and the great aim they were all working toward, it would pull him into another depression. He hadn't had any further nightmares he was aware of, but finding sleep was sometimes difficult, and the memories still haunted him.
The mare frowned. "If you want to bottle up, fine. At least tell me your birth name", she demanded.
"Eadgil", the stag replied. "It means first lance."
"So your names are Eagle...", Star Charmer said, "...and First Lance. Dammit, I really can't decide! I think I'll stick with sir for now."
"Suit yourself", Eadgil said disinterested. "As long as you don't call me Master." He smirked.
The mare chuckled again. "Nah!", she said. "You haven't earned that title yet."
Eadgil came a step closer. "Is that so?", he asked, smiling.
Ancestors be damned, get a grip on yourself!, he thought. He couldn't believe he would fall for a little bit of teasing so easily.
"What do you want?", he asked the mare after a moment of silence.
"Oh, that's easy", Star Charmer said. "I want the same thing Bruna has."
Eadgil couldn't stop himself. He laughed. "Yeah, no you don't", he said.
Star Charmer looked away. "Well, not exactly the same thing", she admitted. "I don't want to be a slave. I just want you to occasionally grab me, pin me to the wall, give me a few good slaps and then stick your tongue into my throat." She laughed.
Damn, that was direct, the stag thought. He came a step closer, looking into her eyes.
"I think I might like that, too", he said.
Then, he took a step back and turned half away from her. "Alas, I think Spring Breeze and the other mares wouldn't like that", he said.
"You aren't supposed to do it to them, silly!", Star Charmer exclaimed, chuckling.
Eadgil laughed. "You know that's not what I meant. After everything that happened between our two peoples, and everything that's still going on in the rest of Equestria, I think it would make a lot of mares very nervous if we just started something along those lines. Particularly because it doesn't just seem to be sex you're after, am I right?"
Star Charmer nodded. "I think that was obvious."
The stag continued. "My point is, I think we should speak to Spring Breeze first, and then at least bring it to the attention of the other mares. That way, we can make sure that everyone knows what's going on. I think we should be open about these things here in our community."
She nodded again. "I agree with that", she said.
"Good", Eadgil said. "My friend Baldr has invited me over for a few drinks the day after tomorrow, and I know that he also wants to invite Spring Breeze eventually." He ignored the small chuckle that came from Star Charmer's direction. "Maybe you two can come over that day and then we can talk about it together. I'll talk to Baldr tomorrow, and then I'll send Bruna over to inform you and Spring Breeze. You should also talk to her."
"Sounds like it's a date", Star Charmer said, smiling at him.
Eadgil nodded, and then the mare left his room - turning her head one last time and giving him a wink.
The next morning, Deepest Desire and Snowflake were sitting together in the common room, enjoying their breakfast.
Snowflake took a sip of her coffee. "So, tell me about your evening with Ivana yesterday."
"We spent a few nice hours together", Deepest Desire told her. "Then I sent her home so her Masters wouldn't worry about her. This wasn't just sex though. I told you yesterday. I only just met her, but she already has feelings for me. Strong feelings."
"So... you're not hungry?", Snowflake asked with a lowered voice, absently looking around the table.
"Not one bit." Deepest Desire grinned, then took a big bite out of her hayburger.
"Well, good to hear", Snowflake responded. "Does this have to do with... what you discovered?", she asked.
The other mare nodded. "Indeed, it does."
"So what have you found out?", Snowflake poked further.
"Well, she's an excellent... source", Deepest Desire responded.
Snowflake frowned a little. "Yes, I've gathered that by now. Is that all?"
Deepest Desire chuckled. "So impatient... I was going to get to it. What I was about to say is that Ivana is an empath. A strong one. Immensely strong, in fact."
"An empath?", Snowflake asked.
"Of course, all intelligent creatures have some empathic ability", Deepest Desire began. "The ability to pick up other people's emotions and mirror them to a certain degree seems to be a prerequisite for intelligence, although not the only one. But of course, not all species develop this to the same degree. For example on average, a pony is likely to be more empathetic than a diamond dog. There are exceptions, of course, but on average."
Snowflake nodded. "So what's the difference between Ivana and... let's say... me?"
"The degree of her empathy, obviously", Deepest Desire responded. "Ivana is at least a total empath. The overwhelming majority of intelligent creatures only pick up other creatures' emotions and intentions partially. Anything more would overwhelm them. She picks it up and mirrors it completely, virtually unfiltered."
"Oh", Snowflake said. She took a sip of her coffee. "Explains why they often seem to be overwhelmed by their surroundings, particularly if many people are present - and why they often stay close to their respective Master. I thought it was instinct, or maybe cultural conditioning... "
"I'm pretty sure the latter plays a role", Deepest Desire said. "Maybe also the former."
Snowflake was still thinking. "So she picked up your sympathy for her..."
She paused. "Wait. That doesn't make sense. If she just mirrored your own sympathy for her, that would only have produced a relatively small amount of positive emotion, not larger than your own. Definitely not enough for an entire day."
"Not that small", Deepest Desire admitted. "But you are correct, of course - which is why I said she was at least a total empath."
"Oh?", Snowflake asked.
"Total empaths are very rare, but they exist", Deepest Desire said. "Of course, people from my... peer group have always tried to get their hands on them whenever one popped up. But you're right, if she was just a total empath, that alone wouldn't explain the intensity of her reaction. The likely explanation is that circumstance plays a role here. She has a troubled past to say the least, her mind broken down by people who hated her, the stress of the new situation here in Freeville, and then I come and save her from Shadow Amethyst's bullying... plus this is possibly the first time in a long while that she gets that much affection, and attention. Her last owner seems to be a decent guy from what I could gather, but I know he has a lot of cows. Maybe her overreaction to my affection is a result of the circumstances. And then you should also consider the fact that she has wished for female Masters, and I'm the first one who fits the bill. Well, possibly the second one, so far the Mistress of her dreams was apparently more like Shadow Amethyst - but fortunately, she seems to have gotten that idea out of her head at least, probably due to Shadow addressing me as her Mistress. This is the most probable explanation by a long shot."
Snowflake nodded absently, her thoughts apparently being stuck somewhere along the way.
Without really noticing, Deepest Desire continued. "I have to admit, the intensity of her reaction initially made me come up with a far weirder, more unlikely hypothesis. There is a legend among my people - a legend that there might be a creature that is more than a total empath. An... amplifier. A being that doesn't just mirror the feeling when I show her affection, but increases the intensity of the feeling to a massive amount. Of course, this is almost certainly wishful thinking. No one from my... peer group takes this legend seriously. I saw it as something similar to how every sapient species has legends about a land where resources are so overabundant that all material worries are gone - a collective coping mechanism for the hardships of the world. As a matter of fact, something like this shouldn't be possible. It violates the laws of magic as we currently understand them." She paused.
"There is one thing I don't understand", Snowflake admitted. "You said you showed her a bit of affection, and she mirrored it by falling in love with you head over heels."
Deepest Desire nodded. "Apparently, yes."
"So... if she really was an... amplifier, does that mean that if I felt a little bit contempt for her, she'd start to see me as the most disgusting, degenerate, wretched filth that has ever walked the earth?", Snowflake asked.
Deepest Desire shook her head. "That's not how this kind of mirroring works", she said. "The ability to mirror the feeling itself is innate. But the mind's decision about towards whom to direct that feeling, whether consciously or unconsciously... that's something that is learned. Ivana is conditioned to mirror affection from an authority figure back to said authority figure, but to mirror negative feelings by internalizing them. It's of course an unhealthy way of mirroring, but the opposite would obviously be just as unhealthy. So... she likely sees you as the top mare of her Mistress' harem, so if you showed her contempt, it would likely result in her despising herself, at least to some degree. Or it might only result in a general sense of depression whenever you're around, since her self-definition might be more focused on her Masters than on their other..." She paused, struggling with words.
Snowflake nodded. "You don't have to say it. I know what you want to say. Ivana can't fully grasp the idea of a free relationship just yet, so she applies her own conceptual coordinates to you, me, and Shadow Amethyst. That aside, I also get the general idea you were trying to convey now. The ability to mirror feelings like this is innate - but the way how they are mirrored is something that is learned. It's a bit complicated to wrap your head around, this intersection of nature and upbringing, but I think I get it."
Deepest Desire nodded.
"What was that one thing about amplifiers you said earlier? They're not supposed to exist or something. I didn't fully get that. I was too busy trying to wrap my head around the whole mirroring thing."
"Oh, that." Deepest Desire grinned. "The whole amplifier hypothesis is probably just a crazy idea of mine - or maybe wishful thinking. You know I often ponder several contradicting ideas at the same time until I can definitely prove one and disprove the other, but that one was probably just silly. Ivana's strong reaction to me is probably the result of circumstance just as much as of her empathy."
"You have to explain it to me in more detail another time", Snowflake said. "Maybe we can find ways to test all of your theories... as silly or insane as they may sound."
Deepest Desire smiled. By now, her student knew the drill.
Of course, she had one more piece of evidence that she hadn't told Snowflake about, and that really made her wonder if the world really was far weirder and more crazy that she had thought so far - but that was still flimsy and she had to make sure first.
"But Dee-dee...", Snowflake said, lowering her voice. "You have to tell her."
Pulled out of her train of thought, Deepest Desire felt confusion for a moment. "Tell her what?"
"You know exactly what I mean, Dee-dee!" She lowered her voice again. "You have to tell her what you do with her emotions."
"Sorry", Deepest Desire said. "You're right. The next time I'm alone with her, I will tell her. Oh by the way, did you visit Shadow Amethyst yesterday evening?"
Snowflake looked up from her coffee cup and shook her head. Then, she spotted Ivana, who had just entered the room. "There's Ivana", she said.
Deepest Desire turned around on her chair, looking in Ivana's direction. When she spotted her, she waved. "Good morning, Ivana! Come here, join us at our table!"
Upon seeing her Mistress, Ivana smiled and rushed over to their table.
Once she had reached the table, the caribou cow fell onto her knees before Deepest Desire, pushing a small kiss on her hoof. "Good morning, Mistress. This c... uh, um... I am at your service."
"Well, good morning, Ivana", Deepest Desire said. "Have you slept well?"
"Yes, Mistress. My body is well-rested and ready to serve again."
"Good", Deepest Desire said, smiling a little. "What about breakfast? Have you already eaten?"
Ivana shook her head. "No, Mistress. I know I should eat to make sure to stay healthy for you, Mistress, but... my first thought upon waking up was coming here to see you. I apologize. Do you wish to punish me, Mistress?"
"No, silly", Deepest Desire responded. "I want you to have breakfast with us." She picked up her hayburger. "Would you like a hayburger?", she asked.
Ivana looked up, her eyes widened. "Is that... Mistress' food?", she asked.
"I'm really not hungry." Deepest Desire smirked. "I've eaten a lot yesterday evening."
Snowflake shook her head. "Subtle", she mumbled.
Ivana looked down again. "I... I can't take that, Mistress. It's too good for me. And it belongs to my Mistress."
Deepest Desire handed her the hayburger, holding it right in front of her face. "Please, I insist", she commanded.
Shyly, Ivana moved her head forward and took a small bite from the burger.
"Not what I expected", Deepest Desire said, chuckling a little. "I guess I should have known better. So, you want me to feed you like this?"
Ivana looked at her in confusion. "Want you to...?"
"I see. Well then. Don't be shy! Take another bite!"
Slowly, Ivana's head moved forward again, then took another bite - a slightly bigger one this time.
"Go on", Deepest Desire said. "When I withdraw my hand, I want to have nothing of the hayburger left in it."
Ivana nodded, then moved forward and began to eat the burger from her Mistress' hand.
Snowflake chuckled. "And I thought I was submissive!"
"Not overly", Deepest Desire said with a big grin, making Snowflake chuckle again.
Once Ivana was finished, Deepest Desire put her hand on her new pet's cheek and gently forced her face upwards in order to look into her eyes.
"Ivana, I have to tell you something important", she said. "But not here. Please, follow me to my room."
Ivana nodded. "Will your mare be with us this time, Mistress?" She looked at Snowflake, giving her a little smile, then at her Mistress.
"Well...", Snowflake said. "What do you say, Dee-dee? Do you want me with you when you tell her?"
"Sure, you can join us", Deepest Desire said. "Not that I need you, but Ivana seems to like you. So if you have nothing better to do, sure."
Snowflake nodded. "Very well, I'll accompany you. Dee-dee, you have made me curious. I do want to get to know our new... friend." She smiled at Ivana.
Deepest Desire rose up. "Alright, then. Onward!"
Snowflake stood up as well, and they both moved to the exit of the dining hall. Ivana followed them on all fours.
"I would be more comfortable if you followed us on your hind legs", Deepest Desire told her after noticing a few weird glances from other mares. She smiled. "At least for now."
Without a word, Ivana stood up and followed them.
They arrived at Deepest Desire's room, and the grey unicorn opened the door. She waited a moment to let the other two enter.
Snowflake immediately stepped in. Ivana stayed behind, giving her Mistress an insecure look.
"Please, enter", Deepest Desire said.
Ivana cast her eyes down and blushed a little. "Before Mistress?", she asked. "That wouldn't be right. I should be crawling behind you, on all fours."
Deepest Desire sighed. "Alright, I shall go first."
She entered the room, and Ivana slowly followed her.
Snowflake had already taken the chair, so Deepest Desire walked over to the bed and sat down. Ivana followed her in a respectful distance, and eventually went to her knees in front of her. Legs spread, she stretched her neck to give her Mistress a good view of her body, and placed her hands on her upper thighs, palms faced upwards. Her eyes were still cast down in submission.
"You may sit on the bed beside me", Deepest Desire said. "There's enough space for both of us."
Ivana blushed again, but kept her eyes down and said nothing. She made no move to change her position.
"That was an order, Ivana", Deepest Desire said with a harsher voice. "I told you we'd have to talk about something important, and this is... mh... distracting."
Ivana blushed harder, now smiling slightly. "Th... thank you, Mistress", she whispered. Then, she moved over to the bed and sat down beside her Mistress.
"Let's see how she handles this...", Snowflake said, not sure herself whether she meant Ivana or Deepest Desire.
"Ivana...", Deepest Desire said, putting her hand under the cow's chin and gently moving it upwards and towards her, forcing her to look into her Mistress' eyes. "Do you know what a changeling is?"
"No, Mistress", Ivana said. "I have heard the word. I think Master Vestri mentioned it once or twice. Maybe also Master Baldr. But I don't know what it is."
Deepest Desire hesitated for a moment.
"A changeling...", Snowflake began to explain, "...is a normally vaguely equine-shaped bug creature that has the magical ability to assume other shapes, disguising as ponies or other sapient creatures."
She paused for a moment. "Do you follow so far?"
Ivana nodded weakly.
"Dee-dee, do you want to continue?", the pegasus asked.
"No, you're doing fine", Deepest Desire said.
"Thank you, Mistress", Snowflake said, grinning and winking at her.
After another short pause, she continued. "Changelings use their ability for disguise in order to blend in with societies of other creatures. They do this because they drain positive emotions, particularly love, in order to acquire the magical energy to sustain themselves. Do you understand?"
Ivana shook her head. "No..."
"Changelings feed on sympathy and love", Deepest Desire put it in simpler terms.
Ivana said nothing for a long while.
"Mistress, may... may I ask a question?", she eventually asked.
"Always, Ivana", Deepest Desire answered.
"Why... why are you telling me all this?"
Deepest Desire sighed, struggling with words. "Yesterday evening, when we were together and I used you, how was it for you?", she eventually asked.
Once again, Ivana looked down and blushed. "A slave... shouldn't think about her own pleasure. All her thoughts should be about Mast... Mistress' wants." She paused for a moment. "Did... did I please Mistress?", she asked.
"Oh, you have no idea how much", Deepest Desire responded, smiling at her.
Once again, she moved her hand to the cow's chin and forced her to look into her eyes. "But that's not what I asked for, is it? I don't want to be flattered, and I don't want to give you my feedback. I want an honest answer."
She paused for a moment. "How did you feel?", she asked again, more pronounced.
"It was wonderful, Mistress", Ivana said. "Everything I dream of, and more! Except..." She fell silent.
"Tell me how my kisses made you feel", Deepest Desire demanded.
Ivana looked down again and blushed heavily.
"Ivana, your Mistress demands an honest answer", the grey mare sitting beside her insisted.
Ivana burst into tears. "They... weren't what I dreamed of", she admitted. "It was supposed to be wonderful! True feelings of... heartfelt submission! But it just felt... cold. Lonely. But..." She paused, sobbing. "But only a little bit, and... only for a moment, Mistress! You were so..." She paused. "So kind to me, and everything else you did was wonderful!"
She sank off the bed, falling to her knees and clutching at her Mistress' legs. "Please, Mistress! Don't make me go away! I'm so sorry, it's my fault that your kisses feel weird to me! I... I think I'm not doing it right! I disappointed you, please punish me, but don't send me away!"
Deepest Desire grabbed her by the collar and roughly pulled her upwards, looking into her eyes.
"Ivana", she said with a harsh voice. "Stop being ridiculous! I'm not going to send you away."
Immediately after, she bowed her head down to her cow and pushed her lips onto hers, locking her into a long kiss.
Ivana's eyes widened. It didn't feel like yesterday. It felt... wonderful. Just like she had dreamt it would feel.
Eventually, Deepest Desire broke the kiss.
"You see?", she asked. "This has nothing to do with you."
"What... how...", Ivana mumbled in confusion.
"Well, this was a normal kiss", Deepest Desire said. "Or rather, this one was actually a kiss. The others I gave you yesterday evening... weren't."
Ivana looked at her in complete confusion.
"She doesn't make the connection", Snowflake observed.
Deepest Desire sighed. "Ivana, do you still remember what we told you about changelings?"
"The can change their form", Ivana said. A moment later, she giggled. "I wish I could do that. I could take whatever forms my Mistress wished. I could give you so much pleasure, Mistress. Anything you wished for..." A big smile crept onto Ivana's face.
"Trust me, you don't want to be a changeling", Deepest Desire sighed. "It comes at a high price."
Ivana thought for a moment. "Oh yes, the other thing..." She struggled to remember. "Mistress... you said they feed on... love, right?"
Deepest Desire nodded. Ivana remained silent.
"She still doesn't make the connection", Snowflake said. "You will have to spell it out for her."
The mare on the bed sighed again. "Ivana, look at me."
Ivana moved her head up again, still kneeling before her Mistress, now looking into her eyes.
"Ivana, the reason why my kisses briefly made you feel empty and distant is because I was feeding on your feelings for me."
The cow needed a moment to process what she had just heard. Eventually, her eyes widened.
"You are...", she said, not finishing the sentence. But her eyes gave away that she had understood.
"Yes, Ivana", Deepest Desire said. "I am a changeling."
Ivana nodded. "That's why it felt... so cold. My love was... taken."
Deepest Desire nodded. "Well, not all of it, of course, but yes. Unlike other changelings, I have principles. You produce a lot of love, and you replenish quickly. It was more than enough to feed me for a day, but it was only a small amount of what you have. Otherwise you would have fallen into depression. I don't do that."
Ivana nodded. "I understand, Mistress. May I speak?"
"Yes, Ivana. Always"
"I still love you, Mistress", Ivana blurted out. "More than anything. Every moment I was away from you, I... thought of nothing but you."
Deepest Desire nodded again. "As I said, you replenish quickly. I only show you a bit of affection and you fall in love with me head over heels. And it still works instantly and without detriment after feeding. It's... astonishing. I have never seen something like this, and I think neither has any other changeling."
"Is that... surprising?", Ivana asked. She giggled. "I always thought all females felt like that for their Masters. Master Vestri always said that most mares just don't see it because they're stubborn, and have to be taught to understand it."
She paused for a moment. Another realization dawned in her mind. She looked at Deepest Desire in shock.
"But if that isn't true... then... then...what Master Vestri and the others do to them... isn't right! It isn't..."
Tears were welling in her eyes again.
Deepest Desire let herself sink off the bed, now kneeling besides Ivana. She wrapped her arms around the cow and pulled her into a close embrace. "Ivana... that's what I was trying to tell you yesterday. What Vestri did to you also wasn't right. Just because some kind of magical power lets you pick up his contempt for you and internalize it, it doesn't make it right. In a way, it makes it worse. A mare can at least decide to resist it. You... you just fall for it. You fall into this tar pit of contempt and it engulfs your mind."
Ivana gulped. "When I was with Master Vestri... it felt worse than your feeding. Far worse. I... I thought I justly felt bad about myself because I wasn't able to serve him well. But... but... he made me feel like that!"
"Stags are probably not fully aware of the degree to which cows pick up their feelings, and of how much it can hurt them", Deepest Desire said. "But in case of Vestri, it's safe to assume that he wouldn't care even if he knew. He and the others around him don't even care about mares' feelings, and in their case, it's much more obvious that what they do to them harms them."
She paused for a moment, her fur slowly becoming wet from Ivana's silent tears.
"I... I'm sorry, Ivana", Deepest Desire said. "I also harmed you. I fed on you without telling you. The reason I told you was because this is your choice. If you don't want me to feed on you, I won't. I will not send you away because of it. You should make this choice freely and without pressure."
"Mistress...", Ivana sniffed, her head still pressed against her Mistress' bosom, her eyes still wet. "F... feed on me."
Deepest Desire put her hand to the back of Ivana's head, holding her close. "Are you sure?", she asked. "You need to make this decision freely. I think if you only agree out of fear or a sense of obligation, that wouldn't be right."
"Mistress, feed on me!", Ivana repeated, now with more certainty in her voice. "Just a little bit, to keep my... love low. I want to love you forever. I don't ever want to lose that, but... I also don't want to..." She was struggling with words. "I don't want to lose myself to it. Please, Mistress, help me..."
Deepest Desire smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. Not sure if this applies to all cows, but it seems like you're smarter than your Masters give you credit for. I had similar thoughts yesterday. That's how I justified feeding without telling you."
Snowflake raised an eyebrow, but decided to remain silent.
Ivana cast her eyes down again, smiling softly.
Deepest Desire put her hand under Ivana's chin, gently raising her head until they were looking into each other's eyes. She brought her own face closer to the cow's and opened her own muzzle, as if to kiss her...
Their lips didn't even touch this time, but Ivana felt a sensation of coldness and distance inside of her again - though only slowly. The changeling took care not to overexert 'her' cow.
Ivana's eyes widened. For a moment, she noticed that with the distance also came a certain clarity of the mind - the feeling of being clearly separate from those around her. Such a feeling of clarity had been unknown to her so far.
Then, the coldness stopped to increase - and as Ivana felt her Mistress' hand on the back of her head, holding her in place, Deepest Desire's lips made contact with hers. Once again, she lost herself in the passion of being owned.
Eventually, her Mistress broke the kiss, smiling at her. "You took the feeding very well, Ivana", she said. "I thought a little reward would be in order."
"Thank you, Mistress", Ivana replied.
Suddenly, a thought came to her. "Mistress, may I ask a question?"
"Always, Ivana", Deepest Desire replied.
"If you are a changeling, can you... change shape? Can I see it?"
Deepest Desire shook her head. "Not right now, no. Your people cut my horn. I'm stuck in this form until I can gather enough love to regrow it."
"I want to help you, Mistress", Ivana said.
The changeling smiled. "You're already helping me."
"I still don't understand why you're stuck in this form", Snowflake observed. "If a unicorn casts a sustained spell, she has to pour magic into it constantly, or else it disappears. So cutting her horn would simply dispel the magic as well - so I would assume it's the same with a changeling. Unless changeling shapeshifting is more similar to permanent object enchantment than to sustained spells - but then it shouldn't be that easy to change, particularly over and over again."
"I think we've talked about this", Deepest Desire said. "I have no idea why I still look like that. There are no known precedents of a changeling queen losing her horn in such a way. To be honest, when Vestri forced Eadgil to cut my horn, I was worried sick that it would dispel the spell. I'm still somewhat worried that the disguise might fade over time."
"Maybe we should tell the other mares", Snowflake suggested.
Deepest Desire shook her head. "Not yet."
They both went silent for a moment, until Deepest Desire started speaking again. "My point is, I guess we don't even fully understand how our own magic works - yet another mystery to solve." She smiled. "Grandma might know something, she's been around for a good bit longer than me after all. But I'm definitely not going to ask her. The last time we met, she tried to kill me." She smirked.
"Yeah, you two have some fairly obvious ideological differences", Snowflake pointed out.
"I have no idea what you two are talking about", Ivana giggled. "But, um..." She turned to Snowflake, then back to Deepest Desire. "Mistress, may I... ask her a question?", she asked, pointing at Snowflake.
Deepest Desire smirked. "May she?", she asked the pegasus.
Snowflake nodded.
Ivana turned to Snowflake again. "You... are not a changeling, are you?"
Snowflake shook her head. "No."
"Does Mistress feed on you?", Ivana asked.
"Yes", the pegasus answered.
"Are you her... um... are you her slave as well? Mistress Desire seems to grant you dominance over the crystal pony. Are you her... top slave?"
"I'm not a slave", Snowflake answered, smiling. "I just like to submit."
"Oh", Ivana said, thinking. "I see, it's like... yeah, I think understand. Sometimes when... two Masters feel very close to each other, they decide live together, and share their slaves. And some Masters like to be on the bottom when they are with each other." She paused for a moment, thinking of something.
Snowflake and Deepest Desire looked at each other. It was almost eerie how well that described their situation. They were also both surprised about how accepted male homosexuality seemed to be in caribou society.
"It's similar to what the Masters are doing now as well. They're sharing us here now." Ivana giggled. "I wonder what they do with each other when we're not around."
Deepest Desire grinned. "I have no idea, but I don't think that's the primary reason why they've decided to share ownership of you here."
They all fell silent for a moment.
"But that means...", Ivana stuttered.
Finally, she turned around and crawled over to Snowflake, her head on the ground. When she arrived, she put a small kiss on each of Snowflake's hooves. "If... you two are together like that, it means you are my Mistress, too..."
Snowflake looked at Deepest Desire. "Well, this is awkward."
"I guess it is how the traditions of their society would make her see this situation", Deepest Desire said. "Does that make you uncomfortable?"
Always the professional, Snowflake thought.
"Yes", she admitted. "Please, Ivana", she then told the cow who was still kneeling in front of her with her head to the ground. "Seeing you like that is making me really uncomfortable."
Deepest Desire chuckled. "You feel uncomfortable? Just think about how she must feel right now in this position." She turned to Ivana again. "You may take a more comfortable position again, Ivana."
Ivana raised her head, straightened her back, and placed her hands on her knees once again, palms upward.
"Snowflake prefers to take a more submissive role in her relationships", Deepest Desire informed her. "As a matter of fact, I don't think the idea of domination appeals to her at all. And... she also isn't comfortable with your cultural background, it seems."
Snowflake frowned. "You make me sound like a bigot. You know very well that there are good reasons not to be comfortable with that in this case."
The changeling grinned. "Oh, of course. I just wanted to tease you a little."
Snowflake gave her a very light punch to the upper arm.
"So much for being submissive", Deepest Desire smirked. Still grinning, she turned to Ivana. "You see what I have to put up with here?"
Completely failing to grasp the dynamic of their relationship, Ivana giggled. "I... have no idea what you two are talking about again. But I understand the first part of what you said. Snowflake... does not like to be a Mistress?"
"That was the first part and the second", Deepest Desire grinned.
Now Snowflake had to chuckle as well. "Yeah, pretty much."
"Hmmm...", Ivana pondered. "A Mistress that... doesn't want to be a Mistress." She shyly looked up to Snowflake. "I... do not know how I could please you, Mistress."
"Well, you don't have to", Deepest Desire said, smiling a little. "That is one job you could leave to me."
Snowflake gently put her hand on Ivana's cheek. "Look at me, Ivana."
Ivana raised her eyes.
"Deepest Desire is probably going to spend a lot of time with you in the near future", Snowflake said. "She has good reasons for that. I think she wants to help you in ways you don't understand yet. I want to be part of that."
"Snowflake, I'm not going to neglect our relationship just because I want to help Ivana", Deepest Desire said.
"I know", Snowflake said, turning to her. "I'm not worrying about that."
She turned back to Ivana. "I want to be part of it because I think I like you. Below the extreme slave mentality and the cultural differences, you remind me of what I was like before Eadgil and Deepest Desire rescued me from that mare dump, and in part even before the invasion. Frightened. Confused. Insecure. With little sense of self-worth. You... you remind me a lot of myself."
Deepest Desire grinned. "See, you're already starting to bridge cultural gaps."
Snowflake gave her a sharp look. "The point is, I want to help you to help Ivana the same way you helped me."
She turned back to Ivana. "If that helps me get into contact with you, I might try out... I might try out being a Mistress to you, Ivana. I'm sure Deepest Desire will help me."
Deepest Desire's eyes widened. "That's quite a big step out of your comfort zone. Are you sure?"
Snowflake nodded confidently.
Deepest Desire smiled at her. "I'm proud of you."
Snowflake stood up from her chair. "But not today. I'll take some time to get used to the idea. I'll leave you two to yourselves."
"What are you going to do with the rest of your day?", Deepest Desire inquired.
"Not sure yet, maybe find some work to do around here, maybe take time to get to know some of the other mares a bit better", Snowflake responded. "I had a few chats with one of the others recently. She's a bit weird, but she seems nice. Get this: She initially approached me because she wanted me to tell her about Eadgil."
"Yeah, I know. Star Charmer I think was her name. She approached me as well."
"Did you tell her anything?"
Deepest Desire shook her head. "Professional discretion."
Snowflake nodded. "Yeah, I figured."
"And you? Did you tell her anything?", Deepest Desire asked. "You're not bound by anything like that."
Snowflake nodded. "A few things. I told her that he rescued me from the dumps, and that was kinder to me than any other male since the takeover, and that I enjoyed serving him. I also told her that when he rescued me, you already had him convinced that the ways of his people are wrong, and that others who had been with him for a longer time might see things differently."
Deepest Desire nodded. "What do you think she wants from him?"
"No clue", Snowflake said. "Love at first sight, maybe?" She smirked.
Deepest Desire smiled. "Well, I can't think of anything else at the moment. I guess that's as good a guess as any other. See you later, Snowflake."
"See you later. You too, Ivana." Snowflake gave the cow a smile, then turned around and walked to the door.
"Come here, Ivana", Snowflake heard Deepest Desire say behind her.
Once she had left the room, she carefully closed the door behind her.
Later that day, Eadgil was walking through the hallways of the castle when one of the other stags approached him. He seemed bothered.
"Eadgil, I was looking for you", the other stag said.
"What is it, Skorri?", Eadgil asked.
"I was outside the castle walls when I ran into a messenger from Canterlot", the other stag reported.
Eadgil raised an eyebrow. "Did he notice anything?"
"No chance. He didn't even enter the castle, and he was in a hurry to get back to Canterlot. Seems like he had trouble even finding the way here, and he didn't want to stay in the forest any longer than necessary. He gave me a letter for you. For the Magistrate, I mean." He handed over a small parchment.
"That's Vestri's seal", Eadgil noticed. "Damn. I didn't think the bastard would start bothering me that early."
"I hope it's nothing serious."
"Anyway, thank you. I'll read this later. I'm on my way to meet Baldr and Spring Breeze, so I can discuss whatever it is with them. I'll inform you all tomorrow. If it's relevant, Spring Breeze can inform her people as well."
The other stag nodded and went on his way. Eadgil put the parchment away and continued on his own way as well.
He arrived at Baldr's room and knocked at the door.
"Come in", he heard Baldr's voice from inside.
He opened the door and stepped in. Baldr was already sitting on an old sofa he had brought from Lindisbarne, and Eadgil took place in a chair.
"Hello, my friend", Baldr said.
"Hello, Baldr", Eadgil responded. "Skorri just gave me a message he received from a messenger outside the castle walls." He held up the parchment. "Don't worry, Skorri swears the guy didn't notice anything unusual. But the wax has Vestri's seal."
"That means bad news", Baldr said.
"Probably, yeah. I want to wait for Spring Br..."
His sentence was interrupted by another knock at the door.
"Please, come in", Baldr said.
The door opened, and Spring Breeze entered, Star Charmer directly behind her.
"Good evening, Spring Breeze", Baldr said. "And you must be Star Charmer. Eadgil informed me that you would come as well today. Please, sit down and have a cup of Amber Glow with us."
"Hello Baldr", Spring Breeze said, smiling at the caribou. She gave Eadgil a quick look as well. "Ari. Good evening."
"Good evening, Spring Breeze. No 'caribou' any more?", Eadgil asked, grinning a little.
"No, that would be rude", Spring Breeze answered, sitting down. "We're both Baldr's guests after all."
"Hello, sir", Star Charmer said to Eadgil, sitting down as well. She looked at Baldr. "So you're Baldr, I assume? Nice to meet you. What's Amber Glow?"
"A liquor", Baldr answered. "I made it from herbs and cherries."
"That's what I'm here for", Spring Breeze said, grinning.
"Yes, ma'am", Baldr said, stood up, fetched a few cups and a bottle, poured each of them a cup and placed them on the table, along with the bottle.
Spring Breeze picked up the cup and nipped on it. "This is... really good", she said. "If we could produce more of it, we could make quite a few bucks."
Baldr grinned. "So you want me to plant even more herbs and cherry trees?"
"Sure, why not", Spring Breeze responded. "We might also consider buying supplies for this stuff so we can produce more of it."
Star Charmer picked up her glass and took a big sip from it. "Yeah, this is really good. Could become a popular party drink."
"I might have bad news", Eadgil said. "One of the other stags just gave me this parchment. He said he got it from a messenger he met outside the castle today. He swears the guy didn't notice anything, but this has Vestri's seal on it."
"Yeah, that is bad news", Spring Breeze nodded with a sense of dread. "Go on, open it."
The stag carefully removed the wax seal and opened the parchment. "Oh. This is bad news."
"What is it?", Spring Breeze asked.
"Vestri wants us to allow stallions to settle here as well. He has a few who might be interested, and he'll send them over during the next months so they can take a look. He writes that this is non-negotiable. Some bullshit about 'not upsetting Equestria's native stallion population by claiming historical Equestrian sites as exclusive caribou property'."
"Excuse me?", Spring Breeze said angrily. "Does that moron even think before he writes?"
"To my experience, Vestri hardly ever thinks at all", Eadgil responded. "But yes, this is bad. Not only will we have to prepare for giving visitors a show much earlier than we thought, but we're also balancing on a thin line here. If we make it too attractive for them here, they might want to move in, and then this project will be in jeopardy."
"Which means we have only weeks to think of something to either disrupt the mind control spell, or make this project look unappealing without raising suspicion", Spring Breeze concluded. "And if we just get rid of stallions who want to move in here, that will cause even more suspicion - not to mention it's something I would prefer to avoid unless absolutely necessary. Yes, this is bad."
Eadgil nodded, and they remained silent for a while, nipping on their drinks.
"Ah!", Star Charmer eventually yelled. "I got it!"
"You got what?", Eadgil asked.
"Your cows are... what did she say... communal property here, right, sir?"
Eadgil nodded.
"Is this legal?", Star Charmer asked. "By your people's laws, I mean."
"Several stags forming one household together isn't unheard of, yes", Eadgil answered. "It's usually not more than two or three though."
"Could this be enforced?", Star Charmer asked.
"If we set up our community as one shared household, I guess", Eadgil said. "It's a gray area. Something like this is not illegal, but unheard-of. But if someone tried to say something against it, I could point out that King Dainn himself kind of set precedent cases for this by temporarily making cows communal in Hornvik, and by creating the institution of state property. After all, it did involve, um... 'convincing' stallions of letting go of 'their' mares, and if that exists on a national level, why not also on a communal level?"
"Well, then it can be used as a deterrent", Star Charmer said. "Just make us mares communal property as well."
"Excuse me?", Spring Breeze said.
"Officially, I mean. And then tell the stallions who come here that this is how we run our community. So if they want to move here, they have to sign an agreement to turn over their mares to the community as well. I think that should deter them. By the way, how do shared households usually come to be? I mean, why would a stag do something like this?"
"That... sounds like an interesting idea", Eadgil said. "It wouldn't change anything for us, but it would deter most stallions. As for your question, you know most of my people are bisexual, and we're open about that. Sometimes friendships between stags go beyond mere affection or sexual attraction."
"Ah", Star Charmer chuckled. "That's even better. In addition to the communal property thing, you stags also have to act really, really gay around each other when a stallion comes to visit us."
Spring Breeze burst into laughter.
Star Charmer continued. "Bisexuality might be common among your people, but most stallions don't swing that way - and from what I've seen, I don't think your king's so-called 'cure' changed anything about that. I don't think most of them would appreciate being around lots of really gay caribou males every day."
"That could work", Eadgil said. "But what if a stallion isn't deterred by that?"
"In that case...", Star Charmer said, "...we'll find another solution."
"Of course this is only a makeshift solution", Spring Breeze said, having calmed down from her laughter again. "In the long run, we have to find ways to break the mind control anyway, at the very least on an individual level, if we want to overthrow Dahrin."
Eadgil blinked. "Excuse me... who?"
Spring Breeze stopped, seemingly confused. "Dahrin", she repeated. "That king of yours."
"Oh, you mean Dainn", Eadgil said.
"That's what I said", the pegasus responded.
"No you said 'Dahrin'."
Spring Breeze nodded. "That's what I said."
Eadgil sighed. "There seems to be some kind of language barrier here. Tell me: What do you think is the first vowel in his name?"
"The same one as in your name", Spring Breeze said. "Your chosen name, I mean - Ari. Isn't that correct?"
"Yes, it is. But when you speak the king's name, you make it sound like you're trying to cram that entire name in there."
"Well, isn't that correct?", Spring Breeze asked.
Eadgil shook his head. "No, it only contains the first and the last phoneme of my chosen name."
Spring Breeze looked at him as though he had said something completely outlandish. "What are you talking about? Ari consists of only two sounds."
"No", Eadgil said calmly, "it has three."
"Am I pronouncing it wrong?", Spring Breeze asked. "Ahr-ee is correct, isn't it?"
Eadgil nodded. "Yes, that's correct. And that's three sounds."
"Huh", Spring Breeze made. "No it's two. Ar and Ee."
Star Charmer suddenly had a big grin on her face. "Oh, I get it. This is gold. I only now realize how weird our own language is."
"These are three phonemes", Eadgil said. "Ah"; "R"; and "Ee".
"You just said Ar twice", Spring Breeze remarked, a little bit annoyed.
"The a in Dainn is the same as in Baldr", Baldr said with a chuckle. "But then again, you're also pronouncing my own name wrong."
Spring Breeze gave him a surprised look.
Eadgil sighed. "I see the language barrier goes deeper than I thought. Maybe we should write it down. You write down how you would write the name based on how you think it should be written based on how you've heard us say it, and I'll write it down in our contemporary rune alphabet, and then try to find an Equestrian equivalent. Let's stick to Equestrian letters for now since we both know them."
"I'll get paper and a quill", Baldr said, stood up and left the room.
Star Charmer's face changed a little, as though she just had a sudden realization. Then she began to chuckle, like someone who knows a hilarious secret that all others are oblivious to. "Oh, this is too good!", she said. "There actually are words in our language that uses the same vowel as Dainn's name. I just thought of one of them. But I want to see what you write down."
Baldr returned, handing Spring Breeze a piece of paper and a quill.
"Well then", Spring Breeze said. Then, she paused for a moment. "I'm actually not completely sure", she said. "I... have several different versions in mind. I'll pick the one I think is most likely." She paused for a second. "Actually, I'm not sure about one letter. I'll write it twice, so it's clear what I'm going for."
"Go on", Eadgil encouraged her.
She wrote something down, then handed it to Eadgil.
He looked at the paper. Darin, he read. Then, he looked at the second version. Dahrin.
"These are both not how I'd spell it in Equestrian", Eadgil said. "I'll write it down in contemporary caribou runes, and then try to carry it into the Equestrian alphabet right next to it."
He wrote down two words, one in our contemporary version of the rune alphabet, one in Equestrian. Then he handed it back to Spring Breeze.
She looked at the version in Equestrian letters. Dainn, it said.
"Huh", she said. "With this spelling, I would pronounce it differently."
"How", Ari asked?
Spring Breeze said a word that sounded like Dæinn to him. "Like our word pain", she explained.
"Ah, I see", Eadgil said. "Well, I can see how you come to that conclusion, but in our language, that would be spelled differently. Let me write it down for you in Runes, then improvise a makeshift Equestrian version."
Spring Breeze looked over the table to see what he would write. At first, it seemed like he was writing the exact same runes again. But in the end, she saw that he had slightly altered the second letter. Then, he tried to improvise an alteration in Equestrian, which looked like this:
Dainn.
"Incidentally, it also means something different", Eadgil said. "Dain or Dainn means 'dead one'. Dæn or Dæin, on the other hand, means 'stag of the plains', with the connotations of 'uncivilized', 'commoner', or possibly 'troglodyte'."
Spring Breeze couldn't help but chuckle a little. But then she remembered something. "Star Charmer, you said you know a word in our language that uses the same sound as the first vowel in the king's name? That seems to be the problematic one."
Star Charmer began to chuckle again. "Oh yes. You'll love this! The a in Dainn is pronounced the same way as the u in cunt."
Eadgil also had to chuckle. "How very astute of you! Yes, indeed. That's how it's pronounced. There are other words like that in your language as well - fun, sun, run... they're spelled with u's in your language instead of a's, aren't they? As a matter of fact, that is the default a-sound in our language."
"Huh", Spring Breeze said. "To be honest, I still have trouble to pronounce it in my head. I try to start by forming a d-sound, then the u-sound from cunt - but then I don't know how to lead over into the i."
Eadgil thought for a moment. "I think we could have had this much easier", he said. "There is a word in your language that is pronounced exactly like the name Dainn. It's the verb to dine. As in having dinner."
Spring Breeze noticed that the stag had dragged out the i-sound in dine a little bit longer than ponies normally did.
"Interestingly enough", Eadgil continued, "you ponies seem to perceive this as one vowel - i - while we perceive it as two - a-i. On the other hand, this a sound even without the i does still exist in your language, as words like cunt, sun or fun prove - you just spell it as u now. It's almost as though our a-sound has been absorbed into a bunch of different other vowels in your written language, and that's why we have trouble pinning it down. Maybe the reason for this is because you don't have this way of modifying vowels. We call it an Umlaut. In words like train, the a is pronounced in a way that we in our current language would write with this modified vowel - the a we talked about earlier."
He thought again. "But then again, our Elder Runes - the ones we use for magic - don't have this way of modifying vowels yet. It must be a recent development - maybe a few hundred years at most. Probably an adaptation to changes in our spoken language."
"It's almost as though knowledge of written language retroactively reshapes the perception of spoken language", Spring Breeze said, lost in thought. "Maybe that's one reason why learning your mother tongue is easier than learning new languages once you've learned to write. Maybe the younger generations of our two peoples will have less trouble communicating with each other."
Eadgil nodded. "We can hope at least. But first we have to make sure that they grow up in an environment where communication is possible in the first place."
They all went silent for a while. Eventually, Star Charmer spoke again.
"There is another matter we should discuss, isn't there?", Star Charmer asked, looking at Eadgil. "That's why you invited me after all."
"Huh, oh yeah. Star Charmer is... interested in me", Eadgil informed the other two. "I mean she made it clear to me that she wishes a relationship, and I can't say this isn't reciprocal. Our... desires seem highly compatible, you see..." He stopped, preferring not to spell it out for Spring Breeze's sake.
"You want to submit to him", Spring Breeze said to Star Charmer. It sounded more like a statement than a question.
Star Charmer nodded enthusiastically.
"Normally, I wouldn't even care about what consenting adults do behind closed doors", Spring Breeze said. Looking at Eadgil, she continued. "But you people haven't exactly left the best impression, obviously. If one of us gets into a relationship like this with one of you, it will make a lot of us really nervous. If you do this, there need to be clear rules and agreements, and the community has to be informed about them."
"What do you propose?", Star Charmer asked.
"A... written document that will spell out in detail what he can and can't do", Spring Breeze answered. "Signed by both of you. I will get a copy and have it approved in plenum."
"A contract?", Star Charmer asked.
"If you want to call it that", Spring Breeze answered. "This is for your protection though. He can not put any obligations for you in there. This is only to define your terms and limits, and to define a safe word you can use if you want your partner to stop what he's doing. Anything that isn't safe is out of the question anyway, but I will demand that you formulate your own limits as well. Deepest Desire and I will take a close look at the document before we even present it. Deepest Desire has the psychological knowledge and experience with these kinds of relationships, and I'm in charge of this community, and I'm not completely clueless either."
"You aren't?", Star Charmer asked.
"Well, I never tried it myself", Spring Breeze responded. "But yes, I was somewhat interested in the topic of BDSM before Equestria was conquered. Read a few books on it."
"You have... submission fantasies?", Star Charmer asked.
"No", Spring Breeze said calmly.
Baldr and Eadgil exchanged glances.
"Sounds good to me", Star Charmer said. She looked at Eadgil. "Do you have time tomorrow, sir? I'll come by tomorrow after we've discussed this with the others in plenum, and then we can discuss conditions, and then we'll both write down our limits..."
"He can not put any obligations for you in there", Spring Breeze reminded her. "If he doesn't want to do something, he can just not do it."
"I think it would help us both if he thought about it and wrote it down as well", Star Charmer said.
"Fine. I just don't see why I have to read that stuff", Spring Breeze said. "But then again, it might interest Deepest Desire. We'll simply keep the actual purpose of that document in mind. This is once again only a makeshift solution anyway."
"We could use rune magic to prevent Eadgil from violating the contract", Baldr suggested.
"If I was sitting closer to you, I'd give you a hard smack to the head for that idea", Spring Breeze said coldly.
Baldr looked down, mumbling something.
"I would also prefer if we didn't do that", Eadgil said. "Not least because I really don't want to get a tattoo. Not to mention that one would be incredibly suspicious anywhere outside Freeville."
Baldr nodded.
"There is one more thing I wanted to ask you", Star Charmer said. "Today, I found a bunch of caves on my daily walks. Some of them are full of gemstones of all kinds. One of them has massive amounts of a really weird kind of stone in it. It doesn't shine in some kind of color like most gemstones found in Equestria. It's pitch black - and yet it's not an ordinary stone. I'm certain of that."
Star Charmer took out a stone and placed it on the table.
"I find that stone really impressive", she said. "I wonder if one of you can tell me what this is."
Eadgil's eyes widened.
"I think you just found a first step towards breaking the mind control spell", he said, obviously impressed.
"She did?", Spring Breeze asked.
"That's a black Tourmaline", Eadgil said. "Or Schorl, as we call them in our language. My father tried to get his hands on one of those for decades, to no avail. They were extremely rare in our homeland, and most deposits were on cat territory."
"A Tourmaline, huh?", Spring Breeze said. "I think I've seen green Tourmaline in the past. Before the invasion, well-crafted green tourmalines were used as cheap replacements for emeralds in fancy jewelry for ponies who weren't overly rich, but wanted a feeling of luxury. I didn't know there was also a black variant. How does this connect to the mind control?"
"Well, black tourmalines have interesting magical properties", Eadgil explained. "Worn in direct contact with the body, or held in the hand, they provide focus and self-awareness. But that's not all. The cats used them to combat the influences of evil spirits on the mind. I read about similar ways to use them in a book by Clover the Clever just earlier today. Given the right treatment, they can be used as potent blockers for most kinds of mind-altering magic. Not all kinds, but most. We could try out if it can block the magic of the artifact - and Vestri just promised to send us test subjects soon."
"Experimenting on stallions, hmm...", Spring Breeze rubbed her chin.
"Spring Breeze, there is no way to find ways to break the mind control without doing that", Star Charmer pointed out. "Plus, it's not like we would be mind-controlling them or anything. They're already mind-controlled, and we break them out of it."
Spring Breeze sighed. "I know. I can't say I'm happy with it, but I know."
"May I have this?", Eadgil asked, putting his right hand on the stone. "I want to run a few tests with it, see if I can get a better idea of its magical properties."
Star Charmer nodded. "Of course, sir. There are lots of those in that cave I mentioned. This one isn't even particularly impressive. I can just get another one. As a matter of fact, what if I show you these caves tomorrow, after we've set up our contract?"
Eadgil smiled. "Sounds like a date. I'll make dinner for us afterwards."
Spring Breeze raised an eyebrow.
"Of course I won't touch her before you've approved of the contract", Eadgil told her.
Star Charmer looked disappointed. "Alright. Dinner sounds lovely. Maybe that cow of yours wants to join us? I think she's nice."
"By the way, where is Bruna?", Eadgil asked Baldr.
"Asleep", his friend answered. "She was tired, so she went to bed early today."
"She's... your sister?", Star Charmer asked Baldr. "You have the same eyes." She smiled friendly. "Amber brown. The same color as that drink of yours. You're the only caribou I know who don't have blue eyes."
"Half-sister", Baldr said. "And yes, it runs in the family."
"Well, this was a nice evening", Spring Breeze said. "I'm tired now, so I'll take my leave. Baldr, I think we're scheduled for another checkup of my wings tomorrow. I have a lot of things to do tomorrow, so we should postpone the checkup to evening." She smiled. "You're invited to stay for dinner. Bring a bottle of Amber Glow - I think I like that stuff. See you tomorrow."
Baldr nodded, smiling at her happily.
"I'll also leave now", Star Charmer said. "Tired, et cetera."
"See you tomorrow", Eadgil said.
The two mares stood up and left the room.
The caribou had a few more cups of liquor before Eadgil decided to leave as well. |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 7: Shadow's Awakening | The next morning, like they had almost each morning since they had moved to Luna's castle, Deepest Desire and Snowflake met in the mares' common room to have breakfast together. They fetched their meals and sat down at a table.
"So... how was the rest of your day yesterday?", Snowflake asked. "After I left, I mean. Did you discover anything new with regards to Ivana."
Deepest Desire nodded. "A few things. I have to make sure about them, though. But I think Ivana adapts to more than just my emotional state. It almost seems she also adapts to my expectations of her - possibly down to the level of physical reactions. Not entirely sure, but I guess that's only the case with people she sees as her Master - or Mistress."
Snowflake took a sip of coffee. "Dee-dee, that sounds really scary."
"Yeah, it is", Deepest Desire responded. "Particularly if that's common to all cows. It's probably really easy for someone to make a mistake and cause lasting problems if he or she doesn't exert self-control, and the stags don't even seem to care. Well, except for those here in our community, of course - but caring doesn't necessarily mean that you're able to make the right decisions. I guess preventing the cows from forming too close relationships with individual stags by making them 'communal property' was a good idea. The cows seem to seek out individual masters, of course... but if you really want to take up such a task, you need an immensely adaptable mind."
Snowflake nodded. "I can follow that trail of thought."
Deepest Desire sighed. "Treating them responsibly is more difficult than it sounds. You need to be able make adjustments to your own behavior, even your own emotional state, in order to prevent negative effects."
"I see", Snowflake said. "So you're going to experiment with mental modeling again?"
Deepest Desire nodded, and they both went silent for a moment.
"Snowflake, I have to tell you something else", Deepest Desire whispered. "I think my horn is regrowing."
"Really? How... how is that even possible?", Snowflake asked.
"As you know, the innate regenerative abilities of my body only kick in if I have enough energy to fuel them", Deepest Desire continued to whisper. "Normally, two persons shouldn't be enough - not if I don't drain them. But Ivana produces more than anyone should be able to, even with total empathy."
"So this is evidence that she's an... amplifier, then?", Snowflake asked.
"There could still be other explanations", Deepest Desire responded. "Maybe some external force here in the forest or the castle is amplifying empathic abilities. I don't know, I'm not sure. Obviously, I would prefer finding other explanations before I jump to one that defies the laws of magic as we understand them, and is almost too good to be true. I would hate to put my faith in something like this just for it to turn out to be nothing but wishful thinking."
Snowflake nodded. "If your horn really is regrowing, I wonder how long you can hide it. Are you going to tell the others?"
"Not yet", Deepest Desire responded. "I want to wait a bit and see how this develops. As a matter of fact, I would prefer if we had an explanation for why this is happening before we involve others. We might not have that much time, but we should use the time we have.
Snowflake gave another nod, just as Spring Breeze entered the hall.
At the next table, Star Charmer stood up, walked towards Spring Breeze, and started to talk to her for a moment.
"Huh", Deepest Desire commented. "Haven't seen this two interact with each other much so far. I wonder what this is about. I guess Spring Breeze is going to open the daily plenum meeting - so we're probably going to find out soon."
Spring Breeze walked up onto a little improvised podium and cleared her throat.
"May I have your attention, please? I would like to open the daily plenum meeting."
The mares continued to eat, but stopped their conversations.
"We have three things to discuss today. First of all, the stags have received a letter from Councilman Vestri. He wants to send stallions here soon who might want to settle here - which means we have to begin with our masquerade earlier than we thought."
A few of the mares nodded grimly.
"Of course, we need to present ourselves in a way that detracts them from actually settling here without being suspicious. Not an easy task, but we already had a few ideas - we have to thank Star Charmer for most of them. In essence, the stags will also put up a little masquerade that has good chances to disincline stallions from settling here. I will give you details later, once we've worked them out."
A few more nods.
"We also have good news though. Star Charmer has found a stone in a cave nearby that might help us disrupt the mind control spell. She says there's a lot more of those where it came from. We should start to gather these stones. We don't know if it'll help against the artifact's magic yet, but according to Eadgil, it can be used to disrupt mind control magic, so there is a good chance that it might help in this case as well."
"What kind of stone?", Deepest Desire asked.
"A black tourmaline."
"Black tourmaline, interesting. And there is a cave with lots of them nearby?"
Spring Breeze nodded. "If it is capable of disrupting the artifact's effect, even if it's just on an individual basis, it essentially solves the problem Vestri caused us." She chuckled. "He would essentially be sending us recruits - but then again, maybe I'm overly optimistic."
Deepest Desire nodded. "Let's not get our hopes up too much, this is powerful magic we're dealing with here - but it is worth a shot."
"Exactly. I want to give Eadgil a bit of free time so he can study these stones. Anyone opposed to this proposal?"
No one spoke up.
"I think we don't need to vote on it if there is no objection", Spring Breeze said. "However, there is yet another issue. Star Charmer has expressed the wish to... mh... date Eadgil. This alone would potentially be an issue given the circumstances, but she apparently has a submissive side, and wishes to incorporate it into the relationship."
Star Charmer chuckled. "That's not a side, I'm all submissive."
Murmuring filled the hall.
Spring Breeze didn't react to it. "Yesterday evening, we had the idea to let them write a contract, defining the exact nature and limitations of their relationship. I would get a copy, and Deepest Desire and I would read it before giving our approval. It seems she knows most about these kinds of relationships. I will make these contracts available for all of you, so you can get a look at them if you think something is fishy. This gives the community a good bit of control without necessarily involving everyone in everything. Of course, Star Charmer and Eadgil will also each get a copy. These contracts won't obligate any partner to do anything - they're only meant to define their relationship and its limits."
Deepest Desire nodded. "Something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. I'm glad to hear that Star Charmer chose Eadgil. I think he's trustworthy. The contract solution seems pretty much optimal given the circumstances. Was it your proposal?"
Spring Breeze nodded. "It was. So you are in favor of this solution?"
"As I said, it sounds pretty much optimal."
Snowflake chuckled. "Also, it will help us with the masquerade if some of us have stags they can trust - provided it will even be necessary."
A little bit of murmuring was audible.
"Are there any objections or counterarguments to this proposal?", Spring Breeze asked.
One mare stood up. "I think it sounds reasonable enough, and I trust your judgment. But if we're doing this, it stands to reason that we should demand contracts from Deepest Desire, Snowflake, and Shadow Amethyst as well. They are in similar kinds of relationships after all."
Deepest Desire slapped her hand against her forehead. "Shadow Amethyst! She's still in her room. I forgot that I wanted to get her out this morning. I'm going to get her." She stood up.
Spring Breeze chuckled. "Since there seem to be no objections to Star Charmer's proposal, I think we can conclude this meeting. Deepest Desire, would you be willing to set up contracts with Snowflake and Shadow Amethyst as well?"
Deepest Desire nodded.
"I don't think it's necessary in my case, but I'm fine with this", Snowflake added. "I think it's not a bad idea for Shadow Amethyst though. I know she'll respect a contract, and this could help keep her in check."
"A contract can not contain positive obligations", Spring Breeze reminded her.
Snowflake chuckled. "No, but it can contain negative ones. What if Deepest Desire defined Shadow Amethyst's harassment of caribou cows as a hard limit of hers, for example? I mean, she already made it pretty clear that this is a no-go, as it should be... but Shadow Amethyst might be more inclined to actually stick to it if she has it in writing. Like many other crystal ponies, Shadow Amethyst is a firm believer in... Sombra's messed-up version of the Rule of Law."
Deepest Desire facepalmed.
Spring Breeze raised an eyebrow. "Not exactly what the contracts are for, but fine. At least it's used for the right cause in this case. I'll review the thing anyway before I give my okay."
"I think in case of Shadow Amethyst, the community might have an interest in taking a look at it as well", the other mare said. "You can see this as a pre-emptive request for plenum inspection."
Spring Breeze sighed. "Alright. I'll present it to you at tomorrow's meeting. Anyone opposed to this proposal?"
No one spoke up.
"Alright", Deepest Desire said. "I'm going to tell Shadow Amethyst.
She then left the room.
Snowflake stood up and followed her without another word, while the other mares returned to their breakfast.
In Shadow Amethyst's room, the crystal mare was lying on her bed, curled up. When she heard a key turning in the lock to her door, she left the bed, went on her knees, placed her hands in front of her and faced the floor.
The door opened, and her Mistress entered the room.
Deepest Desire raised an eyebrow. "Have you been sitting here like this for the entire time?", she asked.
"No, Mistress", Shadow Amethyst said contritely.
Behind Deepest Desire, Snowflake had now entered the room.
"I think your time is over", Deepest Desire announced.
"Mistress, I wish to apologize", Shadow Amethyst said.
"Oh? Now that's a surprise."
"I mean it", Shadow Amethyst affirmed. "I... didn't know why I did that. This isn't like me."
Deepest Desire raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't it, though?", Snowflake asked.
"I'm not the person you need to apologize to", Deepest Desire reminded the crystal mare.
A spark appeared in Shadow Amethyst's eyes. "You misunderstand me, Mistress. You know my beliefs about the strong and the weak, and their places in the world. I still do not believe I wronged Ivana, particularly because she seemed to like what I was doing. I may be messed up in the head, but I'm not stupid, and I know my place. I knew there was no way I would get away with this, and I knew it would displease you, Mistress. That's what I'm apologizing for."
Deepest Desire frowned a little, but shrugged. "Not the apology I had hoped for."
Shadow Amethyst continued. "I honestly don't know why I did it. Something about that cow... made me want to do it to her."
Deepest Desire gave her a quick slap to the face. "Do not blame her for your actions!", she said.
"Ow!", the crystal mare yelped. "I understand why you did that, Mistress - but that wasn't what I meant. I wouldn't be apologizing if I didn't think my actions were entirely my own responsibility. What I'm saying is that I don't understand why I did that."
"You saw a creature that was obviously weaker than you are, and felt the sudden urge to take advantage of her", Deepest Desire said.
"Yes", Shadow Amethyst replied with no discernible emotion in her voice.
Deepest Desire placed her hand under the crystal mare's chin and slowly lifted her face up, forcing her to look into her eyes. "I understand that urge. I really do."
The crystal mare's eyes widened. "You do?"
Deepest Desire removed her hand. "Don't get me wrong. What you did was more than messed up, and a few days of detention in your own room is a merciful punishment."
Shadow Amethyst averted her gaze. "I understand how much I have disappointed you, Mistress. I will accept any further punishment you decide on."
Deepest Desire sighed. "What am I to do with you? Just because I understand such urges, it doesn't mean I act on them. So why do you?"
Shadow Amethyst shrugged. "As I said... I don't understand."
Deepest Desire towered above her, once again putting her finger under her chin and forcing her to look her in the eyes. "Listen closely. Your value system is... inconsistent. You need to work out these inconsistencies, or else you will likely keep displeasing me like this. Of course I will help you, but you need to open up. Do you understand?"
Shadow Amethyst nodded weakly, still trying to avoid her Mistress' gaze. "Yes, Mistress."
Deepest Desire smiled. "Good. I think we finally made at least some progress today. I still think you should apologize to Ivana."
"If you wish it, Mistress", Shadow Amethyst responded.
"You understand why I demand this?", Deepest Desire asked.
Shadow Amethyst nodded. "As I said, I'm not stupid, Mistress. I understand what you believe. I just don't feel the same way... about the world."
Deepest Desire smiled. "We're going to work on that."
"By the way, where is Ivana?", Snowflake asked. "I didn't see her in the dining hall today."
"I don't know", Deepest Desire responded. "I don't exactly want to bother the stags yet, they're probably busy - but if we don't see her tomorrow either, I'll make sure to find out where she is. For now, I will return to my room. Shadow Amethyst, would you mind joining me? I have some other things to talk to you about."
Rising to her feet, but still keeping her eyes downcast, Shadow Amethyst nodded. "As you wish, Mistress."
"Excellent", Deepest Desire said, then turned around and left the room. The other two followed her.
Deepest Desire's room was on the same floor, just a few steps away. When she entered, she found Ivana kneeling on the floor, a bunch of ropes, cuffs, and various sex toys lying on the floor. She had her eyes cast down, but when she noticed the door opening, she smiled softly.
"Damn, I must have forgot to lock it when I left for breakfast", Deepest Desire mumbled. "Good morning, Ivana. Ummm..."
"G... good morning, Mistress", Ivana responded shyly. "This c..." She stopped, correcting herself. "Um... I borrowed these tools from the stags. I wanted to surprise you with, um... new amusing things to do to my body." A hint of contrition crept over her face. "I'm sorry, Mistress. I couldn't find any things like crops or canes. The stags told me you mares have them now." She giggled. "Are you having fun with them?"
Deepest Desire couldn't help but chuckle. She hadn't noticed that the other two mares had likewise entered the room.
A big grin had crept upon Shadow Amethyst's face - the grin of someone whose basic world view just had gotten an additional piece of confirmation. "So after preventing me from taking her, you took her, huh?", she asked.
Deepest Desire sighed. Finally a little bit of progress with Shadow Amethyst, immediately undone by an unforeseeable, admittedly sweet gesture of a cow.
Snowflake turned around to Shadow Amethyst. "Shut up, jerk!", she snapped, surprising even Deepest Desire. "After you harassed Ivana for no reason, it was her who followed Mistress Desire around, begging her to be her Mistress. She agreed to it because she wants to help Ivana overcome her anxiety and self-hate, like she did with me. She'd help you too if you'd let her, but she gets nothing but shit from you despite your alleged acceptance of her as your Mistress. God knows she's trying."
Shadow Amethyst continued to smirk. "Trying to help her, uh-huh. So that's how you rationalize it."
Snowflake suddenly took a step towards the crystal mare. When Deepest Desire realized what was going on, it was already too late. The palm of Snowflake's hand was already on its way towards Shadow Amethyst's face, giving her another hard slap against the cheek. "I told you to shut up!", she yelled.
Shadow Amethyst stumbled back a step and held her cheek. Unlike earlier, when Deepest Desire had hit her, she seemed completely caught by surprise, unable to say a word.
Snowflake stared at her own hand, her expression turning from anger to horrified surprise.
"I did not see that coming", Deepest Desire just said.
"I... didn't... either...", Snowflake stuttered.
As if to add to their surprise, Shadow Amethyst took a step forward and then sank to her knees before Snowflake, eyes cast down. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have talked back. I didn't realize... I should have realized sooner."
"Realized... what?", Snowflake continued to stutter, still in shock about her own action.
"That you were above me", Shadow Amethyst responded. "I promise I will respect your higher station from now on."
Deepest Desire blinked. "Shadow Amethyst, you are the biggest idiot I've ever met in my entire very long life. I think Snowflake still owes you an apology though."
Shadow Amethyst looked up to her again. "No, I'm the one who owes one to both of you. Mistress, I was disrespectful, and I deserve to be punished for it. And Snowflake, I should have realized your place far earlier, but I didn't. Mistress, if you want to make Snowflake apologize to you for acting without your permission, do it, but she doesn't owe me. I know my place now."
Ivana giggled. "Mistress, if I may... I'm really confused right now, but... I get you, Sh... Shadow? Learning one's place is... a wonderful thing. It's like... letting yourself fall."
"Oh for Love's sake!", Deepest Desire exclaimed.
Shadow Amethyst pointed at Ivana, smirking. "See? The cow gets it."
"I'd... do anything for Love's sake, Mistress", Ivana giggled.
"What am I going to do with you two?", Deepest Desire asked rhetorically.
Ivana looked at her, smiling softly. "Whatever you wish, Mistress."
"Ugh", the changeling groaned. "Enough of this nonsense! Snowflake, you'll apologize to Shadow Amethyst. Shadow, you will apologize to Ivana. In this order. Do I need to count?"
Snowflake was still in shock, alternating between staring at the palm of her hand and staring at the crystal mare kneeling before her.
"Shadow, I... I'm... I'm s...", she stuttered. "No, this won't do. Not like this."
She went to her knees herself, now being face to face with the crystal mare in front of her. She grabbed Shadow's hands, holding them in hers. "Shadow, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I got mad and lost control. I'm definitely not above you. I don't want to be."
Shadow Amethyst smiled. "We're not so different, are we?", she asked. "Not that different, I mean. You did it to defend Deepest Desire. We both want to please Mistress." She blushed and looked away. "I just think you're... a good bit better at it than I am."
Snowflake smiled as she slowly rose up again. "Thank you... I guess."
"It's probably because you do it for all the wrong reasons", Deepest Desire said.
"I don't... umm...", Shadow Amethyst stuttered.
"Shadow Amethyst, do you...", Deepest Desire stopped mid-sentence. "Oh God, I know I'm going to regret this. Do you know why I haven't told you yet that I'm a changeling?"
Shadow Amethyst looked up to her Mistress with eyes as wide as the sun and moon. "You're a what???", she asked.
"I am a changeling", Deepest Desire repeated. "More specifically, a hive queen, and a direct descendant of Queen Chrysalis. We have broken with each other though, due to... ideological differences. I would prove it to you, but I fear I can't. Not right now at least. Ever since my horn was cut, I'm stuck in this form."
Shadow looked at Snowflake as if searching for help. "She's kidding, right? She's... messing with me."
Snowflake shook her head.
The crystal mare sighed. "Alright. Suppose I believe you. So... why didn't you tell me so far? That was your question, right? I have no clue what the answer is. I assume you asked me for a purpose, so I'm sure you'll tell me. Does it have to do with lack of trust?"
"That plays a role, certainly", the changeling answered. "But it isn't the main reason."
"Then what is it?", Shadow Amethyst inquired.
Deepest Desire came a step closer and looked down at the kneeling crystal mare, right into her eyes. "Because I usually only tell the people I feed on."
A little smile crept on Shadow Amethyst's face. "I see. Try to find water in a desert."
"So you understand."
"Of course I do", Shadow Amethyst responded in a dry, sullen voice.
"How... how do you feel about that?", Deepest Desire asked, now back in her therapist mode.
"I don't", Shadow Amethyst said dryly. "Not at all. That's kind of the point."
All three mares went silent for a moment - just enough to hear Ivana sob behind them.
Deepest Desire turned around and saw the cow's watery eyes. It wasn't a stream of tears, but more like what you would expect to see from a sensitive person reading a tragic love story.
"Ivana, are you crying?", Deepest Desire asked.
"Yes, Mistress... it's... it's so sad. Shadow Amethyst has the most wonderful Mistress she could wish for... and she can't even feel love for her. I... I feel so sorry for her." She continued to sob silently.
Shadow Amethyst's gaze turned to Ivana in surprise. Then, blushing, she slowly crawled over to Ivana on all fours. Just like when Snowflake was apologizing to her, the two of them sat on their knees in front of each other, facing each other. "Alright... Ivana, I... I think I should... I want to apologize to you." She paused for a second. "You understand your place far better than I do, it would seem. It's... it's so... ironic in a way. I always lecture people about their place, but it would seem like everyone knows their place far better than I do my own."
Ivana moved towards her and wrapped her arms around her. "Sister!", she exclaimed. "Don't be sorry. I have to thank you. Without you, Deepest Desire would have never found me."
Shadow Amethyst swallowed, then wrapped her arms around the cow as well. "Ivana...", she stuttered.
"Interesting, hmm... now I actually wonder...", Deepest Desire rubbed her chin. "No, that's impossible. It contradicts widely known evidence."
"Another theory of yours?", Snowflake asked.
Deepest Desire clapped her hands. "Nope, just a silly thought that came to mind. Either way, seems like Ivana made more progress with Shadow Amethyst with only a few sobs than I did with months of therapy." She went over to the two and patted Ivana on the head. "You probably have no idea what you did, but I'm proud of you."
Not breaking from her embrace with Shadow Amethyst, Ivana looked up to Deepest Desire. "Th... thank you, Mistress. But... no, I don't." She smiled shyly, continuing to hold Shadow Amethyst.
Deepest Desire took a few steps back, returning to Snowflake. "So... what do we do with the rest of the day?"
Snowflake shrugged. "No clue, but I guess you're getting hungry, Mistress?"
"Speaking of it, yes", Deepest Desire admitted.
Ivana giggled behind them, still holding Shadow Amethyst in her arms. "Is... is this the point where we all get naked, Mistress?"
Deepest Desire chuckled and turned around to them. "I wouldn't mind. Shadow, what about you?"
"Whatever Mistress commands", Shadow Amethyst responded with no hesitation in her voice. "I guess it will be fun." She chuckled. "I... guess I'll finally get some with you, hm Ivana?" The cow responded with a giggle.
The changeling chuckled again. "In that case, I don't see why not."
To Shadow Amethyst's surprise, the cow suddenly pushed the entire weight of her body against the crystal mare, making her fall onto her back while Ivana herself landed on top of her.
"Huh", Shadow Amethyst yelped. "I didn't see that coming either."
Ivana was already starting to fumble with Shadow's clothes as well as her own, beginning to get them off.
Deepest Desire rubbed her chin. "Indeed. This day is full of surprises - big ones and little ones." She sat down on a chair. "Snowflake, would you join me?"
Snowflake walked over to her Mistress seductively, then took place in her lap sideways, wrapping her arm around Deepest Desire's shoulders. "Ready to feed, Mistress?", she asked.
Deepest Desire put her hand on Snowflake's cheek and softly made her face her. Then, she pushed her lips onto Snowflake's, and a familiar feeling of coldness ran through the pegasus' body.
After only a few seconds, Deepest Desire removed herself from Snowflake's muzzle.
"Aw, that always makes me grumpy", Snowflake chuckled a little. "Come on!", she smirked, giving Deepest Desire a look. "Refill the battery." She gave another chuckle.
Deepest Desire smiled. "You know that's not how it works - but sure." Once again, she pushed her lips onto Snowflakes, putting her hand on the back of the other female's head - pushing her into a real kiss this time.
"Oh yesh... that'sh more like it...", Snowflake mumbled into Deepest Desire's muzzle while her Mistress kissed her passionately.
Meanwhile, Ivana was still lying on Shadow Amethyst, awkwardly removing her and Shadow Amethyst's clothing, while the crystal mare merely lay on her back, pretty much letting the cow do the work. They were both almost completely nude by now, and Ivana began to put small kisses onto various parts of Shadow Amethyst's body. "I hope this pleases you?", she giggled.
"It's... enjoyable", the crystal mare responded.
Deepest Desire chuckled from her chair. "It's definitely fun to watch you two", she said, earning a smile from Ivana, who was now completely undressed.
The cow eventually removed herself from Shadow Amethyst and began to look over her toys, picking up various dildos and giving them close looks. "What to do next? What to do next?", she mumbled.
Snowflake suddenly chuckled. "I think Deepest Desire might have something that could interest you", she said.
"Huh", Deepest Desire made.
Snowflake moved her face close to Deepest Desire's ear and whispered something.
The changeling chuckled. "I see, I see. Would you mind fetching it for Ivana?"
The pegasus stood up, leaving her Mistress' lap, and went over to a large cupboard. Opening it, she pulled out a strapon and held it up for Ivana to see - with a dildo on the inner side and one on the outer.
Ivana giggled. "Why didn't I think of bringing one?", she wondered.
Snowflake handed it to Ivana, and the cow immediately crawled back to the crystal mare and was about to begin strapping it onto her - but Shadow Amethyst stopped her. She smiled up to the cow. "Please, put it on yourself", the crystal mare said.
Ivana's eyes widened. "Really? You want me to... but I... I've never..."
"Well, that's a twist", Deepest Desire chuckled.
"As a matter of fact..." Shadow Amethyst went up and onto her knees, picked up a pair of leather shackles that Ivana had brought, and crawled over to Deepest Desire. She placed them in front of her Mistress' hooves and then knelt before her, her back facing towards her Mistress, her arms behind her back. "Please, Mistress... would you cuff this unworthy servant, so a more deserving slave can have her fun with her?"
Deepest Desire laughed. "Are you really serious."
Shadow Amethyst nodded. "I just want to lay back now, not having to think about anything. And besides, I... I think I still owe something to Ivana."
"Not a good reason for this, but does that mean you do feel sorry for what you did, for Ivana's sake and not for mine?", Deepest Desire inquired.
"Yes", Shadow Amethyst answered. "I think you'll still disagree with my reasons though. But that doesn't matter now. As I said, I want this."
"Shadow Amethyst, I still don't understand you... I think", Deepest Desire admitted. "But very well." She picked up the cuffs and cuffed the crystal mare's hands together behind her back.
Shadow turned around, giving Deepest Desire a small smile as confirmation, then averted her gaze again. Awkwardly robbing back to Ivana on her legs, she laid down on her back again. "Ivana... please take me."
Ivana smiled shyly, having attached the strapon to herself now. Blushing a little, she crawled on top of the mare, rubbing the device against her folds.
"What a twist!", Snowflake said, moving over to Deepest Desire again. "This looks fun to watch. I think I just want to watch for a while."
Ivana chuckled. "Master Vestri always said giving him a show with other females was the only thing I'm good for."
Deepest Desire smirked. "What a cruel thing to say! And also false. You're good for a lot of things." She then turned her eyes to Snowflake, gave her an inviting look and patted her own thighs with her hands.
Snowflake chuckled, then took place on her Mistress' lap again. "Aaah... comfy", she said.
Ivana slowly began to insert her device into Shadow Amethyst, who was beginning to moan. "Please, Ivana...", the mare begged. "Pound me! Don't be gentle!"
Ivana blushed and stuttered. "I... I'll try." She put her hands on Shadow Amethyst's shoulders, pushing her down, and then pushed into her with all the force she could muster - which admittedly wasn't much, she was just a cow after all.
Shadow Amethyst moaned softly. "Don't... don't spare me. Do what you wish with me."
Deepest Desire and Snowflake exchanged glances.
"I'm beginning to wonder if this is some kind of experiment", the changeling said. "If so, it might be secretly brilliant. I'm not sure if I could have come up with it."
Snowflake made a dismissive gesture with her hand. "Eh. I'm just enjoying the view."
Ivana, having gained more confidence now, began to grind herself against Shadow Amethyst's body, pounding into her hardly. The cow started becoming a bit more confident, feeling up her partner more roughly and even giving her little, playful slaps. Shadow Amethyst played along, giving groans of played discomfort amidst the pleasure.
Eventually, Shadow Amethyst felt her orgasm approaching. "Mistress", she moaned. "May I come, please!"
Deepest Desire smirked. "Ask Ivana", she ordered.
"Ivana, please", Shadow reacted. "May I come, please? I'm so close."
Ivana pushed her entire body against the mare, whispering into her ear. "I'm also close... so close. Come... come with me." She paused for a second. "N... now!"
