Trixieverse 6/Too Near The Sun

by Applejinx

Rating: mature
Tags: Dark, Romance, Sex, Spike, Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 138785

Princess Luna getting pregnant is the least of the alicorns' worries…

If you thought impregnating an alicorn Princess sounded complicated, you ain't seen nothin' yet! The sixth book in the "Trixie's Magic Bit" novel series brings back all the sex, all the drama, all the scary darkness and all the redemption—but that would be telling! Reading the five previous books would help explain many Trixieverse canons, but this sixth book resolves plot threads from across the whole series. It's all about the Princesses!

Published 2014-03-10 16:50:05 UTC
Last updated 2014-07-14 10:26:35 UTC

Light This Candle

“R—Rainbow! Stop, wait!”

Dash’s wings thrashed fiercely as she screeched to a halt, in mid-air. “WHAT?”

“Uh—please don’t be mad, honey? Ah jes’ needed t’ talk about one more lil’ thing,” called Applejack. She peered up at her hovering mate with an air of forlorn stubbornness. “Ah would not say it if it weren’t needful.”

“What, NOW?”

Applejack set her jaw. “Especially now! Please?”

“Do you realize how IMPORTANT this is?!?” wailed Dash, hovering fretfully. “What an honor it is? This is very important and serious! Me and Derpy are supposed to help a Princess conceive! What the hay is your problem, Applejack?”

Applejack hesitated, looking extremely upset, lost for words. Dash snorted, turned tail, and then…

“Ah thought your wings was only for ME!”

Rainbow Dash stumbled, and fell out of the air.

There was no other way to describe it. Her powerful blue wings tried to furl themselves in midair, and didn’t even resume beating in a coordinated way for a whole second, and Rainbow tumbled and landed in a fluffy feathery heap on the fine clean grass of Sweet Apple Acres.

She’d refused to pause and snack on that same grass not five minutes earlier, but it wasn’t second thoughts she was having.

“That proves it, Rainbow! Y’all got a guilty conscience so bad ya can’t even fly straight, how could you?” sobbed Applejack.

Dash turned, and her face was deathly pale. “Aw, horseapples…”

“That’s all I am to you! Apparently Ah’m just your horse-apple…”

“Stop!” snapped Rainbow Dash, and Applejack controlled herself. Dash bit her lip, anxiously. “I… got a lot of explaining to do.”

Applejack’s eyes swam with tears. “Yes you do. What are you hidin’, my love? Ah can’t bear it. Ah thought I was special.”

She stood her ground, as Dash walked up to her, and she didn’t look away even as Dash’s wings came forward to enfold her face in their miraculous, unexpected softness, a scent like powder-blue and texture like sheerest silk. They produced a feathery bower enclosing her and Dash’s faces, and Rainbow Dash didn’t blink as she swore, “My wings are yours and yours only. That didn’t change, it’ll never change. Nobody else touches the wings. I’m sorry you even have to wonder about that.”

“But…” quavered Applejack.

Dash sighed, and winced. “Yeah. ‘But’.”

The Apple family had been anticipating this day for months. Big Macintosh was over the moon, giddy with stallionly pride at what he’d been asked to do. He’d been called to stand at stud for Princess Luna and her consort Lyra, and arrangements were being made for the glorious day when he’d be quite literally over the moon, and also wedged snugly inside the Moon delivering earth pony semen the old fashioned way, once the Moon had been rendered fruitful and fertile—and that took some doing.

Earth ponies fucked the usual way, and ovulated in the normal pony way, but magical ponies had a few extra twists.

For unicorns, this ovulation was accomplished by the unicorn stallion unleashing a horn-gasm, arcing with that of the unicorn mare and overpowering hers to flood her with his magic—an intensely erotic and personal experience.

For pegasi, fertility was induced with a firm grip of the wing shank, typically via sturdy pony teeth. Pegasi were notoriously lecherous, but as a rule that was confined to penises and vaginas, and they were far more private regarding wing-play. It was a profound intimacy not lightly entered into, and female pegasi could be very choosy about who they gave their wings to—and be totally, gloriously undone by that ultimate sensual surrender.

Alicorns could only be described as ‘all of the above’, with the added complication that they were invariably female, obscenely potent in magical power, yet had to take a magic ejaculation into their horn just like a unicorn mare. Impregnating an alicorn Princess was a formidable task, involving as many as four pegasi happily chewing the Princess’s wing bases until her erotic excesses weakened her enough that a powerful unicorn could flood her with magic. Normally, she’d be able to light up a unicorn like a Hearth’s Warming decoration to the point of eroding inches off her hapless mortal lover’s horn, but the Princess-weakening process had to sexually exhaust her until her bolts of magic ejaculate were mere dribbles, unable to resist her unicorn’s release. And then, the third pony race would be there to finish the job: an earth pony stallion, mating her just as any horse might, and kindling mortal life in the immortal with his salt-of-the-earth seed.

For some time, Luna had abandoned hope of ever foaling with her beloved consort Lyra, for all that she adored the little unicorn, and despite Lyra’s astonishing virility with horn-gasm that made it seem so possible. Lyra’d struggled with the idea that such a wonderful, magical creature needed earth ponies and pegasi to conceive. It had seemed a desecration to the haughty spring-green unicorn, who thought she’d ascended to the heights of magic royalty at a stroke. Eventually, she’d come to understand.

The oddest part, to Lyra, was this: all that trouble with unicorns and pegasi and earth pony stud horses could be expected to produce something incomparably wonderful out of the womb of the fortunate alicorn Princess, surely—something magic beyond all magic.

And so it would, explained Princess Luna. It would produce a simple earth pony foal. No more, no less.

The soul-shakingly wonderful part of that was not about attaining some sort of magical high score. It was the opportunity for an alicorn, one who could fly among the stars and utterly lose track of mortal affairs, to tie her heart to mortal ponies for good. It was an anchor to a world once lost, an embrace of the world and the precious, finite lives that could so easily blur together and seem meaningless. It was an alicorn’s best claim to a soul, against the ravages of eternity.

Lyra understood, though she yearned to be all and everything to her Princess… and she’d turned to Big Macintosh, to the Apple family’s pride, as the earth pony stud-stallion. One of the pegasi was found through Rarity, in part as a sort of diplomatic amend for trouble Lyra had caused Rarity. And Rainbow Dash had been unthinkably thrilled to be asked, making the team complete.

Perhaps, too thrilled? Rarity’s marefriend Derpy also seemed beside herself with excitement, but only Rarity knew the details of that. The Apple family, blessed by the addition of Dash and the foal Dash had borne from Applejack and Big Macintosh’s stud-horsing, were privy to Rainbow Dash’s enthusiasm, and Dash grew more giddy and frantic every day while refusing to talk about it at all. Applejack had feared the worst, but she couldn’t crack the shell of her lusty pegasus, and she felt Dash slipping away…

The truth was out.

But what truth, exactly?

“Ya… ain’t takin’ them wings from me? An’ givin’ them to Princess Luna?” asked Applejack, hesitantly.

Dash paled further. “I told you. Don’t ever believe you’re not special. I would die before I let even the Princess touch me that way, Applejack! I don’t have to. Nopony is going to touch my wings. They’re for you, forever for you!”

Applejack gulped. “Uh. Wish I had some ta give you back, sugarcube, an’ that’s a fact.”

“But you don’t have to, it’s okay! You’re mine, Applejack. You don’t have to be a pegasus to be mine.” Dash was shaking.

Applejack eyed her, and in a flash of insight… she had it.

“Rainbow Dash. Have you ever, EVER munched on a wing like Ah do for you?”

Dash shook harder, her eyes wide and vulnerable, cornered. Then, all at once she was hugging the breath out of Applejack, babbling, tears in her ruby eyes. “What if I do it wrong? What if I’m no good? I can’t even practice! And it’s the only chance I’ll ever have to do it, and I wish it was you, I so wish it was you! It should be you!”

Applejack heaved a breath, though Rainbow was squishing her. She managed a chuckle. “Ooof! Heh… reckon that would be a no, huh?”

“I don’t just have to be awesome, I have to be PRINCESS awesome, and why couldn’t it be with you, and I don’t even want to if it can’t be with you, except oh my gosh I still want to so bad, it’s horrible but I’ve just got to know what it’s like…”

Applejack shut off the hysterical words with a fiercely firm kiss, and didn’t let up until Rainbow’s wriggling and flapping quieted. Then, she pulled back, holding those tearful ruby eyes in a strong and loving gaze.

“Ah don’t have no wings, Rainbow Dash,” she said.

Rainbow nodded, trembling.

“Th’ good Princess is jes’ gonna have to have them for me,” said Applejack. “Ah will keep yours, thankee kindly?”

“Always!” blurted Dash.

“Ah know,” said Applejack, “ah know. Listen! You’ve talked me into some pow’ful crazy things in the way of wild sexin’, my darlin’, and I’ve been good about it. I tried to learn an’ grow, ain’t I?”

Dash shook her head, began to argue, but Applejack wasn’t having any of it. “Now see here! Don’t you go into no tail-spin on me now. Ah do believe our lives been more filled with love on account of your wayward fuckin’, when all’s said an’ done. Rainbow, I would have kept us jes’ to ourselves, and who’s to say that would be right? I don’t b’leeve Ah could keep ya busy all by myself… well, not happy busy, okay?”

Rainbow’s lip quivered, and her eyes glistened, drinking in Applejack like some livegiving elixir.

Applejack’s mouth bent in a teasing smile. “You are comin’ back to me, ain’tcha?”

Dash squealed, hugging her country mare beloved, kissing all over her honest face. “Always, forever, I don’t even want to leave you for like one second, even if I was able to do a Princess in ten seconds flat I’d be thinking about you…”

“Hush!” chided Applejack. She gave Rainbow a kiss back, decorously. “I ain’t got wings, Rainbow. Go an’ do your thing and pretend Princess Luna’s wings is me, and come on back. Ah’m sure she won’t mind. But apparently she needs ya, and Derpy.” She snorted with amusement. “How’d they work that one out? Hope th’ Princess is sturdy!”

“I will,” vowed Dash. “I totally will. Are you sure? You don’t mind?”

“I jes’ wish I could be there to see how happy you’ll be.”

Dash flapped, anxiously. “But…”

“Trust me,” winked the country mare. “Ah would know. Such a funny special feelin’, gittin’ your mouth on Rainbow Dash’s sweet wing. So warm an’ fluffy an’ firm, but light. Feels so alive between your teeth…”

Rainbow moaned, unable to look away from Applejack’s amused gaze.

“Yep, feels so special, no question about it… sorta gently wrenchin’ it this way and that while it fluffs out and th’ end folds over, them feathers at the tip all flarin’ out so pretty, quiverin’, the base all strong an’ firm an’ all muscle… and then, feelin’ you come your hooves off, through that grip on that sweet wrigglin’ wing… muscles all tryin’ to flap, and then slowly they jes’ melt, so warm an’ soft against my lips… why, who could imagine Princess Luna feelin’ like that? Boggles th’ mind, don’t it?”

Dash wailed. “Applejack! Aaahhh! Stop it stop it stop it!”

“Oh, sorry,” teased Applejack, “you ain’t had th’ pleasure.”

Rainbow whimpered.

“Yet,” added Applejack.

Slowly, Dash’s face grew a smirk to match Applejack’s own. “I believe you, now,” she said. “You must mean every bit of it if you’re trying to get me that excited. If you did have wings, I’d fucking ruin them right now, you know that?”

Applejack snickered. “Lucky Luna. You come back after you’re done, you hear? I wanna hear all about it. Go pick up Big Macintosh, and swing by Carousel Boutique to get Derpy, and off y’all go on your magical journey.” She blinked. “Damn if it ain’t a complicated way to make a foal. Glad I ain’t an alicorn.”

“Could be worse,” said Dash.

“Yeah?”

“Could be Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

Applejack choked. “Gah! Please don’t get no ideas!”

Rainbow Dash cracked up. “Don’t worry! Do I look crazy?”

The country mare trembled, remembering some of the scarier results of Twilight’s romances. “Ain’t nopony kin handle that! Exceptin’ Trixie, ah guess. Ah reckon we kin all be grateful to her or Celestia knows what might happen with ol’ Twi, it seem like becomin’ a Princess proper ruffles her feathers.”

Rainbow made a face. “No, that’s Trixie doing that. They’ve got to learn to preen, it makes pegasi uncomfortable when they leave her like that. Wings are super private.”

“Maybe she can’t help it,” soothed Applejack, and they trotted over to the barn to find Big Macintosh.

He wasn’t difficult to find. Big Macintosh’s ears perked up the instant they came into view, and he walked up to meet them as if he was very eager but keen to look like he had all the time in the world. Around him, farm ponies broke into equine applause, their hooves muted against the farm dirt. Oakback loyally stomped his hooves, and Apple Bloom whooped her encouragement. The migrant zebra farm worker, Dursaa, frowned. Snowy Hocks cast a sharp eye his direction.

“Ain’t you cheering Big Macintosh on, Mister Dursaa? Ain’t every day a farm pony gets to cover a real live Princess.”

The zebra lowered his head, embarrassed, and gave a few dutiful stomps of his forehooves. He muttered something.

“What was that, Dursaa?” snapped Apple Bloom, trotting right up to confront him.

He gave her a serious look, framing his reply before speaking. “Your stallions take this lightly, though it should be deep. Why must you take a mare, that you don’t wish to keep?”

Apple Bloom laid her ears back. “Now see here, Mister Dursaa, you don’t gotta run with th’ farm ponies ever’where they go, but it ain’t the first time y’all bitched about our ways. Big Macintosh has been invited to lay with th’ Princess Luna fair an’ square and Ah do not think Miss Lyra wants him hangin’ around after that. You know how we do things in Ponyville, Mister Dursaa!”

His expression didn’t change. “Indeed I’m learning, Apple Bloom: they say, twice now he’s made a foal, and walked away.”

A cowpony hat, with a russet mane under it, poked around the side of the barn. “An’ blows off all his extra steam bein’ gay!”

“Dammit, Braeburn!” griped Apple Bloom. “We’re workin’!”

Braeburn didn’t listen. He trotted over, lifting his hooves high as he always did, and bestowed a passionate kiss upon Big Macintosh, who closed his eyes as he returned the kiss. Their lips parted, and they gazed fondly at each other. Dursaa pursed his lips, and Snowy Hocks snickered.

Apple Bloom rounded on them. “Got a problem, other than it bein’ time ta git back to work for the rest of y’all?”

“Naw,” said Snowy Hocks placatingly. “It’s jes’ funny. Our stud horse is all kinds ‘a popular, ain’t he?”

Big Macintosh blushed happily. Braeburn snorted. “Course he is. Best pony in all Equestria. It’s time, Princess?”

Big Macintosh blushed worse. “Ah’m goin’ to see th’ real Princess, Braeburn…”

“Then that room’s gonna be jes’ chock full of beauty an’ royalty, ain’t it?” said Braeburn. “Go on, then. Your audience awaits!”

Rainbow Dash beckoned with her wing, and Applejack stood beside Apple Bloom and Braeburn, watching Dash and Big Macintosh go. Applejack found herself tearing up, but not in a bad way: they’d been through rough patches, sure enough. Mac had even sired Dash’s foal Northern Spy, though Spy was at least as much Applejack’s foal due to her and Dash’s earlier wingplaying. No, it wasn’t bad memories, it was the way the two staunchly headed off to bring somepony’s dream literally to life. Princess Luna wanted to have Lyra’s foal, and everything Apple Bloom had said was true: Lyra and Luna would be the immediate family for that foal, but it couldn’t happen without the help of others. And Big Macintosh would indeed serve as stud, and then happily walk away, back to his farm job and his gay lover and whatever other pretty tails presented themselves. He’d never showed the least bit of interest in raising Spy, or Fluttershy’s foal Rock Candy.

Applejack glanced nervously at Dursaa, but the zebra still showed no expression and kept his own counsel.

Carousel Boutique provided a Rarity immediately, but no Derpy Hooves. Rarity was attending a unicorn customer, her attention fully on the fabric she was showing. Dash blinked as she peered in the door. “Where’s our Derpster? It’s time!”

At this, Rarity looked around and gasped. “Rainbow Dash! How exciting! If you will pardon me for just the briefest moment, Mister Pants?”

The fellow nodded, and Rarity trotted over, all smiles. “I’ll fetch her. Derpy! Rainbow and Big Macintosh are here!” She ducked into the back room and her living quarters, only to come to a halt in the doorway. “Derpy, darling, no!”

“I’m sorry, Rarity! I changed my mind Rarity!”

Hearing this, Rainbow Dash paled, and charged forward, shoving Rarity aside. “What do you MEAN you… hah! Ahahahah! Buahahahaha, eep!”

“What happened?” called Big Macintosh, his ears laid back in alarm.

“Come and see!” laughed Rainbow Dash, and Big Macintosh did.

They gawked at Derpy Hooves, who pouted tearfully back beneath a riot of disheveled, straw-colored mane. It stuck out in every possible direction at once. Her eyes were made up nearly to the point Rarity’s had been for the Best Young Fliers’ Competition, and her hoof reached up to wipe her bashful tears away…

“Eeeee!” squealed Rarity, in horror. She bolted forward, to cuddle her hapless marefriend, gently coaxing her hoof away from her face, cautiously kissing her slightly rouged cheek which glowed all the brighter in an embarrassed blush. “Please, darling, don’t wipe your eyes, they will smear and we’ll lose minutes fixing them…”

“I don’t want to be pretty, Rarity!” whimpered Derpy. “I only want to be me. I changed my mind.”

Rarity’s eyes narrowed, in a look of fond exasperation. She delivered another kiss. “Poor darling. Too late for that, you were born pretty, my love… but you’ve ruined your poor mane!”

“It looks better on you than it does on me, Rarity. I only wanted to put it back!”

Rainbow, fighting off giggles, observed that the shambles of Derpy’s mane had a familiar look: it had been coiffed into the same elaborate style Rarity favored, before being un-styled by a frantic pegasus hoof. The hairspray wasn’t letting go that easily, and the war of coiffure left no survivors on either side. Derpy sniffled, her mane looking electrified into awkward shards of fashion that stuck out uncomfortably. Rarity helplessly tried to form them back into the familiar neat loops and arcs, her own lip quivering in dismay.

“Sweet Celestia, Derpy,” marveled Rainbow. “What were you even thinking?”

“I was scared, Rainbow Dash! I never did anything like that with a pegasus and extra much not with a Princess and I thought I should look pretty and Rarity knows how to be pretty…”

“Hush,” soothed Rarity, still despairingly fiddling with Derpy’s mane. “I told you, you are ravishing. We must decide at once, repair or dismantle the look, I won’t have you going off feeling inadequate…”

“You got perty eyes, Derpy Hooves,” mumbled Big Macintosh, who’d crept up behind them and peered over the backs of the two mares.

“Ah! Big Macintosh,” called Rarity distractedly. “Could you see if Mister Pants is still there?”

“Nope,” said Big Macintosh. “He run off.”

“Curses! Well, he’ll come back, I daresay. I saw the look in his eyes as he studied my silks…”

Rainbow Dash lifted an eyebrow. “Mister Pants? A relative of Fancy Pants?”

“Oh, no, no,” replied Rarity, “more’s the pity, he is just Pants, I fear. Sometimes those ones pay the highest sums for a taste of haute couture. I once sold a suit worth ten thousand bits to a Strawberry Bottom.”

Dash guffawed. Derpy shook her mane fretfully. “I’m sorry, Rarity! I ruined everything, Rarity!”

“No, you didn’t, now please hold still, darling…”

“Hold it!” squeaked Rainbow Dash. She studied Derpy critically. “Maybe if I… stand back!”

Every pony recoiled. Dash corrected herself. “The rest of you stand back. Derpy, brace yourself!”

Then, the room was filled with what seemed a tornado, as Dash’s mighty wings roared briefly… and Derpy Hooves barely kept her hooves on the ground, standing at the center of that windstorm.

Rarity shrieked. “Rainbow! How could you! You’ve knocked everything over with your mad…”

“Look, look!”

They looked. Derpy blinked, batting those sensuous eyelashes, perplexed. Atop her head, her ash-blonde mane rested in an entirely new state.

“Good heavens,” gasped Rarity. She stepped closer, wide-eyed. Derpy’s coiffure had been positively shredded out of its decorous form, forced back into something nearer her natural state, but the mane product served to break up the softness and add bold, wild texture. Surprise drained the embarrassed blush from her cheeks, and Derpy looked back at them unguardedly, with a stunning case of wanton bed-mane that made her look nearly as radical as Rainbow Dash, but more glamorous.

“What happened?” said Derpy.

“I think you should see this, darling,” said Rarity, and gently coaxed her mate over to a large mirror.

Derpy stared, astonished, and then bounced into the air with a squee of delight, her wings springing to full attention. “Eeee! Cool! Awesome!”

“Yes, you are,” soothed Rarity. She glanced wryly at Rainbow Dash. “And you’re not the only one, I think. Do you feel better, my sweet?”

“I feel lots better! Let’s go!”

Dash grinned. “Best advice I’ve heard all day.”

As they left, Rarity called, “Rainbow?”

“Yeah?”

“How did you do that? I mean,” corrected Rarity, “what gave you the idea to attempt that look? I saw how you did it, and if you didn’t have pressing engagements I’d insist you stay and clean up the mess you’ve caused…”

Dash blushed. “Oh! I can come back, I’ll totally help pick that stuff up for you. Sorry!”

“But HOW?”

Rainbow Dash’s wings sprang up, irrepressibly. “Nobody can do fashionable like you, Rarity… but nobody does wild kinky orgy like Rainbow Dash! I just thought Derpy should look like she really belonged in one.”

Rarity snorted, amused. “I could argue your second point, darling, but I don’t want to keep you. Uht!” she reproved, as Dash readied another saucy remark. “Shall we say, I don’t wish to detain you? Certainly it’s tempting to keep you, you little minx, you!”

She watched, satisfied, as the two pegasi and one earth pony went on their way, and then she began tidying up the catastrophic mess Dash had produced with one fierce burst of wing-power.

Very likely they would have a wonderful time: Dash would make sure dear Derpy Hooves felt happy in her Princess-nibbling duties, and she herself had just helped Dash hit new heights of pegasus ego, ensuring Rainbow wouldn’t fail either. Rarity’s expression grew serious, and she wished them the best of luck with their intentions. She wondered if Dash had considered all the implications of the event.

She and Derpy had talked for half an hour about how she, Rarity, had no wings and could not give Derpy the full pegasus-mating experience, and she had given her blessing to Derpy regarding her being intimate with Princess Luna in that very special way. They hadn’t proceeded with the plan until both she and Derpy felt secure with the new intimacy in store, and the new partner touching their lives, and what could and could not be expected as a result of that intimacy. She thought she could predict one likely result of it… and she flicked her tail in anticipation, feeling smug and feminine as she thought about what was in store for her. Such was the fruit of her patient discussion with her beloved.

Rarity felt it was most unlikely that Rainbow had thought things through in that manner, and expected to hear about repercussions afterward.

Still, she thought, Applejack would doubtless straighten her out in the long run.

Lyra pouted. “Don’t look at me like that, Looney!”

Princess Luna rested her chin on her hoof. “Well, then, mayhap you can give us the boon of a more satisfactory answer?”

“But it’s YOU I love,” protested Lyra. “I’m sorry. I know you hate it when I call them flatheads. Do I really have to get into the whole earth pony thing? And the pegasi, I guess, but it seems like you’re not as worried about them.”

Luna’s ears laid back, and she winced. “Indeed. I could say I trust them to pursue their happy duty without hesitation, but in a sense that leaves me lumping them into a category as much as you are…”

Lyra rallied. “Aha! So my wonderful Princess is not utterly perfect, even though she wants me to kind of be!”

“Hush! I asked what you were thinking, delicious consort, and…”

“And I told you, I was wondering if we could arrange us in such a way that I don’t have to look at the earth pony.”

“Lyra!”

“Well, okay, I said flathead and I’m sorry…”

“It is Big Macintosh, Lyra, first of all!”

“And wouldn’t I know that? I was the one to go and ask him for you! We’ve had this conversation. It’s not me that needs to get all wriggly over earth pony dicking, that’s you! I just have to blast you with my horn.” Lyra licked her lips. “That’s going to be so amazing.”

“But, Lyra!” pleaded Princess Luna, earnestly. “I cannot believe you truly feel prejudice, even now. You were with Celestia and I when we saved faithful Applejack’s life. You sounded the alarm yourself! You ran to fetch her bedsheets, the better to wake her from her darkness. Where does this new darkness within you come from?”

Lyra pouted again. “Well, that’s part of it. Didn’t you notice how super lesbian I am?”

Luna frowned. “It’s that? There was a time you were attended by an earth pony mare, Bon Bon, I think it was. You’ve even told me that she took you to unsurpassed heights, at least before I came along. Naturally, none of that made you pregnant, nor anything we do with each other, no matter how passionate! Lyra, if I am to be impregnated and bear your foal, we cannot do without a male.”

The spring-green unicorn winced, unhappily. “It’s not even that, Looney, not completely.”

“You object to Big Macintosh? I’ll tell you, I certainly do not. And you helped select him!”

“He’s probably a perfect example of it… Princess, this is uncomfortable to talk about.”

“Good!” declaimed Luna, nearly achieving Royal Canterlot Voice. “We demand that you explain, all the more if it is the heart of your objection. Quickly, subject, make haste!”

Lyra squealed in momentary excitement, grovelling before her royal beloved. Luna spotted it, with her many centuries of experience with ponykind, and added, “Furthermore, spring-buds, furthermore my very own heart-strings, you are damned happy to wallow in the pleasures of ME when I use a magic bit, so it is not all male forms you recoil from! We are waiting!”

Lyra scampered forward and nuzzled boldly up to Luna’s chest, and the Princess permitted this, for she knew that her unicorn simply did not respond to dominance in the normal way. She gazed sternly into Lyra’s eyes, and the explanation began to emerge.

“It’s just that… Looney, I love the depth and vividness of your magic. It’s all I ever wanted to be, all I ever wanted to have in my life, and you’ve explained so many times but there’s something about you with an earth pony stallion… they’re so crude and hungry and their magic hardly counts… oh, I know, we’ve had that conversation before but listen! I’d like your body to be worshipped like a Goddess…”

“We are not Gods, Lyra,” said Luna gently. “Those bide their time in Tartarus and other planes, and won’t be troubling you or Equestria. Mayhap we are like to them, nevertheless we are but ponies that stand a little closer to raw magic’s flame.”

“But I want you to be like to them!” protested Lyra. “You’re so wonderful. It coarsens you that you should have to let a big male animal shove his thing up you. If it was a unicorn, at least it would be with, you know, class…”

Luna snorted with laughter. “Have you ever HAD a unicorn stallion? Seriously?”

Lyra grumbled, “I guess not. Males are just males all over, huh? I thought unicorns might be different ‘cause they’re more magic. If you need me to, I’ll live with it. But we should have something better for you. They don’t deserve you.”

Luna shook out her scintillating, star-dappled mane, before Lyra’s admiring gaze. “Listen, my precious innocent love. We would have you learn some sympathy but we are damned if we won’t at least rub your nose in this: Lyra, I like that part.”

Lyra’s eyes widened. She squeaked, “You do?”

“I do,” vowed Princess Luna. “I would hope you might understand one day, though I will love you anyhow, frail little jewel. I rejoiced when you selected Big Macintosh. I’m told he’s got a lovely, ah, big male animal thing. But it is not just that, prithee: I have hopes I will feel quite mastered, in his hooves. I do not hope that he will nip my posterior, it seems too much to expect…”

Lyra cringed, staring in disbelief. “He better not! You’re a Princess!”

“Shush!” commanded Luna. “Yes, I am, but for this happy occasion I will be his mare. His, and the pegasi’s—and yours. I am dizzy with the anticipation of submitting to all of you at once, and at the glorious climax, I would like to see Big Macintosh looming and brandishing a formidable stallion-cock, and gushing not just male-seed but maleness itself. I want that. You may call it crude, but I call it sexy as mares have called it for millenia, since the days when there WERE only earth pony stallions seizing and mating eager and delighted mares, long before Canterlot and magic and sophistication and…”

She shook herself. “Lyra,” she pleaded, “do you really not understand this? Try, for me. I am sorry if it seems crude, but haven’t you ever been turned on by a dose of crude male sexual hunger?”

Lyra had gone pale, and just stared, vulnerable and trapped. There had been that one time with Bon Bon, when she’d privately enjoyed a hot earth-pony-stallion fantasy and never told a soul what she’d been thinking as Bon Bon, bit in teeth, had ravaged her. She had gone berserk over just such a crude male fantasy, just that one time. Lyra, trembling, licked her lips, hardly daring to stir the shameful, lusty memory…

There was a knock at the door to their chambers.

“Ready or not, here we come!” called Rainbow Dash happily. “And I do mean come, oh my gosh!”

Luna and Lyra leapt to their hooves, as the door flew open and two bouncing pegasi bounded in, wings stiffly erect. “Yay!” cried Derpy Hooves. “You’re so beautiful, Princess!”

For a moment, Luna didn’t notice. She’d turned to Lyra, entreating, imploring with her eyes. “Are you okay? Prithee, grant me the truth of you, my love, and quickly!”

Lyra gulped, looking dizzy. She nodded. She craned her neck up to kiss Luna deeply. “Let’s do it.”

“You’re sure?”

“Let’s do it YOUR way,” vowed Lyra, setting her jaw, a faltering smile flickering around her muzzle.

Lyra watched her royal love react, and the unicorn’s faltering smile became a mad joyous grin. She couldn’t help it. Luna let out a fillyish squee, and bounced off all four hooves, her wings going bolt upright with a resounding pomf, and Lyra drank in the sheer delight of her, and smiled and smiled.

Behind Luna, in the doorway, Big Macintosh bashfully poked his head around the corner, in a not particularly crude or animalistic way—but he smiled a shy smile as well.

As he did, Rainbow Dash moved towards Princess Luna in the same boisterous spirit she’d arrived with, and Luna turned toward her… and Rainbow froze in her tracks, eyes wide, wings bolt erect, staring at Luna’s hooves.

The regal blue alicorn stood before her, long elegant limbs free of her decorative hoof-wear. Her crown sat on the bedside table, and the scintillating mane of night flowed freely off her neck and shoulders, across those tall and powerful withers that supported a pair of massive deep-blue wings as erect as Dash’s own, but reaching to brush the ceiling with their trembling tips.

Dash gulped, unable to blink. Luna was naked, and right there before her, wanting sex. The delicate scent of her Princessly body wafted. Luna’s flanks trembled, and then a dainty noise broke the silence, and a more provocative scent wafted. Her royal pussy had winked. Dash couldn’t see it, but Derpy’s eyes both converged for a moment under Luna’s flowing tail.

“Oooh!” squeaked the grey pegasus.

Dash gulped again. “You… ARE beautiful, Princess.”

Luna bit her lower lip gently, the mood of sudden awkwardness catching her. She favored Rainbow Dash with a lovely smile, and her ears laid back as Dash continued to stare at her wing bases, and for a moment, nopony moved at all, and Big Macintosh loomed in the doorway, his eyes wide and alarmed at the sudden silence.

Lyra snorted. “Fine. I’ll start! Unlike the rest of you, I’ve done this before!” She scampered around behind Luna.

