Not Another Rapefic

A True Friend

We enjoyed a walk through Canterlot, arousing a small sensation - me and Jim, the guy who "valued his hands too much" - one of the four of us that had plotted how to free Celestia, one of the four allowed to be free. He accepted the news of Luna's scent with shock and jealousy. "I'd totally love to hug Luna."

"You do realize she just killed roughly ten people?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Am I supposed to be sorry for them? Assholes. Good riddance."

"Anyway, don't try surprise hugs. May not be too smart."

"Advice taken."

We'd drop into various venues and purchase sweet delicacies or pretty trinkets - one of my "reasonable requests" had been some pocket money. We stopped at a theater, bought popcorn, participated in secondary roles of a spontaneous mass song-and-dance gig about some small filly who just gained her cutie mark at making beautiful things out of clouds, we took a train from Canterlot North to Canterlot South (whole 7 minutes!), we watched a Wonderbolts Derby event (from afar; sold out) and generally we enjoyed the day a lot. In the afternoon we headed back to the palace, tired but exhilarated.

While Jim went straight to his chamber, a guard informed me that Princess Celestia had requested my presence. I nodded, somewhat worried that they found the way to send me back already. Still, I was giddy to see her. Canterlot held many pretty mares (and even some stallions I wouldn't mind), but my heart was already with the Princess.

And there I was, in a neat, cozy room, not her own chamber, obviously, instead one reserved for less official audiences, furnished in luxury of moss greens, dim golds, and dark oak browns. It held a table set in assorted snacks for two, and Celestia, out of her regalia, wore wooden bracelets with tribal motifs instead, her mane in a thick, soft, colorful braid. She was lounging on a big, ornate couch, the golden oval backrest of rich decor around shamrock-colored padding framing her like an expensive painting.

She smiled to me gently but I could sense she was a little nervous.

"Princess," I bowed respectfully, "You requested to see me."

"I... didn't phrase it like that exactly. More along the lines, you're invited for a tea?"

"I'm honored."

"Please, take a seat, have a snack."

"Thanks." I sat in one of oversized, heavyweight armchairs, and picked a cupcake from the table. "May I know to what I owe this honor?"

"Please, let's not be so official. I..." she visibly hesitated, looking for words. "I heard you were out in the city. Did you enjoy the visit?" she asked, visibly escaping an uncomfortable topic.

"It's wonderful. I love Equestria. It's better than I ever imagined."

"I'm happy to hear that," she smiled. "Do you miss home?"

"Not at all. I understand my presence could introduce some... unwelcome disorder, so I will obey your will, but I wish I could stay in Equestria."

Celestia seemed to brighten a little. "Yes, a human would likely... have a hard time fitting in," she said, falling silent for a while.

I finished my cupcake, wiped my hands in a napkin, then took a sip of tea. Bitter. I added sugar, stirred. Celestia seemed to observe my hands, apparently perplexed. I took a sip of tea, now appreciating its taste, and placed the filigrain cup back. I rested my back in the armchair and cracked my fingers. The sound apparently tore Celestia out of whatever thoughts she was in. For a while we sat in silence, then I decided to break it.

"Could you tell me, just what kind of creature did I oppose?"

"Iron Night used to be a pony... an inventor. What she is now is more of a contraption than a pony. She holds a deep resent against me, as it was I who forbade her further research when she began working on subjects I deemed too dangerous. She kept working secretly until she became a monster of cogs and smoke, piece by piece replacing herself with mechanisms. Not even her mind is her own now, but she infused the clockwork brain with deep hatred against me."

"But why this way? She could have tortured you or something like that..."

"She claimed these who destroyed her dreams - dreams of fame and grandeur as brilliant inventor cherished by all - shall have their dreams destroyed. There was an explorer of far southern lands, she made him albino, so that even little sunlight gives him sunburns. She murdered the daughter of a cook and mixed her blood with sweets she fed to him. He lost ability to work on creating anything sweet, as the taste reminds him the tragedy. She takes our most cherished wishes and our worst phobias, serving a mix that will taint and spoil our desires, make them disgusting and loathsome to us."