They both moaned loudly as they came together. Ivana kept lying on Shadow Amethyst for a good while longer, both panting heavily.
Eventually, the cow removed herself from the mare, and Shadow Amethyst stood up on shaky legs. Walking over to Deepest Desire, she stood in front of her, once again with her back turned to her. "Mistress... if it pleases you, would you remove the shackles? I would like to take my leave. I would... I would like to spend the rest of the day in my room. I have to think about a few things."
Deepest Desire smiled. "Sure."
With Snowflake still sitting in her lap, she awkwardly took off Shadow's shackles. The crystal mare let out a small sign, turned around, knelt before her Mistress, put two small kisses onto her hooves, mumbling a faint "Thank you".
Standing up again, she picked up her clothes, quickly put them on, and left the room without a word.
"Well, that was interesting", Snowflake said.
"May I remove this one now as well?", Ivana giggled, pointing down at her strapon.
"Yes, Ivana", Deepest Desire ordered. "Remove it, and then come over here. If that's okay with you, I would like to feed on you. I didn't take much from Snowflake, and I am still hungry."
Ivana nodded. "Yes, Mistress. I am ready."
Deepest Desire smiled. "And after that, we'll have more fun together."
Snowflake smiled. "Count me in", she said. "Damn, I'm pent up by now. That was a good watch."
"Seems like you enjoy watching Shadow Amethyst get dominated", Deepest Desire smirked.
Remembering something, she slapped her hand against her forehead. "Fuck! We haven't done the contracts! Shadow Amethyst doesn't even know about them yet. So much happened this morning... I just forgot."
Snowflake giggled. "Let it go for now. I'm sure Spring Breeze and the others can wait another day. After all, it's not like you're a caribou." She giggled. "They all still think you're a mare."
Continuing, she got serious again. "Plus, Shadow Amethyst said she needed time for herself to think. We should really give her some time for herself before harassing her again with something like this."
Deepest Desire sighed. "You're right. We can do this tomorrow. Ivana, come here."
The three of them continued to spend their morning in the same spirit. |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 8: Mysteries | Around the same time, Eadgil left his quarters in order to inform the other stags. Along the way, he was joined by Baldr.
"Good morning, Ari", he said.
"Good morning, Baldr", the other stag replied. "I take it you're also on the way to join the other stags in our common room?"
Baldr nodded. "Of course. There's a lot to talk about."
"Hm", Eadgil pondered. "Where's Bruna? I think she might want to hear about these things as well."
"She got up early in the morning", Baldr said. "She said she wanted to take some time for herself. She said something about wanting to find a calm place in the castle to meditate on a tree in the forest that you showed her - I didn't quite catch that, but was she talking about the same tree you told me about? The one you think gave you visions?"
"It wasn't a vision", Eadgil said. "More like a... mental connection. But yes, I guess she's referring to that. I showed it to her yesterday, and I think she likes that place. She told me she felt a similar connection."
"Hm", Baldr made. "We can talk about that later. Of course, before she left, I informed her of what we discussed with the mares yesterday evening."
"How did she react to the idea of me and Star Charmer making a contract?", Eadgil asked. He didn't think Bruna would object, but he did care for her opinion - and he hadn't had the time to ask her.
"She wasn't too surprised", Baldr answered. "I think she expected something like that. She does have a way of... knowing or sensing things in advance that escape me. Has she even ever seen you two together?"
"No, but she has interacted with Star Charmer", Ari responded, but then rubbed his chin. "Thinking of it, Star Charmer only introduced herself to me after the last time I was with Bruna. This is quite astonishing. Do you think Bruna is capable of some kind of... magical precognition?"
"Don't be silly", Baldr said, a small smile forming around his lips.
Eadgil grinned. "Well, as long as I can't think of a way to test this idea, it's pure speculation anyway."
"That said, it should go without saying, but Bruna told me that she has no problem with you taking other females as well. I had several different cows as well after all, so she's used to sharing - and Bruna also gives herself to other males beside you as well." He smirked. "Not too many others though, I think."
"Yes, it should go without saying... but somehow I'm glad Bruna feels that way", Eadgil said.
"Good to hear that you care for her opinion", Baldr said, arriving at a big, newly restored wooden door. "Seems like we're here. Oh, another thing. After we've informed the others about what we discussed yesterday, I would like you to show me the clearing with the tree we talked about. I have to check up on Spring Breeze's wings, so we don't have too much time, but it should be enough."
"Sure!", Eadgil said, opened the door and stepped inside, his friend following him.
Inside, the stags were having breakfast, and a good number of cows was keeping them company - serving them breakfast, or serving them in other ways. The stags were clearly enjoying their time, and so were the cows. The feeling of being free to leave at any time was new to many of them, and the ones that were here were only a small part of the castle's cow population, but those who were here at the moment didn't seem too eager to exercise this freedom right now. Still, an atmosphere of playfulness filled the air that Eadgil thought felt very different from the compelled debauchery of more traditional caribou communities. The cows seemed happier, but interestingly enough, he also saw more smiling stags than he was used to.
Eadgil's attention was taken by a doe in the middle of the room, bent over a table, legs spread wide, with no bondage besides her collar and a leash attached to it, moaning in visible pleasure as a large, muscular stag was taking her from behind. The caribou male groaned and gave her butt a playful slap as he came inside her, to which she responded with a giggle. He then pulled out and went his own ways.
Eadgil approached the cow up front, looking her in the eyes. "Hello there", he said. "Having fun?"
"Mh, oh yes", the cow sighed in afterglow.
"How many did you have already?", he asked.
"Six... I think", she said, giggling a little.
Eadgil smirked. "You're eager, huh?"
She giggled again. "Doing my best, Master."
"Many cows seem to mostly stick around one or two stags despite our new communal approach", Eadgil observed. "You seem more... adventurous."
"Master, if I may say so... that... communal handling is a wonderful idea. I never had that much fun in my life before, and I still also have much more time for myself now, to try out other things. I want to try everything!" She giggled again. "And everyone!"
Eadgil walked around her and let his hand run along her butt cheek. "You think you can take one more?", he asked.
"I'd love to, Master", she giggled. "You're the... leader here, right?"
Eadgil took out a handkerchief and gently cleaned up her cowhood. "We make decisions together now, but I guess the stags here see me as kind of an authority, yes. I came up with the idea for this community."
The cow giggled. "In this case, it's a par... parti... special honor for me to pleasure you, Master."
Eadgil chuckled. "Trying to learn new words, I see. Very good." He unbuttoned his pants, revealed his semi-hard cock, and started to rub it against the cow's outer folds. She instinctively spread her legs a bit more. "It's particular, by the way."
"Thanks, Master. I'll make sure to rememb... ah!"
While she was still finishing her sentence, Eadgil pushed into her and started to pound her. Taking her leash, he gave it a small, playful push, forcing her to push herself against him.
"Ah!", the cow moaned in pleasure.
Eadgil gently let his right hand run along her butt cheek. Then, he gave her a small slap. "Enjoying yourself?", he asked.
"Oh... harder, please!", the cow moaned in pleasure.
Reacting to her request, Eadgil increased the ferocity of his thrusts.
The cow giggled. "Oh! That's... good, Master. But..." She giggled. "It wasn't quite what I meant."
It took him a second. "Ah, I see!", he said, then gave her a hard slap on her butt, accompanying his next thrust.
"Yes... that... ah!", the cow moaned.
He continued to spank her as he felt his orgasm approaching. Eventually, he came inside of her with a loud groan.
He pulled out, then grabbed her easily, turning her around and placing her on the table, so he could look her in the face. "Did you like that, little one?"
The cow smiled at him. "It was... enjoyable, Master."
He smirked. "You think some of the others were better." He didn't phrase it as a question. It was an observation.
The cow blushed and looked away.
"Hey, you can tell me", Eadgil smiled.
"Yes, Master", she admitted in a hushed voice.
Eadgil smirked. "I promise I'll do better next time."
"Now you're messing with me, Master!", the cow complained.
Eadgil smirked. "Well, I will try to keep it in mind at least."
The cow giggled again. "If you say so. If you don't mind, I will take my leave now, Master."
"You have permission", Eadgil said. He removed himself from her completely, took his handkerchief and quickly cleaned himself up, then handed it to the cow. "Clean yourself up first, though", he commanded.
The cow quickly cleaned herself up, then gave it back to him. "If... you... I mean... you asked me to be honest, Master. I think you... you were... you're a bit... soft."
Eadgil laughed. "Haven't heard any complaints from Bruna so far. Different cows have different tastes, it seems."
"Ah!", the cow giggled. "You're Ari. Yes, Bruna mentioned you. She speaks very... what's the word... highly of you."
He smiled. "Good to know. Looking forward to meeting you again, little one."
The cow smiled back. "Same... I guess."
"I won't hold back next time, I promise", he said.
"It's okay, really", she assured him. "I already had a lot of fun today, and as I said, it was enjoyable."
The cow left, and Eadgil buttoned up his pants again. Baldr was already sitting down at one of the other tables, enjoying his breakfast.
"Had fun?", he asked as Eadgil sat down beside him.
"It was... enjoyable", Eadgil said with a smirk.
Then, he suddenly slapped his hand against his forehead. "Damn! I forgot to ask about her name! So much for my promise, I guess."
Baldr didn't look up from his meal. "Some old habits die hard, I guess. Not quite sure, but I think her name is Selma or Selda or something like that."
"So she isn't one of yours?", Eadgil asked.
Baldr shook his head. "No. I think you'd know her if she was."
Eadgil nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. Anyway. I'm hungry."
He looked up and snipped his fingers, and another cow came by and served him a small meal. He began to dig into the food immediately.
Once he was finished, he stood up. "My brothers, may I have your attention for a moment?", he asked.
The caribou in the room turned their eyes toward him. A few stags were still busy with their cows, which led to a slightly awkward moment.
Eadgil chuckled. "Alright... I'll wait until you're finished with who you're doing right now."
He kept standing, waiting for the others to finish their business. Once they were done, he addressed them again. "May I have your attention now?", he asked.
A stag chuckled. "I think we're all ears."
Ari nodded. "Alright. There are a few things to discuss. First of all, Councilman Vestri sent us a message. Apparently, a few stallions are interested in joining us here, so he'll send them over soon and let them have a look. They are of course likely to be affected by the artifact."
Murmuring filled the hall.
"Since we haven't found a way to counteract the artifact that we know for certain will work, our purpose will be to deter them from actually wanting to live here, but without raising any suspicions. Fortunately, we already have a few ideas for that. First of all, I've been talking to a mare who has found something interesting in a cave nearby."
He reached into his pocket and held the tourmaline stone high.
Most of the caribou's faces showed confusion. "Is that a tourmaline?", one of them asked.
"Indeed", Eadgil responded. "You know of them?"
"I know that the cats use them to fight evil spirits... or something", the caribou answered.
Eadgil smiled. "Almost. They do use it to counteract possession, yes... or in other words, mind control. It doesn't just work against possession though, but against almost all known kinds of unwanted mind magic. I think I might find a way to use these stones to counteract the magic of the king's artifact. I'm not sure if it works, and to what degree, but if it does work, Vestri might end up involuntarily and unknowingly sending us new recruits." He smirked.
"Of course, we can't be sure if it will work", he added after a pause. "Which is why the same mare who found that stone proposed yet another measure. She told me that it might be a good deterrent if we acted... how did she put it... really, really gay while showing them around."
"Are we going to dance and sing jolly songs or what?", one caribou asked. "I don't see how that would be a deterrent."
"That wasn't what she meant", Eadgil corrected him. "Apparently, bisexuality isn't as common among pony males as among us. By far not. As a matter of fact, many seem to at least detest the idea of getting personally involved in sexual activity with another male. In other words, her proposal is that we show a lot of... affection towards each other while they're around. More than caribou males usually display in public."
One caribou who was sitting beside another suddenly put his arm around his neighbour's shoulder, moving closer to him until their bodies touched. "Sounds like a plan to me. Sure, we can do that." They both chuckled.
Eadgil smiled. "Looks like it. There is another matter. That same mare I told you about also wishes to pursue a... relationship with me."
"Oh", one of the caribou just said.
"I'm not exactly sure, but she might not be the only one - which is why we needed to find a solution for this. Spring Breeze proposed a system of mutual contracts, wherein the nature and limits of each individual relationship can be determined in detail. These contracts can't contain any positive obligations, merely limits, and Spring Breeze and Deepest Desire will read through all of them and approve them, or reject them if there is an issue. Of course, the mares still need to approve of this in their plenum... but I think they will. It's Spring Breeze's idea, and I'm pretty certain Deepest Desire will speak in favor of it as well."
"That's... interesting", one of the stags said.
"I have no issue with this", another one responded.
"I don't see any issue either", a third one said. "Sounds like a good system."
Eadgil nodded. "I would like to ask you to not see this as an invitation to actively pursue a relationship with a mare though. Many of them probably won't exactly be happy with any advances from our side. As for the others, let them come to us."
The stags nodded.
"It should go without saying", one of them remarked. "After all, we're all here because we understand that mares feel and think a bit different from cows, and want to avoid further transgressions on part of our people. You have chosen us not just for that insight, but also because you thought we had the discipline to also follow through with it." He smirked a little. "Also, there's enough cows here for all our needs, and they're more than willing to be here for us." He gently let his hand run across the head of a cow that was still kneeling beside him. She let out a soft purr in response. "Seriously, I have a hard time to understand why our people wanted to take those mares in the first place. It's pretty obvious this isn't their way."
Another one nodded. "This is a matter of honor."
"Well said!", a third one joined in.
Baldr smirked. "Seems like you chose wisely", he whispered to Eadgil. "Or at least there's hope that you did."
Eadgil chuckled. "You know just as well as I do that you were the one who found most of them", he whispered back.
Baldr's smirk widened. "Yeah, I know."
Eadgil gave his friend a playful little punch to the shoulder.
About half an hour later, the two friends were standing on the clearing. The tree still hadn't lost its leaves, standing tall in the middle of it. A cold autumn wind was blowing through the leaves.
Baldr approached it, looking at it from all sides.
"So this is the tree you told me about, huh?", he asked. "This clearing certainly is beautiful. I feel at peace here. Almost... at home. Still, I don't feel a connection like the one you and Bruna told me about."
His friend smiled. "Bruna and I both felt the connection when we had direct, physical contact with it."
Baldr nodded, then slowly extended his right hand, finally making contact with the tree.
It took a few moments.
"Yes, I definitely feel it", he finally said. "It's like I am the tree."
Eadgil nodded. "Kind of, yes."
Baldr kept standing there, his hand pressed onto the bark of the tree, apparently exploring, for quite a long while. His friend waited patiently.
"Its roots go deep", he eventually said. "They go deep, and they spread wide. Very wide. And this isn't the only tree of this kind."
"Oh?", Eadgil asked. "I didn't notice that. Maybe I didn't have contact long enough."
The other stag nodded. "It's like they're all growing from the same root. A root that grows underneath the entire forest - like a web. It seems incredibly powerful, and the roots emerge from at a single focus point, deep inside Everfree forest. I can't quite reach that point though. It's like the tree - or trees - are keeping me out. They do let me see pretty much everything else though."
"Wow", Eadgil just said.
"It's... this forest is theirs. Their mind or minds connect to everything in it on some way. Other plants, even animals." Baldr's voice seemed distant, as if he was in trance.
Eadgil slowly approached the tree. "Let's see." He likewise extended a hand, and placed it on the tree's bark.
He immediately felt the connection, but it took a while until his mind tuned into it. He even felt Baldr's presence in the web as he delved into it far deeper than he had the last time. It felt like becoming one with the forest, and not just metaphorically like in the mystical texts he had studied.
He eventually sensed the focal point his friend had talked about - but his mind wasn't able to reach there, held back by an unseen force, clearly connected to the web itself.
You're right, he thought, directing his thoughts to his friend. They're keeping us out.
He wasn't sure if Baldr could hear his thoughts in there, but given that they both were connected to the trees, he assumed that there should be some kind of connection between them as well.
Baldr removed his hand, and Eadgil immediately lost connection to him.
"I told you so", he said. "It seems like they don't want us to go there. Maybe they don't trust us yet. I'm fairly sure they're reading us as well while we're in there, so that might not be too big of a surprise, all things considered. It still begs the question why they trust us enough to connect to us at all."
Eadgil removed his hand as well. "So you did hear me in there."
Baldr nodded. "Yes."
"Well, this is interesting", Eadgil said. "I'll see if I can find anything about this in the castle library. This castle was built in direct proximity to the forest, so it should have something on it."
Baldr nodded. "Do that. I need to leave now though. I told Spring Breeze to check up on her wings today. And... I might have something else to discuss with her."
"Oh?", Ari asked.
A little smile appeared on Baldr's face. "Let's just say the trees gave me a push in the right direction. I'll tell you later."
"Alright then", Eadgil said. "I also have to return. I think Star Charmer wanted to come by, tell me how the mares reacted to the contract idea, and eventually make a contract."
Baldr nodded, and they returned to the castle together.
Once they had reached the castle, they split up. Baldr walked straight to the mares' quarters, towards Spring Breeze's room.
When he arrived there, he waited for a second, then softly knocked on the door.
"Yes?", he heard Spring Breeze's voice from inside.
"I come to check up on your wings, Spring Breeze", he said.
"Oh yes, Baldr. Please come in", he heard Spring Breeze's voice from the other side.
He opened the door and entered.
The green pegasus mare was sitting on a chair at her desk. She turned around when he entered.
"Good morning, Spring Breeze", Baldr greeted.
"Good morning, Baldr", the mare responded. "I... guess I completely forgot about my appointment. So much to do around here... but this has priority, of course."
She turned her back to him, waiting for him to check up on her wings.
He approached her, and carefully inspected the wings, gently letting his hand run over them. "They seem to be okay, all things considered", he finally said. "The feathers still need time to regrow, but there seem to be no infections, no other problems..."
"Good to hear", Spring Breeze said.
Baldr took a step back. "There is... something else... that I would like to talk about."
Spring Breeze turned around. "What is it, Baldr?"
Baldr stood there for a moment, seemingly undecided. "Ancestors...", he finally mumbled. "I can't believe I'm doing this."
Spring Breeze's eyes widened as the stag went to his knees in front of her.
"Baldr, what are you doing?"
The stag didn't respond at first, awkwardly looking to the ground in front of him, merely stuttering something unintelligible.
Spring Breeze's conscious mind slowly began to form a picture of what was happening in front of her. "Don't tell me you want to make a contract with me. And with me as the... dominant part?"
Baldr didn't rise his gaze. "I... I understand if you... aren't interested. And if you need time... I'll wait as long as it takes."
He paused for a second. Without him noticing, Spring Breeze had stood up and taken a step towards him.
"I... feel so ashamed", he admitted. "Earlier today, Eadgil and I had the other stags promise that they wouldn't take the contracts as a reason to try to actively pursue relationships with you mares. And now... and now I'm doing it myself... but I couldn't... I just couldn't leave this..."
Spring Breeze put her index finger on Baldr's muzzle. "Shhh", she made. Then, she moved her hand under Baldr's chin, gently lifting his head upwards so she could look him in the eye.
She smirked. "Call me Mistress."
His heart made a jump.
"M... Mistress", he mumbled.
Spring Breeze turned around and slowly walked back to her desk, taking place on the chair again.
"Stand up and move your ass here", she commanded, still smiling. "We have a contract to make."
Several hundred miles further south, a small creature was standing on a little hill, looking north, trying to get a concept of the way ahead of him.
It was about two thirds the size of a grown caribou male, a good bit smaller than a mare, and even a bit smaller than most cows. It wore a hooded robe, its hood protecting the creature from the cold wind. Small, white-coated paws protruded from the robe's sleeves, the right one raised to the creature's head, holding the hood in place.
Following the instructions given by its Master, the creature would venture north from here, through the lands of the zebra and into the realm known as Equestria, to fulfill the task given to it by its Master.
Its left hand reached to the simple cord around its waist holding its robe in place. The silver dagger that had been given to it for one part of its mission was still safely there.
Ever since it was serving its Master, the creature had never ventured that far north - or even just outside the Realm. The landscape looked a lot more normal here. Far less weird angles and cyclopic cityscapes - just the lush savannah of the lands of the zebra ahead of it. The creature had not left the Realm yet, but it was only a few steps away from the invisible line that separated its Master's sphere of influence from the lands that lied beyond it.
The creature let its gaze go over the landscape, trying to memorize it, and to plan out its way for the coming days, when it heard a familiar voice in its head.
The Monolith has another task for this one, in addition to the one given to it already.
The creature's mind immediately focused on the familiar voice instinctively, putting all effort into picking up every detail of its incoming new order.
When this one ventures into the realm of the mad king, it will also seek out a prophet. That one is of the same species as the mad king. This one will recognize it by the red mark on its left hand. A symbolic depiction of a snake, coiling around a broken mirror. This one will find the prophet in the castle ruins in the eternal forest, in a free village. This one will protect the prophet and keep it safe from danger. It will also obey the word of the prophet as though it was the Monolith's.
The creature felt a rising confusion. A strange order, and potentially in conflict with the other order it was given by the very same voice. It also felt like there was something wrong with the voice. But as always, it felt incapable of disobeying the voice of its Master.
It made a step forward, and began to descend the hill to the north.
The cold autumn wind was blowing around it, making a sound that almost sounded like a chuckle. |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 9: Contract Matters | Eadgil had just returned to his quarters and taken place at his desk when he heard a knock on the door.
"Come in, please", the stag said.
The door was opened, and Star Charmer stepped in, giving him a smile.
"Ah, good morning, Star Charmer", Eadgil greeted her politely. "Have the mares agreed to your proposal regarding the contracts?"
Star Charmer nodded. "Yes, sir."
Eadgil rose from his seat and walked a few steps in her direction.
"So you're here to make a contract with me."
"I am, sir", the mare responded, nodding again.
The stag walked back to his desk again, sat down and grabbed a quill and a piece of paper. "Very well. I'm not sure how to begin, so I'll start by writing down our names and roles in the relationship. I think you made it very clear that you wanted a relationship involving... how do you call it... power exchange."
"Yes, indeed."
"Good", Eadgil continued. "I'll put you down as the submissive part and myself as the dominant part. I think the next step would be to define hard limits."
"Knife play", the mare immediately said. "Or anything with blades or sharp objects, really."
The stag wrote it down. "We can consider that a shared hard limit. The idea of cutting into skin is a big turn-off for me."
"Good to hear, sir", the mare responded respectfully. "Also, I don't want you to directly touch my horn stump", Star Charmer continued. "It's damn painful, and not in a good way. You can touch the area around the stump, but be careful. Having my forehead pushed against something like a soft cushion also isn't really a problem, so you can hold me down if proper precautions are made - but it really shouldn't touch anything hard. This is until we find a way to fix my horn, obviously."
Eadgil smiled. "Good to see that you know what you want and have put some thought into it. But give me a moment to get this all down."
Star Charmer walked around the desk, positioning herself behind him and taking a look at the paper to ensure the wording was in line with her thoughts. Then she walked around the desk again, standing in front of it.
"Is that all?", Eadgil asked.
"Not quite, sir", Star Charmer said. "For now, I want you to define 24/7 as a hard limit. I really like the idea... but not with everything that's going on. I need time for myself. Not to mention that I don't know you very well yet. Also, I wouldn't consider it an option as long as we're still fighting this regime."
Eadgil paused for a second. " I'm not sure if Spring Breeze will allow us to change hard limits retroactively. Incidentally, I wouldn't actively push for something like that for pretty much the same reasons. Within the context of this community, how would I violate that point anyway?"
"I'm not sure", Star Charmer responded. "The reason why I want this in is because after we're done with the contract, I would like to talk a bit about my wishes with regard to being dominated. You'll find that they're quite far-reaching in terms of power exchange. I guess I brought this up to make it clear to you that I'm not aiming for that, at least not now. I guess you don't necessarily have to put it in."
"Fair enough. I'll put it in as a shared soft limit, specifying that we both categorically rule it out under current circumstances." Something seemed to bother Eadgil, but he put it down.
"Yeah, that seems fair. I think that covers it", Star Charmer said. She let out a small giggle. "And you, sir? Do you have any hard limits?"
The stag nodded slowly. "Age play", he said.
As he had said this, Star Charmer's gaze shifted away from him, looking out of the window with what almost seemed to be an empty stare. She didn't respond for quite a while.
"Did I say something wrong?", Eadgil asked.
"I'm sorry", Star Charmer said, returning the gaze to him. "I... got distracted. For a moment, I had to think of... everything going on outside these walls. You can put that down as a shared hard limit."
The stag nodded. "Yes, I understand."
Star Charmer quickly returned to her more cheerful self. "Anything else?"
"Two soft limits", Eadgil said. "First of all, I'm fine with sir, but I would like you to call me Ari. I would like not to be addressed with my birth name by anyone I consider a friend. It... doesn't really constitute a soft limit, but I would like you to not call me Eadgil."
She nodded. "Okay, I can do that. You don't need to put it down."
Eadgil nodded. "The second point is the title Master. You already told me I still have to earn it. Even if a point comes where I do earn it in your eyes, I want you to ask me first before you use it."
"Yes, sir", Star Charmer nodded. "Since that might change in the future, I don't think we need to put it down. That said, I already mentioned that I wanted to talk about our expectations with regards to sex as well. I'll let you start, sir. Anything you particularly like?"
Eadgil smiled. "Well... except for the things I already specified, I generally enjoy things like domination, bondage, sadism. There isn't anything that particularly stands out. I like to try out different things, but I am concerned with safety, and always have been, so if you want something harder or more risky, you'll probably have a bit of convincing to do."
The mare smirked. "I'll keep that in mind."
Eadgil continued. "For example, full suspension bondage is probably pretty generally out of the question, because I'm simply not that skilled. This might change in the future, of course, so it's not a limit in the strict sense of the term. But I simply won't do it as long as I can't be sure to be able to play it safe."
"Yeah, I agree with that", Star Charmer nodded. "I wouldn't even bring this up unless I knew with certainty that my partner knows what he's doing."
"Alright then", Eadgil smiled. "What do you particularly like?"
"Oh, I also like to try out a lot of different things, sir", Star Charmer said politely, smiling at him. "I particularly like verbal humiliation, Rough Body Play, Impact Play... of course, right now you don't have any crops or canes available, but I'm sure you can do a lot of interesting things with your hands. Being tied up and helpless is nice occasionally, but being wrestled down and taken is delicious. When it comes to impact play using your hands, my face is not off-limits. I trust you to play it safe, but I think a good slap to the face at the right moment can be just as intimate as a kiss. At least to me." She smirked. "I'll give you ample opportunity for both."
Eadgil raised an eyebrow, smiling a little. "Interesting."
"Oh, there is another thing", the mare continued. "I might resist verbally or physically at times, but as long as I don't use my safe word, this should not deter you. My safe word should be the only thing to stop you - so if you come across me in the hallways, for example, feel free to push me against the wall and take me right there if you want to. If it's not a good time, my safe word will let you know."
"I see", the stag observed. "You have your safe word, but this still borders on TPE. I will need to put what you just said down when we actually define the safe word, but let's limit this to the eastern wing and possibly the forest if we go there. I'm not going to do any such thing to you right next to the mares' quarters, and you'll probably only come here to the eastern wing for this purpose anyway."
Star Charmer nodded. "Fair enough, sir."
Eadgil rose from his chair. "Incidentally, all of this raises one big question."
"Oh?", Star Charmer asked.
Eadgil turned around and went a few steps, looking out of the window. "Am I even the right stag for you?"
"I don't follow", Star Charmer said.
"Earlier today, a cow called me too soft for her tastes", Eadgil explained.
Star Charmer giggled. "Is that so?" After a second, she added an ironic "sir".
The stag turned around again, facing her. "Out of all the stags in this community, why do you approach me specifically to make a contract with? You could have gone to your former owner, for example - although given what I know from Deepest Desire, I sort of understand why you didn't."
She shook her head. "No, sir. It's different in my case. I have no bad memories with regards to him. Believe it or not, but I used to be a black collar when I came to him. We then made a deal - he would give me the red collar and do his best to respect my limits, I would pretend to be an obedient little slave mare, and he could brag to his friends how he tamed a black in almost no time. Since he was a caribou, evaluation was a formality. In exchange, he respected my limits. It was reasonable given the circumstances. I have no bad blood with him and we did have our fun, but it was never an overly emotional relationship."
Eadgil nodded. "Alright, I believe you. But this makes me wonder even more. Why me?"
She gave him a soft smile. "I think you're cute."
"That's all?", he asked.
She nodded. "That's all."
He smiled. "Alright then. Keep a mystery. I'll figure it out sooner or later." Walking back to his desk, he sat down and reached for the quill again. "By the way, have you already decided on a safe word?"
"Of course, sir", she nodded. "Tourmaline."
He gave a quick laugh. "Ha! I guess that makes sense. Alright, I'll put that down."
Eadgil wrote down the safe word, and then included a descriptive passage of how it should be the only thing to deter him. He then handed the paper over to Star Charmer. "Go over it and see if everything is as intended", he said in a commanding voice.
Star Charmer gave a giggle and read through it. "Oh, I've forgotten something important! I think it should go in the passage about the safe word."
"Oh?", Eadgil asked.
Star Charmer blushed. "I... like to be shared. You know, to be passed around... that kind of thing. So if you want to invite a few friends one evening and share me, feel free. Just... let me know in time if you decide to do something like that. I trust you to make sure they respect my limits and safe word, and the stags here seem to be good people, otherwise they wouldn't be here."
Eadgil looked up from his desk. "Are you really sure about that?", he asked.
Star Charmer bit her lip and nodded.
Eadgil sighed. "Alright, I'll put that down as well. Not sure if Spring Breeze will agree to it though..."
Star Charmer had already walked behind him, spying over his shoulder. "Yes, this should do, sir", she giggled as he finished writing.
He nodded, grabbed two more sheets of paper, and started to copy it twice so they would have three copies - one for himself, one for Star Charmer, and one for Spring Breeze's archives.
"Negotiations are always such a dull affair", Star Charmer said. "I bet anyone who has to read through all of this will be bored as hell afterwards. Poor Spring Breeze and Deepest Desire. I'll get this approved by them, and then I'll be back so we can do something more cheerful." She giggled, then rushed out of the room, leaving Eadgil behind.
Star Charmer rushed through the hallways of the mares' quarters, the copies of the contracts in her hand. She had decided to frequent Deepest Desire first, since her quarters were closer. She had just entered the hallway when she noticed Shadow Amethyst coming out of Deepest Desire's quarters, a serene smile on her face, heading in her direction.
"Hello, Shadow Amethyst", Star Charmer smiled as she gave the other mare a friendly greeting.
"Star Charmer. Good afternoon", the crystal mare responded in an unusually friendly voice.
"You come from Deepest Desire?", Star Charmer inquired, taking a closer look at the other mare. "Shadow, you're glowing!", she observed. "I've only known you for a few weeks, but so far, I've never seen you smile before, let alone like this. What happened?"
Shadow Amethyst looked at her with a friendly smile, yet seemingly lost in thought. "Something wonderful. I've learned my place, Star Charmer."
The other mare raised an eyebrow. "O-kay, whatever that means. I assume Deepest Desire had a breakthrough with you? If so, I'm happy for you. Did you make your contract?"
"Contract?", Shadow Amethyst asked.
Star Charmer nodded. "Yeah, there are mares among us who wish to pursue relationships with caribou males. We had to find a way to make sure both their interests and those of the entire community would be protected in such a relationship - so we came up with the contracts. Documents that would contain the terms and limits of these relationships in advance. Copies will be given to Spring Breeze and Deepest Desire to approve or deny, and for the archives. Some of the mares demanded that Deepest Desire herself should also make such contracts with you and Snowflake, since your relationship also involves an element of domination and submission. Deepest Desire agreed to that. Hasn't she told you yet?"
Shadow Amethyst gave an amused smile. "What an... interesting idea." Then, she shook her head. "No, Deepest Desire hasn't told me yet. We just had a few rather... intense hours." She looked down to the ground. "Alright. If Mistress wishes it, I will make a contract."
Star Charmer had to look closer. Was she just imagining things, or was the crystal mare blushing a little?
The two mares stood there in awkward silence for a few moments.
"So, where are you heading?", Shadow Amethyst asked.
"To Deepest Desire's quarters, actually", Star Charmer responded. "I have some... documents she needs to read over."
Shadow Amethyst smiled. "You've made a contract."
"I've made a contract", Star Charmer nodded.
The crystal mare smiled at her. "May I ask with whom?"
"Eadgil", Star Charmer responded.
Shadow Amethyst nodded. "Ah. My former owner. Yes, I remember that you asked about him a few days ago. He's a good guy." She smirked. "Or in other words, he's a spineless wimp."
"Well, he pretty much called himself a softie today, but I'm sure he can be rough and demanding if he wants to", Star Charmer objected. "Otherwise I wouldn't have considered him as a partner."
"Oh yeah, I'm also sure he can be if he wants to", the crystal mare responded. "The issue is that he doesn't want to. He has gotten it into his head that that's somehow wrong - which is why we're here."
Star Charmer frowned. "That's something else entirely, and you know it!"
Shadow Amethyst let out a wicked giggle. "If you say so. Anyway, I'll take my leave now. I have a lot of things to think about. Oh, one more thing." She pointed to Deepest Desire's door. "Snowflake and Ivana are still in there, and I'm not sure if you want to disturb them."
"Oh", Star Charmer responded. "Alright, I'll go and see Spring Breeze first."
A few minutes later, she was standing in front of the door to Spring Breeze's quarters. She raised her fist and knocked three times.
For what seemed like a long time, there was no response. Then she heard the sound of a key being turned in the lock. Eventually, Spring Breeze opened.
"Star Charmer", she said. "Good afternoon. I assume you have made the contract with Eadgil, and now want to have it approved. Though I wish you had gone to Deepest Desire first."
"I wanted to, but I met Shadow Amethyst, and she told me Deepest Desire was currently with Snowflake and Ivana", Star Charmer said. "I assume she and Snowflake are making their contract as well. I didn't want to disturb them. I hope this isn't a bad time for you?"
Spring Breeze smiled. "Not really. I just finished what I was doing. Please, come in." She held open the door, and Star Charmer walked past her into the room.
Once inside, the first thing she saw was Baldr, kneeling next to Spring Breeze's desk.
She raised an eyebrow, looked at him for a moment, then back at Spring Breeze. "Are you sure this is a good time?", she asked.
The pegasus gave her a comforting smile. "Not overly, but it's okay. We just finished our own contract."
"So he is submitting to you, huh?", Star Charmer asked. "Well, that's new. In retrospect, it's not too big of a surprise... but a submissive caribou male... and one that even goes through with it... wow, interesting." She gave a genuine smile.
"I... uh...", Baldr stuttered.
Spring Breeze walked past the unicorn mare, standing beside him. She gently placed her hand between his antlers, petting him a little. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to", she said in a comforting voice.
"Well, I think it's wonderful", Star Charmer said. "Admitting your true feelings like that, even against the norms of your own culture."
Baldr's face turned to an amusing shade of red.
"That was... undiplomatic", Spring Breeze said coldly.
"I'm sorry", Star Charmer responded, looking down. "I'm not too good at being diplomatic. It was meant as a compliment, really. I mean, we all here agree that the mainline of caribou culture is pretty stupid, don't we?"
Spring Breeze nodded slowly. "Baldr and I have talked about this. The stags here in Freeville all agree that their culture is a plethora of mistakes and needs reformation badly, but we still don't know if they're willing to accept one of their own going that far. There is a chance that he'll have to face antagonism from some of them. We're stepping far out of their collective cultural comfort zone with this."
"I'm sure at least Ari will be fine with it", Star Charmer said, earning a little nod from Baldr. "And he seems to have the others under control. They all know that this is a place for experimentation. I'm sure they'll be fine with it, at least eventually."
"I hope so, too", Baldr said calmly. "I have helped to find and pick them after all. It... still feels weird. But I know that this is the right thing for me. Kneeling here feels... right."
Star Charmer giggled. "Yeah, I know the feeling."
Then, she handed Spring Breeze the copies of her contract with Eadgil. "Speaking of which, would you look over this and tell me if you can approve of this."
Spring Breeze read over the paper. "This is quite far reaching." Finally reaching the part where Star Charmer had specified that Eadgil could pass the unicorn around, she gasped a little. "Quite far-reaching. Are you sure you're okay with this?"
Star Charmer giggled. "I was the one who pushed for most of this. Eadgil is a softie. I know he wants to be dominant, and I also know he can be - but he is inhibited. I guess he feels guilty about what he did before he came here. I'll probably have to push him a bit until he goes as far as I want him to."
Baldr chuckled. "There was a cow earlier today who also called him a softie."
"Oh?", Spring Breeze asked, raising an eyebrow.
Star Charmer joined in the chuckling. "Yeah, he told me that as well."
"I was there", Baldr said, grinning a little.
"Alright", Spring Breeze said. "Not sure if I agree with your reasoning, but then again, I see nothing here that's not safe or sane, or would inhibit your freedom of choice in any unreasonable way. You have a safe word, and both of you have defined hard limits - and my contract with Baldr is also far-reaching in a way. Honestly, I'm fine with this. The community should keep an eye on you, but we look out for each other anyway. As far as I'm concerned, this gets my approval."
Star Charmer smiled. "Thank you, Spring Breeze."
"You probably want to have your contract approved today?", Spring Breeze asked.
"If possible, yes", the other mare responded. "I'm not sure if I can disturb Deepest Desire right now though."
"Well, we would like to have ours approved today as well", Spring Breeze said. "How about this. Eadgil knows Deepest Desire better than any of us. You go and get him, and we'll wait for you in the main hall - and then we'll go to her together, provided he thinks it's not a bad idea."
"Sounds like a plan", Star Charmer said. "I'll go fetch him, and we'll meet in the main hall. See you soon!"
Spring Breeze gave her a nod, and then Star Charmer turned around and left the pegasus' quarters.
Only a few minutes later, Star Charmer was standing in the middle of Eadgil's room again.
"So let me get this straight", Eadgil asked. "You already got our contract approved by Spring Breeze, but you didn't want to disturb Deepest Desire, because Shadow Amethyst told you that Snowflake is currently with her - but you really want to get that contract approved today because you can't wait to feel my cock inside you. So you want me to come with you to see if we can bother her now because I know her better than you do. Is that an appropriate summary?"
Star Charmer bit her lip, blushing a little over his bluntness. "I... yes, sir."
Eadgil came a step closer, donning a wicked smile. "Alright, I'll see what I can do. Remind me to punish you later for this inconvenience."
The mare bit her lip. "Yes, sir."
"Alright", Eadgil said. "We will go to Deepest Desire's quarters together. I'll knock, and see if it's a good time."
"I promised to meet Spring Breeze and Baldr in the main hall first", Star Charmer responded. "They're going to join us when we talk to Desire."
"Oh?", Eadgil asked. "Baldr told me earlier today that he had something important to talk about with Spring Breeze. But what does Deepest Desire have to do with that?"
Star Charmer giggled. "Take a guess... uh, sir."
Eadgil's eyes widened as they focused on Star Charmer's face. "Don't tell me they made a contract."
Star Charmer nodded.
The caribou smiled with amusement. "I guess I already know who's going to be the dominant one in that relationship."
The mare nodded again. "When I entered Spring Breeze's room, they had just finished their contract, and your friend was kneeling beside her desk. Even I was surprised to see him actually do it."
"The last months have been full of surprises", Eadgil reflected, still smiling. "I learned that almost everything I had been told about mares was wrong. I had already assumed that our leaders were full of shit before that, but not to that degree. I met not just one, but at least two dominant mares. And I met Baldr and Bruna, who showed me that most of what I assumed about our own people was also wrong. Alright, I'll come with you. You're the first submissive mare who wants to have a relationship with me, and I can't wait to learn what you are like, little mare." As he said these last words, he looked into her eyes and let his hand gently run through her hair, resulting in another lip bite from her.
"I have to say, I find that really cute", Eadgil said. "That thing you do with your lips."
Star Charmer blushed. "The first, sir? What about Snowflake? She's a sub and she seems to like you. Didn't you have... I mean..."
Eadgil shook his head. "We had, but that was different. Snowflake was thankful that I rescued her from the streets, and then she was also thankful that Deepest Desire and I helped her overcome her panic attacks. I'm not entirely sure, but I think when it comes down to it, she submitted to me willingly, but more out of gratitude than affection. Once she was able to choose, she chose Deepest Desire."
Star Charmer giggled. "Snowflake once mentioned in passing that she sometimes wishes you and Deepest Desire had stayed together."
"Did she?" Eadgil sighed. "I wish things had been different between me and Deepest Desire. I have to admit, I admire her. She's incredibly smart and has an amazing way of understanding people and their needs. I'm not sure if I could have a relationship with a dominant female though."
Star Charmer chuckled. "Yeah, you two don't seem overly compatible."
"Of course, there is much more between us than just that. I'm the one who cut her horn, and..."
Star Charmer put her index finger on Eadgil's lips. "You don't have to say anything more. I've been through the same after all."
Eadgil looked away. "Then why do you want to be with a male who has done these things to others? Please don't tell me that I had no choice, that we'll find a way to fix the horns, that I'm already atoning for what I've done... I'm tired of hearing these platitudes."
Star Charmer giggled. "Let me phrase them a bit differently. While my former owner rambled every day for months about how he would one day go against the regime if only an opportunity presented itself, continuing to wait for one to just pop out of thin air while sighing that it didn't, you were already planning out this community here. You were doing things while others were talking, and it took you to convince him to become active as well. I just... I feel drawn to ambitious males. I always have." She giggled again. "Not too big a surprise there, huh?"
Eadgil smiled. "Fair enough. We should go. Spring Breeze and Baldr are probably wondering where we are."
Star Charmer nodded, and they left the room together.
A few minutes later, Eadgil and Star Charmer entered the main hall.
"There you are", Spring Breeze said. "We've been waiting for you."
Eadgil smirked, giving his friend a look. "So you two made a contract, huh?"
Baldr blushed and nodded.
"No need to be ashamed", his friend reassured him. "Personally, I think it's wonderful that you're trying out something so radically different. Hmm... does the tree have anything to do with it?"
"Tree?", Spring Breeze asked.
"There's a tree on a clearing in the Everfree forest...", Eadgil began.
"I'd assume there are hundreds of thousands of trees in the Everfree forest", Spring Breeze interrupted.
"Please let me finish", Eadgil said. "There's a tree on a clearing in the Everfree forest, and Baldr talks to it." He smirked.
Spring Breeze raised an eyebrow. "Uh... that's not at all weird. Do I have to worry for his sanity?"
"I wouldn't call it 'talking'", Baldr said. "It's more like a telepathic connection or something like that. Also, Eadgil and my sister had the same experience with that tree." He looked at his friend. "You conveniently left that part out, didn't you?"
Eadgil grinned and nodded. "Spring Breeze, you can be assured that everything is alright with Baldr's sanity. Unless we suffer from some kind of collective delusion, his connection, as he put it, is in fact real, and he wasn't the only one who had such an experience." He thought for a minute. "Maybe we should see if you ponies have similar experiences around that tree."
"Maybe you can show it to me tomorrow", Star Charmer smiled. "Even if it should turn out that I don't have this... connection, a clearing in the forest sounds romantic. I'm sure we can think of other things to do there besides talking to trees." She giggled.
"I'm sure we can", Eadgil laughed. "For now, we should focus on getting this approved by Deepest Desire."
The others nodded, and they walked the way to Deepest Desire's room.
When they arrived at Deepest Desire's room, they ran into Ivana, who had just come out of it.
"Oh. Hello Ivana", Eadgil greeted her.
"Hello, Master... Ari, right? And hello, Master Baldr." She looked at the mares. "Uh... I don't quite remember your names." She giggled shyly.
"I'm not sure if we have been introduced. I'm Spring Breeze, and this is Star Charmer", Spring Breeze responded. "You must be Ivana. I think Deepest Desire mentioned you."
"Wait...", Eadgil interrupted. "You're with Deepest Desire now? She's your... Mistress?"
Ivana nodded shyly. "Yes, Master Ari."
The stag smiled and clapped his hands together. "Well, seems like you're in good hands. You couldn't have found a better Master. I'm happy for you, Ivana."
Ivana's eyes became dreamy. "She's so wonderful, isn't she? A dream come true... with your permission, I would like to take my leave now, Master."
Eadgil nodded. "Sure."
They waited until Ivana had walked her way to the end of the hallway and left. Then, Eadgil gave the door an audible knock.
"Who's there?", Deepest Desire's voice came from inside.
"It's me, Eadgil", the stag said. "I hope this isn't a bad time."
"A little bit", the voice behind the door answered. "Is it something important?"
"Spring Breeze has approved of my contract with Star Charmer", Eadgil answered. "We would like to get your approval as well. And... there's someone else who wants to get a contract approved."
"Alright, just give us a minute", Deepest Desire's voice said.
A bit later, the door opened and Snowflake came out. "Hello, Ari", she greeted him. "Hello Spring Breeze, and... you're Star Charmer, right?"
The other mare nodded, and Snowflake's eyes turned to Baldr.
"I don't think we've met, have we?", she asked, reaching out with her hand. "My name is Snowflake. I'm Deepest Desire's..." She giggled. "...plaything."
Eadgil raised an eyebrow. "That sounds more like something Shadow Amethyst would say."
The pegasus giggled. "I know. I feel playful at the moment. I just had a few very nice hours."
Star Charmer joined in the giggling. "Yeah, I know the feeling."
"Anyway, I'm going to return to my quarters now", Snowflake said. "I think Deepest Desire has time to see you now."
The others nodded, and then entered the room. The changeling was already dressed again, and sitting on her bed.
"Hello, Eadgil and Star Charmer", she said, then pausing for a second as she saw Baldr and Spring Breeze enter the room right behind them. "Oh. Hello, Spring Breeze." She turned to Baldr, giving him a polite smile. "I don't think we've been introduced yet. I'm Deepest Desire."
"My name is Baldr", the caribou said. "Pleased to meet you."
"Thanks. I assume you're the other one with a contract Eadgil mentioned? May I ask with whom?"
Baldr pointed at Spring Breeze. "With her."
Deepest Desire raised an eyebrow. "Really? Spring Breeze, you didn't strike me as the type for that sort of relationship."
Star Charmer giggled. "Oh, you're in for a surprise! But could you look at our contract first?"
Deepest Desire nodded. "Impatient, huh? Alright, let me see it."
Star Charmer handed her the piece of paper, and she went over it. "This is... quite far-reaching, particularly the part about being passed around." She looked at Star Charmer. "I hope he didn't push you into this."
Star Charmer burst into laughter.
The changeling raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?", she asked.
"Oh nothing", the other mare responded. "It's just that you're the second person to ask me this today. No, he did not. As a matter of fact, I had to push him to agree to this."
"Really?", Deepest Desire asked.
"Yeah, he's pretty restrained", Star Charmer said, giggling a little.
"He probably doesn't want to do anything that could endanger what we're trying to build here", Deepest Desire said. "Which is a wise stance, by the way."
"Noted", Star Charmer said, nodding.
"Well, if that's the case, I see nothing wrong with this", Deepest Desire said.
"I came to the same conclusion", Spring Breeze remarked. "We can still have an eye on them after all. That's why I approved it."
"Well, if you're okay with this, so am I", Deepest Desire said. "Alright. Now show me yours."
Spring Breeze handed her another sheet of parchment. She quickly read over it in seconds.
"What is this?", she then asked. "No limits, just the definition of your roles in the relationship and a safe word? Didn't we agree that we would insist on both for relationships between stags and mares? Besides, you don't even strike me as a subm..."
She interrupted herself as her eyes went over the parchment again.
"Wait a second... am I reading this correctly?"
Star Charmer giggled. "I told you you were in for a surprise with their contract."
Deepest Desire rose from the bed, approaching Baldr. "So you are a submissive caribou male, huh? There are indeed strange things under the sun..."
The stag nodded.
"We're both new to this", Spring Breeze began. "I had been interested in dominating before the invasion, but I never actually did it - and Baldr had apparently always dreamt of this, but with no chance whatsoever to actually do it. We essentially don't know our limits yet, but we will start slowly anyway. But now that I think about it... I really don't ever want to do Age Play. I didn't even consider it before I saw that Eadgil had defined it as his hard limit. The concept is... alien to my thought processes. If you insist on a hard limit, you can put that in there."
Deepest Desire went over to her desk, took a quill and added something to the parchment. "The dominant part has a hard limit... and the submissive part doesn't. Well, this is an unusual relationship anyway."
She returned to Spring Breeze. "This has my approval", she said. "As a matter of fact, I can't let an opportunity like this pass. This is both unusual and fascinating. Would you two be okay with giving me a report on your relationship once a week? I don't think you need therapy, but I would like to study this. It would be for science, I would of course treat this absolutely confidential, and you don't have to include anything you don't want to."
"Like a journal?", Spring Breeze asked.
Deepest Desire thought for a moment. "Yes, it would be best if you did this in written form. I hope that's okay for you."
"Fine by me", Baldr said.
Spring Breeze nodded. "If you treat this with absolute confidentiality, I don't see why not."
"Of course", Deepest Desire responded. "I'm a professional."
Spring Breeze clapped her hands together. "Well, then it's settled. Thank you for your approval, Deepest Desire."
Deepest Desire smiled. "Now I would like to be alone for a while. I don't want to throw you out, but I had a rather... exhausting afternoon so far."
Star Charmer smirked. "Yeah, Ivana and Snowflake already informed us of that."
"Behave, Star Charmer", Eadgil commanded.
Star Charmer bit her lip again. "Yes, sir."
Spring Breeze chuckled, then went a step closer to Baldr and gently let her hand run along his cheek. "Come, pet", she commanded.
Baldr lowered his gaze. "Yes, Mistress."
Spring Breeze left the room, and Baldr followed her slowly.
"We should go, too", Eadgil said. "Star Charmer and I have a lot to talk about."
Star Charmer chuckled. "Yeah, I'm sure there will be lots of... 'talking'."
"Star Charmer, behave", Eadgil commanded sternly once again.
The unicorn giggled. "Yes sir."
"As I said, we'll take our leave now. Have a nice evening, Deepest Desire."
Deepest Desire was already pouring herself a glass of brandy. "Don't worry, I will. You two, too."
"Thank you", Eadgil said, and they both left to return to Eadgil's room.
Eadgil opened the door, stepping into his room. Star Charmer swiftly followed behind him, closing it silently. He now stood in the middle of the room as he turned around to face her.
The mare was still standing next to the door, waiting patiently.
"Sooo...", Star Charmer said after letting a few moments pass.
Eadgil came a step closer. "Sooo... I guess this is the point where you want me to push you against the wall and start having my way with you."
Star Charmer noticed that the stag was visibly nervous and hesitating.
She turned her gaze away. "I... didn't think I would be this awkward", she admitted. "I mean... you want me, don't you?"
"Yes", Eadgil said quietly.
Their gazes met again, neither of them making a move.
"It's just that... I barely know you, and the situation is less than ideal for this. I mean, if anything goes wrong, it could put this entire project in jeopardy. Not to mention..."
He stopped.
Star Charmer looked down. "Not to mention it reminds you of things in your past."
Eadgil nodded. "That, too", he responded in the same calm voice.
"I...", Star Charmer stuttered. "Eadgil, I... I half expected you to push me against the wall and take me the moment we entered the room. In case you wouldn't, I had planned to push you into it by being bratty and annoyingly teasing until you assert your dominance. But... I can't. This... this was a mistake. I'm sorry. I'll leave. Maybe we can talk about it tomorrow." She turned around, putting her hand on the doorknob.
"Wait", Eadgil commanded calmly.
Star Charmer turned around - but Eadgil was already on his way to the door, grabbing her hand with his own while pushing his other hand against the door right next to her head.
"Star Charmer, I don't want you to go", he said calmly, moving his head close to hers, looking into her eyes. "So you won't - unless you want to use your safe word, that is."
Star Charmer bit her lip. "Not a chance... sir", she said.
"I thought so", Eadgil said calmly, letting go of her hand. "I'm sure we can make this work. I just need some time to get to know you better before I go all-out. Let's start slowly."
"That seems reasonable, sir", Star Charmer said after a moment.
Eadgil softly let his right hand run up her arm and over her shoulder, along her cheek and under her chin. She looked up into his eyes, and he gently pushed his lips onto hers.
The kiss lasted only for a short while before Eadgil broke off.
Star Charmer giggled. "That cow of yours was right. You are a softie."
Eadgil chuckled, moved his hand from her chin to the back of her head, grabbing her by her mane and roughly holding her head in place. His lips made contact with hers again, this time more fiercely, and his tongue began to roughly explore her muzzle. Star Charmer remained passive during all of this, letting it happen, moaning into his muzzle from the pleasure.
Eventually, Eadgil broke off the kiss again.
Star Charmer needed a moment. "This... is more what I was thinking of... sir", she said.
Eadgil stared into her eyes, grinning. "Yeah, I thought it would be." He removed his right hand from the door, placing it behind her head as well, now holding it in place with both hands - and then pulled her into another brief, rough kiss. When he broke off, he stepped closer, pushing her body against the door while letting his left hand run down along her neck to her tits, beginning to roughly feel them up.
"Mmh, your body feels nice", he said. "You have very sweet tits. Let's have a look at them."
His left hand moved upwards again and he began to undress her. She gave a bit of symbolic resistance, but eventually, she stood in front of him naked. He took a few steps back and started to inspect her body.
Star Charmer smiled softly. "You like what you see, sir?"
Eadgil gave a slow nod. "Now come here and help me get rid of my shirt."
The mare giggled and slowly approached him, rocking her hips and stretching out her chest to better present her tits to his view. Eventually, she laid her hands on his shirt and gently, slowly began to pull it upwards. The stag aided her by raising his hands, and eventually, he stood before her shirtless.
With her standing close to him once again, he grabbed her by the back of her head again, then pulling her into another deep kiss.
Their tongues danced for a while, but eventually, he broke the kiss again - and then immediately grabbed her by her mane, dragging her over to his bed, sitting down on it and pulling her over his lap. She yelped in surprise. "Ah... sir..."
He put his hand on her right butt cheek. "This is for stalking me, and pushing me into this contract.", he said.
Then, he raised the hand and let it go down harshly onto her butt.
"Aah!", she yelped. "Th... thank you, sir!"
Eadgil let his hand run gently along her butt cheek. "That's a good girl. One!"
He raised his hand again, and then slammed it down once more.
"Ah! Thank you, sir!", Star Charmer shouted.
"Two.", Eadgil said. "I'm going to count to twenty-five."
"Yes... sir", Star Charmer stuttered.
Eadgil was already raising his hand, bringing it down hard a third time.
"Ah! Thank you, sir!", Star Charmer shouted.
"You like that, mare?", Eadgil asked.
"Y... yes sir", Star Charmer responded.
"I guess then I'm doing something wrong", Eadgil said. "This is punishment, remember?"
He raised his hand again, bringing it down even harder. Then, he immediately followed up with another hard hit.
"Aaah! Thank you, sir!"
"Three and four. You still enjoy it?"
Star Charmer bit her lip. "I fear yes, sir."
"You sure are a pain slut", Eadgil said harshly, raising his hand again.
As Star Charmer felt the breeze of a hand descending, she braced herself for another impact...
"Thank you, sir!", she shouted.
"For what?", Eadgil asked.
Only now did she notice that the stinging sensation hadn't come. Eadgil had stopped his hand shortly before impact.
He didn't wait long though, raising his hand again and then letting it descend when she least expected it. He chuckled as she yelped in surprise. "Now you can thank me", he said.
"Y... yes", Star Charmer stuttered. "Th... thank you, sir!"
Eadgil smirked. "You know, I'd ask you again if you still enjoy it, but unless I hear your Safe Word, I really don't care any more. That was four..." He paused for a second, smirking. "...I think."
"We're at five, sir... AH!"
While Star Charmer was still talking, Eadgil had raised his hand again and given her another hard slap. "I can't remember giving you permission to contradict me, slut. This one is for free. We're at four."
Star Charmer sighed. "Yes, sir."
They continued this game until Eadgil was at twenty-five, but by this point, they had de facto gone way past thirty. Star Charmer panted in exhaustion, her ass beginning to gain an amusing shade of red.
"Th... thank you, sir", she stuttered. "Permission to leave your lap, sir?"
Eadgil nodded. "Permission granted. I want to see you kneel in front of me. Present yourself."
"Y... yes sir", Star Charmer responded, climbing off his lap, then kneeling in front of him, legs spread, hands placed on her upper legs, palms facing upwards, breasts stretched out and eyes focused on the ground before her.
Eadgil took a long time to take in the view. Eventually, he grabbed her by the back of her head and pushed her towards his crotch. For a moment, she had to gasp for air.
The stag chuckled. Mh, this feels nice... to have your face so close to my cock." He kept her there for a while, enjoying the moment.
"You can probably guess what I want", he eventually said. "Get on with it."
Star Charmer nodded as best as she could, then began to unzip his pants, eventually revealing his semi-erect cock.
"You like what you see?", he asked. "I want your lips and tongue on it now. Get it all hard and throbbing."
A moment later, he felt the mare's muzzle and tongue caress his cock, going up and down along the shaft.
"You're doing very well, little mare", he said, feeling his member harden to the point of full erection. "Now stop, and assume position again."
Star Charmer immediately removed herself from him and assumed position again. She couldn't help but stare at his throbbing member.
"Are you staring, slut?", the stag asked.
Star Charmer bit her lip. "Yes, sir", she admitted, blushing a little and averting her gaze.
Eadgil smirked. "You are forgiven. It's obvious that you want this, so let's give you what you want. Get on the bed, lie on your back, and present yourself to me."
Star Charmer nodded. "Yes, sir."
She began to crawl onto the bed beside him, then laid down on her back, spreading her legs to give him the best possible view of her entire body.
"Good girl", Eadgil said, taking in the view while his hand made its way up on the inner side of her legs, eventually finding her outer folds, starting to tease them.
Star Charmer let out a small moan.
"Silence", the stag commanded. "I don't want to hear anything from you."
The mare immediately fell silent - but she had trouble to control herself as two of his fingers made their way inside her, beginning to finger-fuck her. She bit her lip hard in order to stay in control. She knew even small moans would upset him right now, and she wanted nothing more than to feel his cock inside of her as quickly as possible.
"It goes without saying that you're not allowed to come until I tell you to", Eadgil said.
Star Charmer nodded. She was still nowhere near an orgasm, but she didn't know how long he was planning to continue this. Given how dedicated he seemed to push her to the edge, she half assumed that she might get there sooner than she thought she would.
Eadgil pushed in a third finger and began to finger-fuck her roughly, dedicated to driving her to the edge. "You will tell me when you're close", he instructed her.
Star Charmer nodded again, having to bite her lip even more strongly in order not to moan now.
Eventually, she felt an orgasm approaching. "Sir... I'm close", she said, panting heavily.
Suddenly, the fingers were gone. She couldn't help but sigh a little.
"So I have my little slut on the edge, do I?", he asked. "You want my cock, don't you?"
Star Charmer nodded.
"I want to hear you beg", he said coldly.
The mare sighed a little. "Please, sir... fuck your little slut. Plunge your cock deep inside of her. Fill her up, and then shoot your seed deep inside her womb. Your little slut needs it so badly."
Eadgil chuckled. "That's a good girl."
He moved fully onto the bed and on top of her, pushing her down with his whole body while placing his hard cock between her legs, rubbing against her folds. He put his right hand on her cheek and looked her in the eyes.
"You will not come before me", he commanded. She bit her lip and nodded.
Then, she felt his cock inside of her. She was already on edge, so she couldn't help but let out a single moan.
The moan turned into a yelp as Eadgil placed his right hand on her tit and gave her nipple a good squeeze. "Didn't I tell you to be silent, cunt?", he asked.
The mare fell silent again as she let him take her. She let her arms rest at her sides, not daring to touch him without permission. Meanwhile, his own hands began to feel her up roughly while he thrust inside of her.
Eventually, he pushed his lips onto hers once again, exploring her muzzle with his tongue while his cock was plowing her nethers. He fucked her into the mattress with his whole body while kissing her roughly and fiercely.
"Fir", she muffled. "I compf... I canf... holf if..."
He broke the kiss. "Speak, cunt", he commanded while continuing to plow her.
"Th... thank you... I can't... hold it... much longer... sir", she panted.
Eadgil smiled. "Come with me", he said softly.
Then, he pushed his lips onto hers again, continuing the kiss. He felt his own orgasm approaching only seconds later, and released inside her. She moaned as she followed his orders, finally letting go. Her whole body welled up in an orgasm.
Feeling his member soften, he pulled out - but he continued to lie on top of her, continuing the kiss, now more soft than passionate. She let him continue, enjoying the feeling of his tongue in her muzzle.
Eventually, he broke the kiss, rolling off her.
"Sir...", she began, but then stopped herself and bit her lip, remembering that she still didn't have permission to speak.
"I hope that was to your liking", Eadgil said, not paying attention to her little transgression.
"It was enjoyable", she said, smiling in afterglow.
Eadgil sighed. "Gee, I wonder where I've heard that before."
She turned around to him, putting her hand on his cheek, looking into his eyes. "I mean it", she said. "Given how inhibited you were earlier, this was a surprisingly intense experience."
He smiled. "Thank you, Star Charmer. I think I'll be able to do more eventually. I just have to... ease into it a bit."
Star Charmer smiled back. "If I may say so... I think you're already fairly eased in."
His smile turned into a smirk as he grabbed her by the mane on the back of her head again. "Don't you forget your place, mare."
She blushed and turned her gaze away, but didn't lose her smile. She wanted to say something like See, I'm already helping you - but she knew better, instead just giving her lip a short bite.
"You wanted to say something?", Eadgil smirked.
"Sir, I... I just wanted to say again... I understand why you have problems doing this. I just wanted to say this was wonderful. I really look forward to the next time."
Eadgil nodded. "We'll go a bit further each time, step by step, until I am the Master you're looking for."
Star Charmer blushed again. "Thank you, sir."
Suddenly, Eadgil seemed to have an idea. "Time for the next phase", he mumbled.
"Next phase?", Star Charmer asked, smiling. "Are we going for another round?"
Eadgil shook his head. "Not today, no. My mind just drifted away for a moment. I was talking to myself, and what I meant was the next phase with regards to cows."
"Oh?", Star Charmer asked.
"Yes. As you can probably imagine, we stags aren't the best of influences - but right now, the cows depend on us, psychologically as well as otherwise. I want to bring them to greater levels of self-determination."
Star Charmer smiled. "Yeah, I figured you were doing something like that. The whole communal property thing... it's fairly unusual, isn't it?"
Eadgil smirked. "That was Dainn's idea, actually."
Star Charmer's eyes widened. "What?", she asked.
"Well, it's complicated. He did this only temporarily, and only in one single place - a caribou settlement called Hornvik, northeast of the Crystal Empire. But yes, I got the idea from him. My aim is a different one than his, obviously."
"I see. Interesting. I guess inspiration can come from the strangest of places." Star Charmer giggled. "So, what's the next phase?"
Eadgil waited a second with his response. "Star Charmer, would you be willing to spend some time with Bruna during the time she spends around the mares? Show her around, show her how mares do things, explain to her how you think about the world... that sort of thing. Among all the cows here, Bruna's mindset is arguably already closest to that of a mare, and I want to see how much she can pick up. I also think you're the best candidate to teach a cow, because..." He paused.
Star Charmer smiled. "Because among all the mares here, mine is arguably closest to that of a cow", she finished his sentence.
Eadgil blushed. "Not exactly what I was going to say, but something like that. You probably have more connecting points to a cow than most mares have."
The mare continued to smile. "Don't worry, I understand. I realize that I am unusual for a mare. Of course I'll go along with your next phase. Bruna seems very close to you, so if I'm going to be with you, I'm eventually going to have a lot of contact with her anyway. No reason not to speed things up. Sure I'll look after her."
Eadgil sighed in relief. "Thank you, Star Charmer. I appreciate that."
Star Charmer sat up in the bed. "You want me to leave now, sir?"
Eadgil shook his head. "No time to rush things. I'm a bit worn out, a lot of things happened today, so I probably won't be able to go for another round - but annoying as you can be, I think I actually like having you around me. If you have time, you can stay and chat with me for as long as you want." He smiled gently.
Star Charmer relaxed and sank back onto the bed, and they spent the rest of the evening with chit chat and sweet talk until she eventually decided to leave.
Once she had gone, Eadgil let himself sink into his bed and fell into sleep. |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 10: Going Wild | As Snowflake entered the mares' common room for breakfast the next morning, she noticed that Shadow Amethyst was already up. When the crystal mare saw her, she waved at her, beckoning her to come over.
The pegasus got her breakfast, then slowly walked over to the table where the crystal mare was sitting. "Good morning, Shadow Amethyst", she greeted her. "You seem to be in a good mood."
"Good morning, Snowflake", the crystal mare returned politely. "Please, sit down. Do you know where Deepest Desire is, by any chance?"
Snowflake nodded. "Deepest Desire will join us later. She has something to discuss with Spring Breeze."
"Oh?", Shadow Amethyst asked. "I hope it doesn't take too long. I have something to discuss with her as well."
Snowflake sat down and began to eat.
"You see", Shadow Amethyst continued. "I think I understand my place now."
The pegasus raised an eyebrow.
"I mean I want to become a full part of Deepest Desire's family", Shadow Amethyst explained. "At the very bottom, below your hooves. You... showed me something yesterday. You and Ivana."
"Oh?", Snowflake asked, stopping to eat for a moment.
Shadow Amethyst sighed. "I thought you were below me, but yesterday, you showed that you can... well, handle me. And Ivana? She knows her place better than I do." She sighed. "I constantly ramble on about how everyone needs to know their place... yet yesterday I realized that I'm the only one who doesn't. I want to become a real part of the family..." She paused for a moment. "At the very bottom, where I belong. Even below Ivana."
"We... don't think about our family that way", Snowflake remarked.
"I know", Shadow Amethyst smiled. "But it's... where I feel I belong."
"Hm", the pegasus remarked, not at all comfortable with the direction this conversation was taking. "I... guess I understand the need to feel like you belong somewhere. But I'm not sure I understand what you expect of us."
Shadow Amethyst blushed. "Nothing, that's the point. Just... I... I hope you and Deepest Desire can keep me in line with a harsh hand. It... seems like I need that."
Snowflake started to eat again. "I guess I can see where you're coming from", she said. "Deepest Desire has a lot to discuss with Spring Breeze, so if she doesn't turn up before we finish eating, we could go to Spring Breeze together to discuss it with them. We still need to make our contracts anyway."
Shadow Amethyst nodded, and they continued to eat in silence.
Deepest Desire still hadn't turned up when they had finished. They got up and left the dining hall together, heading for Spring Breeze's quarters.
When they arrived at the door, Snowflake gave it an audible knock.
"Baldr, is that you?", Spring Breeze's voice came from the other side of the door. "A bit busy right now."
"No, this is Snowflake", Snowflake replied. "Shadow Amethyst is with me. Deepest Desire told me she wanted to talk to you. Is she in there? We're here for the contracts."
"She is", Spring Breeze replied. "Please, come in."
Snowflake opened the door and entered the room, Shadow Amethyst close behind her. Spring Breeze was standing in the room, and Deepest Desire was sitting on a chair at Spring Breeze's desk.
"Good thing you're here", Spring Breeze said. "Deepest Desire just told me that she wants to leave the castle and spend some time exploring the forest and the caves nearby. I'm not sure if you want to come with her, but if you do, we still have to make your contracts before you leave.
Snowflake nodded. "Yes, I already told her that I'm going to come with her. I'm pretty sure Shadow Amethyst wants to come, too. Isn't that right, Shadow?"
Shadow Amethyst looked down. "Whatever Mistress commands", she replied.
Snowflake smiled. "We just had breakfast, and Shadow told me that she wants to become a full member of the family", she explained.
"Oh?" Deepest Desire gave a wicked smile. "I thought she already was."
"Not... what... I mean", Shadow Amethyst stuttered. "I mean, I... I will be good from now on. I want to please you, Mistress. Put me at the very bottom. Even below Ivana. I mean I want to... give myself completely to you and Snowflake, Mistress Desire."
Deepest Desire didn't respond.
"Shadow Amethyst explained to me that we... made her understand her place yesterday", Snowflake explained.
Spring Breeze raised an eyebrow. "What did you guys do?"
"I slapped her when she continued to insult Deepest Desire and Ivana", Snowflake explained. "It was an impulse reaction, but ever since then, Shadow has been respectful towards me like never before. I think in her mind, it was proof that I wasn't below but above her... or something like that. And Ivana... What Ivana did was telling her that she found it sad that Shadow couldn't feel love for her Mistress. I think Shadow Amethyst believes that Ivana humbled her by showing more slavish devotion to Mistress Desire than she believes she ever could."
The crystal mare's face turned to an amusing shade of red. "That... pretty much sums it up", she admitted.
Spring Breeze rubbed her temples. "I still don't get how that mare's mind works", she mumbled. "Alright. So you're here to make your contracts. Snowflake, Deepest Desire has already handed me one for you two, and I see nothing wrong with it. It isn't signed yet, but she told me you two wrote it up yesterday evening."
Snowflake nodded. "Sort of. We discussed it verbally, and I told her she could write it down and I'd sign it tomorrow. Just let me have a look at it and then I'll sign."
Spring Breeze walked over to her desk, picked up a piece of paper and a quill and then handed them to Snowflake. The pegasus quickly read over the paper. Then, she snipped her finger. "Shadow!", she commanded.
The crystal mare walked around her, standing towards her with her back, and then bowed down a little. Snowflake put the piece of paper against her back, using it as a makeshift desk, and then quickly signed it. She grinned a little. "This worked better than I thought. I think I'm beginning to get the gist of it. You may stand comfortable, Shadow."
The crystal mare returned to her normal standing position.
Deepest Desire smirked. "And here I thought you were purely submissive, Snow."
Snowflake grinned back. "Yeah, me too. Seems we were wrong."
"So...", Spring Breeze asked. "Shadow Amethyst, you're going to make a contract with the two of them? With them as the dominant parts and you as the submissive?"
"Yes", Shadow Amethyst responded. "24/7 TPE."
"I fear I have to insist on a Safe Word", Spring Breeze insisted.
"Fine", Shadow Amethyst replied. "But I'm not going to pick one. If you insist on it, let Deepest Desire pick one for me." She blushed and looked down. "I'm going to sign whatever she sets up anyway."
Deepest Desire stood up and walked over to Shadow Amethyst. She put her fingers under the crystal mare's chin, gently forcing her to look into her eyes.
"If we do this, you will be exceptionally nice to Ivana from now on. Snowflake and I can take your bullshit, she can't. But there is yet another reason that I'll explain later."
"The contracts can't include any positive obligations for the sub", Spring Breeze reminded her. "Although I guess..."
"Which is why this won't be in the contract", Deepest Desire interrupted her. "From what I understand, Shadow Amethyst doesn't want to define any hard limits either."
Shadow Amethyst shook her head. "No, Mistress."
Deepest Desire continued. "So if she doesn't play by this rule, I will punish her harshly, and I will find a punishment that is safe, but that she really won't like."
She paused for a moment, then turned to Shadow again. "Do you understand?", she asked.
The crystal mare looked down. "Yes, Mistress. I'll be good, I promise."
"Good", Deepest Desire said, moving her face closer to Shadow's.
For a moment, she sniffed. Then she smiled a little. "Oh... well, that's interesting."
"What is it?", Snowflake asked.
"Oh, nothing", the changeling responded. "Spring Breeze, would you hand me a piece of paper so I can write down the roles in this relationship and the safe word?"
Spring Breeze nodded, then brought her another piece of paper, while Snowflake handed her the quill. Now it was Deepest Desire's turn to snip her fingers. Shadow Amethyst immediately placed herself in front of her and offered her back.
Deepest Desire placed the paper against Shadow's back and began to write. "Snowflake, she's making the contract with the two of us, so you want to add anything?"
Snowflake shook her head. "No. I don't think I need limits as the dominant. Shadow doesn't seem to demand much from us except for smacking some sense into her whenever she deserves it. I'm pretty sure I can do that. If I don't want to do something, I'll simply not do it. Easy as that."
Deepest Desire nodded. "You want to pick her safe word?"
Once again, Snowflake shook her head. "Just pick one", she said.
Deepest Desire nodded, and began to write. It didn't take her long to finish the document. "You may stand comfortable again", she told Shadow, who returned to her usual standing position.
Deepest Desire then handed Spring Breeze the paper, who immediately read through it. "Minimalistic", she smirked. "But Shadow Amethyst is a special case, and if this ensures her loyalty to our project, it works for me. I think she should sign first."
Spring Breeze handed the paper to the crystal mare, and Deepest Desire gave her the quill. Shadow walked over to the desk and signed it. Then, Deepest Desire and Snowflake walked over and put their signatures on it as well.
"Very well", Spring Breeze said. "We still need to copy this one more for the archives. Snowflake and Shadow, do you two want copies as well?"
Snowflake shook her head. "I know what's in it."
"And you, shadow?", Spring Breeze asked.
"I also know what's in it", the crystal mare responded. "If Mistress Desire or Mistress Snowflake insist, I will take a copy, but I don't need one."
"Alright", Spring Breeze said, then sat down at her desk and started to copy the contract. "I need your signatures again", she said once she was finished.
The three mares put their signatures under it.
"We will leave now", Deepest Desire said afterwards. "Snowflake and Shadow probably have to pack some things for our trip, and I have to fetch Ivana."
"Oh wait, one last thing", Spring Breeze remarked. "Before you leave, didn't you say you wanted to keep track of the development of my relationship with Baldr? You know, for science. How are you going to do that if you're not here?"
Deepest Desire nodded. "I wish I could interview you regularly, but there is an urgent reason why we're leaving. I already told you it would be good if you kept journals yesterday. Just copy your entries on a loose sheet of paper, and Snowflake or Shadow will fetch them for me once a week or once every other weeks. They'll come by regularly to pick up supplies anyway, and also other materials. We'll sleep in tents or in the caves for a few weeks, but I guess we'll need to build something more permanent eventually."
Spring Breeze raised an eyebrow. "You won't come by?", she asked.
Deepest Desire shook her head. "No, I won't. Not for a long while at last. I have... important research to conduct, and I can't be distracted."
"Wait...", Spring Breeze said. "Aren't you a psychologist? What important research could you possibly conduct in a cave in the middle of nowhere? I don't want to rub it in, but you don't have your horn, so it can't be magical research either. And if it's purely theoretical, why are you walking away from a full library?"
"My research...", Deepest Desire began, "...concerns the psychology of caribou cows. That's why I'm taking Ivana with me. I want to see how she reacts to a foreign environment without any stags around her. Of course, I will be with her the whole time to make sure she doesn't endanger herself - which is precisely why I can't return to the castle regularly."
Spring Breeze nodded. "I see...", she said, not fully convinced.
"We will take our leave now", Deepest Desire repeated. "Snowflake, Shadow... please follow me."
"I wish you safe travel", Spring Breeze said. "Hope to see you again soon."
Deepest Desire nodded. "We're not that far away. Maybe half an hour by hoof. But thank you."
Spring Breeze nodded, and the three other mares left her room.
Once they were a few steps away, Shadow Amethyst chuckled. "You sure know how to sell a lie, Mistress. Research on the psychology of caribou cows..."
"You're doing this because of your horn, aren't you?", Snowflake asked. She looked around, but saw no one else but them. "You're leaving because you don't want the others to see it regrow when you continue to feed on Ivana."
"Indeed", Deepest Desire responded, giving the pegasus a little nod. "Which is why you two don't have to come if you don't want to."
"I will go wherever you tell me to, Mistress", Shadow Amethyst said.
"Alright, then you will come with me", Deepest Desire decided. "I simply have more experience with keeping you in line than Snowflake."