Luna blinked. “Prithee, dear one, it is all right if they ahhhh!” She shuddered, setting her hind legs further apart. Lyra hadn’t even waited for her to finish speaking. She’d poked her cute little green muzzle right between the Princess’s rump cheeks, and her little pink tongue was busily at work. Derpy stared, fascinated. As Lyra pressed her tongue between royal blue labia, it was plain to see that the inner walls of Luna’s vagina shared the same light luminous pink of Lyra’s licking tongue. Even the wet gleam of saliva against the sheen of alicorn juices seemed to match, though soon enough Lyra had closed her lips around Luna’s stiffening and protruding clitoris, and the wetness mingled with quiet, entranced slurps and tender suckling noises…

Luna banged her forehoof on the floor, gritting her teeth. She did it again, laying her ears back.

“Princess?” said Rainbow Dash.

Princess Luna’s beautiful head whipped around, to glare at Rainbow. “By Moon and Sun! Rrrgh! Help her!”

“Oh!” squeaked Dash. “Right! Um… so, like what’s the procedure, how do I…”

“You’re a pegasus!” raged Luna. “Figure it ahhhh! out!”

Lyra lifted her head from Luna’s nethers. “They can’t reach, Looney, crouch down some more. Over to the bed!”

Luna moaned drunkenly. “Uhhnnn! Right, you’re right, Lyra,” she managed. She turned her head again, fixing Dash and then Derpy with a pleading gaze. “Pray forgive us our impatience, this is not complicated…”

As she staggered over to sprawl across the bed, her lean alicorn rump still sticking up for more indecencies, Rainbow pulled herself together. “Right! I’m a pegasus, and so is Derpy and we know all about this stuff! You came to the right place!”

“Um,” suggested Derpy, “I know all about Rarity chewing on my wing bases, but I didn’t ever do it ‘cos Rarity doesn’t have wings to play with…”

Luna was shaking. “Learn,” she suggested. She screwed her eyes shut, muttering, “Why couldn’t I have borrowed some guards from Cadance?” She then squeaked, her head whipping around again in startlement. Lyra had nipped her ass.

“Because these pegasi love you,” chided Lyra, “and this is more than just recreation, Looney! Behave!”

Luna gulped, her eyes very wide, her lip quivering—and her pussy winking convulsively. She gulped again, and said, “We are sorry! Oh, Lyra, you shame me…” and then she squealed, her body jolting, for Lyra nipped her again as Dash and Derpy and Big Macintosh stared in horror.

“I know you,” asserted Lyra proudly. “Don’t be ashamed, I know how much of a pain in the butt you are sometimes, Princess.”

“Takes one to know one,” panted Princess Luna, trembling.

“They’re just not used to you. Show the nice pegasi what you want, go on. Like you show me,” urged Lyra.

Luna looked around at Dash and Derpy, her ears laid back submissively, her eyes yearning… and she held her wings half-raised, and the grand elegant coverts folded over, splaying out a bit at the wingtips, slowly and shyly assuming a giant version of a pegasus’s lewdest mating display.

Dash’s eyes bugged out. Derpy’s eyes both converged perfectly on the sight, her mouth hanging open in wonder.

Lyra snickered, watching them. “If you make her wait, I’ll bite your butts too…”

She happily returned her attention to Luna’s vagina, because to either side of her, an entranced pegasus trotted up, closer and closer to those mighty dark-blue wings. Derpy glanced over at Dash, and then her gaze was dragged back to the wing shank held aloft before her. Dash’s ear flicked sharply, and she licked her lips, her eyes wild and frantic, and with a multicolored thrash of her tail, she pounced and closed her mouth upon Luna’s left wing, seizing it with the boldness she’d felt so often from Applejack.

“Eeeeehhh!” cried Luna, staring up at nothing, drawing great hyperventilating breaths.

“Aim at the fireproof headboard, Looney!” cried Lyra. Her head lowered, and the wet clit-suckling noises resumed.

Derpy glanced at Rainbow Dash, as if looking for tips.

“…mmh m’ g’sh…” moaned Dash, through a mouthful of Princess feathers.

Derpy looked back at the quivering, vast wing before her, leaned in, and took Luna’s wing shank in her teeth with determined force.

Luna squealed, and tried to flap, as Lyra thrust her tongue as far into her as it would go. Both pegasi were galvanized by the sensation of those warm, powerful wings twisting against their mouths, and both instinctively latched on like bulldogs, physically wrestling Luna’s hapless wings back into place. Possibly pegasus guards would have been larger and stronger, but Rainbow Dash had the physique of an athlete and a knack for carnal fierceness, and Derpy Hooves was a sturdy, tough pony not easily shaken off. Both reacted with primal pegasus instincts and seized Luna’s wings passionately.

Princess Luna barely had time to lower her head. She squalled, and blasted the headboard of the bed with her horn’s discharge, blindingly. Derpy shrieked, and scrambled back in alarm.

“Again!” cried Lyra. She dove between Luna’s legs, her hoof reaching forward to fondle Princess tits in a fever of caresses, and Derpy set her jaw and leapt forward, grabbing Luna’s wing again, twice as firmly. She growled a little pegasus growl, her hooves well braced, wrenching Luna’s wing this way and that.

Luna screamed, her feathers bristling out, and the headboard of the bed became an inferno of magic discharge again, the horngasm that could cut through rock earthing itself against that odd dull material. The light reflected in Big Macintosh’s terrified eyes. For a moment, Luna’s head thrashed and the gout of raw magic blasted a painting off the wall, and the painting tumbled flaming to the floor and was ash by the time it hit.

“Aim!” cried Lyra. “Come on! Drain her! If we get it all at once…” She slurped loudly on Luna’s stiffened clitoris, and the pegasi gnawed Luna’s increasingly disheveled and feather-dustery wings, and Luna brayed a guttural bellow of lusty release, tears leaking from her tight-shut eyes, and splashed another gout of magic violently against the headboard, and another, and another…

The vast wings, anguished by sharp ecstacies, shuddered in the grip of Dash and Derpy, who seemed drunk on the experience and lost in their hungry, erotic devouring. Both of them showed quivering, bristled wings themselves. Lyra’s ears perked as she continued licking and nuzzling, and she heard another crackling zap of horngasm, a hoarse wail from Luna that hinted at exhaustion, and then… a kind of sputtering noise.

Lyra leapt to her hooves, madly excited, and as she did she saw the source of the noise. Luna, ravaged beyond all reason, sprawled across the bed, her eyes rolling back in her head, and her horn weakly spurted a mere dribble of magic. They’d done it! The Princess was drained!

“Keep her going, keep her going!” she screamed, as she galloped around to leap onto the bed, placing herself between Luna and the headboard, sprawling onto her side, her hoof thrusting between her legs as her eyes devoured the sight of her beautiful lover shuddering in sustained orgasm.

Rainbow Dash and Derpy kept licking and gnawing Luna’s feebly thrashing wings. Big Macintosh stepped forward, eyes wide. Beneath him, a very male stallionhood stuck rigidly forth, and he stared in awe at Luna’s glorious hindquarters, and the trim quivering vagina pouting and showing its tempting slick pinkness from within the deep-blue contours of her elegant vulva.

“Beggin’ your pardon, miss, but…” he mumbled, and licked his lips, his ears laying back anxiously.

Luna moaned, and the dribbles of magic from her horn began to subside, even as Lyra masturbated frantically. Dash glanced back. “Come on, Big Macintosh, get in there!”

Lyra’s hoof faltered, as she watched.

Luna’s eyes went wide as saucers as the massive earth pony straddled her, and her mouth dropped open in shock as a juicy squelch rang out. Big Macintosh’s thick horse-cock wedged into her squishy confines and kept going, bulky shaft packing her pelvis to bursting and stretching her to the limit, both in terms of girth, and soon in terms of depth as well. His eyes were soft and tender as he entered her shuddering body, he smiled sweetly, and his thrust had the gentleness of a considerate stallion—but for all that, Big Macintosh’s farm-pony haunches had a power to them not found in many ponies, and he shoved Princess Luna forward against the bed as he took her.

“Unnhhhh!” she moaned, her eyes not focussing.

Lyra watched those massive male hips draw back, and then swing forward once more. Luna’s face betrayed her stunned reaction, and then she noticed her unicorn’s lip quivering, her masturbating hoof slowing…

“C—come! For me!” begged Luna, dazedly. “Come WITH me! Nnnnggh!”

As if in a dream, Lyra reached between her own legs. She licked her lips, her ears laying back hard, and she reached back into her darkest secret fantasies, and instead of herself, she watched her beloved being ravaged by a great big crude earth pony stallion. That huge heavy dumb fleshy cock, going harder and harder. The sounds as the eager beast began to move more excitedly, plunging with dim hunger, possessing her exquisite magical body. Lyra gulped, opening herself to the experience, and Luna held her gaze the whole time, seeming to read the vulnerability, the hesitant yearning, the parting of lips as she allowed herself that surrender…

Big Macintosh’s mouth opened, too, in a gasp of awe. His back was well able to keep up the motions, and at every moment he hung on to his innate gentleness, not wishing to hurt the beautiful Princess—but with every thrust his mind exploded in new blissful sensations. Her Princess pussy was spectacular! So tight and enfolding, but fluid and not pinchy and melting around him in palpable ecstacy, while the two pegasus mares devoted themselves to her trembling wings…

Lyra’s horn glimmered, her body shivered, as she took in the flood of joyous carnality inches from her, the four bodies writhing in transports of complicated ecstacy.

Luna’s eyes glazed over, as her own horn again began to emit sparks and spurts of alicorn horngasm.

Big Macintosh caught his breath, feeling Luna’s vagina seize up in a series of irresistible clenches.

Rainbow Dash and Derpy wrestled Luna’s wings joyously, their teeth gnawing in fevered pegasus horniness, and Lyra cried, “Ahhh!” and came before Luna’s eyes, the long-sought-after climax and high point of an endless life, the lovely green unicorn beginning to release a weak and hesitant version of her normally potent horn-gasm.

In that instant—Big Macintosh came.

His massive cock throbbed heavily, again and again. Earth pony come gushed out of him with each mighty throb, his erection stiffening unbearably, drenchings of hot sticky semen physically pumping into Luna’s womb even as Lyra’s arc falteringly came to life.

Princess Luna shrieked, and blasted the headboard off the bed—through Lyra.

The spring-green unicorn let out one shrill squeal, glowing from within as if she had become a bolt of lightning, and tumbled back to fall limply off the bed, through the space where the headboard had been. The bed swayed, and toppled foward with a crunch and splintering of its wooden frame.

Rainbow Dash released Luna’s wing, and screamed. “Aaaah! Oh my gosh oh my gosh! Lyra!”

“Is she okay?” wailed Derpy.

Luna had collapsed, the end of her horn smouldering. Dash looked in horror, and saw that inches of it had been burned away through the discharge. “Oh my gosh! If it did that to her, what happened to Ly…”

A green nubbin appeared over the edge of the bed. It was what was left of Lyra’s horn.

The two pegasi and the earth pony stared in astonishment and awe. Lyra, weak as a kitten, was crawling back onto the bed. Almost all her horn was gone, and her body was smouldering gently, and she couldn’t stand, but she dragged herself toward them, horn-nubbin first.

“Oh my gosh…” breathed Dash. Lyra, leaking tears, was trying to rub horns with Luna, who just twitched feebly, stunned.

“Listen!” urged Derpy, her ears perking forward.

“Help us…” breathed Lyra, her voice cracked and shattered. “Please…”

“Oh, fuck, really? I mean seriously?” squeaked Dash, and then fell silent. Luna was stirring. She wriggled, with a despairing moan, and squeezed her eyes shut… and a tiny glimmer of magic appeared at the end of her horn.

Rainbow Dash, Derpy, and Big Macintosh stared at each other for a moment, and then Dash and Derpy whirled and seized Luna’s wings again, causing her to shudder and whimper.

“What mus’ Ah do?” stammered Big Macintosh.

Dash released her wing, and transfixed him with a fierce gaze. “Keep it up, and make Lyra come if it’s the last thing you do! Don’t give up on them now!”

As she returned her attention to moaning Luna’s disheveled wing, Big Macintosh’s eyes met Lyra’s.

She gave him the most vulnerable, loneliest look he’d ever seen, and she croaked, “Show me…”

“Uhhh, far as ah know you ain’t prop’ly a fan of th’ boy ponies,” he mumbled. “Should Ah lick your marehood all nicely, Miss Lyra? Anything you want.”

Lyra bit her lip, and gathered all her courage, and she blushed a weird purplish-green as she expressed her darkest fantasy, out loud.

“I want you to sink your big crude earth pony cock into me,” she said.

Big Macintosh gulped. Rainbow Dash’s wing whacked him, and he dismounted from Luna, gritting his teeth to try and keep himself erect, coming over and looming across reclining Lyra. She seemed so little under him.

“Please!” begged Lyra, and Luna’s dazed eyes focussed a little, registering the scene in front of her, then drinking it in with a strange yearning.

Sweet Lyra, lying back and spreading her legs, as always insisting on doing things strangely. Her little pussy jutted eagerly out, winking, left terribly aroused by that piquant bolt of erotic energy. Nothing excited Lyra like taking a horngasm.

Big Macintosh, gentle and solicitous, finding some source of renewed energy simply from looking at Lyra’s elegant unicorn body, those pert little swellings of breasts and the luminous green contours of her. His body looming, dwarfing her with hulking maleness, that bulky cock swinging forward.

Lyra’s eyes as the swollen stallion-flare nudged her vagina. Her mouth dropping open in a soundless scream, as his powerful hips pressed placidly forward, that huge shaft entering her. The shocking, lewd sight of Luna’s dainty little unicorn, legs splayed wide, a massive earth pony cock of contrasting color firmly sinking deeper and deeper into her.

Lyra’s breathy, overwhelmed cry as she felt the earth pony stallion penetrate her body, not conquering her but seeming to empathize with her great vulnerability. He moved so cautiously within her, all that power in check.

The smile on Big Macintosh’s face as he sensed his unicorn mare’s pleasure response. The effortless joy of his steadily easier motions, as he began to thrust more freely.

The building thickness of that massive horsecock as it began to plunge, always with sensitivity and gentleness, into Lyra as she curled her legs back, allowing him an angle to plumb more deeply…

Princess Luna’s eyes were crossing with exhaustion, but she drank in the sight longingly, and as Rainbow and Derpy tenderly nibbled her frazzled wings, Lyra’s gaze drifted over to meet hers, and connected.

With her last ebb of magic stamina, Princess Luna gave a weak little cry and spurted forth a little trickle of horngasm.

Big Macintosh grunted, sharply, and his body shook all over.

And Lyra, her wide eyes fixed on the infinite beyond her beloved Luna’s yearning gaze, felt the earth pony stallion somehow, unexpectedly, impossibly spurting pony-come up deep inside her, completing his possession of her and capping off the filthy dark fantasy just as she’d always imagined it. His cock shoved deep… and just gushed, palpably.

Lyra squealed an exhausted soprano squeal and cut loose, her nub of a horn pouring forth a startling flood of magical power. It went straight for Luna’s weak final magic-spurt, locked on, and earthed itself through Luna’s horn, dumping catalyzed magic into the Princess’s trembling body. Luna’s mouth opened in a cry of unthinkable ecstacy, and Dash and Derpy squeaked and released her wings as the magic flooded her and tickled their mouths. They fell back, staring, as Princess Luna thrashed feebly on the bed, earth pony come oozing out of her pussy, her body set alight by one little green unicorn who seemed unable to stop coming now that she’d started, who squealed and vented a torrent of raw energy from what was left of her horn for second after second as Luna writhed in the grip of the fertilizing flood of magic…

It stopped, abruptly. Lyra collapsed, staring at nothing. Luna passed out, as well. Big Macintosh panted, wild-eyed.

Rainbow Dash began to grin, wider and wider.

“We did it…”

“Are they dead?” wailed Derpy.

“Look at their chests!” responded Dash. And indeed, both unicorn and alicorn were heaving deep rasping breaths, their bodies trying to recover from feats of carnal athleticism far beyond the norm. “Help me get them more comfortable. They’ll be fine. We did it!”

“I hope it weren’t that uncomfortable? Ow. This kinda pinches,” said Big Macintosh. “Reckon Ah’m stuck for a moment?”

Dash smirked. “Take it from me, buddy, it’s uncomfortable in a very awesome way. Oh my gosh, she went off like a bolt of lightning! Thanks, Big Macintosh, that was perfect! Hah, that was like six times better than you did me, dammit, life is SO unfair… are you really stuck in her?”

“It’s comin’ out soon, Miss Dash, don’t wish ta force it.” Big Macintosh looked back and forth between Princess Luna, and Lyra, who sprawled limply off the end of his stallionhood. “We got us a pregnant Princess, huh?”

“And a unicorn,” added Derpy unexpectedly.

Dash blinked. “What? No, Lyra came into Princess Luna’s horn, and we did all the other stuff, too. Look, Big Macintosh came in Luna, you can see it pouring down the inside of her leg. Even Big Macintosh couldn’t have come tw…”

She trailed off. Big Macintosh was going limp, and as he tugged his shrinking cock out of the little green unicorn, another flood of horse-come poured forth, oozing out of her body and wetting her silky tail. Lyra didn’t respond, being too stunned to register.

“Dude…” breathed Rainbow Dash. “Are you sure you don’t have some zebra blood?”

“Miss Lyra felt awful nice,” said Big Macintosh, plainitively.

“I saw her light up all over when Princess Luna hit her with that huge zap,” added Derpy.

Rainbow Dash gulped. “Uh-huh. Well. Huh! Yeah.”

“Did we do good?” said Big Macintosh.

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment. She smiled. She leaned over, and kissed Lyra on the muzzle, gently rolling her into a more comfortable position, and then had a thought. “Hey, Derpy, Macintosh! Help me with them.”

They snuggled Princess and consort together, so they’d wake up in each other’s embrace, and then Dash gave Lyra another kiss. “I’ll help you with it,” she whispered. “I am the best at foaling, and I’ll make sure it goes right for you.”

Big Macintosh showed a hesitant smile. “Uhh… do that make me a double stallion? Dang.”

“Us, too!” said Derpy Hooves, with an excited bounce.

Rainbow Dash grinned. “You know, you’re right. It might be the only chance we get to be one. And we’re a double stallion too, Derpy—you and me!”

“Huh?” blinked Big Macintosh, lost.

“Oh,” explained Dash, “it’s a pegasus thing. It’s kinda personal, but… me and Derpy, we were just pegasus stallions, sort of. I never thought that could ever happen.”

“Me either!” said Derpy.

Big Macintosh blinked, quirking an ear. “Ah reckon the Princess and Lyra are all right. Look, them’s a-smilin’ in their sleep. What y’all gonna do now?”

Rainbow Dash smirked, flicking her tail.

“Maybe Derpy has some idea about how I feel right now. You know what? I’ll catch you guys later, I have something very important to do.”

“Whut’s that, then?” asked Big Macintosh.

“I am going to go back home… and just totally RUIN my mare,” grinned Rainbow Dash.

Derpy Hooves beamed happily.

“Me too!” she said.

Debutante

“And don’t tell anypony!” said the petite, ice-blue alicorn. “Not a word!”

The royal herald stared at her, ears laid back in a combination of anxiety and perplexity. “But…”

Chaos, the true form of the draconequus Discord, stamped her dainty cute hoof. “I mean it! I can’t tell you why that’s so important, but take my word for it, it’s vital. You’re being trusted with a great honor, an unthinkably precious moment, and how dare you cavil and argue?”

The trumpeter fell back a pace. “No, I just… not even tell the other heralds?”

Chaos blinked. “Oh. Well, of course, you idiot, I’m charging you with the responsibility of wrangling them. But tell nopony else! And they’re not to tell either—it’s a surprise!”

“But,” said the trumpeter, “you’re insisting I not say a word. What should I do, nudge them?”

Chaos blinked her lovely jade eyes. She levelled her long, oversized horn at him and he fell back another step.

“If you like,” she said. “If that’s what it takes. But bring your, aha, horny compatriots to Audience Room B, and ensconce yourself in your performer’s box…”

“That’s not in the Audience Room,” objected the trumpeter.

“It’s not?” blinked Chaos.

“We set up in the Revolving Stage Rooms,” insisted the trumpeter. “Not that they actually revolve, it’s magic. You know, linking the room to the audience through a portal. I’ve said a thousand times, they could spare another portal for the poor heralds. We have to sound our fanfare, and then literally duck out of sight and crawl from one Revolving Stage Room to the next, to be ready for when they switch the portal. Call that fair?”

Chaos’s delicate ear flicked in exasperation. “Well, this is your lucky day. You won’t be crawling out of the herald’s box to the next stage room, because I need you to assemble a clarion team of heralds secretly in Audience Room B, and await a special moment, which you will celebrate. It is the most meaningful fanfare you will ever sound. And not a word to anypony, now or afterward!”

The trumpeter frowned. “But it’s much more difficult. How do I even say ‘Audience Room B’ by nudges? Is this a chaos thing?”

Chaos gritted her dainty teeth. “Just do it. You’ll understand later, my dear sir. Trust me. And not so much as a BREATH to…”

“Oh, now that’s unreasonable,” complained the trumpeter. “How do you expect me to sound a fanfare if I’m not allowed to breathe?”

“DISCORD!” came a sharp voice, and Chaos squeaked in alarm.

“Just do it!” she hissed to the trumpeter, and turned to face the pony striding down the palace corridor. “Why, Twilight Sparkle! How pleasant to see you. What brings you to our humble abode?”

Twilight trotted up, her eyes narrowing, Spike scrambling to keep up with her long-legged strides. She glared at Chaos, who gave her a gratituously innocent look. Twilight’s eyes narrowed still further. “What are you up to, Discord?”

“Oh, Twilight, you’re the sparkle-iest,” scoffed Chaos. “And whatever happened to your intentions of encouraging my demure and charming marely side? You should be calling me Chaos. How quickly we forget!”

Twilight stamped a hoof. “I forgot when you raised hell in that crazy Fillydelphia nightclub! You expect to be treated as a Princess, but how many Princesses randomly turn a club full of innocent ponies to disembodied penises, on a whim?”

“Those weren’t innocent,” objected Chaos, “and I turned them back. They were trying to hurt Derpy Hooves, and I had no choice and was entirely exonerated. And as for how many Princesses… have you asked the new one?”

“No, I have not,” said Twilight. “I haven’t even met her. That’s why I’m here. Did she really present herself at the palace and demand to see Cadance?”

Chaos pursed her petite pony lips, a twinkle in her eye. “Oh, much better than that.”

“Explain!”

“Well, I was going to,” huffed Chaos petulantly. “Her name is Numeric Essence, but you can call her Essence. She appeared at the gates and politely asked to see her counterpart, claiming that she was becoming an alicorn herself. When pressed, she explained that she had been transforming for some time, and that she had reason to infer the existence of an alicorn known for wanton behavior, passion, and wallowing in debauchery.”

Twilight’s jaw had dropped.

“The palace guard, a fine stout fellow, recognized her description of dear Cadance immediately and showed her in right away!”

“Becoming? Transforming for some time?” demanded Twilight. “Counterpart?”

Chaos winced, seeming troubled for the first time. “I feel,” she said, “we all have much to think about regarding her theories…”

Spike chimed in, standing on tippy-claws to be nearer the conversation. “She thinks alicorns come in pairs? Opposites?”

Chaos blinked. “Why, yes, Spike, that does seem to be her theory. Well done! I shudder to think who dear Twilight’s opposite would be. No, I’ll rephrase that. I would adore meeting Twilight Sparkle’s opposite, because that alicorn would know how to party!”

Twilight glowered at him. “Enough. If I’m Leadership, then my opposite would be just as useless as you. I’m supposed to meet her, where is she?”

“Haven’t the foggiest,” replied Chaos. “Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

“Oh, no, you don’t!” insisted Twilight. “What were you doing with that pony you were talking to?”

Chaos gave the irate lavender alicorn a cool, appraising look.

“I did nothing with him, Twilight,” she said. “Surely you saw that. I don’t appreciate your tone, and if you persist, I shall complain to Celly about it.”

Twilight stepped back, nervously pecking at the floor with a forehoof. “It’s… not right that you should call her that.”

“Perhaps you’d like to scold her as well? She calls me ‘Swirlie’,” explained Chaos, smugly. “Naughty of her, is it not?”

Twilight bit her lip, then blurted, “You have nothing to offer Princess Celestia, Discord!”

“Oh?” replied Chaos, with a coy, teasing little smile.

Twilight turned and ran, to a cry of  “Whoa, hold on!” from Spike. He hesitated, turning back to Chaos, who stood watching impassively. “You know,” he said, “you could take it a little more easy on Twilight, couldn’t you?”

“Why should I?” said Chaos. “She won’t give me a bit of credit. …or a bit ON credit, for that matter. She won’t give me a bit at all! It’s cruel and unreasonable.”

Spike screwed up his face. “That stuff again! I don’t get it. You’re like, mister draconequus chaos magic guy. It’s bad enough Twilight’s doing creepy sex magic stuff with magic bits turning mares into stallions, but what’s it got to do with you? Why are you going around as an alicorn now and talking like a girl?”

Chaos’s expression darkened. “It would take a fair amount of explaining…”

“Uh, how about no?” suggested Spike, cringing.

“Then take my word for it, Twilight’s refusal to help me in the matter is causing me difficulty,” said Chaos. “I won’t go into detail that you might find repugnant, but know this: I won’t let Twilight’s recalcitrance prevent me from doing what is right. And long overdue!”

Spike gulped. “This won’t end well.”

“On the contrary, my dear young dragon boy. This did not begin well. It shall end in transports of glory and a celebration for the ages, and bring lasting joy to those that deeply deserve that boon!”

Spike gawked. He turned. He ran.

Chaos pouted. “They have no imagination,” she grumbled. Then she smiled… for she had enough to spare.

She headed off, a mare on a mission.

“Twilight Sparkle!” squeaked Princess Luna, rearing in alarm. “Whither this galloping?”

“Princess Luna!” cried Twilight. “You’ve got to help me, we have to stop Discord, I know he’s plotting something terrible!”

Luna gasped. “Surely not! To the best of my knowledge, Chaos is making a great effort to show kindness and generosity. Especially to Celestia! Please calm yourself. Perhaps you have simply not been around here enough to recognize her efforts for good?”

Twilight shook her head. “I know better! That smirk just screams ‘Discord’ and you have to help me stop whatever he’s going to do…”

Luna tsked, looking worried. “That would be ‘she’, Twilight, and we are trying to help her accept her new form. I understand she’s been seeking tutoring from Princess Cadance.” Luna winced, laying her ears back. “I fear she learns too well, but cannot fault her desire to please. Half our palace guards smile and walk funny these days.”

“Cadance is here?” demanded Twilight.

“We’ve sent for her, Twilight, because the new alicorn asked for her so directly…”

“That’s right! New alicorn. What was her name? We’ll get her to help us…”

“Do you need help?” came a new voice, cool and thoughtful. Twilight and Luna looked to the side, and Twilight caught her breath in wonder.

The new alicorn was tall, nearly as tall as Princess Celestia. Her body was the lightest of mint green shades, and her mane and eyes the deep greens of the peaceful forest. Her gaze showed an unearthly calm.

Twilight blinked, feeling unequal to the new arrival, then stamped a hoof and said “You bet we do!”. Luna looked worriedly at Twilight, clearly wanting to protest, but deferring to Twilight’s strong and wilful feelings.

Numeric Essence blinked, and glanced back and forth between Twilight and Luna. She gave a little gasp. “If I’m not mistaken, this is another polarity! If I can determine the character represented between you two alicorns, why, my studies will be advanced immeasurably!”

“A what?” said Twilight. “Your studies? I mean, yay studies, nopony out-studies me, but this is serious! What polarity?”

Numeric Essence smiled, seeming not to notice Twilight’s distress. “It’s very simple… Twilight, was it?”

“Twilight Sparkle!” insisted Twilight, with another stamp of her hoof.

“It’s very simple, Twilight Sparkle,” said the new alicorn patiently. “We’re created through magic in forms that represent polarities of experience. We are personified counterparts, you might say. I’ve been studying my condition ever since it began happening to me…”

“Why didn’t you get zapped to that magic alicorn place like I did?” demanded Twilight. “How can you suddenly turn up without us knowing about it?”

“I resisted,” said Numeric Essence calmly. “Did it not occur to you? I am told your number possess impressive powers I’m not yet privy to, but it surprises me that not one of you chose not to respond. Indeed, you all consented to the magic’s changes, very likely in moments of strong emotion. The magic took my form and altered it, yet I remain the unicorn I once was, and in fact I cannot fly as you do, and my powers are no more than a common unicorn’s. I did not go along with the transformation. I resisted.”

Twilight had gone pale. She stared at the strange, calm alicorn, amazed. “Excuse me. You resisted the magic? It fucking grabbed me! Um, sorry. How could you resist that?”

“Meeting your Princess Cadance has helped me to understand,” said Numeric Essence. “She is fascinating! She’s described her experience as a moment of grand, matchless passion that opened her to an embrace of all ponykind’s sensuality. Cadance claims her strong emotion of a sexual nature resonated with the fabric of magic itself and transformed her. Was your experience similarly in a moment of great and characteristic passion, related to your eventual purpose?”

Twilight gaped at her, and remembered her own transformation. Facing down an angry mob of townsponies who were ready to attack the apparently guilty Gilda Griffin. Raging at them, using her magic to force them to her will, hitting upon a new spell off the top of her head and imposing the spirit of harmony upon them whether they liked it or not—and then, gone, to a strange new magical space and a shocking and un-looked-for new existence. No, she hadn’t resisted. Every fiber of her being was engaged in the effort to rewrite reality to her will, with no detachment at all, and the magic had flared up as if exploding in response to her passion.

“If you prefer not to answer,” said Numeric Essence mildly, “that is your privilege. I am most curious, however. I would like to decide whether to fully join your number, or remain as I am.” She pondered this, for a moment. “I may require further advice from your Princess Cadance, not about lovemaking but in emotional release. That appears to be the prerequisite, and it doesn’t come naturally to me.”

“Wow,” breathed Twilight, wide-eyed. “She got hit with alicorn-ness, and ignored it!”

“Her theories have given us all a lot to think about,” said Princess Luna. “In truth, our own experience, and Cadance’s, and yours, and even that of Chaos are all of a kind. In moments of great excitement and magical exertion, we resonated with the fabric of magic and were transformed. Numeric Essence believes she is the counterpart to Cadance, and where Cadance is Alicorn of Sex…” and she glanced around to check that nopony had overheard that secret of the Princess of Love, “…it would appear that Numeric Essence is or could become the Alicorn of Logic.”

Essence bowed her head, with dignity.

“Wow,” squeaked Twilight. “That’s amazing! I wish I could have been that!”

“But we need our Alicorn of Leadership, Twilight, especially now!” urged Luna, supportively. “Prithee, do not express regret, as you come to your full powers we may yet draw on all that defines you!”

At this, Numeric Essence blinked. “Leadership? Surely not. I’m not certain of the exact polarity, but just as your Celestia and Chaos are poles of Order and Disorder, and as I and Cadance are Logic and Sex, you and Luna are plainly… something, and something else?” She quirked her ears, thinking, with a cute little frown on her elegant face.

“Chaos enjoys calling me Alicorn of Second Banana,” said Luna reprovingly, “but for centuries I have known myself to be the faithful support of my sister Celestia, and willingly do I serve her. Even my dark times of failing were shaped by this. In Nightmare I rebelled against my nature and became terrible in my despair, but thanks to the overpowering will of our Twilight Sparkle, I was wrested from this fate and returned to my own truth.”

“I would greatly enjoy questioning you about that experience,” said Numeric Essence, her ears quirking forward curiously.