"And you?"

"I'm... not comfortable talking about it."

"I'll respect that and won't push... but I guess you didn't invite me to tea just so that we might have a pleasant conversation?"

"That is true." Celestia nodded. "There is an issue I wish to discuss with you. A kind of offer I'd like to make."

"Please, tell."

"I must say I like your chivalrous demeanor and your character... very much. I'd... very much like... to be friends with you. Still, I can't help my inner fears; as I watched you preparing that tea, all your fingers working synchronously, I felt cold shiver on my back. I'm... scared of your form. As much as I try to convince myself that it shouldn't matter, it's some kind of irrational phobia."

"I guess there may be some organic reasons for that. Humans enslaving equines, making them serve and suffer... I bet this may reach deeper than mere phobia of appearance."

"Thank you for understanding." she paused for a sip from her cup. "Anyway... would you mind having your form changed to that of a pony, for duration of your stay?"

"Not at all! Can I be a unicorn?"

My enthusiasm visibly disturbed her composed stature. Did she expect opposition? She seemed so lost at my request that I wished to hug her, only reminding myself she’d find that horrifying. Phobias. Not fun.

"Umm, no." she stuttered a bit, "Well, yes and no. I can change your form, but not give you magic. Magicless unicorn, flightless pegasus. You won’t have any cutie mark either."

"The wings might come in handy though, I guess. Instead of hands..."

Celestia frowned just a little bit but I caught it. "...but I guess Earth Pony would be a more genuine experience. Would I need to learn how to walk and pick things up with my mouth?"

"I can infuse you with a rudimentary set of skills if you prefer."

"Definitely. I wouldn't want to waste the little time I have here on learning how to walk."

"So, color? Features?"

"I'll defer to your judgment on that."

"No, it's your decision. Any special preferences?"

"Well, my preference is to look how you would want me to look."

Celestia sighed a little. "All right. olive coat, mint mane, average build. Is that satisfactory?"

"Absolutely." I took another sip of tea. Celestia was very good at hiding her feelings, but I still managed to notice the barest hint of disappointment and pondered its source. "Uh... what about heavier build? More muscle, thicker bones?"

"Not a problem," she smiled. "When would you like me to cast the spell?"

"No time like now."

Celestia's horn lit up, an intense ray of light hit me. And there I was, staring at my hooves. Another ray of light hit me, and suddenly I knew how to use them. I shuffled the cup onto the upper surface of my hoof and took another sip, smiling. Then I put the cup down, licked my lips and trotted up to Celestia, who observed me, slightly unsure of my intentions.

I jumped onto her couch, stood over her, and wrapped her long braid around my hoof. I pulled her head to my mouth and kissed. For a second she struggled and resisted, then I felt her open her mouth and let my tongue in. Slowly, hesitantly, she replied to my kiss and I felt her tongue on mine for a few seconds, then suddenly I felt unseen force lift me up and move me away, removing the braid from my hoof. Celestia's magic set me on the floor firmly, and the princess herself glared at me, shocked and angry. "What was that supposed to be?"

"Your secret dream." I grinned. "Don't play an untouchable princess with me, Celestia. I can easily guess what kind of dream Iron Night tried to corrupt and destroy. Now, with my form changed, I can fulfil it."

She glared at me and gasped. "I am not some kind of animal to act on my primal urges like that."

"Neither am I, or you'd now be crying your eyes out with hard layer of cum caking in your coat. Do you think I don't see the purpose to your proposition, your attire, this informal setting? Or do you think I will think less of you if you don't play hard to get on me?"

"I did not try to seduce you. I wanted to get to know you better, to get you feel more relaxed and open up for me. I am truly sorry if you misread my intentions," she sounded hurt, sad and serious.

"Did I?" I smirked, "or are you in denial about your desires? One thing doesn't stand in conflict with the other. I am merely very honest both with you and with myself. You wanted me to open up, why don't you open up to me?"

"All right..." she lay her head on her hooves, resigned, tired. "What will you say to that? If I don't play tough to you, I will think less of myself."