She turned to the pegasus again. "What about you, Snowflake?"
"There's no way I'd leave your side now", Snowflake responded. "Besides, I kind of want to see your hive. I know they're all in hibernation right now, but I think it's still going to be interesting... seeing the rest of the family, so to speak."
Deepest Desire nodded.
"Alright. This is where we part ways for now", Snowflake said as they came by the mares' common room again. "You need to fetch Ivana, Shadow probably needs to pack her stuff, and I will see if I can gather a few supplies, food and water, tools for survival, tents and so on."
Deepest Desire nodded. "We will meet at the gates in two hours."
A bit later, Deepest Desire entered the stags' common room. The caribou were still enjoying their own breakfast, and some of the males had fun with a few cows, just as usual.
When she entered, quite a few gazes were on her - but she instinctively knew that she wasn't in any danger.
She crossed the room, heading straight towards Eadgil and Baldr, who were sitting at a table together with Bruna, eating their breakfast. Bruna was one of the few cows who now regularly walked around in clothes that covered her breasts and genitals even in the eastern wing. Being made by Star Charmer, her clothes were still fairly revealing by pre-invasion standards, but it was nonetheless a stark contrast to most cows, who walked around nude or in kinky outfits that covered nothing at all. She still wore her traditional red collar however.
When Eadgil spotted the changeling, he raised from his seat. "Deepest Desire, what brings you here?", he asked.
"I am going to leave this community for a while to spend some time in Everfree", she responded. "Probably several months. I'm here to fetch Ivana. She told me yesterday that she wishes to accompany me."
Baldr raised an eyebrow. "A cow all alone in the Everfree forest?", he asked.
"I will not let her out of my sight for even a single second", Deepest Desire promised. "As a matter of fact, she is the reason why I want to take this trip."
Eadgil stood up and gave her a nod. "I see. You want her to spend some time with you with no stags around. See how she'll react to that."
Deepest Desire returned the nod. "Yes, that is the idea."
Eadgil turned to Baldr. "Well, I trust her. She's just as capable of keeping a cow safe than you or me. And I'm absolutely in favor of such experiments."
"Well, I don't mind", Baldr shrugged, turning to Deepest Desire. "If he trusts you, I trust you. Just make sure to keep her safe."
Deepest Desire nodded. "Of course. You have no idea what she means to me."
Baldr gave her an understanding smile.
Eadgil turned to the other caribou.
"My fellow stags", he began, waiting for them to turn their attention to him.
Once he had their attention, he continued. "Deepest Desire here wants to borrow one of our cows. She'll leave the castle for a few months to live in Everfree, and she wants to take Ivana with her."
Ivana, who was sitting at a table not far from them, stood up and slowly, shyly walked over.
"Ivana", one of the stags said thoughtfully. "Ah yes... you're the little cow who already spends all her time with the mares. Rumor has it that you have a marefriend." He chuckled. "Wait... is she...?"
"My Mistress", Ivana finished his sentence, giving him a shy smile.
He returned an amused smile. "Now that's something new."
"I'm absolutely convinced that I can fulfill that role", Deepest Desire said. "That includes keeping her safe and out of harm's way."
Eadgil chuckled. "I think she's a better Master than most stags I know. Present ones not included, of course."
"It would seem so", the other stag replied. "Is her former Master fine with it?"
"We agreed on communal property", Baldr remarked. "But yes, I'm fine with it."
"In that case, I see no issue", the other stag said. "She's not here most of the time anyway - and from what I've heard, she doesn't seem overly eager to please a male. I guess now we know the reason. Besides, there are enough cows for all of us here." He chuckled as he gently petted the head of another caribou cow that was kneeling by his side. She gave him a small giggle in response.
Most other stags nodded, some remained silent. But no one spoke up.
"Well, then it's settled", Eadgil said. "Sure, you can take her. Just make sure to keep her safe."
Ivana made a little jump. "I'm going to pack my stuff now, Mistress", she smiled.
"I promised the others to meet them at the gates in about ninety minutes", Deepest Desire informed her. "Don't be late."
Ivana giggled. "I won't, Mistress."
The cow joyfully walked over to the door, but when she got there, the door was opened from the outside. Star Charmer cheerfully walked past her, entering the hall and immediately walking over to Eadgil. All eyes were immediately on her, so Ivana just slipped past her and went her own ways.
Only once Star Charmer had arrived at Eadgil's table did she take notice of Deepest Desire. "Oh... hey, Deepest Desire", she said. "What brings you here?"
"Deepest Desire is here to fetch Ivana", Eadgil explained. "They'll leave the castle together to spend some time in Everfree. But I could ask you the same thing. I didn't think we would meet up until tomorrow. I have a lot of business to attend to today. Lots of boring stuff, like restoration work, research in the library..."
"Not everything is about you, silly", Star Charmer giggled. "I'm here to fetch Bruna. You told me to take her under my wing yesterday, remember? Explain to her how mares live their lives and all that."
"And another cow whisked away by a mare", the caribou who had talked to Deepest Desire earlier chuckled. "I hope this doesn't become a trend."
"Star Charmer is merely fetching Bruna for her daily time with the mares, which she would spend there anyway", Eadgil explained. "They aren't leaving the castle. I specifically asked Star Charmer yesterday to take care of Bruna while she's spending time with the mares."
"I was kidding", the other stag remarked, smiling a little.
Star Charmer smiled gently. "Yeah, I have no intention to whisk away Bruna from Eadgil. I think they're a really cute couple."
"Hear, hear!", Baldr exclaimed, raising his glass. Bruna responded with a chuckle.
Deepest Desire nodded. "I have to leave now. Still a lot to do before I leave."
"Safe travel, Dee-dee", Eadgil smiled. "Hope to see you again soon."
Deepest Desire glared at him. "Don't call me that. And no, you won't for a long while."
Eadgil cast his eyes down. "I'm sorry, Deepest Desire. For a moment, it almost felt like it used to..."
"Yes, that is the problem", Deepest Desire responded coldly.
"I'm sorry...", he repeated.
For a brief moment, Deepest Desire remembered the things she herself had done as a changeling queen before she began to rethink her approach, and how long it hat taken her to break with her own old habits. Eadgil was in a similar process. He didn't know that, but she remembered how similar he was to her. Her anger began to fade.
"It's fine", she said in a more relaxed voice. "But I am going to leave now." With that, she turned around and swiftly left the common room.
Meanwhile, Star Charmer had taken place beside Bruna. "What was that all about?", she asked Eadgil. "Oh wait... don't tell me. I probably have a good idea. Never mind."
She then turned to Bruna, who had finished eating by now. "So, you're ready?", she asked. The cow gave her a nod.
Star Charmer stood up again. "Alright then. We'll leave as well now. Have a nice day, sirs", she said, bowing to the caribou in the room. Bruna rose from her seat as well, and they walked out of the room together.
About an hour later, Deepest Desire and Ivana arrived at the castle gates, where Snowflake and Shadow Amethyst were already waiting with a cart full of supplies and survival tools.
"You prepared for everything, I see", Deepest Desire said when she saw the cart.
"If you go camping in the wilderness with four people, you can hardly leave anything to chance", Snowflake responded.
Deepest Desire nodded "Indeed. You two ready to head out?"
"Yup", Snowflake responded.
Shadow Amethyst instinctively grabbed the cart, pulling it behind her, and the four of them moved through the gate out into the wilderness of Everfree Forest.
They walked in silence for a few minutes before Shadow Amethyst spoke.
"Mistresses, I wanted to thank you", she said. "For taking me up and all that. For... showing me understanding. Making me understand where my place is... um, what I really want."
"Yeah, Deepest Desire is really good at finding out people's hidden desires", Snowflake said. "In this case, me and Ivana had some part in it as well... but she always manages to find out. I think the only person where she didn't manage was Eadgil."
Deepest Desire stopped. "Really, Snowflake? I thought you were smarter than that."
Snowflake stopped as well, looking at her. "What?", she asked.
"Do you really think I could have talked Eadgil into giving up his comfortable life in Canterlot and setting up a community here in this ruined castle pretty much on a whim if I hadn't figured out his secret desire?", the changeling asked.
Snowflake looked at her in utter confusion. "I... uh, I mean... you... I just assumed because... you usually tell me about your findings. But alright, I believe you. But now I'm also curious. What is Eadgils true, hidden desire?"
"I'm not sure if I should tell you", Deepest Desire responded. But then she sighed. "But since I brought it up, I guess I can tell you. I hope you'll keep this confident."
"Of course!", Snowflake nodded.
"You two as well", Deepest Desire commanded, turning to Shadow and Ivana.
The cow gave her a quick, enthusiastic nod. "Yes, Mistress", she said, eager to please.
"And you?", Deepest Desire asked the crystal pony.
"I will do whatever Mistress wishes", Shadow Amethyst responded. "But if Mistress requires it, I hereby swear."
"Alright", Deepest Desire sighed. "Eadgil's true desire is as simple as it is hidden. He wants to be the loved and revered ruler of his people."
Snowflakes eyes widened. "What?"
Deepest Desire shrugged. "You see I had good reasons to not spit this out to you. It's not as bad as it sounds though. He has no desire to rule over other people, like you ponies for example, and I'm confident that he has the best intentions for his people. He just thinks that they need someone like him to show them the way. Now good intentions don't guarantee good actions, so he could be a problem along the line... but right now, he's just an all-out better alternative to anything else the caribou have. Besides, you have to keep in mind that this is not far away from my own aims and goals regarding my people. Just like he wants to get rid of Dainn and take his place, I want to get rid of grandma and take her place."
Snowflake nodded. "I see."
"Of course, it doesn't mean he can't become a problem down the line", Deepest Desire added. "There might be stags who are better suited for that role, or maybe the caribou need something else entirely. It will depend on how he'll react to being challenged. But we can see about that when the time comes. Maybe he'll also have changed a good bit himself until then. But you see that I have spent quite a bit of time thinking about these matters. They concern myself just as well as him after all."
Snowflake nodded again. "Let's just move on."
They resumed their travel in silence.
The creature had carefully scouted the surroundings before setting up its camp for the night. The surroundings had quickly changed after leaving the Realm of its Master behind, and the lush savannah was an unfamiliar sight for it. There was a small village not too far west of its current location, and a large forest east of it, with a mountain range reaching up from behind it. This was the realm of the zebra. From its training as a servant, it had learned that the zebra did not think highly of their southern neighbor, regarding the Master as an evil spirit.
It decided it was not a good idea to set up a campfire that close to a town. The high grass of the savannah shielded it from views, but a fire would clearly draw attention. It also decided against setting up its tent. It was autumn, but it was still warm as though it were summer, even in the nights. The creature knew that the seasons were not always the same, and they were even more insane in the place where it came from, but from what it had been told about the lands north of the Realm, this was unusual. It had expected at least the nights to be cold. It would sleep under the stars tonight.
It had only begun to unpack its bedroll in order to spread it on the ground when it heard the sound of hoofsteps heading into its direction. Immediately, its mind and all its senses became alert. Quickly, it put the bedroll back into its backpack, and then focused its attention on figuring out the source of the noise.
Only seconds later, it discovered three zebra males heading into its direction. Fortunately, they had not seen it, and were still a good bit away, but they were heading into the creature's direction, so it slightly retreated into the higher grass, cowering in order to remain unseen.
The three males were not looking for it though, but instead took a turn only meters before its position, heading towards a large tree standing a few hundred meters away, where they met up with a fourth figure. The creature decided to sneak closer in order to find out what was going on.
Once it was close enough to hear what was going on, the four zebra had already engaged in conversation. The fourth one, the one they were meeting up with, was a female, elderly from the looks of it, and dressed in a long, hooded robe. The creature knew that priestesses were important for the zebra, and it wondered if that one was one of them.
"...can't believe this is really an official order from the Grey Council", the creature heard one of the males say. "Are they serious?"
The female took a moment to respond. "I assure you that the document you've seen is indeed quite genuine", she eventually responded.
A shudder went through the creature. Something about this rhyming sent shivers down his spine. It didn't feel... right. Like a ray of piercing light burning itself into its soul. For a brief moment, the creature felt the desire to just flee - return to the Realm of its Master and never even take a single step into these lands, even if it meant being abandoned by the Master left to the horrible realities of the Realm. This confused the creature even more. Such thoughts should be impossible. Immediately, the memory of its Master's voice and the last orders it had received reappeared in its mind, burning its message into it once more. "Venture... terminate... find... serve... protect..." It pulled itself back together and continued to listen.
"So you have received the same instructions, and checked back with the Grey Council to verify them?", the same male asked, to which the female responded with a mere nod.
"So we're really supposed to do this", the same male asked. "Go to the woods, wait for a priestess to come along, assault her, and then... uuh..."
"Yeah, the document doesn't use that word, but we're essentially supposed to rape her!", one of the others exclaimed. "When I come home to my family after this and they ask me what this was all about, I don't really want to tell them that the Grey Council ordered me to rape a priestess."
"Your family will not feel bleak, for of this, you will not speak", the female responded, which of course did nothing to calm the males down.
"But may I also lift your woes, and assure you that she knows", she then added.
The creature had only a very vague idea of what rape meant. The concept of sex was altogether foreign to the servants of the Monolith. The Monolith's boon extended their lives, possibly indefinitely, time moved differently in the Realm anyway, and if the Cult needed more members, some recruits from the south would certainly find their way to the Realm. That was probably how it had gotten into the Monolith's service initially, though it did not remember. A brief flash of memory appeared before its inner eye, but too quickly to grasp its content.
"You mean she knows and agrees to this?", the first male asked. "She's a volunteer?"
"She'll fight back, won't she?", the third male asked. "Is this just the usual combat training for novices of the Order? If so, why all the fuss? Just tell us outright that that's what this is about. If I knew we were getting paid just to try to rough her up a bit, to see if she's trained enough to beat three of us, and thus we were probably get beaten up ourselves, that would be one thing. It's not like we haven't done that before, and the Order provides healing for our injuries afterwards. But this... this is insane."
"Thinking about it, I'd probably feel better if I knew I'd accomplish nothing and only receive a beating", the second male remarked.
"I will not say you will or won't, but for now you'll do as you are told."
"Well, I'll prepare for pain, just in case", the third male said. "Not sure if I can prepare for... the rest though. Hell, I might not even be able to get... you know... it's not exactly a turn-on."
The second male seemed to remember something. "Wait a second... is it because... oh Stars... don't tell me the rumors are true? About what's going on in Equestria? The supposed invasion, the new king on the throne? The... rumors of insanity, debauchery? And you're training members of the Order to withstand... Stars and Heavens... we're supposed to prepare her for... and probably others as well..."
A new king on a throne? The creature remembered the orders its master had given. The first order came to its mind. The one that was clear and precise, and not unusual and confusing like the second one. Maybe this was the king. The mad king. If it was, then this 'Equestria' was the realm of the mad king. The creature knew it had to find out more.
"She's also not a novice, is she? She has probably completed her regular training. Heck, she could take five or six of us as long as we're unarmed...", the first one reflected.
"Whether she is, I cannot say, but what we do keeps darkness at bay."
The first male sighed. "Helpful as always."
"I know that you would like a clue, but the Council we serve, not you", the female replied.
"Yeah, but we're the ones who are supposed to do unspeakable things to a priestess", the second male replied.
"I cannot force you to partake, but it is a lot that is at stake", the priestess rhymed.
The third male nodded. "The Council knows best", he said.
"The Council knows best", the other two repeated unanimously.
"So you will do it then, I see. In that case, please, would you follow me?", the priestess requested.
The three males nodded and then followed the priestess, who was heading eastwards, toward the forest. Every single rhymed line from the priestess burned within its soul whenever she spoke, causing fits of panic that it found difficult to control... but it adapted, and with the mention of a new king in that other country, it was clear that it had to find out more about what was going on.
The creature followed the four to the outskirts of the large forests to the east, where they parted ways. It decided to follow the female one, since she was apparently the one who knew more than any of the others.
The female zebra made her way through the forest until she arrived at a small shrine, where another, younger one was waiting for her. The creature had to remain out of sight, so it had difficulty overhearing their conversation. They seemed to be talking about what was going to happen.
"Remember you must not fight back", the older one reminded the other one. "Are you prepared for their attack?"
The other one gave a nod, then they moved away from the shrine and deeper into the forest. At one point they parted ways, and eventually the older one managed to escape even the creature's sight somehow. It decided to instead follow the younger one.
Just as the older one had apparently planned, the younger one eventually ran into the three males from earlier.
"Look what we have here", one of them said, donning a smirk that seemed fake to the creature, not being an expression of genuine amusement, but hiding nervousness and discomfort. His voice was shaky, as if he was playing a role he hadn't prepared for properly. "Let's have some fun together, shall we?"
Hesitantly, the male moved towards the female, grabbing her arms and holding them behind her back. The other ones approached as well, and eventually, the first one clumsily tossed the female towards one of the others.
This went on for a while, the males continuing to rough up the female, pretending to enjoy themselves, but it was plainly obvious that they were anything but comfortable with their situation, subsequently holding back. Even the creature understood this, despite having little understanding of concepts like sexuality, let alone rape. It seemed to the creature that the female was more amused than scared or aroused.
Eventually, the female was pushed to the ground, and one of the males was quickly on top of her and began to clumsily disrobe her. It was clear that he became increasingly unhappy with the situation, and he wasn't the only one. The others' faces showed expressions of discomfort and outright disgust with what they were doing. After what seemed like an eternity of hesitation, the male finally managed to tear off the female's robe. That's when she couldn't hold back any more, and began to giggle uncontrollably.
"It seems we're off to a bad start", she said. "For you see, you aren't even hard. No need for you to drop your pants, for you see, you could just use your hands."
The male immediately froze up. "I... uh...", he stuttered.
"Stars in Heaven, I can't... I just can't...", one of the others said, then took a few steps back behind a tree and then apparently threw up. For some odd reason, the situation seemed more traumatizing to them than to the female, but the creature did not understand why.
"Enough!", it suddenly heard the voice of the older female, who appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
She went over to the other female. "I told you you were not supposed to speak. But alas, this isn't what we seek."
Then she turned to the males. "You three are now to quit, for it seems that you're not fit. I still had hopes when you assailed, but it seems the Council's plans have failed."
The first male removed himself from the female on the ground and helped her up. The older female handed her new clothes and she quickly got dressed again.
"Yeah, this was doomed from the start", the male said. "You can't just ask something like this from anyone and think that he could just go through with it. Seriously, we should have known. This was ill-advised from the beginning if you ask me. I'm not sure what the Council is thinking, but if the rumors are true, this wouldn't have prepared her anyway. You'll have to find another way to train your recruits to withstand sexual advances."
"You're almost better off asking those freaks from the south", the second one said. "Then again even if you could go and ask them, I'm not sure they even know what rape is. Do they even have dicks at all? These bastards would probably just kill her and be done with it."
The creature involuntarily chuckled. Not without orders from the Master.
"I... good Stars...", the zebra who had thrown up stuttered after returning to the group.
"What is it?", the first one asked.
"For a moment, I... I actually... I mean, I..."
The first one raised an eyebrow. "You actually felt arousal from this", he observed, slightly shocked.
"I mean, I knew she was consenting", the other one defended himself. "Otherwise, probably not. But even then I couldn't... I couldn't... have gone through with it. I mean you saw..."
Hearing his confession, the older female looked at him for a few moments, then went over to him, placed her hand under his chin and forced him to look into her eyes, staring into his for a good few seconds.
"I see no evil in your eyes, and my rhyming does not give you sighs", she eventually rhymed, removing her hand.
The male looked relieved. He shook his head. "No, it does not, priestess."
"It seems that you could be of use", the female said. "Whether you will serve, you have to choose."
"This entire exercise was about finding out if there were males among us who would be able to go through with it", the first one observed. "It was never about actually training her at this point. It was about finding out if there are males among us who could even be used to put members of the Order through this kind of training in the first place."
The elderly priestess did not respond to that accusation, instead continuing to look into the eyes of the other male, waiting for his response.
"I, uh... what... what would be demanded of me? I mean except from... you know..."
"I do not want to make a fuss, but as long as we need you, you'll live with us."
The zebra's eyes widened. "At the monastery?", he asked. The priestess nodded.
"Well, this is an interesting turn", the first male said. "I guess you don't need us others here any more, but I kind of want to see how he decides."
"You may be on your way, but for now you are allowed to stay", the priestess said.
"Well, I...", the zebra who was chosen stuttered.
"I know you are afraid, but if you can do this, you will be highly paid", the priestess said.
"Money for... doing this. Well, I'd be serving the Council... alright, I will work for you. Or at least try to see if I can. You will have to find more males than just me though. Oh and... can I return to the village first to fetch some of my things?"
"We do not wish to make a fuss, just give us a list and leave it to us", the priestess responded.
"Alright", the zebra said. "So I'll come with you immediately, then." He turned to the others. "Could you inform the rest of the village that I'm spending some time at the monastery?"
The priestess nodded. "Do as he seeks, but of the details, do not speak."
The first zebra male nodded. "Of course not. We will take our leave now." He and the other one then left, while the third one stayed with the females, who then left with him in the opposite direction.
The creature decided to follow them to this monastery. Maybe there it would be able to gather more information about this king in the north.
After a bit of traveling, Deepest Desire and her little family arrived at the cave where she was hiding her changeling hive. They entered the cave, and immediately noticed a change of temperature. It was warm and humid. Even though this autumn was an unusually warm one, it had started growing colder outside, and the inside of this cave was more cozy than even the castle. A weird smell hung in the air, but it was not strong enough to be unpleasant.
They ventured downwards. Changeling slime covered the walls, and they encountered the first hibernating changelings, sleeping tightly in cocoon-like beds formed from slime.
"This is amazing", Snowflake observed. "So this is what a changeling hive looks from the inside."
"I hope you won't ever see a different one", Deepest Desire said. "Every changeling queen has her own style of setting up these things, but I prefer for my changelings to sleep comfortably. It takes up more space than having them hang from the ceiling, but still."
"Mistress... are these your...", Ivana began, not finishing her question.
"My children", Deepest Desire said.
"Your slaves", Shadow Amethyst added.
Deepest Desire shrugged. "They're loyal to me. There are changeling drones operating without queens, but it puts them at a serious disadvantage, and they are psychologically inclined to stick with their queen. Might even be biological, who knows."
"They're like us", Ivana reflected.
"They really aren't", Deepest Desire corrected her. "Though I understand why you would think that."
"Can you wake them up?", Ivana asked. "I would love to get to know them."
"Not without my horn", Deepest Desire said. "Right now I wouldn't wake them up anyway, because even a cow like you can't provide enough food for an entire hive."
Ivana had to think for a moment. "Ah! They're feeding on love, right? Like you, Mistress?"
Deepest Desire nodded. "Yes. Which reminds me..."
Ivana came a step closer. "I'm ready for you, Mistress", she said, smiling at her and looking up to her with her wide cow eyes.
Deepest Desire came a step closer, gently put her hand on Ivana's cheek and moved her face close to hers - once again draining a bit of her love for her Mistress. The cow sighed as a familiar coldness began to grow in her heart.
After a few moments, Deepest Desire smiled. "That's a good cow. Time for your reward", she said, then pushed her lips onto those of her cow and pulled her into a deep kiss that lasted for a good while.
"So, what's the plan?", Shadow Amethyst asked.
"Well, we'll make this our... base of operations", Deepest Desire answered. "We will stay out of sight of the castle until my horn is regrown. Then, I'll change back to a unicorn form with a broken horn, and we will rejoin the community at the castle. During the months we spend here, I also want to venture deeper into the Everfree Forest now and then. There are a few things about this forest that strike me as weird, and I want to see if I can find out more. I also found... an odd remark in one of the books in the library that I want to look into. Pages were torn out of that book, and apparently deliberately..."
"Oh? What was it?", Snowflake asked, her curiosity piqued.
"The book mentioned a race of cervids that allegedly lived in these forests centuries ago", Deepest Desire responded. "We know they're not here anymore, but I want to see if I can find traces of them."
"Cervids?", Snowflake asked. "As in..."
"Deer", Deepest Desire responded. "But anyway... I understand if you don't want to sleep down here, which is why I brought tents. Or you could also build something more permanent. We will be down here for months after all."
"I'm fine sleeping down here", Snowflake said.
"Oh?", the changeling asked. "It was my impression that most ponies are disgusted by the slime, and the smell."
"I've lived in a mare dump in Canterlot for months after the invasion", Snowflake responded. "Believe me, I've seen far worse. This isn't so bad. You're right, you put some effort into making this comfortable..."
"For changelings", Deepest Desire interrupted.
"Are you trying to talk me out of this?", Snowflake said in an annoyed voice. "Because it isn't going to work. My decision stands. I will stay here with you."
"Alright. What about you two?"
"I want to stay at my Mistress's side", Ivana immediately said, smiling at her. "...if Mistress allows it", she added shyly.
"Mistress allows it", Deepest Desire responded in a kind voice. "And you, Shadow?"
"I will go wherever you tell me to, Mistress", Shadow Amethyst said.
"It's your choice", Deepest Desire responded.
"I will go wherever you tell me to", Shadow Amethyst repeated in a more defiant voice. "Mistress", she added.
"Alright, then you will stay, too", Deepest Desire decided. "Can't have you camp alone in the wilds."
"As you wish, Mistress", Shadow Amethyst said.
With things decided, they prepared to set up their camp for a long stay. |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 11: The Lever | Star Charmer left the halls and moved towards the direction of the mares' quarters, Bruna close behind.
"Star Charmer... may I ask you a question?", Bruna asked.
Star Charmer stopped. "Yes, Bruna?"
"Master Ari told me that I am to spend time with you today while I'm around the mares' quarters...", Bruna began.
Star Charmer nodded. "That's correct. I'm supposed to give you a better understanding of how we mares live our daily lives, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask me." She smiled at her.
"You were around Master Ari fairly often during the last days, after asking me about him", Bruna observed. "Are you Master Ari's...?" she began, stopping herself mid-sentence.
Star Charmer continued to smile. "Well, we... have a contract."
"I've heard of that", Bruna said. "I don't quite understand it though."
"Well, how do I explain that...", Star Charmer began. "It's something we came up with to make sure that limits are respected in sexual relationships between us mares and the males of your people."
"Mh, limits, I... I think I... I think I understand." Bruna giggled a little, and Star Charmer was not entirely sure if she actually did understand.
"So Master Eadgil is... your Master too, now?", the cow continued to inquire.
"Phew, that is... a difficult question", Star Charmer responded. "Not in the sense you probably think of. He doesn't own me."
Bruna smiled at her. "Well, he doesn't own me either. We cows are com...munal property now. I think that's the right word." She giggled. "It means they all own us together. Kind of how it was in my family in the old world. I stick to my brother and Master Ari though."
"Well, we mares are not communal property either. We... belong to ourselves. I made a contract because I willingly chose to start a relationship with Ari with him as the dominant part. I could get out at any time."
"Willingly chose...", Bruna repeated thoughtfully. "I also sometimes choose small things. But... not large things like who my Master is going to be."
Star Charmer scratched her head. "Didn't you decide to approach Ari on your own accord? That's what he told me. Isn't that also... making a choice?"
Bruna giggled. "I guess so. Master Ari is sweet, and something... pulled me towards him from the moment I saw him. Something inside me. And then Master Baldr told me he was considering making him a member of the family, during our very first meeting! That was a sign for me that my brother approved of me being closer to Master Ari. I... wouldn't have done it otherwise. I know not all stags are nice, and some only seem nice. My family kept to themselves for a reason."
"I see", Star Charmer said. "So you made a decision, but your brother had to approve of it first? Is that it?"
Bruna nodded. "I... guess so. But it... as I see it, it wasn't that big of a choice. Once Master Ari was part of the family, he was my Master just as much as Master Baldr was... and then I simply learned which Master would gain most from my services." She paused for a second. "I know my brother loves me, but... he needs something else than me", she then added.
"Oh please", Star Charmer said. "Now you're being dishonest. That wasn't just a small everyday choice for Ari's and Baldr's sake. Not even a minute ago you told me you felt this force inside of you pulling you towards Ari. Not to mention the other stags here are your Masters as well, and you don't stick to them in the same way, do you?"
Bruna giggled. "I... guess not. Hm, maybe... I... I think I'm not comfortable with... making choices all on my own."
"So you're not comfortable with your choice to stick to Master Ari?", Star Charmer inquired, smiling a little.
"I didn't say that", Bruna responded immediately in a slightly defensive voice. "It's not so much what I chose that makes me uncomfortable. I don't even mind making little choices here and there if I need to. It's the thought of... having to choose everything on my own. I think I'm bolder than other cows, but it's still frightening me." She paused for a second. "I watched you mares. You make choices every day, little ones, big ones, making plans for your entire life, with no one telling you what to do. Just like the Masters. I see that you can do that, but... it makes me uncomfortable. The idea of having to do that too, I mean."
Star Charmer thought for a second. "I guess... of all mares here in the castle, I probably understand you the best. I get the appeal of simply letting go of having to choose and just do what you're told. But don't you think that making choices can be rewarding?"
Bruna giggled. "Choosing to spend time with Master Eadgil was rewarding."
"See?", Star Charmer joined the giggling. "I told you it can be rewarding. Maybe you'll make another choice today, hm? Just to try it out."
Bruna looked at her for a moment, then came a step closer. "Hm... what do you mean?", she asked, smiling at her flirtatiously.
Star Charmer smiled back. "Are you hitting on me?", she asked.
Bruna giggled. "M... maybe." She blushed and looked away. "I mean... you are one of Master Ari's females now. I know it's different from... the usual, but in a way, I think it does mean that you're part of the family now." Once again, she let out a shy giggle. "So I thought maybe we should... get to know each other... the way cows usually get to know one another." Once again, she let out a small giggle. "Maybe then I'll understand you better."
"Well, why not?", Star Charmer answered, coming a step closer. "I'm open to it, and you are cute. And let's face it, with both of us being with... Master Ari, this was probably just a matter of time."
"Open to...", Bruna thought for a moment. "Ah. Many mares don't like sex with other females, right? But you do?"
Star Charmer nodded. "Yes."
Bruna giggled. "And some mares only like other females, but not males. I think that's the most difficult concept for me to grasp. But you do like males as well, right?"
Once again, Star Charmer nodded. "Of course. Why else would I make a contract with Ari?"
"Oh yeah", Bruna giggled. "You chose that."
They stood close to each other for a moment, not sure what to do.
Bruna eventually spoke again, more shyly now. "I... was wondering. You mares are so much like Masters... I was wondering if we... I mean if we could do this, if you could... I mean, it's not like I've never been assertive towards other cows, but not in the same way a Master is... and... I was wondering how far... how far a mare could..."
"You want me to dominate you", Star Charmer interrupted her stuttering.
Bruna responded with a shy nod.
"Well, you might not have picked the best mare", Star Charmer responded. "I prefer to submit. Not because I'm a mare, but because that's all I wanted so far. I never thought of... trying out the other side."
She placed her hand on the back of Bruna's head, her own face close to the cow's, and looked into her eyes while moving her own body close to Bruna's.
"I think I could try though. I... guess I'm already getting in the spirit."
Bruna giggled. "You wish for me to call you Mistress?"
Star Charmer removed her hand, took a step back and began to giggle uncontrollably as well. "I... I'm sorry, Bruna. Hearing it just sounds so weird. Utterly wrong, but not in a bad way. More like in a hilariously comical way. Like... I don't know... a pink elephant hanging from a tree made of cheese. Completely out of place in a surreal way."
"So you don't want me to call you that... Mistress?", Bruna smirked teasingly.
"Don't make me... punish you!", Star Charmer giggled, trying and utterly failing to make it sound serious.
"Why not, Mistress?", Bruna continued to tease.
Star Charmer finally got her giggling under control. "I... I'm sorry. I guess if I want to try this out, this is part of it. If I already fail at hearing the word Mistress, then how am I supposed to try the entire rest?"
"I don't know", Bruna responded.
"That was a rhetorical question", Star Charmer said, still slightly giggling.
Bruna looked at her with wide eyes. "A reh... what?"
"It means I wasn't asking it in order to get an answer", Star Charmer explained. "I was asking it... more to myself than to you."
"Ah", Bruna said. "Those kinds of questions. Masters often ask those..."
"Well, alright then", Star Charmer said. "I guess you can call me Mistress." She almost had to giggle again upon saying it. "I'll try to control myself."
"I'd prefer if you tried to control me, Mistress", Bruna said.
That made Star Charmer giggle again. "Stop it, please!"
She gasped for air, but eventually got herself under control again. "Alright. No more silly jokes, alright?"
Bruna nodded, and then Star Charmer grabbed her by the wrist. "Alright then, let's move to my quarters", the mare commanded.
"Yes, Mistress", Bruna giggled as Star Charmer began to drag her along.
They arrived at Star Charmer's room, and the mare opened the door, stepping in. Bruna followed her and found a room not too different from Eadgil's - with a cupboard, a desk, and a comfortable bed.
Star Charmer turned around and took a step towards Bruna, standing close to her again.
"I noticed you're still wearing the dress we made for you", she said, letting her hand run along Bruna's upper body, over her breasts, and down to her ass, where it came to rest. "You wear it all the time now, even around the stags? Did Ari tell you to do that?"
"I... not...", Bruna stuttered. She breathed in, calming herself. "One day after coming back from the mares, I had forgotten to take them off. Master Ari told me he thinks I look nice in them, so I kept wearing them during the day. Oddly enough, none of the other stags ever said anything. I only get a few funny glances now and then." She giggled. "It really confuses the other cows though."
Star Charmer smiled. "So you keep them on because you think it pleases him?"
Bruna bit her lip and nodded.
Star Charmer pulled her closer until their bodies were touching. "Now that's a good cow, always trying to please her Master." She giggled a little. "Let's see if you're just as eager to please a Mistress."
It still felt odd to the mare. The idea of being called Mistress, let alone calling herself that. More and more, she began to like the cow though. Bruna was a bit air-headed, just like most cows from what she had seen, but she was cute and witty, and despite everything still bolder than most cows. Star Charmer's amusement was replaced with a wish to try to give the cow what she wanted. The sudden realization that this was a submissive wish par excellence almost made her giggle again. It made her wonder if subs could switch to being dominant more easily than the other way around - simply by being around another sub that they liked enough to want to see him or her pleased. Or maybe it was just her.
She placed her other hand on the back of Bruna's head and looked into her eyes for a moment. Then, she pushed her lips onto Bruna's.
Bruna immediately opened her muzzle to make way for Star Charmer's tongue. The mare used the opportunity and started to explore Bruna's muzzle, while the cow moaned into her kiss, passively letting it happen, taking in the sensation.
While Star Charmer continued to kiss the cow, her hands began to undress her. Once Bruna stood before her naked, she broke the kiss.
"Well, don't you look nice?", she smiled. "Now come here and undress your Mistress."
Bruna nodded shyly, then slowly approached and began to fumble with Star Charmer's equally revealing, but slightly more complicated outfit. She had some trouble getting it off, causing some giggling from the mare, but eventually, she managed.
Once Star Charmer was nude, she once again put her hand to the back of Bruna's head, and gently guided her to her knees. "Are you ready to serve your new Mistress, Bruna?"
The cow gave her a soft nod.
Star Charmer smiled. "Well, then get to your knees, cow", she commanded softly.
Bruna sank to her knees, her legs spread, her hands resting on her thighs, and her back stretched out - giving the mare a good look of her body - her own gaze turned to the floor in front of her. "Does... Mistress like what she sees?", she asked softly.
Star Charmer smiled and nodded."Quite", she answered.
Then she went over to her cupboard, opened it, and pulled something out - revealing a pink leash and an expensive-looking red riding crop. "I knew I still had these somewhere", she said. "My former owner left them to me when we moved here. I thought I might have need for them again soon..." She giggled. "Though not exactly in this way. Are you okay with a little cropping?"
"I'm... a little afraid of pain", Bruna responded. "Master Ari and I have only tried out spanking so far, but... I did like that, and I wanted to offer him to go a bit further. I guess... maybe it will help if I tried it out with you." She nodded, giggling a little. "Yes, I'm okay with it. Just... be gentle with me, Mistress." She bit her lip a little.
Star Charmer nodded. "Yeah, I don't have experience with... doing it to others, but I know the difference between harsher croppings and less harsh ones." She gave the cow a reassuring smile. "I'll be gentle. Promise!"
She went over to Bruna, swaying her hips a little. It surprised her how taking the dominant role suddenly also filled her with a feeling of confidence. Attaching the leash to the cow's collar, she gave it a little pull. "Come", she commanded.
Bruna went to all fours and followed her new Mistress, who was heading for a comfy chair in her room, taking place in it - her legs spread wide, exposing her marehood to the cow.
She gave the leash a little pull, and Bruna crawled towards her, placing herself between the mare's legs, her face right in front of her cunt.
Still holding the leash in her left hand, Star Charmer placed two fingers of the same hand on her lower lips. "What are you waiting for, little cow? I want your tongue down there now."
Bruna giggled softly, then let her tongue run along the outside of her new Mistress cunt, right between the mare's fingers.
"Mmmmh", Star Charmer smirked, then used her free hand to bring the crop down on the cow's right flank. Bruna yelped a little, briefly removing her tongue.
Star Charmer removed her left hand from her marehood, instead giving the leash a good yank. "Did I give you permission to stop?", she asked.
"N... no, Mistress", Bruna responded. "This cow apologizes."
"Stop talking and get back to work", Star Charmer almost interrupted her, giving the leash another yank.
Bruna immediately continued to lick her Mistress, going a bit deeper with her tongue this time.
"Mh, oh yes", Star Charmer moaned softly, then placing her left hand with the leash on the back of Bruna's head, pushing the cow towards her. Bruna continued to lick, now slightly struggling for air.
Star Charmer brought the riding crop down on Bruna's flank, this time a bit harsher. "I think I'm getting the gist of it", she said, giggling a little. "I also think I'm beginning to understand the appeal."
Bruna went deeper, and waves of feelings rushed through her. The mare felt different to her tongue than other cows, but the feelings also differed from what she knew from Masters. Star Charmer felt a bit like both... a bit like a slave, and a bit like a Master. But there was more. Like a vast space of unknown other things... other possibilities beside Master and slave, possibilities that Bruna had no words for. She let herself fall into the vastness of these new feelings and possibilities, her tongue now deep inside her new Mistress.
"Mph... Mift...", she mumbled.
Star Charmer brought down the crop on her ass again. "Did I give you permission to mutter while you work, cow?", she asked.
Bruna yelped a little, then continued to lick the mare, who slowly felt her orgasm approaching.
"Oh yes... that's a good cow, mmmh", Star Charmer moaned.
Eventually, the mare came, and Bruna eagerly drank her mare fluids.
A few moments later, Star Charmer put her hand on Bruna's head and pushed it back a little, looking into the cow's eyes. Bruna smiled at her.
"You did well, cow", Star Charmer said. "Time for your reward."
The mare stood up, placed the riding crop on a little table, and yanked Bruna's leash again, pulling her over to the bed.
"Climb onto it and lie on your back", the mare commanded.
Bruna obeyed, climbing onto the bed, lying on her back, her legs spread, waiting for the touch of her Mistress.
Only seconds later, Star Charmer was lying on top of her, and Bruna felt the fingers of her new Mistress running along her own folds. "Mmmh... Mistress", the cow mooed.
"Just... let go", Star Charmer said, smiling down at her.
Immediately afterwards, Bruna felt the mare's lips on her own, and her tongue seeking its way into her muzzle. Opening it, Bruna made way for Star Charmer's tongue, and lost herself to the feelings.
In the following hours, Bruna learned more about mares than in the weeks she had spent observing them - or so she thought. She would have a lot to tell to Master Ari this evening.
Careful not to be seen, the creature followed the three zebra as they made their way to an unknown location. It tried to listen closely in order to see if it could gather further information from their conversation, but unfortunately, they remained silent.
Eventually, the three arrived at a large stone structure at the foot of a mountain range. It was a castle or fortress comprised of an outer wall and several structures inside, and an impressive structure, possibly large enough to house maybe hundreds of zebras. The three of them stopped in front of a large, wooden gate, and the older female pulled a chain next to it, ringing a loud bell.
"So, here we are, huh", the male said. The two females didn't respond.
"I... still don't quite understand what you have in mind with me", the male admitted. "As I see it, nothing I could possibly do could prepare your priestesses for what they will have to expect where they're going. I also don't think I should even try."
The two females still didn't respond as the large gate opened.
"You do not need to make a fuss", the younger mare said. "You can still leave, or come with us."
"Yeah, this isn't going to work", the male said. "You probably want to brief me when we're inside, but this entire situation makes me highly uncomfortable. Either you tell me right here what's really going on, or I'll pack my stuff and head back to my village."
The younger mare smiled at him and waved at him with her fingers, as if she was wishing him goodbye.
"Alright", the male said. "I'm out. Seems like you just got the wrong zebra. I wish you well for your search and hope that you find what you seek." He then turned around and headed back the same way he had come.
The elderly zebra priestess sighed. "That experiment was rather short, and now I have to write my report."
"I would not have guessed nor believed", the younger mare said. "But the Council's orders were rather ill-conceived."
The elder mare nodded, and they stepped through the gate into the building.
The creature quickly assessed the situation to see if it would be possible to sneak in through the gate without being noticed. But the gate quickly closed behind the two zebras. For a moment, the creature considered following the male instead, but it was clear that that one knew nothing. If the creature wanted to find answers, it would have to be in there. It had to find another way in.
Careful to remain hidden, ducking behind rocks and trees for cover, the creature began to search the outer walls for other entries. After hours of searching, it finally found what it was looking for. An entry in the form of a hidden gap in the wall, just large enough for a creature of its size to fit through. This was a very old structure, and apparently not all of its weaknesses were known to its inhabitants, which the creature found surprising.
It snuck through, and after minutes of crawling in the darkness, it reached the other side. Several tall stone buildings were arranged around a central inner courtyard. The creature immediately looked for a hideout, finding a place that it thought wouldn't draw views.
In the middle of the place, female zebras were engaged in some kind of combat training that impressed the creature. As a servant of the Monolith, it had gone through one of the hardest combat trainings known in the world, and these zebras, while maybe not on par with its own abilities, did come eerily close. The creature decided it would be best to avoid engaging any of them directly, particularly if they were in a group. For now, it remained hidden, using various covers and beginning to explore this new place. Eventually, it would have to find a way to get to the information it was looking for, but for now, it wanted to learn as much about this place as possible, maybe even finding additional escapes in case it needed to get out.
Sitting at his desk, his face buried deeply in a book on pony philosophy, Eadgil heard a faint knock on his door.
"Bruna, is that you?", he asked. "Please, come in."
The door opened, and Bruna slowly entered the room, a smile on her face.
"Hello, Bruna", Eadgil smiled at her. "You just returned from the mares' quarters, I assume? Did you and Star Charmer have a good time?"
"Yes, Master", the cow responded, smiling and nodding softly.
Eadgil smiled back. "I know that expression", he said. "You two had sex, hadn't you?"
"Yes, Master", the cow answered. "I... hope you're not angry?"
"Not exactly what I had in mind, but no", he responded. "You seemed to have some fun."
"I... asked her to dominate me, Master", she said, her smile widening a little.
"And did she?", he asked, earning a nod from the cow.
"Well, that is a surprise", he continued. "Not that you would ask for it, but that she would do it. She seemed to be exclusively inclined towards submission."
"It was her first time, Master", Bruna responded. "It was awkward at first, but then..." The cow looked down, blushing. "She did well, Master", she added, giggling.
Eadgil smirked. "So she learned something new about herself today, hm?"
"I also learned something new about her", Bruna said.
"Oh?", Eadgil asked. "And what is that?"
"Well...", she said. "It's like there are... several different parts of her. If that makes sense."
The stag raised an eyebrow. "Could you explain that a little bit more?"
"Well, a cow always feels like a cow - like a slave. And a stag always feels like a stag - like a Master. One feeling. But with her, it was different. I felt... several different things at the same time."
Eadgil slowly began to understand what she was talking about - but he let her continue.
"There is one part of her that... wants to submit", Bruna continued. "But when I asked her to dominate me... well, it was like she pulled a lever, and then she felt like a Master. She knew what I wanted, so she took control." The cow giggled. "I mean, I have been assertive as well... towards other cows. But not like this." She blushed a little. "At least I don't think I felt like this. Although I... didn't ask."
That last remark confused Eadgil. Why would she have to ask someone else how she felt? Was this another example of the cows' usual emotional co-dependence? Eadgil had been under the impression that the specific way Bruna had been raised hadn't produced that.
"But...", Bruna continued. "There was another part of her... I felt it, but I didn't understand it. It was neither slave nor master. But it was... more than both. Bigger. Like a big room of countless... settings. Possi... possibilities. I don't usually feel that with cows... or Masters."
Eadgil nodded. "It seems to be a bit more... buried, due to our... way of life."
"So... you think we have that too, Master?", Bruna asked.
"Yes", Eadgil responded. "The existence and functioning of this community is proof of that." He closed the book on his desk. "What you have found is called freedom. You can think of it as a lever, to switch between slave and master. Actually, it has even more settings. Maybe even countless ones. That's why it felt bigger than slave or master. Because it really is much bigger. In case of us caribou, it's just better hidden, and harder to pull, because of the way we're brought up. We're forced from a very young age to put it to one setting and then leave it there. That's why remains there all the time. Some stags at least sometimes pull the lever and switch to a slightly different setting when they're with other stags." He thought for a moment. "And your brother seems to have switched his setting... for Spring Breeze."
Bruna giggled. "Not sure if he pulled the lever. I know he always dreamt of that... kind of thing. There just wasn't a suitable female around. But..." She giggled again. "If we all have that, do you think I could pull it, too?"
Eadgil smirked. "You want to be a Master, Bruna?"
Bruna blushed heavily. "No, I... um... Master...", she stuttered, almost begging for help.
"Well, I think everyone should be in control of their own lever", Eadgil said. "Regardless of male or female. If you want to remain what you are, that's perfectly fine. You're wonderful, Bruna."
Bruna's blush intensified even more, but she also responded with a shy giggle.
Eadgil beckoned her to come over to him, and she slowly walked over to his desk. He stood up, placed his right hand on the back of her head and his left on her flank, looking into her eyes. "Indeed, absolutely wonderful", he repeated. Once again, he was met with a giggle.
"I wonder if I should fetch Star Charmer", Eadgil said. "I'm not sure if she's tired, but I think it's high time for the three of us to spend some quality time together."
Bruna giggled. "I don't think she's tired."
Eadgil smirked, and let go of her, taking a step back. "Alright, I will fetch her. I'll be back in a few minutes. You stay here and wait."
Bruna smiled at him. "You want me to get naked and on my knees?"
Eadgil shook his head. "No, just wait for me." He smiled back. "Make yourself comfortable."
Bruna nodded, sitting down on the bed, and Eadgil left the room.
Eadgil arrived at Star Charmer's room, giving the door a knock.
"Who's there?", Star Charmer's voice came from the other side.
"Ari", Eadgil responded.
"Oh", Star Charmer said. "I didn't expect you. Please, come in."
Eadgil entered and found Star Charmer sitting on her bed, dressed again.
"Hello, sir", she greeted him, smiling. "What can I do for you."
Eadgil smiled back. "Bruna just came to me. You two had some fun?"
Star Charmer giggled. "Yup, that was... interesting. I assume she told you what we did?"
"Yup", Eadgil answered. "I wondered if you wanted to come over and... have some more fun. Bruna and I had a little chat about freedom, and I wanted to try something new."
"More revelations today, huh?", Star Charmer asked. "Alright, what do you have in mind?"
Eadgil stepped closer, standing closely in front of her and looking down at her. "I wanted to see if a cow can... switch into Dominant mode as well, like you did."
"Oh!", Star Charmer giggled. "You want to see if Bruna can dominate me as well?"
Eadgil nodded.
"Well, I can't see how that could work", Star Charmer said. "But I'm all for trying." She smiled up to him. "Would you please... take a step back... so I can stand up... sir?" She giggled.
Eadgil gave a small chuckle and took a step back as Star Charmer rose from her seat.
"I don't want to leave Bruna waiting for too long", Eadgil said.
"Ready to leave, sir", Star Charmer responded, and they both left the room, walking through the halls towards his room.
As Eadgil reached the door to his room, he waited for Star Charmer. "Please", he said. "After you."
"Oh", Star Charmer said, giggling as she entered the room. She found Bruna sitting on the bed, still dressed. "Hello, Bruna", she smiled at the cow.
Bruna smiled back. "Hi, Star."
Eadgil followed closely behind Star Charmer, and as she was standing in the middle of the room, he grabbed her and quickly undressed her. Then he grabbed her by the shoulders, led her over to where Bruna was sitting, and made her kneel before the cow.
"Oh!", Bruna exclaimed.
Eadgil smiled. "I want to see if we can find your lever", he told her.
Once again, Bruna blushed heavily. "You want me to... dominate her?", she asked.
"We'll see if it works", Eadgil responded. "If not, we can do something else." He came over and sat down on the bed besides Bruna.
"This is sooo weird", Bruna mooed. "What shall I do, Master?" She looked at Eadgil, searching for help.
"What you want, Bruna", Eadgil looked at her and smiled. "That's the point."
"Oh", Bruna said, giggling. "I will try, Master." She then shifted her gaze to the mare who was kneeling in front of her. Placing her hand on Star Charmer's cheek, she gently forced her face upwards, making the mare look into her eyes.
With her hand on the mare's cheek and looking into her eyes, the cow noticed that the feeling had changed. The lever was still there, but Star Charmer was fully submissive now. Bruna did not feel the large room behind it, but it still had to be there. It was as though Star Charmer was not thinking about it in the slightest right now.
Bruna giggled. "You're weird", she said.
Star Charmer's eyes widened. "Why am I..." She stopped herself, casting down her eyes. "Yes, ma'am."
Bruna shifted her eyes to Eadgil. "For a moment, she was reaching for her lever", she informed him. "But..." she giggled. "I think I've found mine."
"Lever, ma'am?", Star Charmer asked.
"A metaphor we used earlier", Eadgil responded in Bruna's stead. "For... you know, switching to a different role at will."
"Ah", Star Charmer smiled. "I see, sir. Quite clever." She giggled a little.
With her hand still on Star Charmer's cheek, Bruna once again gently forced the mare to look her in the eyes.
"So, you think you can do th..." Star Charmer started.
Before she had finished her sentence, Bruna fiercely pushed her lips against the mare's, beginning to kiss her. Almost immediately, her tongue tried to find her way into the mare's muzzle. Star Charmer's lips parted, making way for it, and Bruna began to explore the mare's muzzle with her tongue for a while, while Star Charmer remained passive, enjoying the sensation.
Eventually, she broke the kiss.
"This isn't... too different from... being with another cow", she remarked.
Eadgil chuckled. "Yeah, from what other cows told me, you can be quite assertive. They seem to think highly of you. As an authority of sorts, but... maybe also as a role model."
Bruna giggled. "Really, Master?", she asked. "That's funny. I have a role model, too."
"Really?", Eadgil asked. "Who is it? Your brother?"
Bruna giggled again. "No, Star Charmer."
The mare's eyes widened. "Me? Really?"
"Yeah, I want to be able to do that", Bruna said. "Being able to pull my lever at will."
"Oh, I see", Star Charmer smiled. "How wonderful. I'll help you find it."
"I've found it, little mare", Bruna said, looking into the mare's eyes, giggling over her own silliness. "I just have to get used to it."
"Oh", Star Charmer blushed. "Then I'll help you with that... ma'am."
"And so will I", Eadgil added.
"Well then", Bruna said. "Undress me, mare."
Star Charmer giggled and began to fumble with Bruna's skirt, while Bruna herself got rid of her top, revealing her sweet cow breasts.
Eventually, Star Charmer pulled the cow's skirt off her legs.
Giggling, Bruna pointed to her left nipple. "Suck me there, mare!", she commanded.
Star Charmer giggled, then moved up between the cow's legs, until her muzzle was right in front of Bruna's tit, and she began to lick around the cow's nipple, then eventually started to suck on it.
"Mmmh, this is nice", Bruna giggled, petting the mare's mane. "You're a good mare, Star."
Star Charmer giggled. "Thank you, ma'am."
"Now come up here and kiss me", Bruna ordered.
Star Charmer moved upwards, and their lips met. She had miscalculated the weight though, so while starting to kiss, both fell backwards and onto the bed.
Bruna broke the kiss. "Uh... shouldn't I be on top?", she asked, turning her head to Eadgil.
"You can be wherever you want", Eadgil chuckled. "That's the point. If you want to be on top, just turn her around. I'm sure Star won't make it difficult for you."
Bruna immediately tried, but due to her lacking physical strength, she found it a bit difficult. Fortunately, Star Charmer cooperated, and she found herself on top of the mare now.
Her hands found their way to Star Charmer's outer folds, beginning to roughly tease them, giving the mare the same treatment she had given Bruna earlier.
"Mmmh", Star Charmer moaned, and then immediately felt Bruna's lips making contact with her muzzle again. She leaned in, passively enjoying the feeling of the cow's lips on hers and her tongue in her muzzle.
Eadgil watched them for a while, quite pleased with how this was turning out.
Eventually, he stood up. "Mind if I join in, ladies?", he chuckled.
Bruna broke the kiss. "Not on my part, Master", she giggled.
"I'm fine with it as well, sir", Star Charmer added, moaning a little from Bruna's continuing touch.
"You want to... take over as the dominant part, Master?", Bruna asked.
Eadgil chuckled as he placed himself behind them, unzipping his pants. "Nah, you can continue dominating her if you want."
Bruna giggled. "Thank you, Master", she said, then focusing on Star Charmer again.
Eadgil revealed his cock and placed the tip near Bruna's cunt, then grabbing her sweet, plushy butt. "I'm coming in now, Bruna", he said gently.
"Ready, Master", Bruna said, and Eadgil pushed himself toward her, entering her and starting to fuck her gently as she continued to finger the mare below her. She pushed her lips on Star Charmer's again, and pulled her into a deep kiss once more, roughly fingering her with her right hand while feeling up her left tit with the other. They both moaned into each other's kiss.
Eadgil started to gently fuck Bruna from behind, doing so for a while. Eventually though, he pulled out and instead pushed into Star Charmer, who immediately let out a moan of pleasure into Bruna's muzzle.
For the next minutes, the stag continued to alter between fucking the cow and the mare, while Bruna continued to kiss Star Charmer, giving the mare's body a rough treatment with her hands, working on the mare's cunt whenever Eadgil's cock was inside her, and moving her hands to the breasts or ass whenever Eadgil was fucking Star Charmer.
Eventually, Star Charmer felt her first orgasm approaching. "Oooh... may I come, sir?", she asked Eadgil.
Eadgil smirked. "Ask her", he commanded.
"Yes sir", Star Charmer answered. "May I come... ma'am."
Bruna nodded. "You may, mare." Then she pushed her lips onto Star's once more, and the mare welled up in orgasm.
Eadgil now focused on fucking Bruna, and they both felt their own orgasms approaching.
"Master... may I come as well?" Bruna giggled.
"Come with me", Eadgil commanded. "You've taken your herbs?", he asked.
"Of course, Master", Bruna responded.
Eadgil came, and released his seed into the cow, who took it as a sign to come herself.
They both moaned heavily, and Eadgil collapsed on top of her.
Only seconds later, the three rolled off of each other, lying besides each other on the bed - all three of them panting heavily.
"Well, that was... interesting", Star Charmer said, panting heavily.
"A threesome is always difficult to... organize", Eadgil said. "But I think it was fun."
"I found my lever!", Bruna announced proudly. "I found my lever!"
"Did you like it?", Eadgil asked, taking a paper towel and beginning to wipe the cum off his cock, then handing it to Bruna.
Bruna giggled. "It was interesting, but I think..." She let out another small giggle. "I prefer being handled."
"I see", Eadgil said. "Switching things around can be fun sometimes, but you should do what makes you feel comfortable."
Bruna nodded. "Yes, Master."
"And you, Star?", Eadgil asked. "How did you like it?"
"It was nice", Star Charmer smiled. "Glad I could help Bruna find something new about herself."
"Good to hear", Eadgil said.
"Master... may I ask a question?", Bruna asked.
"Always, Bruna", Eadgil responded.
"Why does Star Charmer use sir and ma'am, not Master and... uh... Mistress, I think?"
Eadgil chuckled. "Why don't you ask her?"
"Oh", Bruna said. "Right. Star, why do you call Ari sir?"
Star Charmer let out a small chuckle herself. "The title of Master is something special... at least for me. The person whom I'll call Master has to earn it first."
"Oh", Bruna responded. "Does that have something to do with the lever?"
"In a way... I guess", Star Charmer answered.
Bruna giggled. "And Master Ari hasn't earned it yet?"
Star Charmer smiled. "Not... quite. But he also currently doesn't want me to call him that."
"By now, I wouldn't really mind any more", Eadgil said.
"Good to know", Star Charmer said. "Maybe soon. But not quite yet." She gave him a mysterious smile.
Eadgil shrugged. "Fair enough."
"I think I will return to my quarters now", Star Charmer said as she was finished cleaning herself up, standing up from the bed, picking up her clothes and getting dressed. She smiled at the two. "This was an eventful day, and I'm tired. I will see you tomorrow. Both of you."
Once she was dressed, she gave the two a nod.
"See you tomorrow, Star Charmer", Eadgil said.
"Bye Star", Bruna waved at her, giggling a little.
"See you tomorrow", Star Charmer repeated, giving them another smile and then leaving the room.
"You want me to leave, too?", Bruna asked once Star Charmer was gone. "...Master.", she added.
Eadgil wrapped his arm around the cow, pulling her close. "Stay", he commanded.
Bruna mooed gently. "Yes, Master", she whispered.
The creature spent several days hiding in the monastery, carefully avoiding the gazes of the priestesses while finding out as much as it could about the structure itself, its inhabitants, and also about the lands in the north that it was supposed to travel to. Regarding the latter, it found out very little. Most of the talk about what was going on was clearly rumor and hearsay, and the only one who seemed to know anything was the elderly priestess - and if she talked about it at all, it was behind closed doors, where the creature could not follow her. It did follow her as much as it could though, trying to get a picture of her daily schedule.
It did learn a lot about the structure and its inhabitants though. Aside from finding a few more spots that could be used as emergency exits, it also learned that the image of a spiritual organization was merely a facade. These so-called "priestesses" spent more time with things like combat or stealth exercises or studies in fields like chemistry or anatomy than with meditation or prayer, although they did also train to keep their minds and senses sharp and focused. Their training almost reminded the creature of the training the servants of the Monolith went through - the one it had gone through itself.
It also noticed that some of their exercises were already preparing them for what it now assumed was going on in the north. Dancing and seduction techniques were part of their training, as were exercises in withstanding pain or humiliation. The creature was wondering why they had even tried to recruit the male. It seemed to the creature that he would have been unnecessary and redundant at best, a burden at worst.
The creature would have to find a solution to this mystery later - but then again, it was probably not of greater relevance to its mission, and other questions of greater importance also demanded answers, so it would focus on those.
After days of hiding, it dawned on the creature that it would have to find a way to confront the head priestess and interrogate her for information. Revealing itself to her was risky, and risking to be seen or even caught by others even more so, and the servants of the Monolith did not usually proceed that way, but it seemed to be the only way to acquire the necessary information.
It had found out that the old priestess spent some time alone in her room every evening after dinner, with the window open. The walls of the building were not easy to climb, but the creature was a good climber and had received extensive training, so it supposed it would not be too difficult a task. The difficulty lied in remaining hidden. It had to make sure that none of the others were training in the courtyard when it would make its attempt. Of course, it had also thought of a few ways to exit the castle if things went wrong.
One evening, the creature found the courtyard abandoned, and decided to make its move. It swiftly climbed the wall to the priestess' room and entered through the window.
As it entered, it found the priestess sitting in a comfy chair. "Oh", she said as the creature set its feet softly on the floor of the room.
The creature exhaled and lifted the hood of its robe, revealing a white-coated face with a small, canine snout and two long ears hanging down at the sides. Its forehead bore the mark of the servants of the Monolith: a blue tattoo of a symbolic representation of its own head, with a single black eye inside, and surrounded by pair of blue, tilted halos.
"You are a servant of the Monolith", the priestess remarked, calmly, but with a hint of surprise.
"Yes", the creature responded.
"Alright", the priestess smiled gently. "For courtesy's sake, I will refrain from rhyming for now." She paused for a second. "But you better explain yourself", she then continued in a sterner voice. "What are you doing here? Does the Monolith wish my death?" She rose from her seat. "If so, you should know that I will not go down easily."
The creature nodded. "Indeed. Judging from what this one has seen so far, the Monolith would have sent more than just this one if that was its goal. But that one can calm down. This one is not here to end that one's life, nor that of any other zebra one."
"Then what is it you want?", the female asked, sinking back into her chair.
"Information", the creature respondet.
"Information... that you think I can provide", the female said. "What could that possibly be?"
"This one was sent by the Monolith to the lands north of here... to the realm of a mad king. It has followed that one ever since that one met with the three male ones. From what that one said to these ones, this one deduced that that one might know more about these things."
"Maybe", the priestess said. "The current king of Equestria - which borders on our lands to the north - is indeed mad." She paused for a second. "At least from our perspective. I guess the Monolith sees it the same way - but then again, from our perspective, you are mad, too."
The creature nodded, not paying attention to the zebra's disrespectful, but ultimately irrelevant remark. "This one had assumed that these lands those ones call Equestria were ruled by a long-lived and powerful female one. That was the information the servants of the Monolith had about these lands until recently - and the Monolith gives Its servants only what these ones need to know. Did the rulership change?"
"Yes", the priestess responded. "From our information, the change is the result of a foreign invasion that coincided with a swift coup d'etat - and also with strange, possibly magically induced large-scale shifts in the behavior of its male population. As a result, the current king is one of the invaders now, but with some of the internal conspirators still in high positions within the Equestrian government. We still aren't exactly sure how this was even possible. Equestria's government has been stable for centuries at least, with its former rulers being long-lived beings of high magical powers. They seem to be overthrown now, and we don't currently have much information about their whereabouts or their fate."
"This one has no concern for the previous rulers", the creature said. "Its orders do not mention them. Only a mad king."
"I see", the priestess said, rubbing her chin.
"This one is still thankful for the information", the creature added.
The zebra nodded. "It seems to me our interests line up with yours this time."
"That is... possible", the creature remarked. "This one was under the impression that these ones are also preparing for a conflict with the lands in the north. In fact, observing these ones and listening in to their conversations gave this one a clearer idea of what to expect there."
The priestess smiled. "Your Master didn't tell you much, huh?"
"It did not", the creature responded.
"Yeah, I know what that feels like", the priestess said. "And by now, I also know the other side."
"Yes", the creature said. "This one noticed."
The priestess gave the creature another smile. "I can't believe I'm suggesting this, but... I will travel north after the Winter Solstice celebration, in order to meet up with the Grey Council. I want to invite you to stay with us until then, and then travel north with me. I won't go all the way to Equestria, but the next part of your path will lead you in the same direction. Of course, I will also pack traveling rations for both of us, maybe also a bit more for your further way, and you may stay in the monastery and eat with us until then."
"That is a surprise", the creature said. "What does that one demand in return?"
The priestess smiled. "My offer stands either way, but I do have a... request."
"This one is listening."
"I understand that you cannot go against the orders you were given", the priestess continued. "But if your orders allow it and you get the opportunity to kill the king, could you try to do it in a way that still leaves Equestria with a stable government? The Grey Council would prefer dealing with a stable Equestrian government over having to deal with a failed state right north of its own borders.
The creature began to formulate a response, but then it occurred to him what the zebra had just said. "How does that one know about this one's orders?" it asked.
The priestess smiled. "Oh, that wasn't too difficult to figure out - at least for me. I know a few things about your Master and his servants. I think people who don't probably wouldn't have caught on from your words alone - and you also likely wouldn't converse with them in this manner."
The creature nodded. "Regarding that one's request... the orders given to this one specify no such thing, but they also do not contradict it. This one will do so if possible, but it cannot promise."
The priestess nodded. "Of course. I just thought it might be in the interest of your Master as well. He is a spirit of Order after all."
"It is... more complicated than that", the creature responded - but suddenly, a thought occurred to it. "But maybe that is why the Monolith wants this one to find this... Prophet one", it mumbled, more to itself.
The priestess blinked. Suddenly, the creature seemed to have her full attention. "A prophet?", she asked.
"This one will not disclose its mission", the creature responded.
"Of course", the priestess nodded.
"It will, however, accept that one's invitation."
The priestess clapped her hands together. "Wonderful", she said in a gentle voice. "I will gather the others to inform them about you. Is there anything else?"
The creature remembered another question it had. "Something is bothering this one", it said. "That one was trying to recruit those male ones. From what it has seen in these last days, it has concluded that those ones are not needed for training the female ones. For what purpose was that one ordered to recruit them?"
The priestess smiled. "Care for an... exchange of information?"
"That one wants to know about the prophet", the creature said.
The priestess gave a single nod, smiling. "Yes."
Curiosity got the better of the creature, and it forgot that this was a rather unequal exchange. "If that one tells what this one has asked, it will disclose what it knows about the prophet one."
The priestess nodded. "Alright. We are looking for males that might be able to infiltrate Equestria's society as well. Females have... a very low standing there, greatly limiting their movements, and therefore limiting our communication with and between our agents, as well as the coordination of their activities. Using a few male agents as well would help us to mitigate that problem."
The creature nodded. "This one understands. But why did that one choose the one that... reacted in a certain way to the violation of the other female one? If that one wants capable agents, it would be better advised to recruit ones that are able to maintain an emotionless critical distance."
"In theory, yes", the priestess responded. "This... new regime apparently demands certain things from males. Things that require an ability to react in certain ways."
The creature nodded. "Did that one really think the male one it wanted to recruit would be able to blend in convincingly?"
"In retrospect... no", the priestess admitted.
"That one is searching for a male that can violate another one for the sake of its mission, but still maintain the integrity to act for the benefit of that one's government instead of its own selfish needs and desires."
The priestess sighed. "The way you say it... almost makes it sound like a squared circle, doesn't it?"
"This one would not say so", the creature responded. "It knows many ones who think like that - itself included. Though these ones would have difficulty blending into that kind of society for... other reasons."
"The servants of the Monolith have no concept of sexuality", the priestess finished the creature's thought.
"These ones know what it is", the creature responded. "They just do not have use for it. They are trained to suppress these kinds of urges."
The priestess nodded.
"What this one has heard and seen during these last days makes it even more convinced that the act of sexuality is not only distracting, but harmful to one's functioning", the creature continued.
"It can be a wonderful thing", the priestess smiled. Then, she let out a sigh. "Not the way these northerners do it now though."
"This one does not see the appeal", the creature insisted.
"You just haven't found the right partner yet", the priestess smiled softly.
The remark completely threw the creature off guard. It could not think of a possible response.
Seeing the creature's reaction, the priestess let out a small chuckle, but then got serious again. "If you really want to get close to the king, you will have to engage in these kinds of activities anyway, probably. And I don't mean... in the good way."
"This one will do what it takes", the creature responded, now feeling back on familiar territory again.
"Of course you will", the priestess nodded. "You people always do. But now, your part of the bargain, please!", she insisted.
"This one has not forgotten", the creature affirmed. "The Monolith has given this one another task, in addition to the one that one has already deduced. It is supposed to find a prophet, protect it, and obey its word. That one is supposed to be of the same species as the mad king, and it is supposed to bear a distinct red mark on its left hand. This one will find it in a free village in a forest."
The priestess eyes widened. "A cervid prophet?", she asked.
"Is that what those ones are?", the creature asked. "It knows that the ones who inhabit Equestria are equine, but it knows not of the invader ones."
"So the Monolith wants to replace one caribou ruler with another one?", the priestess asked, not reacting to the creature's question.
"This one does not know", the creature responded. "It has told all it knows about this prophet."
The priestess nodded. "Thank you. I will now go and inform the others that we have a guest. You will wait here until I fetch you."
The creature nodded, and the priestess left it alone in her room.
Two hours later, the creature was lying alone on a comfortable bed in a room of its own, its luggage safely stored in a chest, and door to door with the rooms of a few very confused female zebras. |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 12: Tales of the Hearth | The following weeks passed by uneventfully, and eventually, Hearth's Warming Eve had arrived. Baldr and Spring Breeze had decided to spend the evening with Eadgil, Bruna and Star Charmer. A fire was burning in the chimney, and they had gotten a tree from the forest. It was all around comfortable.
"So... do you ponies have any traditions for this celebration?", Eadgil asked Spring Breeze, both of them sitting in comfy chairs, while Bruna and Baldr were sharing a sofa. Star Charmer had chosen to pick a cushion and kneel by Eadgil's side, which made Spring Breeze a little uncomfortable.
Nonetheless, the mare gave him a smile. "Many ponies tell the traditional Hearth's Warming Eve story before they hand out their presents", she responded. "It's the story of the 'Founding of Equestria'."
Baldr nodded. "We caribou also have a traditional story for the winter festivities", he said. "And my family in particular has... yet another one."
"Oh?", Eadgil asked. "Is it from the book you showed me? The one in which your family collects stories?"
"Yes", Baldr answered. "I think we should hear the ponies' story first though. It is their castle after all; we're the guests here." He smiled.
"Oh, may I, sir?", Star Charmer asked, looking up to Eadgil.
"Spring Breeze, what do you say?", Eadgil asked.
"Sure", Spring Breeze shrugged. "I was never the storyteller. Star Charmer seems to be better at that."
Star Charmer smiled and began to tell the story of the three founders of Equestria, back from the time when the three tribes were still divided, and squabbling over land and petty concerns - how they were driven by their leaders to leave their homes and settle in Equestria, dividing it into three separate, hostile countries. She told how they came together in the face of danger, against the wishes of their leaders, befriended each other and created a new, united country. She went into much detail, making it as lively as she could.
Once she had finished, Eadgil rubbed his chin. "So Equestria's founding story is about different people coming together in the face of danger, finding mutual understanding, and then overthrowing their dumbass rulers in order to prevent great harm to the land and its people. I think I like that." He paused for a second. "Yes, I think I like that a lot."
Spring Breeze smiled at him. "You think it's... applicable?"
He smiled back. "Well, I most certainly hope so."
"May I tell the story of Estra now?", Bruna asked shyly.
"Story of Estra?", Spring Breeze asked. "Is that the story of your people for the winter festivities? I bet I guess what it's about. The title alone makes me shudder."
"Well, you're probably thinking about estrus... but you're wrong", Eadgil said. "It's what many of our people nowadays also associate with the name, but as a scholar, I'm convinced that that's an etymological impossibility. I have another theory with regards to this. Eostre is a poetic word for the sun in an older version of our language. It's obviously male, but it might not always have been. It could have been Eostra once."
"That is... an interesting theory, actually", Baldr said, rubbing his chin.
"So you think your people once thought of the sun as female?", Spring Breeze asked.
Eadgil nodded. "The story itself implies that we once thought more highly of females than we do today. Don't get me wrong, our tradition is mostly oral, and thus, there are many different versions of the story - and the currently existing ones are almost all still shameless affirmations of slavery. But most versions of the Story of Estra still paint a more idyllic picture of it than most other traditional caribou stories. Unlike stories like Veizla and Matask, who serve no other purpose than degrading females and reminding them of their place, this one has a Master who cares for his cow, and a cow who's almost idealized, and accomplishes an extraordinary feat for a cow." He smiled. "It has been criticized as unrealistic, but it's also the legend of how cows came to wear red collars, and thus tells of a core aspect of our culture."
"Eadgil is right, and I think the version my family tells is probably closest to painting Estra and also Riddari in a sympathetic light. But let's not get ahead of ourselves", Baldr said.
"May I begin?", Bruna asked shyly, and Eadgil gave her a nod.
Bruna began telling the story of a town whose cows were suffering from a mysterious disease, and of that of the stags, Master Riddari, was chosen to find a plant in the mountains that could help cure the illness, and decided to take his cow Estra with him, who was dear to his heart and to whom he had once given a beautiful red collar as a sign of his appreciation.
"Why would he take a cow that's important to him with him on such a dangerous journey?", Star Charmer asked. "I mean, I hardly think she asked for it."
"In order to keep her safe from the plague, of course", Baldr answered. "He apparently thought the disease was a greater threat to her than the plights of the wilderness - whether he was correct with that or not. Of course, other caribou give different explanations in their versions of the story - but that's the one my family always gave."
Star Charmer nodded, and let Bruna continue.
The cow continued to tell the story of how Riddari eventually found the plant, but on his way back, crashed into a lake of ice with his sled, his warbeast running off and him falling unconscious. She told how Estra, in the face of danger, spontaneously decided to pull the sled out of the water and all the way back to the village, where the plant could be used to save the cows. Subsequently, the Masters began to give red collars to their cows as rewards for extraordinary feats - and eventually just as rewards for good behavior.
"Not sure what to make of this", Spring Breeze said, rubbing her chin. "I'd say it's less... applicable. I'm not even sure what the moral of the story is supposed to be."
"At least in this version, it seems to have the purpose of inspiring confidence in the cows - trust in their ability to accomplish more extraordinary feats than they thought for the sake of their Masters", Eadgil said. "I understand your reservations against that idea, but it still seems to be better than most stories of my people, who only crush down on a cow's self-esteem."
"Ultimately, it's just a mythical explanation of why we have color-coded collars", Baldr said. "Although it doesn't explain black collars. We don't even have a story about that."
"Are there black collar cows?", Star Charmer asked.
"Yes", Baldr responded.
"Very few", Eadgil added. "I'm not even sure Dainn took any with him, but of course, if his regime continues, we might see them again in the next generation."
For a moment, Baldr stared at him, thinking of something. "Do you think Estra could have been... I mean, it would explain how she could have pulled a sled that heavy... or at least somewhat explain."
"Huh", Eadgil said. "Interesting possibility. Didn't think of that. So the first red collar was really... huh, interesting. What a twist." He smirked. "We should put that in the story. Alter her description a bit to make it explicit."
"What are these two talking about?", Star Charmer asked.
Spring Breeze shrugged. "No clue."
Bruna giggled. "Oh, I understand... I think."
"I'll explain another time", Eadgil said.
"I had another thought", Star Charmer remarked. "This entire story seems rather... odd. It's probably due to the fact that it's almost exclusively an oral tradition, but it seems to me that the idea of an older version shines through from the way the story is set. A... "Proto-Estra" of sorts."
"I had similar thoughts in the past", Eadgil said. "Unfortunately, it's lost to us."
"I'm more interested in the other versions that are told today", Spring Breeze said.
Eadgil nodded. "Of course, it highly depends on how females are currently seen in society, and also in the respective family or peer group. A few stories paint a less inspiring picture of Estra. Under Svarndagr, a few caribou began to tell a version of the story where there is no plague and no lake of ice, and Riddari just lets Estra pull his sled through town for shits and giggles. Of course, she utterly fails, leading to her punishment and humiliation in front of everyone. I think it has become even more popular among Dainn's followers."
Baldr raised an eyebrow. "I didn't even know that, but... that's stupid. Like, really stupid. Then how was the red collar introduced, and why would she have earned it?"
Spring Breeze shuddered. "I'm afraid of what they'll do to our own Hearth's Warming Eve myth", she said. "If they come up with their own version, it might very well end with Equestria never even being founded."
Eadgil raised an eyebrow. "I know they're stupid, but... that stupid?"
Spring Breeze shrugged. "Let's just hope not. I don't want to see the stories of my people bastardized like that."
"I share that sentiment, Mistress", Baldr said. "But I think it's time for the other traditional winter celebration story - the one exclusive to my family. It draws from Estra's story quite a bit, but it's different enough to stand on its own instead of being just another version. It also still affirms slavery, though painting an even more optimistic view of cows. I think it's about three or four generations old now, so not that old in comparison."