Twilight watched Luna shudder. Truly, the pale mint alicorn was a polar opposite of Cadance, for Cadance never gave anypony emotional distress, and this new alicorn-in-the-making seemed entirely oblivious to it.

“Rather,” said Luna gravely, “would I focus on the truth I’ve been returned to. With the aid of some Ponyville ponies, I have been bred and carry my foal even now, and if it were possible, I would say this fulfils me even more deeply than my service to my beloved sister.”

“All right,” said Essence kindly. “If you change your mind, please let me know.”

Twilight looked around, peering down the corridors. “Where IS Princess Celestia?”

“Swirlie?” called Princess Celestia, peering cautiously into the empty Stage Room.

“Beloved!” replied the clear little voice of Chaos, rich with affection.

Celestia stepped further into the darkness. “Swirlie, did you speak with her?” She flicked her tail, in some agitation.

Chaos’s voice wavered. “Ah… in a manner of speaking…”

“But you needed to ask her, Swirlie. You promised. And your voice, it’s not as I remember it, you still sound female to me. And you told me to come here secretly… and bring all of my femaleness. And I thought I understood what you meant, Swirlie, and I was so excited…”

There was a stirring in the darkness, and an oddly deep grunt. “Celestia my dear,” said Chaos hesitantly, “I’d hoped you remembered more than just my voice.”

“It’s been so long,” purred Princess Celestia, taking another step into the darkness. “You implied some wonderful things, Swirlie. I know what gifts magic can bring. I ask you again, did you speak with her, did she agree to aid us, and do you come bearing gifts for your Princess as you did of old?”

“Ah,” stammered Chaos, “yes, no… and yes.”

The light gently returned to the room, and Celestia’s jaw dropped in horror.

Chaos stood, forelegs wrapped around the neck of a short and burly earth pony, who smiled foolishly. Her eyes glistened with frightened tears, and she said, “Let me explain…”

Princess Celestia gulped, and licked her lips, for her mouth had gone dry suddenly.

“Yes,” said the palace wizard, “but the problem is, the heralds are trying to be in two different audience rooms. And they’re supposed to be in the stage room, in their recessed box!”

Princess Luna quirked her ears. “Do we want them nearer the audience, mayhap? If the change answers some purpose, I would not naysay it. The heralds are directly before the audience?”

“Yes, Princess, and that’s completely against procedure!”

Luna thought. “Could it be that the unveiling of Numeric Essence is meant to be a happy surprise for them as well? Essence, have you been asked to conceal yourself until the ceremony?”

Numeric Essence wrinkled her brow. “I was told to wait in Stage Room B. I went there, but it was locked. Unwilling to break or magically interfere with the lock, I returned and now I am speaking with you. Was I supposed to act in some different way? I concluded there must have been some mistake.”

The palace wizard’s eyes widened, and he nodded, his horn making a little arc in the air. “There must have been! We’re very sorry, Miss Essence. But now there’s no time to lose! Please go at once to Stage Room A, and when we give you the signal, strike a pose and use your magic to trigger the linking of the rooms. Protocol dictates that you make the connection, to ward against embarrassment should you sneeze or stumble just before the link is made. The final moment is yours to choose, Miss Essence.”

Numeric Essence’s ears had gone sideways in chagrin. She visibly struggled to make sense of what she’d been told. “What difference could it possibly make if I sneezed?” she said, weakly.

The unicorn mage stamped a forehoof, indignantly. “We would never forgive ourselves for allowing such a humiliating moment, Miss Essence!”

Princess Luna murmured, “Perhaps they wish her preparations to not be distracted by our heralds, as she is not accustomed to court formalities?”

Numeric Essence looked back and forth between wizard and Princess, biting her lip. Talking to alicorns about their intrinsic natures and polarities, questioning Cadance about her debauchery, had not so much as ruffled a hair of her mane, but to be confronted with formal courtly protocol and required to honor it… left her flummoxed. It was, after all, so often the antithesis of Logic.

Princess Celestia’s eyes were wide. “S…swirlie, what have you done?”

Chaos gulped. “Please say yes. It is the most I can do for you, and honestly, Celly, you’ll be amazed.”

“But who is he?” wailed Celestia, trembling. “Swirlie, I thought I was going to have you! I w… was so excited…”

“Please don’t let that stop you?” implored Chaos. “When Twilight refused to let me have a bit, I couldn’t help but remember this fellow.”

“Get it from Rarity!” retorted Celestia. Her hind legs were shaking.

“Derpy said no,” replied Chaos. “She said she thought she might be needing it.”

Princess Celestia blinked. “DERPY needed it?”

Chaos gave her a sharp look. “Celly, you don’t suggest that Derpy Hooves isn’t entitled to an opinion on the matter? It’s theirs.”

Celestia blushed. “Of course not. But…”

“Princess, my Princess,” implored Chaos, “I did everything that I could to unite us in carnal ecstacy. I would devote myself to the worship of your body with hooves and tongue even now, except…”

“That’s all right,” said Celestia quickly.

“…except you thrill to the touch of a true stallion,” said Chaos firmly, “and I don’t resemble one anymore. Well, I have brought you one beyond your fondest memory! Ah, make that equivalent to your fondest memory.”

“Who is it? Where did you get him? Look at him, Swirlie, I’m not sure he understands what we’re saying!”

Chaos’s hoof was stroking the earth pony’s neck, fondly. “Don’t you remember? He was in that nightclub. They thought he’d split me in two, but I showed them. Celly, I took him home with me. He’s very sweet. All he really wanted was some pussy.” Chaos winced. “That’s been rather difficult, not to say disturbing, but until now it’s been very much my responsibility. Not even Cadance will touch him.”

Celestia gulped. “Why do you say that, Swirlie?”

“Because he is exactly like I was, Celly. Please… let me share that boon with you. All I ask is that I…” and Chaos choked up for a moment, “…that I can watch.”

“Oh, Swirlie!” moaned Celestia, trembling. “You’re kidding, surely you’re joking. It’s you I long to be reunited with. What are you asking?”

Chaos’s eyes bored into the Princess’s.

“I know what I’m asking. I’ve done everything I can to bring that to you. I am forestalled at every turn, and you grow restless and your body awakes from its long slumber. My Princess, I cannot bear to make you wait any longer. Don’t you remember, so long ago? I had no more claim on you than this sweet oaf of an earth pony. You were bored and worked up, and you extended your invitation, and after one night our lives were forever changed…”

Celestia licked her lips, her ears laid back, shaking her head gently—but she did not look at Chaos as she did so. She stared into space, as if arguing with herself. “Oh, Swirlie, Swirlie,” she moaned softly. “It’s not fair.”

“No!” protested Chaos. “Not fair is laying with you, knowing I cannot become what you desire. To turn to Starswirl form, dickless, would be an affront to my feelings and yours. I can’t bear to even call upon my own voice of old, for fear it would stir you!”

“Do it,” breathed Princess Celestia.

“I beg your pardon?” said Chaos.

Celestia set her jaw. “I cannot but answer to your yearning and generosity… and you’ve been driving me mad, Swirlie, mad with memory. Do it! This is a good pony before me? You’re absolutely sure of that? Good as you were, not simply well-favored as you were?”

Chaos hugged the earth pony’s neck. “He is! But Celly, do what, what?”

Princess Celestia gulped. Her eye twitched. “Call upon that voice, darling. Perhaps, turn into your draconequus form, if that won’t frighten the poor thing? We are accustomed to it, and Discord speaks as you spoke of old. That voice never stopped thrilling me, even in our worst days. Turn to Discord, my love… and touch me. It has been so long.”

Chaos’s eyes went very wide.

“And then,” continued Princess Celestia unsteadily, “let us see what our new friend brings us. Hold me while he… hold me! What is his name, Swirlie?”

“Crowbar,” said Chaos in a deep baritone voice, and in a blink of chaos magic she transformed into draconequus form, into Discord, still snuggling Crowbar’s neck… but Discord’s tail snaked out, to trace up the inside of Princess Celestia’s leg.

Celestia bit her lip hard, with an audible whimper. A faint wet sound was heard, as her long-neglected body winked its sexual invitation to the empty room.

Crowbar’s ears perked bolt upright, and he sniffed the air.

“Well, the thaumic orientation is aligned to link Stage B with Audience B!” protested the wizard.

“Yes,” argued the herald, “but we’re not IN Audience B. That was a mistake, remember? Everypony’s in Audience A. Change it over!”

“But somepony said the new alicorn’s in Stage A, because B was locked and she couldn’t get in! She’s not in Stage B.”

A second wizard spoke up. “No, she is. Somepony’s in B, she must have got in. Re-link ‘em!”

The first wizard tossed his mane, snorted, and washed his horn of the matter. He cross-linked Audience A with Stage B, ready for the new alicorn in Stage B to trigger the spell.

In the distance, a lone herald stubbornly argued, “I’m telling you, she said Audience B! And she also said not to breathe a word to anypony! This can’t be right!”

“You won’t be breathing a word to anypony if you get all the heralds waiting in an empty room, while the new alicorn Princess is about to be presented to Society in the other room…”

Numeric Essence tentatively tried the door to Stage Room B. It was still locked.

She pressed her ear to the door. Was that moaning, from inside?

She returned to Stage Room A. It continued to be empty, and she could hear moaning coming faintly through the wall. Clearly the different rooms were dedicated to the same purpose, but one was being used for dallying. It seemed possible that the room she was to occupy was the room that had been locked from the inside. What was the logical course of action, if the ponies occupying the room were in the wrong, but hadn’t meant harm? Could she reasonably infer wrongdoing, or estimate the probability of wrongdoing versus the likelihood that she had been misinformed?

Numeric Essence looked fretfully back at the door, her uncertainty growing.

Twilight Sparkle made her way, with Princess Luna, to the front of Audience Room A, where two spaces were reserved for them. She looked around. If anything, it was more glamorous than the Grand Galloping Gala. But then, the Gala had not included the debut of a new alicorn Princess.

She sat on her haunches, waiting.

The tassel on Discord’s snakey tail felt very silky as it caressed Princess Celestia’s nipples.

“S-Swirlie…” she moaned, trembling as she stood. Discord, in draconequus form, had relinquished the embrace of Crowbar, and was wrapping bodily around the Princess’s statuesque shape. Crowbar seemed not bothered by Discord, apparently too good-natured to be offended by the snakey monstrosity and tall beautiful alicorn snuggling each other and ignoring him… but he’d sniffed something of great interest to him, and kept rearing up and bashfully returning to all four hooves again.

Celestia’s wing enfolded Discord’s body, wrapping around him lovingly.

“Ohhh,” moaned Discord, “that would feel amazing against Chaos’s fine sensitive flesh, beloved. Or between her thighs…”

The wing pulled back abruptly. Celestia glanced, startled. Discord pouted.

“Oh, Celly. With all that your little ponies get up to, how can you BE so straight?”

“Please don’t judge me,” said Princess Celestia, her eyes large and imploring. “Twas ever so, as you well remember. I cannot help how I am made.”

Discord gulped. “I could just spank Twilight Sparkle, or turn her into green cheese, for depriving me the chance of being your stallion again…”

“I can wait,” protested Princess Celestia. “What is another day, or week, or month, after thousands of years?”

“Oh?” teased Discord. The silky tail-tassle traced up the inside of Celestia’s thigh.

She jolted, her eyes widening, gritting her teeth. “Damn it, Swirlie! Why do you do this?”

Discord’s eyes held an expression new to them. “I never wanted you to be alone, Celly. Or… I’ll be honest, I wanted you to be with me, all these thousands of years. But there was a little spark within myself, that tormented me for I did not understand it, and that little spark wanted you to be happy. Seemed mad, but there it was. Centuries I suffered, imagining you wrapped in the forelegs of some other fine stallion, enjoying the pleasures I used to bring you.”

Celestia was shaking her head, in disbelief. Crowbar reared, uselessly, and again dropped to his hooves, unable to reach the Princess’s elegant rump.

Discord continued, “At no point did I consider that you would spend the entire time with no pleasures at all!”

“There are many pleasures,” objected Princess Celestia. “Tea. Good company. Beauty.”

“Nay, beloved, thou knowest what I meant,” said Discord gravely. “YOU are beauty. And you froze up and went untouched for century after century. And that is the unkindest part of all. I lost myself… but in so doing, the world lost your ecstacy, and is the poorer for it.”

Celestia trembled. She muttered, “Twilight Sparkle has been all too willing to see me as a sexless deity. To my certain knowledge, several lives have been troubled entirely due to my own attitudes in recent centuries, and Twilight wishing to emulate what she saw as my chasteness.”

Discord bowed his head. “She’s an insufferable brat and will be a pain in the neck to all of us; particularly myself, as I am all neck in this form.” He let out an awk, as Celestia cuffed him with a wing.

“Be kind. We will have eternity to straighten her out. Or lesbian her up, or whatever she needs to do to make sense of herself,” said Celestia.

“Celly, look behind you,” suggested Discord.

She did, and gazed down into the pleading eyes of a shuffling earth pony, who’d dropped a simply mammoth erection, but found it flagging as his object of desire distracted herself with caretaking schemes.

“We’re not here to fix Twilight Sparkle,” said Discord. “We’re not here for me to experience my greatest stallionly triumph—except in a sense. My presence and our relationship has led you onward until your needs call for more than I can fulfill, but Princess: I’ve not spoken of my needs before now.”

“Then, speak,” said Celestia, her mouth going dry.

Discord’s voice was a low, sexy throb of passion. “I need to feel your glorious, perfect body climax against mine, again. I need to sense your utter joy and satisfaction. I need you to come for me, Princess, because the Universe has been deprived of that element of beauty for thousands of years, and it will not wait upon my selfish convenience. I will have my chance one day, but let me deliver you triumphantly back into your glorious body, that you may own it and feel truly alive once more.”

Princess Celestia could only stare at him, tears coming to her eyes. He meant every word, every syllable, and the devotion of it made her weak in the knees. This alicorn, this draconequus, once her stallion, had cultivated a love beyond selfishness: beyond his whimsical pranks, beyond his centuries of resentment, beyond all that had torn them apart.

He really did want nothing more than to hold her while she came, if that was the best he could hope for today.

Behind her, Crowbar snorted excitedly, and began rearing, his erection slapping his belly in renewed enthusiasm. The alicorn vagina right in front of him had suddenly quivered and glistened, even squirting a little dribble of alicorn nectar. Celestia’s flanks trembled, and her tail twitched, and she struggled to keep her footing for her insides seemed to have liquified at a stroke into very eager jelly.

Discord coiled around her body in wild excitement. “Yes, darling, yes!”

“I’m going to pretend he is you,” breathed Celestia unsteadily.

“He won’t mind a bit. Oh, beloved, precious, wonderful!” cried Discord, fondling Celestia all over with tail and wings and snakey torso. “Just one thing…”

“What, what?” moaned Celestia, feeling Crowbar’s hot breath against her privates, smelling his stallionhood erect behind her.

“Crouch down and stay there,” urged Discord, “when you’re sure you’re ready. He won’t make you wait, trust me. But he can’t reach you, my love, you’re too large!”

Celestia’s head whipped around, and she stared at her would-be amour, startled. He peered apologetically over the curve of her vast, alabaster ass, no more able to mount upon her than if she’d been a dragon.

She blushed hotly. Discord lost no time, whispering into her ear, “He likes it. We both do! We adore and crave the very scale of you, beloved, you are a form like no other, but you’ve got to crouch down for him. Oh, Celly! Let me hold you, and let’s do this!”

Hyperventilating, royal blood pounding in her ears, vision blurred in waves of raw mare-pony lust, Princess Celestia lowered first her broad and powerful chest—and then her elegant, lean hindquarters—to the floor.

Crowbar clambered upon her with an odd delicacy, all eagerness but as if her unusual posture surprised him. His ears laid back in concentration as he tried to make sense, in his friendly feeble mind, of his position.

Celestia’s tail thrashed, briefly, and Crowbar gave a startled grunt. She’d lifted her butt under him, and suddenly it all made perfect sense to his body, and a vast smooth expanse of mare bottom pressed his belly and he knew just what to do—and he did.

Crowbar’s titanic, thick horsecock, thrust by staunch earth pony hips with unhurried determination, pressed against Princess Celestia’s quivering marehood, parting her vulva and smoothly sliding foot by foot into her equine vagina, until his crotch came to rest against her rump.

Princess Celestia’s mouth hung open in shock. Her eyes were wide as Canterlot serving plates at the Gala, and she stopped breathing for a moment, stunned insensible by her sensations.

She was a vast, towering alicorn mare so large that the earth pony stallion couldn’t even mount her without help—but for all that, in a single unexpectedly tender thrust, he’d stuffed every juicy inch of her vagina with a bulk that took her breath away. Then he just rested, allowing her to feel his heartbeat pushed so deeply inside her. The sensation was outrageous, incomparable, as if he had been built by a playful and affectionate Fate just to gratify excessively-large alicorn mares.

Not incomparable, though, not really. There had been another, once, just like it…

Discord’s face was wreathed in a wobbly, adoring smile as he drank in Celestia’s reaction. “Told you,” he said.

Princess Celestia stared at nothing, her mouth still hanging open. She gulped, and licked her lips, her ears trembling, shivers rippling through her statuesque body in its ass-up crouch. She opened her mouth to speak, and then she just gasped in a breath, her heart pounding. She was so FULL, like she thought she would never be again, and could swear she felt the earth pony’s cock nuzzling her cervix with delicate little pushes as if to say, yes, I can reach every bit of you as large as you are: I touch your deepest privatest depths and I’m adoring every moment of it…

Discord snuggled under her high-arched chin, drinking in her shuddering breaths, her wordless awe. For a moment, it struck him how odd or even chaotic it was that he could learn things from such a stupid and retarded pony as this Crowbar. But he knew how it was going to go, because through Chaos magic he’d been able to learn the heart of this Crowbar stallion’s witless lovemaking and it had humbled him to the core.

“You wait,” breathed Discord. “He just wants to hold you. I mean, he wants to bury all of his cock, but then he just wants to hold you. And then… nature takes its course…”

Princess Celestia’s body jolted. Nature was taking its course.

Crowbar, content with his embrace of his mare’s rump and the deep burying of his boner in female bliss, had shifted his hips, just a bit. The motion tugged the titanic phallus within the Princess, and she let out a surprisingly fillyish cry for such a large pony, a cry that caused Discord to cuddle her still closer, rapt with adoration and excitement. Discord shook, frantic with eagerness, devouring every detail of his Princess’s expression as she arched her neck, baring her teeth in a grimace of sensual extremity.

Her pussy gripped its massive occupant in delight. Its walls were slick with alicorn juices, its enfolding flesh supple and fevered.

Crowbar let out a soft moan of pleasure, his joy as warm and bright as the Sun itself. It was echoed by the draconequus beside him, the two united in their devotion to Princess Celestia’s trembling, huge body.

Crowbar begin dreamily prodding with his hips, tugging the obscenely bulky horsecock farther and farther back before swinging it forward, slurping juicily to her quivering depths again and again.

Celestia cried out, wordlessly. From the moment Crowbar had penetrated her, her vision had been fixed on things outside the room, whether it was contemplation of the infinite or an awed study of her own distant past, and a much more aggressively-wielded duplicate of what penetrated her. But the earthy joys of that long-distant time had returned in the form of an earth pony stallion and a besotted draconequus who seemed bonded in a sensual worship of her and everything about her.

The feeling buoyed and lifted her, and her eyes widened and widened, and all the while that mammoth horsemeat plunged with more and more eagerness to rattle the gates of her very womb…

Crowbar whimpered excitedly, tensing up, his cock swelling boldly to its full unreasonable girth.

Celestia drew a deep breath, her face transfixed by a look of fear and wonder. Her body tensed as well, as Discord drew her close and wrapped around all of her that he could reach.

He couldn’t resist. That fluffy tailtip snuck between her legs, and affectionately tickled her clitoris, even as it jutted out between Celestia’s sweet entrance and the tree-trunk of a cock that repeatedly squeezed past that stiffened, winking clitoris into her juicy depths.

“AH!” cried Celestia.

As her body convulsed, Crowbar grunted and clung to her with all his burly strength, forcing his hard shaft all the way into her no matter how madly she shook and clenched—and he emitted a shuddering, farmyard squeal as he topped it off with several hungry, excited shoves, his energy seemingly swept up in hers to echo the force of her body’s reactions with his own. As the tall, powerful alicorn mare’s body went berserk upon him, he responded by fucking her lustfully and hard, plunging heedlessly within her.

Discord’s eyes rolled back in his head as he came, even in his weird and sexually ambiguous draconequus form, just to feel his beloved Princess’s body rocked by a titanic, spectacular orgasm. She jolted as if she’d been struck by lightning, her eyes still fixed on the infinite, her psyche blasted by sexual pleasure that perhaps only an alicorn frame could hope to withstand.

Princess Celestia stared at nothing, emitting wild heady breathless cries of erotic abandon, penetrated to the hilt by a stallion equal to anything she’d experienced, and embraced feverishly by both that stallion and her long-lost Starswirl, at the same time.

Crowbar came in her, a flood of horsecome gushing through his rock-hard shaft and drenching Princess Celestia’s womb in a final spurting benediction, and Discord felt how deeply the sensation rocked her. All her wing-feathers bristled for a moment, and she shook like a chewtoy in the jaws of Cerberus, her mind nearly snapping with pent-up release. It had been so terribly long since she’d been laid.

Discord nuzzled against her neck in a madness of worship and celebration, and he waited for second after second: feeling her shudders of wanton ecstacy, feeling Crowbar go quiet against her but still pumping stallion-seed so deeply into her, feeling the spasms rack her with nearly unendurable pleasure.

His draconequus heart pounded as he waited, as he felt beloved Celestia still coming helplessly, blind with sustained erotic climax. He knew from experience that, while most stallions dismounted, Crowbar liked to hang on and on, not wishing to give up the moment. He felt Crowbar nudge that softening horsecock into Celestia as she came, heard him whimper. The thunder died away slowly for him, too, and if you were a mare who could take him, your orgasm receded ever so slowly across the glowing horizon because he clung to every fading scrap of it with sweet desperate yearning…

He felt the shudders gradually die away, accompanied by one soft heartbreakingly sweet cry from Celestia.

He reached out with his magic, and he hit the switch to spring his surprise, his heart still pounding…

And before their eyes, the wall vanished and all of Canterlot society was standing there, and the heralds cut loose with a confident peal of brass.

The fanfare collapsed within a second. Discord stared, horrified.

“I said NO AUDIENCE!”

Twilight had just turned to speak to Spike when she saw the flicker of magic, and heard the heralds go off with a blare of trumpets.

She turned to the stage, and froze, barely able to register what she was seeing. Gasps around her told her it was no hallucination.

Princess Celestia pressed the ground, staring with a look of utter horror out at the noble audience. Discord coiled around her wantonly, and atop her rested a short and burly earth pony. She was sticking her butt up under his body, and he was fucking her. His hips still made gentle thrusting motions, quiet wet noises in the aghast silence.

Celestia’s head was held high, but not proudly, more like she was recoiling from what she saw.

In that frozen moment of horror, Twilight saw that the earth pony’s eyes were shut, and he wore a foolish, blissful smile… and he stretched his neck forward, and he licked Princess Celestia’s trembling, splayed-back ear.

The scene on the stage seemed to explode.

Princess Celestia screamed, letting out a frightened shrill whinny that might have been any distressed mare, and she thrashed, flinging the earth pony and Discord off her. She stood at bay for a moment, vast wings flapping in panic, and all the audience could see the come pour down from between her legs, soiling the stage with organic goo that oozed back out of her gaping vagina.

And then, she fled, charging forward through the appalled crowd, earth pony come dripping down her legs, heading for the large exit archway on the far end of the Audience Room A.

Twilight screamed as well, and raced after her, both alicorns forgetting their wings in their hysteria and simply running like panicked horses toward any possible exit. Spike scrambled to follow, looking sick.

At the back of the Stage Room B, the locked door opened in a glimmer of magic. Discord whirled, hearing the sound behind him.

“I don’t mean to intrude,” said Numeric Essence politely, “but I may have been assigned to this room?”

Discord looked frantically back and forth between the newcomer and the stunned, horrified crowd. Tears began to flood his eyes.

“Begone! Get out! All of you! Get out or I’ll, I’ll do something very random!” he wailed.

The tension broke all at once. Every pony in the audience, including the heralds, freaked out and ran, stampeding out of the room for their very lives.

Numeric Essence, unfazed, walked gently up behind Discord. “Excuse me, I’ve never met you before. You must be the one who was using the room to which I was assigned, in error. At least, I assume the error was yours, and that my assignment was not itself erroneous.”

She blinked. “Are you all right?”

Discord wept.

Now You See It

Princess Celestia sobbed, once, quietly.

Princess Twilight Sparkle bit her lip, her ears laid back in pitiable dismay.

It wasn’t so much that she had her forelegs wrapped around Celestia’s neck, or that Celestia was distractedly nuzzling under her chin as she cried. It wasn’t that she’d chased the Princess out to the palace garden before catching her, or that she’d left that monster Discord to the palace guards rather than destroy him on the spot, or even that Spike had followed them before being told to give them some space.

It was her wings being painfully, quiveringly erect while she held her beloved Princess, who appeared not to notice or care.

“I thought…” muttered Celestia forlornly, and gulped.

“Shhh, shhh…” said Twilight. Nopony disturbed them. No dragon, either: Spike, hurt, had said he would go home or perhaps see if Rarity needed his help, and Twilight thought no more of it. Spike had lately been allowed to brush Rarity’s tail before perming. That surely would distract him if anything could.

Princess Celestia shook her head. “You don’t understand, Twilight. I thought he was d… different…”

“Wanna bet?” quipped Twilight acidly, and then winced, for Celestia gave her the most heartbreakingly tragic look.

“I do not jest, Twilight! I b…believed in him. He seemed to care. We might have built something together…” Celestia trailed off, reading the suppressed rage in Twilight’s eyes. “Perhaps you are not the best confidante, over this.” She sniffled.

Twilight hugged her tighter, willing her feathers to unfluff. “Perhaps I’m the best possible one you could have!”

“Oh, I don’t know,” moaned Princess Celestia. “Perhaps. How could he do that? In truth it was ever a problem with him, but we did not face it, for he was transformed to alicornhood at the height of our affair and there was not time to settle or grow into things. And then it was all so much worse! And surely it was my fault that such a fate afflicted him. It is miraculous he did not simply perish.” She gulped. “High irony, that the essence of him continues to trouble me, unchanged from the callous show-off of old. Oh, Twilight! I am humiliated. And I have only myself to blame!”

Twilight gritted her teeth, seething. “Don’t even think like that. I know exactly who to blame here.”

“Do you? That is what troubles me most.”

“Oh yeah?” demanded Twilight, outraged.

Princess Celestia faced her, then, fighting for dignity—and Twilight fought back a squeal of wild emotion, gazing into those ageless, wise eyes so full of tears and courage—and Celestia said, “I would just like to know, must males be that way? Am I unreasonable, do I ask too much?”

Twilight glowered back, outraged.

“You would think,” said Princess Celestia, “I would know this by now, but it is as much a mystery as ever…”

“Why, hello, Pinkie Pie!” said Rarity, smiling. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”

“Pleasure?” giggled Pinkie. “You’re going to remind me of special things! Like the pleasure of your CUNTpony! Oh, except maybe that’s not a nice thing to call it even though it really is a super big pleasure, take it from me, which you totally did, didn’t you! That was like the most special thing ever! Or one of ‘em anyway!”

Rarity stepped back, warily, as the ebullient earth pony advanced into the Inner Sanctum of Carousel Boutique. “Darling? Are you trying for a rematch? Now may not be the time…”

“Oh, no no!” replied Pinkie. “I’m just happy to be reminded about happy things in my happy life!”

Rarity stared. Pinkie’s grin was a little too wide, her eyes a little too manic. “That’s good, Pinkie Pie,” she said. “And I am happy to remind you of them. Is that why you’ve come?”

The grin tightened. “Nope!”

Rarity’s eyes narrowed. It wasn’t the first time one of her dear friends had come to her, bright and brazen and sitting on a big secret. The last time she’d seen anypony in that mood it had been Applejack, who’d been relieved of her Boss Mare duties and thought to fool Rarity about it for a few more glorious hours or minutes. The tension was plain as day, even on bouncy Pinkie.

“Pinkie Pie,” ordered Rarity, “out with it! What’s bothering you!”

Pinkie trembled for a moment, and then pounced and clung to Rarity, wailing and fountaining tears with great suddenness. “Why can’t I make Fluttershy happy? All I want is to bring her joy, but I just can’t get through to her!”

Rarity hugged her friend back, then shook her. “Pinkie. You DO! Pray believe me on this, I am continually going to the spa with dear Fluttershy and I know how the dear girl thinks. I have known her for years, and I assure you, your love makes her very happy!”

The tears flicked off just as suddenly as they’d come. “Really?”

“Really!” vowed Rarity, with great earnestness. “Now, what brought all this on?”

Pinkie’s ear flicked, and her tail twitched. “Well, if she’s so happy, why can’t I make love to her? Why isn’t it enough? You had it, you’ve got to know what I’m talking about! I keep trying to improve but it’s like I’m running out of ideas…”

Rarity paled, and backed up again. “Ah, that’s quite all right, dear. As much as I would like to assist your search for novelty…”

“No,” said Pinkie, “I mean ideas for what to do with Fluttershy!”

At this, Rarity tilted her head quizzically. “I was not aware it was necessary to do anything to Fluttershy, Pinkie. Is she complaining that she hasn’t enough to do? But surely I’d have heard some inkling of this, if it were so!”

Pinkie pouted. “She never complains. And she should, because something’s so extremely wrong with her!”

Rarity gasped. “Pinkie Pie! Explain, at once. I have not found anything wrong with dear Fluttershy… and forgive me for suggesting that you should believe in her far more than I! I am only her staunch lifelong friend. You are her amour, and a sire to her foal.”

Pinkie wouldn’t meet Rarity’s gaze.

“Speak!” commanded Rarity, her eyes flashing. “I am dismayed by your remarks. This is serious, darling.”

“But that’s just it,” said Pinkie, uncertainly. “This is serious, but I can’t work out what the matter is. My Sense is going crazy about it, and something very bad is wrong, and I just wanted you to help.” She peered up forlornly at Rarity, her bouncy curls drooping. “Won’t you?”

“Of course I shall,” said Rarity.

“YAY!” squeaked Pinkie, poinging into the air.

“Gah! Calmly, calmly… and first, you will tell me why you claim something is so wrong with Fluttershy! I don’t like the sound of that,” said Rarity. “I assure you, she is the same mare I have known for years. What’s changed?”

“Well, she was always negative. I can tell she still is, though she hides it,” said Pinkie. “And she tricked me and had sex with a stallion, though she washed up really carefully afterward. And she tried to hide that, too. And now she’s all sulky and she says she’s fine but I think she’s miserable, and it’s like she’s mad at me and it’s not fair ‘cos I didn’t do anything bad, she was the one doing bad things!”

Rarity’s jaw had dropped. She stared at Pinkie in horror, and she muttered, “Oh, sweet Celestia.”

“And that part doesn’t even make sense!”

Rarity gulped. She licked her lips. “No… it does. Oh my. You asked for my help. Pinkie, I may be able to help, but I worry that you might find what I have to say… disturbing. Let me ask you this. What do you really want? I mean, really? We all have our little fantasies, and our lives do not always lend themselves to every one. Fluttershy chooses to make a life with you, and I know she is sincere about it. Clearly I had better talk to her, but I have decisions to make regarding the direction of my advice.” She gulped again.