I stood by her couch and lay my head on it, nose in nose with Celestia. "I never looked at it that way. Probably because I believe it would be very silly."

"It's easy for you, my little pony." she gave me a mild smile, extending her wing and putting it on my back. "The problem is, I'm an immortal princess, mighty, immaculate, and steady as a rock. Were I to show any weakness, Equestria would fall. Only by being this could I keep Equestria strong through all the hardships and disasters. This is not a facade or act, it’s the truth, and to doubt this truth even for a moment would be a weakness I cannot afford. I can’t play perfect, I must be perfect.”

"It must be very tiring, never to be able to let your hair down..."

"I can't afford to be tired."

"And the only time when you can be imperfect is..."

"No such time."

"...when you are forced against your will. I guess you were never feeling more free than when you were tied up and powerless."

Celestia went silent for a while. Then she answered very slowly, weighing her every word.

"I... can not... admit such a thing."

I smirked and returned to my armchair, picking up a bowl of cookies on my way. I sat down, flipping one into my mouth, while Celestia lay silent, gazing at me, deep in thought.

We kind of conversed without words. Her eyelids heavy with the fatigue of centuries.

Me, rude, munching on the cookie, crunching it with my teeth loudly, smirking.

Her eyes radiating kindness, friendly. Just friendly, nothing more?

My smirk bordering on a leer. A small wink. Immaculate? I don’t believe that.

Her indignant expression. Genuinely indignant? No, just no. I did not buy it.

My mock indignant expression. No, princess, I can see through the act.

A simply unamused, tired, true expression. Is that a shade of a blush?

My lip curling up. Yes, that was a blush.

Her trying to save the serious appearance, thwarted by the tint of her cheeks.

A sip of tea, leaning into the armchair, my eyes half-closed, assessing, judging, planning.

Her blush intensified, accompanied by a small prickle of fear.

Corner of my mouth curling up. My gaze devouring her wonderful body.

The fear combined with embarrassment under my shameless stare turning into panic.

My gaze softening a little - just a little. Yes, this will do fine…

Her budding panic and shame suddenly snuffed by a very cold calm. A glare of icicles, hostile, but still, filled with respect bordering on fear.

My completely honest smile, a small respectful nod. Without a single word the war had been declared, the challenge accepted.

She raised her head. "You are a dangerous person," she muttered.

"Oh no, I am not. You are steady as a rock. Whatever I can do cannot change you. Or are you this easily shaken? Is your resolve so weak that you’d need a preemptive strike? Is the mighty princess not mighty enough to resist the weak mortal?"

She chewed through my speech, thinking of it deeply, finally she nodded. "I presume you are currently plotting how to overpower me and rape me."

"And I guess you are quite moist from thinking about that."

"Am not!" she exclaimed in an entirely unprincessly panic, while her blush bloomed on her cheeks unchecked. She closed her eyes, and breathed deeply, apparently going through a rather hard mental exercise to force her body reaction to vanish. She lay on her couch and eyed me, distrustful, apparently spooked.

I finished my tea and approached Celestia again.

"Poor princess... You are not even allowed to be unhappy, are you?"

"I can be dissatisfied, though," she muttered darkly.

"What kind of pleasures can you afford?"

"Joys of other succeeding thanks to me. Pleasures of high culture, music and art. Excellent cuisine, and I allow myself an innocent weakness to sweets. I can afford close company of my sister, even innocent forms of physical intimacy."

"Closeness of a friend?"

"Are you my friend?"

"A friend doesn't always do what you want. A true friend does what you need."

"I don't need to be raped."

"Your voice lacks conviction."

"I'm merely convinced you can't succeed."

There was not nearly enough disgust, betrayal or outrage at the idea in her voice as well, but I kept that to myself. Instead, I gave her an honest, kind smile. "Look, if you really, really don't like the idea, tell me and I will obey."

Celestia fell silent for a long while, lost in thoughts. Finally, she raised her wing. "Hop in. Snuggling up with a friend is not something a princess would be ashamed of."