"Ooh", Bruna said, smiling. "Friga!"
Baldr stood up, and fetched a large book. Eadgil recognized it, it was the same book that had contained the story of Eri and Joba - the book where Baldr's family wrote down stories they had heard, but also their own stories.
Baldr went over to his friend and handed it to him. "I want you to read it for us, Ari. I've left a bookmark."
Eadgil nodded, opened the book, and began to read.
"The wise king Oden had many cows, and they were famous all throughout the land for their beauty. All the great houses and families of the land would seek his approval by giving him the most valuable of their cows, for he was as kind and gentle as he was wise, and they knew that the cows he took were always provided for, and they lived rich and happy lives under his roof."
"There was one cow which he was particularly fond of. The name of that one was Friga. They had known each other forever, and even though they were not twins, not even brother and sister, they were as close to each other as though they were."
Eadgil paused. "Huh", he said.
"What is it?", Spring Breeze asked.
"Our people usually see twins of different genders as a bad omen", Eadgil explained. "Like, a really bad omen. I never believed that bullcrap either, but this seems to imply that Baldr's family sees it the exact other way around."
Baldr nodded. "Yes, we do. Or at least some of us do. Of course, we kept those beliefs to ourselves. But please, continue."
Eadgil nodded, and continued to read.
"She was his top cow, and the other cows loved and admired her almost as much as they loved the king, for she was as kind as he was, and they loved the firm gentleness of her touch. When they were alone, they sometimes giggled and whispered to each other that something about her felt almost a little bit like a master. She was also quite bold and clever for a cow, and the king allowed her to speak freely when they were alone. When his cock was between her legs, deep within her, she would sometimes moo words of advice, and even though her words were simple and clumsy like that of all cows, the king still often found that they had a depth to them that wasn't visible at first glance, and he often found that he benefited from listening to them. To show all the world how much she meant to him, he once gave her a wonderful amulet, made from gold and silver, and with a very rare black gem in it, a stone he had found near the rural town of Zschorlau when he had traveled his country in his earlier days."
"WHAT!", Eadgil exclaimed involuntarily, right after reading that sentence.
"What is it?", Star Charmer asked.
Baldr chuckled. "Schorl is our word for the stone you know as Black Tourmaline. And yes, it is named after that very town. My family has been trying to get their hands on these stones for generations. That town had long since been lost to the cats though, and even they didn't have enough of them to engage in trade, as they needed them for their own purposes."
"I see", Spring Breeze said. "Well, that is an interesting turn. But please, go on."
Eadgil let his hand run along his forehead. "This is even more surprising because... no, we'll get to that later. I'll continue."
Bruna nodded in enthusiastic affirmation.
"I would prefer to hear this without further interruption", Baldr said.
"I'll try", Eadgil sighed. "But if there are even more whams like this one in the story, I really can't promise."
"The other stags sometimes laughed at him behind his back about how he listened to her. But deep in their hearts, they knew that they only laughed because they were jealous. They were jealous of Friga, because the king did not listen to them as much as he listened to her. And they were jealous of the king, because they did not have a cow like that one to give them advice this beneficial."
"One fateful winter night, the king and his top cow were outside. It was snowing when a splinter of evil, dark ice fell from the heavens and pierced the king's heart, settling within it. Fortunately, it was only a small splinter, so it did not kill him, but it instantly began to grow and to freeze his heart. His expression darkened, and the traces of wisdom and kindness began to vanish from his face. His eyes turned glassy, and the ice exaggerated all the bad things he saw, while covering and diminishing the good things. He looked at his Friga and did not see her warmth and kindness any more, nor her wisdom, but only how silly and clumsy she was, how silly and clumsy all cows were. 'I have to get myself a better female', he thought to himself."
"'Master, those snowflakes are wonderful', Friga said. 'They look a bit like bees in their flight.'"
"'Maybe a little bit', the king answered, disgusted by the cow's naivety."
"'Do you think they have a queen as well, just like bees?', she asked."
"'Don't be ridiculous!', Oden answered harshly, for the reference of a female ruler angered him, and it also reminded him of the shortcomings of his own females that he could now see so clearly for the first time. 'They are not really bees. They are only frozen water.'"
"'Hihi, how silly of me. I'm sorry, Master', Friga said shyly."
"'Stop playing around!', the king ordered. 'It's time to go home. Your king needs comfort.'"
"When they came home, he bent her over a table and fucked her roughly, rougher than he had ever fucked her, and he hit her ass hard while he did it, to see how loud he could make her scream. But she did not know what she had done to deserve it. Tears flowed from her face, for she knew in her heart that something had changed in her beloved king and master. But she knew not what it was."
"From that day on, he became more cruel, more distant and loveless with every further day. His words became cold and cruel and hurtful, and his kindness and mercy vanished more and more every day. He started to administer harsh punishments to his cows and even began to take pleasure from punishing them, and where they had loved and admired him before, they now started to fear him. The other cows thought nothing of it, for they had seen and sometimes even known plenty of cruelty from other stags. But Friga's sadness grew every day. She would often try to speak to her king to find out what was wrong with him, but he did not listen to her any more."
"One day, it was once again snowing, the king returned from a hunting trip with a new cow. That one was scary, because she was bigger than all other cows Friga had ever seen, and she had antlers like the stags. Her coat was all white, and her eyes were even colder than Oden's had become. She was also not naked like the others, but wore armor and a helmet, and a black leather collar without any rune enclosure around her neck. A sword was hanging from her belt, and she wielded the staff of a Magus."
While reading this passage, Eadgil hesitated. A cold shiver went down his neck. It was almost like he knew that cow... from the dream he had months ago, the dream that made him change his name. The dream that would almost have prevented him from setting up this community if it hadn't been for Deepest Desire and her psychological counsel.
"Is something wrong?", Baldr asked, noticing his friend's hesitation.
"No", Eadgil said after a few moments that seemed like an eternity. "It's... fine. I'll read on."
"The king approached Friga, and she instantly knew that something was wrong. 'Friga, come here', he ordered roughly. She rushed to him and knelt before him."
"'Friga, I am very sick', he said with a distant voice. 'I will leave and travel to seek out the fruit of wisdom and knowledge, from the tree of life, in the cave of ice, beyond the black mirror of reason, for the white cow has told me that it is the only cure for my disease. I have promised her to come with her and follow her from now on, for as long as it takes, for she is the only one that can lead the way. I will not take you with me, for you have disappointed me very often lately, and I cannot burden myself with you. But you are still my best cow, and the others still follow you. I have arranged for my guard to come here every day to give you and the others everything you need, and you will obey them like you would obey me. But as long as they are not here, you are in charge. Do not disappoint me again, Friga.' He threateningly raised his right hand."
"'Yes. I mean no. I won't, master'", she stuttered fearfully.
"'Good. Now come here and give your king and master a last good sucking before he departs.'"
"She instantly wrapped her muzzle around his cock. But instead of letting her work on him like he always had, he put his right hand at the back of her head and began to ruthlessly and mercilessly fuck her throat. Once again, she wanted to cry, but she knew by now that her king now saw tears as a sign of defiance and she did not want to disappoint him again. Even though she was gagging, she stopped herself from crying and did her best to work her tongue in order to please him. When he came, he left his cock in her mouth. 'Swallow!', he ordered roughly. She gulped, and he withdrew. 'That was surprisingly good', he said. 'I think once I return, we'll always do it this way.' A single tear fell from Friga's face."
"Then, the king left with the white cow. She saw them get onto a white and red sled, ornamented with gold, pulled by five otherworldly beings like Friga had never seen them before, and never again would in her life. They looked a little bit like lobsters, their heads composed of fleshy rings and covered with weird antennae. On their backs, they had strange wings that looked like those of butterflies or moths, but also a little bit like those of bats. 'Wilbur!', the white cow bellowed. 'Francis! Nathaniel! William! Wilmarth! Hya!' The five creatures began to move, and the sled with the white cow and the king disappeared in the snow. 'Strange names, for strange creatures', Friga thought for a moment. Then she instantly remembered what had just happened, and she became very sad."
"Many months passed, and word had it that Oden was dead. Most other stags believed him dead, and the cows believed what the stags told them to. Fortunately, the guard was loyal, and they would not allow the other stags to come and claim Oden's cows for themselves before his death had been confirmed. Just like him, Friga also did not believe her beloved king and master dead, for the stone in the amulet around her neck whispered to her that he was not. One day, it called to her that she should travel and search for the king."
"When the other cows heard about this idea, they laughed at her. A cow should travel alone? But the voice of the amulet would not stop to whisper to her. So one night, she silently left Oden's hall and wandered into the darkness. She was scared and alone, but the stone in the amulet gave her courage and showed her the way. It guided her deep into the forest of dreams. And so, her journey began."
"Finally, she reached a glade in the center of the forest, which was inhabited by a tribe of Zoogs, who were very small and had wings that looked a bit like those of insects. They welcomed her with their high-pitched voices and strange accents, for they are a secluded but friendly and open-hearted people. They fed her, and gave her to drink from a strange beverage that tasted of cherries and wild herbs, and had the amber color of her beloved king's eyes. She was cold, for it was still winter, but the beverage gave warmth to her bones and skin and made her smile and giggle. She asked them if they knew anything about the White Cow. They said they did not, for they did not mingle in such affairs, but the cat people at the other end of the forest, in the city of Ulthar, might know of such things. So they gave her another bottle of the beverage, and showed her the way."
"Once again, she had to fight her way through miles of thick forest, but this time, the light of the Zoogs guided her way through the darkness and protected her from missteps, and the beverage they had given her kept her warm. Finally she reached the edge of the forest, and instantly saw a wonderful city of white arenite, with a pyramid and a big statue of a female cat wearing a crown towering over it. She had found the city of Ulthar, where the cat people ruled."
"When she entered the city, she was very afraid of the cats with their pointy claws and sharp teeth, staring at her like she was the one who was a monster. But when they heard about her quest, they welcomed her and were very friendly to her, for they were mortal enemies of the Trow, who had once created the dark splinters of ice, and were also at war with the White Cow, and with all other creatures that were like these two. They sheltered her and gave her to eat and to drink, and particularly the male cats with their muscular bodies, long manes, and huge cocks were eager to tend to all her needs and desires. She was tempted to stay, but the stone around her neck still told her to continue her search. So she asked the cats for the way, and they told her they knew the location of the hidden cave of the white cow, where Oden was most certainly being held. They gave her a map, and even though it took her weeks until she could properly read it, and much encouragement from the male cats, in the end she was finally ready to leave. They also gave her a magical rope which they promised would never tear apart. She playfully tied it around her wrists and gave herself to the male cats one last time."
"When the cats were done with her, their king and queen said her goodbye, and she promised them to visit them again when she had found her king and master. The queen politely asked her to bring king Oden along, for she wanted to get to know him as well."
"After promising it to to the queen, Friga set off for the ice cave. She crossed many wondrous roads and fields, and the cats and other creatures that lived in those areas were very friendly to her. She met no more dangers on the road until she reached the mountain where the ice cave was supposed to be. After a perilous climb and a long search, she found it, and began her descent. The cave was big and labyrinthine, and she was in danger of losing the way many times, but the stone always guided her in the right direction."
"Finally, Friga arrived at a big, frozen lake within the ice cave. A strange, darkish glow came from below the lake, making the frozen surface mirror everything that was above it without even the slightest bit of distortion, showing all things in their true form, for it was the black mirror of reason. At the other side of the lake, a tree was growing. It was an enormous tree, bigger than any tree Friga had ever seen. From its branches grew nine fruits, incredibly strange to look at, for they were glowing as though they were precious gemstones of different colors."
"She looked at the tree and saw Oden hanging in the branches, his arms restrained in place by some of the tree's branches. One big, thick branch was entangled across his chest, holding him firmly in place. Another, smaller branch had inserted itself into the king's ass. Friga saw that it was moving inside him. Other branches were apparently stroking his cock, but stopped to move for a short while from time to time. Seeing her beloved master like this made Friga sad in her heart, for she heard him moan and moo in the bliss of his helplessness like she had thought only a cow would."
"Above him, in the crown of the tree, sat the White Cow, with a wicked grin on her face - but Friga was not sure if she was sitting on the branches or growing out of them. Above her head, three golden crowns were hovering. Those were the crowns Nothingness, Origin, and Eternity, the crowns of the triplet kingdoms of Aìn, Sòf, and Aùr, over which the White Cow ruled supreme."
Eadgil's reading had become slower, his voice weaker during these last paragraphs. Now he stopped reading, merely staring at the pages with a blank expression.
"Why did you stop reading?", Bruna asked, looking at him. "M... Master, is something wrong?"
"I've dreamt of that cow", Eadgil mumbled, his voice sounding distant.
"The dream you had when you got that mark on your hand?", Baldr asked.
"Yes...", Eadgil responded. "A cow, coated in white, just like this one. Incredibly powerful. It was like the trees of the forest and the creatures of the sea were bent to her will. It was the same in my dream as with Oden in this story... or at least very, very similar. She... abused me over and over again, and also gave me to her pets. I could do nothing. I felt absolutely powerless. No matter what I did, I couldn't resist. Nothing I did was enough to get away from her, and nothing I did was enough to please her... and when I woke up, I felt terrible."
"I guess it made you understand a bit better how your females feel most of the time", Spring Breeze remarked, earning a disapproving glance from Baldr.
Eadgil barely heard her. "After this dream, I... didn't think I could go through with any of the plans Deepest Desire and I had made... for this community. Then I felt a stinging pain in my hand, and noticed the mark on my hand. When I looked at it, it felt like it was mirroring the endless possibilities of my own mind. It gave me confidence again... and it somehow told me to search in Lindisbarne first. Of course, Deepest Desire also helped to build me back up..."
"Hm", Baldr said. "So this mark of yours also pointed you in my direction. A weird tale indeed... it's pretty clear that my ancestor who wrote this story also based it on some kind of dream - but there is no mention of a protective mark on the left hand in it, or in any of my family's stories." He paused for a moment. "Is it too much for you, my friend? Do you want me to continue?"
Eadgil shook his head. "No, it's fine. I'll continue." He turned his gaze back to the page.
"Friga was more scared than she had ever been, but her amulet kept telling her to go on. So she carefully placed one hoof on the ice. When she was sure the ice wouldn't crack below her, she began to move across the lake, one step at a time."
"When she was halfway across the lake, Oden finally noticed her. 'Go away, Friga!', he yelled at her in a voice more cold and distant than she had ever heard from him. 'Can't you see that I am happy here? I don't need you any more. I have her now. Go home. You are a good cow. Another, better master will claim you.'"
"But the amulet around her neck continued to encourage her to go on. She had finally crossed the lake, and was standing in front of the tree, which she knew must have been the tree of life. She began to climb the tree."
"The White Cow now also once again began to spit her poisonous words. 'Go away!', she spat. 'He will not come back with you. I keep him here for your own protection, and for the protection of your entire people. He is dangerous, he will bring great pain to all of you if I allow him to go.'"
"But Friga didn't believe it. Her beloved king and master was dangerous? She knew him, as well as a cow can know a stag. Aside from those last months before the white cow had come and taken him away, he had always been kind to her, far kinder than any other masters were to their cows."
"She continued to climb the tree when she realized in shock that the branches of the tree were moving toward her. The White Cow continued her verbal attack, so Friga feared that the branches were now also going to attack her more directly. But to her surprise, they even started to support her ascent. Finally, one thick branch moved under her and allowed her to sit on it, carrying her upwards. She was now facing her beloved king and master. He looked at her with eyes that seemed like he was an eternity away, with a face that seemed like it was frozen to a block of ice. All expressions of love and gentleness she had known and loved from her king and master had vanished from it. It made her feel infinitely sad to see him like this. 'Master', she said with a shy, sad voice, pleading with him. 'Please, come home with me. We all need you. I need you.'"
"'Friga', he said, with a voice eons distant. 'Listen to her. She is right, I am dangerous. I need to be kept here. Go home, and live a happy life serving another master. Don't worry about me. I deserve and desire what she does to me. I am happy here.' But once again, she did not believe him, for she saw the sadness in his face."
"As she was nearly overwhelmed by love and sadness, the black stone around her neck began to glow. She took it in both hands and gently touched the branch that was covering the king's chest, right above his heart. A tenth fruit began to grow from the branch, reaching full size in only a few moments. Gently, she plucked it from the branch with her mouth and moved it upwards until she faced her beloved king. He took a small bite and smiled. The warmth slowly returned to his face. He began eating his way through the entire fruit, finally reaching Friga's lips. As their lips met, a warm energy went through both their bodies, finally reaching the king's heart, melting the evil sliver of ice that had poisoned his heart. The branches immediately withdrew, and the two caribou fell to the ground. But the ice below them did not crack. Overwhelmed by the experience, the king passed out. Friga, who had landed safely on top of him, was still fully awake."
"As soon as they had hit the ground, the walls of the cave started to shake from a sudden tremor. The cave began to collapse. For a moment, Friga panicked. She knew they had to leave instantly - but she couldn't leave him behind. Then she saw the white cow's sled standing under the tree. She looked around. The strange creatures that had pulled it when Oden left her were nowhere to be seen. She then remembered the magical rope she had gotten from the cats. Clumsily, she moved her unconscious king and master onto the sled, strapped herself in front of the sled with the rope, and began to move forward, pulling the sled across the lake, back to the entrance of the cave..."
When the king opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in his bed, with his beloved Friga lying closely by his side, her head rested against his chest. She looked at his face. 'Master, you're awake', she said. 'I'm so happy.'"
"'Uh... Friga, what happened? Where am I? The last thing I remember is falling... with you.'"
"'You're at home, in your bed', Friga said. 'When we had fallen down, you weren't moving. I was afraid like I had never been before, but I couldn't leave you behind. So I used the white cow's sled to pull you all across the mirror lake, all the way back home.' She bit her lip. 'Well, I had a bit of help from a few new friends I made on my way there.'"
"'Friga, you have saved me from the grip of the white cow', Oden said. 'I'm infinitely proud of you, and grateful to call you my own. How can I ever thank you?'"
"'I did it for you, master'", Friga said. 'I would do anything for you.'"
"'Friga, my sweet cow', the king said. The kindness and gentleness he was known for had returned to his face and his voice, and it would never leave him until the end of his life. 'Friga, I... love you.' Never before had a stag spoken those words to a cow. The surprise made her moo with excitement and happiness."
"'Uh, I'm stiff', Oden said with a loving, but demanding voice. 'Friga, my love. Be a good cow and give your king the comfort he needs.' Friga smiled happily. Knowing exactly what he wanted, she eagerly moved down and gently wrapped her muzzle around his hard cock. He gently caressed her head with his right hand. Then his arms sank to his side, and he let her do her work."
Eadgil slowly, thoughtfully closed the book.
"Well, that was interesting", Star Charmer remarked.
Spring Breeze sighed. "I feel dirty now", she said.
"Oh?", Baldr asked. "Was it... that bad?"
"No, it's just... I feel dirty for sympathizing with the White Cow. I get that she's the villain... but I almost think she had a point. I wonder if she was really evil, or just misguided but well-intentioned."
Baldr nodded. "I see. I guess the story does leave that ambiguous. She's definitely possessive though."
"Well, with regards to many of my people, I also think she has a point", Eadgil admitted. "I wouldn't mind if she took the king and his goons away from us - but Oden isn't Dainn or Ivangir, is he? He only becomes a danger because of the splinter, and the White Cow brainwashes him into thinking that there's something wrong with him, so she can control his life - and she also doesn't tell him that there is another way. In a way, Oden is more similar to the stallions who have come under the influence of that mind control artifact than to the worst examples of my own people. But I see your point, Spring Breeze. The story also still portrays the submissive female as the ideal and the dominant female as the villain. I can see how this would make you feel uncomfortable. I wonder if we can remedy this." He giggled. "But I also see why Baldr would like this story. Maybe the ancestor of his who wrote this also had certain... fantasies."
"That's surprisingly possible", Baldr said. "This story was written around the time when my family began to establish secret trade relations with the cats, and my grandfather and his father secretly travelled to the cat kingdoms very often, sometimes for long periods of time - and they often returned with great riches."
"I see", Eadgil smirked. "What kind of business could a stag possibly engage in while staying in a cat city?"
"Selling his body", Baldr answered. "Friga also does it in this story."
Eadgil gave him a nod.
"Is prostitution common in cat society?", Star Charmer asked. "Even among males?"
"Voluntary prostitution, yes, and it's held in very high regard", Baldr answered. "The cats abhor slavery, and punish slavers with death if they can catch them. But particularly for people of other species, voluntary prostitution is the way to get rich in cat society, and also fairly safe. My grandfather once told me that they have entire libraries full of legal regulations meant to protect prostitutes. That's probably an exaggeration, but... it gets the idea across."
"Sounds like a place for me!", Star Charmer giggled.
"Star Charmer, behave", Eadgil ordered.
"Yes, sir", the mare responded with feigned shyness.
"The cat kingdoms are also... somewhat female dominated", Baldr remarked.
"Oh?", Eadgil asked. "I don't know that many details, only that they're usually ruled by a king and queen."
"It's fairly mild, really", Baldr continued. "The females run the households and are first in line for inheritance. They take social and political responsibility, while the males live lives of hedonism and playful competition. Rich females often take particularly demanding males as husbands to display status. Usually, the only times males take responsibility is in wartime. Of course, they're also the primary customers of non-cat prostitutes. Or at least that's what my grandfather told me."
Eadgil nodded. "I see."
"Equestria was... somewhat similar only a few centuries ago", Spring Breeze said. "We became a lot more egalitarian in the recent century before your people took over, but traces of the past were still present in our society."
Baldr nodded. "The cats see their approach as a 'different but equal' approach, but they do believe males usually aren't cut out for political responsibility. They have a story about a cat king who lost his queen, ruling the kingdom alone, consumed by grief. He then made a deal with evil spirits, who promised to bring her back, but instead afflicted him and the land with a mysterious illness, slowly driving him insane and almost destroying the kingdom and everyone in it, until his vassals rebelled and got rid of him. In most versions of the story, they then still had to call the cats again for help in order to get rid of the spirits he conjured though."
Eadgil nodded. "The cats probably just wanted it as a cautionary tale against male rule, but for us caribou, it might work as an allegory for the Cycle as well." He paused for a moment. "There are even some similarities to Friga and the White Cow, now that I think about it. Although it ends differently."
"Mh", Baldr said.
Eadgil paused for a second before returning to another topic. "I'm still thinking about a variant of Friga's story that would make Spring Breeze less uncomfortable, hmm...", Eadgil mused. "Maybe we can cut Oden out. He's pretty useless in the story, isn't he? He essentially just provides a reason why Friga would go on this journey. But what if Friga and the White Cow were a couple? The White Cow could essentially play Oden's role, getting hit by a splinter and then going on a journey to find that cave, getting stuck in the tree, and then Friga goes on her journey to rescue her."
"Hm, I could see that, I guess", Baldr rubbed his chin. "It takes away from the story a bit, but if you can write a well-done story with that premise, we might add it to the book."
"Or maybe Oden does appear in the story...", Eadgil mused. "But in a surprise twist, he's the villain."
Baldr raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Not a good idea?", Eadgil asked. "Okay, I'll leave it out."
"Yeah", Baldr said. "Let it go."
Eadgil chuckled. "I noticed another thing though. You said the story draws on Estra, and I can see where you're coming from... but it could also be seen as a variation of Veizla and Matask, couldn't it?"
Baldr blinked. "How?", he said.
Eadgil smirked. "Switch the genders", he said.
"Huh?", Baldr asked.
"Well, Friga is Matask", Eadgil responded. "And the White Cow is Illskr."
"And Oden is Veizla", Baldr finished the thought. "I... guess I can see where you're coming from, but... it's a bit far-fetched. There are a few very obvious differences here. For example, Friga doesn't give Oden to the White Cow temporarily. He goes on his own accord, the White Cow never intends to give him back, and then Friga engages on a journey to get him back."
Eadgil nods. "Yeah, there are some parallels, but not enough. I'm not saying this was intended. It clearly wasn't. It was just a weird thought that came to me."
Baldr nodded.
"Once again, I have no idea what they're talking about", Spring Breeze said to Star Charmer.
"Veizla and Matask is another traditional story of my people", Eadgil said. "A really stupid one."
"...that I don't want to tell or hear today", Baldr said. "It's not a story for the season anyway."
Eadgil nodded. "Yeah, it would just ruin everyone's mood.
"Fair enough", Spring Breeze said, holding a cup filled with Amber Glow in her hand. "There's one little other thing I noticed in the story though. Baldr, you told me Amber Glow was your own recipe, invented by you. Yet it still clearly appears in this story, as a beverage created by the Zoogs. Why would you lie about this?"
"I didn't lie", Baldr responded defensively. "Not exactly at least. I guess you could call it... a lie by omission. An alcoholic beverage like this has been in our family for generations. One of my ancestors either created it, or brought it with him from his travels. But this specific recipe is mine. I... improved on it. I use different herbs that I only found here in Equestria, and the cherries you have here are also different. I think it's a clear improvement. You see, this specific recipe is mine."
"Hm... alright." Spring Breeze brought the cup to her lips and took a good sip. "As long as it tastes this fine, I don't really care who created it. I just wanted to clear things up, that's all."
Eadgil nodded. "So I think that clears things up. I... think we should move on to the traditional exchange of presents. Bruna, I have something for you... I think you're going to love this. Particularly after this story."
"But first, I have something for you, Ari", Baldr announced. "You're already holding it in your hands."
"The book?", Eadgil asked in surprise. "But... it's a heirloom of your family!"
Baldr smiled. "Well, it stays in the family, doesn't it?"
Eadgil returned the smile. "How could I forget, brother?"
"I would ask you to discuss things with me before you add a new story though", Baldr said. "Some of your ideas are a bit... weird."
Eadgil nodded. "Of course, I understand.
He paused for a few seconds before continuing. "But... I feel ashamed now. This is wonderful, a real treasure, and I know what it means to you. But... I couldn't think of anything to give to you, and Bruna didn't know either." He looked down. "I didn't do enough to find out. I could have thought harder, or asked Spring Breeze... I feel shabby now."
"I couldn't have told you either", Spring Breeze said. "I have a present for him, but it's very... tied to our relationship."
Baldr gave her an interested look.
"It's fine, Ari", he then said. "You're already doing so much for us. I wouldn't be with Spring Breeze if it wasn't for you... and there's also everything you do for Bruna. It's fine, really."
Eadgil sighed. "It's... thank you, Baldr. I still feel shabby. If there's anything I can do for you during the next weeks, let me know. But now, my present for Bruna. Bruna, come here and kneel before me."
Bruna stood up, then walked to Eadgil's chair and knelt in front of it, her legs spread and hands resting on her knees. "Kneeling like this while dressed feels weird", she giggled.
"Stay dressed", Eadgil ordered.
"Yes, Master", the cow responded.
"I think you will like this", Eadgil said in a mysterious voice. Then, he produced a necklace with an amulet made of gold and silver, wit a beautiful black tourmaline inlay. The gold and silver formed two figures who looked like they were holding the amulet - a caribou and an alicorn. Putting it around her neck, he chuckled a little. "You know what this is, Bruna?"
"Of course, Master", Bruna smiled widely. "I feel like Friga now." She giggled softly.
Eadgil smiled. "Does that mean I'm Oden?", he asked. "I hope not. I don't want to have a splinter of dark ice stuck in my heart... or be taken away from you by a weird white cow that comes in my dreams to torture me."
Bruna giggles. "You're Oden... after the splinter was melted."
Eadgil smiled. "Alright..."
Star Charmer turned around and took a look at Bruna's medallion. "Is that an alicorn?", she asked, looking at one of the figures at the sides of the tourmaline stone. "And the other figure is a caribou", she said, noticing the antlers and lack of wings."
"Yup", Eadgil said. "It's a caribou and an alicorn, holding a black tourmaline sphere. I told our smith to create something that would represent our community."
"I'm not sure if I should be offended", Spring Breeze said.
"Well, I like it", Star Charmer said, smiling at the cow in front of her. "It's a symbol of our united endeavor to free the world from oppression and mind control. I think it's in the spirit of our founding myth as well. Master, if you don't object... I want to propose this design as a symbol of our community at the next communal meeting."
Spring Breeze nodded. "Eadgil, I believe you came up with this in good faith. We all here in this community stand for these ideals, so why not choose a symbol that represents this? I will support Star Charmer's suggestion."
"Thank you, Spring Breeze", Eadgil said. "I never intended for it to become that. It... has a few problems. For example, I think it places the caribou in a too important position. There are four different pony races, and our symbol only has one. I understand that you already used alicorns to represent all of you, so the alicorn isn't the problem... but putting a caribou right next to it might be. It suggests a claim of importance or even power that the caribou here in Freeville don't make." He paused for a second. "As a matter of fact, now that I think about it... that wasn't my intention, but used as a political symbol, it almost smells Dainnist."
"With that tourmaline stone in the middle?", Star Charmer asked. "Not in the slightest!"
Spring Breeze nodded. "You're a bit harsh with yourself, but I see your general point, Ari. Alicorns aren't a race though."
"They aren't?", Eadgil blinked.
"They're... created differently", Spring Breeze said.
"Created?", Eadgil asked. "Are you saying that alicorns aren't born?"
"Not as alicorns", Spring Breeze responded. "No pony baby has ever been born an alicorn. As far as I know, Princess Cadence was a pegasus before she became an alicorn. And Princess Twilight was a unicorn."
"Then how did Princess Cadence become an alicorn?", Eadgil asked.
Spring Breeze shrugged. "No one knows for certain. Princess Cadence was already part of the royal family - and then one day, they just announced that she was an alicorn now. In case of Twilight, from what I've heard, she turned into an alicorn by rediscovering one of Starswirl's old spells. I assume it was the one he used to turn Celestia and Luna into alicorns as well. That was after Cadence though - so it couldn't have been what turned her."
"Interesting", Eadgil rubbed his chin. "But why didn't you use it to turn all of you into alicorns?"
"Well... Princess Twilight's transformation was shortly before you took Canterlot, so there wasn't much time to do proper research on possible applications", Spring Breeze answered. "I somewhat suspect there might also be certain limitations on the spell that prevent excessive use. You can't just do whatever you want with magic, you know?"
Eadgil nodded. "Yeah, I know. But that means that alicorns really do represent all other three pony species."
"Such a case could be made, yes", Spring Breeze responded. "But honestly, Eadgil... I'm fine with the symbol. It's not meant as a symbol for a future Equestria after Dainn. Star Charmer wants to propose it as a symbol for our community, and for this purpose, it works fine. If my people still vote against it, it might at least inspire them to come up with something better."
Once again, Eadgil rubbed his chin. "Hmm, alright. If you really want to do that, you have my blessing."
Then, he turned his gaze back to Bruna, rubbing his chin and giving a little smirk. "Bruna, you know... now that I see the amulet around your neck, I think it clashes a bit with the red of your collar. If you want to, you could exchange it for a leather collar of a different color. We could think about which color would work well. Brown, maybe? Also, I wouldn't include runes, so you could take that one off whenever you want. Given that you've found your lever, I think that's appropriate. I could provide one for you as a belated second winter present."
Bruna nodded. "I'm used to my collar, but... I'll think about it, Master."
Eadgil smiled. "You may call me Ari if you wish."
Bruna blushed heavily and looked at the ground in front of her, stuttering something.
Eadgil put his hand under the cow's chin, gently lifting it up to look into her eyes. "Only if you wish, Bruna", he said, smiling gently. "It's not like I don't like being called Master. You can switch between the two if you wish, depending on how you feel."
Bruna smiled. "Thank you, Master. I appreciate it. May I stand up now, and return to my place at my brother's side?"
"You may", Eadgil responded, and Bruna stood up and took place on the couch beside Baldr again.
Eadgil's view turned to Star Charmer. "Star, I have two presents for you as well... though I fear you'll only get the second one tomorrow evening."
Star Charmer smiled. "That's fine... may I give you my present first, sir?"
"I think it would be more appropriate if I gave him my present first", Spring Breeze said. "It's... not even really a present, but still."
Star Charmer nodded. "Yeah, I see what you mean."
"Oh?", Eadgil asked. "I'm surprised you even have a present for me, Spring Breeze." He looked down. "Now I... feel even more shabby."
"As I said, it's not even a present", Spring Breeze reemphasized. She then stood up, went over to Eadgil, produced a dagger and handed it to him.
"Oh!", Eadgil exclaimed. "That's my family dagger... but..."
"The mares have decided to give back your knives and similar tools", Spring Breeze said. "And also your... tools of discipline. We've come to the conclusion that a good few of your females would appreciate it if they were returned, and we trust you to use them responsibly. We will hold on to the shock rods, of course."
"Of course", Eadgil repeated.
"We also want to hold plenum meetings with you together from now one, regularly once a week, plus irregular meetings whenever necessary. I'm sure your people will agree to this. We can propose the design of your amulet as a symbol for this community at our first meeting."
"That's great news", Eadgil said.
"It would have been necessary sooner or later anyway", Spring Breeze responded. "Sooner is better than later as far as I'm concerned. I will officially announce this tomorrow morning, but I thought Hearth's Warming Eve would be a good opportunity to give back your dagger. I know it's an important heirloom to your family."
Eadgil nodded and smiled at her. "Thank you, Spring Breeze. I really appreciate this."
Spring Breeze returned to her chair, and Eadgil continued to look at his dagger. "But... what could this possibly have to do with Star Charmer's present?"
Star Charmer giggled and reached behind her into a bag, producing her present. She then moved a bit to kneel right in front of him, facing him - the same way Bruna had knelt before.
She then bowed forward, looking down and presenting her present with both hands - a quite exquisite riding crop. "This mare wishes to announce that you have now earned the title Master, and presents you with the tool of your discipline... Master."
"Star Charmer", Eadgil said, taking the riding crop from her hands and looking at it in awe. "This is wonderful. Very exquisite material. I don't think it's a caribou design. I assume it didn't belong to... the caribou who took you. Is this yours? Did you own it even before the invasion?"
Star Charmer giggled. "Yes, Master. I bought it once out of impulse, but... I couldn't find a male who was willing to use it."
Spring Breeze facepalmed, but no one paid attention to her.
"Well, I thank you a lot, little mare", Eadgil smirked. "I have the feeling it will see quite a bit of use very soon."
Star Charmer giggled. "I sure hope so, Master."
Eadgil smiled. "Well, I think my present for you is fitting." He then revealed a beautiful red leather collar. "It's a bit... improvised", he admitted. "There was no way to get a collar without runes outside these walls, so I had it made by a member of our community who knows how to work with these materials. I hope you like it."
Star Charmer smiled widely. "Yes, Master", she answered.
"What a coincidence", Spring Breeze said, producing another collar. "I had the same idea for Baldr's present."
"So this is the other work he was working on...", Eadgil said.
Spring Breeze nodded. "Indeed, it was." She then looked at Baldr. "Now, come here and kneel before your Mistress, stag", she ordered.
Baldr stood up from his couch and then assumed kneeling position in front of his Mistress.
"I think doing this simultaneously is another fine gesture", Eadgil remarked.
"Mh... maybe", Spring Breeze responded. "I don't mind at least."
Baldr and Star Charmer both exposed their necks, and Spring Breeze and Eadgil each put the collar around the neck of their respective pet.
"Mh, this feels nice", Star Charmer said.
Baldr giggled a little. "So that's how it feels. I feel..." He looked up to Spring Breeze. "Like I'm truly yours now, Mistress. I think I understand a bit better now why it's so important to the cows."
Spring Breeze bowed forward in her chair, bringing her face closer to Baldr's. Putting her hand on his cheek, she pushed her lips onto his, giving him a short, but sweet kiss. "I'm glad you like it, pet", she said, gently letting her hand run through his mane. He leaned in to the touch of her hand.
"You two are a cute couple", Eadgil said.
"Master...", Star Charmer looked up to him. "I'm... tired." She giggled. "You worked me so hard earlier today, and then there's the alcohol. I drank quite a bit in the last hours... I think. I would like to go to my chambers and sleep." She giggled. "I have the feeling that I should be well-rested for my other present tomorrow evening."
Eadgil smiled. "That would be advisable. You may leave, Star."
"Thank you, Master", Star Charmer said, standing up. "Spring Breeze, Baldr... I wish you a good night. And you too, Bruna."
"Good night, Star", Bruna giggled.
"I wish you a good night, Star Charmer", Baldr said. "It was nice to have you with us. You had some pretty insightful comments on the story, I have to say. There's more to you than meets the eye."
Star Charmer giggled. "Thank you, sir."
Spring Breeze smirked. "Don't call him sir. He's my pet after all." She once again gently stroked the stag's hair.
Baldr nodded, grinning. "My Mistress has a point, Star Charmer."
Star Charmer giggled. "I'll try to remember it."
"Good night, Star Charmer", Spring Breeze said. "See you tomorrow morning for the announcement."
"Oh yeah", Eadgil said. "When will that be, exactly?"
"Noon", Spring Breeze responded. "You probably still need some time to inform your people and gather them all."
"Good", Eadgil said. "I already have plans for the evening."
Star Charmer giggled. "I will leave now, Master."
"Good night, Star", Eadgil said. "I will see you tomorrow."
"Good night, Master Eadgil", Star Charmer answered. "I'm looking forward to it." Then, she slowly walked out of the room and towards her own.
Once she had gone, Eadgil immediately turned to Baldr and Spring Breeze. "I wanted to talk to you two about something", he said. "Bruna, you may stay, maybe you're interested in this as well. I wanted to ask you if you would be interested to participate... in... my present for Star Charmer tomorrow evening."
"Oh", Spring Breeze said. "Is this what I think it is? That... one specific clause in your contract?"
Eadgil nodded. "Yes."
Spring Breeze gave an amused smirk. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but... not uninteresting. Star Charmer is sweet - and with me there, I can make sure nothing goes wrong."
Eadgil nodded. "My thought exactly. A dominant pony participating makes things easier."
"I'm... not overly interested", Baldr admitted. "It's... not exactly my kind of thing. Also, I... had hoped to spend time with you tomorrow evening, Mistress. Alone."
"We can still do that", Spring Breeze said. "Eadgil, would you be okay with doing this on the early evening? Before dinner?"
Eadgil nodded. "Sure, why not?"
"I... feel like my brother, I fear", Bruna said.
"So you know what we're talking about?", Eadgil asked.
"Of course", Bruna said. "I'm not stupid, and I've got to know Star Charmer pretty well in the last weeks. I know of this... little fantasy of hers."
Baldr's eyes widened, and he looked at Bruna in surprise. "Say that again", he said.
"I... know of... Star Charmer's little fantasy?", Bruna asked, insecurity in her voice.
Her brother shook his head. "Not that. The other thing."
"I've... got to... know Star Charmer pretty well?", Bruna asked.
"Not that either", Baldr said. "The thing before that."
"I'm... not stupid?", Bruna said. "I'm... not stupid", she repeated, slower and more thoughtfully.
"Yes, this!", Baldr exclaimed. "Do you think you would have said something like this, say... six months ago."
Bruna thought for a moment. "No, I think I wouldn't have", she eventually concluded.
Baldr looked at Eadgil triumphantly, pointing his finger at him - which was an odd sight, considering that he was still kneeling in front of his Mistress. "Ha! See! This! This is it! Don't ever say again you didn't give me anything for the winter celebration, because that's a bloody lie!" He laughed.
"Uh, eh... okay", Eadgil stuttered. "So you think... that was... my influence? It could just as well have been Star Charmer's."
Baldr still laughed. "Possible, but... eh. Just take my word. I think you're a good influence."
"Thanks... I guess", Eadgil said. "Bruna, you could still join in tomorrow... at Star Charmer's side."
Bruna giggled. "I would, but... this is Star's present. I think it should be for her alone."
Eadgil sighed, but then shrugged. "If you feel like this, I guess I see where you're coming from." He smiled at the cow. "I would like to go to bed now. Would you join me?" He smiled at the cow.
Bruna shrugged. "I'm not tired yet, but if you wish, Master."
Eadgil laughed. "I'm not tired yet either."
Bruna joined in the laughter. "Oooh... I'm with you, Master! Of course!" She stood up from the couch. "This was a wonderful evening." She smiled, then walked over to Baldr, hugging her brother. "Good night, brother. Have fun with your Mistress." She giggled.
"Good night, Bruna", Baldr replied, smiling at her. "Have fun with your Master."
"We will", Eadgil said.
Bruna stood in front of Spring Breeze for a moment, hesitating. Then, Spring Breeze stood up and wrapped her arms around the cow, pulling her into a hug. "Oh, come here, you! You're family now, Bruna. I wish you and your stag a good night with lots of fun."
Bruna giggled. Spring Breeze let her go, and the cow returned to her Master. The two of them walked out of the room, Eadgil's arm wrapped around Bruna's shoulder.
"Now come here, stag!", Spring Breeze said, looking down at Baldr. "We have the entire rest of the evening for ourselves, and I promise you I won't be gentle."
Baldr yelped a little, then crawled up into his Mistress' arms. |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 13: Star Charmer's Present | The next day at noon, the mares had gathered in the castle's courtyard. Eadgil had gathered his people, and they were entering the yard as well for the first united communal meeting. Bruna was with them. With her having found her lever, Eadgil had decided to invite her to come along.
Spring Breeze had already taken place in the middle. "Welcome, all. Is everyone here? Shall we begin?"
She earned nods from both sides.
"Very well, our first shared meeting shall hereby begin", she announced. "Not present are Deepest Desire, Snowflake, and... Shadow Amethyst. All others seem to be present. Our first item on the agenda: Finding a better place for future meetings. Preferably indoors." It was a fairly mild winter, but she still shivered a little.
"There is a great hall in the castle that could be used", Eadgil reported. "Unfortunately, it's a mess. We'll need to work together for a few weeks to make it usable."
Spring Breeze nodded. "All in favor?"
A fairly univocal "Yes" was heard.
"Alright... I don't want to use our common room or theirs, and I don't think there are other options available. We'll get that hall in shape and then use it. Since there are no objections, and I haven't heard any other suggestions, I don't think we'll need a formal vote on this. Next... I want to propose a symbol for our community."
Eadgil had already informed the stags of Star Charmer's suggestion, but murmur among the mares was heard.
"Ari has designed an amulet for his cow as a Hearth's Warming Eve gift, and Star Charmer thinks the symbolism could be usable", Spring Breeze continued. "It displays a male caribou and a female alicorn, holding a black Tourmaline sphere."
Star Charmer stepped forward and gave the other mare a nod. "As I see it, the two figures represent the slowly developing understanding between our cultures here in our new community, and the tourmaline represents our shared struggle against slavery, oppression and mind-control."
Spring Breeze turned to Eadgil and Bruna. "Good that you brought Bruna along", she said. "Bruna, would you mind showing your amulet around?"
"I... don't really want to take it off", Bruna said, giving Spring Breeze a shy smile.
Spring Breeze nodded. "That's fine, just come over and have the mares take a look at it."
Dawn Blaze stepped forward. "Absolutely not", she said, making a gesture of rejection. "This design is one big insult. Displaying an alicorn princess next to a stag." She almost spat out that word.
Eadgil sighed. "I already assumed at least some of you would react like that. I already told Spring Breeze that I have similar issues with it. Our smith and I came up with this design as a representation of the ideals of this community, but it was meant as a gift for Bruna. I never intended it to actually become our symbol."
"Oh, please", Dawn Blaze responded.
Star Charmer rubbed her chin, and suddenly, a wicked smile appeared on her face.
"Maybe it would be better if we used a caribou cow in our symbol instead of a stag. Just leave out the antlers, and change her figure a little", she said.
"What?", Dawn Blaze objected. "Displaying an alicorn together with a cow? That's even worse!"
"Why?", Star Charmer asked, smiling at her innocently.
"Because... it's a cow!", Dawn Blaze responded, even more agitated.
"So?", Star Charmer asked.
"Well, look at her!", Dawn Blaze said, pointing at Bruna. "They're... look at her! They are..."
"Inferior?", Star Charmer asked, finishing the other unicorn's sentence, still with that innocent smile on her face.
"Ugh", Dawn Blaze responded, making a step back.
Star Charmer continued to smile. "I see it like this: If we aim for reinstating the alicorn princesses after dealing with Dainn and we use an alicorn and a cow for our symbol, our symbol would show the strongest individuals in Equestria standing side by side with the wearest - thus symbolizing solidarity of the strong with the weak, and a promise to protect them. Now I understand you think we shouldn't protect the cows, but... well, I disagree."
Spring Breeze rubbed her chin. "Not bad, Star Charmer. Not bad at all. Not sure if I like your design idea, but you sure understand how to make a compelling case for it."
Star Charmer gave her a happy smile.
Dawn Blaze shook her head, her hands making another gesture of rejection. "No. Just... no. It's bad enough that we're forced to share our castle with these... people. Not to mention these... contracts."
"A few mares also have contracts with each other", Spring Breeze remarked. "And my contract is also rather... unique."
"How does that makes things better?", Dawn Blaze asked. "It only means their insanity is slowly seeping into your minds as well."
"The contracts...", Spring Breeze spoke slowly, almost like a mother verbally chastising an unreasonable child, "...have the purpose of protecting the weaker partner in these relationships, as well as those who deliberately choose to submit, and of giving the community a means of interfering if things go wrong."
"That's what you say", Dawn Blaze responded. "I quite frankly find the very idea of a mare getting into a relationship with one of these... caribou... utterly repulsive."
Spring Breeze glared at her. "It's not for you to decide how other adults consensually relate to each other. You have already been overruled once. We will not discuss this again."
"Ugh!", Dawn Blaze said, taking another step back. "Fine. I'll let the votes decide."
"I've already talked about this with the other stags", Eadgil said. "This is our first communal meeting, but my people will abstain from voting on this issue. If most of you mares aren't fine with it, we don't want to create a majority in favor of it. As I said, I never intended this design to become this important."
Spring Breeze nodded. "I don't think we have to decide on this today anyway. I just wanted to inform all of you that a symbol has been proposed. Now we already have two slightly different propositions. Maybe someone else will come up with another design." She gave Dawn Blaze a short look. "We still have time to decide on this. Next, I would like to discuss names for this community."
"Well, I've thought about this for a while", Eadgil said. "When I took this fief from Vestri, I already had to come up with a name for the registration of my project, and I went through a few suggestions that could work for us, though I ended up using none of them there. For quite a while, I considered registering it under the name Freeville. The castle is in Everfree after all. I dropped that name for the registration because it's too suspicious, but I still think it's a good name for us to adopt."
Spring Breeze gave Eadgil a look. "What name did you end up choosing?", she asked. "For the registration in Canterlot, I mean."
Eadgil chuckled. "For a very brief moment, I also considered Everville. But then I came up with a better idea... one that we won't end up using here, because it's a massive false flag that will definitely fool these self-absorbed idiots in the council. One of the best ways to make them not suspect anything is to appeal to their huge egos and over-inflated sense of self-importance."
Spring Breeze raised an eyebrow. "Oh?", she asked. "What is it?"
Eadgil gave another chuckle. "As far as Vestri and the others are concerned, our town officially bears the name of our glorious king and leader. I registered it as Dainnville."
For a moment, Spring Breeze said nothing. Then she burst into laughter.
"Is this supposed to help us trust them?", Dawn Blaze asked the mares who were standing next to her, but they didn't listen.
Spring Breeze stopped laughing and wiped a tear of joy from her eyes. "That is... both brilliant and hilarious. You're right, we're definitely not going to use that."
"Freeville and Everville both work", Star Charmer said. "I think I like Freeville better though. It more clearly expresses what we're fighting for."
Spring Breeze nodded. "Alright, if we don't have any other suggestions, let's vote on this. Ari, your people want to join in the vote this time, too? The names both sound innocent enough."
Eadgil turned to his stags and saw most of them nod in agreement. He turned to Spring Breeze again. "Yes, we will vote."
"I like both names", Bruna giggled. "But we can have only one, so... hmmm..."
"You want to vote?", Eadgil asked Bruna. "I've explained to you how this works, so go on."
The cow nodded. "I might have to think about it for a moment, hm... yes, I think I can vote now." She giggled and gave Eadgil a wink. "Lever", she whispered.
Eadgil looked at her for a moment, then turned his eyes to Spring Breeze. "I will abstain. I'm really not particular on this question."
"Alright", Spring Breeze said. "Who here is for Freeville?"
The majority of the mares raised their hands, as well as a few stags - and Bruna. Spring Breeze began counting.
"Now who's for Everville?", she said after she had finished.
One or two mares raised their hands, as well as several of the stags. Spring Breeze counted again.
"Now I'd like to see again who wants to abstain", Spring Breeze said.
Eadgil raised his hand, as well as one or two stags and a few mares, Dawn Blaze among them. The abstentions were countable on one hand, so it only took Spring Breeze seconds to count them.
Most stags had voted for Everville, but a few of them had chosen Freeville as well, and with the mares altogether being in the clear majority, it was fairly clear that Freeville was the chosen name.
"The vote has come out in favor of Freeville", Spring Breeze announced. "Deepest Desire, Snowflake and Shadow Amethyst haven't voted yet due to their absence, but Freeville has enough votes that even an unanimous vote for Everfree from all of them wouldn't change the vote. Our community and the town we will build here will thus be called Freeville."
A few of the mares clapped their hands in applause.
"Alright, let's move on. Eadgil, we still need to discuss what our plan for the future is. After all, setting up a community here was only the first step. I actually wonder... how does this help us to get rid of that king of yours?"
"It gives us an opening", Eadgil explained. "A space where caribou, mares and in the future possibly stallions can work together on solving this problem and all others that are attached to it. As I see it, if we can destroy or disable the artifact, or permanently disable its magical effect on the population of Equestria, Dainn's regime is pretty much done for. It will thus be a priority to find ways how to approach this problem. I also created this town as a refuge and secret base of operations for other resistance groups, so I would like to find them and see if they want to cooperate. They won't trust us at first, so we have to find a way to make them see what we're up to without anyone else noticing. Finding allies is altogether important. We might try to reach out to so-called 'Incurables' - stallions that for some reason are immune to the effects of the artifact."
"Those exist?", one of the mares asked.
"Yes", Eadgil nodded. "The regime doesn't exactly tell everyone about it, but yes. Whenever a stallion was declared mentally handicapped after the Dainn regime took over, it's likely that it was because the device didn't affect him. It's not exactly advisable to approach registered 'Incurables' openly because they're often under supervision from caribou officials, but there have to be some of them who are good enough at pretending to not have been found yet."
Star Charmer giggled. "'Incurable'", she said. "I like that term. You can't cure them because they're the only ones who aren't ill."
Eadgil responded with a chuckle. "That's an interesting way to look at it. But anyway... of course, they will also mistrust us, and we once again have to show them what we're up to without anyone else noticing. We might also look for allies outside Equestria, particularly in neighboring countries. Zebrica probably feels threatened already, they are a somewhat female-dominated society from what I've read about them, and also highly spiritual, so maybe they have magical ways to deal with this artifact, or other magic that might help us."
"Zebra priestesses are capable healers", Spring Breeze said. "Maybe they can help with regrowing pegasus feathers, or even restore unicorn horns. Didn't a zebra settle down somewhere in Everfree, close to Ponyville? I wonder if we can find and recruit her."
Eadgil nodded. "I'll see if my contacts in Canterlot know anything about her. If she was captured, they'll probably know about it. If not, she might still be hiding in Everfree somewhere. There might also be another way to gain allies though. I've already informed you about the magical properties of tourmaline. Of course, the disadvantage is that it has to be in direct contact with the body, so it can only applied to single individuals, not to the community as a whole. We also don't know yet how it affects the mind control. We'll have to try it out on affected stallions to see how it works. Vestri wants to send us some anyway. We also still have to think about how to set up a convincing masquerade for them, and how to disincline them to move here if the tourmaline doesn't have the desired effect. I think we already discussed a few suggestions in this regard in the past. If you can come up with others, please let us know at the next meeting."
A few of the mares and caribou gave him nods.
Eadgil continued. "The bottom line is, we need allies, and there are a few possible options for that, but we have to approach it carefully."
He paused for a moment. "Another task is to become self-sustained, or at least as far as possible. We should begin planting crops as soon as Spring hits. It's not too difficult, we're all herbivores and could theoretically survive on grass and leaves - but I would prefer not to."
Unanimous nods from both the ponies and the caribou.
"It's a start", Spring Breeze said. "There are a lot of questions that still need to be answered, but it's a start. In the next few weeks, we'll make plans for further restoring the castle, and for planting season. This is a mild winter, so I assume spring will come early this year. Eadgil, I want you to continue your research on magic, to see if you can find other things we can use. Anyone knowledgeable in this area may join him."
"I'm going to try out a few new things with runes", the runesmith said. "Our craft is a very old and traditional one, and we don't experiment very often, essentially only teach the knowledge we already have, and even disincline students from doing their own research. I've always lamented this fact. I want to see what I can do that goes beyond our traditions. Reach a deeper understanding of what exactly we're doing as well. Maybe I find something useful."
Spring Breeze nodded. "Sounds like a good idea."
Eadgil rubbed his chin. "I'm interested in that as well, though... more in the theoretical aspects. It would be great if you could inform me of your progress."
The runesmith gave him a nod.
"Alright, I think this would be all", Spring Breeze said. "Any other topics you want to address?"
No one spoke up.
"Alright, then we'll conclude this meeting for today", Spring Breeze said. "I still have to make preparations for... something else anyway."
The crowd dissolved, and everyone went their own ways. Eadgil took Star Charmer aside.
"Star, about your present... I want to give it to you in the stags' common room later today - in late afternoon, about two hours before dinner. I will fetch you, so make sure to be in your room."
Star Charmer nodded and gave him a smile. "Is this... what I think it is?"
Eadgil smirked. "Probably. Make sure to wear something revealing and easily removable."
Star Charmer bit her lip. "Yes, Master", she responded. "Will Bruna join us?"
Eadgil shook his head. "I asked her, but she has decided that this should be for you only. And she also doesn't want to join... the others either."
Star Charmer nodded. "I see. Looking forward to it! But now I'll take the remaining hours to prepare myself." She giggled, turned around and walked away.
Eadgil chuckled, then went in the direction of the stags' common room. There were still a lot of things to prepare...
A bit later, Star Charmer was sitting on her bed, patiently. She had put on an almost slutty makeup, and she wore Eadgil's collar, a semi-transparent, long silk top, and little panties. It was bordering on violating the rules for the mares' wing, so she hoped no other mare would see her like that, but she was certain Eadgil would take her to the stags' common room immediately, and most of the other mares were celebrating in the mares' common room, so there was little chance that they would run into one of them. For the way back, she would bring along something more suitable. Her current clothes would need cleaning afterwards anyway, and she was certain she wouldn't want to be seen in them afterwards.
She heard a knock on the door.
"Master, is that you?", she asked.
"What do you think?", Eadgil's voice came from the other side of the door.
"Please come in, Master", Star Charmer called. "It's not locked."
The door opened, and the stag entered, carrying a large bag for some odd reason. In the other hand, he carried the riding crop Star Charmer had given to him the evening before. Walking close to her, he eyed her thoroughly. "My, my. Star, you look stunning."
The mare giggled. "Thank you, Master."
"You should pack some other clothing though", Eadgil told her. "You might want to change outfits afterwards."
"Way ahead of you", Star Charmer giggled, grabbing a bunch of clothes that she had already placed right next to her on the bed.
Eadgil came close, grabbed her by the collar, and gently forced her to stand. "Well then... are you ready?", he said, looking into her eyes.
Star Charmer bit her lip. "Yes, Master", she answered.
"Very well, then", Eadgil ordered. "Follow me, mare."
They left the room, and crossed the halls of the mares' wing without incident. As they entered the eastern wing, Eadgil stopped.
"Master, why are we stopping?", Star Charmer asked.
Eadgil turned around and gave her a smirk. "Oh, just a little something I'm going to add to your outfit."
He put down the bag, then pulled out a chain and leather handcuffs. "Hands", he ordered.
Star Charmer held her hands up in front of her, and Eadgil cuffed them together. Then he attached the chain to her collar, and to the cuffs at one half of its length, giving him enough chain to drag her along. Finally, he pulled out another, rather short chain with cuffs on the end and attached it to her legs right above her feet, making it difficult for her to walk.
Eadgil then grabbed the leash and returned on his way, casually strolling through the corridors, humming a little while dragging the mare along. Star Charmer struggled to follow, stumbling and almost falling over quite a few times. She assumed that she was in for a rough ride.
They arrived at the stags' common hall, and Eadgil opened the door. Instead of entering, he shoved her in first, then entered behind her.
Inside the hall, she looked around and spotted four other caribou - and Spring Breeze. The stags wore their usual leather pants and no shirts, and the pegasus was dressed in pants and a white, buttoned shirt. Behind them, Star Charmer noticed a table with all kinds of kinky gear and tools of punishment. Some of the other tables and chairs seemed to have been modified in various ways for kinky purposes.
"Spring Breeze, you too?", she asked. "Are you with them, or...?"
Eadgil chuckled and shoved Star Charmer towards the other mare. Not being able to make larger steps with these chains, she stumbled and outright fell in Spring Breeze's direction, who caught her in her arms - arms that were surprisingly strong for those of a pegasus mare, and almost felt more like an Earth pony. Star Charmer was surprised, Spring Breeze wasn't even that muscular. Star Charmer also noticed that the pegasus wore nothing below her shirt.
"What do you think?", Spring Breeze asked, smirking at her. "Why do you even have to ask? You know well which role I prefer, little mare."
Star Charmer bit her lip. "Yes, ma'am."
"I think I should inform you what will happen here", Spring Breeze smirked. "You are not just here to be fucked. You are here to be used, degraded and humiliated - within the terms and limits of your contract, of course. Eadgil and I will make sure that they are respected. But make no mistake. We will not be gentle. Any move or sound that is not to our liking will be severely punished. Aside from your Safe Word, you will not speak unless spoken to. You will address us properly, and you will speak of yourself in third person."
"Yes, ma'am", Star Charmer responded. "May... this mare ask a question?"
"We haven't started yet, so... sure", Spring Breeze answered.
Star Charmer blushed. "If I use my Safe Word, will all of this just... end?" She bit her lip.
"Mh", Eadgil made. "As I see it, the best way to do this would be as usual. If you use your Safe Word, we will stop the scene and whatever we're currently doing, and then you will have the chance to express yourself, tell us what's wrong and if you want it to end, or if you just need a break, or anything else. Nothing should stop you from using your Safe Word if you think you need it. I think it's safer that way."
Spring Breeze nodded. "I agree with him."
Star Charmer looked up to the other mare, smiling. "Thank you. That helps a lot."
Spring Breeze grabbed Star Charmer's mane on the back of her head, holding her in position and looking into her eyes. "We'll mess you up real good, little one. You ready to begin?"
Star Charmer smiled and gave a nod.
Only seconds later, she felt the other mare's lips on hers, and her tongue fiercely entering her muzzle. Spring Breeze forced her into a rough kiss, exploring her muzzle with her own tongue while beginning to roughly feel her up. Star Charmer leaned in, passively letting the other mare have her way with her. She had to control her tongue not to become active and return the teasing, but she managed. Meanwhile, Spring Breeze removed the other mare's silk top, letting it fall to the ground, leaving Star Charmer topless and with only her tiny panties to cover her nethers.
Eventually, Spring Breeze broke the kiss. She looked into the other mare's eyes again, giving her a smirk. "Good thing you wore something I could remove that easily despite your chains, cunt. We wouldn't want that marvelous piece of clothing get dirty - or worse, damaged." She chuckled. "I think I'll sit back and watch for a while. I'll use you later."
She then roughly turned the other mare around and shoved her towards the nearest caribou, who was large and rather buff. He caught Star Charmer, pressing her against his body, one arm behind her back and the other hand resting on her ass. She looked up to him and bit her lip.
"Mmh, you're a cute one", the caribou said. "Ari really made a catch with you, little cunt. Maybe we can do this more often."
"This one would like that, sir", Star Charmer said. "If Master allows it."
A second later, she noticed what she had done. She bit her lip. Maybe they wouldn't notice.
Eadgil shrugged. "If nothing goes wrong today, I don't see why not."
The other stag removed his gaze from Star Charmer and instead turned it to Eadgil. "The cunt did speak without permission though. I think that warrants a punishment. Shall I punish her, or do you want to take this?"
Star Charmer bit her lip once more.
"I will punish her", Eadgil decided. "Shove her over there and bend her over that table."
The other stag nodded, then forcefully shoved Star Charmer over to one of the tables and bent her over it. "Stick out your ass, cunt", he ordered. Star Charmer did as she was told, presenting her ass to Eadgil and the others.
Eadgil chuckled, and then slowly walked over to the mare, taking his time.
Once he arrived at the table, he let his crop gently run along the mare's ass cheeks. "I've been waiting to try this out ever since you gave it to me, little cunt", he said. "How many do you think you deserve for this misstep."
Once more, Star Charmer couldn't help but bite her lip. "I... this... this little cunt doesn't know, Master. Whatever Master decides is the right amount."
Eadgil smirked. "Good answer. I'll give your ass a very amusing shade of red. It'll be a good preparation for what's to come. Of course, you will thank me for each and every hit."
"Yes, Mast-AH!", Star Charmer began, but Eadgil had already brought down the crop on her right ass cheek.
"I'm waiting", he said.
"Th... thank you, Master."
Eadgil smirked, then raised his crop again and gave her left cheek the treatment.
"Ah! Thank you, Master!", Star Charmer yelped.
"This needs to go much faster, cunt", Eadgil commanded, smirking. "If I don't hear you thanking me the moment the crop hits, you will regret it."
"Yes, Mast-AH!", Star Charmer began, only to feel the sting of the crop once more mid-sentence. "Thank you, Master!", she yelped immediately.
"Not perfect, but better. Next time, be even quicker."
He raised the crop again and then brought it down hard on her right ass cheek.
"Thank you, Master!", Star Charmer yelped almost immediately.
"See?", he asked, raising the crop. "This is how you thank your Master for the discipline he provides."
He brought down the crop again, and Star Charmer immediately thanked him once more.
They continued with this until her ass had turned to a delicious shade of red. Star Charmer's eyes were slightly wet from the pain, but she wasn't outright crying. She somewhat assumed she would be before the end of this - but that was just a bodily reaction, and so far she loved every moment of it. She was thankful her Safe Word was the only thing that would stop them - she didn't want it to end just because her body got the silly idea to cry her a river. The intensity of not just the pain, but also the feeling of being punished in front of everyone, eyed up by them like a piece of meat, just to be used by them however they deemed fit later - all of this was exactly her thing.
"I think that's enough", Eadgil eventually decided, taking a step back and turning to the caribou who had bent the mare over. "You can have her back again", he said.
The other caribou came close, and gently let his hand run along her red ass cheeks. "Nice work there, Ari", he commented. "I think the bitch has learned her lesson."
His fingers found their way to the mare's nether regions, feeling up her outer folds. "Seems like she's a masochist, too", he commented. "The bitch is soaking wet."
Star Charmer bit her lip. It was an exaggeration, she was only slightly wet - but the purpose of that comment wasn't to state a fact to begin with.
Eadgil shrugged. "Tell me something new", he commented.
The other caribou then grabbed her by the mane, roughly pulled her upwards, and held her close once more, this time with her back towards her. He turned around so the others could have a good look, and slowly, carefully walked a few steps towards them, while his right hand found its way to her tits, beginning to feel them up roughly. A moment later, he also began to kiss her neck. "Mmmh, yes, you're cute", he commented. "We'll have a lot of fun with you, little mare."
His hand eventually found its way from her tits down and inside her panties, starting to tease her marehood once more. He put two fingers on her outer folds, spreading them apart and presenting her to the gazes of the others, holding her like this for quite a while while continuing to hold her in place and kiss her neck.
"She's pure eye candy", one of the others remarked. "Really nice catch, Ari."
Eadgil returned a smirk. "She came to me", he said. "Not sure what she sees in me, but not my problem."
Star Charmer bit her lip once more. One more reason why she liked her Master. Even while putting her through extreme humiliation, he still wasn't above a bit of self-deprecating humor now and then. From what she had seen, it was a rare enough trait among stags - being able to show vulnerability like this. She knew only one other stag who ever did that, and Baldr wasn't her type. Once again, she was reassured that she had made the right choice.
Wait, wasn't there something wrong with that reasoning? For a moment, she wondered if she was forgetting something - but the situation just didn't allow her to think straight.
"Lucky stag", a third one commented, resulting in an unanimous chuckle from all of them, including Spring Breeze.
The stag who held Star Charmer let his fingers glide inside her and began to finger fuck her. "Mh, this feels nice", he commented. "I can't wait to have my cock in there. But first, I'm going to warm you up a bit."
Star Charmer couldn't help herself. She moaned loudly from the sensation.
"Did we give you permission to let these noises slip out of your noise hole, cunt?", the stag asked as he heard her moaning.
Star Charmer bit her lip and tried to remain silent, with reasonable, but not complete success. She hoped it would be enough.
"Damn, you're a horny bitch", the stag commented. "You're already squealing like a pig, and this is just a bit of warm-up before the real fun begins." He moved his other hand to her throat, holding her in place firmly without really cutting off her air supply. "You're told to be silent, and you still can't keep your muzzle shut."
"I think that warrants another punishment", Spring Breeze said, chuckling as she went over to the table with the toys and tools, picking up a riding crop of her own. "Yes, this will do nicely", she said.
She then walked over to Star Charmer and the stag, and placed the tip of the crop on Star Charmer's right nipple, eliciting another lip bite from the other mare. "Just go on with your warm-up", Spring Breeze told the stag. "No need to interrupt your fun."
The stag nodded, continuing to finger-fuck Star Charmer, more roughly now.
Spring Breeze raised the crop and brought it down on the other mare's tit. Star Charmer yelped from the pain.
In response, the other stag closed the hand around Star Charmer's throat a bit more, making her struggle for air for a moment. "Didn't I tell you to keep your damn noise hole shut, cunt?", he asked. "I don't want to hear another sound from you."
Spring Breeze chuckled. "I'm not sure if the cunt can even control herself any more at this point. Let's test that hypothesis, shall we?" She raised her crop again and gave the other tit a good smack.
Star Charmer bit her lip hard, trying to control herself. It was a challenge, but she managed.
"No yelp?", Spring Breeze chucked with a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Seems like I'm not trying hard enough."
She once again lifted the crop, and brought it down on the other mare's right tit, this time a good bit harder. Star Charmer sweated and struggled, but once again, she managed. The sensations of pleasure and pain almost flooded her mind now, but she was still far from using her Safe Word. This was exactly the kind of rough play she had wanted for a long time.
"Still no yelp", Spring Breeze remarked. "Seems like you want to be a good girl now. Let's see for how long you can be."
Once more, she raised the crop and brought it down, once more flooding the other mare's mind with a sensation of pain. Star Charmer almost felt pushed to the limit, barely able to restrain herself from letting out a sound of pain - but once more, she managed.
"Good girl", Spring Breeze said. "I'm fairly confident my next one will make you yelp though."
She once again raised the crop, and then brought it down again. This one was by far her harshest so far.
This was it. Star Charmer felt unable to control herself any longer. A scream of pain escaped her lips.
"This should be it", Spring Breeze said. "I think I've made my point."
She gave the stag a look. "Finish her off so we can proceed." The stag gave her a nod.
"Well, that was interesting", one of the other stags said in an almost thoughtful voice.
The stag nodded, increasing the fierceness of his finger fucking. "This is only the beginning", he whispered into Star Charmer's ear as he felt her body welling up against him. "You know we caribou don't need much time to recover. We're all going to fuck you - more than once. You'll probably walk funny for a few days." He chuckled, once again increasing the fierceness of his fingering.
Once again, Star Charmer felt a loss of control. There was no way she could hold back her orgasm much longer, but without permission to speak, she dared not ask for permission to cum either.
The stag chuckled. "You may cum, little mare."
Star Charmer silently thanked any God that might be out there and then let go, her entire body welling up in orgasm.
Only seconds later, she felt his fingers withdrawing from her pussy, instead grabbing her right leg and lifting it up, holding her in place with her cunt for everyone to see. "Who wants to go first?", he asked.
Another stag approached her and unzipped his pants in front of her, revealing his cock. "Let's get this hard, shall we?", he said, using one finger to push her panties aside, beginning to rub it against the mare's outer folds.
He got hard quickly, and without further ado, shoved his cock into the mare's cunt, beginning to fuck her hard against the other male's buff body.
"Damn, I'm getting really hard, too", the other male said. "Sorry to interrupt, but could you hold this for a moment? Gonna get some lube."
The stag in front of her nodded, placing his one hand under the leg that was already up, and the other hand on the back of her head, holding her in place with his cock inside her as the stag behind her removed himself from her, walking over to the table and picking up a tube of lube.
He then returned to his position. With him being back and his body presenting a surface, the other stag continued to fuck her, removing his hand from the back of her head and beginning to feel up her body. Meanwhile, the stag behind her began to apply liberal amounts of lube to both his cock and her rear entry - entering her ass once he was done.
He once again placed his one hand on her throat and his other hand under her leg, helping his companion to hold it up while they were both fucking her senseless from both sides.
If she had thought the feelings were intense before, this was a whole new level. She didn't think she would be able to control herself much longer.
"Don't come, cunt!", the stag behind her barked. "This is our fun, not yours."
He had no idea how wrong he was, but she controlled herself.
"Damn, this is tight", the stag behind her commented. "I don't think I can hold much longer."
Seconds later, he released inside her with a massive groan.
He continued to hold her up for his companion, who increased his thrusts.
"You're a damn fine piece of meat", the stag in front of her commented. "Mh... your snatch feels nice around my cock. Your tits look wonderful, I think I want to..."
He brought his muzzle down to her right tit that he had felt up so far, and began to fiercely suck on her tit, eliciting a small moan from the mare. Hearing it, the stag behind her immediately slightly closed his hand around her throat, making her struggle for air for only a second, but long enough to remind her to remain silent.
The stag in front of her eventually stopped sucking her tit and instead placed his hand on the back of her head, looking into her eyes. "I want my tongue in your muzzle when I come, so open up that noise hole of yours, cunt."
Not even really able to think any more, Star Charmer parted her lips a bit, and immediately felt his lips on hers and his tongue entering her muzzle. Remaining passive wasn't difficult for her any more at this point, so she just leaned in and enjoyed the sensation.
He continued enjoying her muzzle while fucking her roughly for quite a while, but eventually released inside her without warning. She was barely able to hold back her own orgasm, but she did moan into his kiss.
To her surprise, the caribou didn't immediately stop kissing her after releasing, but instead continued even more fiercely. With the other stag's hand still holding up her leg, his own hand moved further up and began to tease her cunt as he continued to kiss her.
"Don't! Come!", the other stag whispered into her ear, then once more kissing her neck.
They continued their game until she was completely on edge. Just one second more and she wouldn't have been able to control herself any longer. But eventually, the stag in front of her broke the kiss and removed his fingers. They both let go of her leg, and she was standing between them on the ground once more - still held between their bodies.
"Riled up as she is, I don't think this weak cunt will be able to support herself if we just leave", the stag in front of her said. "We should let her sink to her knees slowly."
The other stag nodded. "You heard him, mare", he whispered into her ear. "Once he removes himself from you, I want to see you on your knees."
The stag in front of her very slowly removed himself, ready to catch her if needed, and she indeed felt the weakness of her legs. Their orders were not needed. She immediately sank to her knees, keeping her legs spread, placing her hands on her legs with the palms up, and casting her eyes to the ground like a well-behaved slave.
The two stags took a step back, picking up towels to clean themselves up, and a third one approached her, placing himself in front of her. His left hand quickly went through her mane. "I see you're already in the position I want you in", he said. "What a good, well-behaved little cocksucker." He removed his hand and began to unzip his pants, revealing his cock, already semi-erect from the show he just witnessed. "Now open up and get to work, cunt", he commanded. "I'll let you handle this, but you better do your best. Let's see how well you can suck a cock."
Star Charmer nodded weakly. She was riled up and would have preferred another good rutting, hopefully with permission to come, but it wasn't her call. She slowly began to nuzzle his balls with her snout as a sign of her submission.
"Mh, the cunt understands how to show respect to her betters!", the stag chuckled, once again grabbing her mane. "Good start, little cunt. But you better hurry up, I'm getting impatient."
Star Charmer let out a small sigh and began to gently wrap her lips around the stag's balls, beginning to suck them and tease them with her tongue.
"Mh yes, that's the stuff", the stag commented. "You seem eager to get me hard quickly, so you can get that cock of mine into your filthy little noise hole, huh?"
Star Charmer simply continued to lick, but she suddenly felt his hand in her mane once more, pulling her away from his balls.
"I asked you a question, dumb cunt! Do you want to get punished again? You better answer fast, cock nuzzler!"
"Yes sir. This mare wishes to get you hard fast, so she can delight herself on the taste of your enormous cock, sir."
The stag chuckled. "Good girl." He looked down at himself. "Seems like you got what you wanted, now get to work."
Star Charmer nodded shyly, then began to tease the tip of his cock with her tongue.
"Mh, that feels nice", the stag commented. "Finally using your muzzle for what it's made for instead of for moaning and squealing like a pig, huh?"
Once again, Star Charmer nodded weakly, walking her way up and letting her tongue run up his shaft.
"Damn, that feels nice", the stag moaned. "But now, take it all."
Star Charmer withdrew for a moment, then opened wide and wrapped her entire muzzle around the caribou's cock, beginning to suck him off.
"You better not lose even a single drop when I come, cunt", the stag ordered, going back to letting his hand run through her mane. He seemed to have a liking for the touch of manes - or hers at least.
She continued to suck him off, and he eventually came inside her muzzle. Eagerly, she swallowed it all, using her tongue to catch the drops of cum that were falling off his cock, then to clean him up.
The stag gave her mane another petting. "You did well, cunt", he said in an almost gentle voice. Star Charmer returned to her kneeling position, her eyes cast down.
"Don't you want to thank me, cunt?", the stag asked.
"Thank you, sir, for giving me your delicious load", Star Charmer responded.
A last time, the stag let his hand run through the mare's hair. "That's a good girl", he said.
Then, he took a step back, pulled up his pants and went back to the others.
Immediately afterwards, the fourth and last one approached her. "I'm gonna mess up your face with my load", he announced, unzipping his pants and revealing his cock. "You're gonna give me a handjob. Place your face in front of my cock where I can see it."
She complied, moving her cuffed hands upwards and to his cock, clumsily beginning to try to jerk him off, which proved difficult with her hands tied.
The stag looked at this for a while, visibly unimpressed. "Yeah, this isn't going to work", he eventually said. "Clumsy bitch can't do a thing right. Seems like I have to try something else. Remove your hands from my cock and open up your muzzle, cunt!"
Star Charmer nodded, then opened her muzzle wide.
The stag positioned herself directly in front of her, then placed his hand on the back of her head - and shoved her forwards and his cock inside her muzzle.
As he began to throat-fuck her, she struggled to restrain her gag reflex. She knew this wouldn't take long, it usually didn't - but it still made her struggle.
Only a second before he came, he pulled out, and then released his load all over her face. Like the well-behaved slut she felt like at the moment, she kept her muzzle open, catching any of the cum that would land inside it, while at the same time keeping her eyes closed.
Huge stains of it ended up on her face, and the stag chuckled at the sight. "Seems like I messed up your face pretty good, huh?"
Star Charmer said nothing for a second.
"Answer me, cunt!", the stag insisted.
"Yes, sir", the mare responded weakly. "You messed up this cunt's face real good. She doesn't know, but she's sure she looks like a mess."
The stag placed his hand on her cheek. "You do, cunt", he affirmed. Then, he snapped his finger.
Eadgil chuckled, then went over to the table and picked up something, handing it over to the stag.
Immediately afterwards, Star Charmer found a mirror held directly in front of her face, seeing the cum splattered all across it.
"Now doesn't that look nice?", the stag asked.