Pinkie didn’t hesitate. “I want Flutterbutter to be happy. Nothing else matters.”

“Caring for the animals and flowers and her garden makes her happy,” countered Rarity. She hesitated, and added, “And, ah… foals.”

“It’s not enough!” said Pinkie. “She’s sulking and angry and she wants something from me but she won’t even talk about it, she just says everything will be okay…”

“Not you,” said Rarity, and winced. “I fear it’s a real scolding she merits—but I believe I see her dilemma, poor dear. Did you say she had sex with a stallion? When was this, Pinkie?”

Pinkie frowned. “A while back. We even kinda broke up or something, but not really. I started seeing Cloud Chaser more often, which is great. Then Fluttershy didn’t like that and wanted to go back and totally changed her mind, but now she’s a complete mess and drives me crazy! And it feels like she’s even sadder. Or angry at herself?”

Rarity was glaring at nothing. “Indeed. Yes, that would follow. I remember some of our conversations at the time. She did not tell me everything, clearly, but I should have foreseen it. Yet how could I expect the dear girl would be that brave? How many stallions, dear, and where?”

Pinkie’s eyes bugged out. “What? One. She still hasn’t told me who or where. What do you mean, how many? Are you loco in the coco? I mean, she’s roomy, but…”

“Sit down, darling,” commanded Rarity. Pinkie’s eyes bugged out worse, but she sat.

“I fear this is very far from the sexual fantasies you find acceptable,” said Rarity crisply, “but all the same, you must be told, so you can have a real conversation with your beloved. She’s a fool not to have told you, but I feel it explains all the darkness you observe. Secrets and shame are poisonous to a relationship, Pinkie Pie, and…”

“Did you PROMISE not to tell?” demanded Pinkie suddenly, and Rarity froze in alarm.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Did you PINKIE PROMISE?” repeated Pinkie, transfixing Rarity with a merciless stare.

Rarity quivered from nose to tail, but she pulled herself together. “No! Let us not quibble over the implicit, darling. I fear your relationship may be endangered by Fluttershy’s stubbornness, and it’s clearly too difficult for her to come clean with you on her own. I can see why! I’d better lay the foundations to make it easier for her to proceed. And no, I did not Pinkie Promise to conceal her fantasies from those most closely affected, and we will go at once to speak with her and lay them on the table.”

Pinkie was trembling. “Oh gosh. You’re scaring me, Rarity. It’s that bad? Does she want griffons to eat her up? Or timberwolves to tear her to bits? Or monster zombie vampire ponies of death to suck her blood and doom her to an unliving hell of monstrosity?” She twitched, looking aghast.

“Good heavens, no!” squeaked Rarity. “Such ideas! I’ve never even heard of monster zombie vampire ponies of death! Pinkieee!”

“It was just a thought,” said Pinkie blithely. “Okay, so it’s not that. I’m still scared. What horrible bad negative thing does Fluttershy want, that she can’t even tell me about it? I thought we were doing good and she was gonna go play with a stallion, and then she totally got cold hooves and changed her mind!”

Rarity gulped, putting monster zombie vampire ponies of death out of her mind for the moment. “I believe I understand. Fluttershy is braver than I thought, but I’m not surprised she balked–though I’m very disappointed in her for turning passive-aggressive about it. Ah… how shall I put this…”

Pinkie whimpered. “Rarityyy! You’re just making it worse!”

“Fine!” cried Rarity. She set her jaw. “It is a variant of a gang rape fantasy… well, in fact that’s just what it is, except some ponies would wish to be verbally abused, perhaps punished or enslaved whilst subbing to an unruly crowd. I don’t believe Fluttershy wishes formal abuse or beating…”

“No way!” yelled Pinkie, outraged. “Not my Flutterbutterluvvycuddlekins!” Then she recoiled, for Rarity had turned on her.

“Listen or begone, Pinkie! You’re not getting through to Fluttershy, and I am helping you understand her needs. Your reaction speaks volumes about why communication between you has lapsed! I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but I SHALL make you understand her way of love.”

“Call that love?” cried Pinkie, but she backed off, for Rarity was implacable.

“No, darling. I call that exciting. I call it sexy in a way she sees only tangentially from you. You are expecting Fluttershy to think and act like you, to be cared for and lavished with devotion with her every need attended, and she has that. And she has baser urges, and they are screaming for release.”

“I… I can make my tongue take any form, all she has to do is ask…” stammered Pinkie, going pale.

Rarity curled her lip. “She doesn’t wish to ask. She doesn’t wish to BE asked. Fluttershy wishes to be mated by all the stallions of the world, over and over, while they seize her wings in transports of filthy male lust, caring nothing for her sensibilities or indeed consent. ‘Like a REAL mare,’ she told me—though her notions are a little oldfashioned! She wants to be grabbed and taken and impregnated again and again, until she is left a quivering fertile wreck full of semen, watching the contented stallions walk away well satisfied. And she will never know which of them fathered her foal or foals, because, as I said, she wishes all the stallions to take turns flooding her with seed, without a break, shoving each other aside to seize and fuck her over, and over, and over. She will be taken like an animal and serve her lowest animal function. Yes, I said lowest! We can choose where we shit, Pinkie Pie. She wants not to have to choose, because she questions her choices so much. Fluttershy wants many big male cocks forcing themselves into her, spurting semen and making her pregnant to strange stallions that don’t care for her other than as a receptacle for their copious orgasms, and there is nothing you can do to stop it.”

Pinkie’s jaw dangled. She made a weak little ‘gleep!’ sound.

Rarity gulped. “There you have it. I quite see why the poor dear balked rather than tell you, but she cannot be allowed to act out resentfully just because she can’t have that fantasy, which she can’t. Even in the dark clubs of Fillydelphia such a thing is only play-acted, and Fluttershy becomes angry at suggestions that she pretend. She wishes all things in her life to be sincere and utterly real. Including, I fear, her gang-bang by many rough and greedy stallions.”

Pinkie twitched, looking as stunned as anypony had ever seen her. The silence stretched out, and Rarity’s face fell as she watched.

“Oh, Pinkie!” wailed Rarity in dismay. “I fear I’ve broken your sweet mind. Please understand, there are fantasies we will never enact in real life! Fluttershy understands that, even if she bridles under the requirement. If you knew some of the things I’ve fantasized, darling, it would curl your mane! Or, well, un-curl it, I suppose. Let me assure you that it is perfectly okay for Fluttershy’s mad sexual fantasy to not speak to you, our little lesbian! It will never happen, and we’ll find some way to make both of you happy… what? Did you say something, Pinkie Pie?”

Pinkie cleared her throat.

“I said, no, that speaks to me too…”

“What?” said Rarity, flustered.

“Loudly,” said Pinkie Pie, and gulped. “Part of it, anyway.”

Derpy Hooves trotted down the street, singing.

“I got a mare and my mare’s got meee…”

She bounced into the air, flapping her wings excitedly, landing on the tips of her little hooves and continuing her perky trot.

“I go yay, and she goes whee…”

She tossed her silky pale-blonde mane, smiling at the clouds, feeling like she could bound up and kiss them.

“I got a mare and my mare’s got meeee…”

She pranced forward, lifting her hooves high like she was dancing.

“She goes yay, and I go whee…”

“Hey, Derpy Hooves!” came a voice.

“Hi, Spike!” cried Derpy. “Isn’t it a pretty day?”

Spike looked a little under the weather, but he smiled at Derpy as she frisked, swishing her tail ebulliently. He said, “Parts of it are, I guess.”

“Whatcha doin’, Spike?” asked Derpy.

Spike considered the question. “Um. Moping?” As Derpy’s face fell, he hastened to correct himself. “Not really! It might be a little hard to explain to you. I guess it’s not really my problem?”

“There’s a problem?” cried Derpy, dismayed.

Spike considered things. Ponies running around having sex was alarming, and he wasn’t at all used to it. Seeing Princess Celestia also getting caught up in that stuff was still more alarming, but if anypony was old enough to do that stuff it would be her. And she and Twilight were more than a match for Discord. Spike didn’t think Twilight had noticed, but Discord had looked really upset. The whole audience had been upset, yet it looked very much to him like it had been just another dirty pony afternoon. Another one down, fallen to the lure of the gross vagina-pokings, this time the Princess.

“They shouldn’t do that stuff if they’re not happy with it,” he muttered.

“Huh?” squeaked Derpy.

“Oh, nothing,” said Spike. He shook his head. “You know what? There’s not a problem. I just wish ponies could be happier about what they do.”

Derpy blinked, puzzled. Then she smiled again, and poinged into the air. “I’m happy about what I do! I see my friends, and I deliver the mail, and, and… lots of things!”

Spike smiled wearily back. Some things, at least, could be trusted to stay familiar. “That’s great! So, no more moping. I was going home, Derpy. There’s some rubies calling my name, and I could do a little reading. Or, maybe if Rarity needs some of my help? With her mane?”

Derpy thought. “I don’t think we’ll need your help right now!”

“Oh,” said Spike. “Well… okay! It’s good to see you, Derpy. I’ll just head home.”

“Have a nice ruby!” called Derpy Hooves, with obvious sincerity.

“I will!” replied Spike, heading on his way.

Derpy Hooves resumed her prancy, proud progress.

“She goes yay… and I go whee…”

“Do you need a hug, Pinkie?” asked Rarity.

“Bigtime… and I better explain what I meant,” said Pinkie. “I mean, about how that incredibly gross negative horrible fantasy works for me too?”

Rarity hugged her, then drew back. “I need better than that from you, darling. Fluttershy’s difficulty is apparent. Missy, wanting to get rutted by gangs of stallions is not necessarily ‘negative’ as a fantasy.”

“But if they don’t love her?!” wailed Pinkie. “And ew! And you said they would just, just GRAB her and TAKE her…”

Rarity’s eyes narrowed. “Do you remember the day you ravaged me until I had a nosebleed, Pinkie Pie, and half killed me with the exercise of your virtuosity?”

Pinkie blushed. “But…”

“But nothing,” scolded Rarity. “Don’t play innocent. I suspect part of why Fluttershy loves you is that impetuous nature and capacity to sweep a pony away in excitement. Let me assure you that quality is not only possessed by lesbian horses. Fluttershy feared she would never have the nerve to approach a stallion unless he was every bit as bashful as she is, and this frustrates the poor dear immensely. I suppose she could take a tip from me and learn to be masterful, but she has no desire to be anything of the sort. Her fantasies are wilder. Damned right, her stallions would grab her and take her, and what’s more she would love every moment of it.”

Pinkie’s lip quivered, and she looked woebegone. “A…and they’d come in her and make her pregnant. And… wings?”

Rarity winced. “If it helps, darling, I believe that is more about the desire for impregnation. She does not seek to be loved by a stallion, she has you for that and she is confident of you. But all the same, our sweet Fluttershy wishes to be the brood mare to, well, dare I say ‘the herd’, and to a pegasus mare that means additional things involving wingplay. I know her very well, Pinkie Pie. She is very shy of confiding things, even to me, but enjoys teasing, and I know fetishes like few others. The wing parts of her fantasies would be thought wanton even by pegasi. One day, I teased her affectionately about the brood-mare thing, when nopony was attending us.”

Pinkie gulped.

“I knew for certain it was that,” continued Rarity, “when the words ‘all of them’ gave her an orgasm, there in the hot tub. I relented after that, and I’m sure her plot to smuggle me into your bed was her little revenge and richly deserved… but there is no chance I am mistaken. Your Fluttershy wants to be gangbanged by a herd of stallions and impregnated by all of them as they gnaw her wings fiercely–and if I’m any judge, she does want them to leave her in a puddle of semen and trot off as stallions so blithely do.”

“But…”

“Don’t misunderstand,” said Rarity hastily. “We don’t always act on our rawest impulses. We have to moderate them, because ponies aren’t all the same and don’t always get along. I suspect if Fluttershy didn’t have your love and the family you’ve made with your foal Rock, her impulses would be more sophisticated. She’s got all that, so she fantasizes about the rawest stallion-sex there ever could be. It doesn’t make them wicked, you know. Their drives are so different. If you’d ever tr… mmm.” She studied her friend, critically. “You don’t have any of that seizing-and-mastering stuff in your own psyche, do you? I mean, you get excited, but it doesn’t feel like you… conquer.”

Pinkie looked at her, wide-eyed, uncomprehending.

“Hrm,” said Rarity. “Rather than try to explain what excites Fluttershy so much about that situation, perhaps you can explain what part of it does speak to you? It’s not that forceful heedless maleness, for all that you can overwhelm in your own right. What, then, appeals to you about it?”

It took Pinkie a moment to answer.

“She’s… so female, when she’s pregnant. Something about it is just so incredibly female, and that’s what I can’t resist. I just can’t resist it, Rarity. I want more. Once I…” she broke off, and said, “Promise you won’t tell anypony about this, Rarity.”

“I promise.”

“PINKIE promise!”

“I will! Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my ack! Damn it, my lash! There you are. Pinkie Promised! Now, what’s on your mind, darling?”

Pinkie gulped. “I clopped to Mrs Cake being pregnant. While she was pregnant.”

Rarity blinked. “Indeed?”

“Not to do anything with her! Or the twins!” protested Pinkie. “Not even really anything to do with me! But I started thinking harder and harder, and I mean Mr Cake is as nice as pie, but I was all imagining him with this big ugly penis and I was thinking about his testicles and I just started clopping imagining Mrs. Cake’s big soft butt and him squishing up in there, like into her vagina, and there’s a womb in her and he’d squirt pony come up into there and big soft round Mrs. Cake would be big soft even rounder Mrs. Pregnant, and she WAS, and he totally did that and there must have been a moment when the wriggly sperms went into her and her body made a snuggly home for them and they joined with her eggs and there was tiny baby foals and she was holding them inside her as they came to life…”

“Breathe, Pinkie!” urged Rarity, alarmed. “I see! How did you feel when Fluttershy was pregnant with Rock Candy?”

“Oh my gosh,” breathed Pinkie longingly. “Oh my gosh!”

“Hrm!” said Rarity. “I’d better ask you a very important question. Would you want Fluttershy to be pregnant… again? Ponyville would help you two raise the foals.”

Pinkie whimpered.

“I know there has been no trouble with your first try,” continued Rarity. “Between you and Fluttershy, that colt is mothered like nopony in Equestria ever was. Well then: the last hurdle! Pinkie Pie, you love Fluttershy, and you are madly excited by her impregnation. Could you handle it, could you give your blessing and raise the foal… if it was sired by a gang of ravening stallions? Taking her savagely and heedlessly, perhaps for hour after hour until she was exhausted and spent? I’m rubbing your nose in it because we must respect her feelings as well. If you can’t stomach that, we’d better Pinkie Promise to never reveal this conversation. It would be the height of cruelty to suggest this to Fluttershy, and then tell her that the stallions have to hump her nicely.”

Pinkie looked haunted again. Her ears laid back. Her eyes stared out into infinity, with a tormented expression as if they were already watching hulking erect stallions seizing her beloved mare, shoving stiffened phallusses into her, biting her poor wings and not letting her run away as they fucked her. Blood trickling down her tender rump from their dominance bites. Snarling stallion lips, flared hungry nostrils, the crude panting of their breath and cruel ramming lunges of those thick horsecocks to her helpless depths…

And whether it was her Sense, or simply the extent to which she knew Fluttershy, Pinkie could not help but imagine that pegasus mare’s utter, lawless, shameless ecstacy. Her own body responded to the fantasy with a fervent rush of arousal that painted Rarity’s floor with pussy-juice, just thinking about Fluttershy’s melting delight and gleeful embrace of her own impregnation. She wanted all of that so badly, in a way that Pinkie never, ever could.

Pinkie licked her lips, trembling. All the meanness was probably never gonna happen, not as bad as that. And Flutterbuttie would be so pregnant, so very totally pregnant. That super-hot moment she’d imagined with the Cakes, it would be happening and happening. And Fluttershy wanted it… so it was like they had a piece of the same fantasy. And she’d get a pregnant Fluttershy again, and they’d have another adorable foal, and Fluttershy would be happy at last because she would get to totally do her big fantasy, and not hide it.

“Then why am I still so scared?” said Pinkie, quietly, to herself.

“Pinkie?” said Rarity.

Pinkie felt, within her, the Sense stir. It felt like a dam, creaking under the strain of… something.

She looked into Rarity’s eyes blankly, and for a moment her senses whirled, flooding her with the premonition of madness and drama beyond anything she’d imagined or experienced, and the clear knowledge that this was her story, and this was her path… one that would test her to the limit and change her whole universe beyond recognition, and yet somehow love would prevail.

“Pinkie!” shrieked Rarity, in alarm, as the party pony tottered and appeared to faint.

“I’m okay! I’m okay!” squeaked Pinkie, coming abruptly back to her senses. “Yeah. Um… yes. Tell her. I’ll tell her. Like, when it’s a good time to do it? Yes. Let’s do this.”

“Are you quite sure?” said Rarity, fretfully. “You toppled right over!”

“Yeah,” said Pinkie. “I’m okay! I’ll tell her. Um. I better wait for the right moment. Talk about an awkward conversation! We’ll do it, it’s the best thing, dark wings lost in the night, the teeth! She’ll be so happy. And really embarrassed, I guess, huh?”

Rarity’s ears were laid flat back. “What? Would you repeat that carefully for me, darling?”

“She’ll be so happy!” insisted Pinkie. “I’m glad I came to talk to you. Though it’s real scary!”

“Quite,” said Rarity cautiously. “I meant, kindly repeat the other thing? About the night?”

Pinkie’s eyes sparkled with life again. “No repeating! We go forward and wonderful things can happen!”

Behind her, there was a bustle of feathers and good cheer. “I got a mare, and my mare’s got mee…” sang Derpy Hooves, charging into the Carousel Boutique.

“Oh!” squeaked Rarity. “Hello, Derpy, love. Aren’t we in a cheerful mood?”

“I go yay, and she goes whee,” sang Derpy, bouncing around like a grey flapping Pinkie.

“Of course I do, darling… eep!” cried Rarity. Derpy had nipped her rump, and then seized it in her forelegs, and was making pelvic thrusts against Rarity’s alabaster mound.

“I got a mare, and my mare’s got meee…” sang Derpy heedlessly. Pinkie backed away, her eyes wide.

“If you’ll excuse us?” panted Rarity, her eyes as wide as Pinkie’s.

Derpy released Rarity, and dashed over to a bedside table. Pinkie backed off another step.

“SHE goes yay,” sang Derpy, “and mmf gff whffff…”

She whirled, rearing, and a bit was in her teeth, and a good solid pegasus cock jutted excitedly out from between her legs, and her eyes were only and utterly upon Rarity.

“Uh-huh!” squeaked Pinkie Pie, and she fled so fast there was only a little puff of dust to show where she’d been.

Rarity instinctively backed up a step, herself, as Derpy Hooves advanced imperiously on her. “Erm… yay?” she said. A faint wet sound caught the air, as she winked in response to the abrupt stalliony presence.

Derpy grinned madly around the bit.

“Wheee!” she squealed, baring her teeth, and leapt forward.

Rarity let out a little shriek, alarmed and pleased in equal measure. Since Derpy had helped father Luna’s foal, she’d suddenly found a new interest in life, and the thing about Derpy as a stallion was her eagerness. She wasn’t good about asking permission, or waiting her turn. So comfortable was she with intimate relations with her unicorn lover who took a bit in her teeth and penetrated Derpy cautiously… that when it was her turn, Derpy took a bit in her own teeth with immense enthusiasm, grew a moderately impressive penis, and penetrated Rarity in turn… incautiously.

Rarity had not dreamed she would recapture any of the old sadomasochistic pleasures of her club days with Derpy Hooves, so the first few episodes had come as quite a shock. She knew what to expect now, but it still brought her heart to her throat in piquant alarm, and she rather hoped she would not get used to it.

Before she even knew what was happening, Derpy was on her again, flying and leaping to grab her butt fiercely. When she made love to the adorable, fluff-brained pegasus, she was always careful to work her up with foreplay until Derpy could relish the thick unicorn cock properly. Derpy was far too excited for that. She hunched feverishly against Rarity, the stallionhood poking between Rarity’s legs and rubbing against her breasts, and then Derpy’d lifted partly into the air in a storm of grey wings and her whole body doubled up, and she got it on the second try…

“AHHH!”

…and pegasus cock shoved roughly into Rarity, barely slickened by the unicorn’s eager but hurried juices, and plunged to her very womb in a mind-mangling scrape of skin on barely-lubricated skin.

Rarity shrieked, her vision blurring. Upon her, she felt Derpy’s greedy grip, latching onto her butt and pushing deeper and deeper in hungry pressured shoves. Her pussy felt like it was on fire, stretched out abruptly to take pegasus penis, as if she’d been impaled in flight by some equine bird of prey. Her mind whirled as if she’d been borne up into the air…

“AHH CELESTIA, DERPY, AHHH!”

Derpy Hooves was an absolute slut for sensation, at these moments. She nuzzled at the back of Rarity’s neck as if trying to bite it through the magic bit, and her strong solid hindquarters kept shoving until there was no room and her crotch was plastered against unicorn ass… and then, unsatisfied with this, Derpy began bucking the crap out of her lover, slamming horsecock into her with incongruously cute squeaks of delight, wings flapping frantically.

Rarity’s guttural screams also spoke of delight, but there was nothing cute about them.

“GRAAAHH! RRGGHHH! AHHNNN!”

She realized she was facing the bed… in fact, she’d staggered forward under the pegasus onslaught until she was half sprawled on the bed. Derpy wasn’t letting up, she was strong as an ox and about as sophisticated, and Rarity writhed and squealed, alabaster vagina flushing red from arousal and erotic friction as Derpy Hooves took her, tirelessly, heedlessly.

Part of it was that she loved Derpy so. Part of it was knowing Derpy was an utter fool and wouldn’t realize whether she’d harmed Rarity until after. Part of it was that Derpy’s endowments weren’t quite enough to do real damage, no matter how aggressively wielded. Part of it was that she came pretty close to it, and often managed to jump Rarity when she wasn’t prepared. Part of it was the piquant humilation of being taken like some animal. Part of it was sheer overstimulation from all of the above…

“Um…”

Rarity howled incoherently as the throbbing Derpy cock plunged frenziedly into her pussy, and Rarity came her little hooves off, collapsing under Derpy even as the pegasus mare hit her wildest tempos and fiercest plungings–and the din of obscene squelching became twice as juicy, as Rarity squirted around the thrusting shaft and Derpy came in hoarse squeals and shoves and collapsed over her, in turn, like a twitching pile of overheated feathers.

Derpy rolled off Rarity, much like any bored stallion who’d happily blown his load. In her case, it was because she’d passed out. She sprawled to the side, the stiff horsecock wrenching Rarity sideways for a heartstopping moment, then splurching out of her red-blushed vagina leaving it gaping and flushed with its labors, stallioncome oozing out mingled with Rarity’s own juices.

Derpy’s jaw slackened, and she began to snore loudly, and as the bit dropped from her mouth the cock vanished, as did about half the goo.

“Yeah,” came the little voice that had said “Um”.

Rarity’s ears went bolt upright in horror. She turned her head, though she could barely lift it in her state of carnal obliteration.

Spike clung to the edge of the door, looking like someone had just died. He was staring right up her business end, and business had been brisk.

Rarity made a horrible, croaking noise. She was too weak to move, for the moment. She could feel one of her false eyelashes dangling askew. Derpy snored louder, contentedly.

“Sorry,” said Spike.

Rarity gulped, and summoned every iota of unicorn willpower and determination. She used this to swish her tail over, though it had been disheveled with sweat and squirting sexual fluids, to cover her gaping and reddened privates. Having veiled herself even though she still couldn’t rise, she spoke. “No, no, it is I who am inexpressibly sorry…”

“Oh?” said Spike. “Oh really? I better ask, then, and I expect an honest answer. Did you want that? I saw what happened.” His eyes locked with hers, and he meant it.

Rarity blushed brightly, but did not look away. “Ah… I know what it might have looked like, and though appearances may have suggested…”

“Answer!” demanded Spike, growing pale. “Right now, Rarity! Did you want that? Or do you need protection? I swear, if…”

“Yes!” squeaked Rarity. Her blush worsened, but for all that she held her head high and met Spike’s gaze. “Derpy is my special somepony, and we do this, and I assure you I did want it. My apology is for not fastening the door and for not maintaining privacy, as is our custom. Curse it, I can’t stand. At least my tail can cover me. I am so sorry you had to see that, dearest.”

Spike’s face had fallen from the moment Rarity’d said she wanted such frenzied humping and goo-squelching.

“Whatever brought you here?” pressed Rarity, staring him down, determined to assert her right to adult ways.

Spike gulped. “I… was having a bad day… and you said I could b…brush out your…”

Both unicorn and baby dragon eyes settled on the sticky loops of purple tail strewn carelessly against Rarity’s quivering buttocks.

It was Rarity’s turn for her face to fall into an expression of tragic dismay.

“I see,” she said, weakly.

“Yeah,” said Spike, grimly.

Rarity’s lip quivered. Her eyes glistened with tears. She bit her lip, and in an impulsive moment, she blurted, “I could still let you, ah… brush out my… um…”

She trailed off, looking again at her lovely tail-tresses. The neat curls were disheveled, and some of the moistness looked sticky, and she could smell her juices and feel the stickiness of them splattered and smeared across her vulva, the insides of her ass-cheeks, even the dock of her tail thanks to Derpy’s mad athletic humping.

“Frankly, my dear,” said Spike, “that’s your problem this time.”

“Of course,” replied Rarity hastily. “I… forgive me? Please?”

Spike had begun glowering at nothing, but hearing Rarity’s tone, he shook himself. “As long as you’re happy. I mean that. You’ve got to tell me you’re happy this way and then there’s nothing to forgive. But,” he said, “you told me that already, didn’t you? You want this. You wouldn’t lie to me.”

Rarity gulped, her eyes brimming. “Oh, Spikey-wikey…”

“No!” snapped Spike, screwing his eyes shut and twisting away as if she’d slapped him. “No wikey. Spike. I’m Spike. Say it.”

“Spike,” quavered Rarity. She gulped again. “Oh, Spike! I admire you, sir. Never forget that. And yes, I am very happy. I p…promise, Spike, I am.”

“Good,” said Spike. He lifted his chin, and he turned, and he left.

Rarity stared after him for a long time, weeping silently. Then, she nestled against Derpy, her special somepony, the one she could have and keep and who’d brought love to every aspect of her life and whom she loved more than life itself…

Derpy, still sleeping, extended a hoof and instinctively drew Rarity into an embrace—then enfolded her in a comforting pegasus wing for good measure.

Rarity had never felt so fortunate, nor so forlorn.

Spike glared at his basket, there on the floor of Twilight’s tree house. For a moment, he just glowered at it, then he kicked it in a fit of rage, flipping it end over end, the cozy blanket inside going flying.

Upstairs, a squeal cut the air, then a moan. There was a smell of vagina all through the library, and the scent of magic: glitter, snow, burning tin.

A blinding arc of horngasm lit up the upstairs, and a sandbag exploded. Just another evening for Twilight and Trixie…

Spike flipped the basket back over. He got in, curling into a little dragon ball, and he covered himself up with the blanket completely, with only the tip of his tail poking out of the basket.

The tail drew in, and the blanket was carefully repositioned to leave not the slightest hint of a gap.

Upstairs, another squeal and flicker of light split the air, but the blanket didn’t even twitch.

No You Don't

Twilight Sparkle looked Princess Celestia in the eye.

That alone was troubling. Twilight shifted a hind hoof fretfully. She’d always literally looked up to Princess Celestia and depended on her strong, comforting presence, but now everything had changed. Twilight’s body had changed, her mind had changed, and as if in response to her heightened mastery and control, Princess Celestia had faltered. Now they saw eye-to-eye in more ways than one—and rather than thrill Twilight, this flooded her with worry.

Celestia had taken Discord’s betrayal hard, and was not the mare she had been. Dark circles showed under her eyes, she gazed off into space at nothing of consequence, and she spent the days fussing over the palace as if it had suddenly become much less acceptable. She organized and re-organized the bookshelves, and she stole a dustpan from the earth pony servants and furtively tidied hallways that were already clean. Celestia was inconsolable, and Twilight couldn’t even distract her from her woe.

Twilight felt that the stress of this, and the expectations on herself as a new alicorn of leadership, had guided her into a new and unpleasant state of existence where she saw through all deceptions to the secret truths of those around her. It wasn’t a lot of fun. She wondered why she’d got such a treacherous gift, graduating to the true perception of everypony’s needs and delusions just when they were all most miserable and wrong. Everything became a threat, and terribly serious, and it was all her problem to fix.

Not for the first time, Twilight caught herself gazing off into space, forlorn. It was always the same thought, and though it was a wish for simpler times, it wasn’t about anything too specific. It wasn’t a place, or any specific event, that haunted her.

Princess Twilight Sparkle was trying to remember what it felt like to be a unicorn.

Not any special one, either. Nothing more than regular Twilight Sparkle, back when she believed herself to be the sweet innocent unicorn mare without such frightful power and responsibility. The little lavender unicorn, who’d lost her virginity to Applejack—the mare new to Ponyville and unexpectedly welcomed just as herself, with all her insecurity and desire to fit in. She’d only wanted to belong, frightened of the strangers who would become her closest friends, alarmed at her recent loss of the most powerful sense of belonging she’d ever felt: being Princess Celestia’s prize student, kept figuratively under the Princess’s wing and lost in happy studies in a timeless world of friendly, abstract ideas.

How far she’d come. She frowned, her mind reaching out and searching for the feeling of herself: the self she knew, or thought she knew. It remained elusive, as if it had never existed, and Twilight looked sad and lost.

Her responsibilities called. She shook herself. There was no time for idle fantasy…

Because the worst emergency was right in front of her, going on even as she spaced out in unhappy daydreams.

Princess Celestia refused to punish Discord any further.

Twilight stamped her hoof, looking Celestia in the eye again. “I’ve made very good suggestions. Correct suggestions. You’re not respecting my alicorn powers if you won’t listen to them. I’m trying to lead you. Three very good suggestions you refuse to take!”

Celestia gave her a bitter, sad look. “You are including the first suggestion, Twilight, and I already regret taking that one. I could have borne the strain of keeping Chaos and her toy under my roof. They clearly expected to remain. Well, Chaos did, Crowbar probably didn’t think about it very much.” She winced, a tear coming to her eye.

“I am not! I have a new suggestion. And it was the least you could do, Princess,” insisted Twilight. “You were suffering and you were right to banish them, but you’ve got to finish the job!”

“Oh?” retorted Celestia. “What job, prithee, young Twilight? I still rule this palace and you have not cast me down. You suggested turning Chaos to stone…”

“Discord,” corrected Twilight, fighting off stray fantasies of casting Princess Celestia down onto something bedlike, and getting extremely royal with her.

“Chaos,” argued Celestia. “That is her true name, and alicorns are female unless a magic bit intervenes. Your other suggestion was sending Chaos to the moon. Pray tell, what is your third helpful suggestion, Twilight?”

Twilight’s face burned. She set her jaw. “Turning Discord to stone, ON the moon. Since you ask.”

“Nay,” said Princess Celestia grimly. “Have you other helpful suggestions?”

“I’ll think of something,” vowed Twilight Sparkle.