I used the opportunity and leaned into warmth of her body as she covered me with her wing, I nuzzled her side, and she rested her head on my neck.

"Why don't you smell like vanilla?" I asked in good humor.

"I... umm... I use a scent-masking spell. That scent is not exactly building respect in my subjects."

"Could you dispell it for a while?" I winked.

Her horn glowed and as I buried my nose in her coat, I felt the hint of sweetness. That wasn't vanilla. That was vanilla ice cream.

* * *

"You desired an audience?"

"That wasn't my wording, princess Luna. I thought more about an informal... meeting."

"Disappointed in my sister, seeking more venues for your libido?"

Luna was sitting in her minor audience chamber, on a throne of silver with midnight blue velvet padding, silver, blue, white, grey and black drapes forming a canopy around her. She didn't seem too happy about my presence.

"Not at all. I'd say the exact opposite."

"What do you mean? Did she not shun your advances?"

"Yes, I learned about her reasons."

"So you know she will never accept you as her mate. You surely heard her big theory on the necessity to remain the perfect princess." Luna rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I did."

"You may also have heard I do not share her viewpoint."

"No, I didn't, but that's entirely besides the point. Not to slight your beauty and virtues, I'm just not interested."

"So, not me, not her, what do you want to talk about?"

"I didn't say 'not her'."

"But..." Luna looked at me, puzzled.

"But your sister really desires some hot sex, no matter what she says or what she thinks."

"She will never agree to it."

"Who says anything about her agreeing to anything?"

"Are you trying to convince me to betray her trust...?"

"There's very little I'm not telling her. If she doesn't want me to do it, all she needs to do is to forbid it."

"Don't you realize?" Luna said with a little scorn, "She can't forbid it. Doing so would assert a weakness; it would mean she's afraid. She would let you proceed even if she secretly loathes the idea, all the way until it's too late. Even innuendos and body language are not sure signs. You don't realize how far her bonds reach. She fully believes the lie; it's her personal truth. She can fill all subliminal channels of communication with it. You can't be really sure unless you ask."

"But she can't tell!"

"Oh, but she can!" Luna sent me a knowing smile. "You just have to ask her in conditionals. 'If you were just a normal pony, not a princess, how would you feel about...?', 'Let's imagine being the perfect princess is just a pose...' She's a little reluctant to answer these, but assure her you're speaking only hypothetically, and you'll get your answers."

"So, hypothetically speaking, assuming she wants that, would you help?"

"I am not her. You don't need to hypothetically me. If she hates it and you still proceed, your suffering at hooves of Iron Night will be nothing compared to what I'll do to you. I'm going to trust you though, so there."

In a flash, a bunch of straps with clamps and rings materialized in midair in front of me. I recognized the same "harness" Celestia was bound with when I first saw her. Next to it, four more items materialized: a vial of some liquid, a ring similar to what I unscrewed from Celestia's horn, a small red ball and a simple black belt with a buckle.

"The ring is unprotected, you can touch it safely. The sedative, five drops will give you an hour to put everything in place and secure tightly; be diligent, she will use any opening, any loose buckle, to escape. Put the collar on her neck and it will magically muffle her to whispers, so she won't summon guards on you. Screw the horn protector on top of her horn if you decide to let her head loose, so that she won't be able to stab you. Remember to lock the door. Once you're finished, sedate her again and summon me, and I'll make sure she won't try to enact rightful punishment once she's released."

“...punishment?”

“Rightful, and unavoidable, for your obvious, egregious crime. Autrefois convict, Double Jeopardy. You can’t be convicted for the same crime twice, so if I punish you for your deed, she won’t be able to punish you a second time. Do six hours of kitchen duty sound like a good price?”

“Perfectly acceptable. You are mercy incarnate, Princess!” I winked.

Luna's horn glowed once more and the items vanished, replaced by a big box in a gift wrap. "There. Good luck," she said, with a mischievous grin.

I ran up to her and hugged her. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Everything for my sister." she winked. "May I know how you intend to approach it?"