"Yes, sir", the mare said hesitantly, insecurity in her voice. "This is what a dumb slut's face should look like."
The stag grabbed her mane with his hand and pulled her head back roughly, looking into her eyes from above, eliciting a little yelp from her. "Don't talk stupid shit, cunt! Just look at that mess! And it was so beautiful before. You think you should always look like this? That's fucking gross! What kind of weirdo are you?"
A few steps away, Eadgil chuckled a little. At least he hadn't called her a Dainnist. His comrades were clearly pushing it sometimes, but they still knew better than to ruin their own fun, and that of their willing plaything. The stag heard another chuckle, and was surprised to find Spring Breeze quite amused as well.
"Alright", Eadgil said once the other stag had removed himself. "You guys ready for the next round?" He earned nods from his companions, and also from Spring Breeze.
Eadgil slowly walked over to Star Charmer, standing in front of her. "You too, Star? Ready for the next round?"
The mare nodded weakly. "Yes, Master. This cunt is ready to be used even more."
"Good", Eadgil said, grabbing the chain that tied her handcuffs and collar together and yanking her to her legs. Surprised, Star Charmer managed to get to her legs, but then immediately fell over and into his arms. The stag caught her in his arms, and she felt the familiarity and comfort of a body she had become acquainted to.
"Mmmh", she involuntarily moaned.
Eadgil chuckled. "Don't get too used to it, cunt."
He removed himself from her, making sure she was standing, and then dragged her along on the chain, pulling her over to a small table and bending her over it.
He then walked around her. "Do you still know your Safe Word?", he asked.
"Yes, Master", Star Charmer answered.
"Are you still able to use it?", Eadgil asked.
"Yes, Master", she huffed. "Not anywhere... close to... needing it though." She assumed that was as close to a coherent sentence as she could produce by now - but her Safe Word was still far within the reach of her grasp, always ready to be pulled out when things would get too tough. She hadn't lied to, she felt nowhere near that point.
Eadgil smiled and put his hand under her chin, petting her a little. "You're a tough mare, Star Charmer."
"Thank you, Master", Star Charmer responded.
Eadgil smirked, then grabbed the chain once more, pulling her hands downward and then linking it to the table, forcing her to remain in this bent-over position.
He then went around her, and then, to her surprise, undid the chains on her legs. "This won't do", he said. He then stood up again and roughly pulled off her panties. "These are just in the way", he proclaimed.
Going over to the other table with the toys and tools, he picked up two ropes, then returned, roughly forced her legs to spread, and then tied them to the legs of the table.
"Yes, much better", he said, rubbing his chin. "Alright, guys." He stopped himself for a moment, giving Spring Breeze a look. "Eh, I meant Ladies and Gentlemen. She's all yours again. Feel free to use any of the toys you can find on the table."
The first two of the stags were already good to go another time, so they went over to the table and picked up a few things, among them a few dildos of various sizes, a butt plug, as well as a few crops and canes.
Eadgil looked at them, raising an eyebrow.
"What?", one of the stags asked. "We don't want to walk over to the table every time we want to try out something new. I'm sure you guys feel the same."
Eadgil chuckled. "Okay, fair enough."
The two stags walked over to the bound mare, and the stag who had been behind her the first time placed himself behind her once more. "Alright, let's plug this up", he said, picking up the butt plug and a tube of lube, applying the latter to the former.
He placed the plug against the mare's rear entrance, and then pushed it in.
Pushing his body against hers immediately afterwards, he bent himself over her to whisper in her ear. "Finally, I get to feel that nice little cunt of yours around my cock", he chuckled.
Star Charmer remained silent as the stag lifted his upper body up again and then unbuttoned his pants, rubbing his cock against her outer folds. "You like that feeling, don't you? You're already wet as fuck."
Star Charmer frowned. Of course she was, she was still riled up as fuck from the fingering he and his companion had given her, and from his companion's rutting. But she bit her lip and remained silent.
"I think we should cut her some slack", Eadgil suggested. "I'd say we let her cum as often as she wants as long as she's tied to that table."
The stag nodded, and once more brought his face down and close to hers, this time resting his hand on her throat. He seemed to have a thing for breath play, Star Charmer suspected. "You've heard your Master, cunt. Feel free to have all the orgasms your tiny little mind can handle."
He then pushed into her and began to rut her. With her already riled up, and being allowed to let go, it took her not even a minute to reach her first orgasm - but since she still had four stags and another mare to satisfy, she knew it wouldn't be her last. As the feeling ebbed down despite the continued rutting, she took comfort in the thought that there would be more.
The other stag placed himself in front of her, unbuttoning his pants once more. "Alright, cunt. You better get this hard fast, because I'm next, and I don't want to waste my time with nonsense."
Barely able to move her head, Star Charmer began to lick his cock as much as she could while the rutting behind her continued.
"That's a good girl", the stag commented. "Mh yes, I think that'll work."
The other stag continued the rutting. As he felt his orgasm approaching, his hand gripped a bit tighter around her throat. She had been right. He was into breath play.
He released another big load inside her cunt, then withdrew quickly, leaving her wanting.
He gave his companion a look. "You hard yet?"
The other stag nodded. "Yup", he said. "Time to switch places."
He went around the table while his friend came around the other side, now placing himself in front of her. "You better clean me up thoroughly, slut", he commanded while his friend picked up something.
Suddenly, Star Charmer felt the touch of a cane resting on her ass. "And quickly if I were you", the stag behind her said. "You'll get a nice can of whoopass until he's cleaned up."
He lifted the cane. "Get to work, bitch."
Only seconds later, the cane descended harshly on her ass. The stag was skilled, and made sure not to hit her butt plug, but it stung like hell.
In her awkward position, she could do only so much to properly clean up the other stag's cock, but she tried her best. Fortunately, the stag 'helped' her by putting his hand on his cock and guiding it to her muzzle. He also amused himself with not being too careful though, so he also smeared it along her snout quite a bit. She was far beyond the point of caring. She had seen herself in the mirror. Her face was already a mess.
The cane continued to descend on her ass as she cleaned him up. It hurt like hell and she wished it would stop, but it didn't feel wrong. She was still surprisingly far from reaching for her Safe Word.
Eventually, the stag concluded that he was properly cleaned up. "Alright, I'm done", he said. "She's all yours."
The other stag chuckled, and the caning ceased. He positioned himself behind her, the tip of his cock right next to her cunt. "I wonder if it'll feel just as nice as the last time", he said. "Let's find out."
A second later, he pushed in, beginning to fuck her.
Meanwhile, one of the other stags turned to Eadgil and Spring Breeze. "Ari, I... wanted to thank you for this. We all agree that enslaving the mares was wrong, and you've convinced me that we even handled our cows wrongly for a long time - but it's still good to know that we can still play hard. Many cows love it, and apparently some mares also do."
Eadgil nodded. "Star Charmer disagrees with slavery just as much as we do. She just happens to like hard play - and she likes the submissive role. Not because she's a female, but because she's Star Charmer."
"Of course it isn't because she's a female", the stag laughed. "I know a mare who's more similar to us in this regard." He gave Spring Breeze a smile.
Spring Breeze smiled back. "Many mares have submission fantasies, some stallions as well, but very few of them go as far as Star Charmer - or could go as far even if they wanted to. She is special in this regard - and she still abhors slavery. Subs may entertain it as a fantasy, but if they're mentally healthy, they don't actually support it. And to be frank..." She paused for a second. "I know your cows are a special case, but from what I've seen, I don't think they're different in this regard. They just don't know anything else."
Eadgil nodded. "Bruna is an example of a cow who was raised correctly - or at least as well as she could have given the circumstances - and she's perfectly able to voice an opinion, or disagreement, or wishes of her own. But we've always known this, haven't we? The story of Veizla and Matask is proof of that. We've always known we were treating them wrongly, and then we've made up bullshit justifications for doing it anyway. It's high time that we show them another way - but many of them will still enjoy submission and even hard play. We don't lose anything, but we win freedom - for them and for ourselves."
The two stags standing next to him gave him reaffirming nods.
Meanwhile, the third stag had returned to them, while the fourth was still rutting her. "What are you guys talking about?", he asked.
"Cows", Eadgil responded.
"Oh", the stag answered, chuckling a little. "Isn't that conversation topic a bit worn out?"
Eadgil smirked. "I don't think so", he responded.
"Yeah, okay... I'll just stand here and enjoy the show. Whoever wants to go next should probably go over there." He pointed at Star Charmer and the fourth stag, who was still rutting her. "He'll be done soon... and I think he wants to do the same combination of cleanup and caning again. He'll probably need a hand for the cane."
One of the others nodded and walked over to the fourth, who had already begun increasing his thrusts.
He eventually released inside the mare, then pulled out and gave the stag who had come over a look. "You want to give me a hand before you start?", he asked. "Want to give her another caning while she cleans me up?"
The other stag nodded. "On it", he said, picking up the cane.
He positioned himself behind Star Charmer, and the other stag went around the table, hanging his cum-covered cock right in her face. "You know the game, cunt", he said. "Until this is properly cleaned up, you'll experience nothing but pain."
Star Charmer nodded weakly, and once more began her clumsy attempts at cleaning him up. Only second later, the familiar pain of a cane descending on her ass went through her entire body.
She tried her best to finish the cleaning quickly. Once she was done, he buttoned up and left her.
The other stag stopped the caning and smirked. Getting an idea, he went over to the table and picked something up, then returning to the mare.
Once Spring Breeze spotted what the stag had picked up, she chuckled. "Alright, time for me to have some fun as well."
She went over to Star Charmer and the other stag, picked up a dildo and placed herself in front of Star Charmer. "Hello, Star", she smirked, looking down at the other mare, gently placing her hand on the unicorn's left cheek. "Missed me?"
Star Charmer tried to look up as much as she could. "Yes, ma'am."
"We're gonna have some fun with you, slut", Spring Breeze chuckled, amused about Star Charmer's futile attempts to get a glance of what was going on behind her. "You have no idea what he has in store for you, do you?"
"No, ma'am", Star Charmer admitted.
"Good", Spring Breeze chuckled. "I don't want to ruin the surprise."
The stag placed himself behind Star Charmer, placed his one hand on her butt cheek, then moved his thumb down and began to feel up the outer folds of her cunt while holding something in his other hand. The mare begun to let out soft moans of pleasure.
"Silence, mare", Spring Breeze commanded, and Star Charmer immediately shut up.
The stag then removed his hand and instead placed the tip of his cock right next to Star Charmer's cunt. Since it was already reasonably hard, he took no time and pushed inside her - but instead of beginning to rut her, he just let it rest there.
Spring Breeze chuckled a little.
A moment later, Star Charmer felt the first drip of hot wax on her ass. "Fffuuck!", she exclaimed. "Oooh shit, fuck!"
"You still know your Safe Word?", Spring Breeze asked.
"Yes!", Star Charmer shouted. "Dont... aaah, worry!"
Spring Breeze chuckled, gently petting the other mare's cheek. "That's a good girl", she said. "You better get him off quickly, or else your ass will be a waxy mess in no time", she teased.
Not being able to move properly, Star Charmer did what little she could, moving back and forth within the little wiggle room she had, and tightening herself around the stag's cock to get him off. He eventually began to work a little bit as well, but only a bare minimum, leaving her even more frustrated.
Spring Breeze chuckled as she watched them, unbuttoning her shirt and dropping her own pants and panties. Then, she took the dildo she had picked up and slowly inserted it into her own cunt, placing herself right in front of Star Charmer's face - close enough - and placing her hand on the back of the other mare's head.
"You better give me a good licking while I fuck myself with that dildo, slut", she commanded, and Star Charmer's tongue immediately began to work.
"Mmh yeah... fuck, that's how I like it", Spring Breeze moaned. The other stag gave her a glance of recognition - even respect.
Meanwhile, one of the other stags had taken Eadgil aside.
"Ari, I... need to talk to you."
"Alright, what is it?", Eadgil asked.
"First of all, I wanted to thank you for this. But... I also wanted to thank you for... including Spring Breeze. Aside from the fact that her presence helps to keep us in check, it's also... pretty damn interesting to see a dominant female in action. So far, I only heard about her from Baldr, but... in some ways, she's better at this than some of us are. It's... stunning."
Eadgil smirked. "You want to try out submitting to a female, don't you?"
The stag blushed and looked down. "It's... I... uh..."
Eadgil placed his hand on the other stag's shoulder. "There is no need to be ashamed."
The other stag relaxed. "I thought about it, yes. I mean, uh... I like being in charge, but I do want to try out the other side. Giving myself up to someone... I mean, I could just ask a male, but I want to try it out with a female. I'm curious if it could work."
Eadgil nodded.
The other stag sighed. "I don't think Spring Breeze wants to take another male at this point though..."
"As a permanent relationship, probably not", Eadgil responded. "She might still be up for some play. She was immediately up for the idea to play with Star Charmer today after all. It wasn't just to ensure safety, I saw sparkles in her eyes when I suggested it. You could approach her, and if she agrees, you can see if it works for you, and if it does, maybe another female will eventually come along and..." He chuckled. "...take you. Maybe Deepest Desire is interested, although she already has three subs to handle."
"That grey unicorn of yours?", the stag asked. "I was under the impression that she's only interested in females."
"No, she takes both", Eadgil replied. "As a matter of fact, when Baldr told me he had submission fantasies, I suggested approaching her, but he already had his eyes on Spring Breeze."
The stag nodded.
"Oh, another thing", Eadgil said. "If you want to approach Spring Breeze about this, you should only do so while Baldr is present. He's fine with Spring Breeze having her fun with Star Charmer, and I think he's... fine with pretty much anything Spring Breeze decides to do, but he deserves to know, and he also deserves to speak up if he doesn't like the idea. I also asked her to participate here while Baldr was present. As a matter of fact, I also asked Baldr and Bruna as well, but they both weren't interested. They aren't the dominant types, and they didn't want to join in as subs, because this was a present for Star Charmer."
The other stag nodded. "I see. Of course I will respect the relationship between two of my friends. Thank you very much for your advice. I think I'm next." He grinned.
Eadgil nodded.
"You're going to join in?", the other stag asked.
Eadgil shook his head. "No, not in the mood for rough public play. I'll carry Star Charmer to my own quarters once we're done here, and if she's still in the mood, and able to go for it, I'll do her gently."
The other stag smiled. "You're a good one, Ari. You... don't really like doing it in public, do you? I saw you that one time, a few weeks ago, with that cow bent over that table here in the common room. You were... inhibited. I hadn't seen you like that before."
Eadgil nods. "Indeed, I'm not overly fond of public displays. It's not a hard limit... not even a soft limit... I'm even in the mood for it sometimes, but... usually, I prefer the comfort of a private room."
The stag nodded and placed his hand on Eadgil's shoulder. "There is no need to be ashamed."
Eadgil laughed. "Stop messing with me!" The other stag chuckled.
A loud groan was heard through the entire room, coming from the stag who was giving Star Charmer a waxing.
The stag who had been talking to Eadgil chuckled. "I think it's my turn. I... think I'm the last one."
Eadgil looked at Star Charmer, then at the other stags, then out the window. "Yeah, I think after this round, we should call it a day."
The other stag nodded. "Alright, my turn. Enjoy the show!"
Eadgil chuckled, and the other stag left. The stag who had just finished handed him the candle, and he placed himself behind Star Charmer, continuing the same way.
Spring Breeze was still in front of the other mare, and she had no intention to stop yet. "Hey you", she said to the stag as he positioned himself. "You can continue with the wax, I think our little slut is enjoying it, but... she's riled up. You're the last one, so make sure to get her off, okay?"
The stag nodded. "Yes, ma'am", he said to her surprise, giving her a friendly smile.
Spring Breeze raised an eyebrow.
The stag then placed his cock near Star Charmer's marehood and pushed in without much ado. "I'm going to fuck you good, cunt!", he announced. "Prepare for more wax, but I'm not going to be a lazy fuck like the last guy."
He began to fiercely rut her while using the candle on her body. Star Charmer couldn't help but start moaning loudly again.
"Making noise again, huh?", Spring Breeze asked, shoving herself closer to Star Charmer's muzzle. "You better use that tongue of yours to continue licking me, cunt!"
Star Charmer complied immediately.
"Mh, I think I'm going to end my involvement", Spring Breeze announced, beginning to fuck herself with her dildo more fiercely in order to reach her own orgasm. She eventually came, and gave Star Charmer's mane a last petting. "That was... reasonably well done, cunt", she said, then wordlessly picked up her pants, buttoned up her shirt, and removed herself from the scene, joining the others and leaving Star Charmer alone with the other stag.
He visibly enjoyed himself, groaning loudly as he fucked her, while continuing to drip wax on her sore, worn-out ass.
"Oooh", Star Charmer couldn't help herself but moan. "Sir... may I... come, please", she begged.
The stag gave her ass a hard slap. "Silence, cunt! Mistress Spring Breeze has already given you permission, hasn't she?"
"Mistress...?", Star Charmer asked in a moment of surprise.
The stag gave her another slap. "I said silence!"
Star Charmer gasped, then focused on the sensations of pain and pleasure once more. It didn't take her long to come, and the stag came inside her only seconds later.
"I'll spare you the duty of cleaning me up", he announced as he pulled out, fetching a towel and cleaning himself up. Then he went over to the table, fetched a balm, and returned to her, beginning to peel off the wax. "We don't want this to cause any lasting traces", he announced as he began to rub the cold balm onto the mare's sore, burned butt. It didn't take away the pain, but it still felt gooood. Star Charmer moaned once more. "Mmh... thank you, sir."
Meanwhile, Spring Breeze had taken Eadgil aside.
"Another participant who needs some verbal aftercare, huh?", Eadgil asked. "Or advice? What can I do for you, Spring Breeze?"
Spring Breeze laughed. "Thank you for inviting me over, Ari. This was hell of fun."
Eadgil nodded. "Well, thank you." He smirked. "I think Star Charmer enjoyed it, too."
"I mean, I didn't do much", Spring Breeze continued. "But this... is appealing. Maybe Baldr is interested in... being shared as well."
"If you find a bunch of dominant females", Eadgil said. "Baldr isn't really interested in males."
"I know, he told me. But then again... he didn't even put it in as a limit in our contract. I knew this and reminded him, but... he just shook his head." She smiled. "I kind of like these... mixed groups. And... I did have fantasies of watching two males."
Eadgil nodded. "I see. I do believe that his willingness to submit to you is quite far-reaching. Probably a good bit further than you'd be willing to explore just yet. He also told me sex with other males doesn't disgust him or anything... it just doesn't give him much. He might be willing to do it for you. I know he didn't define any limits, but he does have a Safe Word, so you can be a bit experimental with him. You should take it slow though. Find the right moment to suggest it to him."
Star Charmer smiled. "You give surprisingly good advice given that you hail from a culture that has a rather poor understanding of relationships... to put it mildly."
Eadgil chuckled. "Yeah, I'm slightly surprised myself. Seems like I'm simply a clever guy." He rubbed his chin. "Actually, this is a funny coincidence. Only a few minutes ago, one of the others told me he wanted to try submitting to a female... or more specifically, you."
"Oh", Spring Breeze asked, rubbing her chin. "Ah. The one who addressed me with ma'am, right?" She looked over to Star Charmer. "The one who's currently smearing balm all over Star Charmer's sweet ass."
"Yes, ma'am", Eadgil said, chuckling. "Since you already guessed correctly, yes, he's the one. Don't just approach him right now though. It'll scare the hell out of him. I just told him to take his time, and also to only approach you while Baldr is present. As a matter of fact, it might be better if you approach him, but make sure to talk to Baldr first."
Spring Breeze raised an eyebrow. "Of course. I'm not stupid, you know?"
Eadgil chuckled. "My apologies. Seems like I let your compliments regarding my advice go to my head."
"Not too surprising, caribou", Spring Breeze smirked.
"Are you trying to Dom me?", Eadgil asked, returning the wicked smile.
"I wouldn't dare", Spring Breeze affirmed.
Meanwhile, the stag had finished removing the wax and applying the balm, and was returning to the others. Spring Breeze and Eadgil decided to join them.
"Alright", Eadgil said. "I think we'll have dinner soon, and we still need to clean up the room here before we eat. I'd say we call it a day here, alright?"
"I'm satisfied", one of the stags said. The other stags nodded.
Eadgil looked in Star Charmer's direction. "From the looks of it, she is, too", he said.
"Alright. You guys clean up the mess here, I clean up Star Charmer, alright?", Eadgil asked. The other stags gave him another nod.
"I will go now", Spring Breeze said. "Got a bit to do before dinner myself."
Eadgil nodded, the mare left the room, and the others started cleaning up the messes and picking up the toys.
Eadgil walked over to Star Charmer and gently placed his hand on the mare's cheek.
"Mw... aaaah... Master", Star Charmer mumbled.
"You alright?"
"Yes, Master... this was... wonderful... thank you... so much...", Star Charmer stuttered.
"I'm proud of you", Eadgil said. "With some of the things, I was fairly certain you'd use your Safe Word."
"Not even... close... Master", Star Charmer muttered.
Eadgil smiled. "You do look worn out though."
"I'm... tired as fuck... Master", Star Charmer answered.
Eadgil nodded, then bowed down and unlinked Star Charmer's chain from the table. Then, he went around her and untied her legs. Finally, he picked up a towel and gently cleaned up the remaining mess around her ass and cunt.
"You probably can't walk right now", he observed.
"Not... an inch...", Star Charmer responded.
"Alright", Eadgil chuckled, clumsily picking her up from the table, holding her in his arms.
"This... is so... romantic...", Star Charmer giggled weakly, looking up into her Master's eyes.
"Look at you, you can still joke around", Eadgil chuckled.
"I... mean it... but... Master... you didn't... take me..."
Eadgil nodded. "I didn't. I usually prefer a more private environment."
"Please, Master... carry me... to your room... it's... closer."
Eadgil nodded, carrying the mare to the door of the hall. He turned around one last time. "Well, this was a nice afternoon", he said. "See you all for dinner in an hour or so."
The other stags gave him recognizing nods, and he left the room, carrying the mare in his arms until he reached his room.
He carefully opened the door, which proved a bit difficult with the mare in his arms, but he managed. Carrying her in, he gently put her down on his bed, sitting beside her.
"Master, that was wonderful", Star Charmer repeated once more.
"Coming back to your senses, huh?", Eadgil asked.
Star Charmer giggled. "Somewhat. But we're... not done yet, Master, are we? You haven't had me yet."
"You can really go for another round?", Eadgil asked.
Star Charmer bit her lip. "For you, Master... if it pleases you. If I... may ask one thing, Master. I'm tired, and I want to ask you to... gently... fuck me to sleep, Master."
"You're not joining us for dinner, then?", Eadgil asked. "Or the mares, for that matter."
She shook her head. "Too tired. I just want to ride into sleep on a wave of soft, gentle pleasure now. I... will probably wake up hungry tonight though. You could put something aside for me..." She bit her lip. "If it pleases you, Master."
Eadgil smiled. "I will, Star." He then undid the chains on her hands. "Alright. If we do this, I want to hold you, and I want you to hold me, too."
Star Charmer returned the smile. "Yes, Master." She parted her legs and leaned back. "Please, Master... don't leave your little mare waiting."
Eadgil smiled and pulled off his pants, then moved his body on top of hers.
"You're already hard, Master", Star Charmer observed.
"After the show I just witnessed, how could I not?", Eadgil asked, looking into the mare's eyes.
Star Charmer giggled.
Eadgil replied with a chuckle. "As a matter of fact, it has been a fantasy of mine... gently fucking a mare to sleep after she has been roughed up and worn out by a bunch of others."
"You're an odd one, Master", Star Charmer said softly. "I'm... surprised how well we fit together. You can... start now, Master." She giggled.
Eadgil smiled, slowly entered her, and then gently began to move inside her - careful not to cause her any more discomfort, which wasn't too easy after what she had been through. He paid close attention to her reactions.
"Mmmh... Master...", Star Charmer moaned. "Soo... good... ah..."
Eadgil smiled as he gently let his hand run along her cheek, then sensually down to her neck and even lower to her breasts, caressing them very gently.
"Oooh... mmmh... riding on waves... of pleasure... ", Star Charmer moaned.
Eadgil decided to shut her up by gently pushing his lips onto hers, forcing her into a soft, but still determined kiss. She moaned into his muzzle as his tongue softly, carefully entered hers.
As he gently rode her, Star Charmer felt another orgasm approaching.
"Master... it's a big one... may I... come...?", she mumbled between kisses.
Eadgil smiled. "I'm close, little one", he said gently. "Come with me."
"Yes... Master", Star Charmer replied as she felt the pleasure welling up inside her. She had no idea if she would be able to control herself.
She didn't have to. Eadgil released inside her seconds later, and she finally let go - her entire body welling up in one big, final orgasm. "OooooOOOOOH!", she moaned.
As he pulled out, she sank back into the cushions and almost immediately fell asleep.
Eadgil took out another towel and gently wiped her clean. There was no reason to leave her in his mess.
Then, he cleaned up himself, put on his pants and a shirt, and left for dinner.
When Star Charmer awoke, it was night, and utterly dark outside. Only the soft light of a candle filled the room. She yawned, still tired from the events. She'd probably fall back to sleep soon.
She looked around, blinking. On a chair next to his desk sat Eadgil, Bruna kneeling on a cushion by his side.
"You two... held silent vigil here ever since you returned from dinner", Star Charmer observed.
Eadgil smiled and gave her a small nod.
"Master...", Star Charmer began.
"You're probably hungry", Eadgil said. "We put something aside from dinner for you. It's cold now..." He handed her a plate with a bunch of goodies, enough to fill her stomach twice.
Star Charmer smiled. "That doesn't matter. Thank you so much", she said, digging right in.
"I wanted to thank you again. And all the others too. This was wonderful. I hope we can do this again, Master", she said while she was eating, paying no attention whatsoever to etiquette. She still felt her body aching. "Though... not too soon."
Eadgil chuckled. "Yeah, you'll walk funny for a few days. I think if we did this more often than once every few months or so, we'd have you worn out in no time."
Star Charmer nodded. "Yeah, I know. Still... thank you so much."
Once she was done, she stood up and put the plate on Eadgil's desk.
She yawned. "I would love to stay and sleep in your arms, but... not sure if the bed is big enough for the three of us."
"We could try", Eadgil said. "I don't want you to go."
Bruna giggled. "I also don't. If the bed is too small, I'll just curl up and sleep at my Master's feet."
"You would really do that for me, Bruna?", Star Charmer asked.
The cow smiled at her and nodded. "For you... and Master. But I think you need it more right now."
Eadgil smiled and stood up. Only now did Star Charmer notice that he was already dressed for sleep. She somewhat assumed that he and Bruna already had some fun, maybe with the cow bent over the desk...
She bit her lip. She had heard nothing, and she saw no traces of anything.
"Alright", Eadgil said. "Let's try. I'm sure the bed will carry us. I've lost a bit of weight in the last months."
He sat down on the bed. "Now come here, you two", he smiled.
While he fully got up onto the bed, Bruna rose up and clumsily climbed over him, lying by his side. He put his one arm around her.
"Come here, Star", Eadgil said. "I'm tired and I don't want to wait for you."
Star Charmer smiled, then laid down beside him, snuggling close as he put his other arm around her. They didn't have much space to work with, but somehow, they managed. Snuggling against her Master, Star Charmer quickly drifted back to sleep. |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 14: The Grey Council | The zebras' winter solstice ceremony had been uneventful. It had consisted of a nightly meal that seemed to double as some kind of religious ceremony the creature didn't quite understand, and aside from that, even more meditation and physical exercise, except with more fancy decorations than usual. The creature itself had spent some time meditating as well. There were a few things about its mission that bugged it for some reason, but its mind couldn't make sense of it - and the Monolith remained silent. The creature suspected that it simply wouldn't be able to hear its Master's voice that far outside the Realm - but it wasn't entirely sure. Maybe the Monolith chose to remain silent for some other reason.
As the old priestess had said, she and the creature left the monastery the day after the celebration. They traveled north by hoof and paw, and the journey through Zebrica stretched for days, and then weeks. They crossed large steppes and lush savannahs and followed rivers, coming by towns and cities and often spending the nights there. The zebras seemed to revere the priestess in some way, willingly offering them shelter and food. As the priestess had told the creature, it kept the fact that it was a servant of the Monolith a secret as well as it could. It was fairly certain at least some of the zebras had a clue, but the very fact of the presence of the priestess seemed to ease their minds. Many of the towns and cities they came by had train stations, and they often followed the train tracks from town to town. The creature knew what a train was, of course. Trains were used in its former home country as well, and though it had no memory of ever having been in one, it assumed that it had been. It often wondered why the priestess didn't bother to take a train, and instead decided to go on this journey by foot. The Monolith had not given it any money, so it couldn't have taken the trains by itself, but it was certain that the priestess could have. Going by hoof seemed to be a religious matter to her - as though she was on some kind of pilgrimage. The creature didn't ask, it was not in a hurry - the Monolith had not ordered it to be quick, or to fulfill the task in a limited amount of time.
They eventually arrived in a large city some time in late January, and the priestess informed the creature that this was the city of Indaba, the informal capital of Zebrica. The city was large and brimming with zebras, as well as a few ponies, saddle-arabian horses, and even a few diamond dogs here and there - most of them in clothing that suggested that they were from Dimondia. The creature assumed that the less civilized underground Diamond Dog societies probably didn't have too much business with the zebras. The creature spotted an unusual amount of female zebras in robes very similar to that of the priestess, enjoying similar levels of reverence from the rest of the zebra population. Many of them seemed to have arrived shortly.
"The Assembly will meet tomorrow", the priestess informed it. "And that will be where our ways part. I will stay in the city for weeks, and I think you need to continue your journey. Would you agree to leaving and traveling on in the morning?"
The creature knew a few things about Zebra society from the Monolith and the other servants, and it had been able to deduce a few more things during its travels. It knew that the Assembly of the High Priestesses was the official governmental body of Zebrica, often convening for weeks. The Grey Council was more mysterious, having no official function in zebra society, and its members remained anonymous, convening in secret - though from what the creature knew, it did send out letters with pretty much binding recommendations to officials, and also to the Assembly. From what the creature had gathered, most zebras believed that the Council had nine members, all of them high priestesses, and thus also members of the Assembly. The number Nine altogether seemed to have high importance in zebra culture and religion, which the creature knew was some kind of combination of astral worship and numerological mysticism. The creature also assumed that the secrecy was a direct result of Zebrica's proximity to the Realm, since it seemed to make the Monolith's usual meddling strategies more difficult.
The creature nodded. "That is agreeable."
"Good", the priestess said as they arrived at a hotel, entering it. "As usual, I will make sure that you get a room for yourself for the night. You should go to bed early... maybe also take an afternoon sleep. Or meditation, if that can serve the same purpose for you."
"May this one ask why?", the creature asked.
The priestess smiled mysteriously. "You may ask, sure", she snickered.
The creature left it at that, immediately withdrawing to its room as soon as they had checked in. It tried to meditate, assuming a kneeling position, relaxing and waiting for the Monolith's voice to speak to it. It held this position for hours, waiting and listening.
The Monolith remained silent.
Eventually, the creature abandoned its position and tried to sleep, following the priestess' suggestion. Afternoon passed by it without it being able to find sleep, but in the evening, its mind essentially sank into a light sleep.
It was already awake again when it heard a knock at the door in the middle of the night. It already knew who was knocking. The priestess had the room next to its own. Those who wished to survive in the Realm of the Monolith didn't fall into deep sleeps, and they always retained some level of semi-conscious awareness while sleeping. The creature had noticed the priestess waking up, and its mind had pulled it out of its sleep instinctively.
"That one may enter", the creature said, sitting up in its bed. "This one did not lock the door."
The priestess opened the door and stepped in. "You're not asleep?", she asked.
"This one was sleeping until that one awoke", the creature responded.
The priestess smiled. "Well, sorry for waking you up. I'm heading out to meet some of my... colleagues", she said. "I figured you would probably notice me heading out, maybe even wait for it, and then follow me again... but I actually want to invite you to come along anyway. My associates will be interested to hear what you told me, and while I could tell them myself, I see no reason why you shouldn't tell them."
"As that one wishes", the creature said, standing up.
The two of them headed out, the priestess giving the night concierge a nod on their way out, receiving one in return. They walked through the city, and eventually left it through the main gate. Continuing to walk for about half an hour longer, they eventually reached a small grove, with a weird assortment of obelisks placed in a circle.
The priestess pulled the hood of her robe over her face, then took out an odd, ornamented, grey wooden mask and placed it on her face. "Pull up the hood of your robe and stay behind me", she ordered the creature, who did as it was told.
"That one is Grey Council", it stated matter-of-factly. The priestess responded with a nod.
She stepped into the circle, the creature remaining behind her, staying behind one of the stones, which was covered in depictions of odd star signs and constellations.
Not much later, eight other figures entered the circle from different directions, all of them apparently females, and wearing the same kinds of robes and grey, wooden masks.
Once the others had arrived, the priestess began to chant.
"Here I stand, forever Grey,
Between the Earth and Stars I stay."
The others responded.
"We are all forever Grey,
Between the Light and Dark we stay."
Once again, the rhyming made the creature shudder - this time even more than it ever had.
"I apologize if I do not proceed in rhymes, as it is our tradition", the priestess continued, resulting in a few small gasps from the others. "I have brought a guest who has important information for us, and he... isn't really fond of our rhyming."
"A bit unorthodox", one of the others said. "But okay... we've had guests before, and if he doesn't like rhyming, I will abstain from it for now. I take it he isn't a zebra?"
"He is not", the priestess confirmed. Then, she turned around, waving at the creature, beckoning it to come forward. "You can come out now", she said. "Do not be afraid. We want to cause you harm just as little as you want to cause us harm."
That is still to be determined, the creature thought, stepping out, but keeping its hood pulled over its head, covering the symbol of the Monolith on its forehead.
"Oh, he's a Mimiga", the other priestess said. "What brings you all the way up here from the Re..." She stopped for a moment, looking at the creature. "Wait." Her gaze shifted to the priestess the creature had travelled with, and it seemed like some puzzle pieces were coming together in her mind.
"Oh no. Please don't tell me you brought a servant of the Monolith into our midst."
Seeing its secret revealed, the creature pulled down the hood of its robe, revealing its face and the symbol on its forehead, while at the same time preparing for a quick escape, which it assumed would be far easier than fighting nine priestesses who had probably undergone a training similar to the one it had seen in the monastery.
"Are you insane?" one of the others yelled at 'its' priestess.
"Calm down, sister", she responded. "He has assured me that he means no harm to us or any other zebra. The Monolith isn't interested in us this time."
"How do you know he isn't lying?", the one who had yelled asked.
"Servants of the Monolith do not lie", the creature said.
"You lie by omission", the one who had spoken second observed correctly.
"That may be so", 'its' priestess responded. "But I asked him directly if he intended to harm me or any other zebra, and he denied. As a matter of fact, I know his mission, and it doesn't even involve us - although it does concern us."
"A servant of the Monolith disclosed his mission to you?", one of the others asked skeptically.
"Not quite", the priestess responded. "We agreed to a mutually beneficial exchange of information, and I pieced together his mission from what he had told me. I then asked him directly, and he confirmed it."
The one who had asked shrugged. "Fair enough. What information did you give him?"
"The Monolith sent him on a mission to Equestria, and he asked for information about the country's current state, the political events surrounding this invasion, and the new regime. In exchange, he gave me one tiny little detail that was still missing from my deduction of his mission."
"So the Monolith is interested in the political ongoings in Equestria...", one of the others said. "How unexpected. It hasn't gotten involved in Equestrian matters for centuries."
The priestess nodded. "Yes, and the Monolith's interests seem to line up with ours... somewhat."
"Oh?", the other one asked. "What is this one's mission?"
The priestess glanced at the creature, giving it a friendly smile. "You see? No one here wants to harm you. Tell them what you told me."
"That was not part of this one's agreement with that one", the creature observed.
The priestess shrugged. "Neither was me staying silent. I just think it would help if you told them yourself."
"That is fair", the creature said, stepping forward. "That one has correctly deduced that this one's mission is to kill the mad king in the north and his council, and to find a prophet of the same species as the king, protect that one, and follow its orders."
"So the Monolith wants the caribou king gone...", one of the priestesses concluded. "And it wants to replace him with another caribou, it would seem."
"This one does not know. It only knows that it was told to protect and serve one of those... caribou. It knows nothing past that. The Monolith does not inform its servants about its plans. Understanding is not required. Only obedience."
"Sounds rather ineffective to me", one of the priestesses with a comparatively young voice remarked.
The priestess it had come with laughed. "Oh please. As if we didn't proceed in the same way."
The other one shrugged. "Fair enough... I guess."
"Hm...", one of the others said thoughtfully. "How are you supposed to find that... prophet?"
"It has a mark on its left hand. A symbolic depiction. A snake, coiling around a broken hand mirror."
The priestesses exchanged glances. A few of them chuckled.
"That's new", 'its' priestess admitted. "I hadn't thought about asking that particular question", she added in a voice that sounded amused. "Interesting. Quite interesting."
"May this one ask a question?", the creature asked.
"Go ahead", the priestess responded.
"This one has seen the training exercises in the monastery", the creature said. "Including the... weird one with the zebra males."
The priestesses exchanged glances once more.
"This one has deduced that these ones are preparing to infiltrate the country in the north... Equestria. May this one ask for what aim?"
The priestess sighed. "As you may have deduced by now, we think that the new king might attempt a land grab in Zebrica sooner or later - in part out of material interest, in part because from what we were able to gather, his ideology compels him to. According to our information, his forces are currently caught up in an attempt to subdue the buffaloes. Of course, relations between the buffaloes and the ponies were always difficult... but the previous rulers didn't attempt to outright subdue them. This aggressive expansion is relatively new and began with him coming to power - and let's not forget that he conquered Equestria in a somewhat similar, although seemingly more messy, manner. We think he won't stop with the buffaloes either."
"How are agents going to help these ones stop that?", the creature asked. "Are these ones planning an assassination attempt as well?"
The priestess shook her head. "Not for now. The agents are trained for the time after the conflict."
"These ones expect to lose?", the creature asked.
"Not really", the priestess responded, shaking her head. "Most of Equestria's magical superweapons have become unavailable to them as a result of their own conquest, and without them, our countries are about evenly matched. As a matter of fact, we expect to surrender, though not unconditionally. We will not compromise our national sovereignty, but we're also not willing to let our country be devastated by an ongoing war that could last years. We're going to give them a good fight, then negotiate a surrender." She paused for a moment. "As a matter of fact, we're confident that we will be capable to negotiate a surrender that gives us an easy way to get our female agents in place. As you know, the problem right now are male agents. We need males capable of surviving in this kind of environment and coordinating communication between us and our agents."
One of the priestesses quickly raised her arms and let them sink again. "So he knows about that as well", she groaned in a frustrated voice.
"What could he do with that information?", the priestess asked.
"He also knows your identity", the other one complained.
"Once again, what could he do with that? Tell the Monolith? I'm old, the oldest of us, and we already have a replacement for me. Chances are I won't even be alive any more once he returns from his mission - and we know he can't return before that. Disclose my identity to the public? Why would he?"
"This one has no intention to do either of these things", the creature said, once more preparing for a quick escape. "But it will if the Monolith commands it. This one has not heard the Monolith's voice since leaving the Realm though." Or if the prophet commands it, the creature added in its mind, but saw no need to say it out loud. The priestesses already had enough information to come to that conclusion by themselves, and if they didn't, it wasn't the creature's problem.
The priestesses once again exchanged glances.
"Calm down", 'its' priestess said. "I really don't think he means us any harm. As a matter of fact, I think it will be beneficial to already have someone in Equestria who is sympathetic to us. For starters, if he finds this prophet and he's more reasonable than the current king, he could help us establish contact with him." She once again glanced down to the smaller creature, giving him a friendly smile. "Would you be willing to do that?", she asked.
The creature saw no reason not to. "Yes", it responded. "Particularly if the prophet commands it... but if this one thinks it could be beneficial, it will even suggest it. This one has gained much from the association with that one... both information and hospitality. It sees no reason not to support that one's cause in return, as long as it does not interfere with its orders."
"I'm glad to hear that", the old priestess said, smiling.
"I can't believe it", one of the others said. "That I would live to see the day where we establish friendly relations with the servants of the Monolith. I have to give you credit. You've already accomplished more than any of us... but even at your old age, you continue to surprise everyone."
"You give me too much credit", the old priestess responded. "Which actually brings me to my report. First of all, the training of our agents has proceeded as planned. I am confident that they will fulfill the role they have to play. Remember that we used them in a similar way in Saddle-Arabia half a century ago... and while the situation there wasn't that insane, I think the results still speak for themselves."
The other priestesses nodded in agreement.
"Unfortunately, we were less lucky with our recruitment program for male agents", the old priestess continued. "We haven't found even a single suitor. It seems our males are simply less capable of handling psychological stress than we are... or maybe what we demand of them is too far out of their cultural comfort zone. Remember that the requirements for them will be vastly different than what we require of our female agents. They just have to endure psychological and physical violation, and they are trained for that... but our male agents would have to endure..." She stopped herself mid-sentence.
"...spiritual impurity", one of the others finished.
The old priestess nodded. "Yes. I think that's even more reason to have a friend on the inside." She gave the creature another glance. "Maybe our friend here will be able to find males on the inside who can play this part."
"That is... an interesting idea", one of the others said. "Maybe we should try looking for potential allies from inside Equestria by ourselves as well."
The old priestess nodded. "A good suggestion. I think we can discuss this tomorrow night. I think we should adjourn the meeting. The Assembly will only assess the situation tomorrow. They don't expect word from us yet, and we still have a lot of time." The other priestesses nodded.
"Very well." The old priestess then raised her arms. "I declare this meeting closed. Have a good night, sisters." The others nodded once more, then left in different directions.
Once they had all left, the priestess beckoned the creature to follow her, then took off the mask and they both returned to the city together.
Back in its hotel room, the creature fell onto its bed and fell asleep until the next morning.
Once the creature had woken up, it got out of bed and packed its stuff. Then it left its room and went through the hallway towards the exit.
About half the way, it stopped. Then it walked back and knocked at the priestess' door.
"Please come in", a voice came from the other side of the door.
The creature opened the door and stepped in. The priestess was already sitting in a comfy chair, apparently reading through a bunch of papers.
"This one did not wake that one", the creature stated matter-of-factly.
"You didn't", the priestess confirmed. "I'm getting ready for the Assembly meeting. I only have an hour or so left."
The creature nodded. "This one is about to leave", it said.
"What do you plan to do from here on?", the priestess said.
"This one will travel north, kill the mad king and his council, find the prophet, serve and protect it", the creature summed up. "This one..." It stopped mid-sentence.
The priestess chuckled. "No, I mean how do you plan to travel?"
"By foot", the creature said.
"You could take the train as far north as currently possible", the priestess said. "All direct lines to Equestria are currently canceled by orders of the Grey Council, but if you leave the train near the Equestrian border, then walk a mile north and take a different train from there, you could easily get as far north as Appleloosa. From there on out, it will get a bit more complicated though. According to our information, the Equestrian government is apparently currently... refitting most of their trains. Would that help you?"
The creature nodded. "These ones lost quite a bit of time not taking the train on the way to this place, but this one never expected to get to the north quickly. It would appreciate to be able to though."
The priestess stood up and walked over to a small desk. "You will need money though", she said, opening a drawer and pulling out a bag of unknown content.
She then threw the bag into the creature's direction, who caught it with ease. "I think this should cover your journey, including train tickets, food, and a place to stay during the nights", the priestess said.
The creature nodded. "This one is thankful."
"I have to say, it was interesting to travel with you", the priestess admitted. "I didn't expect to travel with a Monolither in my lifetime."
"This one did not expect to travel with a Grey Council member", the creature replied. "It was an agreeable experience though."
The priestess chuckled. "Maybe our countries will be on better terms in the future."
"The Realm is not a country", the creature said.
The priestess smiled. "You know what I mean."
The creature nodded. "If the Monolith wills it... maybe", it said.
"Goodbye", the priestess said. "I hope to hear from you once you've found that prophet."
"This one will inform the Council if an opportunity presents itself."
The priestess winked. "You know where to find us. At least one of us will always be there."
"This one will take its leave now", the creature said, nodding a goodbye.
The priestess smiled. "You people aren't overly emotional, are you?"
"These ones are not", the creature said matter-of-factly.
The priestess smiled. "Very well. I wish you well, and hope to see you again. Goodbye", she repeated once more.
Then the creature turned around and left the building, heading directly towards Indaba's large train station. |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 15: An Encounter in the Woods | One morning in late January, Eadgil was having his daily walk through Everfree forest. This time, he had decided to take a different path than usual, leading him a bit further westwards, away from the ruins. He had time to spend, and it was a good day to take a longer stroll. He was surprised how mild the weather was given this time of the year. He wasn't sure if this was a particularly mild year, or if the climate in Equestria was altogether milder than in their old homeland. Last year's winter had been colder, but that was before the Canterlot takeover, and his people had been quite a bit further up north in Equestria at that time.
His pondering was interrupted when he heard a rough, male voice in a bit of a distance.
"Faster, kunt!", the voice commanded.
Eadgil deduced from the accent that it probably didn't belong to a stallion, but to one of 'his' people. He was surprised for a moment. He wasn't aware that there were other caribou in Everfree forest, law enforcement was mostly left to the local Magistrates, so this probably also wasn't a regular patrol - since otherwise it would have been one of his own stags, and this one definitely wasn't - and it likely also wasn't some kind of military operation, because if it was, they would have been a lot more noisy and probably wouldn't have brought females along - although one could never know.
Since it seemed to be only two or three individuals, Eadgil approached to investigate, seeing no reason to change pace, and instead just continued his normal strolling pace.
Not even a minute after starting to head in the direction of the voice, Eadgil discovered that it indeed belonged to a caribou - only a single one, and dressed in regular clothing, not any military garb. He did carry a cane, but no shock rod either. He was dragging along a red-collared female who was crawling behind him on all fours - a pony from the looks of it, but with an unusual coat, striped in black and white. A zebra, Eadgil suspected, though he had never seen one before. He immediately wondered how one of his people had gotten hold of a zebra female. Zebrica was still an independent country, far south of here. Maybe this zebra had already lived in Equestria before the takeover?
He approached them slowly, revealing himself to the other's sight, and raised his right hand, revealing his palm, to greet his fellow stag.
"Hello, friend", he greeted.
The other stag looked at him in surprise for a moment, then greeted back. "Hello... friend", he replied. "I didn't expect to see another caribou in this goddamn forest? Are you from Ponyville? I thought the cursed bastard and the mute cripple were the only ones there."
Eadgil shook his head. "No, I live here in Everfree. As a matter of fact, I was made the officially appointed Magistrate of the forest and its territory a few months ago."
"Oh?", the other stag said. "Then... that means I fall under your jurisdiction", he concluded only a second ago, pressing his fist to his chest and casting down his eyes. "My apologies, Magistrate. I thought I was still within Gunne's jurisdiction. It seems like no one bothered to inform me." He sighed. "As usual... oh, how impolite of me. My name is Hirthir."
Eadgil smiled. "I'm Eadgil... though you can call me Ari. Everyone does. As for the other thing, well... I somewhat suspect Councilman Vestri only gave me this position to limit Gunne's sphere of influence - which makes sense when you think about it. Ponyville is vastly understaffed for the task of preventing rebels from creating hideouts here."
"Ari, eh?", the other stag asked. "Fair enough. So you're stranded here as well, I assume?"
Eadgil shook his head, laughing a little. "Oh no, I specifically asked for this position. I'm trying to build a new settlement here in Everfree. I was just pondering why Councilman Vestri gave me the position so willingly."
The other stag raised an eyebrow. "So you're staying in this forest voluntarily?"
"You aren't?", Eadgil inquired.
"Of course not", the other stag responded. "When we took Ponyville, it was decided for some reason that this zebra cunt was to be made public property, and then they just appointed me as her handler and gave me that primitive hut she somehow cobbled together... told me my job was to make sure she knows her place, take her to Ponyville for some kind of pony festivity once every autumn, and make sure no funny business was going on in Everfree." I had hoped to carve out a spot for myself in the course of the conquest, but that wasn't what I had in mind."
"Why don't you apply for a different job?", Eadgil asked.
Hirthir sighed. "I did. Several times. Never even got a response."
Eadgil raised an eyebrow. "Any reason why they would be ignoring you?", he asked.
Hirthir shrugged. "No clue. I came from a family with no wealth or influence to speak of. They probably just didn't see me as important. I guess some things never change."
Eadgil nodded. "That's probably true. Why don't you go freelance, then? Just quit your job altogether and build up something on your own somewhere."
Hirthir shrugged once more. "I'm not a business-stag. I also have no seed capital to start over. My salary is just enough to support myself and this useless zebra cunt. My one shot was to get a better position with a state-funded house big enough to be at least livable... maybe with a salary just big enough to get one or two cows to continue my lineage. I really didn't ask for much... but seems like it isn't going to happen. Now I'm stuck in this forsaken forest with nothing but this zebra cunt that isn't even my own."
"I'm... sorry to hear that", Eadgil said. "Maybe I could get you a better deal the next time I speak with Councilman Vestri. I can't promise anything, of course..."
"Couldn't you give me a position in your new settlement?", Hirthir asked.
"I could, but... I think that wouldn't improve your position too much. We can't pay much either, and right now we're still living in what is essentially a ruin. We're restoring it, of course... but I also only recruited a very specific kind of stags. This settlement is a project of mine that requires total dedication. We're restoring the ruined castle, and then we will build a town around it. It's a lot of work and not well paid. We're doing it because we're dedicated to the idea of our community, not because we want to carve out a cozy little spot for ourselves."
Hirthir raised an eyebrow. "Are you people religious?", he asked.
Eadgil chuckled. "Not overly", he replied, smirking.
"Oh, good", Hirthir replied. "A stag should forge his own destiny, not make it dependent on the whims of some kind of being higher than himself. We're the superior gender after all. The idea of a being higher than us is pretty ridiculous if you ask me."
"I couldn't agree more", Eadgil chuckled.
"I'm just glad you're not some weird cult leader that constantly talks to himself, believing to talk to some kind of deity", Hirthir continued his rant. "Like that odd Heiðrdaga fellow who tried to convince stags to join his weird cult back in the old homeland..."
"Oh no", Eadgil affirmed, shaking his head. "I assure you, I never spoke to any kind of deity."
"Well, good to hear you're not some kind of madman", Hirthir said. "May I invite you over for lunch?" He smiled. "I can't pass the opportunity of having a Magistrate for lunch after all."
Eadgil smiled back. "Sure, lead the way."
The other stag nodded, then turned around and began to head back the way he had come, roughly pulling the leash of his zebra mare. "Come, cunt!", he ordered. "Hurry up, or do you want to feel the cane again!?" Without a single sound, the zebra turned around and followed him as quickly as she could.
Eadgil shrugged, then followed along as well.
"This zebra has a red collar, but don't let that deceive you", Hirthir said. "She needs a harsh hand to remind her of her place, or else she'll fall back into old habits."
Eadgil nodded. "Of course", he said, and they continued on their way.
After a bit of walk, they arrived at a small hut carved into a hollow, old tree.
"Welcome to my place", Hirthir sighed. "As you can clearly see, it's nothing special." He pulled the zebra's leash. "What do you expect from something cobbled together by a female."
Eadgil nodded. "Are you sure you can't find anything better? There must be some unoccupied houses in Ponyville who used to belong to females." He smirked. "You could ask Magistrate Gunne if he'd let you move there with your zebra."
Hirthir spat out. "I'd rather live in a hole in the ground before I ask that cursed bastard for anything."
Eadgil almost felt pity for the other stag. For a moment, he almost wished Hirthir had been a suitable candidate for Freeville. At the moment however, it seemed pretty clear that he was not. Eadgil would have to talk with him a bit more to find out whether the other stag was merely putting up a facade for him, merely hiding his potential, or whether he really was just one more stag with the same mindset as most of the others. He didn't have much hope though.
Hirthir opened the door, made an inviting gesture, and Eadgil entered the hut. The other stag followed right behind him, dragging the zebra along. "This is my living room", he sighed. "And also my kitchen. And my bedroom. As you can see, I clearly don't have much space here. Feel free to sit down though." Eadgil began to wonder if that was Hirthir's way to beg for being invited to the castle. Of course, Eadgil couldn't do that without giving the others a heads-up first. He sat down on one of the chairs.
Hirthir dragged the zebra female over to where Eadgil was sitting, and the zebra knelt before him, then lowered her face to the ground and raised her ass, assuming position.
"I apologize", Hirthir said. "I just noticed we're lacking firewood. I need to get out and chop some wood for a fire, so the cunt can cook us a good lunch. It shouldn't take more than half an hour. Feel free to entertain yourself with her while I'm gone."
He raised his crop and gave the zebra a good swat to the right ass cheek. "You better make sure to impress our guest! You know what happens if you disappoint me!" He then turned to Eadgil. "Feel free to punish her as you see fit if she acts out." Eadgil gave Hirthir a nod. The other stag then placed his crop on the table and disappeared through the front door.
Once Hirthir had left the building, the zebra lifted her upper body again, simply kneeling in front of Eadgil - not overly eager to present her body to him. She cast a glance out of the window, and Eadgil's gaze followed hers. They both saw Hirthir walking away from the cottage - almost certainly already out of immediate hearing distance.
"I am quite glad that he just left", she began.
"For a chat, this does provide a cleft.
I know that in your castle, mares are free.
But do not fret, your secret's safe with me."
A cold shiver ran down Eadgil's spine as he heard the zebra's rhymes. Something deep within him screamed in pure horror His whole body went into a state of panic. He just wanted to run and not look back. Oddly enough, he felt that it wasn't because of what she had said - although that was shocking enough - but because of the way she had said it.
It took him a few moments to pull himself together.
"Could you... please... stop rhyming?", he asked, wiping away the sweat from his brow.
The zebra looked at him for a moment. "I apologize", she then said. "Because you freed your mares, I thought you wouldn't be affected by..."
"By what?", Eadgil asked.
"Our rhyming", the zebra finished.
Eadgil just stared at her.
"Its... I... I am sorry", the zebra said. "I think I have not introduced myself yet. My name is Zecora."
Eadgil nodded. "Glad to meet you, Zecora." He forced a smile. "You can call me Ari."
Zecora returned the nod. "You're probably worried that I might tell on you... because of the red collar."
The stag shook his head. "Not necessarily. We had red collar mares as well, and they're not telling on us either. We probably have to be careful whenever new mares join the community, but most red collar mares seem to be faking. You already know of us, so if you wanted to tell on us, you could have done so already. There is the possibility of blackmail, of course... but with Hirthir on your toes? Not impossible, but rather unlikely."
The zebra nodded. "So you did catch that despite the effects of my rhyming", she observed, gaining another nod from Eadgil.
"So... what do you know about my project, and how do you know it?", the stag inquired.
The zebra smiled mysteriously. "Let us just say I know the forest very well by now. I have ways of learning about things that go on in it. Just imagine my surprise when I discovered a bunch of caribou coming to the castle and uncollaring and clothing a bunch of mares..."
A cold shiver went down Eadgil's spine. "That's... worrying", he admitted. "It means someone can spy on us without us noticing. We'll have to do something about that."
"I do not think anyone else has spied on you", Zecora said calmingly.
"Why do you think that?", Eadgil asked.
"I would probably have noticed... or you would have noticed. One mare who knows the forest very well spying on your castle successfully two or three times? That is believable. Two spies considerably raise the chances of at least one of them being discovered - constant observation, even more so. Also, if your people suspected you, they would probably already have investigated you, and then you would not be here. As a matter of fact, they seem to be ignoring Everfree completely."
"Fair enough", Eadgil confirmed. "Why didn't you reveal yourself and join us?"
Zecora sighed. "For the same reason. Do not think I did not want to. Hirthir would have searched for me though, and that might have led him to discover what you're up to. Even if he had not, the stallions of Ponyville would eventually have searched for me."
Eadgil raised an eyebrow. "Of course... that raises an interesting question. Why are you state property? I assume it has something to do with the stallions in Ponyville?"
Zecora nodded. "It does. They all agreed that they wanted me to stay around and narrate a spiced up version of Nightmare Moon's story again on Nightmare Night... but each of them wanted to have me for himself for the rest of the year. They could not agree on who should own me, so eventually, Vestri or whatever his name was got fed up with them, just declared me state property, and then appointed a random caribou soldier as my handler. And well... here we are." She gave him a forced smile.
Eadgil nodded. "He probably didn't want to give you to Magistrate Gunne either, given that stag's birth stigma. I'm a bit surprised that he didn't mention Hirthir and you when he gave me the castle though. So... what can you tell me about Hirthir? It seems to me like he's looking for his place in the world..."
The mare shook her head. "Before you ask, I do not think you will be able to recruit him. He does evoke pity in me as well, oddly enough - despite of what he does to me", she answered. "But that is precisely the point, is it not?"
Once again, Eadgil gave the mare a nod. "Dead to rights. Too bad for him, I guess."
Zecora smiled weakly.
"It also means that I need to get him out of Everfree forest", Eadgil continued. "I can't promise anything, of course, but I will try to get myself appointed as your handler, so you could join our little conspiracy. We're close enough to Ponyville so you can still do the Nightmare Night narration, provided the regime is still around next year."
Zecora smirked. "So you are going to do something about that as well?"
"That's the plan, yes", Eadgil responded. "I'm prepared for a more long-term strategy, but if we can find ways to disrupt the mind-control magic, that might hasten the process." He sighed. "Then again, even without us, this regime isn't exactly stable, is it?"
"I am not sure. I do not get out of this hut too often", Zecora replied. "I assume it is not... wait, what did you just say about mind control? Is that why the stallions have joined your king?"
Eadgil gave her a nod in reply. "Yes, our king has altered an artifact from the Crystal Empire for his own purposes. Many of us don't even know about that. I only learned about it by accident myself."
"You might try to tell that to Hirthir...", Zecora pondered. "It might convince him to... no, that would not work. He would likely not believe you unless you can present evidence. He is fed up with how he is treated, but he is loyal to the king. On top of that, even if he were to be convinced to oppose Dainn, that does not mean he would condone what you are doing."
The stag sighed, nodding. "Yeah, I figured."
"There is another way in which I might be able to help you", Zecora said. "I have a good understanding of zebra magic and medicine. If you can get yourself appointed as my handler, I might be able to help your mares regrow their horns and wings."
"Oh?", Eadgil asked. "Well, that's good to hear. I will bring these news to the mares. Of course, it will make it more difficult to keep up our masquerade - but they should at least know, so they have a chance to decide for themselves on the best course of action."
Zecora gave him a nod. "I think he will be back soon", she said, pausing for a long moment.
"There is... something else I wish to tell you", she eventually said. "It's about... my rhyming." She hesitated, apparently searching for words.
"What about it?", Eadgil asked.
Zecora crawled a bit closer, then took the stag's hand into hers. "I know you are a good stag. But... you have a darkness inside of you. You will have to confront it eventually, or else it will consume you."
Eadgil raised an eyebrow. "That's not at all ominous. It almost sounds like a prophecy in a bad pony fairytale novel or something."
Zecora crawled over to the table. "I cannot tell you much more. My abilities as a healer of the soul do not go that far - and Hirthir will be back soon. There is one thing left to do..."
Without warning, the zebra forcefully smashed her own head against the table. "Ouch!", she yelped. "That should do the trick."
"What are you doing?", Eadgil asked.
Zecora already crawled back over to him, now showing a growing bruise on her forehead. She stretched out her right arm, then pointed at a certain point on her upper arm with the index finger of her left hand. "Hit me there. That will certainly cause a black spot."
Eadgil looked at her. "Oh. I see. Yeah, fair enough." He grabbed her right wrist with his right hand.
Zecora gave him an encouraging nod. "We have two options here. We can either make it look like you used me... or make it look like you gave me a good beating for not being pleasing to you. I am not fond of either, of course, but it is necessary."
Eadgil sighed, then made a fist with his left hand and punched it into Zecora's upper arm. As she had said, a black spot immediately formed in the spot where he had hit her.
"So... where else do you want me to hit you?", Eadgil smirked.
Only a second later, he realized what he had just done. "Uh... sorry. I really shouldn't be enjoying this. I apologize."
"At least you are asking me for what I want", Zecora responded, smiling a bit despite being visibly in pain. "Do not worry, I still have a few potions hidden away from Hirthir's view that will at least ease the pain. Mmmh, let's see... give me a hard slap to the face."
"Are you serious?", Eadgil asked. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded. "Well, it's not worse than what you did to your own head."
Without further warning, he gave the mare a hard slap to her left cheek, enough to visibly redden it.
Still on her knees, Zecora staggered backwards a bit. "You are good at this", the mare said. "And you are enjoying yourself."
"Once again... I apologize. I really shouldn't...", Eadgil stammered.
"It is not your fault", the mare responded. "But you need to make sure you do not get carried away." Zecora then pointed to the riding crop on the table. "Do you think you can give me a few stripes with that crop and still maintain control?"
"Is this a test?", Eadgil asked.
Zecora smirked. "A test to see if you have what it takes to keep your project a secret. Do you think I am enjoying this? Get on with it before I change my mind."
Eadgil stood up and walked over to the table, picking up the crop. He walked a few steps towards the mare, then hesitated.
Zecora kneeled in front of him, spreading her legs and stretching her neck, extending her breasts towards him. "Give these ones a few nice new stripes!", she ordered.
Eadgil was beginning to wonder if she was doing this just to mess with him. Turning off his brain, he began to give the mare's breasts hard swats with the crop. He was surprised to see her not even flinch.
While he was still cropping the mare, the door opened and Hirthir returned with an armful of firewood. "Did the cunt not please you?", he asked. "That zebra bitch didn't rhyme again, did she? If she rhymed again, I'm going to kick the damn shit out of her! I can't stand that damn rhyming. It makes me feel..."
"Anxious?", Eadgil asked.
"Yeah", Hirthir answered. "So she did rhyme again?"
"Nah", Eadgil responded, shaking his head. "She just made a face when I told her to come over and suck me off. I gave her a punch to the forehead and then a good slap to the face... and then I thought it was time for some punishment."
Hirthir raised an eyebrow for a second. "Hm... alright. Stupid cunt is getting what's coming to her. You want to go on?"
Eadgil put the crop back onto the table. "Nah, I think I'm good. The cunt has learned her lesson, and she still needs to cook for us. My stomach feels like a hole by now."
"She also still needs to suck you off", Hirthir reminded him.
"Nah, I'm not in the mood anymore", Eadgil replied. "I can't stand rebellious cunts. I'm just gonna grab a cow and take her for a few rounds once I'm back home."
Hirthir nodded. "Fair enough." Then he turned to the zebra. "And you, cunt... stop hesitating! Make a fire, set up the cauldron, and make us a good mushroom and vegetable stew! If we aren't eating in half an hour, you will regret it!"
Zecora sighed, weakly rose to her feet, then walked to another corner of her house, fetching a cauldron.
The fire was burning only minutes later, and the two stags engaged in meaningless chat while Zecora wordlessly tended to the stew. Once lunch was finished, she knelt down on the floor beside her handler. They continued their chat while they were eating, and Eadgil asked a lot about what Hirthir had hoped for in this new land, whether he would prefer a house in Canterlot or in Ponyville, and other similar questions. A plan was beginning to form in his mind. Hirthir was defensive at first, making it clear that he had pretty much given up hope to leave here any time soon - but the other stag eventually talked him into revealing a bit more.
After lunch, Eadgil thanked his host for the meal, then politely excused himself, exited his host's hut, and headed back towards the castle.
Once his guest had left, Hirthir looked down on the mare beside him.
"So you disappointed a honored guest under my own roof, hm?", he asked.
Not waiting for a response, he took the cup of his still semi-hot stew and emptied it over Zecora's head. "Here's your lunch, cunt!", he spat out. "Make sure you eat it all up. If I have to clean you or the floor today, you will regret it."
Zecora sighed.
As Eadgil returned to the castle, he was greeted by Baldr.
"Ah, there you are", his friend greeted him. "We've been waiting for you. Spring Breeze has called for an extraordinary community meeting."
Eadgil nodded. "I was about to do the same. May I ask why?"
"We've received another message from Vestri", Baldr informed him. "The first stallion is going to arrive here in the course of this week. We need to make preparations for our masquerade."
Eadgil nodded, immediately beginning to move in the direction of the great hall, his friend following him. "Alright, let's not let the others wait. As I said, I have something to discuss as well. We may have another problem... and another opportunity. These seem to go hand in hand these days. There is another stag living in Everfree that I was not informed about."
"Hm", Baldr asked. "Does Vestri even know about him?"
The other stag nodded. "Definitely. As a matter of fact, he's here because of Vestri. He's the appointed handler of a state-owned zebra mare. I had a few minutes to talk to her while her handler had to take care of something else. According to that mare's account, she has some cultural significance for the ponies in Ponyville... something about her traditionally narrating an old ponies' tale once a year. The stallions couldn't agree on who would get to own her, so Vestri just made her state property, appointed one of his men as her handler, and then gave him her hut here in the woods. In his mind, it was probably so insignificant that he didn't even remember it when he gave me the castle."
"Is she a black collar?", Baldr asked.
"No, red", Eadgil answered. "Not that it means anything when it comes to mares. I'm pretty sure she's on her side - unlike her handler, by the way."
"What makes you think that?", his friend inquired.
"She knows about what we're doing here", Eadgil responded. "And she hasn't told Hirthir - that's the name of her handler, by the way - nor anything else, for that matter. As a matter of fact, she told me that if we could get Hirthir out of Everfree and her into our community, she could help the mares regrow their wings and horns faster. Seems like she's a healer, like you. I think you two would get along. Maybe you can learn from each other."
"Ah", Baldr said. "That's why you called it an opportunity as well. Seems like we're here."
They had arrived at the gates to the great hall, and Eadgil opened it. The other members of the community - except for most of the cows, who still cared little about these matters - had already gathered.
"Eadgil", Spring Breeze greeted the stag. "Finally you're here. We were beginning to worry that you had gotten lost."
"Don't be silly", Eadgil smirked at her. "I did explore a new part of the forest right now, but I've never felt lost in these woods. It's like I find my way in these forests almost by instinct."
He got a few affirming nods from the other stags, indicating that they knew what he meant.
"Huh, weird", Spring Breeze said. "Anyway... I assume Baldr has already told you about the letter we got?"
"Yeah, he has", the stag responded. "Our first chance to test the effect of tourmaline on an affected stallion. If it doesn't work, we need to make sure our masquerade works though. I'm not sure what still needs to be discussed in this matter - we pretty much already got the plan down during our last meetings - so I guess this is just to inform everyone so we can begin getting things into place?"
Spring Breeze nodded. "We already discussed the final details of our setup. Baldr can give you a rundown, but we pretty much already had your part down during the last meetings."
"Good", Eadgil said. "There's something else we need to discuss though. There's another stag living in Everfree with his red-collar mare. I just had lunch with them."
"Ah, that's why you were away for so long", Spring Breeze observed. "You think he may be a potential recruit?"
Eadgil shook his head. "Unfortunately, he most definitely isn't on our side. He's disenfranchised and unhappy enough that I might convince him to oppose the regime, but his views about females in general and mares in particular unfortunately aren't compatible with ours. His mare is most definitely on our side though."
Spring Breeze raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
The stag nodded. "Yeah, she's actually state property. The stag is only here because Vestri appointed him as her handler and she's of some kind of cultural significance to the ponies in Ponyville. She's a red collar, but I know for a fact that she's on our side. She knows what we're doing here, and hasn't told her handler, nor anyone else."
Murmur filled the hall.
"Are you sure she hasn't told anyone?", Spring Breeze asked.
"Pretty sure, yeah. After all, we're still here, aren't we? From what she told me, she knew about us from day one."
"It's still worrying", Spring Breeze responded."
Eadgil nodded. "Yeah, but I think she won't act against us. As a matter of fact, she's some kind of healer, and she told me that if I could get her here and Hirthir somewhere else, she would help all of you regrow your wings and horns."
Once again, murmur was heard in the hall - this time, specifically from the side of the mares.
"As much as I wish for that, it would make our masquerades more difficult", Spring Breeze said. "I think it's a bit early to make a decision about this though. How do you plan to get her here? I assume you will have to get yourself appointed as her handler... or one of the other stags."
Eadgil made a dismissive gesture. "I think it'll only be a matter of time before Vestri asks me for some kind of favor again... or tries to force some kind of inconvenience down my throat." He smirked. "He usually gives me bargaining chips for free... although they always look like burdens or inconveniences at first. It all depends on how you use what's forced onto you."
He heard a chuckle behind him, and a familiar voice. "Deepest Desire will be very interested in hearing this...", the voice said. "As a matter of fact, if you do regrow your wings and horns, she might have a solution for the masquerade problem... though she'll need one or two more months before we can use it, I believe."
He turned around. "Snowflake, what are you doing here?"
"I come by once in a while to pick up supplies", the white pegasus mare said, shrugging and giving him a smile. "I didn't expect a meeting today, but Mistress Desire has given me a general permission to represent her here."
"What is that solution you're talking about?", Spring Breeze asked.
Snowflake hesitated. "I... cannot tell you yet", she responded.
"Oooh, mysterious!", he heard Star Charmer's voice from another part of the hall. "I love mysteries!" Bruna, who was sitting beside her, giggled softly.
"Honestly... this is something Mistress Desire should tell you herself once the time has come", Snowflake said. "I... probably shouldn't have brought it up."
Eadgil gave her a reassuring nod. "I'm sure she's fine with it. After all, you haven't really told us anything yet."
"Well, we can't plan for something we don't know about", Spring Breeze said.
"True", Eadgil shrugged.
"Either way, Eadgil, I do want you to visit the stag and the zebra a few more times", Spring Breeze continued. "We need to make sure she's on her side."
"I'm confident, but I agree", Eadgil responded.
"Alright then... I think that would be all for now", Spring Breeze said. "Anything else we need to discuss?"
No one raised his voice.
"In that case, this meeting is hereby concluded", Spring Breeze announced. "Let us return to our preparations."
Eadgil moved to the exit towards the stags' quarters. Star Charmer caught him right when he was about to exit the hall.
"You have some time for me... Master?", she giggled, looking at him flirtatiously.
He paused a moment, turned around and looked at her. "Star... do you think I'm dangerous?"
Star Charmer blinked, saying nothing for a moment. "Wha... what kind of question is that?" A moment later, she giggled. "I guess you're dangerous in all the good ways. You know I looooove bad boys."
Eadgil rubbed his forehead for a moment. "That zebra... I mentioned she was some kind of spirit healer. She said I had a darkness inside of me that I needed to confront."
Star Charmer giggled. "Well, if you need to confront it, I'll gladly help you bring it out so you can face it eye to eye."
"I'm not sure that's how it works", Eadgil responded. "Or that it's even safe for you." He paused for a moment. "It has something to do with her rhyming", he said pensively.
"Huh", she said. "Maybe you should do some research on zebra magic in the library... but honestly, for now I think what you need is a distraction."
Eadgil smirked, gently grabbed her hair with his right hand and looked into her eyes. "You won't let this go until I give you what you want, will you?"
Star Charmer returned the smirk. "You know me, Master. What do you think?"
Eadgil tightened the grip a bit. "Alright, seems like I have no other choice but to drag you to my quarters, punish you for your insolence, and then have my way with you."
The mare bit her lip. "If... if you say so, Master."
Eadgil's eyes went down and he noticed that she was wearing the collar he had given to her for Hearth's Warming Eve. He wasn't too surprised, she wore it most of the days unless it had to be cleaned.
"Alright then", he smirked, grabbed her by the collar and then dragged her out of the hall. |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 16: Another Medium | After several hours, the train came to a halt.
Once it had stopped completely, the creature reached for the train door's handle and opened it, stepping outside. The first thing his eyes fell on was the train station's sign saying 'Welcome to Appleloosa'.
"In the name of His Majesty, King Dainn of Equestria, out of the way!", he heard a voice in front of him. A contingent of large, antlered cervine creatures clad in armor approached the train from the direction in which he was heading, lead by a single one of them.
"I said out of the way, citizen!", the leader reiterated. "Prisoner transport to Canterlot, an important operation of the Equestrian military!"
The creature took a step to the side. "This one does not wish to interfere", it said, "but from what it knows, this train does not go further into Equestria than this."
The leader stopped, but gave the others a sign to march on. The rest of the males walked past him and into the train. "We'll make it go further", he said. "This mission is of utmost importance to the kingdom, and our own trains are unfortunately temporarily out of commission."
The creature nodded. "This one is in search of an eternal forest. It has heard that it can find this forest deeper within this country. Will these ones go past it?"
As the cervines marched past the creature, he noticed that they indeed had a prisoner with them - a female which he assumed was not cervine, and also likely not equine. He presumed she was a bovine of some kind, though he could not be completely certain, since the only thing she was wearing was a black leather mask covering her face. Her shimmering orange fur was covered in dirt, and her body was covered in bruises of different kinds - likely inflicted by those creatures who had imprisoned her. The cruelty of those not under the light of the Monolith could be infinite, the creature knew.
The commander laughed. "You speak funny. What are you anyway? You aren't a pony, and you definitely aren't one of us. Are you a diamond dog?"
"This one is canine", the creature responded. "It is in search for an eternal forest."
"Do you mean Everfree?", the commander inquired. "It's a large forest north of here." He pointed in the direction of the train tracks ahead of them. "The train trails in this direction actually go past it. Under normal circumstances, you would take the train from here to Ponyville."
"May this one join those ones, then?", the creature asked.
The commander made a clear dismissive hand gesture. "Absolutely not. We have no time to waste with a stop in Ponyville, and we most definitely don't want to waste our energy with a civilian. This is an operation of the Equestrian military, and one of utmost importance..." He stopped for a moment, then mumbled, more to himself. "...and besides, you're really giving me the creeps."
Without letting the other finish, the creature nodded. "In that case, this one will be on its way", he said, then marched off and into town, leaving the commander behind without looking back.
So following the train tracks will lead this one to the eternal forest, it thought.
But for now, it would focus on finding a place to stay for the night.
Trenderhoof snarled. He undoubtedly enjoyed the authenticity of the forest's untamed, mostly untouched nature, but he also couldn't deny that he was getting annoyed. He had made the way from Canterlot to Ponyville by carriage, drawn by four of his mares, but here in Everfree, the territory and lack of roads didn't allow for him to use it - and there hadn't really been an opportunity for him to keep his mares somewhere safe in Ponyville. So he had to drag the bridled black collars along all by himself, only helped by the fact that their bridles were connected to each other, with their arms still bound behind their backs and their cunts and asses stuffed with various toys. Due to the peculiar nature of the terrain, he constantly had to punish them for stumbling or even falling down. It slowed him down more than he would have liked, at least for a longer period of time. His red collar cat cunt, was less of a problem. For the first part of the journey through Everfree, she had been crawling, but by now he had allowed her to walk on her hind legs. Letting her crawl would simply have slowed him down even more, and he didn't think she would try to flee. Besides, he still had her on a leash.
He let out another snarl - which then turned into a sigh of relief. In front of him, he saw a chasm with a rope bridge leading to the other side. The bridge wouldn't be easy to cross with his baggage, but it seemed stable, and behind it, the ruins of the old castle stood tall. He sighed once more, then gave his mares a sign to stop.
"Alright!", he told them. "As you dumb cunts can all see, we will have to traverse this bridge. You black bitches will go ahead this time, with the cat behind you, and me last. Don't bother to try any funny business. It will only lead to you endangering yourselves. Understood?"
"Master...", the cat whispered softly.
Trenderhoof rubbed his temples. "What is it, Miau?", he asked. "You are allowed to speak, but this better be important."