At a distance, the other alicorns looked on worriedly. Not Chaos, of course, for she was banished—but Luna, Cadance, and Numeric Essence watched the exchange. Lyra was also present, accompanying her Princess and watching things with lively interest. Numeric Essence asked, politely, “Is Princess Twilight going to cast down Princess Celestia and go off to turn Princess Chaos to stone? She looks very fierce.”

Luna blanched. “No!”

“Well, then,” said Essence blithely, “we can and should return to our researches. Princess Luna, we had resolved that your existential purpose was best described as Service?”

Cadance glanced back and forth between Celestia and Luna, made a quick decision and reared up to briefly hug Luna. She turned to Essence and said, “Essie, you’re frightening them. Twilight would never do that! Being a leader means earning the support of your followers, it’s not about simply being some overbearing tyrant.”

“How am I frightening them?” blinked Numeric Essence. “Was it something I said?”

Cadance flapped her wings in agitation. There were a few primary feathers missing from each. “Yes, it was something you said,” she explained. “We have bad memories about casting down our beloved Celestia and would be happier if you didn’t bring the subject up.” She hugged Luna again, reassuringly.

Numeric Essence ruffled her still-unflightworthy wings. “Oh. Feelings. I apologize if I have offended.”

“We understand,” said Cadance warmly, her voice throbbing with compassion and comfort.

“And if your theories are correct,” added Celestia, “we will have to get used to it. Please continue.”

“Oh!” said Essence. “About the polarities, yes! Perhaps it is indeed additional evidence supporting my theory of radical personality alteration. I do feel very much that, as I befriend Princess Cadance my opposite pole, I am drawn more into myself: namely, Logic. Reasoning becomes clearer, and it all makes sense as never before! I postulate that alicorn magic may be for the purposes of setting up these polarities, to some undisclosed end. Possibilties include synthesis, or division of labor, or perhaps final battle to the death.”

Luna whinnied in dismay, and Cadance hugged her again. “Steady, Princess. Essie, you’re being upsetting again.”

“Am I? I apologize twice.”

“Never mind outcomes,” said Princess Celestia. “Are you saying you’re becoming more logical by hanging around Cadance? Your… pole is increasing in intensity? May I ask if it works both ways?”

Cadance blinked at Celestia’s inquisitive glance. Then, she blushed scarlet, and furled her wings tightly.

Celestia studied her. “Hmmm.”

Twilight’s gaze was narrowed. “Show me your wings, Cadance.”

Cadance shook her head, but in a moment an angry Sparkle was in her face, demanding, “Show me!”

Dropping her gaze, Cadance unfolded a wing, revealing the missing primary feathers. She glowered resentfully up at Twilight and protested, “All I’m saying is she’s right, it’s affecting me too!”

“If you have my brother doing that…”

“I’m not!” squeaked Cadance. She gulped, and added, “He won’t. I have a guard for it. Shining gives me permission when I’m needy.”

“What the heck is she talking about, Looney?” asked Lyra.

Cadance was breathing hard, and couldn’t stop blushing, but anger gave her a voice. “Trixie must have told Twilight about it. It’s been centuries since I had to resort to it but Essie is right, we’re becoming more intense in ourselves. I can handle it, and it is nobody’s business but mine, Shining’s and our guards and some of the cooks and one of the palace mages and about four earth ponies from Ponyville, Fillydelphia and Appleloosa.” She pouted, then corrected herself. “Okay, so five. Uh… six.”

Lyra’s ears splayed in total confusion. “What?”

“She’s the Alicorn of Sex, Lyra,” said Twilight. “She’s doing erotic primary-feather plucking again. The cast of thousands is her lovers, which includes my brother, and if I had known about this…”

“He is very happy!” insisted Princess Cadance. “I swear I won’t lose control… Miss Sandbags!”

Twilight bridled at the remark, but Lyra blinked and looked awed. “Wow. Um… Luna, did you ever play that rough?”

Luna shook her head. “Didn’t need to.” She smiled at her consort. “Not when I have you.”

As Lyra and Luna nuzzled noses for a moment, Twilight stamped her hoof again. “Can we get back to business here? I want to know more about the polarities, because Princess Celestia is Order and if she’s opposites to Chaos, and if we have to destroy Chaos…”

“No!” cried Celestia, and all heads turned. She gulped, and repeated, “No. We do not destroy. We will learn, and adapt.”

“You are sweeping dust into a dustpan with your horn,” observed Essence, “though the floor is already clean. Does this mean that you are being overcome by Order, yourself?”

“I have been an alicorn of order for a very long time,” said Princess Celestia. “I have also spent time with Chaos, been in conflict with her, resolved things with her and sought peace, and have now seen further conflict. Even if this is causing me to be intensified, I believe I can manage my nature, thank you.” She gulped. “If your theories are correct, she may herself be overcome by her essential nature. Could this have motivated her… actions?”

“Discord is going to go out of control and go totally crazy with Chaos!” insisted Twilight. “I’m telling you, we’re going to have to turn him to stone again, as sure as my nature is Leadership!”

Numeric Essence blinked, and you could almost see cool dials turning behind her eyes as that precise brain calculated. “I am not sure your nature is Leadership, Twilight Sparkle. I don’t think that’s a polarity, and I still have a feeling you are the opposite pole to Princess Luna. Your claim would imply she is un-leadership, and her motivations are so profoundly nurturing of others that Service seems more apropos. Luna spends more hours a night caring for pony dreams than Celestia spends raising the sun in a week, and she has recognized herself in Service. Her actions are not strictly directed by another, but all the same they are in a spirit of serving others. I suppose that would make you… Self-Will?”

“Good!” said Twilight. “Because somepony’s got to come up with the willpower to deal with Discord once and for all! Except that I’m totally Leadership, so you need to listen to me. If not now, then in the long run, okay?”

Essence shook her head. “No no, Princess Luna is not bereft of willpower. I’ve never heard of such a thing as an Alicorn of Self-Will, but it would follow that self-will is the imposition of your own wishes upon the universe without consideration…”

Twilight ignored her. “The next question would be, is Discord hurting you with this polarity stuff, Princess? I mean, does the orderliness hurt, is it making you be out of control with tidying or whatever?”

Celestia studied her once-student. Twilight looked really stressed out, but her concern was so obvious: the lavender alicorn seemed frantic with worry her Princess would be harmed. Celestia’s heart melted. “Oh, Twilight. I’ll be all right, I promise. If it makes you happy, I will stick to my decision to exclude Chaos from our company, and we will continue to learn about alicorn nature. We’ll study it. Won’t that be nice? Maybe it will help us.”

“Maybe we’ll learn what we need to learn, to control Discord forever!” suggested Twilight, and Celestia winced.

“No, Twilight!” she said. “I cannot believe that is necessary. If this talk of polarities means anything, it is that we must make peace with our extremes, else all is strife and turmoil forever. And that is the true meaning of Discord, not some unhappy and provocative draconequus.” She studied truculent Twilight. “I’ll fight alongside you if it comes to that. I promise. Injustice and unhappiness will not stand against us—but for now, we won’t act hastily.”

Twilight was speechless, staring at nothing, but not in anger this time. The words “I’ll fight alongside you. Injustice and unhappiness will not stand against us” echoed in her fevered brain, and she panted, an odd smile coming to her face and her wings lifting.

Cadance, watching, gave a wry halfsmile and said “That helped her accept it, I think. Oh, Twilight.” She shook her head, knowingly.

Celestia turned to Numeric Essence. “So, our operating hypothesis is that alicorn magic forms polarities, and there may be untold benefits to bringing harmony to the poles? You are feeling like a better pony when befriending Princess Cadance?”

Essence nodded, which brought a warmer smile to Cadance’s face, and said “It is a fascinating study. Postulate the existence of an Alicorn of Good. If this is so, then befriending an Alicorn of Evil might be a benefit to magic as a whole—or perhaps just the specific nature of alicorn magic.”

“Alicorn of Evil?” squeaked Twilight and Lyra, together.

“Sombra,” replied Cadance, levelly. For a moment, the alicorn of pleasures looked less sensuous and more grim. “If there was ever a better candidate for that status, I don’t know who it would be.”

“Did he get taken to that alicorn space?” demanded Twilight. “Before me, I mean?”

“We don’t know that all possible poles always go to the same space,” said Essence. “Did this Sombra develop his full powers? I have not, nor have I seen alicorn space.”

“No, he didn’t,” said Cadance, “and he may not have been an alicorn yet. He may have been developing wings under that cloak, and his magic was approaching alicorn grade, but we destroyed him.”

Lyra trembled, and Princess Luna snuggled her reassuringly. “Maybe it’s time for little unicorn ponies to go to bed?”

At the words, Twilight winced. She would not be a little unicorn pony, comforted and put to bed. She would stay up late into the night, facing the monsters, alongside Princess Celestia. “Why would magic want to bring balance to good and evil? It doesn’t make sense!”

Princess Celestia lowered her head. “If I understood that, perhaps I in turn could bring harmony between Order and Chaos…”

“That better not be a tear,” accused Twilight.

“Peace, Twilight,” said Celestia reprovingly, and Princess Twilight Sparkle fell silent.

“I need to put my beloved consort to bed,” said Luna. “But I would also like to emphasize that, whatever the truth of matters, I stand prepared to devote myself to you all, as I devote myself to caring for the dreams of ponies everywhere. I feel Numeric Essence has given me a wonderful gift, bringing the idea of an ‘Alicorn of Service’ to my attention, and I take up that mantle joyously. And whether it is alicorn polarity intensifying me as my counterpart comes into focus, or simply my state of pregnancy shared with my lovely Lyra, I feel true to myself as never before.” She blinked shyly at Twilight. “I wish I could make further amends to your dear Trixie. It was the high-water mark of a certain type of dark devotion, but I no longer feel that expresses the best of me, only the best I could be at the time.”

“Yeah, I’ll pass on the message,” said Twilight, her expression darkening again.

“Mistress?” called Trixie. Twilight had stomped into the library, banging the door.

“She’s not listening!” wailed Twilight. “It’s a really serious problem! How are we supposed to make Ponyville safe for everypony if Princess Celestia is trying to date the worst monster?”

Trixie squeaked, and ran downstairs to be confronted by a trembling Sparkle with stiffly erect wings and wild, desperate eyes.

“Mistress! Um, which monster would that be?”

“Discord!” yelled Twilight, stamping a hoof.

Trixie blinked. “Oh. That one? The colorful monstrosity that you yourself defeated? Really?”

“He’s FUCKING Princess Celestia!” wailed Twilight. “She refuses to send him to the moon even when he does horrible things!”

Trixie laid her ears back in alarm. “Just a minute. Trixie thought that Mistress said, he was really an alicorn. The Discord form doesn’t have a penis without use of a magic bit. We are not supplying him with one. What exactly has he done?”

Twilight gulped, shuddering. “He got this earth pony to have sex with the Princess. Then he revealed her to everypony. He made her cry. It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen.”

“What earth pony?” demanded Trixie.

“Just some earth pony. A retarded earth pony, as if it couldn’t be more awful. Princess Celestia was using his name and everything, just as if he deserved to be treated like a regular person. It’s an earth pony named Crowbar.”

Trixie paled. “Sort of short and burly? And mentally handicapped? Worse than our Derpy Hooves, I mean? Trixie thinks she remembers this pony, from time spent in Fillydelphia. Her old mistress—not that there could ever be another Mistress!—used to take advantage of this pony. Oh, my!”

“You remember him? You had sex with that thing, Trixie?”

“No, no!” protested Trixie. “Trixie did not! Trixie was good when it came to really dangerous punishment, Crowbar was an end game for mares! He did terrible damage!” She quieted, grew thoughtful. “Hmmm…”

“Discord made Celestia have sex with a pony who HURTS ponies?!” wailed Twilight. “It gets worse and worse!”

“Please, Mistress, Trixie is thinking… hmm. Trixie is thinking of your Celestia’s great size. Perhaps Crowbar finally found a use after all. A use beyond causing internal injuries, I mean. Hmm! Good for Celestia. Except it’s wrong somehow? Just a minute, Mistress, which one is Celestia trying to date, Discord or Crowbar? You saw her having sex with Crowbar?”

“She shouldn’t be with EITHER of them!” raged Twilight. “They’re not listening to me, and I’m trying to lead them. That new alicorn, the one that isn’t really an alicorn yet, she won’t even admit I’m the Alicorn of Leadership! She says I’m something else!”

“What?” squeaked Trixie. “If you’re not Leadership, Mistress, then what are you supposed to be?”

Twilight glowered, sullenly. “Self-Will. It’s supposed to be the opposite of Luna, who’s Service. She sure acted like Service when she ponynapped you and raped you and tried to destroy your mind. That was real serve-y.”

“That’s impo…” began Trixie, and trailed off, for self-will was a thing she had great experience with.

She looked worriedly at Twilight, who practically snorted fire out her nostrils with outrage, and remembered things. Luna had kidnapped her, yes, but it was she who’d responded to the Princess’s seduction in an attempt to screw Luna into submission. It had become a dark mind-game, but the most dangerous thing about the mind-game was the truth that underlay it: at the time, Princess Luna had come very close to devoting herself entirely to Trixie’s most masochistic impulses for all of Trixie’s mortal life. There was no allure in simply getting randomly abused, the relationship had to run two ways and it had run terrifyingly deep very quickly. Trixie’d fought like a demon to not simply give in, but she knew in her bones that the dark Princess Luna had fallen in love with her, and proposed to show that love by dominating her little unicorn without mercy and drinking in every scream and grovel like a lifegiving elixir.

Even then, the toughest part of resisting Princess Luna’s sadomasochistic passion was that it was founded on service. She’d have been a phenomenal sub and a Mistress to end all Mistresses, and all of it based on deep emotional needs to serve in myriad ways. It had been horribly difficult to resist being swept up in that powerful need. It’d been Trixie’s greatest challenge not to kneel before the dark Mistress who pledged her eternal, perverted love for as long as Trixie would live.

And Trixie had fought it off, and loved Twilight Sparkle, partly because she understood her so deeply—but that understanding cut uncomfortably close at times, and the part of Twilight that Trixie loved best was the indomitable willpower. Trixie turned to dominants to control her own tendency to self-will, a habit of trampling into situations and demanding her own way regardless of what was really right. She’d learned to mistrust that tendency of herself, and needed a Mistress to keep her in check, lest she run riot. And Twilight was that Mistress, a pony just like her in so many ways, and they balanced out perfectly and kept each other in check and their mutual twistedness turned to joyous health and happiness…

Except, Twilight wasn’t like her anymore, was she? Twilight was unthinkably more powerful, still as prone to self-will as ever, and raging to control the world around her—something Trixie sought never to do, from hard experience.

And Twilight had tasted bitter experience from her own righteous crusades, yet off she charged again…

“Say it,” demanded Twilight, fiercely.

Trixie squeaked, dropping her train of thought. “Eep! Say what, Mistress?”

“Impossible. It’s impossible I’m an alicorn of self-will. They make it sound bad. Your face says it’s bad, which is completely stupid because there’s nothing more important in a pony than willpower and knowing what’s right. I know that, ‘cos I’m Leadership. Say it’s impossible that I’m self-will, since that’s apparently so bad.”

“M…mistr…”

“Say it!” squealed Twilight, savagely.

“Impossible!” wailed Trixie, grovelling on the floor before her Mistress. It was impossible… to resist such ruthless dominance. “It’s impossible! Mistress is a great leader, and Mistress is the Alicorn of Leadership and not at all self-will! Trixie is sorry!”

Twilight glared, shaking. The blue unicorn hardly dared look up at her Mistress, and Twilight could smell the eager ooze of Trixie lubricating like mad, hear the little wet noises of Trixie’s frantic winks. “You know what Mistress is gonna do, Trixie?”

“Mistress can do anything, anything! Trixie is ready to be punished!”

“Stay right there and don’t move, Trixie,” ordered Twilight. “Mistress is gonna blow off some steam.”

She galloped up to the bedroom, and in mere moments she was back, rearing before Trixie with flashing eyes and a magic bit in her teeth. Trixie gawked at the slim but rigidly flared Sparkle-cock that jutted from between Twilight’s legs, and wriggled madly on the floor in a fever of submission.

Then, Twilight was on her, wings still bolt erect, and she prodded her butt up against Twilight’s belly and was rewarded with the plunging entry of Twilight’s ponycock.

“Ahhh!”

The cry could have been from either mare, or perhaps both at once. The achingly stiff stallionhood thrust deep into Trixie’s jellied nethers, and Trixie squealed, writhing. She saw the dull grey of the magic-restrictor ring across the room, the safety factor that she wore on her horn when she topped the increasingly dangerous Twilight, and Trixie’s own little horn lit to reach out and grab the safety gear and settle it on her vulnerable unicornhood…

An irresistible magical force clamped down on the thing, slamming it to the ground and holding it there.

“No,” snarled Twilight Sparkle, her hips steadily thrusting the horsecock inside Trixie.

“Mistress?” squealed Trixie, excited and alarmed. “I should…”

“No!” yelled Twilight, through the bit. She panted a few breaths, her nostrils flaring. “C’me for me. I w’nt to see it again. I miss it so bad. C’me for me. Let me watch.”

Trixie’s heart nearly stopped with terror.

“But… then you wear the restrictor ring, Mistress!” she pleaded.

“No,” said Twilight. “No, ‘m in c’ntrol.”

Trixie’s eyes widened, and her terror doubled.

They’d not done it this way for some time. All their attention had gone toward venting Twilight’s terrible pent-up energies, the raw magical potency of a new alicorn going through adolescence. Twilight had to discharge, and Trixie’s lovemaking had been entirely dedicated to safely doing this. That was the purpose of the magic-restrictor ring, the stacks of sandbags, and of course the staggering case of blue-horn Trixie had developed. Not that her horn wasn’t already blue, but it’d gone a few shades deeper from sheer frustration, and Trixie had picked up some severe headaches from her magic trying to ejaculate through the restrictor ring.

It was all worthwhile, because Twilight loved Trixie and wanted to protect her from harm and Twilight was going through a difficult phase. Her horngasms were demolishing sandbags at a staggering rate and seemed to be getting worse, and both alicorn and unicorn believed that if she accidentally arced with Trixie the results could easily be fatal. Until now, that had been reason enough to play it safe.

Trixie twisted her head and looked back at Twilight, her eyes panicky and vulnerable. Twilight Sparkle stared back, those massive wings held high, and her own gaze was stern and haughty, imperious.

“I c’n h’ld it b’ck,” said Twilight, and her eyes dared Trixie to call her a liar.

Trixie shook her head helplessly, letting out a whimper as she searched that gaze for mercy.

“I t’ld you I’m in c’ntrol,” insisted Twilight. “Come f’r me.”

Trixie shuddered all over, her fate confirmed again. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t even want to play games with dying. Least of all did she want to die when Mistress needed her most… but her feelings were conflicted.

First, it was possible Mistress was telling the truth. If she held off her own horngasm just long enough, there would be no arc between them. It depended entirely on whether Twilight’s fierce willpower was strong enough to hold back her own climax.

Second, Trixie loved Twilight desperately, and if she were to go, such would be her darkest secret wish. Ever since she’d been with Princess Luna and seen Luna’s horngasm cutting through rock, her fantasies had been haunted by alicorn climaxes. Also, there was Lyra to consider, who’d withstood taking that same Luna horngasm and clearly almost died from it, but lived to parade her extensive horn damage before the other unicorns. Twilight’s adolescent orgasms seemed more dangerous in terms of how much material she vaporized each time, but one could not be sure.

Lastly and most treacherously, Trixie was under Twilight, an alicorn cock shoved up her quivering, juicy vagina, and in a posture of extreme submission to her dominant lover—and Trixie responded most strongly to abuse, danger and punishment.

A spanking would have sufficed to get her squirting with alacrity but this was on a completely different level. This was her Mistress daring to obliterate her like a moth in a flame… and only Mistress’s self-control would save her. Twilight Sparkle proposed to dangle her over the void for sport, show her her own death in orgiastic ecstacy, enjoy the light show of her helpless horngasms, and then pull her back to safety again once she had drunk her fill of Trixie’s absolute helplessness.

Trixie had never even imagined Mistress would use her so callously.

Trixie sobbed, and felt her pussy gush with sensuous ooze as her body registered what was happening and charged directly for that brink without a moment’s hesitation.

Twilight smiled, around the bit, and nuzzled Trixie’s neck. Over Trixie’s upthrust rump, she continued to straddle her lover and work that stiffened ponycock within the ever-juicier confines. They fell silent, except for the tender slurping noises of Trixie’s molten nethers around Twilight, and the rattling of Trixie’s shaking hooves against the floor.

Trixie sobbed, again.

“C’me f’r me,” urged Twilight. She gritted her teeth harder on the bit, swelling inside the hysterical unicorn. It wasn’t to make herself harder, though: her willpower was redoubling, for she felt her own horngasm coming on and sternly denied herself that release.

Trixie moaned, writhing under Twilight as the lavender stallionhood patiently churned her in slow, slow motion. She was crying and shaking her head, and Twilight knew she hadn’t given in completely. Some part of her was fighting it, though she wasn’t safewording or even telling Twilight to stop. She’d admitted once that she liked getting so upset she couldn’t remember her own safeword. It looked like one of those times, thought Twilight.

Trixie began heaving in deep, panicky breaths. Her eyes went wide, and Twilight craned her neck to be able to see them. Those arrogant, wilful eyes, that could go so unexpectedly vulnerable. That fierce independent mind, reduced to such quivering surrender. And that horn, that beautiful blue horn, insulted again and again by the horrible restrictor ring, there right before her and about to erupt intoxicatingly into unicorn orgasm, the most beautiful thing ever…

Trixie reeled, her heart pounding, feeling her arousal surge at her like a tidal wave. Twilight’s hips kept on thrusting, exploring, and it seemed really true that her love was about to risk everything, risk her as if she didn’t even matter, just using her for some heartless pleasure, and Trixie struggled with all her strength to hold off and not open that deadly channel and not come no matter how much the situation turned her on… no matter what Twilight did.

Twilight’s teeth ground against the bit, a chalky creaking sound, and Trixie felt Twilight come inside her, that rigidly flared ponycock spurting ponycome deep into her privatest places. Twilight made a faint croaking noise, still not releasing horngasm, and as her teeth gritted against the bit she kept right on moving, not even changing her pace even as the juicy Trixie vagina she occupied became a snugly churning pit of come and sensual fluids that got squelchier with every spurt.

Trixie wailed despairingly. Twilight kept going, her brain aching with the effort of holding back the rest of her release, and she stared utterly and only at the blue horn right in front of her, so exposed, crackling with magic-flicker.

“GHHH!”

Before Twilight’s eyes, Trixie Lulamoon was dragged off the cliff to flail over the abyss. Still locked in her lover’s embrace, her eyes settled upon the infinite with a stricken, doomed look, and Trixie came as hard as she’d ever come in her life. A thick, scintillating gush of magic burst from her horn, and arced across the room, to splash over the sandbags.

“Aiigghhh!”

Trixie’s voice was a cry of surrender. Her body shook in Twilight’s forelegs as her horn pumped out spurt after spurt of delicious, radiant magic, opening herself utterly to her mate’s fertilizing and destroying horngasm—and still, Twilight gritted her teeth and hung on, refusing herself release, drinking in the beautiful sight. It had been so long since she’d watched Trixie come like a unicorn. Their differing bodies had deprived them of that pleasure.

“Nnnnhhhhgghhh!”

Trixie’s eyes were drowning in tears. She shuddered like earthquakes were flooding her, not just the false cock of an alicorn Princess. Her voice faltered, and she stared at nothing, arching her neck as if in agony, waiting for her doom to strike, as her horn pumped out still more magic, to the point of exhaustion. She could not stop coming now that she’d started, and every second spelled out her immediate death. Death danced, laughing, around her: every moment was her last, as she shook and gushed horngasms.

Twilight ground her teeth on the bit, and began to buck with her hips, aggressive fierce lunges that churned Trixie’s insides brutally.

Trixie screwed her eyes shut and gave one last despairing shriek with what felt like her last breath, and one last gout of magic spurted from her horn. It arced high in the air, and landed on the sandbags, splashing off them in all directions.

The pretty blue horn, still feverishly hot, stopped ejaculating. The aura ebbed away, with a last flicker of magic energy.

A moment passed, no more than a few pounding heartbeats.

Twilight Sparkle lowered her head, and unleashed an inferno of searing magic inches from Trixie’s exposed horn, directly across the room and through the pile of sandbags and the wall beyond. The sandbags exploded. The wall gave way, and caught fire.

Trixie Lulamoon fainted, still very much alive.

“Wha…” came a little voice from downstairs. “Twilight? Twilight!”

Twilight released the bit, and staggered a few steps away from her wrecked, collapsed Trixie. “Worth it,” she croaked, her eyes crossing. Her head felt like it was splitting from the withholding and sudden release of so much energy.

Spike came running upstairs. “Holy cats, Twilight!”

“I knew I could do it,” said Twilight, and coughed.

“The wall!” yelled Spike. “The wall’s on fire, there’s a big hole! This is too much even for you!”

“My bad,” muttered Twilight. “Just a moment…”

Downstairs, a tap turned on. Spike fell silent, watching the hole in the wall smolder, as a large bowl of water floated effortlessly up the stairs under Twilight’s telekinetic will. She flung the water at the wall, and the fire hissed and went out, and the water splashed all over everything, including Spike and the stunned and supine Trixie, who stirred, making a feeble noise like a waking kitten.

“There,” said Twilight.

Spike set his jaw. “Twilight, we gotta talk. I am the last dragon to get in the way of you ponies around here, but…”

“No,” said Twilight, “not right now. Okay, buddy? Give us some space.”

Spike couldn’t stop looking at Trixie’s eyes. She was clearly a mess, and he didn’t want to look too closely at her hindquarters because it was obvious that end was even messier, but her eyes were drenched with tears and that seemed like it couldn’t be right.

“I dunno, Twilight, you’re making me very worried…”

“No, you listen,” said Twilight. “It’s a bad and dangerous world, but if I still have my number one assistant, and the most beautiful unicorn in all Equestria for my marefriend, and if I have my self and my total control of myself… I can do ANYTHING, Spike.”

Her voice grew soft. “I can do… anything.” She seemed to be looking outside the room as she said it.

Spike stared at Twilight, lost for words. He turned to Trixie, and did no better. He’d long since given up trying to understand why Trixie reacted the way she did. Her tears were not a complete novelty to him, nor even the sight of welts and scars on her body. He’d seen her sprawled on the floor like jelly, oozing goo, and he’d never had to clean that stuff up, either: that was her job.

He’d seen Trixie directing looks of love at Twilight, too. He’d seen her with just that sort of grovelling, helpless adoration, many times.

He’d never seen it combined with so much fear, though.

“I love you, Trixie,” said Twilight, and Trixie’s lip quivered. The haunted look didn’t leave her eyes, even as Twilight walked over and snuggled up against her.

Spike glanced at the hole in the wall. Twilight ignored it.

Spike walked back downstairs, got back in his basket, and pulled the blanket over his head again.

One blanket wasn’t nearly enough.

I Know Your Secret

The sun shone brightly upon Ponyville as Rarity trotted home to the Carousel Boutique. She smiled and paused to watch Twilight Sparkle fly overhead, bound toward the market, and then she resumed her progress to home and Derpy, anticipating the happy sight of the great love of her life.

She was surprised to encounter, instead, the great sub of her life.

Rarity blinked. “Trixie? To what do I owe the pleasure, darling?”

“May Trixie speak with you? Privately.”

“But of course!” cried Rarity. “I am quite at your disposal, my dear Trixie. Ah… though if you wish to have a special time with me, it would be well for us to negotiate things beforehand. I haven’t the provisions I used to have, and I fear I am out of practice. Ironic, really, when a third of my business is bridles and such, mailed in brown wrappers…”

“Please!” begged Trixie. “We should talk in your inner sanctum!”

Rarity winked a mascaraed eye. “Indeed! Well, darling, I shall not fail you. Somepony has been riding you hard, from the look of it! Is it Twilight, she asked knowingly?”

Trixie looked around hectically, and blurted, “That’s what Trixie has to talk about. Please, quickly!”

The playful smile dropped away from Rarity’s face. “Are you all right, Trixie? We have not started, yet you tremble. What do you need from me?”

Trixie’s gaze was imploring. “Your wisdom. Mistress.”

Rarity’s eyes widened. Her nostrils flared.

“Come with me,” she declaimed, and led Trixie Lulamoon straight to the Boutique’s Inner Sanctum.

“Now then… girl!” snapped Rarity, briskly. “Out with it! Your distress is apparent. Have you done something bad for which you should be punished?”

“It’s not like that,” said Trixie. “Er… not today? Trixie appreciates the offer, though.”

Rarity sagged. “Good heavens. You weren’t kidding, were you? What is going on, Trixie? Something is really bothering you, yet you aren’t going for the old standbys. I swear, I would happily whip you if you needed me to. I’m sure I remember where I hid the good whip.”

This got through Trixie’s distracted thoughts. “Hid?” she said. She looked around, in perplexity.

Rarity blushed. “Quite so. Derpy has never really understood the games we play. Ah… played, rather. I can tell it makes her unhappy to look at instruments of pain, so it seemed best to squirrel them away somewhere. Also, Sweetie Belle gets curious…” She blushed more. “What must you think of me? I’ve gone all soft.”

Trixie hastened to reassure her. “You’ll always be Trixie’s Mistress! If you want to be? You are the best, the greatest!”

Rarity snorted, a wry smile on her face. “Thank you, dear. But you’re not here over masochistic indulgences, apparently?”

Trixie’s eyes dropped. She pawed the floor with a forehoof, bashfully. “That… is a very complicated question.”

She was still trembling. Rarity studied her. Many times, she’d brought troubled ponies through to relief by Mistressing them to within an inch of their lives, stripping away their perverse wills and deceptions through her commanding presence. It was second nature, or had been.

However, her life with Derpy Hooves had opened her to a whole new vocabulary of emotion, a vocabulary of childish simpleness and artless unsophistication that could not have existed in the pleasure dungeons of Fillydelphia. Rarity felt this new language stir within her, as Trixie bit her lip and fretted.

“Trixie?” asked Rarity. “Do you need a hug?”

Trixie shook worse for a moment, and then gave in completely. She flung herself at Rarity with cries of “Mistress, Mistress!” and was wrapped up in a tight pony hug, Rarity’s hoof stroking her mane.

“That’s one for Derpy,” mused Rarity.

“What?”

“Never mind. Trixie, darling! I am here. Please, tell me what’s upsetting you! There, there. Rarity will make it all better.”

At this, Trixie struggled. “Too motherly!”

“Well, I AM a mother, darling!” snapped Rarity. “What would you have me do? I can still dig up the whip. I rather doubt I can combine that and this, mind you. Very well, I shan’t fuss and cosset. Tell me what is the matter, regardless. Tell me, tell me tell me tell me!”

Trixie whimpered. Rarity shook her. “Speak, girl!”

“Trixie should not let herself die for sex! No matter how much she wants to!” wailed Trixie Lulamoon, bursting into tears.

Rarity grew quiet, and firmly wrapped Trixie in a hug again. This time, the blue unicorn didn’t resist her, for the tone wasn’t of some false mother bearing no resemblance to Trixie’s doomed and departed real mother. It was much simpler, physical affection without affectation, and Trixie cried in Rarity’s determined embrace for a while as Rarity stared at the wall and thought.

Finally, Rarity slipped a hoof under Trixie’s chin, lifting it until she met Rarity’s gaze.

“Does this have to do with Twilight’s new powers, Trixie?”

Trixie’s gaze was miserable, sulky, guilty, yearning. She nodded.