"Master always knows best, but this kitty doesn't believe crossing the bridge with their arms tied behind their backs will work", the cat said in a feeble voice. Her body language betrayed her fear of punishment.
For a moment, Trenderhoof felt a rush of anger - but then he calmed down. He saw no reason to make it easier for his slaves for their sake - but he had paid good money for them, and he didn't want to lose any of his investments for no reason.
"Alright", he said to his mares. "I will take off your arm-binders - but they will go back on once we're on the other side. No funny business, or you will regret it." His black collar cunts gave him glares, but grudgingly nodded.
He quickly took off their arm binders. "You will carry them over though", he informed them. "I don't care how you do it. Be happy that I give you an opportunity to get a safe grip on that bridge at all. It's more than you cunts deserve. Now onwards!"
The mares begrudgingly set foot on the bridge, trying their best to hold onto it while also carrying their own arm binders. Miau followed them, and then Trenderhoof himself.
Once they were on the other side, he unceremoniously bound their hands behind their backs once more, grabbed their bridles as well as Miau's leash, then made his way to the castle gates.
A caribou was standing on top of the walls, and Trenderhoof could see that they were still in the process of being restored. The caribou shouted something and then disappeared, and a moment later, the gate was opened, and Trenderhoof stepped in, dragging his females along.
He entered the large courtyard, and was greeted by the sound of whorish moans. Looking around, he noticed that the courtyard was mostly full of males doing construction work. The moans originated from pillories in one corner of the courtyard, where three caribou whores were held in stocks and roughly plowed from behind by three large, bulky males. Three other caribou approached him - one of them a bit smaller than the others, from the looks of it slightly overweight, and dressed in a suit, while the other two were tall and muscular and wore leather pants and simple shirts.
"Welcome", the well-dressed one addressed him. "We've been expecting you, Mr. Trenderhoof..."
For a moment, the stag's eyes fell onto Trenderhoof's little kitty, Miau. Trenderhoof wasn't sure if he was imagining things, but for a moment, it seemed like the caribou's eyes were widening in surprise.
"Please", Trenderhoof insisted, raising his right hand. "Call me Trend."
"Alright then, Trendy", the caribou smirked.
Trenderhoof flinched a little. "Just Trend, please", he said.
The caribou seemed unimpressed. "...as I was about to say, I'm Eadgil, appointed Magistrate of this new caribou colony." He pointed to the stag at his left. "This is Baldr, our healer and the good heart of our community."
The stag gave him a friendly smile and raised his right hand, and Trend returned the greeting.
The one who had introduced himself as Eadgil then put his arm around the shoulder of the stag to his right, placing his other hand on the stag's chest. "And this is my good friend Skorri, our runesmith." He paused for a moment, then cast a glance into the eyes of the other stag. "The best in all of Equestria, I assure you."
The other stag giggled and looked away. "Oh you!", he said. Trenderhoof flinched once more, not at all sure what he was witnessing.
Eadgil withdrew his arm, and then approached Trenderhoof, extending his right hand to him. "I understand you ponies greet each other with a handshake?", he asked.
Trenderhoof nodded and extended his own hand.
The caribou grabbed it, pulled him in, and then pushed a little kiss onto the startled stallion's lips - then immediately letting him go.
Eadgil smirked. "That's how we do it", he said. "At least among friends."
It took Trenderhoof a moment to come back to his senses.
In the meantime, the caribou had turned his attention away from him and toward his cat slave. His eyes went back and forth between her and Trenderhoof.
"Is that a cat?", he asked. "A red collar cat?"
Trenderhoof nodded. "I bought her from a caribou shortly after the liberation of Canterlot. I understand she was brought along by your people. The guy I bought her from called her Miau, so I just kept using that name for her. The cunt barely deserves a name."
"Well, seems like you made a catch", Eadgil said. "Cats are difficult to catch. Many would rather kill themselves than be enslaved. Those who are put in their place usually end up as black collars. This one is probably incredibly valuable."
Trenderhoof rubbed his chin. "I bought her fairly cheap, actually."
"You must understand that a cat like this is an extreme rarity", Eadgil said. "I hope if you don't mind if I ask her some questions."
The stallion shook his head in response.
Eadgil knelt down in front of the cat, who was still on all fours, extending a hand and placing it under her chin, forcing her to face him.
"Why would your former master sell you cheaply?", he wondered.
The cat blushed and avoided his gaze.
"Answer me", Eadgil commanded. "Tell me your story. All of it."
"This kitty was... put in her place... when she was still young", the cat responded. "The... Master who claimed her also took her to Equestria. He wasn't the youngest any more, a veteran of many glorious battles. He fell in battle when the Crystal Empire was... liberated by your people. After that... this kitty went from hand to hand, with her new masters seeing little value in her."
"Huh", Eadgil said, removing his hand. "You're a red collar cat. An extreme rarity, and maybe the only one who was brought to these lands. Why would they consider you of little value?"
"This kitty... believes it's because she is the only one. Cows can be used for breeding. Even a mare can easily be bred by... having a few stallions take turns with her. But this kitty... is alone. Maybe the only one of her kind in this country."
Eadgil nodded. "Collectors of exotic pets might pay a lot for you, but they're probably difficult to find."
"I haven't been asked by anypony to sell her so far", Trenderhoof said. "Or... any stag, for that matter."
Eadgil nodded, then stood up. "Alright... I am still curious about her, but we can surely ask more questions later." He turned to Tenderhoof. "We wish to give you a welcome gift. We have made it tradition that any male who visits our small community should get one of these."
He handed the stallion a jeweled amulet, adorned with an odd, pitch-black stone. Trenderhoof cursed himself. Had he known this, he would have read up on gemstones and minerals before coming here, so as being able to identify the object. Hesitantly, he took the amulet and slowly put it around his neck.
Eadgil smirked. "You have to wear it underneath your shirt", he explained. "Directly on the chest."
Trenderhoof raised an eyebrow, but he didn't want to offend his hosts. Not only was it impolite, but he guessed that getting on bad terms with the new rulers of the land would also be ill-advised - particularly if he actually wanted to stay here and write a book about caribou culture. He slowly took the jewel and moved it underneath his shirt. The stone felt cold to the touch. A chill went down his spine, but it was gone only a moment later.
Eadgil turned around and walked a few steps in the opposite direction. "Now...", he eventually said, turning around. "I'm not sure if you were informed of the nature of our community. We want to revitalize older aspects of our culture that have long since been forgotten. In our community, females are communal property, and we expect everyone who comes here to live with us to give up possession of his females to the community."
Miau looked up to her Master with fearful eyes. "Master...?", she whimpered.
"Silence!", her Master commanded. "Don't you see that males are talking, cunt?"
The cat fell silent again as Trenderhoof turned to the caribou. "Is that legal?", he asked.
Eadgil smirked. "Oh, absolutely. In our society, any male is allowed to hold property alone or in community with others. It's also the reason why King Dainn was able to install the institution of state property as a way of dealing with the specific circumstances here in Equestria, although state property is technically different from communal property."
"I mean enforcing it", Trenderhoof says. "Isn't that... illegal dispossession?"
"Not at all", Eadgil said. "It's not like your females will be lost to you if you stay here. You will be part of the community, and thus have just as much right to use them as any other male here. That aside, it's not like anyone is forced to live here. If you decide to continue your life in Canterlot, your mares will be returned to you, and we'll treat you with all appropriate hospitality for the duration of your stay, and of course you may visit us again. Just make sure to send us a timely announcement of your visit. We are still in the middle of extensive restoration work after all, and we have to make sure that guests aren't interfering with our work here."
Trenderhoof had to think about that. "To me, it sounds like you're exploiting some kind of legal loophole to take possession of other people's private property", he said. "Let's say I decide to join your community, but then some time later, I decide to move out again. Would I then get my mares back?"
"I fear not", the stag responded. "We expect commitment from those who want to participate in our project. We can't legally stop you from moving out again - and if someone really wants to, we believe we shouldn't stop him even if we could - but in such case, we will keep the females and give you a small monetary compensation. You can see the difference in value as a contribution to the community out of commitment and dedication. This isn't enforced from above. All who live here have voluntarily agreed to this in advance without exception. It's the minimum of commitment to this project that we expect from everyone who wants to participate in building up this community, stag and stallion alike." He smiled a little. "Of course, particularly the fact that you have such a valuable possession as this cat with you might make you want to reconsider."
Trenderhoof took a long moment to think about this, and his eyes shifted across the courtyard once more - and once more rested on the pillory, where the three cows were still eliciting their whorish moans, while the three stags had gone back to work, having been replaced by three others deciding to take a break now.
"I'm here to write about your culture", Trenderhoof responded. "And this kind of community seems to be one possible aspect of it. As a matter of fact, I already dig the authenticity..." His eyes shifted away from the pillories again, and he noticed a small bench, with two stags sitting on it. It took his mind a while to process what he was seeing.
The stag chuckled a little. "If you say so..."
"...wait, are these two stags over there making out?", Trenderhoof asked.
Eadgil shot a passing glance in their direction. "Looks like it", he said with a shrug.
"I thought... uhm... I wasn't...", Trenderhoof stuttered.
The stag raised an eyebrow. "Is anything wrong?", he asked.
"I don't... I mean I thought your people were..."
The stag raised his left hand and briefly touched his forehead. "Oh, I see. I often forget that despite our king's cure for your people - whatever it may be - you stallions still have a bit of an unhealthy exclusive fixation on females. Among our people, romantic relationships between males are very common." He paused for a moment. "After all, females aren't exactly good for conversation", he then added with a chuckle. "I'm sure you stallions will get around to it eventually." He smirked. "Or at least I really hope so. You are kind of cute."
Trenderhoof looked away. "I... um... th... thank you, I guess, but... I'm really not interested."
Eadgil smiled, raising his hands. "Don't worry, you're safe here."
Trenderhoof relaxed. "It is interesting though", he reflected after a few moments of silence. "So far, I had assumed that this would be an absolute taboo in your culture... relationships between two males, I mean. You place such a huge emphasis on sex and sexual difference after all... see, I'm already learning new things many ponies don't know." He smiled. "I'm sure my book will sell well."
"You want to write a book about this community?", Eadgil asked.
"Yeah", Trenderhoof replied. "I'm looking for the authentic experience of caribou culture."
"Huh", Eadgil said. "We will have to talk about this in plenum."
"Is there a problem with that idea?", Trenderhoof asked.
The stag cast his two companions a glance, but then made a dismissive hand movement. "Eeeh, probably not. We'll see."
The stag to his left nodded. "I think Eadgil wanted to show you the castle", he said. "Skorri and I will take our leave now. There is a lot of work to do, and a few things to discuss. We will take our guest's mares to a safe place, and make sure they're taken care of. If he decides to leave us, we will return them to him later."
Trenderhoof involuntarily looked down at Miau, who had taken a kneeling position beside him. For a moment, he imagined her beaten body, penetrated by maybe dozens of caribou cocks and who knows what else. For some reason, the thought didn't arouse him.
Still... he figured he might feel the need for release along the way.
"May my kitty accompany me?", he asked.
Miau looked up to him with an expression of surprise, but then she meekly lowered her head again.
"You want to keep her around in case you need a break from the tour, huh?", Eadgil asked, smiling a little. "Honestly, they can all accompany you if you command it. You haven't committed to us yet. They're still your private property. Besides, it's not like we have anything to hide. It's just that we figured you might want them out of sight so you can focus on the..." he smirked. "Authentic experience."
Trenderhoof paused for a second, not sure what the stag expected from him. "Just her. You're right, I don't want to be bothered by a bunch of worthless black collar cunts. You probably know better how to deal with... unruly females."
The other two caribou nodded, then grabbed the bridles of the females and dragged them off.
Something felt terribly wrong...
"Should we begin the tour?", Eadgil asked the stallion, and Trenderhoof gave him an absent nod. The stag led the way, and they walked across the courtyard, passing by the pillories, where one stag had decided to give one of the cows a harsh beating with a cane for no discernible reason. A shiver went down Trenderhoof's spine. The cunt was probably... no, certainly getting what she deserved... so why were her yelps and whimpers bothering him more than the sight of two stags kissing? He knew this wouldn't have bothered him a week ago.
He pushed the thought from his mind with relative ease...
A few hours later, the creature still had not found a place to stay for the night. He had asked around for hotels, but all recommendations had led him to establishments of a different kind that apparently merely doubled as places to stay for the night. He knew what brothels were and what their purpose was, of course - but it did not understand the purpose of their existence. Urges of this kind were alien to him, and although he somewhat supposed that he was capable of them, he thanked the Monolith for purging such impracticalities from his mind. He was wondering why the ones in this town bothered to set up specific places as brothels though - from what he had seen around this place, the entire town served this kind of purpose. He saw pillories everywhere, most of them holding females of different species, and males of cervine or equine descent pretty much freely following their urges.
To his dismay, the creature found that it was impossible to hire a bed for the night in any of these establishments without also hiring a female or two. He somewhat suspected that many of these establishments had been regular hotels like the ones he had seen in Zebrica until relatively recently, but by now, this had become a mere secondary purpose to all of them without exception. The creature assumed that the town must have undergone a radical cultural shift very recently, which was consistent with his information about the country being taken over by an outside force with relative ease. The culture seemed to have made a shift for the more impractical though. He doubted that this situation would be able to be permanent - and given the nature of his mission, this made him wonder if he was here to end it prematurely.
For now, he had different thoughts on his mind now. Checking his luggage, he decided the best course of action would be to put up camp outside town, then follow the train tracks northwards the next day.
Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him, addressing him in a thick accent that he had never heard before, but that he assumed to be a local mannerism. The cervines hadn't spoken like that, but many of the equines had.
"Hey there, little fella", the voice said. "Are ya lost?"
The creature turned around and encountered a yellow-furred male equine wearing a leather vest and a hat. He was surprised that a male pony would pay him attention at all - most of them so far had been busy with things that involved females and that he hadn't quite understood, and had reacted rudely to his questions - but this one had approached him.
"This one is unable to find a place to stay in this town", the creature responded.
"There are plenty of hotels in town", the pony said. "There's one right behind you."
The creature looked at the establishment it had just left. "Yes. This one has just been there. The arrangement seems impractical to it. Then again, so does most of what it has seen in this town."
"So ya've noticed, huh?", the equine asked. "Yeah, ah figured ya would. You aren't one of us, are ya, and neither one of them. You react surprisingly calm ta all of this, but ya don't seem ta be happy with it either. Where do ya come from?"
"The Realm of the Monolith", the creature responded.
"Ah don't know where that is", the equine admitted, scratching his head. "Ya're a diamond dog?"
"This one is canine", the creature said for the second time this day.
The pony smiled at him friendly. "Alright, keep a mystery. What brings ya to this town?"
"This one is just passing through", the creature said. "It is searching for an eternal forest."
"Eternal... do ya mean Everfree?", the equine asked.
"This one assumes so."
"That's actually quite a bit from hear", the equine said. "Going by train would take a few hours at least, but the trains are all outta commission for some kinda refit, and probably will be for weeks or so. By foot, it'll take at least days, if not weeks."
"This one has traveled further by foot", the creature replied.
"Ya sure are dedicated, huh? Are ya a pilgrim or somethin'?"
"Yes", the creature replied. "Something."
"Ah didn't know Everfree holds any places of religious importance", the equine said. "At least not of importance to to non-ponies."
"This one is in search for a prophet", the creature informed him.
"Huh... a prophet in Everfree? As far as ah know, the only people living in that forest are resis..."
He stopped himself mid-word and looked around.
"Look, ya could travel by foot if ya can march that fast, but ya'll need supplies, and ya'll also wanna stay here for the night. Traveling by night can be dangerous out there."
"This one will survive", the creature said without a hint of emotion.
"Why don't ya stay with me for the night?", the pony asked with a friendly smile. "Free of charge. Name's Braeburn, by the way. Ah don't think a've caught yar name?"
"This one is a servant of the Monolith", the creature replied. "And that one's proposal seems acceptable."
"A ser...", the pony started. "Ya're a strange fella for sure. Mind if ah call ya Mono?"
The creature shrugged, then followed the pony towards an unknown location.
For the last several hours, the stag had led Trenderhoof through the castle, explaining the details of the castle's reconstruction, some details about their plans for forest agriculture, and some things about handling caribou females communally, while his red collar cat crawled beside him. It had been exactly what Trenderhoof was here to write about, but he was barely able to pay attention.
Over and over, his mind had turned to his other females, picturing them surrounded by bulky caribou, tied up and helpless... getting beaten senseless and then getting a good dicking. The first few times, the thought of those dumb bitches getting what they deserved had still given him a smile.
Eventually, he started to wonder if they were alright...
He started to wonder why he suddenly gave a fuck.
He tried to push the thought out of his mind... but it returned, over and over again. Without him noticing, his smile turned into a frown... and then, suddenly, into a blank stare of horror.
As Trenderhoof was stumbling along, the caribou eventually noticed his state. They had just entered a restored banquet hall that the caribou had apparently turned into a mead hall. At least half a dozen caribou males were hanging out there, surrounded by about a dozen females, most of them cows, but also a few mares - the latter mostly black collars, tied up and bound in awkward positions. One of them, a pastel green pegasus, was bent over a table, gagged and with her arms bound behind her back, her legs spread and tied to the table's legs, getting a harsh pounding from the stag whom Trenderhoof had seen earlier in the courtyard, and whom Eadgil had introduced as Baldr. The mare moaned and screamed in clear discomfort through the gag, only to receive hard smacks on her butt.
Trenderhoof felt a rush of sickness. His head was spinning.
How can they do things like these? How could he ever do things like these?
"You seem exhausted", Eadgil said, addressing him. "Feel free to use any of the females here to your delight. But then again, I assume you'll want to use your kitty. After all, that's why you brought her along, isn't it."
Trenderhoof's eyes shifted to the cat, who was on all fours beside him, having crawled along all the way. The red collar looked up to him, giving him a weak smile.
"Knock yourself out!", Eadgil encouraged him, smiling.
"I... can't...", Trenderhoof stuttered, not even really paying attention to what he was saying. "I just... can't... do that... to... her or... anyone..."
The nausea was too much to bear. Trenderhoof turned away from the stag. Memories of his life before the caribou flashed back, how he had interacted with others back then, particularly females... alongside them came memories of what he had done to his mares and the cat since then, as well as other females. He didn't even know what was happening, and before he realized what he was doing, he had emptied his stomach in one corner of the room.
"I didn't expect that strong a reaction...", Eadgil mumbled, more to himself. "Heck, we weren't even sure if..." He stopped himself. "No, we're still not sure. Maybe he just ate something wrong." He took a few steps towards the stallion.
For a brief moment, Trenderhoof's self-preservation instinct kicked in, and he turned around, looking at the caribou with fear. "I... please, don't... don't arrest and send me to Canterlot to be switched! I'm an upstanding citizen! You can ask anyone! You can ask Miau or my mares! I'm not one of those mentally challenged mare sympathizers, I swear!"
Hearing his own words, he suddenly experienced a clear feeling that all of this was horribly, terribly wrong, that this was not him - and with it came a strong sense of determination. He straightened up. "No, this isn't right. All of this isn't right!", he yelled. "You sick fucks! I don't know what you did to me during these last months, but this isn't me! I can't stand for this sickness any longer! I don't care what you do to me! I deserve it for what I've done! From now on, I am a mare sympathizer!"
"Good to hear." The caribou smiled at him, casually taking out a handkerchief and offering it to Trenderhoof. "Because so are we."
Trenderhoof's and Miau' eyes both immediately focused on him.
"What?", they said almost simultaneously.
A moment of silence fell over the room. Everyone stopped doing what they were doing.
Trenderhoof was the first to speak again. "This... amulet you gave to me", he said, pointing at his chest. "It's doing something to me, isn't it?"
"No", the stag responded, slowly shaking his head. "It's undoing something."
Trenderhoof blinked. "I don't follow."
"It is undoing the king's so-called 'cure'", Eadgil explained. "This is an antimagic amulet that uses a black tourmaline stone in combination with specific antimagic runes to counteract the mind control artifact the king uses to control the stallion population of Equestria. What you have experienced for the last few months... that wasn't really you. This is the real you."
Trenderhoof took a few moments to respond - but then, he nodded. "Yes", he said. "Yes, I know. This... this is what I used to be. That means what you say must be true."
Eadgil turned around, clapping his hands. "Alright guys... I think we can drop the masquerade now."
"I need a moment", Trenderhoof said, letting himself fall onto a chair.
The other caribou immediately began to free the mares from their restraints, eventually also taking off their collars. The stag named Baldr removed himself from his pastel green female, took off her bindings, and likewise removed her collar. The mare rose from the table, and the stag knelt down before her. "Mistress, I apologize for what I did", he said, looking up to her.
The pegasus smirked. "It was necessary. I'll punish you for it later."
"Yes, Mistress", Baldr replied. "I should inform the others, and Trenderhoof's other mares need to be informed as well."
The pegasus nodded. "Go", she said.
The stag stood up, and then rushed past Trenderhoof, who seemed absent-minded.
The cat, still on her fours, looked up to Eadgil with a frightened expression. "Master... what...?" Noticing that she had spoken out of line, she fell silent.
"It seems like you have just been freed from slavery", the stag said. He involuntarily cast a look at Trenderhoof. "Isn't that right, Trend?", he asked. The stallion seemed exhausted and lost in thought, but he still gave the caribou a weak nod.
The cat's eyes widened. "Freed... Master?" she asked.
Eadgil looked down into her eyes. "You said you were caught when you were still young. That must have been decades ago. Do you still remember anything from the time before? Your parents, maybe?"
The cat's eyes filled with tears. "My parents... no... I..."
Eadgil looked away. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to bring up bad memories."
"Nefera", the cat whispered.
"What?", Eadgil asked.
"My name", the cat responded. "It's... this kitty's name. The... one her parents gave her, she means."
"So you remember your name?", Eadgil asked.
Nefera looked away. "This kitty's first master let her keep it. She was renamed after his death."
"Then I will call you by that name as well", Eadgil told her, slowly extending her hands toward her neck. "Let me take off your collar, and then we'll see if we can find something for you to wear. You can speak of yourself in first person, by the way. As I said, you're not a slave any more."
"I... um..." Nefera hesitated, looking at him with fearful eyes.
Eadgil withdrew his hands. "You probably need a while to get used to this. You were pretty much raised as a slave, and you probably don't know much else. I understand."
Nefera sat down on her knees in front of him, then slowly shook her head. "No, it's fine, M... it's fine. Take off my collar if you wish."
Eadgil nodded, extending his hands once more, placing it on the collar. His antlers glowed, the rune-sealed lock came off, and he held the collar in his hand.
"This feels... good", the cat admitted.
Then her eyes locked onto the collar. She smiled a little. "Mast... um... may I keep this?"
Eadgil looked at her, raising an eyebrow.
"I... don't want to wear it. I just... it was my first master who collared me, and... he was a kind master, kinder than any other I've known. Like I said, he let me keep my name. I would like to... have it as... a... keepsake?", the cat stuttered.
"Oh", Eadgil nodded. "I see. Well, of course." He handed her back her old collar. The cat grabbed it, and pressed it to her chest. "Thank you, M... thank you. You're right... this will take some time to get used to. I've never really known any other life than that of a slave, but it... isn't a happy life. I think I'm... getting around to the idea of... being free. I just... don't know what to do with it."
The cat looked around, as if searching for help, and her eyes first fell on her old Master. Trenderhoof was sitting in a chair in a caved in position, his face buried in his hands. "All the things I've done... how can I ever look a mare in the face again..."
Nefera smiled softly. "It seems my Master has even more trouble getting used to it."
Eadgil smirked. "Maybe he'll start looking males in the face instead. I sure wouldn't mind that." He chuckled a little. "But joke aside, I understand how you feel. You might want to talk to the mares. I'm sure they'll welcome you with open arms. They also accepted the cows for the most part, and that might have been more difficult, because most cows are far more happy in slavery than they are. That doesn't seem to be the case with you."
The cat nodded. "It's... all a bit overwhelming."
Eadgil cast a glance over to Trenderhoof, who was still whimpering in his chair. The stag noticed tears streaming from the stallion's eyes.
"I wish Deepest Desire was here", he mumbled.
"Who's Deepest Desire?", Nefera asked.
"A... what did she call it... psychiatrist and psychotherapist", Eadgil responded. "A healer of the spirit, essentially. The best one I know. She was once my mare, but now she's part of our community. But right now, she and a few other females aren't here."
"Where are they?", the cat asked.
"Deepest Desire led them to some other place within Everfree forest", Eadgil responded. "She said she had some kind of business there. They're apparently camping somewhere. It's a very mild winter, from what I've heard even by Equestria's standards, so I'm not too concerned. She knows what she's doing."
"Are you afraid that... she'll be captured?", Nefera asked.
"Maybe a little bit", Eadgil responded. "If so, whoever captures them will probably just return them here and then demand some kind of punishment for them, and possibly some kind of compensation for himself. Officially, Deepest Desire and the others are still my property after all."
The cat nodded. "I understand... I know you have to keep up appearances."
Spring Breeze approached them. "You're having a nice chat, I see?", she asked.
Eadgil looked away. "I'm sorry, Spring Breeze. I should have called you over immediately after taking off the collar."
"Damn right you should've", Spring Breeze said with a stern face.
Eadgil smiled. "In moments like these, I almost understand Baldr."
Spring Breeze looked away. "Whatever that's supposed to mean, idiot."
Then, she turned to the cat. "Any funny business on his part?", she asked.
Nefera smiled up to her. "Not sure what you mean... I think anything here is funny business. I'm... up for it though. The whole... not being a slave anymore... it's scary, but also exiting."
"That's good to hear", Spring Breeze said, extending a hand towards her.
The cat looked at the hand, then back up at her, blinking.
"Take my hand, and I'll help you up", Spring Breeze said.
"Oh", the cat giggled, taking her hand and standing up.
"Let's fetch you some clothes", Spring Breeze said. "You're a bit smaller than the average mare, but I'm sure we'll find something for you."
"Wow, clothes...", Nefera said, giggling a little.
"And you", said Spring Breeze, turning to Eadgil. "Take care of the new stallion, will you?"
Eadgil's gaze shifted to Trenderhoof once more, who still seemed like a nervous wreck.
The cat gave him a look and a wink. "Good luck", she said before leaving the hall with Spring Breeze.
After a short walk, the pony who had introduced himself as Braeburn approached a farm that the creature assumed was his. Just like on all the other farms they had walked past, a number of equine females were working on the fields here as well, all of them nude, wearing heavy black or red collars, and strapped into strange work gear that seemed more impractical and distracting to him than like properly functional tools of field work. As the stallion approached the farm, he called out to them.
"Alright, mares!", he said in a commanding voice. "Enough work far today! Get into da barn and then get outta that gear. We're gonna have a guest for the night!"
The mares nodded, then moved towards the barn. One of them turned around.
"Master, do we need to keep up..."
The stallion looked around cautiously, although there was no one else around as far as the creature was able to discern. "Quiet!", he commanded in a harsh voice. "We can talk about that inside!"
The mare gave him a slow nod, then was on her way with the others.
"That one's culture involves gender-based unequal treatment?", the creature asked in a completely neutral tone.
"Ya notice everything, don't ya, little fella?", the stallion responded in a sardonic voice.
"This one would be interested in learning about the historical background of such an impractical arrangement", the creature said.
The stallion once again looked around cautiously. "Not much history here to speak of", he said. "But this really isn't something we should talk about out in the open. Let's get inside and then we can talk."
The creature nodded. By now, he somewhat assumed that there was a regime in place that prevented people from speaking their minds. He had heard that the cervines were the force that had conquered the country, so he assumed it was probably a result of their new policies, but most of the male equines he had seen here so far seemed to be fine with this new arrangement. His host behaved odd, but in a very different way from the others, so he assumed that this specific equine saw things differently.
They entered the farm and then a small living room, and Braeburn offered the servant a chair. He sat down, then let down his hood, revealing his canine face.
"That's an interesting mark ya got there...", Braeburn observed, sitting down on a chair of his own, his eyes fixed onto the tattoo on the creature's forehead. "In such a weird place too. Didn't that hurt?"
The creature looked at him for a long moment, trying to recollect his memories.
"It did not", he eventually responded.
"Huh, alright", Braeburn reacted. "Religious?"
"One could say that", the creature replied.
"Alright", the pony responded. "What really brings ya to this forsaken country?"
"This one does not understand", the creature tried to dodge the question.
"Ah was just wonderin' why anyone would come to this country voluntarily right now. A year ago, ah could've imagined plenty of reasons, but now? Ah've never heard of a non-Equestria based religion with an interest in Everfree forest. Ah don't believe for a second that ya're a pilgrim or somethin'. Are ya here for the mares? Hopin' to get some easy prey, like all dem other diamond dog fellas?"
"This one is not a diamond dog, and it is not interested in females."
"Not at all?", Braeburn asked.
"No", the creature responded.
"More interested in males?", the pony asked with a faint, unconscious smile.
"No", the creature replied.
"Oh", the pony said. "Well, that's somethin'." He paused for a moment. "Well, alright. Still doesn't answer mah question though. Why are ya here?"
"This one is here to find the eternal forest."
"Yes, ya already said that. Why though?"
"This one has been told to seek out a prophet in the eternal forest."
"A prophet, huh?", the stallion asked. "Ah've never heard of a prophet in Everfree forest. Are ya sure that Everfree is the forest ya seek?"
"Are there other forests in this country?", the creature asked.
"A few, yeah", the stallion responded. "But none of 'em are thought of as eternal. Are ya sure that it's a forest in this country?"
"If this is Equestria, then yes", the creature replied.
"Ah've just never heard of a prophet in Everfree. Ah know there are resistance cells in Everfree, but ah don't think any of them has a prophet of some sort. But maybe there are also diamond dog tribes hiding out beneath Everfree... maybe they have a prophet, though they never struck me as a religious bunch."
"This one is not searching for a canine prophet", the creature informed him.
"Oh", Braeburn replied. "So ya know the species of that prophet of yours?"
"Yes", the creature replied.
"So what is he?", the pony inquired.
"Cervine", the creature responded.
...Within a moment's notice, the air seemed to become thicker in the room. Braeburn stood up, looking at the creature with a mixture of anger and disgust, with a hint of fear thrown into the mix.
"Did this one say something wrong?", the creature inquired.
"You're not in league with them, are you?", Braeburn asked.
"This one is in league with no one except the Monolith and His servants", the creature replied. "It seems to this one that that one is not happy about the current circumstances, and that it has to do with the arrival of these cervines. It also assumes that it has to do with the treatment of female ones that it has seen in this town, and that it was something these ones brought with them. It seems to be a recent development. That one said that it has no history, and the Grey Council one mentioned that this country was recently conquered by cervines. From what it has seen, most equine males seem to be content with the current state of things, though that one seems to think differently."
The pony slowly sat down again. "Did you say Grey Council?"
"Yes", the creature responded. "What does that one know about the Grey Council?"
"Not much", Braeburn said. "Just rumors, essentially - that they're a secret group within the highest ranks of the Zebrican government."
"That is essentially correct", the creature said.
"So you know members of the Zebrican government", Braeburn concluded.
"Yes", the creature responded.
"Wait... if ya're in league with the caribou, why would the zebra let ya go?", Braeburn inquired. "Why would they even talk to ya at all?"
"This one already said that it is not in league with any one", the creature responded.
"But ya're here to find a cervine prophet", Braeburn remarked.
"Yes", the creature said. "As the Monolith has commanded."
"That doesn't really help ta put me at ease", Braeburn sighed.
The creature had an idea. "From what that one has said so far, is this one correct to assume that that one would not mind if the current cervine power structure was severely weakened."
Braeburn looked at the creature with piqued interest. "What exactly do you propose?"
"This one does not propose anything", the creature said. "It just made an observation. Is this one correct in its observation?"
The pony lowered his voice. "Yes", he said silently.
"Then that one will be glad to know that this one is here to kill the cervine king one, and the ones who are part of his council."
Braeburn blinked. "What?", he just asked.
"It is the will of the Monolith."
Once more, the room was filled by a long silence.
"So let me get this straight", Braeburn eventually said. "Ya were sent here by that Monolith thingy to kill that caribou king and his council. But before that, ya have ta go ta Everfree ta find a prophet who's also a caribou. What did that Monolith thingy tell ya ta do with him, kill him too?"
"No", the creature responded.
"Then why do ya wanna find him?", Braeburn asked.
"Because the Monolith commanded it", the creature said.
Braeburn rubbed his temples. "What ah mean was... what are ya s'posed ta do with him once ya find him?"
The creature suddenly had a realization. "What makes that one think that the prophet is male?", he asked.
"Wouldn't that Monolith of yours spoken of her as female if she was a doe?", Braeburn inquired.
"The Monolith does not apply gender", the creature replied.
"Huh...", the pony said. "Ya seem ta come from a really strange place... but yeah, ya were consistently refering ta yarself as 'this one', and to me as 'that one'. That doesn't tell ya our genders either. Still, ah've seen caribou does. Ah don't think one of them could be a prophet." He paused for a moment. "Then again, ah also can't see one of them stags as a prophet. They don't seem like religious folks ta me. How are ya supposed to recognize 'em?"
"The prophet has a symbol on the back of its left hand", the creature responded. "A snake, coiling around a broken mirror."
"A symbol, you mean like... a tattoo?", Braeburn asked.
"This one does not know", the servant admitted. "It assumes that it will know it once it sees it. The Monolith rarely sends its servants on missions with insufficient information. If It does, It has good reasons for it."
"Hmm, ah see. Ya still haven't told me what ya're supposed ta do once ya've found him... or her."
"Obey its command, keep it safe from harm", the Monolith responded.
"Hmmm...", Braeburn made, rubbing his chin. "So ya're here to kill off the political leaders of them caribou, but protect one of their religious leaders - and ah've never heard of any such thing as a caribou religion. Unless ya count all that male supremacy nonsense, that is."
"Male supremacy...", the creature repeated slowly. "This one guesses that would be an appropriate description of what this one has seen in this town. Another folly of those who have not been touched by the light of the Monolith."
"If that Monolith of yours told ya ta find that prophet, maybe he holds views that match up more with that Monolith's views as well", Braeburn concluded.
"This one does not know", the creature admitted.
"Could there be such a thing?", Braeburn pondered. "A good caribou?"
"The Monolith is not good", the creature pointed out.
"Ya're following a religion that doesn't see itself as good?", Braeburn inquired. "Well, ah guess that makes sense. They essentially sent ya here as an assassin. Maybe that Monolith sees itself as grey, neither good nor evil but in between both. Ah think the zebras see themselves as that as well."
"Yes", the creature replied.
"So ya see yarselves as grey?", Braeburn asked.
"No", the creature said. "The zebras do."
"What about yar own people, then?", Braeburn poked again. "How does that Monolith see himself?"
"The Monolith is a Spirit of Order", the creature replied.
"Order, huh. That doesn't sound too bad to me."
"It is not", the servant said. "It is not too good either."
"This is gett'n a little bit too... filosofical for ma tastes", Braeburn said. "At least ya aren't tryin' ta convert me."
"This one could not, even if it tried. The Monolith picks Its servants Itself."
"Huh, alright", Braeburn said. "So if ah wanted ta join that religion of yours, ah'd have ta find that Monolith and... ask nicely."
"This one supposes", the creature responded. "That one would likely be dead before finding the Monolith though. This one does not advise trying. One has to be mad to desire being a servant of the Monolith anyway."
"Huh...", Braeburn said once more. "Ah know of religious folks that aren't overly proselytizing, but ya must be the first ah've met who actively tried ta discourage me from joining yar religion. Wait... one has ta be mad to desire bein' a servant? Are ya sayin' that ya're mad?"
"No", the creature replied. "This one does not desire being a servant."
Braeburn blinked. "Then why...?"
"This one does not desire anything at all", the creature replied before the question was even formulated.
"Except killing the king and finding that prophet", Braeburn concluded.
"The Monolith wills it", the creature replied.
Braeburn sighed. "Alright... at least ya have goals that ah can agree with... although ah still don't know what's up with that prophet thingy."
"Neither does this one", the creature admitted.
"Hm, ah see", Braeburn said thoughtfully. "Alright, ah think the mares are waitin' for us with the dinner. Ah'm sure once ya've eaten, ya wanna take some sleep. Ya have quite a bit of walkin' ahead of ya tomorrow."
The creature nodded, and they both stood up, leaving the room towards the dinner hall.
Two hours later, Braeburn entered a small chamber with a candle in hand and sat down on a chair, beside an old telegraphing machine, beginning to telegraph a message that contained two questions.
"To your knowledge, have any caribou started to settle in Everfree forest?"
"Do you think there can be such a thing as a good caribou?"
He yawned. He somewhat suspected he wouldn't get a response until the next day. He'd have to stall this 'servant' creature's departure until he would be able to receive an answer. Depending on the answer, he would inform his associates of the canine and his alleged mission later.
He stood up, and then returned to his bedchambers.
Not even an hour later, the galvanometer printed out a response. Only one word.
"Yes." |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 17: End of the Silent One | The creature followed the train tracks north for weeks, living off the land and passing by a few smaller towns, until a forest came into view in the distance. He assumed that this was the forest he was looking for, but he wanted to make sure - so he decided to continue following the train tracks. Eventually, they led into a small town close to the edge of the forest. Entering the town, the creature found it in pretty much the same state as the other towns he had come through on his way up north, with the females being constantly publicly tortured, and the males either participating in the torture or ignoring them and going along with their daily routines. The creature decided it would not stay here for too long. He only had to find a single person and ask them whether the forest nearby was indeed the one he was looking for.
As a big, red-coated pony male about twice his own size walked by him, he decided to raise his voice. "This one is in search for information", he said loudly, hoping the other male would hear him.
The red-coated stallion stopped, looked around in confusion, then eventually looked down.
"Ah, there ya are", he said. "You ain't no pony or caribou. Are ya new in town?"
"This one is just passing through", the servant replied.
"Are ya one of dem diamond dogs?", the other male asked.
"This one is canine", the servant replied. "It is looking for information."
The stallion nodded, seemingly not content by that answer. "What do ya wanna know?", he asked.
The servant pointed in the direction of the forest nearby. "This one wishes to know if this forest is called..." He tried to recall from memory what the stallion in Appleloosa had called it. "...Everfree forest."
The red-coated stallion nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's Everfree", he said.
The servant nodded. "This one thanks that one for the information", he said, turning around and heading in the direction of the forest.
"Hey, wait!", the stallion shouted after him. He didn't bother to stop.
A moment later, he heard the sound of hoofsteps following him, making him finally pause and turn around. "What is it?", he asked the red stallion who had been following him.
"Look, ah don't have much time. Can't leave mah sisters and the others alone for too long", the stallion said, making the servant suspect that he was also affected by the odd 'male domination' idea that had taken hold of this land. "Ah just wanted ta warn ya. Everfree's a pretty dangerous place. Wild and untamed, with lotsa dangerous animals."
"This one can take care of itself", the servant responded.
"Ah just mean... there ain't much in that forest. Not sure why ya wanna go there. Maybe ya wanna meet up with other diamond dogs, ah've heard they hide out around there somewhere."
"This one is in search for a prophet in the forest."
"A profit?", the stallion asked, scratching his head. "Ah don't think ya can make a profit in Everfree. Not many buyers. What do ya have ta sell, if Ah may ask?"
"A prophet", the creature said, more clearly pronounced. "A precog. An oracle. A wise one. A person divinely inspired, or claiming to be. An ancient lawgiver. A founder of a religious movement..." He would have pulled up more synonyms had the stallion not interrupted him.
"Oh", the stallion replied. "A prophet, hum. Ah don't think I've heard of a diamond dog prophet. Maybe he's hidin' out in the ruins of that old castle in the northern part of the forest, but if he's a diamond dog, he might be hidin' out underground in one of dem warrens."
"The prophet is not canine", the creature replied.
"Oh?", the stallion asked.
"Cervine", the servant replied.
The stallion took a step back, suddenly seeming more distant, but also nervous. "Look, ah... ah don't want any trouble. Ah hope ah was able ta help ya, but ah've got ta go back to mah farm."
"That one was of some help", the creature replied.
"Good to hear, uh... good luck", the stallion said, seemingly almost already on his way.
The servant nodded. "This one is thankful", he said. Then he turned around, walking into the direction of the forest with no haste.
The stallion did not follow him.
About an hour later, the creature had entered the forest, and found himself surrounded by high trees and thick shrubs very quickly. He had to admit that he had no idea where to search, particularly with how vast the forest was, although he remembered that the weird stallion had mentioned ruins. The servant had a pretty good sense of orientation, pretty much a necessity for anyone who wished to survive in the Realm. He was also faithful that he would find the prophet in time. The Monolith did not send his servants on impossible missions. It was not a wasteful entity.
The servant continued to move northwards, deciding to look for the ruins first. If the prophet wasn't there, he would have to think of a new approach - but for now, this was the only hint he had. He made his way through the forest until suddenly, he felt the grip of a hand grasping his right ankle from below. Before he knew what was happening, he felt himself dragged downward, through the surprisingly light soil into the ground.
He landed on his knees in a cavern of sorts, the only visible light coming through the hole his surprisingly controlled descent had caused. He felt no pain, so he assumed that he was dragged all the way down. Two figures loomed above him, looking down at him.
"Look what we got here", one of them said. "Wait... that's no pony."
"Yeah", the other one said. "She looks more like one of us. Only smaller."
"She's not one of ours", the first one said. "I mean one of our warren. I'm certain of that."
"This one is male", the servant remarked.
The first one looked down in surprise. "Really? Dammit! That means we can't sell you. Stupid ponies and those caribou folks won't buy males."
"We could still demand ransom", the other one remarked.
"You idiot", the first one barked. "We could demand ransom if he was a pony or caribou. But I don't think we'll find any of the ponies or caribou willing to pay ransom for one of our own people. They'll just laugh at us."
"We could still keep 'im for ourselves", the second one remarked, not realizing that his victim was rising to his feet. "He's small and cute. I'm sure he'll make a good servant."
"This one is a servant...", the creature responded once he was standing upright.
"See, what did I tell you? He already knows where he belongs...", the second one continued his rant, until he suddenly felt a small pricking sensation on his neck, followed by a jolt of magical energy running through it. Only a second later, the diamond dog's legs collapsed under him, and he found himself lying flat on the ground, unable to move even a single muscle.
"...of the Monolith", the creature finished his sentence only milliseconds after withdrawing his arm from his wannabe capturer.
"Hey, what did you do to him!", the remaining diamond dog yelled while raising his spear and pointing it at the servant.
"That one does not need to worry", the creature responded. "Those two will be able to move again in an hour." He quickly moved forward and to the side.
"What do you mean those two... hey!", the remaining diamond dog barked in surprise, trying in vain to move his spear quickly enough to keep the sudden assailant at a distance. Before he knew what was going on, he felt two pricks on his upper arms, causing his arms to go limp and drop his weapon. Only a second later, he felt another prick in his neck coming from behind. Whatever this creature was, it was incredibly fast and agile, able to outmaneuver him even in their own tunnels. While coming to this realization, his leg muscles had already given up on him, and he was lying on the cold ground just as helpless as his companion.
"Those two do not currently seem in the condition to respond to questions", the creature remarked. "It would seem this one has to find a way out of these caverns by itself."
For a moment, the servant considered putting them hors de combat more permanently, but it was not part of his orders. If this was the Realm, he would have brought them before the Monolith and let it decide their fates. This was not an option though, so he just moved past them, carefully avoiding to step on them, but not even giving them another look - leaving behind two paralyzed and very dumbfounded diamond dog guards.
The creature continued his way through the caverns, only occasionally running across further diamond dog guards. None of them proved overly talkative, and by now he was leaving behind a trail of temporarily paralyzed diamond dogs, almost like an obscene trail of breadcrumbs. He tried to hide them whenever possible, but in the barren caverns, there was very little opportunity.
Eventually, he discovered a large hall ahead of him. Hearing voices from within, he hid behind a wall and tried to get a glimpse of the situation. Carefully spying around the corner, he saw a big table with several chairs around it, which he assumed to be mostly used as a dinner table. Right now, there seemed to be some kind of negotiation going on though. Two guards were standing watch, while on the other end of the table, another one of these canine creatures was talking to a big cervine. The cervine did not verbally reply though, merely scribbling words on pieces of paper and handing them to the canine. In the middle of the table, someone had placed a large cage, holding a female equine. After what he had seen in this country so far, the servant formed the hypothesis that the others were negotiating for her.
He quickly assessed his own situation. For the past half hour, he did have the feeling that he was constantly descending downwards - the opposite direction in which he wanted to go. He was close to turning around, but he had already searched the tunnels behind him thoroughly for an exit, and had been unable to find one. He was certain he would have to go through this hall, but judging from the angry shouts of the canines and the clumsy way the cervine was responding to them, he assumed that the negotiations would go on for a while. He also became aware of the worrying possibility that the ones he had left behind would eventually come out of their paralysis. He had to go through this hall as soon as possible - and maybe one of the creatures in it would know how to get out.
Taking out the guards would be no issue, he assumed. They stood close to the entry where he was, were big and seemingly clumsy, and did not seem to pay too much attention. As soon as he would have taken them out, the other two would become aware of him though. He had to act quickly.
He silently and swiftly moved into the hall, and before the guards knew what was going on, they found themselves paralyzed and onto the ground. They did not even have the chance to raise their spears or point them in his direction.
The canine negotiating now rose up from his seat and drew a kind of sword, jumping on the table and towards him, yelling something. He moved out of the way of the attacker's first slash, then pressed two of his fingers into his opponent's neck, sending him to the ground just like the others.
Meanwhile, the cervine had risen from his seat. He was a large specimen, larger than most of the ones he had seen so far. The creature jumped onto the table right in front of the cage, figuring that a heightened position would make it easier to paralyze this opponent. He then jumped towards the cervine to press his fingers into his neck - only to find his opponent's right hand making contact with his body and painfully punching him to the side. The servant found himself knocked against the wall like nothing, and it took him a moment to come back to his senses.
As he looked up, he saw the cervine looking down at him for a brief moment, but then turning his back to him and beginning to search the other canine's clothes and body for something.
Does every one in this country lack sense?! The servant thought for a moment. His body was in a good bit of pain, but he had decades of pain suppression training behind him - or maybe centuries. He wasn't too sure, time and memory worked differently in the Realm. He assumed that the cervine just saw another one of these canines in him - and those ones would certainly not be able to get up as quickly as he was.
Seconds later, he was on his feet again, swiftly moving behind the cervine and pressing his fingers into his neck, making his body go limp in a second.
The servant huffed for a moment, pressing his hand against his side. He was relatively certain that his body had taken no serious permanent damage, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. He decided to avoid fighting as much as possible from now on, and to avoid underestimating his opponents' speed.
"Hey!", he heard a female voice that could have come from nowhere but the cage. He turned his gaze to the female in it.
"Hey, you", the mare said. She was nude, orange-coated, with a mostly green mane and a few white strands in it, wearing only a black collar around her neck. The creature had seen these collars on every female in this country so far, most of them black like hers, others red or even purple - but no other colors so far. He had begun to form a hypothesis about these colors, and if his hypothesis was correct, she would likely be distrustful, but could probably be persuaded to help as long as he kept the fact that he was searching for a cervine to himself.
"Are you one of them?", the mare asked.
"Whom?", the creature replied.
"The diamond dogs", the mare replied. "You look like them, only smaller."
"This one is canine", the servant replied.
"So you belong to them?", the mare asked. "Why did you attack them, then?"
"This one does not belong to those ones", the creature replied.
The mare sighed in what seemed to be relief. "That's good to hear", she said. "Hey, could you do something for me?"
"That depends", the servant replied. "Could that one also do something for this one?"
The mare stared blankly at him for a moment. Then she pulled herself together. "I'm sorry. I guess I haven't introduced myself yet. Name's Apple Leaves."
"Apple?", the creature asked. "This one knows an Apple one."
"What?", the mare asked.
"This one knows an Apple one", the creature replied. "One named Apple Braeburn, this one believes."
"You know Braeburn?", the mare asked, surprised and apparently excited. "Is he... I mean how is he?"
"That one is not well", the creature replied. "It is healthy, but seems discontent with the overall situation."
"I mean is he... affected?", the mare asks.
"Affected by what?", the creature replies with another question.
"Whatever it is these cervine beasts have done to the stallions, of course!", the mare answered.
"This one does not know anything about that."
"You haven't been in this country for long, huh?", the mare asked. "Did you come to Appleloosa from Dimondia?"
"No", the creature responded. "Zebrica."
"Zebrica, huh... look, the only thing I want to know is how he treats females."
The creature looked the mare in the eyes. They seemed tired to him, but also angry. "Better than most other male ones this one has encountered here so far. A lot better."
The mare sighed in relief. "That's good to hear. I was looking for resistance hideouts in the forest, but maybe I'll try to make my way to Appleloosa instead. No wait... that's too far, they'll catch me. But maybe the resistance can get me there, hmm... look, can you do something for me?"
"That one already asked this", the servant replied. "This one's answer is still the same. This one needs to find a way out of here..."
"I can help you with that", the mare replied.
"...and this one needs to find a prophet in this forest", the servant concluded.
"I can't help you with that, but maybe the resistance knows more... alright, I'll help you out of this cavern, and in exchange, we can look for the resistance together and see if they know something about a prophet in Everfree." The mare smiled. "How about that?"
"That is acceptable", the creature said. "What does that one want from this one in exchange?"
"Easy", the mare said. "The one diamond dog has a key somewhere on him. Fetch it and give it to me."
The servant reacted immediately, pushing the cervine's body aside so as to be able to search the canine who had attacked him. While doing so, something occurred to him. He quickly grabbed the left arm of the paralyzed cervine and looked at the back of his left hand. He then immediately shook his head. "Not the one", he observed.
"No, not that one!", the mare insisted. "The diamond dog's the one with the keys."
The servant nodded absently, already searching the other canine's clothes for a key, finding it in one of his pockets relatively quickly. "This key?", he asked the mare, holding it up.
"Should be it", the mare said. "If you find any other keys, take them as well, just in case."
The servant nodded, handing the mare the key, then continuing his search, finding a keychain with a few more keys in the process. Meanwhile, the mare tried to use 'her' key to unlock her cage.
A moment later, she climbed off the table, picked up the sword of the negotiator who had attacked the servant, then walked over to the still paralyzed cervine - and, with a high-pitched scream of pure anger, she thrust it right through the antlered giant's chest and into his heart. The cervine's face froze in horror as his life left his body along with gallons of his blood.
"That one just killed the cervine one", the canine creature observed in an eerily unfazed voice. "May this one inquire about that one's reasons?"
The mare stared down on the dying caribou, seemingly frozen in shock about what she had done.
"This one is not going to pass judgment", the servant said. "It barely knows or understands what is going on in this country. It merely wishes to learn of that one's reasons."
The mare turned around to him, looking at him with an empty stare. "Have you ever been... raped by a warbeast?" She huffed. "You're a male, so I guess not."
"This one has not been raped", the servant replied. "It also does not know what a warbeast is."
"Consider yourself happy", the mare replied coldly.
"This one does not assume that that one was using some kind of metaphor", the creature observed.
The mare slowly shook her head. "No", she replied.
The servant decided not to pursue this line of inquiry any further, and instead chose to return to the topic at hand, or more accurately, on the floor. "Does that one feel better now?", he asked.
The mare let her arms sink to the side. Her expression looked tired. "I don't know, I... I've never done something like this before."
The creature nodded. "This one has done it before."
"Does it... become easier?", the mare asked.
"Yes", the creature said in the same neutral, unfazed voice he always spoke in.
The mare shuddered, for a moment imagining herself as cold and detached as the creature in front of her. "Then... I'll try not to do it again", she said.
The servant nodded. "This one will do what is necessary, so that one does not need to worry about that for now. That one did promise to lead this one out of these caves", he reminded her, as though nothing had happened.
"Give me a minute", the mare said, sitting down on a chair. She then looked up to him. "I'll lead you out, sure. We're in this together anyway. After that, we can search for the resistance together, or you can try to find your prophet on your own."
"This one will take that one up on its offer", the creature said, not having any better option for his search at the moment. "This one would also like to point out that the caves it came from are littered with paralyzed canine guards who will eventually wake up and likely come here."
The mare raised her head slowly and looked up to him. "In that case, we should get moving", she said, slowly raising from her chair. She then pointed at one of the doors on the other end of the hall. "We need to go through that door. The bastard locked it, but one of the keys from his keychain should be fitting."
The creature nodded, walking over to the door. He paused for a moment.
"Does that one wish to do away with the witnesses?", he asked.
"The wit...", the mare paused mid-sentence, looking around the room, her eyes falling on the three paralyzed canines who were scattered across the room.
"This one could do it", the creature offered.
"No", the mare said. "Celestia, no. That's sick."
The creature shrugged, going back to trying out the keys. "This one is not the one who has killed today."
The mare stared at the creature blankly for a moment. "Let's... let's just get going, okay?"
Once the door opened, they both left the hall through it, leaving three paralyzed and highly confused diamond dogs behind, along with the caribou's dead body, stabbed through the heart by one of their own swords.
They really wondered how they were supposed to explain that once the rest of Ponyville would inevitably come looking for their lost stag. |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 18: The Servant's Arrival | Deepest Desire was standing in her cave, facing the small mirror she had placed there. She slowly raised her hand and brought it up to her forehead. Her horn had grown back to almost its original size thanks to the love she had absorbed from "her" cow. The clear changeling appearance of it still felt out of place on her unicorn form.
She gently let her finger ran along her horn while concentrating her magical energy.
It should be possible now...
She lowered her hand as green energy flowed from the horn's base and into the tip. It still cost her some concentration to focus it and give it shape and form.
After a quick flash on the tip, the green energy flowed backwards, engulfing her entire body. Once it had disappeared, she was looking at a familiar, yet long unseen form in the mirror.
"That worked well...", Deepest Desire mumbled, turning around and walking towards the exit of the cave, past the hibernation cocoons of her hive.
Exiting the cave, she spotted her three companions sitting around a campfire place. As they spotted her, they rose from their seats.
Shadow Amethyst rushed towards her, falling onto her knees in front of her. "Mistress, you have finally changed back. You look wonderful, Mistress. Majestic. I apologize once again that I was of little help."
Deepest Desire smiled. "No need to apologize."
Ivana looked at Snowflake, momentarily confused. "Is this..."
"Yes", Snowflake responded. "It seems this is Deedee's true form."
Ivana still couldn't stop herself from chuckling whenever she heard Snowflake use the nickname the pegasus had given to her mistress - but after a brief moment, she likewise approached Deepest Desire, kneeling in front of her beside the crystal pony, smiling softly and silently.
Deepest Desire let her left hand run gently through the crystal mare's hair while her right hand petted the cow's head. "No need to kneel, both of you. You may rise up."
Snowflake now likewise approached the changeling. "You look good, Deedee", she said. "Although I think I preferred your pony form." She chuckled softly.
"Everyone is entitled to her own opinion", Deepest Desire said.
"Ha!", Shadow Amethyst laughed.
Deepest Desire cast her a glance. "Except you", she added.
The crystal pony grinned at her. "Yeah, that's probably for the better."
"Good to hear that you see it my way", Deepest Desire said, smiling back.
"So are you going to wake your hive now?", Snowflake asked.
"What would I do with them?", Deepest Desire replied with a counterquestion. "No, I don't even know yet if the caribou are willing to help me find a safe way to make the love of their cows usable to me."
"You mean you don't know if the cows are willing to help you", Snowflake interrupted.
"Yeah", Deepest Desire nodded. "That's what I said."
"That's not what you said!", Snowflake objected.
Deepest Desire gave her snippy grin. "Whatever. My point is, even Ivana can't feed my entire hive on her own. Even despite her outstanding empathic mirroring abilities, she only really produces enough love for me. There aren't even enough cows in Freeville to feed my entire hive, though we could wake some of my people if they're okay with providing food. For now, we should keep this a secret - but we can return to the relative comfort of the castle now if you wish."
"Not while you look like this", Snowflake said.
"Of course", Deepest Desire nodded. "One second."
Once again, green magical energy reverberated from the base of her horn to its tip, and then down her entire body.
Once it had dissipated, Snowflake began to muster her changeling girlfriend, from her body to her head. This was the Deepest Desire she had known so far, except...
She shook her head as her eyes went to the other female's forehead. "I don't think that'll work", she concluded. "I really hope this won't be a problem."
"Is something wrong?", Deepest Desire asked.
"Yeah, you have a horn", Snowflake replied.
"Does it still look changeling?", the other female asked.
"No, that's not the issue", the pegasus replied. "It looks like a proper unicorn horn. The problem is that as far as the other people in Freeville are concerned, you shouldn't have one. Can you create the illusion of a horn stump?"
"Oh", Deepest Desire said. "I almost forgot. This is going to be complicated, give me a sec..."
For the third time, green energy radiated from the base of her horn to its tip, staying there for a good bit and then radiating back - making the horn disappear and replacing it with a proper stump.
"Phew", Deepest Desire made. "Pretty arduous... so many transformations in such a short time. I think I need a snack." She smiled softly.
Ivana rushed over to her, coming to a halt close to her Mistress' body. "Do you need my services, Mistress?", she asked.
Deepest Desire wrapped her arm around the smaller female's waist and pulled her close, looking into her eyes while gently letting her other hand run across her cheek. "I'll gladly take you up on that offer, my little cow", she said.
Only a moment later, her lips made contact with the smaller female's.
A feeling of coldness ran through Ivana's body as her Mistress harvested a part of her love for her. It still didn't feel pleasant, but she had gotten more than used to it. In fact, she believed it had overall improved her feelings and her life. She didn't feel lost as often anymore, and not as dependent on her Mistress as she used to. The changeling had given her a sense of freedom she had not known before. The cold feeling during the immediate feeding was merely the price she had to pay.
The feeling faded, but Deepest Desire's lips remained locked onto hers for a good while longer while the changeling continued to hold her close. It had become a bit of a ritual for them to transition from feeding into a regular kiss. Ivana suspected that there was a purpose behind it beyond merely rewarding her, but she did not bother asking. She did not see herself as a slave in the conventional sense anymore, she guessed - but that didn't mean her Mistress wasn't entitled to a few secrets.
"Ah, that was nice", Deepest Desire said as she broke the kiss. "Alright then, let's pack our stuff and then move out.
After gathering their possessions, they headed out towards the castle, approaching the gates not too long after their departure from the hive's cave. The gates were open, and a few mares and stags had gathered in front of them.
"What's the commotion?", Deepest Desire wondered.
About half an hour earlier, the canine creature and the mare he had rescued were making their way through the forest in search for resistance activity when the canine picked up a sound.
"Hide!", he commanded, grabbing the mare's arm and pulling her behind a bush.
"What the hell?", Apple Leaves yelped. "What are you doing?"
The canine's ears perked. "Ones are coming. Two or three. Possibly pony ones. Maybe caribou ones."
"A patrol?", Apple Leaves asked. "This deep in Everfree? They're searching for me, surely!" She fell silent when she heard the humming of a clearly female voice coming towards them.
"...ah, nothing better than a good morning walk", the voice said.
"It's past noon", another voice proclaimed, clearly male, and with a clear accent.
"Silence!", the female voice commanded. "You better focus on keeping up, stag!"
"What the actual hell!?", Apple Leaves whispered.
"Shh!", the creature made.
The mare couldn't help herself. Slowly, she raised herself up a little bit, hoping that she would remain unseen, trying to peer into the direction of the voices.
What she saw must have been the strangest sight of her entire life so far.
A teal green female pegasus was casually walking through the forest. She was wearing clothing, and despite the fact that her wings seemed featherless and bandaged, they were not covered in the usual wing sheaths. She was holding a leash attached to a leather collar worn by a large, brown figure walking behind her - an antlered figure.
"As you wish, Mistress", the stag said, now clearly coming into view. Aside from his collar - which didn't seem to be one of the caribou's runic variety, and more resembled an ordinary leather collar resembling the ones used for non-sapient pet dogs - he was wearing simple pants and no shirt. At least he wasn't nude.
Apple Leaves felt like her eyes were falling out of her skull.
"Is that kind of behavior normal?", the creature asked very calmly, now also peeking out of their hiding spot. "This one was under the impression that this kind of treatment was reserved for female ones, and exclusively administered by males."
The mare shook her head. "No, it... it really isn't", she whispered, slowly getting back her mental focus. "Is... is the Resistance keeping captured caribou as slaves? No, that... that can't be right, he's too willing... unless they mind-controlled him, or brainwashed him somehow..."
While the mare continued to babble to herself, her canine companion had already left their hiding spot and was moving in the direction of the two approaching figures.
"Wait, what are you...", she wanted to yell, but it was too late.
The canine approached the two and raised his hand. "Greetings", it said.
The pegasus mare stopped dead in her tracks. "Who are you?", she asked, eyeing him closely. "What are you doing here."
"This one is a servant of the Monolith", the creature said. "It is searching for a prophet, and it has also made a promise to find a group - or possibly groups - called the Resistance."
This made the two others visibly nervous. "Who did you make this promise to?", she asked.
"A female pony one", the canine replied. "From what this one understands, that one is on the run, and wishes to ask for safe harbor."
Apple Leaves left her hiding place and rushed towards them, realizing that he had pretty much already given her away. "Are you Resistance?", she asked, panting.
The pegasus smiled. "Who wants to know?"
"Apple Leaves", the earth pony replied, bracing herself for further questioning.
"Honestly, Spring Breeze...", the caribou spoke. "I don't think we need to test her any further. They've already spotted us doing something highly illegal. Professing our allegiance won't change much. If they're loyal to the regime, we pretty much have to overpower them anyway. I think they aren't, though. The mare is a black collar, and if the other guy was a diamond dog bounty hunter, he'd act differently."
The canine looked up to the creature almost twice his size with an unfazed expression.
Spring Breeze shrugged. "Yeah, we... really didn't expect to run into anyone in this part of the forest. Hirthir doesn't come here, and with Everfree's Magistrate on our side, we don't expect any patrols that aren't our own. But yes, we are a resistance group."
"I have so many questions right now...", Apple Leaves mumbled.
"Feel free to ask", Spring Breeze smiled gently.
Apple Leaves stared at her in confusion for a long moment.
"Alright", she eventually said. "First of all, who are you people? Secondly... did you just say the Magistrate of Everfree is a resistance member? I didn't even know Everfree had a Magistrate! Why would Dainn give that position to an Incurable? I didn't even know he handed those out to ponies at all? And finally..."
She took a long breath and then looked at Baldr. "...are you her slave or what?"
The stag laughed. "Nah... at least not in that sense. I'm just a fucking pervert, that's all."
Spring Breeze gave him a hard slap on the back of his head. "Stop being stupid! You're unsettling her. Let me handle the talks, alright?"
Baldr nodded, then made a step back.
"Alright, let's go through your questions one by one", Spring Breeze said. "Although I have to say you make quite a few assumptions. First, I'm Spring Breeze, representative of the mares of Freeville and de-facto leader of the Freeville Resistance, and this is Baldr... our medical practitioner. And yes, the Magistrate of Everfree is one of us - in fact, he deliberately took this position in order to provide a hideout for us. Why would you think he's a pony though - particularly given what you see right in front of you? He's a caribou, just like my big boy here. As for your final question..."
She paused for a moment. "Yes", she replied. "Baldr is my dirty little sex slave whom I've trained to obediently fulfill my every wish and desire without question."
"Talk about not unsettling people", Baldr commented from behind her.
Spring Breeze turned around and shot him a gaze. "Did you really think you would get away without punishment after that 'pervert' comment, boy?", she asked. "Have you considered how that reflects on me?"
Baldr shrugged, keeping his head down. "Fair enough... Mistress."
"...I think my mind just broke", Apple Leaves stuttered.
Her canine companion turned towards the caribou. "May this one see the back of that one's left hand?", he asked.
Baldr scratched his head. "This one that hand what?", he stuttered, trying to parse what the foreign creature had said.
The canine raised his hand to shoulder height, then pointed at himself with his thumb. "This one", he explained slowly, as if he was talking to an imbecile. Then, he pointed at Baldr with his index finger. "That one."
Baldr nodded, still slightly confused.
"May this one...", the creature spoke slowly again, pointing at himself with his thumb again. "See...", he continued, taking another pause. "That one's...", he proceeded, pointing his index finger at the cervine in front of him. "Back of its left hand", he finished.
"Uuuuh... Mistress?", Baldr asked, looking at Spring Breeze in search for help.
"First things first!", Spring Breeze decided. "I think I haven't caught your name yet."
"This one did not give a name", the creature responded calmly.
"Then who are you?", the pegasus asked.
"This one is a servant of the Monolith", he replied.
"That's not a name", Spring Breeze pointed out.
"It is who this one is", the canine replied.
Spring Breeze sighed. "Great, another weirdo. Those seem to flock to us for some reason." She paused for a moment. "So are you... some kind of cultist? I don't think I've ever heard of this 'Monolith' before." She looked at him more closely. "Now that I think about it... what exactly are you? Are you a diamond dog?"
"This one is a Mimiga", the creature replied.
"That... only raises even more questions", Spring Breeze pointed out.
"Yes", the creature responded. "Now may this one see the back of the caribou one's left hand?"
Baldr raised his hand and turned its back towards the creature.
The Mimiga shook his head. "Not the one", he said, calmly and unfazed as always.
Spring Breeze furred an eyebrow. "Why are you so interested in the back of his hand?", she asked.
"This one is searching for a prophet", the Mimiga explained. "That one is cervine, and bears a symbol on the back of its hand."
Baldr's ears perked. "What kind of symbol?"
"A snake, coiling around a broken mirror", the creature recited the orders he had received from the Monolith. "This is what the Monolith told this one."
"Ari has a symbol like that on his left hand", Baldr said. "He said it suddenly appeared after he woke up from a nightmare one night. Wait..." He raised his eyebrow. "Are you telling me that my best friend is the prophet of some kind of deity?"
"This one does not know", the Mimiga answered sincerely. "If what that one says is true, this one would think so though."
In the course of the conversation, Apple Leaves had more and more assumed a blank stare. Now, she dropped to her knees, then laid down on the ground, assuming a fetal position.
"She's been through a lot, hasn't she?", Baldr asked the Mimiga.
"This one would assume so", the creature nodded.
Spring Breeze walked over to her and knelt beside her. "Hey, I... I know this is all a lot to take in... but it seems you've finally found what you were looking for. We have shelter, food, and clothing for you at the castle. Can you walk?"
Apple Leaves remained in a fetal position for a few more moments. Then, she straightened up, flung her arms around the other mare's neck, and began to cry.
Spring Breeze awkwardly pat the other mare's back with her right hand. "There, there...", she mumbled.
Eventually, the mare stopped crying, remaining in this position. "Can you walk?", Spring Breeze asked again. "Or shall I let my mule carry you?" She chuckled a little.
The other mare broke the embrace and shook her head, wiping away a few tears. "No, I... think I... 'd like to walk. I don't... really... want him to touch me."
Spring Breeze nodded and stood up, extending an arm to the mare to help her up. Apple Leaves grabbed it, and then struggled to her feet.
"We should get moving", Spring Breeze said. "With this group, we really don't want to run into anyone else." She turned to the Mimiga. "This is weird... talking to someone who doesn't have a name, I don't even know how to address you... do you want to accompany us?"
"We pretty much have to insist anyway", Baldr pointed out. "He knows who we are."
"Fair enough", Spring Breeze said. "So let me rephrase. Will you come with us willingly?" She smirked.
"Those ones are vastly overestimating their capabilities", the Mimiga pointed out. "But yes, this one will. It wishes to meet the one called Ari."
"Right", Spring Breeze said flatly. "I remember. That weird thing. Not that I understand a word of it. Let's get going, then."
A good while later, they arrived at the gate of the castle ruins, and Spring Breeze gave it a good knock.
A small hole in the gate opened, revealing a caribou face. "Who's there?", the caribou asked.
"It's just us", Spring Breeze said. "Oh, and two newcomers - so could you please send for the others? I want to call in a plenum meeting in the great hall as soon as possible."
The gates opened, and a caribou stepped out. "I've sent word", he said, looking at the two newcomers. "Where did you pick them up?", he asked. "Can we trust them?"
Spring Breeze nodded. "I think so. The mare's on the run, and the other guy... is far too weird to work for anyone in the regime."
"I can see that", the caribou said. "I first thought he was a diamond dog... but he's too small and his features don't add up. What is he."
"He calls himself a Mimiga and a servant of the Monolith", the pegasus replied. "Seems to be some kind of cult member. Wants to see Ari. We should also get the mare in as quickly as possible. See to it that she gets clothing and then bring her to the mares' quarters. And make sure she feels absolutely safe and comfortable... understood?"
The caribou straightened up. "Yes, ma'am."
"We think she's got... what do ponies call it... PTSD", Baldr said. "Must have been through a rough time."
The caribou nodded. "Would have assumed that from her collar", he said.
"Please, don't... leave me alone... with him", Apple Leaves stuttered.
"What's going on here?", Spring Breeze and the others heard a familiar female voice behind her, making them turn around.
"Deepest Desire", Spring Breeze exclaimed. "You're back. You're coming yourself, so this isn't about supplies... you've taken care of that business of yours?"
Deepest Desire nodded, grinning. "Pretty much. So what's up here?"
"Newcomers", Spring Breeze replied. "Picked them up along the way while Baldr and I were having our daily walk. The mare isn't well... emotionally. Could you get her in, clothed, and into the mares' quarters? Or maybe one of your mares? She doesn't want to be left alone with our cervine friends, and I have an extraordinary plenum meeting to organize."
"I should be there for that", Deepest Desire said. "But I might take a look at her later, maybe I can help."
"She's a trained psychiatrist and psychotherapist", Spring Breeze informed Apple Leaves, who gave her a weak nod.
Deepest Desire continued. "I can't send Shadow Amethyst either, for obvious reasons. Snowflake? Can you take Ivana and then escort our new member to the mares' quarters?"
Snowflake nodded. "Ivana and I will take care of it." She turned to Apple Leaves. "Is it okay if a cow comes with us? She's harmless, I swear! Obeys me and Dee-Dee to the letter."
Ivana giggled softly as Apple Leaves gave them a weak nod, and the three mares entered the castle through the main gate.
"We should be going in as well", Spring Breeze said. "We'll all meet in thirty minutes in the great hall."
Thirty minutes later, the majority of mares and caribou had gathered in the great hall of the castle. Spring Breeze was standing at the podium as always.
"Today's extraordinary plenum meeting is hereby opened", she spoke. "First, I am happy to inform you that Deepest Desire, Snowflake, Shadow Amethyst and Ivana will re-join us. Second agenda item: We have two newcomers. Snowflake, report on Apple Leaves."
Snowflake nodded and stood up. "The first one, a mare named Apple Leaves, has been given a room in the mares' quarters and provided with clothing and a meal. She is not well emotionally, and does not wish caribou around her, so she is still wearing her black collar. We will respect her wishes until she has recovered enough to have it removed."
Spring Breeze nodded. "Our second newcomer is..."
She paused, then rubbed her temples. "Ugh, this is annoying. I don't even know how to address him. He provided no name, and apparently doesn't have one."
Murmuring filled the hall, particularly among the mares. A female incapable of providing her name was at least conceivable these days, but a male?
"He's a Mimiga... whatever that is, seems like a canine species... and he calls himself a servant of the Monolith", Spring Breeze mumbled. Then, she turned around. "Ugh. Would you please come forward, servant of the Monolith?"
From behind her, a small robed figure with white fur stepped forward. "May this one speak with the Ari one now?", he asked.
"Straight to the point", Spring Breeze sighed.
Eadgil stood up. "Uuuh... if you mean me, sure. Not sure how you know of me..."
"I told him you have a neat little snake tattoo on your left hand", Baldr said.
Eadgil turned to his best friend. "Why would you bring that up?", he asked.
His friend grinned. "He asked for it", he replied.
"What?", Eadgil asked. "What are you talking about."
Spring Breeze waved her hands dismissively. "First things first. First of all, we can't possibly continue to call you 'servant of the Monolith'. I barely even understand what you are."
Somewhere in the second row, Star Charmer giggled. "Adorable is what he is."
Spring Breeze raised an eyebrow. "Really, Star Charmer?" She sighed and turned back to the creature. "Either way... I understand your cult... or whatever it is... doesn't use names, but you must have had a name before you joined it."
"This one does not remember the time before it became a servant", the Mimiga replied. "Memory is not required."
Spring Breeze sighed. "Apparently, Apple Leaves isn't the only one who's been through some tough shit", she said thoughtfully. "Then you will have to choose a name."
"A name is not required", the Mimiga replied.
"You know what... fine!", Spring Breeze yelled, visibly annoyed. "I'll just call you Monolith. Whatever, geez..."
"This one is not particular about names", the Mimiga replied. "It is not the Monolith, but it will reply to that word if it is desired, but it also wishes to point out that this choice will likely lead to confusion."
"Why not just Mono?", Star Charmer asked, chuckling again.
"Mono or Monolith would both work", Spring Breeze said. "Your choice."
The Mimiga shrugged. "This one is not particular."
"Alright, fine", Spring Breeze said in an annoyed tone. "Both, then."
"May this one speak to the Ari one now?"
"First things first!", Spring Breeze emphasized. "We still don't know why you're here."
"This one has a mission in these lands that involves several steps", the creature explained. "The first one is to find the prophet. This one hopes to find that one here."
Spring Breeze rubbed her temples. "You really need to explain this. Is this some part of a religious doctrine?"
"No", the Mimiga replied. "It is an order given to this one by the Monolith."
"Alright", Spring Breeze sighed, not even bothering to inquire further. "Who is this prophet, then, and how do you recognize him."
"The prophet is male", the Mimiga replied. "Of the same species as the mad king, so this one assumes cervine. It bears a mark on its left hand. A snake, coiling around a broken mirror."
Eadgil stood up once more, raised his left hand, looked at it, then turned it towards the Mimiga. "Like this one?", he asked.
"That one is the one", Mono confirmed.
Eadgil nodded. "So I'm a prophet of a deity that I've never heard of, apparently. I have to admit, I'm... not a very religious person."
"This one also is not", Mono replied.
Eadgil furrowed his brows. "Uh... okay, whatever. So, what does that mean now?"
"This one is ordered to protect the prophet from harm, and obey its commands", the Mimiga replied.
"Seems like I have my very own bodyguard now", Eadgil mumbled. "You said you will obey my commands?"
"Yes", Mono replied.
"Then I command you to reveal your full mission to us", Eadgil commanded.
"This one has been sent to these lands to find the prophet, keep it safe and obey it. It also has orders to depose of the mad king and its council, and to retrieve the artifact known as the Crystal Heart, and return it to the Monolith's Realm."
Murmuring filled the hall.
Eadgil rubbed his chin. "Do you think removing the artifact from Equestria and taking it to the Realm of this Monolith will neutralize its effects on Equestria's population?"
"This one does not know", the Mimiga replied.
"Fair enough." Eadgil shrugged.
"Well, it seems his goals line up with ours... mostly", Spring Breeze said. "The fact that he obeys you also puts me at ease." She smirked. "Although I would prefer it was me."
Eadgil rubbed his chin. "You know... something about this mission statement seems really, really odd to me. There's something about it that won't stop bugging me... I wonder if I should seek out that Monolith in his Realm."
"That one should not", the Mimiga replied.
"Why not?", Eadgil asked.
"Because no one in its right mind should seek out the Monolith."
Eadgil raised his eyebrow. "Are you saying you're crazy?"
"Yes", the Mimiga replied. "It is a necessity if one wishes to survive in the Realm... although it does by no means guarantee survival. This one has the guidance of the Monolith though. That one has not."
Eadgil chuckled. "I'm a prophet of the Monolith and I'm not even guided by him. Sounds like I missed my calling."
"This one would not know about that", Mono replied. "It only knows its mission statement."
As he had said that, the door to the great hall opened, and another caribou entered. "We just had another visitor", the stag said.