“Tell me what has happened,” urged Rarity. “Have you been badgering her? I know you own one of my kinky unicorn hobblers, because I myself gave it to you. I would think that device renders you entirely protected from dear Twilight’s issue, unless you’ve broken it. I’ll get you another…”

Trixie shook her head frantically, and Rarity dodged her swinging horn with a grunt. “Well! If you don’t wish one that is your affair but I would have to recommend it. From your tales it sounds like Twilight’s release is truly dangerous, and it may not abate in our lifetimes. I’m not sure how long alicorn adolescence persists.”

“It is!” said Trixie. “And Trixie didn’t break anything, Trixie has the restrictor ring still. Mistress, that would be Twilight Mistress, rode Trixie the other night. Trixie tried to put on the restrictor ring and be safe…”

Rarity’d gone quiet. She stared at Trixie, who couldn’t meet her gaze, who was blushing an odd shade of purple.

“What happened, girl?”

Trixie’s lip quivered. “Mistress held it to the ground… and took me.” She gulped. “Mistress wanted to see Trixie squirt. She said she could control it.”

Rarity’s eyes darted to the end of Trixie’s horn, studying it for damage. But how much damage would a pent-up adolescent alicorn even do? It was flagrantly obvious they hadn’t arced. Trixie would be a smoking husk of a mare if they had.

“It would appear,” said Rarity, “that she did. Sooo… did Trixie ejaculate, then, as idiot darling Twilight wished?”

“Don’t call her—” began Trixie, but subsided right away at Rarity’s angry look.

“I could call her worse,” snorted Rarity, “for she deserves it. I love you dearly, Trixie Lulamoon, and I begin to see how this went down. You’re such a little pony slut for the hardcore, aren’t you?” She sighed heavily. “Answer. Did you? And you’d better tell me how it felt. It may sadden me, darling, but very little shocks me.”

Trixie nodded. “That’s why Trixie can tell you. Yes. Trixie has never come so hard, ever, in all her life. Trixie squirted on and on, expecting every moment that Twilight’s horn would cut loose and Trixie would d… d…” She gulped, shuddering. “I wanted her to, Rarity. She could have killed me. It was like she didn’t care. Why didn’t she care, Rarity?”

Rarity was frowning dreadfully. “I’m not sure you can go so far as to say that, girl. It’s not that Twilight Sparkle is uncaring, she cares very much and I know she loves you deeply. But you’ll remember, from the times we’ve had her submit, that Twilight is exceedingly wilful…”

“That’s it!” said Trixie. “She was angry because the other alicorns had called her the Alicorn of Self-Will. She demanded that Trixie call her Alicorn of Leadership, and then she decided to blow off steam mounting Trixie, and then she wanted to watch Trixie come!”

“Did she try to place the restrictor ring on herself?” demanded Rarity. “Which would be madness, if you ask me, they are not rated for that type of magical force and it would be instantly destroyed if she came through it. But did she try to do that?”

Trixie shook her head, her eyes huge and vulnerable. “She didn’t. She said she could handle it. She came inside Trixie, but Mistress’s horn didn’t go until Trixie was exhausted and her horn had run out. And then she blew up the WALL.”

Rarity, already white, looked extra pale. “Damn that girl. They’re right, she is self-will incarnate, always was. It makes her a hell of a top, but she’s never been a natural switch and if she loses touch with it entirely, I don’t know what will happen.”

“What does that mean?” begged Trixie. She was limp in Rarity’s embrace, utterly submissive.

“First tell me how you feel about all this,” snapped Rarity. “Be scrupulously honest!”

Trixie quivered against Rarity’s forelegs. “Nothing could ever be so exciting as being utterly in Twilight’s power. She can make Trixie come for hours, for days, and anytime she wishes, she can let go and Trixie would be incinerated in her raging horngasm. And she didn’t, and Trixie just gushed until she was wrung out, gushed herself dry and wanted to keep going and then that great horn cut loose and the heat washed Trixie’s face and Trixie wanted to find within herself just a tiny bit more magic, to just squirt a tiny amount more and then that unbearable flood would turn and g… go into her…”

Now Rarity looked a little green. She’d always been sensitive about taking horngasms, even the relatively safe ones of mortal ponies. She gritted her teeth and she hissed, “That’s why.”

“Huh?” blinked Trixie, tears spilling across her cheek.

“That’s why she’s self-will incarnate. She knows how masochistic you are, girl. She knows how hard you play! When you told me what was happening with Twilight, I rejoiced that you’d asked me for a restrictor ring, because I knew you’d be tempted. It’s not a normal situation. From what you tell me, it’s not normal even for alicorns! She’s like, like… those pegasus colts in the clubs, you know? When they hit puberty and their wings are stuck bolt upright and they’ve got five legs everywhere they go, and you can do any bloody thing to them as long as they can sink their cock in something warm and wet…”

Trixie sniffled. “We’re all a little like that, aren’t we?”

“There are degrees,” retorted Rarity. “Pegasus colts are easy to handle. It’s not like it matters if they’re on you every few minutes, they haven’t the girth of the bulkier earth ponies so it doesn’t hurt, and it’s rather cute to watch them show off. That’s just fun and ponies being ponies. Twilight Sparkle is on another level entirely. First: you may not entice her. Do you understand, girl? I will drive the lesson home any way I can. I love you like few other ponies and won’t sit by and see you endangered, even if it’s by your own weaknesses.”

Trixie nodded, humbly—all of her in Rarity’s sway, and obedient. “Yes, Mistress.”

“We’ll find ways to please you if this has left you pent-up, but you shall not play with Twilight in that way again. Not now, possibly not ever. Again, we cannot know whether Twilight will outgrow this phase in our lifetimes.”

“Yes, Mistress,” said Trixie, leaking a tear. “Do you want Trixie to go tell Twilight?”

Rarity frowned again. “I’m not sure she’ll take it from you. Hell, with that self-will business I’m not sure she’ll take dominance from me, even. You say she resents the suggestion? Of course she would, if it’s a little too accurate. That itself is a tip-off. Hmmm.”

“Do you want to tell Twilight, then?”

“I may enlist some rather special… help.”

Twilight pranced into the kitchen, levitating her groceries. It was wonderful how easy such things had become! A bundle of carrots, a gallon of milk, and even a sack of colorful rocks for decorating the garden. That grey earth pony that sold them to her had asked if she’d need help carrying them (though, by her flat and dull tone, she didn’t give a donkey’s ass either way).

Hah! Twilight’s energy was boundless and more than equal to carrying rocks, plus all her groceries. She didn’t even feel the weight, barely had to exert her horn to do it. She felt like bursting into song, or jumping over the house, or perhaps turning her mare to happy jelly, or possibly all at once. She felt a delicious tingle in her horn at the thought…

A knock sounded at the door, oddly hesitant and awkward. Twilight turned, puzzled. The knock sounded again.

“You know you can come in, right? I’m not stopping you,” she called.

She heard a soft murmur of conversation, then the knock came again.

“All right, what is it?” said Twilight. “If you’re here selling something, I…”

As she opened the door with her marvellous new horn, her jaw dropped.

Derpy Hooves stood, lip quivering and eyes moist with tears, in front of a pouting Trixie and a determined, imperious Rarity, who prodded Derpy’s butt gently with a hoof.

“Go on,” urged Rarity.

Derpy flapped awkwardly, and looked earnestly at Twilight and also a nearby hedge.

“Please don’t hurt my friend, Twilight Sparkle, even if it’s like a weird sex thing!”

“What.”

“Please don’t make my friend Trixie die!” begged Derpy Hooves.

Twilight glanced quickly back and forth among the three mares that faced her, and then fixated on one: Rarity. She cleared her throat and addressed the fashionable unicorn. “Rarity, just what do you call this?”

“Leverage, darling,” replied Rarity.

As Twilight opened her mouth to protest, Rarity cut her off.

“I also call it necessary. Do you disagree?”

Twilight’s eyes widened. She took in Trixie’s unhappy sullenness, the flash of Rarity’s eyes, Derpy’s obvious dismay.

“What did you tell them, Trixie?” she demanded.

Her heart sank, then, for Trixie turned that pout to face her and Twilight knew she’d crossed a line. Trixie said, “I told Rarity the truth about what we did, Mistress. Rarity needed to talk to you. She thought it would help if we brought Derpy.”

Twilight looked back at Derpy. The crosseyed pegasus was as adorable, and as distressed, as ever, and her gaze pleaded with Twilight, even as Twilight heard Trixie speak again, apologetic but firm.

“I don’t want to leave you that way, Mistress. None of us want that.”

Twilight stamped a hoof. “I had total control!”

“Even so,” said Rarity, staunchly. Trixie pouted. Derpy fluttered.

“Don’t you trust me? Don’t you believe in my powers?” protested Twilight.

“The point is that we should not have to trust you that much,” explained Rarity. “Please don’t risk Trixie again, that way. We can’t leave it up to her, you know her weaknesses. You know Trixie plays with edges, Twilight.”

“I can leave her a WRUNG-OUT PUDDLE without a spark of magic left in her helpless body!” raged Twilight.

Rarity stood her ground, though Derpy flinched. Trixie staggered, and moaned, her eyes going dazed and a drip of lube hitting the ground as her pussy commenced frantic winking. “Look at that,” countered Rarity, “look at her! You cannot expect our Trixie to play safe with you when you’ve grown so very dominant…” She trailed off. Derpy was advancing on Twilight, though obviously frightened.

Derpy reared, placing her hooves on Twilight’s shoulders, looking her deep in the eyes. “Please don’t be scary, Princess Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight met Derpy’s gaze. She gulped. Her mighty wings flapped in chagrin, and she began to blush.

“Sorry,” she muttered.

“Does this mean you agree?” cried Rarity. “Please, please agree!”

“Yeah,” grumbled Twilight, “okay. If it means that much to you. Even though I can totally handle it!”

“But we aren’t arguing that,” said Rarity quickly. “We are begging you to have a heart, darling, and not frighten us. And furthermore we’re pleading with you to be merciful and not tease our beloved Trixie, submissive extraordinare.” She gulped. “Honestly, darling, I rather understand her plight. Thank heavens she came to me! Twilight Sparkle, you’ve become a walking fantasy figure and your capacities are more than we mortal unicorns should meddle with. Even I see the dark appeal of your enhanced, ah, performance. We can only implore you not to seduce dear Trixie into indiscretions so terribly dangerous.”

“It’s not,” protested Twilight, flapping distractedly.

“We can trust you implicitly, darling,” added Rarity in haste, “but can you trust her? Look at her! Sweet Celestia, Twilight, you know my history and even I find myself imagining what Trixie went through, with myself in her place! It is dangerous. What if she thought to have just a taste, what if she reserved a tiny drab of magic left over and opened the channel to take on what you put out?” Rarity trembled. “Dear Celestia, we would burn. We’d be just a few scraps of unicorn left over—a vagina, a hoof and a tail! It’s not proper. Please don’t tempt us with fantasies that should not be!”

“Nooo!” wailed Derpy, hugging Rarity. “I don’t want you to be just a vagina and hoof and a tail! I want all of your parts to stay!”

“That,” said Rarity bravely, “depends on whether Twilight will be merciful and promise to stay good.”

She stared down the alarmed alicorn. Twilight’s gaze narrowed.

“This is manipulative, even for you, Rarity.”

“The stakes are high, even for you, Twilight Sparkle,” replied Rarity.

Twilight’s gaze dropped. “Fine! I’m not stupid, I know what you’re asking. So, no more Trixiegasm for Twilight, huh? I can’t watch that, ever? It’s like the most beautiful thing. It IS the most beautiful thing.”

“You are, indeed, not stupid,” said Rarity. “We can have Trixie fountain magic for your pleasure, all you like. What you cannot do is watch this sight while holding back your own devastating magical issue.”

“When I say beautiful,” retorted Twilight, “I mean she’s the sexiest mare alive and she is my mate, and watching her come is my fetish. What do you say to that?”

Rarity gulped, shying away from Twilight’s intensity. “I would have to say, I’m terribly sorry. It’s just not safe. Must we beg more?”

Twilight hung her head. “No. I get it. Yeah, very observant. You know when I had her on the end of a dick squirting magic, she really did go bonkers for longer than I’d have believed possible… just thinking I would light. Her. Up.”

Trixie whimpered, dripping lube down the inside of her leg at the thought.

“Can you be good?” pressed Rarity.

“I think she’d tell you that was amazingly good.”

Rarity grimaced. “Can you be safe?”

“How many times do I have to say I will before you’ll believe me?” grumbled Twilight, her mood cratering.

“How many times do I have to say it before you’ll believe me?” said Fluttershy, sulking.

“Awww, flippylippy!” said Pinkie Pie.

“I mean it, Pinkie Pie. I’ve put it behind me. I am all yours and it hurts my feelings that you keep on bringing it up.”

“Well, it hurts my feelings when you’re bitchy and mad all the time!” squeaked Pinkie, tears coming to her eyes. She quivered, a bizarre series of tremors flitting through her body, and then sagged. “Sorry.”

Fluttershy’s jaw was set. “Maybe I would be happier if you believed in my love for you. I can’t possibly explain how much it means to me. You and dear Rock Candy are life itself to me and I have made my decision, and it breaks my heart that you can’t believe in my love. It’s all I have, and it is the most important fact in my life.”

“It’s not that,” grumbled Pinkie, her ear twitching. The Sense had been freaking out for at least a week, and she felt exhausted and ragged with bad nerves. “It’s just… if you could be more honest!”

Fluttershy gasped. “I DO love you! How can you doubt that? Why must you accuse me of…”

“Shut it, flutterbutter,” grumped Pinkie Pie, her eye twitching. “We both know I’m not talking about that.”

“What do you…” began Fluttershy, and froze. Pinkie had skewered her with a glance.

“I know your secret,” said the pink earth pony, with weary bitterness.

Her eyes widened, then, and kept going until they were bugged out in astonishment.

Fluttershy had gone chalk white. She couldn’t even breathe. She stared at Pinkie as if she’d turned into a particularly hideous monster, and the stark terror poured off her as their silence stretched out. Pinkie could see it, could feel the horrible crushing panic in her beloved mare, and for a moment she thought she’d killed the gentle pegasus with just four words. Fluttershy couldn’t even scream, she just stared, unable to blink…

“You,” accused Pinkie, “want to get GANG-BANGED.”

Fluttershy’s mouth dropped open. No sensible sounds came out, just a feeble croak of disbelief. Pinkie could tell her brain had just shorted out, bigtime.

“The jig’s up, honey,” said Pinkie. “Rarity told on you, and you’re busted. I believed her, too. You want to get pregnant again, from pretty much all the stallions we can get our hooves on. And you want it rough and rowdy and not nice at all.”

She gulped. “And you know what?”

Fluttershy looked stunned. She licked her lips with her cute little scrap of a tongue. “What?” she said.

“I’m pretty sure I can love that foal too,” said Pinkie Pie.

The reaction was worth the strain, worth that unexplained terror. Fluttershy stared and stared, her eyes so wide, her wings slowly rising as she registered what her beloved mate was telling her, why she was being told it—and who had contrived to have Pinkie Pie sitting there and suggesting a savage Flutter-fucking by a herd of wild stallions. It took ages. The most magical moment was when Fluttershy’s shocked, open mouth began to curve into a smile that grew madder and wilder and more full of glee and demented joy, and her eyes began to shine with a light that had been absent for weeks and months…

“Eeeee!” squealed Fluttershy. “Eeeeee! Pinkie, eeeeee!”

“C’mere,” said Pinkie Pie, and in an instant she was bowled over with ecstatic pegasus, her face snuggled feverishly in soft feathers. Fluttershy was beside herself with delight, unable to hold still. Pinkie wept unashamedly to see it.

“I have wanted to see you happy,” she managed, “for so long, lubbywubbysnugglesons…”

“I love you I love you I love you so much,” babbled Fluttershy. She squealed again. “I’m gonna have another foal! We are!”

“You totally are!” swore Pinkie. “For us! And you’re gonna have it your way. Rarity explained everything.”

Fluttershy batted her long, silky eyelashes. “Um, that’s okay. To bring new life is enough, really!”

“Nuh-uh,” insisted Pinkie. “I saw how you reacted. No, baby, this one’s for you. I’m not sure I can watch. I’d like to, for you, but it might put a damper on things. I don’t want you to have to settle.”

“Explain yourself, Pinkie Pie,” said Fluttershy. “With what you are offering, how can you claim I have to settle? You’re giving me permission to bear another foal.” She blushed happily, and snuggled up to Pinkie.

“You know, I think I’d like to,” said Pinkie. “Explain, I mean. You can tell me if I’m getting it wrong, and don’t be mad if it’s difficult for me. I’ve been thinking about this a lot. Hear me out.”

Fluttershy turned lush, adoring eyes upon her. “Go ahead, Pinkie. I’m listening. I will always listen to you.”

Pinkie wriggled around to direct an accusing gaze right back. “It seems like you should listen to yourself a little more, Fluttershy!”

“Of course not,” reproved the gentle pegasus. “Now tell me what you’ve been thinking.”

Pinkie took a deep breath, then glanced at her beloved. “You gotta forgive me if it sounds obnoxious! I’m trying my best to understand and I don’t know if I can make it sound nice. You’re nice—mostly—but to me this is kinda yucky.”

Fluttershy’s saintly demeanor was unruffled. “You could never be obnoxious, dear Pinkie Pie. Talk to me. Before Rock wakes up and interrupts us, or something else happens to distract you.”

“Right,” said Pinkie. She took another deep breath. “Straight mares are kind of insane!” She darted a nervous look at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy was unperturbed. “Go on, my love. How so?”

“Well, it just seems like that to me,” admitted Pinkie Pie. “It looks very much like straight mares want stallions to bite their butts and get all bossy and I’ve been trying to understand what’s so great about that, ‘cos it keeps happening and I’m a nice mare and it just seems crazy that they don’t want somepony who really truly cares about them and their feelings.”

Fluttershy regarded her gravely. “You don’t believe it’s only that, do you?”

Pinkie shook her head. “No! Because I know from you that it totally still matters, right? Straight mares really do need a friend. Somepony who really cares about them, who pays attention. It might even be somepony who is more important in certain ways than the sex-pony. You know what I mean? Like BFFs. There for the long haul. And then there’s the sexy ones, I mean sexy to you and not to me, who are just greedy hungry males and they don’t even care but there’s something that must be special about them too…”

The gentle pegasus’s gaze didn’t waver. “And what do you think that is, Pinkie Pie?”

Pinkie frowned in concentration. “They’re like sex-bringers. They’re super unconnected. But… well, a mare likes to build her home and care for her foals. And when it’s two mares like us, we’re always fussing over how to raise our foal, and what to do with the house, and I don’t know but isn’t it different with big strong dumb stallions who don’t understand such things?”

“Go on,” said Fluttershy encouragingly.

“What I mean is,” continued Pinkie in a rush, “it’s like you can connect to a big dumb stallion and feel the warmth of his sexual desire but then you turn around and he doesn’t need much from you. You get to define the way the relationship feels and it’s like you’re the boss of the caring stuff and he’s not telling you how to do it. You know? You put all of the caring and the loving part in, and it’s like your thing and your part of it, and he’s there giving you sex and lifting heavy things or whatever, but he’s not telling you how to love, he’s just telling you TO love. To love him. By having a lot of sex, mostly, and thinking he’s all great and wonderful. And since you feel good about being in a relationship and feeling it’s great and wonderful, it kind of works, even when he’s a dumb jerk, because you want the same things. You want to be a loving mare and he wants you to be a loving mare. And you’re not asking him to be loving because that’s not his job.”

“And what is his job?” suggested Fluttershy.

Pinkie sagged. “Um, that’s where you lose me. I still don’t see the point.”

“I’m surprised at you, Pinkie Pie,” said Fluttershy, “because you’re quite good at it yourself. Maybe it’s hard for you to see because you’re too similar?”

“Am not!” squeaked Pinkie. “I am not either similar to guy sex, my tongue is way better!”

She hesitated, as Fluttershy’s hoof had touched her lips to silence her.

“I receive,” said Fluttershy. “It’s very important. You keep talking about me wanting things, me being the boss of caring, and that tells me how difficult it is for you to understand. You keep asking me to have opinions and make choices, but haven’t you seen how pleased I am when you just take control? In bed you are continually doing it, yet you pester me for reactions and ask my permission.”

“Pester you?” wailed Pinkie. “It’s about being nice, and caring how you feel!”

Fluttershy looked amazingly grim for such a gentle pony. “I know, but now you come offering a rough stallion scene, and you want to give me the gift of that and the foals I’d conceive, and then you say you can’t watch. I am very sorry, but it’s time you understood what these things mean or your heart will be broken by it. That, or you’ll ruin my fun. And you can’t promise so much and then take it away again, that’s just not fair.”

Pinkie’s lip quivered. “I don’t want to ruin your fun. How can I love you so much, and give my whole life to you, and still we don’t understand each other?”

At that, Fluttershy winced. “You’re right. It’s one of THOSE conversations. I have no business inflicting them on you, and I should just be quiet and behave myself.”

She squeaked. Pinkie was shaking her.

“Tell me about this fun!” demanded the party pony. “This fun I can’t give! Except maybe I can, you said I’m good at it, what the heck are you talking about? Fluttershyyy!”

“Be quiet, you’ll wake Rock Candy!” protested Fluttershy. “Quiet! Listen. I should have explained this long ago.”

Pinkie’s heart was pounding. “Yes, you should. Cough it up, lovetunnel. What’s fun?”

Fluttershy cleared her throat. She held Pinkie’s gaze as she spoke.

“Being mastered. I told you you’re good at it, and then you stop and ask my permission or how it feels. I don’t want to be asked, Pinkie Pie. I want to be driven. My opinion shouldn’t matter. My place is standing like a real mare, totally submissive, and I am the fertile field that the stallions plow. I don’t have to ask if they are pleased because they don’t hold back. I can’t disappoint them or do things wrong if they are real stallions and prepared to take everything they want.”

She trembled, and her wings were stubbornly lifting, going more and more erect.

“I’ve never had a real stallion, not the way I imagine it,” continued Fluttershy. “I mean, physically I am not complaining, Big Macintosh in particular was very impressive, but I straddled him and that is not how it should go. It’s not right for me to loom above the stallion, lowering myself onto him like… like some predatory beast!” She shuddered eloquently. “No! The male should be the beast. Then I can be all mare for him. I should not even have to ask. I don’t WISH to ask.”

Pinkie was paler, but didn’t look away.

“If you can’t understand this,” said Fluttershy gravely, “then you should not watch. For once in my… for even just ONE TIME, Pinkie Pie, I want to give myself to a stallion or many stallions the way I imagine it. I want their teeth nipping my rump until I am completely unresisting. I want them to seize me and plunge into me without pausing to ask how I am feeling. I don’t want to feel! I want to surrender like I have never surrendered before, and I want them to use me like the filthy refuse I am, and leave me barely standing, my head drooping in exhaustion, my body completely saturated with their strong healthy pony semen. I don’t want to choose who is to impregnate me, I want all of them—better, I want the strongest and boldest to dominate all the others as well as me, and seize me and fill me with his come! And then drop me!”

Pinkie’s eyes were terribly wide, like she was bearing witness to unthinkable things. Fluttershy’s vehement, flashing eyes reflected in Pinkie’s wide, stunned ones.

Fluttershy was panting, fervent. “I want to be a cum dumpster, Pinkie Pie, the corrupt and lowly soil from which beautiful foals can grow, redeemed by the life I bring to the world, and I want to be tilled by the stallions ruthlessly, do you hear me? They’ll tear me apart! I want them ravaging me until I’m pouring come and blood… um, provided of course it doesn’t get in the way of me fulfilling my function, because it would be bad if they injured my womb and the foal didn’t take. I suppose they could do a lot of damage brutally ravaging me as long as my womb stayed unharmed…”

“You’re not filthy refuse,” mumbled Pinkie Pie.

“What?” said Fluttershy, taken aback.

“You’re…” began Pinkie, and then she began to weep, and Fluttershy frantically cuddled her in an agony of remorse.

“Oh, Pinkie!” cried Fluttershy. “I hurt you! I should not have trusted you with this. I will have to speak to Rarity, she has no business ferreting out private fantasies. It’s okay! I’ll never say mean things again, I promise!”

Pinkie sobbed, snuggled close to the wonderful softness of her dream mare, enfolded in fluffy yellow wings that wrapped her. She nuzzled the tender softnesses, feeling the flood of motherly compassion washing her. Nopony and nothing could comfort like Fluttershy: she had a mysterious and potent ability to soothe, perhaps akin in some way to her Stare. Pinkie had occasionally seen the Stare when one of Fluttershy’s animals got recalcitrant. Generally it was unnecessary, for Fluttershy’s pets were just as much in thrall to her as Pinkie herself was…

Pinkie shook her head.

“Fluttershy,” she said firmly, her eyes still running with tears. “Fluttershy, you are CRAZY! And you know what else you are?”

The gentle pegasus gasped, and tensed against her, again staring speechless.

“You’re the most outrageously straight mare I ever saw,” said Pinkie Pie, “and all your crazy is just like the way dumb straight mares are crazy. And I still love you forever, and I am gonna heal you… but do you really want all that rough stuff?”

“Yes,” said Fluttershy sulkily. “I told you that.”

“Is this how come some mares get with mean stallions and get pushed around by them and treated bad?”

“I can’t speak for m… other mares,” said Fluttershy. “Perhaps. It all makes very good sense to me and if you only knew… It makes better sense than you know. I’m not a pony to go around telling stallions how they should be. If they are brutal, it only goes to show that they are dominant and prepared to conquer, and I wish to be conquered.”

Pinkie wiped her tears. “Ripplecheeks, I’m not sure you can call it conquering. You never put up any sort of a fight.”

“Of course not,” said Fluttershy. “What would I be if I did such a thing as that? It wouldn’t be proper at all. Why would I even want to fight, if a real stallion decided to take me and plow me and make me his mare? I would like all stallions to do that. If there was such a thing as heaven for me, that would be it. They could fill me up and trample me under and I would be the fertile earth, bursting with life again. I mean, with foals!”

Pinkie’s ear twitched, then her eye. Tremors seemed to be flitting through her body, but she shook them off. “You’re definitely my crazy straight mare,” she said. “Look at you, wanting to be the pony earth mother. Or the earth pony mother?”

Fluttershy winced. “If only.”

“Aw!” said Pinkie. “I know you fell in love with the ground and try not to use your wings, but you’d really want to become an earth pony?”

A darkness had passed over Fluttershy’s face, but it subsided, to be replaced by her usual saintly demeanor. “Indeed I would, if they would have me. I adore you, and Rock, and of course all the burly rough stallions, and I would gladly be a pony. Earth pony,” she specified. Her gaze was luminous. “You are precious, wonderful creatures and I love you so much, I wish I could remain with the ground forever.”

“The way you said that feels like more crazy,” suggested Pinkie Pie, her ears perking forward.

Fluttershy pouted. “I’m only trying to explain why I love you so much.”

“And the crude earth pony stallions?” said Pinkie. She thought, making a face. “I think some of the farm ponies can be real crude. I don’t know if any of them are super big meanies like you wanted. I really wonder how much of that you need, and how much is just you being a crazy straight mare making up fantasies.”

Fluttershy pouted worse, adorably. “It’s not for me to need things. I’ll be fine.”

“You hush,” urged Pinkie. “I know you by now. Auntie Pinkie’s gonna think up something that can get your rocks off bigtime.”

“Really?” said Fluttershy in a small, winsome voice, peering from under her big lush eyelashes.

“I still have you, though?”

“I will never abandon you,” vowed Fluttershy. “My love is yours, forever.”

“Then Pinkie is gonna have to think of a very special sort of party,” said Pinkie Pie. “A Give Fluttershy Her Big Fetish party. Especially since you set me up with Cloud Chaser and those other pegasi! I have some catching up to do. And it’s going to be a real workout… but you know the first rule of being a party expert.”

“Don’t get silly string on the carpets?” suggested Fluttershy, stroking Pinkie with her wing.

“Nope!” said Pinkie. “You give ponies the party they want, not the party you would want. I learned that from my sister Maud, long ago, though it’s hard because I’m so great at the parties I would want! And Maud would be happy with me for making the effort with you.”

“I love you so much,” sighed Fluttershy. She hesitated, glancing sidelong at her mate, and added, “…you’d really let me have a bunch of stallions?”

“How many?” challenged Pinkie.

Fluttershy’s wings lifted. “Many. Unbathed. Sweaty. Can they be drunk, and rowdy?”

Pinkie scratched her chin with a hoof. “Dunno. Maybe I can get some of the Apples’ special cider?”

Fluttershy gave a jolt at the word ‘cider’, and a horrified look. “But not Rainbow Dash! I don’t want marepenises if I can get stallions with real seed and sweat and…”

She eeped, for Pinkie’d put a hoof to her lips.

“I get it, I get it,” winked the party pony. “Leave it to me. I don’t know if I can get them as greedy as you want them, though, even with cider.”

Fluttershy wriggled, flicking her tail. “Leave that to me,” she said, with a smug little smile.

“You crazy penis-slut,” snickered Pinkie. “Straightest of straight mares! You’re so straight you’re, like, incredibly twisted and crooked. What do you think of that?”

Fluttershy wriggled happily, nestling against Pinkie. “Mmm.”

“That sounded happy,” suggested Pinkie.

“Mmm.”

They cuddled for a while, and then Pinkie had a thought.

“Why were you THAT scared, Fluttershy?”

“Mmm?”

“It just seems like, when I told you I knew your secret…”

Fluttershy tensed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“About being GANGBANGED!” insisted Pinkie. “I thought you knew me well enough. I mean, it was kind of hard to explain, but you do remember how excited I get about you being pregnant, right? You should have known you could explain it that way.”

“I remember,” said Fluttershy guardedly.

“And since the secret is you wanting to be bred by whole teams of ponies, even if you want it kinda mean and rough, you should know I would be down with that, right? That I would give in and say yes, because you with foal is so special?”

“Uh-huh?”

“So what,” said Pinkie Pie, “is so pee-yourself go-white almost-faint terrifying about you wanting to get pregnant again?”

Fluttershy hesitated, not meeting Pinkie’s curious gaze.

“…nothing.”

Corral

Dawn broke lazily over Sweet Apple Acres.

It was about the only thing in sight that could be described as lazy.

“Git on there!” whooped Apple Bloom ebulliently, rearing and whacking trusty Oakback’s rump as he trotted toward the group of waiting farm workers. “Corral them critters so ah kin tell ‘em what we got for ‘em!”

Oakback laughed, obeying. “Happens you want Silver or Hollyhock for that, Boss Mare! Them two’s our best herders!”

“Yeah, well, you’re my straw boss!” cried Apple Bloom. “That’s your first job of the day, how fast kin ya do it? My ole Granny could rally ponies faster than that!”

“Your ole Granny kin kiss mah…” retorted Oakback playfully, and then yipped. Apple Bloom had bitten him on the rump.

Applejack, watching, snorted with laughter. “Don’t kill ‘em, Apple Bloom! Them ponies is delicate lil’ stallions, y’hear?”

Diamond Tiara, standing with her, giggled. Diamond had once lined up with the farm ponies for manual labor, but after romance kindled between her and Apple Bloom, she’d given herself the task of Sweet Apple Acres business manager, to Apple Bloom’s intense relief. Her work day was spent with papers and figures, but she always rose with the dawn to watch Apple Bloom put the farm ponies to work.

“Don’t bite him like that!” giggled Diamond Tiara. “I’ll get jealous!”