"Well, where is he?", Spring Breeze asked.
"He left already", the caribou replied. "He was merely here to drop a letter for Ari... from Councilman Vestri. It has his official seal."
"This can't be good", Eadgil sighed. "Alright, bring it to me."
The stag approached him and handed him the letter, and Eadgil carefully opened the seal and began to read.
"It seems we just got a third agenda item", he said.
"What is it?", Spring Breeze asked.
"According to this, a stag named Thungrox was found dead in a diamond dog cave with one of their blades stuck in his chest, piercing his heart. The diamond dogs have been detained and await prosecution."
"How does that concern us?", Spring Breeze asked.
"Well, first of all, their den was on Everfree territory... although only barely, it was closer to Ponyville than to us. They're going to do the trial in Canterlot though, fortunately - but they ask us to focus our patrols on finding diamond dog dens in this area, and uprooting them if they turn out to be hostile."
"At least we don't have to pretend to hunt ourselves anymore", Spring Breeze chuckled.
"Aside from that, Thungrox was appointed handler of a state-owned mare named... a mare Vestri refers to as 'Flutterslut' or 'the yellow pegasus'. Yeah, that can't be her actual name..."
"Fluttershy?", Spring Breeze asked.
"You know her?"
"Not really", Spring Breeze replied. "She's... she used to be part of a group of magical warriors lead by Princess Twilight Sparkle called the bearers of the Elements of Harmony... a legendary magical weapon that was used by Princess Celestia to banish her sister according to our legends, and was rediscovered around the same time Princess Luna reappeared. Honestly though... aside from Princess Twilight Sparkle, not that much is widely known about them beside their names, though I heard they helped defeat Discord."
"I see", Eadgil nodded. "Yes, I think I remember having heard of them. Dainn actually made a point out of publicly humiliating them, and still seems to do so... and it always struck me as weird, because unlike the Princesses, most ponies barely seemed to know who they were."
"What makes you think he's still making a point out of humiliating them?", Spring Breeze asked. "I mean aside from the fact that they're females", she added.
"Because this letter asks me to come to Canterlot and convene with Vestri about succeeding Thungrox as this Fluttershy's handler", Eadgil replied. "And it informs me that if Vestri appoints me for this position, I will be required to take Fluttershy to... public events on a regular basis. The document specifically mentions the Grand Galloping Gala in June."
"Oh", Spring Breeze said. "That's bad."
"Yeah, it puts us in a really though spot", Eadgil replied. "We pretty much have to take her to these events, or else we risk exposing ourselves. On the other hand, it pretty much means taking a mare out to get repeatedly raped, tortured, and humiliated. There are several possibilities here, and with the exception of one, they're all not pretty. There is a chance that she's sympathetic to the resistance and willing to play her part in keeping up our disguise. That would be the optimal case. But what if she's unwilling to do that? Do we force her? That raises a lot of questions. We've had to disguise ourselves in the past, but only on our own turf, and we had willing mares play the part while the others went into hiding. An even worse case would be if she's a willing supporter of the regime. We'd pretty much have to lock her up permanently in order to prevent her from giving us away, and even then, there would be a risk that she'd give us away whenever I have to take her out."
"I don't think that's too much of a risk", Spring Breeze said. "Who would believe her?"
Eadgil nodded. "Good point. She could still try to find other ways to sabotage us though - and I doubt we can handle her the same way we handled Shadow Amethyst."
"It would highly depend on her reasons for collaborating", Spring Breeze pointed out.
"Now that I think about it, the second case is probably the worst one", Eadgil mused. "I really don't want to force a mare into all this shit. Not again."
Silence filled the room for a few moments that seemed like aeons.
"Again...", Eadgil repeated angrily. "The bastard is doing it to me again."
"Beg a pardon?", Spring Breeze asked, surprised by his sudden burst of anger.
"Vestri", Eadgil said. "He's forcing a mare on me again, forcing me to do stuff I don't want to do. Will it ever end?"
Spring Breeze put a hand on the caribou's shoulder. "We'll make it end, Ari. I promise."
She made a step back. "In fact, this is an opportunity in disguise. Vestri wants something from you, Ari. So you will tell him that you want something in exchange."
"And what would that be?", asked Eadgil.
"What do you think?", Spring Breeze said. "You want to be made handler of Zecora, and you want Hirthir out of your forest."
Eadgil nodded. "You're right. This gives me a bargaining chip. And once we have Zecora, we'll see if she can help regrow your wings and horns."
Spring Breeze clapped her hands. "I don't even think we have to agree on what to do with Fluttershy just yet. Maybe you won't even get the position. And if you do, we can still see what she's like and what to do about her. All in favor of postponing this?"
A lot of hands went up.
"Anyone who thinks we should make a decision now?"
Spring Breeze spotted not a single hand.
She clapped her hands. "Alright, then, I would say that concludes the plenum for today."
As the meeting concluded, Deepest Desire and Snowflake left the hall together.
"Dee-dee", the white pegasus mare asked. "Wouldn't that have been a good time to reveal yourself? You could offer them to have one of your drones replace Fluttershy for these events."
Deepest Desire shook her head. "Not yet. We'll get to that once it becomes necessary."
Snowflake shook her head. "Sometimes, I just don't understand you." |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 19: The Councilman's Agenda | Early the next morning, Eadgil had prepared to leave for Canterlot, and he, Spring Breeze, Baldr, and the Mimiga they had named Monolith had gathered at the exit.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?", Baldr asked.
"No", Eadgil replied. "I can handle this on my own. Besides, someone should stay here with Bruna. I don't want her to feel lonely."
"You sure you don't want her to come as well?", Baldr asked.
Eadgil shook his head. "She told me she didn't want to leave the safety of the castle and forest."
Baldr nodded. "Yeah, I understand. She's never been to a city that big, and she doesn't behave like people expect from a cow. Not to mention it's not exactly safe."
"I think we should get going, then", Eadgil said. "Monolith?"
"This one needs to say something", the Mimiga replied.
"You have second thoughts about coming with me?", Eadgil asked.
"No", Monolith replied. "But there is something that one needs to know. It is about the caribou one who was killed."
"Thungrox?", Eadgil asked. "What about him?"
"The diamond dog ones who were imprisoned are innocent", the Mimiga said emotionlessly.
"What?", Eadgil asked.
"They did not kill the Thungrox one", Monolith replied.
"How do you know that?", Spring Breeze inquired. "Don't tell me you did it."
"No", Monolith replied. "The Apple Leaves one did it."
Eadgil blinked. "Inside a diamond dog den?"
"Yes", the Mimiga replied.
"With one of their own blades?"
"Yes."
Spring Breeze rubbed her chin. "Probably a few days before we stumbled across the two. So you were there and saw it when it happened?"
"Yes", the Mimiga replied.
"Unfortunately, we can't do much for them now", Eadgil said. "Not without risking our operation here, or delivering Apple Leaves to the authorities. I think you shouldn't talk about this matter in Canterlot."
The Mimiga nodded.
"Are you sure you still want to come with me?", Eadgil asked.
"Unless that one orders this one to stay here, yes", the Mimiga replied. "Protecting that one is part of this one's mission."
Eadgil rubbed his chin. "So what you're saying is that your maxim to obey my orders overrides your maxim to protect me?", he asked.
The Mimiga looked up to him for a few long seconds. "This one has to think about that", he replied.
Eadgil himself thought for a moment. "Hmmm... you also said your mission was to kill the king and his council, right?"
"Yes", the Mimiga confirmed.
"You... aren't going to try that while we're there, right?"
"That would likely endanger the prophet", the Mimiga said. "This one is not able to do that. Its mission is to protect the prophet. It cannot take actions that would sabotage part of its mission."
"Good to hear that", Eadgil sighed. "We do share the same goals, but there is a time and place for everything, and this is not it." The Mimiga gave him a nod.
"Alright, then", Eadgil concluded. "Let's move out."
"Wait!", he heard a familiar voice behind him. As he turned around, he saw Star Charmer rushing up to them.
"I want to come with you!", she said.
"Why?", Eadgil inquired.
Star Charmer smiled. "I want to see Canterlot again."
"You do realize what kind of people currently inhabit it, right?", Eadgil asked.
"I trust you to keep me safe", Star Charmer replied. "But besides, I think this is also a good way to spend some time with you alone." She gave the Mimiga a quick look. "Well, almost alone."
"This one will make sure to not get in the way", the Mimiga said.
Eadgil sighed. "I really don't think this is a good idea...", he mumbled.
"But you can't stop me either, can you?", Star Charmer grinned.
Once more, Eadgil let out a sigh. "It seems like I can't. Alright then. We'll stay in my old house, so it'll be relatively safe for you."
"Oh no", Star Charmer said. "I want to come with you when you go talk to Vestri. I want to get an impression of the stag who made my Ari so angry that he formed a movement to overthrow his own king." She giggled. "You can impress him with how well-behaved I am."
"You are?", Eadgil asked.
Star Charmer giggled. "I can be."
"Spring Breeze, do you approve of this?", Eadgil asked.
Spring Breeze shrugged. "She's a free mare." She turned to Star Charmer. "Just make sure you don't do anything that would endanger our operation here."
"Understood!", Star Charmer said.
"Oh, and Star Charmer...", Spring Breeze added. "Don't get hurt, okay?"
Star Charmer swallowed. "Understood", she said after a moment.
"I still think this is a bad idea", Eadgil repeated. "Not sure why you even want to come."
Star Charmer blushed and looked down. "It's just that... we haven't had much opportunity for private time together recently." She smiled. "Plus, I'd like to get to know our new member a bit better."
"There is not much to know", Monolith replied. "Nothing that could not be summed up in two minutes."
Star Charmer giggled. "I doubt that. What you told us already sounds like a really interesting story, and I'm sure we haven't even heard a fracture of it."
Eadgil shruged. "Anyway... let's move out. I just hope this isn't a mistake..."
They left the castle to make their way to Canterlot...
Arriving in Canterlot, Eadgil and his companions made their way to his old house - or rather, Deepest Desire's house that he moved into after the takeover. They had little time to put down their stuff and get a little bit of rest, as Eadgil's meeting with Vestri had been scheduled for late afternoon of the same day.
All three of them eventually left the house, and Eadgil carefully locked it. With Eadgil dressed up in something more formal, Star Charmer being kept nude and on a leash connected to a fake red collar, and Monolith walking beside them in his usual robes, the three of them moved in the direction of the palace. The city had definitely not improved for the better since he had left, Eadgil decided. If anything, the cruelty and debauchery had become omnipresent, with mares being publicly abused almost wherever one looked. Eventually, they came by a theater with a huge ad poster for what looked like a musical play, and showed several cows dancing in ridiculous, revealing outfits that looked like parodies of caribou unicorns. Eadgil couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and scratch his chin.
"Summer in Equestria for Caribou?", he read in a questioning tone, raising an eyebrow. "Starring a bunch of whores whose names don't matter. A kabuki play about the arrival of our saviors, the caribou. By Brush Stroke."
Beside him, Monolith stopped dead in his tracks. "Did that one say kabuki?", he asked.
"Unless I've forgotten how to read Equestrian letters overnight... that's what that word there says", Eadgil confirmed, casting a glance at Star Charmer.
Making sure not to draw attention, the mare just shook her head - but their canine companion had already begun to chuckle and laugh. A cold chill ran down Eadgil's spine. It was the first time that he saw his canine bodyguard show any emotional reaction - but even that laugh seemed unnatural. Not like a fake laugh, more like the laugh of someone who hadn't laughed for decades and was out of practice.
The laugh ended as abruptly as it had started. "What in the name of the ancestors was that?", Eadgil asked.
"This one apologizes", the Mimiga said. "It would seem that this one lost control for a moment. This one assumes it is the result of its distance from the Monolith."
Eadgil shrugged. "Apology accepted... I guess. But I still don't get what's so funny."
"Kabuki is a form of theater invented by this one's people", the Mimiga replied.
"The servants of the Monolith have theater plays?", Eadgil asked.
"The servants do not", Monolith replied. "This one was not born a servant. It originated in a country south of the Monolith's Realm called the Republic - a nation comprised of a number of semi-independent Mimiga city states, as well as large rural areas. That is where the term likewise originates."
"But how is it possible that we find this word here?", Eadgil asked. "I was under the impression that the inhabitants of Equestria don't even know about your people, or at least the majority of them. Also, I still don't get how that's laugh-out-loud funny."
"There is a possible explanation for that", the Mimiga said. "This one's people had some cultural influence on some nations south of this country that it might have contact with. Particularly the diamond dogs of Dimondia have taken up cultural traditions from this one's people, including kabuki. In fact, they place a higher value on this specific theater tradition than this one's own people. If this one properly understands the laws of this country, the Brush Stroke one is probably fortunate that most other ones here are not familiar with the term."
Eadgil raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"
Monolith looked around. Then, he wunk Eadgil down to come closer. The caribou instinctively made a step towards him and bowed down a little. Star Charmer likewise attempted to place herself within hearing distance.
"Kabuki is a Mimiga tradition in which characters are played by actors of the opposite gender", the Mimiga said silently and calmly.
Eadgil made a step back and blinked. "What", he asked flatly.
Now, it was Star Charmer's turn to burst into giggles and laughs, drawing quite a few gazes from passersby.
It took Eadgil two seconds to assess the situation. Then, he harshly pulled on Star Charmer's leash, making her tumble towards him on all fours. "Behave yourself, mare!", the stag commanded. "Do I have to beat the shit out of you again?!"
Star Charmer lowered her head and pressed her body to the ground. "The mare apologizes, Master. She will control herself."
With public order being restored, the pedestrians turned their eyes away and went on their way, not paying anymore attention to the strange group - all except for one single stag, who, inconspicuously and unnoticed by the group, proceeded to walk in their direction, leading a mare of his own along on a leash.
"Master, can we see this play?", Star Charmer asked in a hushed voice. "Pretty please? It's tomorrow evening!"
"I'm still not sure how that could even have gotten past the censors!", Eadgil said. "Everything has to go through the censorship department after all..."
The stag flinched as he heard a male voice behind him. "Are you interested in the play?"
Eadgil turned around, looking into the blue eyes of a grey-coated, slender stag of about Eadgil's age, or maybe a bit younger. Accompanying the stag was a red-collared, red-coated, exotic-looking pegasus mare with impressive yellow eyes, walking upright behind him, but on a leash, her arms folded behind her back, but seemingly not tied.
"I guess so", Eadgil asked. "To be frank, my companion and I are a little bit... confused. May I ask who you are?"
"My name is Birgir", the stag answered. "And this is Ruby."
He paused for a long moment, seemingly scanning the other stag's face expression. "Not that it matters", he eventually said. He smirked. "I can recommend this play though."
"Birgir, huh?", Eadgil asked, smiling a little. "Who did you save?"
Birgir returned the smile. "I think my father just liked the name", he replied.
"He saved me though", the mare said softly, smiling a little.
"Oh?", Eadgil asked, making a little mental note that the stag hadn't immediately punish her for speaking out of line.
"Yeah", Birgir replied, making a little mental note that the other stag hadn't immediately taken offense to his mare speaking out of line. "I bought Ruby from a stallion who treated her in a way that... let's just say I disagreed with. Not that it's my place to judge, of course."
Eadgil nodded. "Yeah, many stallions don't really get it yet. They understand the place of a mare, but not the responsibilities of a Master."
Birgir nodded. "I couldn't agree more. Of course, we shouldn't say that too loudly... even despite the privileged positions rightly given to us as Equestria's liberators, we are still a minority in this country after all."
Eadgil smirked. "I actually have a lot more to say about stallions." He paused for a moment, registering the other stag giving him another short nod. "But my apologies. I haven't introduced us yet. My name is Eadgil, my canine bodyguard is Monolith, and my mare's name is Star... but anyway, you said you can recommend that play? So you already saw it?"
Birgir shook his head. "It's premiere tomorrow... and I doubt there will be more performances after that one. No, I've read it... and I attended some of the rehearsals, because I make a point out of doing my job thoroughly." He chuckled briefly.
"You work in the censorship department", Eadgil concluded, earning him another nod from the other stag. "Did you approve this?"
Birgir nodded. "Indeed, I did."
"Has that one ever heard of kabuki?", Monolith asked.
Birgir took a step closer and looked at the strange creature. "Huh", he made. "I don't think I've ever seen a creature like you. Are you a diamond dog?"
"This one is a Mimiga", Monolith replied.
"My apologies", Birgir said. "I don't think I've heard of that."
The Mimiga replied with a nod. "Has this one ever heard of the term kabuki?"
Birgir thought for a minute. "Yes... I think that word appeared in the description of this play, and on the draft for the poster. Tried to look it up, but couldn't find any references anywhere. It... doesn't seem like an Equestrian word."
Eadgil raised an eyebrow. "And you approved it without knowing what it means?"
Birgir placed his hand on the back of his head in a way that made him look apologetic. "Yeeah... see, the poster and short description were handed in really late, and at that point, I had already decided that I would approve the play."
"Is... is this how the censorship department always operates?", Eadgil asked.
"Not usually, no", Birgir grinned. "I had my reasons though. Look, if you want to see this, I can get you free tickets - all three of you." He gave a wicked smirk. "This one is explicitly permitted for mares. Only in company of their Masters, of course. Just meet me in front of this theater tomorrow evening, half an hour before the premiere begins."
"Can we go, Master? Please?", Star Charmer asked softly.
"It's a big social event, really", Birgir said. "Even the king and his council will be there. They've taken a liking to pony theater, it would seem."
"I'm actually just on my way to see Councilman Vestri", Eadgil remarked, looking the other stag in the eye.
"Oh?", Birgir asked.
Eadgil nodded. "Yeah, he wants to appoint me as handler of some state-owned yellow pegasus mare whose former handler... apparently had a tragic accident."
"Was he the guy from the diamond dog incident near Ponyville?", Birgir asked. "Read about it in the newspapers."
Eadgil nodded. "It would seem so, yes. The incident itself actually took place on my turf, not on Ponyville's, so maybe that's why... although I wonder if Vestri is just doing this to prevent Magistrate Gunne from getting his hands on yet another national treasure. We all know what people say about him - not that I give a shit about such superstitious nonsense, but I'm pretty sure Councilman Vestri does."
Birgir replied with a nod. "What did you say... about this happening on your turf?"
"I'm the Magistrate of Everfree forest", Eadgil replied. "Appointed by Councilman Vestri himself."
"I see", Birgir said. "Wait... since when does Everfree have a Magistrate. And forgive my question, but why would Everfree need a Magistrate."
"I presume Vestri's reason for appointing me was to root out resistance cells in Everfree. There aren't any though, at least not to my knowledge."
"So you were dumped there because you were inconvenient?", Birgir asked.
"I guess that might have been another part of Vestri's motives, but I actually asked for the position. I'm setting up a new settlement there with a few other stags."
"I see", Birgir repeated. "Ambitious project."
Eadgil nodded. "You can say that. I really have no idea how Vestri got the idea that I could do my job properly and take care of a mare he randomly decided to dump on me."
Birgir nodded. "I know what you mean... with regards to bad organization, I mean."
"I think we need to get going", Eadgil said. "As for your offer, we can't possibly refuse free theater tickets. I think I can postpone my return to Everfree for a day."
"See you tomorrow evening, then", Birgir said. "Come, Ruby."
"Until tomorrow evening", Eadgil repeated and began to walk in the other direction, Star Charmer and the Mimiga following him.
Two minutes later, Eadgil exhaled. "He's nice and all, but... he must be the worst censor I have ever met. Either that, or..." He paused.
"Well, we shall see", he concluded. "Either way, I'm looking forward to tomorrow evening."
They eventually arrived at the castle, and after Eadgil had shown the guards his letter from Vestri, they were led in. After walking through long corridors, they arrived at a big door, with a name plate identifying this as Vestri's office.
Eadgil gave the door three loud knocks.
After a while, he heard Vestri's voice from the inside. "Come in, please."
Eadgil opened the door, and entered a luxurious office. Vestri was sitting at a desk made of what Eadgil guessed was mahogany, going through paperwork, and his mare was kneeling beside the desk, smiling, her back stretched out, her eyes lowered and her hands resting on her hips palms-up. There was another chair on the other side of the desk, a sofa on the other side of the room, as well as a number of filing cabinets.
"Ah, Eadgil", Vestri said, looking up from his papers as the stag entered. He stood up and pointed at the chair. "Please, make yourself comfortable. Have your mare kneel at your side and your companion... wait, did you bring a diamond dog in here?", Vestri asked.
"This one is a Mimiga", Monolith replied.
"He gets that a lot", Eadgil smirked.
Vestri raised his eyebrow. "Alright... this... Mimiga can sit on the couch. Far away from me, please."
Eadgil nodded and took place on the second chair, while Star Charmer knelt beside him. Monolith, meanwhile, retained his position standing at the right side of the door.
"It seems this unfortunate incident hasn't exactly helped with dispelling Equestrian prejudice against canines", Eadgil explained. "But I think we caribou should be above that. A male should be judged by his character, not by his race. I, for one, trust my companion. In fact, I have hired him as my bodyguard. That's why he is with me."
Vestri looked up again. "You were always an oddball, Eadgil. I just hope this won't end with a diamond dog blade between your ribs. I don't even see why you would want to take a bodyguard with you."
"Because one of our own was only recently murdered by diamond dogs?", Eadgil suggested, chuckling a little. "It seems the roads are not safe."
"I really question your logic, Eadgil", Vestri said. "But either way. You know why you're here?"
Eadgil nodded. "Yeah, you said something about a yellow pegasus mare..."
"That's the official reason", Vestri said.
Uh oh.
"And what is the unofficial reason?", Eadgil asked.
"My brother is returning from his highly successful campaign against the buffaloes", Vestri said. "I'm sure he won't let the chance slip by to also lead the planned campaign against Zebrica."
"What does that have to do with me?", Eadgil inquired.
"My brother is leading far too many wars, and I'm worried about him", Vestri replied. "Dainn will not be king forever. He has no heir, and none in sight either. In fact, there is no line of succession at all. Our beloved king has no children, no siblings, no aunt or uncle... many caribou will try to grab for the crown if something happens to him. Maybe also a few ponies."
He wants to assassinate the king and take over himself, Eadgil thought. When it comes to plotting, he has the subtlety of a warhammer.
"Do you think something will happen to the king soon?", Eadgil inquired.
"I don't think so", Vestri replied. "Not yet at least. There are no signs that anything might happen to him in the near future. But at some point, our beloved king will die."
He can't move against king Dainn yet because his brother is still alive, Eadgil pondered. Dainn kept letting them compete for the position as right hand, and likely still does. Probably for that very reason.
"Once again", Eadgil said. "That's all very interesting, but what does it have to do with me?"
"We want to prevent... unfortunate elements from taking over the throne if anything should happen to our beloved king", Vestri continued. "Wouldn't you agree."
Yes, Eadgil thought, but we probably have a very different definition of what 'unfortunate' means. "Uh... certainly", he replied.
"Of course, if there was any kind of unrest, I could raise a good number of men to make sure it doesn't escalate", Vestri continued. "What I need is a base of operations..."
Sonofabitch... so that's the real reason he gave me the castle!
"I see... so you want me to pledge Everfree to your cause."
"Not yet", Vestri replied hastily. "Only when push comes to shove."
"I am thankful that you have given me the castle and the forest", Eadgil said calmly. "You know I believe the work I'm doing there is important for the future of our people. I would like to keep it out of such affairs... but it seems like I pretty much can't. I'll have to take sides anyway, and not taking yours would be ungrateful."
We'll figure out how we deal with this in plenum. Maybe we could figure out who else is plotting, and then play them against each other... for now, it's important to call him down.
Vestri looked up and smiled. "Good to hear that you see it my way. Now, let's move on to the more official business."
Eadgil nodded. "Yes, the yellow pegasus mare. I have to admit, I was surprised to receive such a letter. May I ask what your reasons are for giving her to me?"
Vestri frowned. "So far, I'm only considering you."
Eadgil shrugged demonstrably. "Fine. Why are you considering me?"
"Strategic considerations", Vestri replied. "Honestly, why does it concern you? As the saying goes, you don't look a gift mare in the mouth."
"May I be honest, sir?", Eadgil asked.
Vestri looked up from his papers. "Alright. What is it?"
"I'm a busy stag", Eadgil said. "I have a community to build and a complex renovation project on the way. I can't take care of a random mare that I don't know, that I can't be sure is properly trained, and that I have to escort to all kinds of events twice a week."
"More like once every two months or so", Vestri said. "At most. But honestly... I'm really surprised you wouldn't be thankful for such an offer."
"The fact of the matter is that the only reason why you're giving her to me is because you don't want Magistrate Gunne to get his hands on her. Isn't that right?"
Vestri raised an eyebrow. "You do realize that the initial training of this particular mare was done by Councilman Hrathr himself, right?"
"Then why don't you give her to him?", Eadgil asked angrily.
Vestri paused for a moment.
Aha!, Eadgil thought.
"Councilman Hrathr... is a very busy stag", Vestri explained.
"With all due respect", Eadgil replied. "So am I. I probably can't talk you out of this completely, but if you want to push this on me, I would like something in return. Something that will make my life easier."
"Fine", Vestri said. "Speak."
"There is a stag living in Everfree forest, in close proximity to Ponyville...", Eadgil explained.
"There is?", Vestri asked.
Eadgil continued unfazed. "His name is Hirthir, and he only lives there because he was appointed handler of a zebra mare with a communal function in Ponyville. I want the mare for my own project. She looks like a strong worker, suitable to be used in lots of menial tasks. I will appoint a male in my village as her handler, and he will accompany her to her annual traditional function in Ponyville. I also want the stag out of my forest."
Vestri smirked. "You want him somewhere uncomfortable? I could put him in the frontline of the Zebrica campaign... there he can have as much zebra ass as he wants." He then glanced at his own mare. "Sunny! Fetch me the files for Hirthir."
The yellow-coated, blue-maned mare left her position and crawled over to the file cabinet, franticly looking through them.
Eadgil shook his head. "No, I harbor no ill will towards him. I couldn't care less if you gave him a villa in Canterlot and a position with no work and enough pay to buy himself a harem of six lusty does, I just want him out of my forest. In fact, I would prefer if you gave him something better than what he has now. It makes it easier to motivate him to actually leave."
The mare returned with a file in her muzzle, handing it to her Master like a non-sapient dog would have done. Vestri took it hesitantly. "Ew, mare drool everywhere. Can't you be more careful, stupid cunt?" His mare responded with a silly giggle.
Vestri turned back to Eadgil, giving him a wide smirk. "You can't fool me, Eadgil. I know exactly what you're doing."
Shit! Eadgil tensed up for a moment. No, wait... if he actually knew anything, you wouldn't be sitting right here, you would be in the dungeon, waiting to be switched. He relaxed and smiled.
"Alright", he replied. "What is it I'm doing?"
"A breeding program", Vestri concluded. "What do the ponies call it... eugenics. Am I right or am I right?"
Eadgil demonstrably raised a finger to his chin. "Oh... so that's what I've been doing? I guess you're right."
Vestri laughed. "You're a jokester, but it seems I've underestimated you. You're cleverer than you look."
Oh, you have no idea... wait.
"If you say so", Eadgil said, still smirking.
"It explains everything, really", Vestri concluded. "Why you handpicked the stags for your project. Why you're hesitant about letting new members join you... and why you hesitated about backing me up earlier."
"I guess it really does explain everything", Eadgil agreed.
Vestri laughed again. "Alright, I'll help you get that stag out of your forest... and if I want the castle to be usable, I probably need to provide you with as many strong arms as I can, so I'll give you that zebra cunt as well. In fact, I might throw a few other capable slave arms in your direction in the future."
Oh no, please don't.
"I think we're already making good progress", Eadgil said. "Keep in mind that we'll also have to feed all those slaves."
Vestri smiled. "I'll tell you what. If you need more workers, just..." he made a scribbling gesture with his right hand - "...write me a letter, and I'll see what I can do for you."
He opened the file and went through it. "Ah yes, Hirthir. Alright, I'll prepare a document for you to transfer his mare to you and give him a different occupation somewhere else. Let's see..."
He hastily scribbled something on an official-looking paper, rolled it up, sealed it with his wax seal, then handed it to Eadgil.
"Much obliged", Eadgil smiled.
Vestri then picked up a second scroll. "And this is the document that appoints you as handler of the yellow pegaslut", he explained. "Of course, I already had it prepared." Eadgil hesitantly took it and put it away together with the other scroll.
Vestri then made a dismissing hand gesture. "That would be all. Dismissed."
Eadgil rose from his seat.
"Oh, and Eadgil...", Vestri looked up from his desk again.
"Anything else, Councilman?", Eadgil asked.
"I have to say, it gladdens me that we can work together so well. I know we haven't always seen eye to eye, and I quite frankly thought you were a wimp... but I was wrong. You've really grown a spine since you left the army."
Unlike some other people, I've also grown a brain, Eadgil thought.
"My point is... I think we can look forward to good cooperation."
Eadgil feigned a smile. "I hope so too, Councilman."
"Please", the other stag replied. "Call me Vestri. At least unless we're in public."
Eadgil nodded. "Alright, Vestri. I will take my leave now." The other stag gave him a nod.
Eadgil glanced over to Monolith. "Mono, we're leaving." He then grabbed for Star Charmer's leash and gave it a good pull, eliciting a yelp from her. "Come, Star!"
"You really have your mare under control", Vestri remarked, almost more to himself. "Not as well as I have, of course... but Sunny is an exceptional mare. Either way, you've come a long way in this area as well."
"Thank you, I guess", Eadgil replied. Oh, you have no idea, councilman.
"See you soon!", Vestri said, smirking.
Eadgil turned around again. "Uh... sooner than you think, actually. I am planning to see the Summer in Equestria play tomorrow evening. I've heard you and the rest of the council will be watching it as well."
Vestri nodded. "Oh yes, we have free tribune places. Wouldn't want to miss that. The council pretty much never misses any premiere of pony theater anymore."
Eadgil nodded. "I got front row seats from a friend."
Vestri smirked. "So you have a date then, eh?"
Eadgil paused for a second. "Actually... I don't know. Is it a date?"
Star Charmer giggled, and Eadgil gave her leash another pull. "Silence, stupid cunt! Can't remember having asked you!"
Vestri winked at him. "Let me know how it went."
Eadgil nodded. "Uh... sure."
"Alright then", Vestri laughed. "See you tomorrow evening."
Eadgil nodded. "See you tomorrow."
With that, he left the councilman's office.
Once outside and passing through the corridors, Eadgil scratched his forehead.
"This may be an odd question, but... I always get this really weird feeling around Vestri. Do you know what I mean, by any chance?"
Star Charmer looked around, making sure no one was around to hear her. "Yeah, I know what you mean", she replied. "It feels like you're thinking... except it's not really thought. More like an out of control chatterbox in your head that just keeps rambling on and on and on..."
Eadgil nodded. "Yeah, that is exactly what I mean. So you have felt it too, Star."
Star Charmer nodded. "Yeah, it seems so. Makes you wonder if his mare has that as well... all the time. I bet if she does, it must be slowly driving her completely crazy."
"Yeah, if she has that all the time, she deserves our pity", Eadgil confirmed. "What about you, Monolith? Did you experience something else?"
"This one does not hear any thoughts speaking in its head", the Mimiga replied. "Only the Monolith."
"Huh", Eadgil said, but decided to leave it at that.
With that, they silently walked down the corridors and eventually left the castle the same way they had come in. |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 20: Springtime | A bit later, Eadgil unlocked the door to his own house, and the three of them entered, Star Charmer was still on a leash and crawling on all fours. Bowing down, the stag undid her leash. "Star, you can get dressed again now", Eadgil said.
Star Charmer shook her head after standing up. "Ari, we need to head out again."
"You mean out there?", Eadgil asked. "Where are we going?"
"I have to tell you something", Star Charmer continued. "You better sit down for this."
Eadgil sat down in an old chair in the living room, pouring himself a small glass of whisky. "Alright, Star", he said. "What is it?"
"I'm a resistance member", Star Charmer just said, walking past him and sitting down on a sofa.
"Yeah", Eadgil said. "Duh!"
"That's not what I meant!", Star Charmer shook her head. "I mean I've been a resistance member even before you founded your community. We've made sure to get me in with your group so I can keep the resistance up to date on what exactly it is you were doing there. Let's just say you surprised everyone... myself included."
The Mimiga had entered the living room as well by now, merely sitting down on the ground. After a few moments, he began to move back and forth.
For a moment, Eadgil cast him a nervous glance - but then he turned back to Star Charmer. "Is that the reason you... came to me back then?", he asked with an expressionless face.
Star Charmer avoided his glance. "Initially, yes... I don't want to end what we have though."
"So... how much of what happened since then was just theater on your part?", Eadgil asked.
The mare blushed. "Less than you think..." She paused for a moment. "...Master", she then added with a smile.
Eadgil nodded. "Alright... I believe you. So why do we have to head out again?"
"Because I promised to give my contacts here in Canterlot a vis-a-vis update, and confirm what I've reported to them... and because they want to talk strategy with the both of us."
Eadgil nodded. "I see. So that's why I also have to come... I mean except for the obvious reason that you can't go out without a male to accompany you, but I guess Mono could play that role just as well as I could. Speaking of which, I am going to take him along as well if you have no objection."
Star Charmer shook her head. "I've announced only you, but I don't think it'll be a problem. It would be more problematic if another caribou accompanied us."
Eadgil stood up, handing her the leash. "Alright then... let's go."
Star Charmer attached the leash to her collar, then handed the other hand back to him.
The stag then went over to the canine, looking down on him. "Did you get what we were talking about?", not really understanding what the small dog-like creature was doing.
The Mimiga looked up to him. "This one has", he said. "This one fears it heard that one more clearly than the Monolith. It has not heard His voice since leaving the Realm."
Eadgil blinked a few times, having no clue what the canine was talking about - and was surprised to see the small dog getting back on his feet from his tailor seat position quicker than he was able to come up with a response. "Uh... sorry to hear that", he mumbled.
The three of them left their house again, and Star Charmer, walking ahead on two legs this time, with her arms crossed behind her back, led them through the streets of Canterlot, and eventually towards an old, but fairly large-looking building. It was far from being on the same level as the villas of Canterlot's nobility, but it was by no means shabby either, Eadgil thought. It was also surprisingly secluded.
Star Charmer led them towards the door and then knocked on it.
"Who's there?", a voice asked.
"The winter still lasts", Star Charmer said. "But every winter will be followed by spring."
A few moments later, the door was opened, and a tough-looking earth stallion in his fifties appeared, white-maned and with a dark grey coat. "Star Charmer, good to see you again", he said after looking around quickly. Then, he looked at her companion. "And you must be this Ari", he continued, not without a hint of distrust in his voice. "Who's your third companion?", he asked, looking at the hooded canine accompanying them.
"He's my canine bodyguard", Eadgil explained. "And yes, I'm Eadgil... called Ari by my friends."
The stallion nodded. "Come in, please. But I'll be watching you."
The caribou returned the nod. "Of course."
Once they were inside the building, the stallion handed Star Charmer a very simple piece of cloth for her to cover herself. "Thank you", she smiled back at him
As the stallion led them through the building, they noticed lots of stallions and mares busy with various planning activities. He eventually led them into a room with a few chairs and a large table. "Please, take a seat", he offered them.
Eadgil and Star Charmer took place, while Monolith positioned himself behind him.
"Your companion doesn't like to sit?", the stallion asked.
"This one does not require to sit", the Mimiga replied.
The stallion nodded. "Fair enough. Let's get to business. Star Charmer has of course informed us about your activities in Everfree. I was skeptical, but seeing her here seems to confirm her reports."
"How do you know we didn't brainwash her somehow?", Eadgil asked.
"Because if you had, you would already have enough information to unravel this operation", the stallion replied. "But also, and more importantly, because she's still alive."
Eadgil nodded. "I see." He looked at the mare at his side - the mare he loved. "So you are dedicated, then. That's good to hear."
"Revolution isn't a tea party", Star Charmer just said, avoiding his gaze.
Eadgil turned to the stallion. "I'm honored by your invitation", he said. "Though I think I haven't caught your name yet..."
"I'm... that old guy who opened the door for you", the stallion replied.
"Gee, that's a mouthful", Eadgil smirked. "But I understand. It would probably be inadvisable to reveal either your birth name or your code name to... someone like me."
"You could say that", the stallion said. "Then again, you are right... that is a mouthful. So call me Buck for now."
Eadgil couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright."
"I understand that so far, your activities primarily consisted in providing a safe haven for mares", the stallion continued. "Star Charmer told me you have information on the king's so-called 'cure' though."
"Yeah, we're searching for ways to undo it...", Eadgil responded. "And we may have found a way to disrupt it on an individual level."
"First things first", Star Charmer said.
"Right", Eadgil replied. "Excuse my enthusiasm to prove our worth." He grinned. "More importantly though, I can supply you with information on what exactly that cure is."
"It's the Crystal Heart, isn't it?", the stallion asked. "Or Crystal... whatever they call it nowadays."
"So you figured that out already", the caribou asked.
The stallion nodded. "To be fair, Star Charmer already sent us that info... but it just confirmed what we already guessed. You said you've found a way to disrupt it?"
Eadgil pulled out a bunch of tourmaline stones. "These stones have antimagic properties, particularly suited for disrupting mind control magic. We only had one test subject so far, but he was fully affected, and now he's with us."
The stallion raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure he isn't faking in order to infiltrate you?"
Eadgil shook his head. "Very very unlikely. I don't think you can fake these kinds of physical reactions."
"What do you mean?", the stallion asked.
"Well...", Eadgil replied. "Imagine you had been raping females for months, because you were magically brainwashed into thinking it's the right thing. Imagine doing it to your family, friends, and loved ones. Then imagine the magic being broken, and your reaction to that. Yes, nausea and even puking can be artificially stimulated, but I think we would have noticed. I don't think you can fake PTSD and crippling feelings of guilt for weeks though."
The stallion nodded. "I see. Fair enough. So what I take from this is that the stallions are just as much victims as the mares."
Eadgil nodded. "I fear so."
The stallion rubbed his temples. "Even if we manage to dismantle this tyranny, the time after will be hell."
"I think we should focus on getting out of one hell at a time", Star Charmer said.
"Star Charmer is right", Eadgil said. "We need to focus on the tasks at hand. These stones only break the magic's effect on an individual level, and they need to be worn in direct contact with the body 24/7, or the magic will seep back in again. I think it might still be a good idea to hand them out to stallions. The effects are potent enough to at least give them pause. We are starting a mining operation, though it'll be months until we can provide you with a steady supply."
The stallion nodded. "Can I have these?", he asked. "We want to make a few tests ourselves, of course."
Eadgil nodded, and placed the pitch black stones on the table.
"Furthermore, we would like to propose a meeting between you and the leaders of other resistance cells", the stallion said. "We have already contacted them and informed them about our proposal. Your castle is ideal as an interstation for railroad operations, and the forest as a whole is ideal to set up secret bases of operations."
Eadgil nodded. "Thank you. We wanted to get in contact with other resistance groups for quite a while, to see if they might have use for a castle. He chuckled. "You want to know why Vestri gave me this position as Magistrate of Everfree in the first place?"
The stallion raised an eyebrow. "Councilman Vestri?", he asked. "Of course... only the council can appoint magistrates. Alright then... why did he do it?"
"So I can prevent rebel groups from taking roots in the castle and the forest", Eadgil smirked. "Of course, that's... ahem... not exactly my own reason for applying for the position. Nor did I ever plan to actually do that."
The stallion gave him a broad smile. "Alright... I believe you."
"That said, I'm fine with the idea of a meeting... though I'm not actually in charge of our group", Eadgil continued. "That would be a mare named Spring Breeze. I'm just representing the caribou in our community."
"Yes, Star Charmer mentioned that in her report", the stallion replied. "Though for obvious reasons, you're the only one we could have possibly contacted directly."
Eadgil nodded. "I guess you could say I also have the role of liaison for our community", he said. "I wish this wasn't necessary... I'm sure we can find a place for the meeting where Spring Breeze will be able to come as well."
The stallion nodded. "Of course. Some other resistance groups have female leaders as well."
"May I propose the castle, then?", Eadgil asked.
"Not really", the stallion shook his head. "Many of the leaders wouldn't feel safe there. We actually proposed the Tree of Harmony. It's not too far off the castle, so that should be in your interest."
Eadgil nodded. "Yeah, fair enough. Alright, the Tree of Harmony it is, then."
For a moment, he thought about proposing the clearing with the weird white tree with the red leaves as an alternative... but it was too close to the castle. For some weird reason, he also had the feeling that he didn't want to bring profane politics to a place like that...
"Good", the stallion said. "That would be that."
"Speaking of the Tree of Harmony", Star Charmer said. "Our group will actually be able to secure one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony - although we haven't planned for it, and it might cause trouble in the long run."
"Is this about the murder in Ponyville?", the stallion asked, earning a nod from the mare.
Eadgil nodded. "Yes, the stag who was killed was the handler of the mare who used to bear the Element of Kindness. Councilman Vestri found it appropriate to push her onto me from now on... and I couldn't refuse him without endangering our operation."
The stallion nodded. "According to our information, she's a full-blown collaborator. Of course, we can't be sure if she isn't affected by mind control magic one way or another, in which case your tourmaline stones might help. But if not, she'll be trouble."
Eadgil nodded. "We honestly don't exactly know what to do in such a case. Any suggestions?
The stallion shook his head. "No, this situation is alien to us. The government barely knows that we exist, we can't be forced to recruit, and while many of our female members decide to take the red for practical reasons, we don't recruit ponies who are already red collars."
The stag gave him another nod. "Yeah, I've even seen a few mares wearing purple collars here in the building. They didn't look like purples though."
"Wearing a purple collar can be quite useful", the stallion replied. "Ponies who aren't taken seriously and often aren't even paid attention to are perfect as couriers and spies."
"I guess that makes sense", Eadgil said, uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation.
"Do you already have replies from the other leaders?", Star Charmer asked. "Are they coming?"
The stallion paused for a moment. "I... hesitate... to disclose the identities of the other leaders in front of him." He glanced at the caribou.
Star Charmer huffed. "What makes you think I haven't already given them to him?", she asked. "I trust him enough to do that. You should too. If you didn't trust him that far, he shouldn't even be here."
"Fair enough", the stallion replied. "Sunny isn't coming. She doesn't trust the whole thing one bit."
Star Charmer nodded. "Yeah, that was to be expected. The girl is... special."
"Sunny?", Eadgil asked. "As in Sunrise Splendor? Don't tell me she's leading a resistance group!" For a moment, images of Vestri being duped not only by him, but by his own favorite mare, and in a very similar fashion, flashed through the stag's head, making him smile involuntarily.
Star Charmer poked his left arm, shaking her head, smiling. "No relation", she said. "We're talking about a different mare with a similar name."
"Yeah, that... really wouldn't have made sense", Eadgil nodded. "Sorry, I guess my brain just jumped there. I guess I had too much contact with Vestri and his mare before I packed my things and ran off to Everfree, and they both annoy the fuck out of me. Aside from that, pony names confuse the hell out of me."
Star Charmer smiled. "Ari was part of Vestri's personal guard until shortly... before the Canterlot takeover", she explained to the stallion, who gave her a dismissive shrug and a 'I don't care' expression.
"As for pony names confusing you... we don't even think 'Sunrise Splendor' is a real name", the stallion said. We believe it's a propaganda name, made up for the purpose of confusing people. But that's neither here nor there, since we weren't talking about her anyways."
"Sunrise Splendor?", Eadgil blinked. "I thought her name was Sunny Days?"
"Can we please stop talking about Vestri's lapdog?", the stallion insisted angrily, his voice earning him a temporary hard stare from Eadgil's canine bodyguard. "Once more, I wasn't talking about her. The pony I was talking about is a mare named Sunset Shimmer." He huffed. "There you have her name. She's in hiding anyway, so it won't matter either way. She's the leader of another resistance cell based in Canterlot, and used to be a personal student of Celestia..." The reason why we expected her to react dismissively of our invitation is because her Resistance group barely even trusts stallions."
Eadgil nodded. "Unfortunate..."
"Fortunately, many other groups have promised to come. The cells in Baltimare and Appleloosa will send a liaison, and Apple Slice has also agreed..."
Eadgil's eyes widened. "Did you just say Apple Slice?", he asked.
"Yes", the stallion said, raising an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you know her."
Eadgil nodded hesitantly. "I believe I do, actually."
"You do?", Star Charmer asked. "You never told me."
"It's... another thing in my past that I'm not particularly proud of", Eadgil replied. "I had a... liaison with a mare named Apple Slice in the days before Lindisbarne."
"A liaison?", the stallion asked, raising his eyebrow.
"Um... what other terms do you ponies have for this, um... a fling?" Eadgil suggested. "It was in the days before the Lindisbarne takeover, and I think I don't need to mention that it didn't end well. I wasn't exactly... reformed back then."
The stallion blinked. "Ah", he then said. "Yes, she mentioned... someone like you. Now that I think about it, the name Eadgil sounded familiar anyway. We need to inform her about your identity, but unfortunately, I fear once she knows, she might not want to come anymore..."
Star Charmer just stared at him blankly. "You mean he's the stag who put that collar on her?"
The stallion and Eadgil nodded simultaneously.
"It would seem so...", the stallion said.
"Unfortunately, it is so", Eadgil replied.
"Apple Slice also told me you let her escape", the stallion continued. "Though she doesn't exactly tell that to everyone. This might make the other resistance members very hesitant to meet you. We'll have to think about how to sell it to them."
"So you still want to cooperate with us?", Eadgil asked.
The stallion smirked. "As you said... you're not representing your group, that Spring Breeze is. I'll make my judgment after talking to her. But honestly... to our experience, even caribou with resistance sympathies usually don't have a completely untarnished past. If that would stop us, you wouldn't be sitting there."
"Yeah, that's fair, and... wait, did you just say you have experience with resistance-sympathetic stags?", Eadgil asked.
"With a few, yes", the stallion answered. "We're obviously hesitant about recruiting them. In fact, we currently have our eye on one here in Canterlot, and are in the last phases of evaluating him. He even works in a higher position in the censorship department... but he shows clear signs of resistance sympathy, and has clumsily attempted to contact resistance groups in the past."
Working in the censorship department... resistance sympathies, so probably secretly critical of the king and his government... a few things in Eadgil's mind spontaneously fell into place, and though it was only a hunch, asking couldn't hurt.
"Is his name Birgir, by any chance?", he asked.
The stallion raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?", he asked.
"We randomly got to know him yesterday", Star Charmer explained. "While we were looking at the ad poster for the upcoming musical stage play, Summer in Equestria. We were wondering how something like that could have been greenlit... and then he appeared out of nowhere and told us that he was the one who approved it, and that he could get us front row seats."
"What an interesting coincidence...", the stallion mumbled, rubbing his chin. "Why did it surprise you that something like this was greenlit?", he asked. "You're correct, it's going to be highly offensive particularly to any caribou watching it... maybe with the exception of the ones present... but the poster is innocuous enough."
"Only because only a handful of people in Canterlot know what the word kabuki means", Eadgil explained. "Fortunately, we have an expert on that with us."
"This one is not an expert on kabuki", he heard Monolith say behind him. "But it knows what the term means, and did explain it. It involves actors playing characters of the opposite gender. This one experienced... something unusual when it read the term on the poster."
The stallion raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what would that be?"
"He laughed", Eadgil replied. "From what I've seen, he doesn't do that normally."
"Huh", the stallion made, glancing at the canine, then back at the caribou. "Is something... not right with him?"
"Probably", Eadgil shrugged.
"Alright...", the stallion nodded. "I won't inquire further. I guess he can see a therapist after this is over."
"We have a therapist in our community, actually", Eadgil replied. "She was the one who convinced me of the idea for this project in the first place, actually... and she already helped two other mares who used to be mine to get past their issues. I'm already thinking of asking her to take a look at that Fluttershy mare as well once we're back... maybe she's willing to have a look at him, too." He turned around. "What do you think, Mono?"
"This one does not need a therapist", the canine replied. "It has the Monolith. But it will comply if the prophet demands it."
"Prophet?", the stallion asked.
Eadgil waved his hand dismissively. "Long story... and too complicated to tell, particularly because I don't understand half of it. Long story short, he seems to see me as some kind of spiritual authority."
The stallion shook his head. "Weird...", he mumbled.
"Incidentally... if that play really is so subversive, have you contacted the author as well?", Star Charmer asked. "What was his name again..." She thought for a moment. "Brush Stroke, I believe. He might be another candidate, then."
"We've looked into him", the stallion confirmed. "Unfortunately, he's not resistance material. He does have a vicious hatred for the caribou... but unfortunately, he is most definitely affected by their magic. It doesn't seem to instill loyalty, only their ideology about gender relations... or he's somehow an exception, but he's definitely not an incurable. He's also an earth pony supremacist."
Star Charmer smirked. "Not even Sunset would want someone like that."
The stallion nodded. "Exactly."
"Alright, let's focus on Birgir, then", Star Charmer said.
"I want to offer him a place in Everfree, actually", Eadgil pondered.
"It's definitely an option and we don't want to stop you from inviting him", the stallion said. "I would like you to ponder how useful someone in the censorship department could be to us, and he'd have to quit his job if he were to move to Everfree."
Eadgil nodded. "True..."
"I tell you what", the stallion said. "Our evaluation of him is practically complete and we were about to contact him soon anyway, and from what you said so far, I infer that you're going to see him tomorrow evening at the play. You can give him both our offers simultaneously if you get the chance. Then he can decide himself which offer he wants to take up."
"We can do that", Star Charmer smiled.
"Alright, I guess that would be it", the stallion said. "Star, we'll let you know about the time and date for the meeting with the other resistance members."
Star Charmer and Eadgil stood up, and Star Charmer gave him a nod. "Good", she said. Then, they left the room and walked down the stairs towards the exit.
"I don't think I've seen you like that before", Eadgil said while walking down the stairs. "Even during the plenum meetings, you're usually bubbly, quirky, and a bit seductive. But this... this seemed like pure professionalism..."
Star Charmer smiled. "It's just another side of me, Ari. I'm still the same mare."
"Happy to hear that", Eadgil replied. Before leaving the house, Star Charmer quickly discarded the cloth, and they left the building together.
"This one is confused", Monolith mused, half addressing the other two, half speaking to himself. "This one has met two pony ones referred to as Apple, and now it has heard of a third one. Is this a family name? If so, is this family large and influential in this country?"
"Large, yes", Star Charmer replied. "The Apple family has farms almost all over Equestria, so it's not too surprising that you would run into some of them while traveling the country. From what I know about her, Apple Slice is not actually related to them though, she only has the same name by chance. So I guess it's a bit of a coincidence, but not one too big."
Monolith nodded. "This one understands."
They made their way back to Eadgil's old house without much more conversation.
On the evening of the next day, the three of them were approaching the theater when Birgir, already there with his mare, spotted them and approached them.
"Eadgil!", he called, waving. "I thought you wouldn't come anymore."
He approached the other stag, and they greeted each other with kisses on the cheeks, as is customary among friends in caribou culture. His mare, meanwhile, gave Star Charmer a soft, almost shy hug.
"This isn't something I could miss out on", Eadgil replied, grinning.
Birgir smiled widely. "Before the evening ends, you'll either be red from anger, or you'll be laughing your soul out."
"I'm not easy to anger", Eadgil bragged. "But we'll see. But honestly, you've told me nothing so far."
"Well, I think it's best to go into this blind", Birgir said. "I guess you're more privileged than me in this regard. I can tell you that it is a theatrical adaptation of the events of the Lindisbarne landing."
Eadgil nodded. "Mhm, I was part of the first wave... don't exactly have fond memories of it though." He paused for a moment, mentally connecting two dots. "Wait a second... a Kabuki adaptation of the Lindisbarne landing??" He stared at Birgir.
"I'm... still not completely sure what that means, though I think I have a good guess", Birgir admitted. "Let's just say it's not exactly historically accurate. Call it a 'What if'-scenario."
Eadgil smirked widely. "I'm already close to laughing. But you have balls to approve something like that."
Birgir shrugged. "I'm pretty certain the blame will be placed on the author, not on the censor. Even if someone did turn their eyes to me, I have a perfectly plausible explanation for approving it."
"I just hope it will be enough", Eadgil remarked.
"I'm an upstanding citizen, and the author of this play... isn't", Birgir remarked.
"Fair enough", Eadgil nodded, smirking a little. "And how upstanding are you, exactly."
Birgir returned the smirk. "Less than people think. But that will remain between us, I hope."
Eadgil replied with a gesture of letting his finger run across his muzzle, signifying silence.
By now, a great crowd of citizens and slaves had gathered around the theater, most of the latter red collars. The two caribou continued their conversation until the king and his councilmen arrived. The crowd immediately diverged, forming an alley for them to pass through. As they passed by, Vestri spotted Eadgil and Birgir in the crowd, and waved to them to come closer.
"Councilman Vestri", Eadgil saluted.
"Ah, Eadgil", Vestri smirked. "I see you and your date have arrived already."
"I'm your date?", Birgir asked Eadgil, smirking and raising an eyebrow.
"That's what he said", Eadgil emphasized. "Honestly though, not necessarily what I expect, but I'm open for anything this evening..."
Birgir smiled. "We'll see."
"I understand it the two of you have free tickets?", Vestri asked.
"Yeah, front row", Birgir replied. "I assume the king and his council have lounge seats?"
"Of course!", Vestri said. "Still no reason for you two to enter with the common crowd. You're a Magistrate after all, Eadgil - not on our level, but still far above them." He looked behind him. "Ah - other VIPs are already joining our ranks as well. Look, that stallion over there is the author, I believe. Just follow us in."
Eadgil shrugged and followed the councilman, Birgir and the others coming along immediately behind, but Vestri went ahead so fast that they couldn't do much more than stumble along.
"Ah, Birgir", an old-sounding, but still authoritative voice addressed the stag behind him. "Surprised to see you here. You've already seen the rehearsals after all."
"Councilman Sindri!", Birgir saluted. "Yeah, but the premiere is such a big event... couldn't miss out on that. Plus, I'm actually here with a friend... or a date, apparently."
"He's my boss", he whispered to Eadgil, who replied with a brief nod.
"Right", Sindri said, now turning to Eadgil. "Pleased to meet you. I understand you also know Councilman Vestri... though I don't think I caught your name."
"Eadgil", Eadgil replied. "A great honor to meet you."
Sindri's right hand slowly went over his own forehead. "Ah right... you used to be Captain of Vestri's private guard for a time, right? My apologies, I'm not the youngest anymore... what are you doing these days, if I may ask?"
"You're doing well, Councilman", Eadgil smiled politely. "And I was actually able to secure a position as Magistrate thanks to Vestri's sponsoring and recommendation."
Sindri paused for a moment. "Huh... Magistrate appointments have to go through council, why don't I remember your name? What's your municipality?"
Eadgil smiled. "Everfree, actually."
"Everfree?", Sindri asked. "That old forest near Ponyville? Yes, I do remember that coming up in council... we just waved through Councilman Vestri's proposal without much debate, that's why I'm having trouble remembering it. After all, it's not like anyone is living there..."
"I have created a quickly-growing new caribou colony there, sir", Eadgil informed him. "And Lord Vestri wishes to grant land to stallions there as well. He already sent us one, and he has integrated very well with our new community."
"Intriguing", Sindri mused, rubbing his chin. "Maybe I will pay you a visit some day."
"Oh, you'll love it there!", Eadgil said. "You're a scholar, right? We have a centuries old magical library that was somehow magically preserved while the rest of the castle fell to ruins. You are of course always welcome - but please keep in mind that we're a very young community and in the middle of very extensive renovation work, so I would ask you to send us a letter at least one week in advance if you wish to pay a visit."
The old councilman smiled at his younger vis-a-vis. "I will keep that in mind", he said.
Hopefully, Eadgil thought as they entered the theater.
A moment later, he spotted Vestri returning. "Alright... Eadgil, we will make our way to the lounge now. I would like to offer you and your date seats as well, but unfortunately, the lounge is pretty much full. I understand you have front row seats, so I don't think your enjoyment will be impaired too much." He smirked. "I'm sure we'll run into each other after the play. Until then."
I hope not, Eadgil thought, giving the councilman a polite nod.
"Until then", Sindri repeated a few moments later, and then slowly followed his younger colleague.
A stallion rushed past them. "Half an hour and I still need to check up on everything", he yelped, then turning his head to them. "Oh, hi Birgir. Thanks for the approval", he gasped hastily, giving the stag a thumbs up.
"Oh, no problem", Birgir said. "Good luck with the play, Brush Stroke. I'm sure we can talk later."
The pony didn't respond, and in fact barely waited until Birgir had finished, and instead disappeared behind a door.
"I presume he's the author?", Eadgil asked.
~"Of the play, yes", Birgir confirmed. "The source material is by... someone else. I've gotten to know him a bit during my assessment of his play, of course. Terrible person, hard to deal with... but I guess that's "
"Huh", Eadgil made.
"I've gotten to know him a bit during my assessment of his play, of course", Birgir continued. "Terrible person if you ask me, hard to deal with... but I guess that's what dedicated artists are often like. Particularly because my occupation does not exactly incline them to see me as a friend."
Eadgil nodded. "Alright, let's take our seats." They went towards the entry to the hall.
"I'm just thankful no one paid attention to your companion", Birgir remarked, leading them to three seats in the front row. "After the recent murder, many people have grown suspicious of canines." He took place with spread legs, and his mare knelt down in front of him, with her back towards him and closely pressed against him and her face facing the curtain.
"I've already acquainted Councilman Vestri to him yesterday", Eadgil informed his new friend, taking place as well. "I think he'll back us up if someone looks at us funny." Star Charmer copied Ruby's movements, and likewise knelt down before Eadgil's seat, her back likewise turned towards the stag and her face towards the curtain. Only Monolith seemed unsure of what to do.
"He knows what kabuki is, but he doesn't know how to behave in a theater..." Eadgil mumbled. "Maybe his culture has different customs...", he pondered.
"Mono!", he eventually said, pointing at the seat to his side. "This place is reserved for you, please sit down." The canine wordlessly nodded, and then took place on his seat.
About half an hour later, the curtain opened, and a white unicorn mare appeared on stage, holding a brief introductory speech before the play began. As the music started to play, cows tumbled on stage and began to sing and act. Eventually, a few red collar mares joined the cast as well.
It was just like Eadgil had suspected. The play was a musical interpretation of the Lindisbarne landing, though the events on stage had very little similarity with his own memories of the events, and seemed to be satirical exaggerations at best, if not outright fabrications - and the roles of the king and his council as well as the military were played by caribou females. They were laugh-out-loud funny in their antics though, so Eadgil joined in with the laughter of the stallions - although his laughter ceased dead in its tracks a few times when the cows started to abuse the mares on stage as part of the reenactment. Birgir was calm throughout all of it and only chuckled a few times, while the stallions seemed to be laughing themselves almost to ecstasy. Most other caribou did not react as kindly to the play though, and many a stag angrily stormed out of the theater hall right in the middle of the play.
Eventually, the play ended - rather abruptly and without any narrative closure, which really made Eadgil wonder if this was a stylistic choice on Brush Stroke's part, or if this mysterious 'source material' was already like this. With not even the stallions daring to demand an extra, despite the fact that most of them were still smirking and chuckling, the audience eventually rose from their seats and left the hall. The remaining caribou were furious, and often pushed others aside in order to get out and either directly get their hands on the people responsible, or try to voice their complaints towards the king or other authorities in the hopes of getting them to get their hands on the people responsible.
"So, what do you think?", Birgir asked once they were standing back in the foyer.
"I think I don't see the king or his council", Eadgil replied, smirking. "They must have taken another exit." He chuckled. "I also think I need a drink. Join me at the bar?"
Birgir smiled. "Sure, why not. I meant about the play though."
"Well, it was laugh-out-loud funny, no doubt about that", Eadgil chuckled. "I had my fun, that's for sure. Not exactly how I remember it... but still. I mean even besides the swapped genders - which I thought was a hilarious idea."
"Really, huh", Birgir mumbled. "Well, that part unfortunately isn't in the source material."
Eadgil nodded. "Yeah, I assumed so."
"I actually assessed and approved that one as well", Birgir continued as they walked towards the bar, sitting down on a bar chair, his mare kneeling down beside him. "You've got any hard stuff?", he asked the pony barkeeper.
"Whisky", the barkeeper replied.
"One for me!", Birgir said.
Eadgil likewise took place on a chair, giving Star Charmer a sign to kneel and Monolith a sign to sit down next to him. Both of them followed the instruction. "You got any liqueurs?", he asked the barkeep.
"A sweet tooth, huh?", Birgir asked, gaining a nod from his companion.
"Cherry liqueur", the barkeep replied.
"Let's see if it's as good as the one we make", Eadgil smirked. "One for me, please."
"And two cups of orange juice for the mares", Birgir ordered. "Put it all on one tab, I'm paying."
The stallion raised an eyebrow. "You're generous with your cunts", he remarked.
Birgir shrugged. "None of your business", he said.
"Fair enough", the barkeeper said. "And what can I pour you?", he asked, turning to the canine.
"Water", the Mimiga replied calmly.
The barkeeper looked at him more closely. "Are you one of those diamond dogs?", he asked. "I've read really bad things about your kind lately."
Eadgil shook his head. "No, he's a Mimiga. Same genus, but a completely different species from what we know."
The barkeeper nodded. "Alright, but I'll have an eye on him." He then proceeded to pour the drinks.
Birgir picked up the cup of orange juice and handed it to Ruby. "Thank you, master", the Saddle-Arabian pegasus replied as she took it, keeping her gaze obediently cast down. Eadgil mirrored his new friend's action, and Star Charmer likewise said her thanks with feigned submissiveness.
"As I was saying...", Birgir continued, "I also assessed and approved the source material. In fact, I only approved it because a letter from Councilman Vestri told me to, and Councilman Sindri said he stood behind the order. I wouldn't have approved it otherwise. But after being forced to approve that, as well as a few other things I wasn't happy with, and after hearing Brush Stroke's explanation for why he wanted to adapt it in this specific way, I couldn't justify not approving it with my work ethics. I believe consistency is a minimum requirement in my kind of job, and it's the one thing I'm not willing to give up after already having been forced on giving up every other standard I used to hold."
"Odd...", Eadgil mumbled. "You would assume a censorship department would work in exactly the opposite direction. A coworker might approve of something, but then a diligent superior still forces him to reject it after checking on his work. I never thought it would be the other way around."
"I actually have a theory about that", Birgir said, lowering his voice a bit despite the fact that the barkeeper was already busy with other customers. "You know we officially have a competence hierarchy... but I think it's inverted under King Dainn. The competent ones are in the lower ranks, and then the higher up you get, the more incompetent people you find."
Eadgil nodded, smirking a little. "I see what you mean."
They eventually finished their drinks and left the theater.
On the place outside the theater, they were surprised to find a great crowd of mostly stallions gathered on the place in front of the theater, gathered around the place's center. They heard the sound of angry voices with clear caribou accents from the center of the place, as well as a female voice seemingly in pain, while the crowd seemed to cheer for the abusers.
Eadgil approached one of the stallions. "What's going on?", he asked.
"It's the council", the stallion replied. "Hard to see anything from here, but they seem to be publicly disciplining a mare somehow involved in the play - though I don't know any details."
"A mare?", Eadgil asked. "I thought the author was a stallion named Brush Stroke."
Another stallion turned around. "Actually, they're disciplining Vestri's cunt... that Sunny whore."
"Sunny, but wh..."
Eadgil didn't finish, as he heard his new friend bursting into laughter behind him.
He turned to Birgir. "Why are you laughing?", he asked.
Birgir wiped a tear of joy from his face, then approached Eadgil and grabbed him by the wrist. "Eadgil, we've got to see this!", he said while dragging the other stag along through the crowd, most stallions immediately making way for two caribou males.
"Would you please explain to me what's going on???", Eadgil yelled, too flabbergasted to resist the pull.
"The source material", Birgir laughed. "It was written by her!"
"I... wh... wha... what???", Eadgil yelped.
Eventually, they reached the center of the crowd, seeing the king and his council in front of them, viciously beating Vestri's mare with what looked like a bunch of books. Eadgil heard Vestri yelling something like "So you think you're an author, huh? What does being an author feel like? Maybe like this..."
Eadgil chuckled. "Everyone's a critic nowadays... though I do not condone doing something like this to perfectly good books."
"To be fair, this book isn't very good", Birgir remarked. "Though I appreciate the sentiment."
Then, to his companion's surprise, he walked straight towards the council members. "My Lords Vestri and Sindri... I know you're preoccupied, but I would like to have a word with you."
Vestri and Sindri both ceased their assault on the younger councilman's pet mare and turned towards him, while the others continued their 'work'. "What, you want a piece of her, too?", Vestri asked. "At this point, I'd have the entire crowd punish her... publishing a book behind my back, unbelievable! And then with this kind of content, just look at this!"
The councilman held up the book he had been using to beat his mare. The cover showed a cartoonishly vile depiction of him, grinning like a madman and wielding some kind of warhammer while other caribou burned down a town around him - showing it not just to Birgir, but to the entire crowd. "This is the source material for this dreck we got to witness today!", Vestri exclaimed. "Written by my own mare, published behind my back!"
"Dreck?", Eadgil asked. "I thought it was pretty damn funny, actually."
"I don't disagree with that", Birgir remarked. "The book isn't like that though..."
"You found that funny?", Vestri yelled.
"Of course", Eadgil smirked. "Councilman, we're males... and not just males, caribou males. We're the ultimate embodiment of the superior gender. We should be above getting offended by such childish satire as the one I saw today. We need to be an example to the rest of the world after all."
Sindri rubbed his chin. "An interesting perspective."
"The book isn't that funny though...", Birgir repeated. "But more to the point... Councilman Vestri, I'm a little bit confused."
"Birgir works in my censorship department", Sindri explained to his fellow councilman. "He approved today's play... and I guess his reasons were similar to Brush Stroke's."
Vestri raised an eyebrow. "You mean he also enjoys getting fucked in the butt?"
Birgir laughed. "No, but I also enjoy a good satire. But as I said, I'm a little bit confused... from what you just told me, I infer that you knew nothing about this book of hers."
"Not until this evening, no", Vestri huffed, still visibly agitated.
"Then how is it possible that this book landed on my desk for assessment about six months ago, with a letter with your seal and signature attached that gave me specific orders to greenlight it and have it published without alterations?"
"Oooh boy..." Eadgil mumbled.
Vestri paused for a second, staring at Birgir intently. "What?", he asked.
Sindri mumbled something for a moment, then said: "Oh yes... I believe I... vaguely remember. He... came to me one day with this, showed me the letter and complained about the book's historical inaccuracy, and... the inappropriate focus on a stupid mare's thoughts and feelings."
"Not quite in these words, but yes", Birgir nodded.
"So what you're telling me is that someone faked my seal and signature and then handed in this book with a letter of recommendation allegedly written by me", Vestri said flatly.
"Probably by someone with access to your office...", Sindri mused - but he was interrupted by a loud yell from the younger councilman standing next to him.
"Sunny!!!", Vestri yelled, making even the council behind him flinch - with the exception of King Dainn, who pretty much always retained his composure, and his brother, who had gotten to the point of frenzy with his use of inappropriate beating tools on helpless mares. Vestri did have their attention now though.
He turned around, facing them. "Bring that cunt over here!", he commanded, addressing the two caribou closest to the mare - his brother and Councilman Hrathr. They immediately grabbed the mare and dragged her over to her Master, forcing her to her knees again in front of him.
"Master... please...", the mare whimpered.
"I just heard from this young stag here that you faked my seal and signature to get your drivel approved", Vestri said harshly, paying no heed to her miserable state.
The mare's eyes widened, and she sank down even more, trying to make herself small.
"May I have a look at that, Councilman?", Eadgil asked Sindri. The older stag handed him the book, and he began to flick through it.
"Did you, or did you not?", Vestri asked, looking down at his mare in contempt.
Sunny nodded weakly. "P... please... Master, don't send your stupid little mare away from your side... she didn't know what she was doing..."
"Using my seal and faking my signature... I should purple you for that, you little bitch!"
"This one takes offense to that", Eadgil heard Monolith say behind him. He hadn't even noticed that the canine had managed to follow him and Birgir through the crowd.
"Honestly, councilman...", Eadgil said, half to Vestri and half to himself. "I think this isn't too bad."
"What?", Birgir asked. "Eadgil, do you have that much of a bad taste?"
"That's not what I meant", Eadgil explained, giving Birgir a harsh stare. "Don't get me wrong, this doesn't work as a historical account due to inconsistencies and limitations in perspective, and it doesn't work as a novel because it seems badly written... what I meant is that it doesn't seem too damaging."
Birgir shot a glance at the whimpering mess kneeling in front of Councilman Vestri - and then looked down at his own feet. "Oh. Now I see what you mean. Yeah, definitely."
Eadgil nodded. "See, that's what I thought."
"Explain yourselves!", Vestri barked.
"Councilman... I understand that you feel personally offended. But honestly, I don't think it paints you in too bad a light... or our people as a whole, for that matter."
"I look like some kind of supervillain!", Vestri objected.
"On the cover, yes. I admittedly only had a few minutes to flick through it... maybe I should let my friend continue, he has read it more closely after all." Eadgil shot Birgir an expectant glance. Please don't leave me hanging!
"Oh...", Birgir tried to pick up. "But yes, I absolutely see what the Magistrate means, Councilman. As I see it... it's an inner view of a mare starting with her head full of old preconceptions who is gradually taught her place in the world. Of course the mares were scared about it at first, and saw us as some kind of all-powerful, cruel monsters... but that's an expected reaction when confronted with beings as superior as us." He shot Eadgil a nervous glance, but then continued. "It also describes how you gradually train her to adopt a more appropriate image of you, to see you as her rightful owner. It shows that you can handle her with an appropriately harsh, yet merciful hand. And the same is true for her perspective on all of us. No, I think letting mares read this will strengthen our grip."
"So what do you expect me to do?", Vestri asked the both of them, calming down a little, but still visibly angry. "She still faked my signature and used my wax seal without permission. That borders on high treason."
"If it was high treason, you should threaten her with blanking, not purpling", Eadgil said. "Honestly though, I think that's a bit of an exaggeration. It's closer to fraud, really. But honestly, this entire affair doesn't make you look too good either. After all, you're her Master and should be able to handle her."
"Are you trying to anger me, Magistrate?", Vestri huffed.
"Not at all, my Lord", Eadgil replied calmly. "I'm not trying to pin this on you either. What I'm saying is that this is a completely unexpected turn of events. I'm surprised she was even able to do that. It does seem that you have been a good bit too permissive with her, but there is no way you could have known that she would be able to pull that off either."
Eadgil wiped a drop of sweat from his brow. He was playing a risky game here. He just hoped that he was right about Vestri's feelings for Sunny.
"To answer your question though...", he continued. "It's not my position to tell you how to handle your mares, but of course you need to punish her for this. He smirked. "I recommend hot wax. It will remind her of why she's being punished. But purpling her..." He stopped himself mid-sentence. He had wanted to say that it would be a waste, but he instinctively decided to go another route - but he didn't get that far.
"Purpling her would be an admission of failure", he heard a voice right next to Vestri that he hadn't heard in a long time. It took him a second to process the appropriate reaction, but then, he bowed down on one knee.
"My king!", he addressed the stag who had spoken. "Yes, that is what I was going to say."
King Dainn nodded. "Very well spoken. I believe I remember you... you used to be the captain of Councilman Vestri's guard, weren't you?"
"Yes, my king."
"And now you're the Magistrate of Everfree", Dainn concluded. "Yes... I never forget a name or a face. Intriguing project, a caribou colony right in the middle of a forest... I understand you took up a few of my ideas from the initial setup of Hornvik?"
"Yes, my king", Eadgil affirmed. "You temporarily made a few cows publicly available in order to satisfy the stags who had brought very little females. We decided that this idea suits or project very well, and now keep all our females as public property. We have individual handlers, but we've given up individual ownership of them."
Dainn rubbed his chin. "Unconventional... but not illegal. May I ask the purpose of this?"
"Well, we are running a breeding program", Eadgil replied, in accordance with what he had told Vestri only a day earlier. "But aside from that, we've also found out that it makes certain aspects of cow handling and training a lot easier."
"I'm genuinely surprised to hear that", Dainn admitted.
"It also makes dealing with the mares easier", Eadgil continued. "Particularly black collar ones. We use them as beasts of burden, of course... but we do a good bit of good old-fashioned renovation and building work ourselves, and it helps them ease in to their place if they see us doing work as well. It shows them how much more a male can achieve through hard work than they would ever be able to. It's pure psychology, really. It's their castle and they weren't able to rebuild it in centuries, and now we're getting our hands on it and we'll have it restored to old glory in maybe a year or two."
"I think I will pay a visit and take a look at it once it is done", Dainn commented, still rubbing his chin. "I don't think I will make time for a visit any time in the near future, but I prefer castles over ruins anyway."
Eadgil nodded. "Of course, my king. We will let you know once we have it in a presentable state. Please make sure to notify us a week in advance if you wish to come. We would want the castle to be in best possible shape for such a high visit."
Dainn nodded. "It's probably big and difficult to maintain... even once it's restored."
"That it is, my king!", Eadgil affirmed.
"Very well", the king said coldly, turning to his right-hand lieutenant. "You may rise."
"Thank you, my king", Eadgil said, rising to his feet. Taking a look around, he noticed that the crowd had mostly dispersed. Watching a bunch of stags talk was apparently less interesting than watching them abuse a mare. He let out a small sigh.
"As for you and your mare...", Dainn continued, turning to Vestri. "I agree with your protege here. She needs to be punished harshly, but we also need not overreact. The damage was minimal, but we are males and need to be able to retain our composure. Punish her harshly, but also show her that you can be merciful."
"I'm beginning to believe I've been merciful with her far too often", Vestri remarked.
Dainn rubbed his temples. "Your mercy is misguided, Vestri", he said. "You let her get away with small things without punishing her properly, and then things pile up and eventually escalate... and then you completely overreact. Let your responses be measured calmly, and calculated with precision."
Vestri lowered his head a bit in reverence. "As you say, my king."
"That said, I believe we should return to the castle", Dainn continued. "I yearn for the touch of my crystal slut." He gave Eadgil a short glance of majestic acknowledgement, then began to march in the direction of the castle, his council members immediately following - Vestri roughly dragging Sunny along, who struggled to get to her feet and follow.
Once they were out of sight, Birgir came a few steps closer. "We just saved that mare, didn't we?"
Eadgil nodded. "Probably. It's not the first time I run into her and I could never stand her..." He looked around. "But I can't just stand by and let a mare be purpled or worse without doing anything, no matter who she is."
"You do realize that mares are purpled every day, right?", Birgir asked. "Or worse."
"Only because I can't do anything about it", Eadgil said. "Yet."
"What exactly do you mean by that?", Birgir asked.
"Not here and now", Eadgil replied. "Honestly, I'm starving. Do you know any good restaurants here? Preferably ones with a bit of privacy."
Birgir smiled widely. "Actually, my mare prepares the best food I've ever eaten. We... um... I would like to invite you for dinner."
Eadgil smirked. "I had hoped for that, actually."
Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Where's Star Charmer?", he asked in shock.
"I'm here, Master...", he heard her voice, spotting her kneeling next to Ruby only a few meters away from him. "Monolith made sure Ruby and I were able to follow you."
"Star Charmer", Birgir inquired. "Quite a long name for a simple slave."
"You should have a context by now", Eadgil replied coldly to Birgir's remark while approaching Star Charmer. "Star, I'm... really sorry I left you behind. This should not have happened. I should have paid more attention."