Apple Bloom smirked, wickedly. “Git on, Oakback! Move it! Or I’ll make ya my mare, and then dear lil’ Diamond will jes’ have to kill you!”

Oakback was grinning, but staying well clear of his fiery little Boss Mare. “Ah gittin’!” he said, and gathered the farmponies into an orderly line.

Sweetie Belle had also dropped by, and she watched in awe. “Oooh! That would be amazing. Really?”

Applejack snorted again. “Naw, of course not, Sweetie Belle. Hey, Apple Bloom! Lil’ dignity, how about? Business before pleasure.”

Apple Bloom glanced at her. “Thankee. Ah’ll manage, big sister. Nice mornin’?”

“Aw, sure,” replied Applejack, not pushing it. Her ears were laid back slightly. Applejack hadn’t ever really got used to losing the Boss Mare job, but it didn’t matter. Just as it had been when their mother Applesauce seized the reins from Granny Smith, the younger mare did not give an inch and ran the farm with complete authority, and the older, replaced Boss Mare went out to pasture to eat grass, still loved by the whole family but retired from the stresses of leadership whether she liked it or not.

Applejack wasn’t sure whether she liked it, but the sense of obligation she’d felt being the Boss had tested her nearly to destruction, and she found herself much happier with her little sister galloping around bossing the farm. It was just occasional situations that got her off balance and kicking up a fuss.

“Yeah,” said Applejack, “it is a nice mornin’, ain’t it?”

In spite of everything, her spirits lifted when her little sister beamed an approving smile at her and said, “Dang right it is!”

“Why, it’s the morningiest morning that ever morninged a morning!” chirped a shrill new voice, and Applejack did a double-take. Pinkie Pie had come to the farm bright and early. Behind her was Fluttershy, smiling and blushing. Big Macintosh, lined up with the other farm ponies, smiled warmly back at Fluttershy as Applejack addressed the new arrivals.

“Hi there, Pinkie. What’cha doin’?”

“Setting up a special kind of a party, that’s what?” replied Pinkie, with a little bounce. She seemed a little twitchier than usual, though it was hard to pin down exactly why.

“That’s nice,” replied Applejack. “How about y’all go and plan your party up at Sugarcube Corner or somethin’? My sister’s gettin’ the farm ponies to work.”

“Oh, no, I can’t do it there! It has to be here!” squeaked Pinkie.

The smile fell away from Applejack’s face, and her ears laid back, but as yet it was only in confusion. “Beg pardon, honey?”

“I need to get the farm ponies to work too!” said Pinkie, and Applejack boggled at her.

“Honey,” she whispered to Pinkie, “they ain’t yours to get. What do you mean work?”

“Well, it’s sort of like play. And sort of like fun, except not so much for me, but maybe for them? And Fluttershy. That’s why I came!”

“What?” said Applejack, at a loss.

“Well, you know I’m good at making pastries, and frosting cakes, and all those things, right?” said Pinkie brightly. “This time we need something else.”

“But you ain’t never come and asked us for farm labor before!”

“Labor, that’s good!” giggled Pinkie. Her eye twitched, alarmingly, and her grin seemed too wide.

Apple Bloom was cheerfully ignoring the lot of them, and addressing the farm workers. “Now, Snowy Hocks, I want you to go by the east fields and check on th’ banks of the new stream. Ah know we put in willow and there ain’t nothing stops erosion like a willow, but all the same I ain’t sure of it and you got th’ experience to know what’s what. Git help if you need the movin’ of big rocks, you’re old an’ weak and I don’t want you strainin’ nothin.”

Snowy nodded, making a face. His ear flicked over, listening also to Pinkie’s conversation.

Applejack whispered to Pinkie, “Kin you come back at another time? They can’t be frostin’ no cakes for you right now.”

“I bet they could come up with a certain kind of batter!” chirped Pinkie, to a perplexed look from Applejack and a deeper blush from Fluttershy.

Dursaa, the zebra farm worker, frowned with dignity at Pinkie, his ears laying back slightly as if he sensed impropriety from her remarks.

“Dursaa? DURSAA!” squeaked Apple Bloom, and he looked back at her, startled. She continued, “You go with Snowy, you’re one massive hunk of pony and I reckon you could lift th’ heaviest rocks, ain’t that right?”

“For Apple Bloom, I’ll lift all rocks most high,” he said. “At least I’ll give the task a ‘good ole try’?”

Apple Bloom smiled at him. “There y’are, you kin talk like a farm pony when you set your mind to it! You go ahead.”

“No, wait!” squeaked Pinkie, and all the farm workers’ eyes went wide. She was looking right at them, obviously talking to them and expecting to be heard, and yet she seemed to have no comprehension of what she’d just done. Applejack’s jaw dropped, as she registered what had just happened. She watched as her little sister froze in place for just a moment. It wasn’t a good moment. It might have been a moment of the Boss Mare’s authority slipping, in front of everypony, as if for an instant she was just a filly with no business bossing a herd of burly stallions, and she looked very small in front of them all… and then, the shadow seemed to pass, like the sun coming out from behind a cloud.

Slowly, Apple Bloom turned. “Scuse me. Seems there ain’t but one pony on this property who’s allowed ta say ‘No wait’, an’ who could that be? Why, I guess that’s me! Pinkie Pie, what are you talkin’ about? Go on, Snowy, Dursaa, move out…”

“Please!” wailed Pinkie, and Apple Bloom hesitated. Pinkie and Fluttershy suddenly looked upset, as if something important had gone all wrong. They weren’t alone: the row of stallions shifted their hooves, unsettled.

“Hold on, Snowy, Dursaa,” said Apple Bloom, and the two farm workers stopped in mid-departure, looking back at their Boss uncertainly. “Now then. Pinkie Pie, this had better be good. What is it?”

Pinkie rallied, bouncing off her hooves in renewed enthusiasm. “It is good! It’s the very best thing, take it from me! I need to speak to all of the farm workers. It’s super great that you have them lined up like this because it saves time!”

“Time’s a-wastin’,” snapped Apple Bloom with a toss of her mane. “Spit it out! What’s on yer mind?”

Pinkie cleared her throat. “Fluttershy has something for you. We would like to invite you to a very special sort of party that we think you will totally just love. And I do mean love!”

Fluttershy, blushing, clouted Pinkie with her noticeably erect and stiffened wing.

“Oh,” said Pinkie. “I mean… It’s not exactly about love, the way I understand it. But you’ll have a lot of fun!”

Big Macintosh’s eyes were wide… and so was Knothole’s. He, along with Big Macintosh, had at one time enjoyed Fluttershy’s sweet pegasus favors, and he now stared and blushed, recognizing the way she held her wings, the way she peered from under her lustrous eyelashes and impossibly silky mane. Snowy’s eyes, by contrast, narrowed. He sniffed the air. Then, his eyes widened with the others.

“Ah ain’t sure ah believe what ah’m hearin’…” breathed Applejack. Her eyes had gone the other direction, narrowing more and more. As she worked out what Pinkie was talking about, a disapproving scowl had begun to sneak onto her face. “You want what? It’s not about what? Did I hear you correctly? Am I readin’ too much into that?”

That got her a hurt look from Fluttershy. “I’m not asking you! It’s no concern of yours. Please, be kind.”

“Kind?” retorted Applejack. “Define ‘kind!’”

“Kind is what I’d like to see from you, Applejack,” said Fluttershy, and blushed worse. “But there are other ways to be. Stay out of this, okay? Don’t ruin it, please!”

Sweetie Belle, standing by Diamond Tiara, watched entranced. She squeaked, “I bet I know how this is going to go!”

Diamond glanced at her, then back at Fluttershy–and at Knothole, for good measure. “Hmmmm…”

Apple Bloom was stamping a forehoof impatiently. “Quit dallyin’! What exactly do you need, Pinkie Pie? We got to get to work!”

“Oh!” said Pinkie. She twitched again, horribly, and her smile was uncommonly worrying, more like gritted teeth and grimaces. “You’re all invited to a have-sex-with-Fluttershy party! All the boys, I mean stallions. You’re guaranteed a wonderful time. When can we expect all of you?”

Dursaa’s jaw dropped. “Strangest of calls. What do you mean ALL?”

Pinkie Pie gulped, and didn’t answer. The words seemed to stick in her throat. When she didn’t reply, Fluttershy spoke up.

“I would like all of you to come and screw me absolutely senseless,” she said, “…if that’s okay.”

Applejack’s eyes bugged out in disbelief. “You gotta be shittin’ me.”

Fluttershy shot her a sulky, resentful glance. “Don’t judge me. I have needs, Applejack.”

Big Macintosh had begun to beam a big proud happy smile. Dursaa glared, but Big Macintosh didn’t let that stop him. “Take it from me, gentleponies, you won’t be sorry. Ah am an expert stud pony and this lil’ darling is a real treat.”

Dursaa’s nostrils flared, his eyes flashed. “This Zebra cannot fault the way you do farm work. But you’re unchivalrous… and you’re an EXPERT J—”

“MISTER Dursaa!” snapped Apple Bloom sharply, and he froze as his little Boss Mare ambled over to face him, with ostentatious casualness.

“We’ve talked before, Mister Dursaa,” said Apple Bloom, scuffing the dirt with a forehoof and seemingly uninterested.

He nodded, nervously.

“Ain’t we?” demanded Apple Bloom.

“I’m asked to please not whine or moan, when their farm ways are not my own,” said Dursaa.

“That’s right,” said Apple Bloom mildly. “Happens Fluttershy and Pinkie got help from our Big Macintosh when it come foalin’ time. Not only that, the Princess Luna herself asked him to stand at stud. My brother’s real proud of himself, and he should be, on account of he is one fine stud-pony.”

Dursaa opened his mouth to protest, but Apple Bloom wasn’t finished. Her voice gradually built from quiet to vehement as she went on, arguing and not letting him interrupt her until she was ready to give him leave to reply.

“An’ before you say somethin’, Mister Dursaa, this is Ponyville and what’s more this is Sweet Apple Acres. I ain’t sure quite how y’all zebras do things, but in these parts, it’s okay for a mare to git hot for stallion lovin’, and it’s okay for th’ stallion to think she is a real treat. Which I bet you our Fluttershy is, jes’ look at her! You weren’t around for when she took up modelin’, were ya? Why, I bet you that all the stallions from Ponyville all the way to Fillydelphia would like to lovingly hop on that perty tail and git busy! Ain’t that the truth? Admit it!”

Dursaa was blushing, looking angry. “That I don’t doubt in any way. It’s not the cause of my dismay.”

“Well, seems like you don’t think she’s allowed to run with it!” retorted Apple Bloom.

Dursaa bit his lip, fretfully. His ears were back, but he didn’t speak.

“Dammit, Mister Dursaa,” said Apple Bloom, “you can’t come onto this farm and expect us to obey zebra culture. I got you, sure enough, that must be th’ problem! You don’t believe it’s right for Fluttershy to be settin’ up a nice evening with th’ boys. I begs ta differ, Mister Dursaa. Fluttershy! You and Pinkie run along now, but you got my permission to set up sweet sweet lovin’s with whichever farm ponies you please, long’s they don’t miss work. Boys! This here’s one of the loveliest pegasuses in town, y’all wash behind your ears an’ be on your best behavior. Make me proud of you!”

Fluttershy pouted, directing a resentful look at Apple Bloom. She hesitated, and then worked up the courage to object, perhaps because it hadn’t been that many years since she’d rescued Apple Bloom and her two friends from a deadly cockatrice, and even fought off the thing’s petrifaction attack. She took a breath.

“No, don’t have them do that, please. I don’t want them that way.”

“What?” blinked Apple Bloom.

“I don’t want them that way,” persisted Fluttershy. “I don’t!” She flicked her tail, and all farm pony eyes were directed to it as if by magic. “Let them come to me from working the fields. Dirty.”

“Huh?” said Apple Bloom. “Dirty, ya say?”

“Sweaty,” explained Fluttershy. Her wings were sticking up and beginning to ruffle and fold at the coverts; her blush was outrageous.

Diamond Tiara grinned with glee. Beside her, Sweetie Belle panted, eyes shining.

“Sweaty? Really?” squeaked Apple Bloom, taken aback.

“And can I have them,” said Fluttershy and licked her lips, “…rowdy?” Her ears were laid back, hard, as she awaited her permission.

Apple Bloom stared.

“Also, we need to get them all drunk on cider!” said Pinkie Pie.

Snowy Hocks was staring at Fluttershy like he’d never seen her before, devouring her with his eyes as if afraid she would disappear if he blinked. Big Macintosh looked a bit frightened. Knothole’s jaw was dangling, as was Oakback’s. Silver and Hollyhock grinned like madponies. Dursaa was gritting his teeth, his eyes shut.

“What?” said Applejack, flatly.

“Let me talk to you for a moment, love!” said Diamond Tiara urgently, trotting forward to pull aside the gawking Apple Bloom.

“Hold that thought!” ordered Apple Bloom, and zipped over to confer with Diamond and Sweetie—and the full-grown horses all stood, captivated by the situation, obeying their Boss Mare but on the verge of various reactions. For some of them, the reactions wouldn’t wait. Snowy, Hollyhock and Knothole had dropped formidable erections, but they didn’t budge without orders.

Diamond Tiara whispered, “Let them! I know that pony. I tortured her once by accusing her of wanting this sort of debauchery, and it wasn’t fair of me. If she’s mare enough to come here and demand it, you should let her, I think I owe her that. I say yes!”

“Oh my gosh,” squeaked Sweetie, “can I watch? Are they going to do it right now? Except they’re not sweaty yet because they haven’t worked. Sometimes after Scootaloo does flying practice I have her stallioning me, and she’s so excitingly rowdy! I totally understand! Eeeee!”

“NOT now!” hissed Apple Bloom. “All right, I guess so. Ya think you know a pony, huh? Not now! On their own time, dammit!”

She turned to face her workers. “First of all, I respect your feelin’s, gents, but not right now. You’re workin’, so them dicks can just flap in the breeze today. You may arrange your dirty sweaty fuckin’ later, when you are OFF WORK, got that?”

“And rowdy,” added Fluttershy, trembling. A little wet noise greeted the air as she winked.

“That’s your problem, missy,” said Apple Bloom.

Applejack was frowning even worse than her sister. “Now hole on a second. What do you mean, rowdy?”

“And drunk!” chirped Pinkie Pie, grinning a rictus grin that looked less than comfortable.

Applejack turned to confront her. “Now see here! I ain’t no dumb horse. What are you fixin’ to do with our nice boys? An’ my brother, I might add!”

Fluttershy stomped a forehoof. She was shaking with desire now, because the farm ponies were staring at her like she was their dinner and they’d starved for a week. Pinned in their hungry gaze, she faced Applejack and cried, “He might be your brother, but I’ve had him once, Applejack! Maybe he needs to get loose of your apron strings, did you ever think about that?”

“Ah AIN’T his MOTHER!”

“Might as well be!” hissed Fluttershy, wings erect and quivering. “Let him be a real stallion for once!”

Big Macintosh protested, “Ah am a real stallion! Ah’m a proper stud muffin, ah am!”

He froze, for Fluttershy had shot a sharp and judgemental glance at him.

“Prove it,” she said. “Take me like a REAL stallion. Not lying on your back taking orders from Pinkie Pie!”

“Whoa, WHOA!” yelled Apple Bloom, sweating, glaring. “Ah will kick your ass off of this farm, missy, you sit tight.”

“I am tight,” blurted Fluttershy. “For REAL stallions.”

“WHOA!” repeated Apple Bloom. “Lay th’ fuck off! Ah ain’t no dumb horse either. I think you should leave now, Fluttershy. But before you do, and Celestia help you when you have your lil’ party is all Ah kin say, how about I just point out one little thing for my dear sister here?”

She turned to face Applejack. “I get that you ain’t comfortable, Sis. But see here: this crazy pegasus mare has come here with who? That’s Pinkie Pie. Not only that, Pinkie Pie’s a proper celebrater of marehoods from what I understand, and she’s involved in this. Ah suggest you trust them maybe a lil’ teeny bit. Even if they get drunk an’ excited, Pinkie Pie would never let Fluttershy come to harm.”

Pinkie gulped.

“Actually, I’m just helping to set up the party. I really don’t think I can take this so I’m gonna go hide with Rock until it’s over. But I promise I’ll love the foal just as much as if it wasn’t from Fluttershy getting brutally gangbanged.”

Snowy’s eyes went really wide. So did Hollyhock’s, Oakback’s, and Big Macintosh’s… and Big Macintosh bared his teeth, looking insulted and angry, and his erection had gone stiff and huge again. His eyes hadn’t left Fluttershy’s since she’d challenged him.

Sweetie Belle squealed in delight, bouncing off all four hooves, a little squirt of magic popping out of her horn just imagining what seemed about to happen, right then, right there.

“NO!” screamed Applejack, in a rage, and the line of erect farm ponies broke and cringed back as she ran forward and interposed her body between them and the quivering Fluttershy.

They cowered as Applejack stamped a forehoof and yelled, “What the HAY is the matter with you? You’re gonna be good boys, dammit! No way, just forget it! Don’t you touch that silly mare, put them dicks away, ah FORBIDS it and you should be ASHAMED of…”

They weren’t staring at her. They were staring behind her.

Applejack’s eyes went wide, and she slowly began to turn her head.

Small hooves leaped onto her back, and before she could rear or turn, Apple Bloom had run right over her and kicked her fiercely in the head, knocking her hat off.

“Aaah!” cried Applejack, “what was that f…”

Another ringing blow bashed her skull, and Applejack squealed and hit the dirt, grabbing her hat and covering her head with it.

She peered under the brim, and Apple Bloom’s enraged eyes were inches from hers.

“Why did you say no?” said Apple Bloom, very very quietly.

Applejack gulped. “Uhh, ‘cos…”

“Stop. You’re not getting it. I understand how you felt,” said Apple Bloom, still with that dangerous quiet. “We kin talk about that some other time, sister. Your softer feelin’s are your business. Ah asked, why did you say no to MY boys?”

Applejack’s lip quivered. She said nothing. Apple Bloom hadn’t even blinked.

“It wasn’t,” said Apple Bloom, “because you thought they was YOUR boys or somethin’? Ah don’t suppose you thought for a fool-headed moment that it was your farm and you were the one givin’ the orders, or somethin’?”

Applejack glanced hastily at the farm ponies, lined up behind Apple Bloom. She saw no rebelliousness in them. There was distress, but in the dominance battle between the mares, they were used to answering to Apple Bloom and had been for months. They’d lined back up the way Apple Bloom had told them, and Applejack was pressed against the ground, between them and Fluttershy, who didn’t wish her protection in the least. Applejack lay in the dirt. She’d fucked up and the Boss Mare was not happy, not at all.

“Go back over where you were standing,” said Apple Bloom. “Ah love you but Ah will not have this. Like HELL I will. Go back over there before I knock off your perty hat and eat it.”

Applejack scrambled to her hooves, and rushed back to the sidelines, panting. She trembled, distressed and excited in a disturbing way, for she’d always had a weakness for being stallioned by Rainbow Dash, and Apple Bloom had gone at her savagely and compelled her to submit.

Apple Bloom faced Fluttershy, undaunted.

“I believe my sister has sealed your dang fate, missy. Enjoy,” said Apple Bloom. “You may not come around here distractin’ us again. The boys will find you when their work is done an’ you can make your own arrangements then. It’s your funeral.”

“Oh, no,” said Fluttershy, “I never got a…”

“Shut up,” ordered Apple Bloom, and Fluttershy did.

Apple Bloom turned to face the line of stallions, whose erections were drooping and subsiding due to the conflict… except Snowy’s and Big Macintosh’s, for some reason. He stood as obediently as the rest, however. “Y’all boys are free to do as you wish, on your own time. You gotta go over to Fluttershy’s place, you cannot do that shit here. And, if Ah hear of you mistreatin’ any less foolish fillies than this one, Ah will end you, believe it… but it looks like Miss Fluttershy’s got her own ideas of how stallions should be. I’m sure our fine stallions kin meet any expectations of weaker, lesser mares that like bein’ weak and less than a stallion, which is their business an’ no concern of mine. I am ALSO sure that such foolishness on their part won’t give you no crazy ideas about who runs THIS farm. Got that?”

She glared at them. They nodded, cowed by the force of her personality. She turned to face Applejack.

“Ah tole ‘em they gotta go over by Fluttershy’s place, an’ that’s the only concession you’re gonna get. You don’t gotta watch. In fact, I forbid you to watch: whenever they do this crazy thing, you gotta stay home. You’re not gonna talk ‘em out of it, either. Firstly, because I kin see them boys is itchin’ to play rough, and secondly because you ain’t Fluttershy’s mom neither. You may not act that way toward Fluttershy. She is a grown mare and she is allowed to get her ass wrecked by my boys if she wants it so dang badly. They can pick whatever time they like.”

Applejack’s lip quivered. Plainly, she was filled with distress over the turn of events, but she didn’t argue, didn’t want to look at Fluttershy. “One condition,” she said meekly.

“Like hell,” retorted Apple Bloom. She turned to the line of farm ponies. “Tuesday. Y’all will go out to Fluttershy’s next Tuesday night. Meet her behind her house when th’ moon is high. You got that, Fluttershy? Be there. Pinkie Pie, you’ll be hiding under your bed. Good thing, too!”

“No, I mean…” stammered Applejack.

“Ain’t no conditions, sister!” snapped Apple Bloom. She turned to the farm hands. “An’ don’t bathe, and give her hell! She so obviously wants it.”

Fluttershy whimpered with delight, wobbling on her hooves. Applejack gulped.

“Din’t mean that. Boss. Jes’ one little thing if you would be so kind?”

“What, then?”

Applejack gulped again. “Don’t tell Rainbow Dash.”

“Don’t tell me what?” squeaked Dash, swooping down out of the sky with amazing speed and landing lightly before them. “Hi, Fluttershy, Pinkie! Whoa, Big Macintosh, nice hard-on! What’s the occasion?”

Apple Bloom boggled for a second. Loudly, she demanded of the sky and surrounding trees, “Any OTHER ponies feel like they need to drop in?”

“Sorry,” came a new voice. All heads turned to see a small, ice-blue form trudging by on the road. It was Chaos, the petite alicorn true form of Discord, and her head hung low and forlorn. She was walking in the direction of Appleloosa, from Canterlot, with slow unwilling steps.

Behind her, a short earth pony followed, his ears perked forward and an expression of dim unhappiness on his simple face. He only had eyes for Chaos, and he paid no more attention to the crowd than she did. Chaos just moped along, and Crowbar tirelessly and faithfully followed, accompanying her until the two were out of sight.

Dash blinked.

“So… don’t tell me what? C’mon, Boss!”

Apple Bloom stamped a hoof. “Ain’t but one Boss in these parts, Rainbow!”

“Yeah yeah, I know,” said Dash, and trotted forward to nuzzle against Applejack affectionately. “I only meant Boss of my heart.”

Applejack’s head was held high, though her eyes were tragic. “Fluttershy is gonna misbehave with our farm ponies, Rainbow. You may not watch.”

Rainbow’s wings poinged up instantly. “What, all of them? Really? Pinkie, is that true? How’d she talk you into THAT?”

“I can’t bear to watch either,” said Pinkie, “but yes. We really are having another foal. But this time, we’re doing it Fluttershy’s way. Which is, um, not so very nice but she seems to like it.”

Fluttershy moaned, wobbling again, and all the stallion eyes stayed glued to her sensuous form.

Rainbow Dash’s wings hit even greater excesses of ‘pomf’. “Whoa! Fluttershy, you have incredible reserves of awesomeness. Where do you even get all that awesome? Holy crap!”

“Dashie!” begged Applejack. “You may not be part of this! Please?”

Fluttershy shook herself. “Actually, I don’t wish you, Rainbow, or any mare with a bit. It is for real stallions only. Real, sweaty stallions. Sweaty, drunk, rowdy, forceful…”

“Shut up some more, you,” ordered Apple Bloom. “Ah have SPOKEN! Farm boys, I have told you when you may hop on th’ pretty pegasus. Meet her behind her house next Tuesday night when th’ moon is high. NOT here or Ah will ruin you! ALL chores must be done, ALL week, or deal’s off! And if you think you’re beggin’ off work the next mornin’ due to hangover…”

“Yes’m!” said Snowy Hocks hastily, with unaccustomed deference. He turned, frantically whispering to Fern Gully, “Don’t fuck this up for me, just nod and say yes…”

Dursaa rumbled, “As much as I honor your leaderly might, this zebra might tell you these plans ‘just ain’t right’…”

“You’re excused,” retorted Apple Bloom. “If you don’t want to fuck Fluttershy, you stay home. Ain’t nopony else complaining! You’re missin’ out, buddy, but suit yourself.”

Dursaa bit his lip, but didn’t reply. His dark mood had clearly worsened.

Apple Bloom turned to her sister. “Applejack, you stay home. Rainbow Dash, you are with Applejack! Got it?”

Dash flapped agitatedly. “But…”

“Tuesday night you stay with Applejack! You be with her the whole night an’ don’t leave her side! Ah have SPOKEN!”

Dash looked resentful, then blinked. A brief and radiant smile crossed her little face, and she nuzzled her beloved. “Yeah! I won’t leave Applejack’s side, all night. Or she won’t leave MY side. Totally. I promise that is exactly how it will be.”

Applejack laid her ears back. She cringed, as she took in Rainbow Dash’s most resolutely innocent look. She made no protest, having already gone up against one mare and crumbled. Rainbow kissed her, reassuringly.

“Aw, lordy,” sighed Applejack, but she kissed Rainbow back all the same.

“Git on, Fluttershy an’ Pinkie!” whooped Apple Bloom, charging them, and they scattered with girly squeaks. Apple Bloom turned around triumphantly, and galloped at her farm workers. “Git on, you fellas! Wasted too much time already!” Then she reared, kicking the air, and charged Applejack and Rainbow. “An’ you too! An’ you, Sweetie! Hyah!”

In a flurry of colorful equine scampering, all the ponies rushed off to their respective places, leaving Apple Bloom standing alone in the middle of the farmyard, with only one pony remaining… Diamond Tiara.

“You didn’t say get on, Diamond,” she said, meekly.

“Naw,” panted Apple Bloom. “Course not.”

“I have my work to get back to,” said Diamond, “and I’ll go attend to it as soon as you like.”

“Ah know you will,” said Apple Bloom.

Diamond dropped her gaze, scuffing the dirt with a forehoof, bashful. “Did you want anything?”

Apple Bloom panted more, took a deep breath to ward off the shakes, and looked her mate in the eye.

“Gimme a kiss, darlin’. That was somethin’ else!”

Diamond Tiara stepped demurely forward, and then all at once she reared and seized Apple Bloom in a mad passionate hug, and they kissed, Diamond’s lips parting, tongue feveredly exploring Apple Bloom’s adored mouth, and Diamond poured all of her fierce passion into bathing her brave little stallion-girl with love and devotion.

They parted, Diamond’s eyes shining, Apple Bloom’s head held high and proud.

“Thankee,” said Apple Bloom. “Ah needed that. Oughta hold me for a while.”

“I want you so fucking bad right now,” breathed Diamond Tiara. “I want you to ‘get on Diamond’.”

“Of course you do, darlin’,” grinned Apple Bloom.

“I love you!”

“Ah’m all yours, babe.”

Diamond Tiara gave a happy sigh, drinking in the sight of her very own Boss Mare.

“Now… git!” crooned Apple Bloom, but gently. “Off to your numbers, sweetheart.”

She swatted Diamond’s rump, and turned, charging boldly off without a backward glance, certain that her elegant lover would follow her directions.

Diamond trotted a few paces, then turned to watch Apple Bloom galloping off into the fields. Her eyes glowed with open adoration. Nopony, she thought, ever had a more wonderful, forceful stallion. Odd that it was a young mare like herself, but that just lent a piquant twist to things.

Diamond heaved a happy sigh, turned and trotted into the house, to the private office she’d made, to devote her attention to working up a cash flow projection for Appleloosan zap-apple sales taking into account the cost of shipping them from the Fillydelphia warehouse…

…after just a bit of SERIOUS masturbating.

Light And Shadow

“Cloudie!” wailed Pinkie Pie.

“Shush,” said Cloud Chaser, swooping down upon Pinkie, who reared and reached up into the sky, hopping and waving her forelegs. With a fluffy thump, Cloud Chaser seized her little lesbian and carried her up into the air with a mad flapping of violet wings, only to descend panting to the waiting ground once more.

Pinkie was a solid chunk of earth pony, thought Chaser. A solid, enthusiastic, ebullient chunk of delicious earth pony… but there were things that took precedence over horniness, even pegasus horniness. Though she was eager to get busy with her groundpounding lover, she sat back on her haunches and studied Pinkie, whose lip quivered in urgent distress.

“Don’t tell me,” sighed Cloud Chaser. “Your straight-mare sweetie, again?”

Pinkie couldn’t even be angry, or offended. She just nodded, woefully.

“C’mere,” said Chaser, and within a moment she was snuggling Pinkie Pie and enfolding her in earnest, warm wings, heedless of who might be watching. Cloud Chaser gave less than a single damn about pegasus proprieties when there was someone she loved in distress, and she knew Pinkie didn’t share the sensitivity about wing displays typical to Ponyville pegasi, and there really was no better way to comfort, she thought. It did tend to really get a pegasus going, but there would be time to deal with that later.

“Come on inside,” she said. “We’ll go up to your apartment. Talk it out. Come on, baby.”

“Help me smile?” asked Pinkie. “Until we’re private?” She tried to smile, and half-succeeded, and it wrung Chaser’s heart.

“I love you and we’re gonna work this out,” vowed Cloud Chaser, gazing deeply into Pinkie’s innocent eyes, and then the smile was real enough to last for a minute or more.

“Yeah you do,” said Pinkie, and the two headed into Sugarcube Corner, Chaser’s wings still fondling Pinkie’s body furtively.

Mr. Cake looked up. “Oh! Hello there, young Cloud Chaser! It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“Oh, yes!” said Mrs. Cake. “Can we get you anything?” She winked at her husband.

“I think I’m fine,” said Cloud Chaser, giving the confectionery couple a big bold smile.

“You’re sure?” said Mr. Cake. “We’ve got some terrific fudge today. Top notch!”

“That’s okay.”

“Apple pie?” suggested Mrs. Cake. “We’ve just had a delivery from Apple Bloom. Their Honeycrisps are better than ever this year! That’s a kind of apple, dear, the recipe doesn’t include honey for it might overwhelm the delicate flavors…”

Cloud Chaser smiled. “I’m not a pie girl. Not THAT kind of pie, anyway!” She winked.

Mr. Cake exchanged a glance with his wife.

“Wedding cake?” he suggested, as Mrs. Cake tilted her head coyly to the side and stared at the two mares.

It was Pinkie and Cloud Chaser’s turn to exchange a startled glance.

“Uhhhh…” said Chaser. “What, right now?”

“Oh, no no,” said Mrs. Cake. “Goodness, no. But we would be honored so very deeply to do the catering, dear. For personal reasons! But I don’t have to tell you about that.”

“We insist, in fact,” said Mr. Cake firmly. “For our Pinkie? Nothing but the best.”

Pinkie’s jaw was dangling. She reeled it in. “Mr. and Mrs. Cake?”

“Yes, dear?”

“What are you DOING, talking to us that way?” squeaked Pinkie. “Out of the blue like that?! Huh?”

Mr. Cake scratched his head, and looked at his wife. “Fair question. What’s this we’re doing, Cup, would you say?”