"Your friend shouldn't have dragged you along", Star Charmer said, casting Birgir a glance. "And besides, you told me it was a bad idea to come with you to Canterlot in the first place." She looked around, but the place was almost completely empty by now. "I'm not one of your scared little cows that require your protection at each step, Ari. I'm prepared for a lot of things. It was far more irresponsible of him to leave his mare behind like that." She shot Birgir another glance.
"I'm fine, Star... really, I'm fine", Ruby now interjected, apparently slightly shocked of the other mare's public outburst.
"I don't even understand what's going on anymore", Birgir said, pausing for a long while. "Did your mare just call you Ari?"
Eadgil smiled. "Let's talk more at dinner."
A bit later, they arrived at Birgir's house, and the stag unlocked the door, asking the others in. Eadgil went in first, followed by Monolith and Star Charmer, then Birgir himself, and finally Ruby. Birgir then carefully locked the door behind them.
When Eadgil entered the living room that doubled as a dining room, he immediately noticed a cow lying on the ground on some cushions, sleeping peacefully. From the looks of it, the doe was pregnant.
"Please", Birgir told him and the others. "Pick a chair or a place on the couch to sit down while Ruby prepares our dinner."
Eadgil nodded, then sat down in one of the comfy chairs.
"Me too?", Star Charmer asked with feigned shyness.
Birgir smiled. "You may, little mare... what was your name again? Star, right?"
"Star Charmer", the mare replied, smirking while taking place on the sofa.
Birgir nodded. "Right", he said.
Monolith walked over to a corner and sat down on the ground. A moment later, his head began to shift back and forth.
"Is something not right with him?", Birgir asked Eadgil.
The other stag shrugged. "I think he just likes to sit that way."
"Those ones do not need to mind this one", Monolith's voices replied, seemingly distant.
"Alright", Birgir chuckled. "Ruby, come here."
Ruby came over to the stag, and Birgir gently let his fingers run through her hair, then gave her a short, sweet kiss on the muzzle. "You gonna make dinner for us now?", he asked.
Ruby nodded and gave her Master a sweet smile. "Yes, Master", she replied, then went off, presumably to the kitchen.
"You're gonna love Ruby's cooking", Birgir grinned, walking over to another chair and sitting down. "But back to the matters at hand. I think you have quite a few questions to answer now." He took a few steps toward one of the other chairs, then sat down. "You know... I work in the censorship department, and that means I do come across quite a few rumors. There is a rumor going around, mostly among black collars, about a hidden village in Everfree forest run by a resistance group where mares can live freely... led by a stallion who calls himself Ari."
"Do I look like a stallion to you?", Eadgil asked. "No idea who could have spread those rumors though. In fact, it is a little bit concerning. We try to maintain the facade of being a new caribou colony after all."
"So you don't deny it", Birgir concluded.
"I hope you won't deny that you've repeatedly tried to contact resistance groups here in Canterlot in the past", Eadgil retorted. "I'm just a few months ahead of you, that's all."
Birgir raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"
"From one of the groups you've been trying to contact", Star Charmer lept in. "Of course they haven't replied immediately, but they've looked into you, and have come to the conclusion that you're resistance material. I've worked with them in the past, so I know they're thorough. They were already about to contact you... our meeting with them yesterday evening was a lucky coincidence."
"I see", Birgir replied. "How do you people know I won't rat you out though?"
"As I said, the resistance has done research on you", Star Charmer responded. "It's not like you haven't done anything to make them think you're opposed to the regime. You can't rat us out without that coming out as well."
Birgir smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not going to anyway. I am genuinely sympathetic to the mares' wish for freedom, and I don't treat Ruby as a slave in private anymore either... she genuinely wishes to submit to an extent, but I understand that it's different from what we're used to."
Star Charmer smiled. "Don't worry, Birgir. I'm a resistance member who is highly sexually submissive. I can tell the difference between willing submission and obedience out of fear. I do have to criticize you for leaving her behind on the place... but that seemed to be an impulsive, not well thought-out reaction. Judging by what she told me, you genuinely care for her."
"Thank you", Birgir said. "I'm... doing my best to overcome old habits."
"But you're still struggling", Eadgil continued. "Don't worry, I know the feeling. I've been there." The other stag gave him a nod.
"We've got two different offers for you", Eadgil continued. "One from their group, and one from ours. If you really want to join a resistance movement, you can either come and join us in the old castle ruins in Everfree. We're a group that already has a great percentage of caribou among us, males and females - and we're trying to reform our culture to be more adaptable to this new environment. For example, while we've freed the mares, we have also introduced a kind of communal ownership of our cows - with similar results, if I may say so. Aside from that, our purpose is to build economic power while providing a possible hideout for other groups, as well as finding ways to disrupt the mind control..."
Birgir's eyebrows rose up. "Mind control???", he asked.
"The king's cure", Star Charmer explained. "We've found out that the king uses one of our own Equestrian artifacts to brainwash the male pony population."
Birgir placed his hand on his forehead. "Unbelievable!", he muttered. "I knew there was something dead wrong with that 'cure', but using mind control on other males? I wouldn't have thought that Dainn would sink to such lows... I mean even by my people's own standards."
"I assure you, it's true", Eadgil said. "In fact, we've already found a way to disrupt it on an individual level. That won't be enough in the long run, of course... but it's a start. We've already managed to... mmmh... 'uncure' one stallion."
Birgir nodded. "I see. Still can't believe it, but... it explains why the stallions are so completely unhinged, even compared to some of the worst of our own people. It's probably a really crude spell..." He paused. "What's the second offer?"
"You could work with the resistance here in Canterlot", Star Charmer said. "That way, you could keep your job. I'm sure they have use for an agent inside the censorship department."
"I was thinking about quitting, actually", Birgir admitted.
"Yeah, after what I've seen and heard today, I'm not surprised", Eadgil replied.
"Well, there are a few things that have stopped me so far. The fact that I have to provide for two females, and also a fawn soon... but I don't think finding a new job would be too much trouble for a caribou of my age and with my qualification. But more importantly, I have a protege at my current job, and I don't want to leave him hanging. A young stag named Herleif, at least half a decade younger than the two of us. In fact, I might get him to the point where he also develops resistance sympathies. I've already changed his mind on handling mares quite a bit."
Star Charmer rubbed her chin. "Mmmh... Buck didn't mention that...", she mused.
"Buck?", Birgir asked.
"Star Charmer's contact in the Canterlot resistance", Eadgil explained. "It doesn't seem to be his real name, nor even his internal code name... but that's how he introduced himself to me yesterday. Star already knows him."
Birgir nodded. "I see."
"As I see it, if you really want to quit your job and do something else, your best option right now would be to wait for the resistance here to contact you, then have them assess Herleif's potential as a resistance member", Star Charmer concluded. "Once we know for certain whether he can be recruited or not, you can decide whether you want to stay here in Canterlot, or come and join us... together with Herleif if he proves a valid candidate. Unless you've already made a decision, that is."
Birgir gave her another nod. "I have not. Moving from the city to a ruin in the middle of the forest is probably not a good idea with a pregnant cow, but I might do it once the fawn is born. I don't know yet though... so I think I will go by your suggestion."
Star Charmer returned the nod. "Good. I will leave a message for Buck to contact you as soon as possible."
"Dinner is ready, Master", they heard Ruby's voice from the kitchen.
As they took place at the dinner table, Monolith awoke from his weird meditation ritual to join them, and Ruby began to set the table, serving a kind of hot flatbread with a salad and hummus dip, and a kind of cheesecake. Once she had finished, she took place on a chair next to Birgir.
"Is this a kind of pizza?", Eadgil inquired.
Ruby smiled. "It's a dish from my homeland, called a Manakeesh, with Fatoush salad and Knafeh."
"Ah, right", Eadgil remembered. "You're from Saddle-Arabia, right?" Ruby gave him a nod in response.
"This is really good", Star Charmer said, digging into it.
They spent the rest of the evening with eating, drinking and meaningless chit-chat. Eventually, Eadgil decided that it would be time for them to leave, as they had to travel to Ponyville and then back to the castle the next day. They eventually bid their farewells, and then returned to Eadgil's old house for the night. |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 21: A Visit to Ponyville | The three arrived at the train station twenty minutes early for the train to Ponyville the next morning, and Eadgil decided to pay the train station bookstore a last visit, leaving Monolith and Star Charmer behind at the platform. There weren't too many other passengers on this particular platform - the train they would be taking to Ponyville was heading to Dodge Junction by way of Ponyville and Appleloosa, and these towns in the far south weren't exactly the most frequently visited in Equestria. On the other platform, quite a few passengers left the train coming from that direction though - apparently returning from some kind of competition. Making sure no one was looking, Star Charmer grabbed one of the brochures that were on display everywhere, meant to inform stallions about the new train refits and the company policy associated with them. While going through it, her face became increasingly worried.
When Eadgil returned, Star Charmer looked up to him from her kneeling position. "Master...", she said in feigned submission, again trying to not draw attention.
"What is it, Star?", Eadgil asked, looking down at her.
"You found what you were looking for, Master?", she said while also innocuously handing him the brochure.
Eadgil nodded. "I have. What's this?" He took the brochure and began to skim through it. "Oh", he said. Then he said nothing for a while.
"Master...?", Star Charmer eventually asked.
"Looks like we have a problem", Eadgil said in a tone indicating that he knew this was the understatement of the century.
"What is it?", the Mimiga asked.
Eadgil handed him the brochure. "See for yourself."
The Mimiga skimmed through the brochure, then handed it back to Eadgil, saying nothing.
"You see?", Eadgil asked.
"Yes", the Mimiga replied.
The trains had apparently gone through a thorough refit, but not for practical purposes. Instead, they had been equipped with bondage gear that was about as far away from the definition of safety as a swarm of raging dragons was from the definition of calmness. The seats for the stallions were now further away from each other, leaving places for mares to kneel on the floor, strapped onto dildoes that vibrated with the movement of the train. The only alternatives for this were either to keep them chained to the ceiling, although on adjustable chains that could be lowered down to the stallion's seat to give him easy access - or to keep them stowed away with the luggage, probably chained up in some rather unsafe ways as well.
"I mean it's not that bad", Star Charmer pondered. "We could use the ceiling chains and then keep me lowered and sitting in your lap for the duration of the ride..."
But Eadgil had already stormed off and into the direction of a station personnel.
"Are you serious about this?", she heard him say as she moved in his direction, the Mimiga moving alongside her.
"It's official KabooseCorp policy", the stallion he was talking to assured him.
"Is it also company policy to compensate me for damages caused to my property during a train ride?", Eadgil asked. A few stallions waiting for the same train had gathered around them now, wondering what the fuss was.
"You take KabooseCorp trains on your own risk", the stallion replied.
"You do realize that that's actually unlawful?", Eadgil asked, then turning his face to the stallions surrounding him. "KabooseCorp probably bets on stallions not knowing their rights."
"Please stop making a commotion or you'll be removed from the train station", the stallion replied.
Eadgil took a step closer to the stallion.
"Look... I know you're just doing your job here, but do you know who I am?"
The stallion took a step back now, visibly getting insecure. "I... do not... sir", he replied.
"I am the Magistrate of Everfree and a personal friend of Councilman Vestri." He pulled out the summoning letter he had gotten from Vestri and handed it to the stallion. "In fact, I came to Canterlot on his orders to speak with him about important political matters, and surely not to have my property damaged by out of the question corporate policies. This has ramifications for the future. As you can see, I have just been appointed as handler of a state-owned mare the government deems important. She is not with me yet, we're only on our way to Ponyville to fetch her - but I have to take her to Canterlot later this year for various events. Would you please tell me how I am supposed to explain exposing her to such risks to Vestri in the future?"
"You can apply for special accomodations for state-owned mares the government deems important", the stallion replied. "I've heard KabooseCorp had such an application only recently, and from what I know, it was passed with little bureaucratic effort."
"Well, I'm not willing to put my own private property at risk either..." Eadgil looked around. "And I'm pretty sure most of my fellow males here also aren't. Not everyone of them seems wealthy enough to replace damaged property out of their own pockets that easily either." A few stallions confirmed with fierce nods. Eadgil continued unfazed. "I'm more than willing to take this matter to the council directly, and I am influential enough to do so. I do wonder if Mr. Kaboose has an interest in having his... 'creative choices'... thoroughly reevaluated."
"Look... I really can't decide this...", the stallion stuttered.
Eadgil turned around to the other stallions. "You heard the stallion: the company will not compensate you for damages caused to your property, and it seems the company won't budge on its policy either. I recommend that everyone of you who hasn't bought a ticket yet to use other means of transportation if at all possible." A few stallions nodded, and he continued. "And to those of you who - just like myself - don't have that option, I recommend using the ceiling chains and then lowering the mares down to sit in your lap for the duration of the train ride. It is a measure fully in line with corporate policy..."
Realizing only a second too late what that suggestion implied when made to stallions under the influence of the king's mind-control, he bit his lip. "It's not ideal by a long shot, and you still need to be careful to avoid damage to your property, but it's better than the alternative. Furthermore, to anyone whose property does happen to suffer damage from this, I recommend getting at least three witnesses to confirm the event and a thorough medical examination afterwards. In the long run, Mr. Kaboose will probably have to commission another refit of these things unless he wants to lose a lot of customers... and face a lot of lawsuits that he might be able to delay for a while, but that he cannot possibly win." He turned his face back to the station personnel. "Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. They wouldn't have made me a Magistrate if I didn't have penetrative knowledge of the law... particularly property laws."
Star Charmer couldn't help but chuckle softly. Eadgil cast a fierce glance in her direction - followed by a small, barely noticeable smirk.
"If you ask me, privatizing such a vital part of Equestria's transportation infrastructure was a mistake to begin with", he continued, turning to the surrounding stallions again. "Particularly given the fact that it's pretty much a natural monopoly. And I will bring that up with Councilman Vestri at an appropriate time. But for now, what's done is done. For the time being, each of you should make sure to minimize the risk to your own property, and to get sufficient evidence in case damages should occur." He smirked. "I think we can do this poor stallion a favor and disperse now."
The stallions stood there for a moment, staring at him, or more appropriately, through him. Then they dispersed.
Eadgil then turned around to the station personnel, now smiling. "I'm sorry. I of course realize that none of this is your fault, you only work here. I pretty much used you as a means to an end to get the other stallions' attention, and for that, I apologize. You should bring up what I've said here with your superiors, though. I'm sure they want to hear what a caribou and government official had to say about this."
"Sir...", the stallion muttered, completely dumbfounded by this seemingly one-eighty turn.
Eadgil reached into his pocket and pulled out something, then grabbed the stallion's hand and pushed the object into it. "Here's a little something for you as compensation." Moving a step closer, he whispered something into the stallion's ear.
He then turned around without a word and marched towards the arriving train - leaving the poor stallion behind, staring at him with his mouth agape.
"What did you give him?", Star Charmer asked as they stepped into the train.
"What do you think?" Eadgil smirked. "A tourmaline amulet, of course. Told him to wear it directly on the skin."
Star Charmer giggled, and as they entered the cabin, Eadgil gave the Mimiga a sign to take place, then lowered the ceiling chains, chained Star Charmer to them, and then took place, maneuvering her into his lap in the same movement.
"Master", Star Charmer said silently. With three other stallions in the same cabin, she still didn't want to draw attention. "What did you buy in the bookstore?"
"Two books that will soon be out of print... probably permanently", Eadgil said. "In fact, I bought two copies of each, because I like redundancy when it comes to rare goods."
"Brush Stroke's play, I presume", Star Charmer whispered, gaining a nod from Eadgil. "And the other one...?", she asked.
Eadgil smiled. "The source material, of course. In fact, I was going to read it during our train ride." He pulled out a small pocket book and opened it in front of her.
The train began to roll... but then suddenly stopped dead in its tracks again.
Only seconds later, a voice was heard from the loudspeakers.
"The train is currently facing technical difficulties preventing departure. We apologize for the inconvenience, and will resume our course as soon as we've fixed the issue."
Eadgil facepalmed.
Three hours later, the train finally moved out of the station.
Magistrate Gunne sat at his desk doing paperwork, his sister kneeling beside him, pleasuring herself on a dildo, and his black collar mare doing minor chores in another corner of the room. He was pretty pleased with himself. He had just returned from Appleloosa, and his plan to get the Apple mare to take the red collar had been successful. He was sure he had spared his only friend in this wretched town a lot of further trouble, and his king had taken note of his success. The thought made him blush a little, but he was not all-out happy. Returning home, he had found a two days old letter from Councilman Vestri, informing him that the investigation regarding Thungrox' murder was officially closed, that responsibility for the warbeast farm would pass to him, and that the yellow pegasus would be given to someone else. He did not mind the latter - he had never been interested in pony females - but the former two points bothered him. He was still not convinced the accounts of the diamond dogs had really been mere mad ramblings, and he would have gone to Canterlot and interrogated them personally if he had the time. He had more important things to do though. With the warbeast farm now his responsibility, and him having little knowledge of warbeast keeping, he had to find a replacement for Thungrox - and one for the yellow pegasus as well, since judging from his observation, her body had been an excellent tool for keeping the huge creatures calm and content. He had rarely ever seen them take her, but her mere presence and attention seemed to calm them.
He skimmed through the file. "Tree Hugger, hmm...", he mumbled, more to himself, when he heard three consecutive knocks on his door.
He briefly rubbed his temples. "Come in!", he yelled. "The door is open."
He had expected a Ponyville inhabitant, coming to him with yet another petty concern. He was surprised when the door opened and a well-dressed member of his own species entered, followed by a mare on a leash crawling behind him, as well as a... small creature unknown to him, most of its face covered by the hood of the long robe it was wearing. Taking a closer look, it seemed to be canine to him. For a moment, his mind went into high alert - but then he realized that it only very vaguely resembled a diamond dog, but was too small to be one. From its looks, he had little reason to consider it a danger to him or anyone else.
The stag approached him, and Gunne rose up.
"Magistrate Gunne?", the stag asked.
Gunne nodded. "That I am. May I ask who you are?"
"My name is Eadgil, Magistrate of a new caribou colony in Everfree", the other caribou introduced himself. "We've actually met before once or twice, but I figured you wouldn't remember. I used to be Captain of Lord Vestri's personal guard."
Gunne looked up and examined the other stag. "Yes, I believe I remember", he said coldly.
The other stag continued unfazed and in an eerily cheerful voice. "Councilman Vestri has appointed me as handler of a yellow pegasus mare currently living here in Ponyville. I understand her owner was recently murdered. My companion and I are here to fetch her."
Gunne nodded. "May I ask who your companion is?"
"He's my bodyguard", the other stag replied. "A canine from a land far south of here."
Gunne raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't look much like a bodyguard. A canine, you say? If he is a diamond dog, I really hope he isn't involved in this entire affair."
"You mean beyond being my bodyguard?", Eadgil asked. "I doubt it. From what I heard about the time of Thungrox' death, he was already with us in Everfree."
The Mimiga furred his brows, but remained silent.
Gunne seemed unconvinced. For a moment, he remembered the diamond dogs' mutterings about a white demon - but since he had nothing else to go on and no way to test or confirm any kind of suspicion, he decided to let it rest for now. "If you say so...", he muttered. "Let's just do the paperwork and then I will lead you to the mare."
The other stag nodded, and handed him Councilman Vestri's orders for the transfer of handlership. Gunne looked at it inquisitively, then handed it back to the other stag.
"The papers seem to be in order. Unless you have something else to discuss... we can go whenever you are ready."
Eadgil nodded, and they left the building through the main entrance. "Nice little town you have here", he started an attempt at smalltalk, much to Gunne's displeasure. "Very clean, I must say. I mean I just came from Canterlot, and it's a mess. The streets are dirty, and the stallions can't keep their dicks in their pants for just a second. It's not as idyllic as my little place in the forest, but it's not the worst place to live."
"Have you ever been all alone among ponies?", Gunne asked coldly.
Eadgil shook his head. "No, but I have been all alone among our own people", he replied.
Gunne stopped walking and looked at him.
The other stag turned around. "Gunne, I know about you and your sister, of course", he said. "I just want you to know that I neither believe in nor care about such things as prophecies. I would like you to see me as an ally, not an enemy."
Gunne glared at him for a moment. "Let's just move on", he eventually said coldly.
"A Prophet who does not believe in prophecy", the canine creature muttered thoughtfully. Gunne wondered what he meant by that, but he wasn't in the mood to inquire further. He decided to just assume it was just some weird canine superstition.
They arrived at the warbeast farm, where the yellow pegasus was still doing her daily chores, although the death of her Master seemed to have depressed her a bit - which was to be expected from a proper, well-trained red collar like her. When she saw them approach, she sank to her knees and then bowed down her head to the ground. "Master Gunne", she spoke. "This mare welcomes you and your guests."
"Sit up, mare!", Gunne commanded, and the pegasus assumed an upright kneeling position, her eyes cast down, her legs spread and her hands resting on her thighs.
Gunne walked around her, looking down at her from all sides. He had no interest in her, but he knew a cold, mustering glance from all sides was just as suited to keeping a well-trained mare in her place as any threatening posture. "The council has decided to pass handlership of you to another stag", he informed her.
"Has the council found someone for the warbeast farm?", the mare inquired.
"Not yet", Gunne replied. "Your new handler will not take over the farm. He is the Magistrate of a new colony of caribou in Everfree. You will follow him there, and obey him just as well as you obeyed me or Master Thungrox."
The yellow mare seemed to hesitate, and apparently wanted to say something. She cast a glance over to the grazing warbeasts.
"What is it?", Gunne asked harshly.
"Nothing, Master", the mare replied, casting down her eyes again. "I will do as you say."
"I expect a more prompt reaction to commands", Gunne said harshly.
"This mare is sorry", she replied. "She requests proper punishment."
"It's fine, Gunne", Eadgil tried to appease. "Really, I'm not offended."
"You should know just as well as I do that it's important to keep females obedient!", Gunne snapped.
Eadgil smirked. "Have you recently looked at the black to red conversion rates for Everfree?", he asked, knowing full well that he had sent the council completely made-up figures - realistic enough to be believable, but still a good bit above average. Since he as a magistrate had the right to approve of requests for the red collar, and Freeville didn't have any cases considered problematic or particularly important that would have required the king's or council's specific approval, there was little chance that he would be found out.
"I have not", Gunne admitted. "Nor do I care."
Eadgil nodded. "Fair enough. I think you can leave now. We will handle it from here."
He approached the yellow pegasus, knowing he had to find a way to test if she was just faking. If she wasn't, she might prove to be a buttload of trouble. "It seems I have been appointed as your new handler, Fluttershy."
As the caribou approached her, she once again bowed down her head, then planted a kiss on each of his hooves. "Welcome, Master. This mare is ready to follow you."
Eadgil sighed. It seemed the mare he had been given was thoroughly brainwashed. This could prove to be a problem. "You may sit upright."
The mare assumed her former position once more.
"Please allow me to introduce you to my companions as well", Eadgil said politely.
"This mare does not believe she deserves such politeness, Master", Fluttershy replied shyly.
Eadgil rubbed his temples. This would be trouble, he just knew it. "No", he said calmly. "But I choose to give it. Now let me introduce you to my companions. The mare by my side is Star Charmer... my mare."
Fluttershy shyly looked up to the mare on all fours at her new handler's side, who gave her a cheerful smile. "Hello, Fluttershy", she said. "Happy to meet you. I'm sure the two of us will be friends in no time."
"And my other companion is my bodyguard. He comes from a faraway land to the south. We call him Monolith... or Mono for short"
Fluttershy paused for a moment. Why had this stag introduced his other slave first, and another male only later? "Master...", she began.
"What is it?", Eadgil inquired.
"Nothing, Master. I apologize for stealing your time. I welcome you as well, Master Monolith", the mare replied, not looking up to the other creature.
The Mimiga cast Eadgil a questioning glance. "Why is that one not looking at this one while talking to it?", he asked.
Eadgil chuckled a little. "I think she's just shy. Go on, Fluttershy. I want you to know what your new Master and his friends look like... and not just the mares."
The pegasus shyly raised her eyes and looked at the stag above her, giving him a soft smile.
Then, her eyes turned to the creature that had been introduced to her as Monolith. Suddenly, life came into her body, and she crawled towards him, continuing to look up to him - not submissively like she had become used to, but with a curiosity she remembered from times that seemed long gone.
"You're canine, aren't you, sir?", she asked, giggling softly. "Are you a diamond dog?"
"This one is a Mimiga", the creature replied in his usual monotone.
"Mimiga", Fluttershy replied thoughtfully. "Maybe a subspecies...?" She giggled. "A mare like me really shouldn't use such fancy words. I'm sure I got it wrong, didn't I?"
Eadgil shrugged. "We're not sure what he is, actually."
"I'm sure I got it wrong", Fluttershy insisted, still looking up to the strange creature. "But you are canine, right?"
"This one is canine", the Mimiga confirmed.
"Oooh", Fluttershy sighed softly. "I wonder if you have a knot."
"Knot?", the Mimiga asked. Eadgil came a few steps closer to him and whispered something in his ear.
"Oh", the Mimiga replied, his cheeks turning slightly red without him noticing. "This one has a knot", he replied.
"Wonderful!", Fluttershy yelped meekly, but enthusiastically. "I can't wait to feel them inside me, mmmh..."
The Mimiga cast a helpless glance at Eadgil, but the only reply he got from the caribou was him rubbing his own temples. He had seen such gestures quite a few times recently, and they seemed to indicate feelings of annoyance. His mind tried to process what the pegasus had just said. He theoretically knew what she was talking about, but he was unable to find corresponding memories in his mind. This was to be expected, of course. The servants of the Monolith had no use for such thoughts or memories, as time moved differently in the Realm, and the Monolith knew how to find recruits to replenish His ranks. The Mimiga could deal with the theoretical concept, but the fact that his mind was unable to process it being applied to him left him in a difficult cognitive position.
Eadgil looked around. "We really have to think about how to communicate to her what we're really doing", he said, looking down at Star Charmer.
"I couldn't agree more, 'Master'", Star Charmer said with an ironic undertone.
Hearing her Master's voice, Fluttershy immediately turned away from the Mimiga and towards Eadgil, now prostrating herself before him even more. "This mare is sorry!", she said, her voice sounding as though she was close to tears. "She didn't know what she was doing! She forgot herself! Her attention should be on her Master at all times, and she shouldn't bother other males without his and their permission. She knows she deserves punishment and asks for a harsh one."
"Later", Eadgil replied in an audibly annoyed voice. "For now, you will accompany us. For better or for worse, you're with us now."
"Of course, Master", Fluttershy replied. "I'm sure it will be for the better... I mean I promise I will better myself, with your guidance, Master."
"Back to the castle?", Star Charmer asked casually.
"We have to meet a certain... friend of mine first", Eadgil replied.
"Huh?", Star Charmer asked. "Of course! Zecora!"
Eadgil nodded.
"Master, may a mare ask a question?", Fluttershy asked.
"You want to ask me if she's allowed to speak", Eadgil hypothesized. "Yes, and so are you."
Fluttershy had little time to process this information, as the three others were already moving towards Everfree forest. She followed them on all fours, her head properly lowered - barely even noticing that her new friend had stood up and was now walking on her hind legs beside her Master, who seemed to take no offense. In her mind, she knew he should take offense to this, but not only did she not dare to call him out, her mind was also too focused on keeping up with them to question it.
"Ugh, at this pace, we're never gonna get back home", Star Charmer muttered, looking back at her.
"You think I should allow her to walk on two legs?", Eadgil asked. "We're still pretty close to Ponyville, what if she causes a scene?"
"You just asked me for my opinion in front of her", Star Charmer pointed out. "If she was to cause a scene, she would already be doing it. Honestly though... I don't get this mare."
Fluttershy stopped and sank her face to the ground. She had been given to a madman, she thought... but he was still her Master. No, she must be wrong about that thought. There couldn't possibly be something wrong with a Master. She was sure there was something wrong with her... but what? All of this felt so terribly wrong... but a mare like her should accept her Master's quirks. She knew she wouldn't be able to understand her Master, make her own judgments, or - even worse - her own decisions.
She remembered making decisions, of course - in the time before the caribou came and freed her. She remembered making the choice to move to Ponyville and live close to the ground instead of returning to Cloudsdale, for example. But that didn't mean she should have made them by herself. Circumstance had put her in a situation alienated from her true nature...
She remembered how terribly she had failed to protect her friends in Canterlot when the caribou came and liberated it - and how Lord Hrathr had gently consoled her with harsh punishments, and by assuring her that it was her nature to fail without male guidance, and her destiny to submit to her male Masters... whoever they might end up being, whatever they might demand of her. That memory always reassured her of her place.
...Seeing that all other attempts had gone nowhere, Eadgil rubbed his temples. Turning around, he addressed Fluttershy harshly. "Stand up!", he commanded.
Fluttershy was on her hind legs in seconds, her arms folded behind her back and her breasts properly stretched out.
"You can walk on your hind legs?", Eadgil asked.
Fluttershy nodded. "Yes, Master... but..."
"No butts", Eadgil said harshly. "Star Charmer and I will go ahead", he decided.
He took her leash and turned to Monolith, handing it to her. "Monolith, you'll take care of her. Make sure she follows you, and inform me if she doesn't." The Mimiga gave him a nod, and he turned back to Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, you will keep following him on your legs, or I'll pick you up and carry you. I would prefer not to, but your choice."
Fluttershy blinked. Her... choice? Had he really just said that?
She blinked once more. No, that couldn't be. It was a threat, for sure. He had just given her an order, and he seemed to think of being carried as a punishment. After all, it was not the first time a Master had used the word 'choice' to remind her of the only alternatives of compliance or punishment - the only alternatives ever given to a lowly mare like her.
Weakly, she followed the three on her hind legs as they marched towards the forest.
"Ancestors, how I've come to hate having to play this role...", Eadgil muttered to himself.
"I didn't hear you complain last night!", Star Charmer said in a mocking tone.
Eadgil paused, smiling a little. "Oh, shut up!"
Star Charmer gave him a wide, devious smile. "Make me!", she replied, immediately rushing ahead of them towards Everfree - the stag following her only a second later.
Fluttershy felt like her brain was folding back on itself - a clear indication that this was something her tiny mare mind wasn't meant to comprehend, and that she should focus on the orders given by her Master. For the rest of the way, she just stumbled behind the small canine, doing her best to keep up. He didn't make it easy for her to follow him, but she figured it shouldn't be.
She had to admit though, the view of him from behind was an incentive.
When Eadgil caught up with Star Charmer, they had already gotten a good bit into the forest. He playfully grabbed her and gently pressed her against a tree.
"So how do you plan to make me shut up?", Star Charmer inquired, giggling.
"I don't know if I want to", Eadgil smirked, putting his finger under her chin and looking her in the eyes. "I think I'd rather make you moan."
Star Charmer bit her lip. "What about Mono and Fluttershy?", she asked.
"We were a good bit faster than them", Eadgil said calmly. "It'll take them a few minutes to get here. Enough time for a quickie. We can do more once we're back at the castle." His right hand moved down from her chin and towards her right breast.
"Who's there?", they suddenly heard a voice behind them. Eadgil took a step back and turned around, his eyes falling on Hirthir, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
"Magistrate!", he saluted. "My apologies for the interruption. Feel free to continue."
"No, thank you", Eadgil replied. "I don't like to... 'perform' in front of spectators."
"Not a type for orgies, huh?", Hirthir asked. "Wait... I knew that. Did I know that?"
Eadgil shrugged. "Actually, I was just having some fun with my mare while waiting for my bodyguard to arrive with another mare we just fetched from Ponyville", Eadgil replied. "He shouldn't be too far behind us. We were actually on our way to you."
"Me?", Hirthir asked. "What gives me the honor?"
"Orders from Councilman Vestri", Eadgil replied. "But that has time until we get to your house. You might want to be able to take a seat."
"Oh", Hirthir remarked, letting his shoulders hang almost in defeat. "That bad?"
"I don't know, actually", Eadgil said. "I got new orders for you rolled up and sealed, and I haven't looked at them." A second later, he spotted Monolith approaching from the other direction with Fluttershy in tow. "Ah, there's my bodyguard with the other mare."
Hirthir turned to them as well, taking a closer look at the Mimiga. "Huh", he remarked. "He's an odd one. Not a pony or caribou, hmmm..."
"He's canine", Eadgil informed him. "Calls himself a 'Mimiga' and doesn't seem to have a name. We call him Mono."
"It is an honor for this one to get to know that one", the Mimiga gave Hirthir a polite greeting.
"You let your mares walk on their hind legs?", Hirthir asked, giving the blushing Fluttershy a critical look, then shifting his eyes to Star Charmer, who was still leaning against the tree.
"Sometimes", Eadgil said. "I wanted to get to your hut quickly."
Hirthir nodded. "Let's go."
They arrived at the hut a good bit later, and Hirthir unlocked the door. Handing Hirthir the sealed parchment with Vestri's orders for him, Eadgil entered the hut, followed by Mono, then his host himself, and finally the two mares. Inside, Zecora was lying on a pelt, her hands tied behind her back and her leash connected to a pole.
"Get up, lazy cunt!", Hirthir commanded roughly. "We've got guests!"
Zecora nodded and shifted from a lying to a kneeling position, her back straightened and her head lowered.
Hirthir unsealed and unrolled the parchment, read it, then looked up to Eadgil.
"Well, this is generous", he said. "Do I have you to thank for this?"
Eadgil smirked. "I have no idea. What did he give you? I mean I know what he gave me..."
"A well-paid job and an empty little house in Canterlot", Hirthir replied. "With a salary high enough to support maybe two or three does. I'll finally get out of this dead end, and the only thing I have to give up for it is that useless zebra." He cast Zecora a disdainful glance.
"I assume he's going to let you work for that?", Eadgil asked.
Hirthir shook his head. "Kind of. It doesn't sound like the easiest of jobs, but it's still definitely overpaid. Once again, do I have to thank you for this?"
"Kind of", Eadgil replied. "Honestly, I just wanted the zebra with me and you out of my forest. I did ask the Councilman if he could give you something better than you have now though. I have not forgotten what I promised you, Hirthir."
Hirthir took a step closer, and then suddenly pulled Eadgil into an embrace. "Thank you, sir", he said. "You're the first to give me a chance at something better."
"Uh... you're welcome, I guess", Eadgil replied.
Hirthir let go again. "My apologies, Magistrate. I let myself go."
"It's fine", the other stag replied. "I'm primarily here to fetch... the zebra, of course."
Hirthir walked over to the zebra and removed the leash from its connection to the pole. "Stand up, striped cunt!", he ordered, looking down at the zebra mare. Zecora complied, not saying a word.
He then walked over to Eadgil and handed him the leash. "Here you go, Magistrate", he said. "And thanks again. Can I offer you anything?"
Eadgil shook his head. "No, thank you, We need to get back to the castle immediately. That would be all."
Hirthir nodded. "Once again, thank you."
Eadgil returned the nod, then led Zecora out of the hut, followed by Monolith and the other two mares. Once they've gotten far enough away from the hut, to the point where it was both out of sight and out of earshot, he untied the zebra's hands. Rubbing her palms, she turned around, looking at him. "So you finally did it", she said. "Don't worry, I still remember. I'm going to abstain from rhyming in your presence. I thank you."
Eadgil was thankful that she seemed to remember his weird, inexplicable negative reaction to her rhyming. The last thing he needed right now was a panic attack.
He nodded. "Yeah, those orders from Vestri appoint me as your handler. I don't forget a promise I made. We'll take care of your collar and then see if we can find something for you to wear as soon as we reach the castle." Speaking these words, he heard a harrumphing sound coming from behind him. He turned around and noticed that Monolith and the other two mares had caught up with him.
When he looked at Fluttershy, the mare blushed and looked away.
"This one believes the Fluttershy one wishes to say something", Monolith remarked, still holding her leash. Eadgil wondered if he had held on to it the entire time.
Eadgil's eyes turned back to Fluttershy. "Is that true, mare?" The mare nodded weakly.
"Well, then speak!", he commanded. "I told you you could, remember?"
"Master... what did you mean when you said you'd take care of that mare's collar and... find something for her to wear?", Fluttershy asked.
Eadgil took a deep breath. Fluttershy had to be a fake red, he thought. She probably just waited for the right moment, or wasn't sure yet if she could trust them. If she was a genuine collaborator, she would have caused a scene, tried to rebel or to run away far earlier, and probably close to Ponyville. But even if she was, here in the forest, it would be far easier to restrain her if she caused a problem than it would have been back there. She also hadn't taken the opportunity to point their weird behavior to Hirthir either.
"Exactly what I said, Fluttershy", Eadgil explained calmly. "I'm gonna take off her collar, and then we'll find clothing for her. And then I'm gonna do the same for you."
The Mimiga, seemingly keeping an eye on the mare's body language and physical reactions, moved behind her just in time to catch her as she suddenly sank backwards. Meanwhile, Eadgil just stood there, completely dumbfounded by this sudden, strong physical reaction.
"What in the name of my father and my father's father just happened?", he eventually muttered, staring at the Mimiga holding the yellow pegasus' body in his arms.
"This one believes that one just fainted", the Mimiga replied.
Zecora knelt down beside them, looking at Fluttershy. "I believe this is a psychosomatic reaction", she diagnosed. "I am pretty certain I can brew something to calm her down once we're at your castle. For now, it seems she needs to be carried."
Eadgil let out a brief sigh.
Meanwhile, Zecora's eyes went up from Fluttershy and onto the Mimiga's.
"You are a Mimiga", she said matter-of-factly. The Mimiga replied with a nod.
With him holding Fluttershy in both hands, and thus being unable to do anything about it, Zecora took the chance to take off the hood of his robe - noticing the mark on his forehead.
"You are a servant of the Monolith", the zebra observed.
"This one is, yes", the Mimiga confirmed.
The zebra turned to Eadgil. "How did you get in contact with a servant of the Monolith?", she asked. "What is your business with the Monolith?"
Eadgil shrugged. "Honestly, I don't even know who this Monolith is. The guy just appeared at the castle one day, asked for a stag with a specific tattoo on the back of his left hand, and well..." He raised his hand, showing her his own mark. "He then told me I was some kind of prophet, and that the Monolith had sent him to protect and obey me. And... he seems mentally incapable of disobeying an order I give him."
The Mimiga nodded. "That is correct."
"Let me see this!", Zecora commanded, pointing at Eadgil's left hand. The caribou stretched out his left hand to let the zebra take a closer look at it. "This does not look like any symbol associated with the Monolith. I'm not sure how to place it, to be honest. How did you get this?"
"I didn't have it made", Eadgil replied. "And I've never seen this symbol either. It just appeared on my hand one day... after a nightmare, shortly before I got the idea to found the community here in Everfree."
"An odd story, indeed", Zecora said, her voice betraying more than a little bit of doubt. "Very well... we will get to the bottom of this later, I am sure of it. For now, let us return to the castle, so I can get something to put on. Then, I will make something to wake Fluttershy and calm her down."
Eadgil sighed, then picked up Fluttershy from Monolith's arms. "Sounds good to me. Let's get going." |
The Freeville Chronicles (A Fall of Equestria: Shattered Order Story) | Chapter 22: A Mare's Confusion | Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes.
Looking around, she found herself lying on a bed. Her new Master was sitting beside her, looking at her with what she thought to be concern. What an odd and unusual expression on a proud caribou male, particularly directed at a being of so little importance as herself. She was happy to be given to another caribou and not a stallion, but something about her new Master seemed very off.
Around him stood others, all looking down at her with similar expressions of concern. All those eyes resting on her made her feel uneasy. She noticed three other females, and another caribou standing close to her bed, similarly looking down on her with concern on his face. Not mustering them more closely on the first look, her eyes eventually fell on the small, canine creature she had already been acquainted to, standing in a corner next to the door.
Her heart made a little jump. He was the only male in the room not staring at her, instead looking past her, seemingly at an indeterminate point behind her. Even with two caribou males in the room, this foreigner was currently acting more like a proper male than either of them.
Fluttershy blinked, looking at her Master. "What happened?" She asked. "Where am I... Master?"
"You fainted," her new handler replied. "We carried you here to the castle, to safety."
Fluttershy blushed, casting her eyes down. "I apologize, Master. I guess now I know what Rarity must be feeling all the times she faints... I hope I didn't cause Master any trouble."
"Looks like she's coming to," she heard a rough, female voice chuckling, and immediately identified a grey, female unicorn standing behind her Master as its source. The mare's horn was properly cut, but taking a closer look at her face gave Fluttershy chills - not only did the cut horn look somehow... wrong, she also got the eerie feeling that the mare was older than she looked like. This was the first time she started paying attention to any of the females in the room. Looking at the others, she immediately recognized Zecora, who was standing next to the grey-coated unicorn. A third female, a teal green pegasus mare, was standing a bit further away from her bed, though close to the second, yet unidentified caribou male.
To Fluttershy's shock, she realized that all the females present were wearing clothes and no collars. Almost instinctively, she reached to her own neck to feel her collar, noticing in horror that it was gone. Panic in her eyes, she immediately sat up in bed, staring at her Master.
"Master..." She asked fearfully. "What's going on?"
Her Master gave her a friendly smile. "You're safe here, Fluttershy," he repeated. "I promise. We're all friends."
We're... what now???
"M... may I... ask wh... where my collar is?" Fluttershy asked silently, with a hint of panic in her voice. "I mean umm... if... you've decided that I'm not deserving of the red collar, and wish to replace it, I will bow to my Master's will."
The others in the room looked at each other, the green pegasus casting her a harsh, disapproving glance.
"Uh... we don't really use those here... at least not unless we have guests," her new handler replied.
The yellow mare's fear rose even further as she heard this, instinctively moving further towards the wall and the corner of her bed, away from everyone else. She really hoped her Master would not disapprove of her display of insecurity, but she felt like she was losing grasp on what was going on. She hadn't felt such insecurity since the caribou had liberated her and all of Equestria from the errors of her old world and brought her enlightenment, but what she saw here seemed to go against everything they had taught her. Of course, as a female, she could not possibly hope to understand her Master's thoughts, his plans and intentions. Her place was to serve and obey, not to question. She still hoped her Master would give her something to hold on to.
"We can provide you with a simple leather collar that you can put on and take off by yourself if you feel... naked without one," her new Master smirked.
"Speaking of, she also needs clothing," the teal green-ish pegasus said in an authoritative voice. "She can't run around the mares' quarters in the nude."
Fluttershy's new handler gave the pegasus a brief look and nodded. "I've already told Star Charmer to fetch a selection for her to choose from. I'm sure she'll join us here soon."
"Good," the pegasus nodded approvingly.
Hearing this, Fluttershy's eyes widened in shock. "Clothes, Master?," she asked. "Wh... why is that mare speaking out of line? Why do... you want me to wear clothes? I... isn't that... improper?"
She wanted to say 'illegal', but her mind decided against accusing a Master of committing a crime. Thousand questions swirled through her head though, and she felt almost more lost than after the liberation of Canterlot, in the weeks when Master Hrathr had first enlightened her about her place.
"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but we handle things a bit differently here," her Master replied slowly. "Mares are free beings here."
Fluttershy's head began to spin and swirl, and she felt close to fainting again, or to falling into a full panic attack. She almost feared she would start to hallucinate again, like she did sometimes. It was probably female weakness, but she felt incapable of processing the situation appropriately. For a moment, she almost wondered if her new Master was insane - but she quickly remembered that it wasn't her place to make such judgments, particularly not considering Master Vestri himself had authorized him as her new handler, probably with Master Hrathr's or even the king's knowledge and approval, so considering him mad would amount to declaring them mad as well, or at best neglectful and incompetent, and that thought would have shaken her world view even more than the thought of stags creating a place where they played slightly different games with their possessions than in the rest of Equestria - even if these games seemed illegal by her shallow understanding of their own laws. This odd train of thought made her certain that she was out of her depth making any such judgments about the situation, and that there was a logical explanation for everything that her tiny female brain simply couldn't comprehend - but it amplified her sense of being completely lost even more. For the first time since Canterlot, she felt like she didn't understand the world anymore.
She involuntarily giggled a little to herself. Female weakness, of course. Master Hrathr had taught her everything about that.
Her Master turned around to the others. "Would you mind leaving us? I wish to talk to Fluttershy alone."
The grey unicorn and Zecora nodded, while the teal pegasus let out a huff. "I am not happy with this,'' she replied.
"We all aren't, Spring Breeze," Master Ari countered. "This is an immensely difficult situation for all of us, including her. I just think being alone with her new handler will make her feel more comfortable."
"That's exactly what I'm worried about,'' the teal pegasus replied, and for a moment, it seemed like she wanted to start a staring contest with Master Ari - one Fluttershy was sure she would have lost, of course.
"I'm not happy with this either, but I think he might have a point,'' the grey unicorn intervened. "Normally, I would want to stay as well, both for therapeutic reasons and out of my usual morbid scientific curiosity," she smirked. "But we can talk about satisfying that later. For now, this mare needs an environment of as little stress as possible."
The green pegasus huffed again. "Fine. I need to call the community for the extraordinary plenum meeting anyway." She looked at the huge caribou standing beside her. "Come, Baldr,'' she said in an almost commanding voice, confusing Fluttershy even further. She then hastily left the room, the caribou following her. Zecora and the unicorn similarly moved towards the door and then left only moments later.
The canine, standing right next to the door, didn't move an inch.
"You too, Monolith," her new Master addressed him.
"This one will leave if the Prophet insists,'' the creature replied. "But it wishes to articulate concerns about compromising the Prophet's safety by leaving it alone with one apparently loyal to the regime of the ones who are enemies of the Prophet."
"Are you serious?", the caribou asked, earning a robotic nod from the canine creature. "I really don't think Fluttershy poses a threat to me," Eadgil added, noticing his bodyguard's reaction - but the canine still didn't move an inch.
"It's fine, Master", Fluttershy whispered spontaneously. "I... really don't mind him staying."
A moment later, she bit her lip and looked away shyly, waiting for punishment, or at least a command to apologize for speaking out of turn - which never came.
Her handler smiled. "If he doesn't make you nervous, he can stay."
Fluttershy blinked. "Why do you... care for my feelings?", she asked.
"Because in my experience..." Her Master took a deep breath, "...It's really hard to talk sense into people who are confused and nervous, let alone frightened."
"P... people?", Fluttershy stuttered.
Master Ari did not bother to respond, and instead just smiled, staring at the wall behind her. She was glad his eyes weren't on her anymore. A mare should not be the center of her Master's attention, she knew.
A thought occurred to her. She remembered what he had said about mares being free here. It was a silly notion, of course, but maybe it gave her a way out of this confusing mess and back into the safe realms of sanity. "Master... you said mares are free here...", she began.
Master Ari slowly nodded without looking at her. "Yes, that is what I said", he confirmed.
"Does that mean I could... leave here?", she asked. "Go back to Ponyville to Master Gunne? Or to Canterlot... to Master Hrathr."
"Thank you for bringing up that topic", Master Ari replied, "Otherwise, I would have had to bring it up myself, and I wasn't sure how. As far as we are concerned, yes, you may leave at any time, and go wherever you want."
For some reason, Fluttershy began to suspect that her Master was not entirely honest about this - but she chose not to interrupt him, as that would have been improper.
"The... Masters you just mentioned don't really see it like that though," he continued.
Fluttershy huffed a little. Of course they wouldn't see it that way.
Master Ari didn't seem to take notice. "As far as they are concerned, I'm your official, appointed handler, and if you left here, they'd just return you to me, whether you wanted to or not." He looked down at her with a harsh expression, one far more suited to the face of a Master when speaking with a lowly female. He continued. "I'm also not some random stallion diagnosed with mental issues either. If you told them about what you saw and heard here in the hopes of getting a different handler, they would likely torture you to insanity and then put a purple collar around your neck for slandering a Magistrate and a personal friend of Councilman Vestri. I doubt they'd even bother to investigate - but even if they did, they wouldn't find anything. They would then just leave it to me to punish you, which is something I would prefer to avoid. You going back to Ponyville or Canterlot would at best be pointless and at worst..." He stared her in the eyes. "...Disappointing," he continued. "For both of us."
"So I'm not free," Fluttershy concluded, visibly relaxing.
"I guess not." The caribou shrugged. "Blame the circumstances."
Fluttershy blushed and looked down. "Please forgive me for my presumption. I didn't realize you were an acquaintance of Master Vestri. I'm sure he has plans for this community that a feeble female mind cannot begin to grasp."
"Indeed, he does!" Master Ari smirked. "From what he told me a few days ago, the councilman has given me this castle to restore and rebuild because he wishes to use it as a military base of operations in case of a civil war."
Fluttershy flinched, a whole new set of worries weaseling their way into her mind. "Why would there be a civil war, Master?" She asked.
"Because the king has no heir", Master Ari replied. "And I don't even have count of how many caribou or ponies have some kind of claim to either his titles... or those of the previous rulers. But don't worry, he is currently healthy and shows no sign of weakness."
Fluttershy relaxed, and she giggled softly. "Once again, I apologize, Master. A silly mare like me cannot hope to understand male politics. I will obey and not leave the castle."
Master Ari sighed, rubbing his temples. "As already mentioned, you will be required to wear clothes in public areas... particularly in the mares' quarters. You can't currently go back to your old Masters, or to Equestrian society, for the aforementioned reasons, but aside from that..." He sighed again. "Fluttershy, if you could do anything you wanted with your life, what would it be?"
Fluttershy stared at her Master. "I would look for a Master to submit to... to provide guidance, and to use me how he sees fit, for that is the true purpose of a proper female."
Master Ari sighed, and the concerned look on his face seemed to make it clear that that wouldn't quite work. "We... will see what we can do about this. I am... unfortunately too busy to take care of you to the extent apparently required, but maybe I can find somestag to appoint as my representative in this matter."
"Like an... acting handler?" Fluttershy asked.
"I guess that would be the legal term", Master Ari replied. "I'm surprised you know it though."
Fluttershy blushed, smiled a little, and averted her eyes. "This female took a lucky guess, Master."
Master Ari nodded. "We will see what we can do. But is there anything else we can do for you? What kinds of activities gave you joy in your old life? Before my people arrived here, I mean."
Fluttershy was surprised that a caribou would ask about her old life, but this stag was strange in a number of ways. "I... liked to be in nature. Surrounded by plants and animals... particularly animals."
Master Ari nodded. "The forest is open to you, though I would recommend against going alone... for a number of reasons."
Fluttershy nodded. "The Everfree forest is dangerous, Master." She giggled softly. "Particularly for a female."
"You can occasionally join me and my cow on our daily walks if you want to," Master Ari replied. "Or you can ask Monolith to accompany you," he added, pointing at the canine in the corner. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind joining you for your safety."
"As long as no imminent danger for the Prophet comes from this one's absence from the castle," the canine nodded. "This one will do so if the Prophet wishes it."
Fluttershy blushed heavily. "I... would like that, Master."
Master Ari smiled. "Then that's what we'll do."
The door opened, and the teal pegasus mare returned. "Ari, you coming? Plenum is waiting for you."
Master Ari nodded. "Monolith, would you mind staying here and keeping an eye on Fluttershy?" he asked. Then, he turned to the mare. "I don't think we need him at the plenum meeting?"
Spring Breeze shook her head. "We don't have any matters to discuss that directly concern him... or indirectly, as far as I can tell. The guy never says anything or casts a vote anyway." She shook her head a second time, casting the canine a puzzled glance.
"This one will stay here and watch the yellow pegasus one," the canine confirmed.
"By the way, Fluttershy..." The teal pegasus then addressed Fluttershy. "Star Charmer will come over in a bit and bring you some clothing. I think she's making sure to provide you with a selection to choose from. You'll choose something to wear, and then we'll give you a room in the mares' quarters."
"Um... Master Ari said I could live with a male..." Fluttershy replied shyly.
"Did he now, huh?," the other pegasus asked. "I think I have to have a word with him, then... but not here. Ari, we're going now. The others are waiting."
Master Ari nodded, then stood up and followed her out of the room.
A few minutes passed with neither Fluttershy nor her canine companion saying anything. Fluttershy was normally content with silence, but eventually, she felt the urge to break it.
"M... Master... what was your name again? Monolith was it, right? May I... may I speak?"
"That is what this one is called here in this community, and this one does not see why that one would not."
Fluttershy's mind took a moment to dig through the canine's odd wording. "I... just wanted to tell you that I feel... calm having you around. Comfortable. More so than with the others here, even Master Ari."
The canine raised an eyebrow. "This one was under the impression that it usually makes others around it feel uncomfortable. At least others who are not also servants of the Monolith."
"It's the way you look at me," Fluttershy explained, blushing. "Or rather, the way you don't. Having all those people around me... all those eyes only on me... it feels wrong. It makes me nervous. A female shouldn't be the center of attention like that. But you... you just stare past me, or right through me. Like I'm a piece of furniture. I mean... Master Ari also seems to do that sometimes, Master Gunne as well, but you do it all the time. That's... how I should be looked at. I'm here to be used, not to be paid attention to, let alone be concerned about."
"This one looks at every one like that," the canine pointed out.
Fluttershy couldn't think of a reply, so she just gave him a shy smile - but the canine continued to stare at a point on the wall behind her.
Spring Breeze opened the door to the main hall and entered, Eadgil following closely behind her. While he took place on a seat in the front row next to Bruna, she went straight ahead to the podium.
"Are we complete?", the pegasus mare asked.
Eadgil stood up again and took a look around the room. "The stags are all here as far as I can see," he replied. "Many of the cows... aren't. I believe most of them still think that plenum meetings are boring and that it's not really their place being there anyway."
"Yeah," Bruna confirmed, giving a demure nod.
"Then it's fortunate that the things we have to talk about don't really concern them," Spring Breeze replied. "It seems the mares are all here. Good, what we have to discuss mostly concerns us. Zecora, would you come up here?"
The zebra mare rose from her seat among the crowd and walked up to the podium.
"First of all, I am honored to welcome a new member of our community," Spring Breeze continued. "Welcome, Zecora. I hope accommodations have been to your liking so far?"
Zecora smirked. "More than where I used to live before. But overall, yes, thank you."
A mare in the crowd raised her hand. "What is it?", Spring Breeze asked.
"I always thought zebra females prefer to speak in rhymes?", the mare asked.
"We usually do, yes," Zecora replied. "It has come to my attention that it causes negative emotional reactions in Eadgil as well as my former owner, and while I wish to conduct tests first, I have reason to believe that other caribou might experience similar reactions."
"Huh," the other mare said in disbelief.
Showing no reaction, Zecora continued. "The ones here seem to be good folk, and I do not wish to cause them unnecessary distress. I will gladly accept volunteers for testing though, and I will guarantee to cease experimenting on any of you who shows similar reactions."
Baldr raised his hand as a sign that he would volunteer, and a few other stags raised their hands as well. Eadgil kept his down - Zecora had already seen his reaction.
Spring Breeze gave her a nod. "Well, that settles that. We will give Fluttershy an official welcome later as well, though I've heard that she's... in a less fortunate state than you are, Zecora, which is why we are giving her some time alone for now. Ari has appointed the canine to look after her for the time being. But now, we do have another matter to discuss."
Zecora nodded. "I would like to inform the community that my medical and magical abilities are open to you. I do believe to be capable to help accelerate the process of regrowing the pegasus' feathers, as well as possibly enable the regrowth of unicorn horns."
The crowd went from surprise to joy, giving Zecora loud cheers over the news.
"Don't get too excited too fast," Spring Breeze interjected. "Unfortunately, I have to remind the community that we still need to be able to pull up a convincing disguise in case we have unwanted visitors. It would be both unfair and suspicious if we put the entire weight of playing slave girls onto the backs of the earth ponies among us - but I obviously also cannot keep anypony from enlisting Zecora's aid now that she has offered it. I therefore call for volunteers among the pegasus and unicorn mares - and I will of course be the first to volunteer to not have my wings restored. I already have a trusted partner among the male caribou population anyway, which makes it relatively easy for me to play my part if n..."
"That may not be necessary," she heard Deepest Desire's voice, who had risen to her seat and was walking towards the center stage.
"Excuse me?," Spring Breeze barked.
"I apologize for interrupting, but I might have an alternative," Deepest Desire replied, taking center stage now.
"Oh?," Spring Breeze asked. "And what would that be?"
"...Let me show you," Deepest Desire replied. A green flicker of energy appeared in front of her forehead, at first moving towards it and forming - or revealing - a strangely shaped horn, then moving across her whole body and changing its appearance into that of...
The crowd gasped.
"Well, fuck me sideways," Spring Breeze exclaimed. "You're a changeling."
"A changeling queen, yes," Deepest Desire replied, resulting in part of the crowd raising from their seats - some in fear, some readying themselves to take action.
"There is no need to be worried," the changeling continued. "I am on your side. I have not feasted on any of you save for those who knew about my secret and gave me permission. In fact, I don't have to anymore. I have found a far more efficient food source."
"And what would that be?", one of the mares asked.
Deepest Desire smirked. "Ivana," she replied. "I still have to do a few tests, but I somewhat suspect that caribou cows in general have the same property."
Eadgil rose up. "You fed on her?," he asked with a hint of anger in his voice - noticing a moment later that Baldr had risen up as well, now standing beside him. "I have to object against..."
He heard Ivana's voice behind him interrupting. "It's fine, Masters! I knew what she was and what was going on, and I agreed to it! At first, it made me feel sad, but... I think it helps me to... not lose myself."
A little smirk crept onto Deepest Desire's face.
"Not lose yourself, what...," Eadgil mumbled, more to himself.
"I really think you need to explain this, Deepest Desire," Spring Breeze demanded. "Why would caribou cows be better food sources than us ponies?"
"Because they're magical empaths," Deepest Desire explained. "Really strong ones. All sapient species have some capacity for empathy, but theirs is extraordinary. They mirror feelings, emotions, expectations to an unusual, almost impossible extent - to the point where they seem to outright amplify them. I showed Ivana only a little bit of genuine sympathy and she began to shower me with love. It was a feast... and heartwarming to no end. They seem to be exclusively receivers though, I don't think they can actively project."
Eadgil's thoughts began to swirl in his head. "What?," he heard one of the other stags behind him. "Impossible!," another one. "Cows have magic?!," a third one.
His eyes involuntarily went to his friend standing beside him, trying to gauge Baldr's emotional reactions to this reveal. His friend's face showed no sign of surprise, just the mysterious smile he had gotten to know from him.
Now that he thought about it, it did explain quite a few things he had gotten to know about cows.
"That actually makes a surprising amount of sense," he said, more to himself.
The entire room went silent.
"I mean think about it," he continued, noticing their reaction. "Why else would they go along with all our bullshit that easily? We know females of other species don't."
Deepest Desire's smirk widened. "He gets it," she confirmed. "I had no doubt in my mind that you would be the one who gets it."
"Well that's all nice and dandy, but how does any of that help with our problem?," Spring Breeze asked.
Deepest Desire turned her eyes to her. "As I said, I am a changeling queen," she repeated. "And I have a hive of 200 hibernating drones in a cave nearby. If a few cows would be willing to volunteer, I could wake some of my people up and use them for our disguises while you mares hide out in the caverns or the lower levels of the castle. That way, we can begin regrowing your horns and wings and still keep up the disguise."
"Can we really demand something like this from your drones?," Spring Breeze retorted.
"They will do as I wish, just like they've always done," Deepest Desire replied harshly, but then continued in a softer voice. "But aside from that, if the other cows show the same traits as Ivana and enough of them volunteer, and if we can offer my drones a food source like that as a reward, they'll see that as a small price."
Spring Breeze shrugged. "If you think this is a fair deal for now, fair enough. We can get to fixing your people..." She pointed at the caribou in front of her. "...as soon as we've fixed theirs."
Deepest Desire giggled. "Already working on it. In fact, from what I've seen with Ivana... being fed on might actually help the cows."
Eadgil raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"As I said, they tend to amplify the emotions they mirror," Deepest Desire began. "Show Ivana just a little bit of friendly attention and she'll burst with adoration for you. She can't help it, and she seems to lose herself to it easily. If it's the same with other does - and I currently have no doubt that it is - it is easy to deduce that it's the reason why they practically worship you as living deities despite how you treat them... though I think the Freeville environment has already helped this matter a bit. But if there was a way to partially drain that energy..."
"...then they would get an opening to gradually evolve a stronger sense of emotional independence," Eadgil concluded.
"That seems to be happening with Ivana at least, yes," Deepest Desire confirmed. "We can't drain too much either, because cows are also prone to depression when feeling alone or emptied out, but they produce so much, it shouldn't be an issue."
Eadgil nodded. "If we can find cows who are willing to volunteer, we can try it out." He chuckled. "Shouldn't be too difficult to get a cow to volunteer for something." Smirking, he sat down again.
"We caribou will discuss this among ourselves," Baldr added. "And I also wish to talk to Ivana alone before that. She's been with me for a long time, and she trusts me."
Deepest Desire laughed. "...and you don't fully trust me. Who could blame you? I also wouldn't. No seriously, I'm not offended. This is perfectly reasonable."
"I still don't feel comfortable with placing the burden of putting up this kind of disguise on your people alone, Deepest Desire," Spring Breeze added. "At least for the time being, I uphold my intent to not have my feathers regrown, so I can join them in this ordeal. It might be beneficial to have one or two actual ponies continue to participate in this along the cows and changelings."
Deepest Desire shrugged. "Suit yourself."
"I would still like to at least take a look at your wings," Zecora insisted. "Maybe there is something else I can do for you."
Spring Breeze nodded. "My stag already takes very good care of them... he's a healer, you know? But you might be more experienced with ponies, so I'll make sure to pay you a visit." She smiled.
Zecora nodded. "You can... bring your stag along if you want to. I would be interested in a chat between colleagues."
"Sounds agreeable to me," Baldr replied from his seat.
"Alright... let's vote on whether we want to ask the changelings for help with our disguise."
Eadgil stood up once more. "You mares should vote on that alone. I think my people will all agree that this decision should be left to you. Meanwhile, we will have to decide on whether we try out what Deepest Desire has suggested regarding letting the changelings feed on the cows. We're going to involve our own females in making that decision anyway..." he chuckled. "...whether they want to or not. Most of them aren't here right now, so we'll vote on that later as well."
He looked around, seeing no opposing reaction from the other stags.
Spring Breeze shrugged. "Fine by me," she replied. "I'm calling another plenum meeting for tomorrow morning so we can inform each other and Deepest Desire of our respective decisions. Was there anything else? I'm sure there was something else..."
Still standing, Eadgil nodded. "Yes, I fear we have a real problem on our hands..."
"Fluttershy?," Spring Breeze asked.
Eadgil nodded again. "Yes, Fluttershy. I fear she has been turned into a poster female for my people's views."
Murmuring filled the hall.
"That is indeed a real problem," Spring Breeze replied. "You think she'll become a threat to this community?"
"I really can't say," Eadgil sighed. "You ponies can be hard for me to understand sometimes. For the time being, I think I've talked her out of leaving the castle and its immediate environs or returning to Ponyville or Canterlot and giving us away - but I don't know how long that will last. You ponies can be hard for me to understand sometimes. I'm pretty sure she understands what we're doing and doesn't approve of it... yet she still displays an outright slavish level of respect and obedience and even trust towards me, solely based on the fact that I'm a caribou male and her handler. It's like she genuinely believes she shouldn't form an opinion or take action without the guidance of a male. It's almost like I'm talking to one of our own females... but I also always get the eerie feeling that this is something implanted into her, not her normal personality... but it also seems too entangled with her personality to be something merely piled on top of it..."
Once again, murmuring filled the hall.
"What the fuck did you... did these creeps do to her???," Spring Breeze asked.
Eadgil shrugged. "I quite honestly don't know. The artifact King Dainn took from the Crystal Empire seems to affect stallions exclusively, but even if it didn't, it doesn't have this exact effect. And aside from that, my people have no ways to alter a personality with such precision. If it was any kind of brainwashing, magically or not, done by my own people, the result wouldn't be so neat. It would be far more messy than what we see here. On the other hand, she doesn't seem to be a typical collaborator either. I used to spend a lot of time around Vestri and his mare when I was still in his guard after all. I just don't get the impression that Fluttershy is feigning for the sake of getting something out of it. She seems to be genuinely convinced of what she's saying."
"Huh," Spring Breeze replied. "Puzzling."
Deepest Desire rubbed her chin. "Maybe some kind of reaction to trauma," she mused. "I would like to see Fluttershy once a week."
Eadgil nodded. "I'm sure that can be arranged. I don't know how open she'll be towards another female though. That is... only a long-term measure though. We need to find some kind of solution for her right now. I don't think she wants to live in the mares' wing..."
"I'm not sure if we have to give her a choice," Spring Breeze remarked.
"You want to lock her up?", Eadgil asked.
"If necessary...," Spring Breeze replied. "I would prefer if we could find a similar arrangement to the one we got for Shadow Amethyst. Deepest Desire, do you think you could permanently have an eye on Fluttershy as well?"
"I don't think that would quite work," Eadgil interjected. "Unlike in Shadow's case, I actually do not believe Fluttershy would accept a female authority figure. It might actually make her more inclined to cause us trouble, which is the opposite of what we want. On the other hand, I don't think we should task a stag with this job either. It would set a bad precedent, and on top of that, she would be a constant temptation. I don't think any of us wants to be tempted to fall into bad habits." He paused for a moment, gaining a nod from Spring Breeze. "What about the stallions?," he asked.
"Absolutely not!," Eadgil heard Trenderhoof's voice somewhere behind him.
He sighed. "Yeah, I figured."
"What about Baldr?," Spring Breeze suggested, smirking a little.
"M... Mistress?," Baldr stared up to her.
"You would prefer not to?," Spring Breeze asked.
"I would if you told me to, Mistress...," Baldr replied. "But yes, I would prefer not to."
"Yeah, you already have so much to do in this community," Spring Breeze sighed. "We wouldn't want you to have no time for your Mistress anymore, would we?" She gave him a wicked smirk, making a few other male caribou in the room flinch at the sight.
"Spring Breeze, you might just have given me another idea," Eadgil mused, rubbing his chin. "It might be messy, but what if we appointed someone for this who was male, non-threatening, and under our direct control?", he paused for a moment. "Well, under mine, but still..."
Spring Breeze looked at him for a long while. "Do you mean the canine?," she eventually asked.
"We've seen that he does what I say," Eadgil replied, nodding. "He seems to have no urge to abuse such power either. In fact, I wonder if he has any kind of urge at all... besides obeying the commands of this deity of his, that is." He smirked. "And if this should turn out to not work as well, Baldr is still an option."
Spring Breeze scratched her head. "I don't quite see how you got that idea from me... and I'm also not happy with this, but I guess it's worth a shot. Alright, she can live in his room. Tell him to keep an eye on her and prevent her from running away, or doing anything stupid." Her eyes scanned the crowd. "Do we need to vote on this?" A few mares shook their heads.
"Alright, then it's settled," Spring Breeze replied. "I'll come with you, to make sure you don't screw this up."
Eadgil shrugged. "Fair enough."
"I thereby also call this plenum meeting closed," Spring Breeze announced. "The unicorns and pegasi can now also make appointments with Zecora to have their horns and wings looked at. The mares will convene here after dinner to vote on the changeling issue."
"And the stags will convene in our own wing at the same time, so we can discuss Deepest Desire's idea with regards to the cows," Eadgil announced. "We will gather them as well."
"I would like to join your people for that if I may," Deepest Desire added.
"Fair enough," Eadgil nodded. "That shouldn't be a problem."
"I am also going to come with you right now," Deepest Desire continued. "I wish to give Fluttershy the... mandatory invitation to my weekly therapy sessions myself."
Eadgil chuckled. "Alright, that's fair, too... though I don't know if she'll heed the authority of a female."
"She might not...," Deepest Desire smirked. "But your dog will, won't he? At least if you tell him to. Interesting case, from what I've heard. I understand he suffers from some kind of depersonalisation, presumably as a result of religious brainwashing? I would like to have him for sessions as well."
"He'll go and bring Fluttershy along if I tell him to," Eadgil confirmed.
Spring Breeze facepalmed. "Why didn't I think of suggesting that? Good that you brought it up."
They left the hall together, Spring Breeze picking up a fresh set of clothing for Fluttershy from Star Charmer.
Eventually, the door opened again, and Fluttershy's Master returned, two improperly clothed females following him. Fluttershy recognized them as the two females who had been with him earlier. By now, she was sitting on the side of the bed, with the canine still standing near the door and watching her.
Once she noticed her Master returning, her eyes perked, and she left the bed, sinking onto her knees in front of him - her eyes properly cast down and a little smile on her lips.
"Yeah, this clearly isn't normal," she heard one of the females say, presumably more to herself.
"You don't say!?", the other one replied.
Her Master let out a sigh. "Fluttershy, we're here to inform you of our decisions," he announced. "You will look at us while we talk to you."
Fluttershy shyly looked up to her Master.
"First of all, put some clothes on, will you?", the green pegasus mare commanded, tossing her a bunch of clothes. Not even trying to catch them, she observed them land between her parted legs.
"Do it!," her Master commanded, presumably noticing her hesitation.
The shy yellow pegasus stood up and reluctantly put on the clothes she had been thrown.
"Good," Master Eadgil continued once she was dressed. "You're going to wear these whenever you're around others, particularly in the communal areas. Now to our decisions. Until further notice, I have decided to appoint Monolith as your acting handler. You will live with him for now." Fluttershy smiled. It was not like she hadn't secretly hoped for this, but she said nothing.
Not paying notice to Fluttershy's happy smile, he then addressed the canine. "Monolith, you will have an eye on her and make sure she won't run away or do anything stupid. Understood?"
"Is this task going to involve sexual activity?," the canine asked with no hint of emotion in his voice.
Fluttershy giggled softly while all three others in the room just blankly stared at the Mimiga.
"What...," Spring Breeze stuttered. "What the fuck..."
"Yes," the canine replied. "This one is talking about... as these ones would call it... fuck. This one wishes to know if this task will involve any such thing. Judging from the yellow pegasus one's words and demeanor, this one has calculated a high chance that that one will hold such expectations."
"Celestia, there's just so much wrong with that entire question... I don't even know where to begin...," Spring Breeze stuttered.
"This one will not hesitate if the Prophet is of the opinion that it is part of the task given, but in that case, it might need further instructions," the Mimiga affirmed.
Eadgil blinked. "I... honestly don't know how to answer to that either," he admitted. "Are you even capable of... I mean do you even feel arousal or the like?"
"That's your first impulse???" Spring Breeze glared at him. "Asking such a question...?"
"This one is certain it has everything required to fulfill the task," the creature replied, interrupting her. "With the exception of understanding. Knowledge of such matters is usually not required of those who serve the Monolith."
"This is just wrong on so many levels...," Spring Breeze repeated.
Fluttershy had to bring herself to speak up, she knew it was improper, but she was also getting the feeling that she was the only one in the room who could lighten the situation.
"Master, if... if he's my acting handler, of course I will serve him just as eagerly as I would you," she affirmed softly.
"What..." Spring Breeze stuttered. "Are you dim? That isn't even close to what's the issue here!" Fluttershy flinched over the harshness of her words.
"Maybe it is..." Eadgil mused. "Spring Breeze... don't you think that's between the two of them?"
"What... I don't even...," Spring Breeze stuttered.
"My point is..." Eadgil turned around to address the Mimiga again. "Monolith, you should feel no obligation to do anything in this regard that you don't want to do..."
"This one is not particular," the Mimiga replied.
Spring Breeze almost involuntarily facepalmed. "How are we supposed to figure out if either of them are even capable of giving consent?!"
Deepest Desire rubbed the bridge of her nose, as though she was adjusting glasses. Then, she casually walked over to Fluttershy.
"Fluttershy, did you make this offer because you genuinely want to do this?"
"What an odd question...," Fluttershy mused, giggling softly, involuntarily imagining the closeness of a male body. "Yes," she whispered, giving a shy smile and a soft nod. "I'm a good little mare," she added.
"Not fond of the addendum, but that sounded genuine," Deepest Desire replied, turning to Spring Breeze. "What do you think?"
"Oh for fuck's..." Spring Breeze began. "Fine! What about him?"
"Monolith...," Deepest Desire addressed the canine creature. "You said you would do it if the Prophet came to the conclusion that it's a necessary part of the task. Can you imagine agreeing to it because you genuinely want it?"
"This one cannot imagine anything unnecessary to the task given," the Monolith replied.
"It's like talking to a brick wall... or to one of those fancy steam automatons...," Spring Breeze mumbled.
"Let me phrase things differently...," Deepest Desire pondered. "You said you were capable of experiencing sexual arousal, you just don't understand what this involves."
"This one understands the physical process," the Mimiga replied.
"Then what is it you don't understand?", Deepest Desire asked.
"It seems to this one that the activity involves significance beyond the mere physical activity," the creature replied. "It does not understand that aspect though."
"...You do realize that we could just circumvent this entire charade by simply telling him not to fuck her, right?," Spring Breeze whispered to Eadgil.
"Hold on...," Eadgil replied, whispering. "If they both consent to it and understand what that means, it might make Fluttershy more content, and that might be advantageous for us."
"What... I don't... I don't even...," Spring Breeze stuttered, then falling silent again.
"But if you understand that this aspect exists...," Deepest Desire argued, still addressing the canine. "Then you also understand why it's not enough to just not be particular about it, and why you should only agree to any such thing if you yourself really, genuinely want it."
"Ha, I got it!," Eadgil smirked. "Mono, that is part of your task now. You will think about how you feel with regards to that, and you will not engage in any such activity until you've come to a conclusion."
Fluttershy nodded softly. "It should always be about what my Master wants..."
Spring Breeze huffed. "Whatever. I wash my hands of this mess. I'm not a psychologist. I just hope you know what you're doing, Deepest Desire." She huffed again. "If anyone had told me three hours ago that I'd trust a changeling with matchmaking between a mare collaborator and an automaton, I would have called them crazy. Whatever." She huffed a third time, then left the room, audibly closing the door behind her.
The Mimiga showed no emotional reaction. "This one will still need someone to provide information if necessary."
Fluttershy giggled. "This is weird. So you... you never had a little mare... no, a little bitch, of course... of your own?"
Eadgil couldn't help but chuckle.
"This one does not recall any such thing," the Mimiga replied.
"Umm... this is weird, but...," Fluttershy stuttered. "I can... gladly provide you with what I've learned during the last months since the esteemed caribou Masters liberated us."
"Yeeah, I'm pretty sure these lessons need some kind of correction," Eadgil remarked.
"I couldn't agree more," Deepest Desire nodded. "In addition to all of this, both of you will visit me once a week for psychological evaluation. I'll give you appointments directly after one another... maybe we'll put them together. I'll decide on that later."
Fluttershy looked up to her Master.
"You will do as she says," Eadgil affirmed. "You too, Monolith. In addition to that, you will also report to me once a day." He cast Fluttershy a glance, then turned his gaze back to the creature. "Alone," he insisted. The canine gave him a nod.
"Now that that's settled, we'll see if we can find a room for two in this wing. It's not clear-cut but I'd say it will be easier on everyone's nerves if we find a room in our wing instead of the mares' wing."
Fluttershy giggled softly. "I don't need a bed for myself, Master Eadgil. If Master Monolith allows, I will curl up at his feet. If not, I will gladly sleep on the floor."
"This one believes that it would be a violation of the task given if it allowed that one to risk conducting a cold."
Fluttershy smiled. "Thank you, Master."
"In other words, this one does recommend finding a room with enough space for a second bed," the Mimiga continued.
Eadgil nodded. "I'm sure we can find and prepare one until the evening. Until then, you can retire to your room, Monolith."
"As the Prophet commands," the canine replied, walking towards the door.
"You too, Fluttershy," Eadgil commanded. "Just follow him."
Fluttershy giggled softly, then followed the Mimiga on all fours. Noticing this, the Mimiga turned around. "Is that normal?," he asked.
Eadgil shrugged. "I'm not sure anything about this is normal."
The Mimiga shrugged, then continued on his way. Fluttershy followed him. |
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