Mrs. Cake smiled beatifically. “I would say we are—approving.” She blew the two young lovers a kiss.

Cloud Chaser was blushing, which was a sight no pegasus had ever seen. No debauchery had ever been known to make her blush, but the sudden exposure of her deeper feelings had caught her off guard, and left her speechless.

Pinkie wasn’t. “But… but Mr. and Mrs. Cake! I’ve been with Fluttershy for, for ages and you never acted this way!”

Simultaneously, the glowing smiles of the older ponies lost a bit of glow.

“Well…” said Mrs. Cake hesitantly.

“You see…” began Mr. Cake. “As much as she is a fine figure of a pony, very sweet, good with foals…”

“What?” squeaked Pinkie, alarmed.

Mrs. Cake looked her right in the eye. “Well, she’s not like our Pinkie Pie, is she? Not… where it counts.”

For a moment, Cloud Chaser thought they were talking about pegasi versus earth ponies, but just for a moment.

Pinkie’s jaw dropped again, and she reeled it in.

“Did EVERYPONY know Fluttershy was a too-straighty straight overly-mc-straightersons except me?!”

“Oh, Pinkie,” sighed Mrs. Cake, indulgently.

“She can’t help it,” added Mr. Cake loyally. “Don’t take it personal, Pinkie honey. We couldn’t rush you. We knew you’d come around.”

Pinkie glanced frantically back and forth between them. “But…”

“Hey!” urged Cloud Chaser. “Weren’t we on our way somewhere? To talk about something?”

Tactfully, Mr. Cake turned back to his frosting. Mrs. Cake called, “Yes, do that, Cloud Chaser, dear! Our Pinkie is in good hooves. Er, wings. Off you go now! I’m sure that’s what you’re going to do.”

Cloud Chaser turned. “Hey, I wasn’t being suggestive, okay? Even if I usually am. I mean, we literally were going to go talk…”

She trailed off, for Mrs. Cake was giving her a very knowing, wise look.

“Yes, you are, dear. Perhaps not only that, but I saw our Pinkie and how she was feeling, and we know you will take care of her first. That is why we are so honored to take care of YOU when a certain happy event transpires. Go talk, dear, we could tell she felt better as soon as she saw you. And nothing, nothing could make us happier.”

Mr. Cake nodded solemnly. Cloud Chaser met their gazes, and gave a little nod of her own.

“Got it,” she said, and trotted up the stairs with Pinkie Pie to Pinkie’s apartment.

“Oh, Cloudie!” quavered Pinkie.

“Hold it,” ordered Cloud Chaser. “I need you to tell me what’s going on. I know you’d like to be distracted, but it might be important. Out with it!”

Pinkie stuck out her tongue. “Phoo! I was going to anyway. What am I, a little filly?”

“You’re my little filly,” teased Cloud Chaser, “and what’s more it all started when we were both little fillies, didn’t it? No stalling, now. I’m here for you.”

The pink pony’s lip quivered. “Well, I don’t want to be just a dumb silly-filly, all innocent except for having lots of sex of course. I mean, I used to want that, but then things started to hurt. I can’t believe the Cakes said that stuff!”

“What, about a wedding?” laughed Cloud Chaser. “Maybe they should. You’d still let me play, right? I do know who I want most, and it’s not that crazy an idea, me having a wedding. It might seem like it. Weather Patrol will all faint dead away, I know that.”

“No!” squeaked Pinkie. “It’s about F… Fluttershy…”

Cloud Chaser raised a wing, and Pinkie snuggled up against her very naturally and easily, enfolded again by violet feathers.

“Do you remember when we talked about getting Fluttershy laid?” said Pinkie.

“Yeah. It was like pulling teeth, or primaries,” said Chaser, wincing. “It’s hard to get that one to admit what she really wants, and she sulks and expects you to just know. Did she go through with it? I bet she got cold hooves and clammed up and said ‘that’s okay’ and now she’s sulking again.”

“Maybe it would be better if she had,” said Pinkie quietly.

Cloud Chaser turned her head to give Pinkie a better look. “Oh, really? That sounds ominous. What did she do instead?”

“That’s the thing,” said Pinkie. “It’s partly my fault, I went along with it. And now I’m scared of next Tuesday. It’s not just me. My Sense is freaking out in ways I’ve never even seen before!”

“Steady, babe,” said Chaser. “It is not either your fault. So—what isn’t your fault, exactly? You didn’t tell me yet, and I’m not gonna wait until Tuesday.”

“We got Fluttershy a gang-bang,” admitted Pinkie. “It’s for next Tuesday when the moon is high. Apple Bloom said so.”

“Uhhh… we might have a language problem here. You don’t schedule a gang-bang. What you’re talking about is group sex, babe.”

“No!” squeaked Pinkie. “I saw them! The things Fluttershy said to them, it’s gonna be a gang-bang and I just can’t stand it!”

“What?”

Pinkie sniffled. “My Flutterbuttersnugglewubbies goaded on the stallions. She said Big Macintosh wasn’t a real stallion, and he looked so angry! Some of the other farm ponies were staring at her in this awful way, like she was just a thing for them to take. It’s like she wanted them to hurt her. She was so mean, it’s like mean Fluttershy needed to get laid in a mean way and it didn’t matter what happened to nice Fluttershy anymore!”

Cloud Chaser was silent for a moment. Then she said, “Maybe ‘mean Fluttershy’ did. There’s a mean Fluttershy? It sounds impossible. I know nice Fluttershy has some hidden strengths, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call that ‘mean Fluttershy’.”

Pinkie gave a bitter little halfsmile. “I might be a silly filly, but apparently there’s some things I still know that you don’t!”

“Well, then, what’s mean Fluttershy like? I’ve never met her, I can’t even imagine her. What does she want?”

Pinkie looked haunted. “She’s bitter, and sad, and I can’t help her. I don’t think she likes herself. It should be possible to heal a pony even if they’re bitter and sad. I don’t understand her when she gets that way.”

“What does she want, Pinkie?”

“She wants to get raped by all the stallions, just give herself over to them and get used like… like just a hole. She feels like a hole where a pony should be. She feels dead inside, and so sad, so sad and guilty,” said Pinkie, staring off into space. Her voice was half dreamy, like it was when her Sense talked through her, and half aware.

“Oh, honey,” said Cloud Chaser helplessly.

Then, Pinkie was thrashing, bursting out from under Chaser’s sheltering wing, facing her.

“And it’s NOT TRUE! That is not the real Fluttershy! That is not MY Fluttershy!” she wailed.

“Whoa, honey, whoa!”

“And… she doesn’t deserve to be that sad…”

Back into Cloud Chaser’s embrace went Pinkie Pie, bawling like that very little filly she claimed not to be. Chaser thought and thought, cuddling her earth pony darling, and then gave her a little shake.

“Listen to me. Sh. Listen.”

Bright blue tearful eyes met hers trustingly.

“Pinkie, sometimes a pony hides part of themselves, because they’ve been hurt or they’re frightened. They keep secrets and put on a brave face, but to them, the hidden part is all they can think about, because it’s their secret to keep. It’s sad and it’s frustrating but being there for them is all you can do…”

“But I AM there for her, every part of her!” cried Pinkie Pie.

“No, you’re not. She won’t let you,” insisted Cloud Chaser. “Mind you, you’re still doing better than everypony I know, we’ve never even heard of a Mean Fluttershy. It’s hard to imagine.”

“I know a certain flower bush that wishes it never heard of Mean Fluttershy,” grumbled Pinkie tearfully. “Rarity’s seen Mean Fluttershy too. Mean Fluttershy even scares dragons. Mean Fluttershy beat Gilda the Griffin up, we’re totally not imagining it!”

“All right, all right,” soothed Chaser. “My point is this: yes, you want to heal Fluttershy and help her feel better, but know that ponies get that way for a reason. What was her family life like, do you know? Have you met her parents, what are they like? I embarrass my Dad but you can still meet him. I lost Mom when I was very young.”

“Fluttershy never talks about her parents,” said Pinkie Pie.

“Always a good sign,” said Cloud Chaser wryly. “Hey, you’re right to try to help her, but on the one wing the only reason she can even be slightly lesbian is you’re fantastic and adorable, and on the other wing she’s keeping secrets from you that must hurt her very much, and she obviously doesn’t trust you with them.”

Pinkie sagged. “No. She doesn’t. She never really has, she only admits stuff when she breaks down completely.”

“Now tell me again what she’s doing. Deep breath, kiddo.”

Pinkie obediently took a deep breath, Chaser nuzzling her lovingly as she did.

“Fluttershy is trying to have sex with all the farm ponies. Only stallions, no mares allowed. She’s trying to get them angry and horny and excited, so they will fuck her all rough and mean. Applejack hates that part but Apple Bloom over-ruled her. Fluttershy taunted Big Macintosh and told him he wasn’t a real stallion. She… she did it in a very mean way. She told everyone that when he put Rock into her, he was lying on his back taking orders from me!”

Cloud Chaser lifted an eyebrow. “Was he?”

“Uh-huh!” said Pinkie. “But she made it sound bad!”

Chaser sighed. “My little lesbian… okay, hear me out? I’m a little tiny bit proud of Fluttershy, in spite of everything.”

Pinkie’s ears went back, and her jaw dropped.

“Not of her being mean!” Chaser added hastily. “That still blows my mind and I’d have to see it to believe it. What I mean is, she’s really stepping up and starting to own how she is.”

“Mean? Guilty? Dead inside?!” demanded Pinkie, offended.

“No! Fluttershy is a particular kind of straight mare. It’s not nice how she’s doing it, but she knows what she wants. Damn right she’s goading them on. There are nicer ways she could be doing it, but clearly she wants results. Pinkie, Fluttershy is determined to still have sex even though she’s totally submissive. She’s so extreme about it, she doesn’t even want to work out any of the details. Babe, if it was me I’d be picking out the guys and calling them over to get some, I wouldn’t be shy about it at all. I’d be like, come right over and pound my rump until I can’t stand up! You’ve seen me… you’ve had me! You HAVE me, babe, you know how I am.”

Pinkie nodded, making a face at the idea of her Chasie getting pounded by stallions. Chaser spotted it.

“And don’t you grimace, Pinkie Pie, you’ve driven me every bit as hard and I love love LOVE it. That tongue, wow! You know I like it rough. I’ve made you sweat. You’ve made me faint.”

“Good times,” said Pinkie in a little, uncertain voice.

“Yeah they are!” retorted Cloud Chaser. “Well, wrap your head around this: Fluttershy wants all of that and more, except for she doesn’t ever want to have to demand fucking like I’m happy to do. She wants to bite her tongue and never say anything forward and STILL get pounded like there’s no tomorrow. And I hope she works out better ways to do it, but all the same I’m a little proud of her.”

“Applejack isn’t,” said Pinkie. “Applejack’s real mad at her, and the farm ponies. It’s wrong for them to act like that.”

“That’s funny,” said Cloud Chaser. “Applejack’s with Rainbow Dash, after all. You’d think she would understand stallions a little better, she’s practically one herself.”

“She’s a lot happier now that she’s not Boss Mare anymore.”

“Fair enough,” said Chaser. “She’s also mothering her foal Northern Spy that Dash had with her. But you have to understand the stallion mind, it’s not wrong to them. Or maybe I should say, the feelings aren’t wrong. The drives aren’t wrong. You just can’t let them go too crazy with it, that’s bad for everypony.”

Pinkie wrinkled her nose. “Could have fooled me. Stallions get just… yucky! All they want is to take and use and they like not caring and it’s like they only want to hurt feelings, and they act like the most hurtful ones are winning.”

“Stallions conquer,” explained Cloud Chaser. “It’s part of how they are, part of how their sexuality is. You can get ‘em also wanting to nurture, they particularly love to protect, but most of all they want to conquer. I bet Fluttershy’s making them absolutely insane, because she wants to be conquered but apparently she’s putting up a fight and challenging them. They’ll rise to that bait. They can’t NOT rise to it.”

“But it’s awful,” protested Pinkie. “They want to hurt her!”

“No, listen!” argued Cloud Chaser. “That’s not true, or at least usually it’s not. Even if they’re all worked up, with a massive boner and fire in their eyes, they probably don’t want to hurt Fluttershy in a bad way or leave her unhappy. Babe, the stallion fantasy is getting the mare to surrender. They want several things out of Eepy. First, they want to get on her and shove it right in. Might or might not want her to resist, depends on the stallion. Some like more spirit, some want a real doormat. Then, they’ll be fucking the daylights out of her, and they want to conquer, they want her to surrender completely. Some will want her to come her tail off, some just want her to go passive and let ‘em come inside her. We both know she’s gonna be coming her tail off, whatever they want. And lastly, they’ll stake their claim to her by coming in her and making her their mare. It’s like she becomes part of them, or their property, and the more grovelingly submissive she’s left the better they like it. They’ll own her body and soul—or at least, they’ll con themselves into believing that. Conquest, babe.”

Pinkie’s face was a study in shades of faint green.

“That is exactly the worst thing ever,” she said.

Cloud Chaser gave her a look. “Oh yeah? Us mares have our own little ways. We can ‘mom’ anything. I’ve seen Apple Bloom flip out at Applejack for mothering her, and I was just flying past their place and overheard it, but still I believe it. Fluttershy’s a perfect example of it, too, with her crazy animal farm. How does she even control that menagerie?”

“She just looks at them and they’re good,” said Pinkie. Her ears were still back as she tried to square her fantasy straight mare with the distasteful aspects of what that mare wanted from males.

“Anyway, the important thing to remember is that it’s just crude pony impulses we’re talking about,” said Cloud Chaser. “They don’t act on all that stuff, you know. Even stallions are sort of civilized. They have to be! They can’t just be dick-waving all the time. If Fluttershy really taunted Big Macintosh that way, she’s seriously getting it, you know that? He’ll do her hard and deep. She shamed him in front of the other stallions, from what you said.”

“She did,” said Pinkie. “She really did. It shouldn’t be shameful just ‘cos I told him how to have sex with her! They were both so awkward!”

“They’re not allowed to be awkward,” said Chaser wryly. “It’s not stallionly to fumble and be uncertain. Even though they usually are, but don’t ever suggest that, it’s cruel and they do the best they can. Few of ‘em ever rise above that stuff and that’s totally okay. It gives a mare a bit of leverage for getting what she wants, and I don’t just mean being manipulative. If you love some stallion and want to make him happy, it’s easy to do. All you gotta do is fuck him and let yourself really roll with it. The happier you are the happier he’ll be. This is not all bad, Pinkie Pie.”

Pinkie wrinkled her nose. “I guess not. I think Fluttershy deserves so much better, though.”

“Better than what she actually wants?”

“She doesn’t always want things that are good for her,” countered Pinkie.

“Hmm,” said Chaser. “There’s that. It might be worth keeping an eye on things just to know if any of the guys are too into it? You know, excessive biting, following her around hoping to do it some more, all that creepy stallion business. If they’re in a group it might be more about watching for roughness, ear-biting, stuff like that. Just keep an eye on ‘em.”

Pinkie shook her head frantically. “Nooo! I mean, yes, somepony should, but I could never handle that, never!”

“Even if this is Eepy’s fetish, even if it’d blow her little mind like nothing else?”

“It’s not that,” said Pinkie, tearful. “I know Fluttershy goes places I can’t follow. I still love her in spite of that, but I’d love her even if she gets off on terrible things. It’s… Chasie, I’m always worried that the stallions I know are like that, inside. I smile anyway and I’m super nice, but I need them to be kind, I need them to have hearts I can believe in. Usually, I can.”

“Damn right,” said Cloud Chaser sternly. “Stallions can be noble as hell, honey—I tell you I am proud to like them.”

“But if I knew, I mean really knew, that one of them was really mean and hurtful? If I saw him just taking Fluttershy selfishly and hurting her and he didn’t even care about her or worse, he wanted her to cry and surrender to his… urrk!”

“Steady, love,” said Chaser. “That’s what I mean, it’s not okay for them to be too greedy. Just like they don’t go around fighting other stallions in the streets. They gotta be open to a little empathy and then everything’s cool, it’s not so much to ask.”

“It’s not?” said Pinkie in a small voice. She gulped.

“This isn’t as hard as you think it is, Pinkie,” reassured Cloud Chaser. “Everypony’s gonna be okay. But it might be good for you to stay clear. Actually I can’t decide whether it’d be better for you to stay away, or to watch it go down.”

Pinkie didn’t speak for a minute, as she snuggled against her lover. Then she said, “Why would it be good for me to see that?”

“A couple of reasons. Some of it’s probably gonna be just incredibly shameless, randy sex. Parts of it might be mean, and I bet Fluttershy will like those best. But then when it’s over, Eepy’s left a quivering and very happy puddle in a bigger puddle of come and very pregnant, the dudes all go off feeling accomplished, and what you’ll see is that everypony is the same pony they were when they started…”

Pinkie knit her brow, trying to understand. And inside her, Pinkie’s Sense laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

Not happily, though.

Scootaloo zipped by the clubhouse, and screeched to a halt. A pink and purple tail waved in the window, and she knew what that meant.

She tossed her scooter heedlessly aside and galloped up the ramp, grinning like a madcolt. She knew just where she was going.

Or, thought she did.

Scootaloo screeched to a halt again, staring in perplexity at the empty space where she’d left her magic bit, safely tucked away in a little cupboard. Ears laid back, she glanced at her youthful unicorn mate.

Sweetie Belle lounged on the floor in front of their small wooden lectern, her hind legs splayed invitingly to display her perky nipples and dainty vagina. She moved a forehoof to the side, and something glinted, and Scootaloo’s eyes glinted in response.

Scootaloo trotted forward eagerly, but then Sweetie had covered the magic bit with her hoof again, smirking.

Scootaloo stopped.

“Uhhh… the last I checked, tail meant you wanted some pegasus thunder,” she said. “At least that’s how it usually seems to go. I know you. When you want to do me… well, first of all it’s not as often, and secondly it’s not your tail I see waving in the window.”

“Oh, I want you,” purred Sweetie, her eyes going half-lidded.

“Alright!” grinned Scootaloo, moving toward her, but then Sweetie glared.

“If you think you can be a REAL stallion,” she said, and Scootaloo froze.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

Scootaloo frowned. “Yeah, good luck with that if you won’t give me the fucking bit! What is your problem, Sweetie Belle?”

Sweetie wriggled, still covering the bit with a hoof. “Ooooh! Good. Almost like a REAL stallion, but not quite. More.”

“What? Fuck you!” yelled Scootaloo.

“Yes!” squeaked Sweetie happily. “But fuck me like a…”

Scootaloo banged her hoof on the floor, and Sweetie stopped talking. She panted, and her pussy began winking eagerly. Scootaloo glared, gritting her teeth.

“Ready?” said Sweetie, tentatively revealing the bit. She drew her hoof away, and the magic sex toy gleamed in plain sight, no longer withheld. Sweetie bit her lower lip in transports of anticipation.

“Ready for you to tell me what the fuck you’re doing,” snarled Scootaloo. She made no move toward the toy.

“Sex, dummy!” chirped Sweetie. “I got the idea from Fluttershy. Ruin me!”

“How about you tell me exactly what Fluttershy told you to do,” gritted Scootaloo. “Because whatever it is, you’re doing it wrong.”

Sweetie blinked. “No I’m not! I saw her do this myself. She said, Big Macintosh, I dare you to be a real stallion, not lying under me taking orders from Pinkie Pie. Oh gosh! I came a little, when I saw the look in his eyes. I would like to insult him like that and have him totally ruin me, except for I would kind of die a whole bunch ‘cos he wouldn’t fit in me and anyway he might not be willing to have sex with young fillies like us. But I can have you!”

Scootaloo stared, astonished. Then, she paced quietly over, stepped on the bit, and rolled it away from Sweetie, trapping it firmly under her own hoof.

Sweetie pouted. “You’re doing it wrong! Fuck me like a RE…”

“Stop that,” snapped Scootaloo, and Sweetie gave a little squeal and started winking again.

Scootaloo shook her head. “Sweetie, Sweetie, Sweetie. I guess Fluttershy isn’t that good a role model, huh? Amazing. I can hardly believe it.”

“You have to ruin me!” squeaked Sweetie, her eyes a bit glazed. “You have to dominate me and ruin me, oh my gosh this is so exciting, eeee!”

“Get up,” ordered Scootaloo.

Sweetie flipped over and jumped quivering to her hooves, shapely little unicorn body trembling with desire, swishing her tail to the side and winking at Scootaloo.

“No, face me!”

Sweetie blinked. Then she gave a little scream, for Scootaloo had nipped her butt sharply, and she whirled for a moment because her instincts were demanding she point her pony pussy at her lover, and her head insisted that Scoots wanted her the other way around. After three frantic pirouettes, she stood panting and facing Scootaloo.

“Here’s your dominance, Sweetie Belle,” said Scootaloo. “Grow up!”

“Huh?”

Scootaloo snorted, and Sweetie quivered and winked.

“I said, grow up! You’re being dumb, and I’ll tell you why. We love each other, Sweetie Belle, and you’re better than this. You’re just easily excited and daring and you’re crazy for wild sex things. But you don’t have to disrespect me and call me names to have your fun! I know if you just ask I can give you what you want. You don’t need to be mean about it!”

Sweetie pawed the floor with a hoof. “Um. Technically it’s not calling you names. It’s more like refusing to call you a name to make you mad? You know? Like if I was calling you a real stallion that’s a kind of name, but saying you’re NOT a real stallion…”

Scootaloo banged her hoof on the floor again, and Sweetie obediently shut up without being told.

“Sweetie Belle, I am a pegasus mare,” said Scootaloo grimly. “I’m a pegasus mare who has a magic bit…”

“Filly?” suggested Sweetie.

“YOU’RE my little unicorn filly,” snarled Scootaloo, and Sweetie gave a squeak and returned to listening.

“I’m a pegasus mare with a magic bit,” repeated Scootaloo, “and there’s a part of me that will always be a stallion inside. You don’t get that, and it’s okay, you don’t have to. TECHNICALLY, you’re right, I’m not a real stallion. But I’m your stallion, and I’m going to keep you, and you’re not going to hurt my feelings on purpose! Don’t ever do that again!”

Scootaloo had stepped up, face to face with her unicorn mate, and delivered the last words no more than an inch from Sweetie’s face. Sweetie’s eyes went very wide, and she made a strangled squealy noise and winked madly, her heart pounding, thrilled beyond words.

“Got that?” demanded Scootaloo.

“Eeee, oh please, fuck me now!”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. Unicorn fillies!

“I’m gonna fuck you until you can’t squirt anymore,” she gritted, glaring right into Sweetie’s vulnerable, surrendering eyes. “And do you know why that is?”

“B… because I just made you super mad?” quavered Sweetie, her hind legs trembling until she nearly fell over.

Scootaloo cracked a tiny, tight, confident smile, and then her voice rang with earnestness.

“Because I love you, Sweetie Belle, forever and ever.”

Sweetie’s eyes went even wider, and glistened with sudden tears. Her lip quivered. Her mouth fell open in wonder and awe.

That was when Scootaloo dove for the bit, and descended in a storm of tiny wings on Sweetie Belle’s quivering rump.

Sweetie screamed with delight, twisting her head around to see her pegasus mount her. It was everything she could have hoped for. Scootaloo seized her like a dog seizing a bone, but the bone was between Scootaloo’s legs, powered by the bit gripped in Scootaloo’s teeth, and that pegasus stallionhood rammed forcefully right into Sweetie without a moment’s consideration. A very tight squelch echoed off the wooden walls of the clubhouse… not the first time they’d witnessed such a scene, but if they were keeping score it would’ve been off the charts.

Sweetie let out a withering shriek, and a picture fell off the wall, landed on the floor, balanced for a moment, shattered, and fell over on its face.

Scootaloo paid no attention.

“So! cute! and! so! SELFISH!” she grunted, unleashing thrust after virile thrust into her demented little unicorn. “So here! Have some! Of this!”

Sweetie shrieked again, and again. Her little vagina was seared with fiery, exquisite pangs of lusty fucking, the magenta and beige ponycock ramming harshly into her over and over. It didn’t scrape, because she’d gone so wet, but the sheer physicality of it threatened to snap her mind, and she reeled, with only Scootaloo’s wings keeping her from toppling over. It felt like even if she had fallen over, Scootaloo would keep on humping her brutally. Sweetie tossed her head in a turmoil of dizziness, and then squealed earsplittingly as her horn gushed out a thick gout of unicorn magic.

Scootaloo only gritted her teeth harder on the bit. Her back would hold out, and she was making a point. Inside Sweetie Belle, the plunging horsecock stiffened.

Sweetie howled, banging her forehoof on the floor, unable to stop coming. She tottered drunkenly, and Scootaloo’s beating wings held her up. She began to stagger, letting out breathless squeals, her horn spraying the wall with magic for second after second.

Scootaloo heard the anguished tone sneaking into her unicorn’s wailing lovecries, and grinned ferally, pushing it just a bit more, waiting for the right moment…

Sweetie’s whole body was hit with convulsive shudders, and her legs gave way, her horngasm doubling itself impossibly. Her voice became a tortured squall, just a wild scream of sheer sensual overload.

But she didn’t fall…

…for Scootaloo clung to her, wings whirring like a hummingbird, shoving the horsecock deep and coming inside Sweetie in a series of ruthless, swollen spasms, magical ponycome gushing up into Sweetie’s little womb.

Sweetie Belle’s eyes and mouth flew wide, even as she ran out of breath. Her horngasm went from the thick gout of magic to a single blinding spurt that spread out and splashed all over the floor. Its light reflected on Sweetie’s stunned, staring eyes, as if the intensity of her last climax had melted her filly brain. Her jaw dangled, cute little tongue hanging out, and her legs dangled uselessly. Sweetie was as limp as a sock, held up by pony dick and her lover’s strong forelegs.

Scootaloo, gasping for breath, lowered her mad beautiful unicorn girl gently to the floor, and released the bit. The thick ponycock withdrew, and inside Sweetie, the flood of semen palpably coating her womb evaporated politely. Scootaloo, staggering, walked around to face Sweetie… who lay, cheek against the floor, mind blown like never before. Her eyes still worked, somewhat. She focussed them on her lusty, virile pegasus.

“You don’t need,” panted Scootaloo, “to make me feel bad… to make you feel good.”

Sweetie’s eyes glistened, and she drank in the sight of Scootaloo like an oasis that could never go dry, a gaze returned and redoubled by her devoted stallion-filly, who came right up muzzle to muzzle since Sweetie could not move.

And then there was just the kissing, on and on in mute, speechless mutual adoration.

The opening of the cave wasn’t obscured very much by the small, miserable form at its lip. It wasn’t a large cave, but Ponyville didn’t have many large caves. This was no den for an Ursa Major. It was a dark little hole in a hillside.

Chaos peered into it dejectedly. It had started to rain. She’d seen Crowbar looking up fretfully at the rain, though he made no complaint. How could he? He didn’t really know how to talk, as she well knew.

Her tiny alicorn form was silhouetted against the mouth of the cave by a flash of lightning, in the distance.

Behind her, Crowbar whimpered. Chaos hesitated no longer.

“In here, okay? Come. Come on. In here. It’s okay. You’re safe.”

That was an understatement, thought Chaos. She was already damned for unappreciated mischief, so she had no reason to hold back anymore. If any dangerous animals threatened Crowbar, who’d done nothing wrong in the least, then those threatening animals would become very unthreatening turnips. Or blobs of jelly, or perhaps trombones. She wouldn’t be a bit sorry, either. There would be Chaos in the truest sense of the word.

Chaos winced. The fun had gone out of it, for good. The light had gone out of the world, for Princess Celestia was lost.

Not lost, thought Chaos. You know where she is, you just can’t have her anymore. Ever.

Tears came to the diminutive alicorn’s eyes, and wouldn’t stop.

Then, a warm earth pony muzzle pressed hers, as Crowbar, sensing another wave of distress, forgot the frightening weather and thought only of comforting his strange little mare. Chaos gulped, allowing the closeness, warming herself by it as they made their way further into the cave, out of the rain.

They made an odd pair, but they had little choice in the matter. Chaos couldn’t defend herself with chaos magic without further upsetting the Canterlot ponies, was in no position to make amends to Princess Celestia, and knew that Twilight Sparkle hated her for what she had done. Crowbar didn’t understand his situation at all, and was one ill-considered action away from suffering grave consequences he did not in the least deserve. Chaos knew she had to get him out of there, and if she was not welcome in Canterlot, neither would he be.

It wasn’t difficult to lead him away. He liked her. She let him fuck her, and he seemed well content with that. He didn’t care much where he was, so long as it was warm and dry. Chaos had found that Crowbar had a real knack for finding snug camp spots, which surprised her.

It wasn’t the only thing that had surprised her about the severely retarded earth pony.

His penis had shocked the hell out of her, when first she experienced it. In the dark and perverse nightclub, he’d entered her and Chaos had been compelled to immediately change her physical form, just to take him. His girth was impossible, his length terrifying. She’d repeatedly used chaos magic, enlarging her vaginal passages, even rearranging her internal organs as the hungry phallus pressed deeper and deeper, and had ended up a sort of sock-alicorn on a leg of penis, eyes wide with shock as his erection lovingly nuzzled her breastbone, her heart beating wildly next to it. Crowbar had always done terrible damage to mares he’d mounted.

Even in their lonely exile, Chaos had still suffered nasty shocks from Crowbar. There was that one time she woke to the sensation of him splitting her agonizingly, forcing his stiffened horsecock into her tiny pussy when she hadn’t altered her physical configuration. He’d been nuzzling her while she had erotic dreams, and she’d gone very wet and winking, enough that he could pry himself in there, but then he shoved frustratedly, unable to understand why his mare was suddenly so tight and shallow.

That one, Chaos would have a hard time forgetting.

Chaos magic could do wonderful things. Her terror and pain was only brief. A flash of the alicorn horn, and he’d plunged balls-deep into a cavernous space rather roomier than usual, for she’d been utterly freaked out and in no mood to play sensation-whore at the time. This puzzled him as well—he’d given some exploratory thrusts, his ears back—but he’d finished up uncomplainingly.

That wasn’t the biggest surprise about Crowbar. Chaos was still getting used to the biggest surprise from the dimwitted monster of maleness.

She looked him over, and he gazed back placidly, silhouetted in the fading light of dusk as the rain beat down. With a flick of her ear, Chaos manifested a bright magical torch that took its place on a cave wall. It didn’t seem that cold, but she focussed her energies again and warmed the cave to the coziness of a midsummer’s day in a peaceful meadow.

Feeling the warmth, Crowbar beamed happily, and Chaos, still forlorn and tearful over her woes, couldn’t help but smile back a little.

He trotted forward to nuzzle her again, while she listened to the faint noise of an irate chipmunk. It had every reason to be upset, she thought, for she’d stolen the warmth by draining it from the tree the chipmunk was in. Ungrateful thing! The tree would warm up again in time, she could have taken it and burned it for warmth and then where would the chipmunk be?

Crowbar licked her ear, and she forgot the chipmunk.

That was the mysterious thing. Chaos knew he was a horny beast, yet he rarely tried to mount her when she was distressed. It was like he had some odd sense that told him her mood. Earth pony magic? Or some spirit from elsewhere?

It didn’t occur to Chaos that she’d been the one lacking empathy for thousands of years. All she could do was marvel at it. He was so impossibly, mysteriously good, even though his brains were mud-grade, barely qualified for the challenges of peek-a-boo. She’d tried to see if he could find food hidden under a cloth, after he’d watched her placing it over the food. The result was inconclusive. He’d just fucked her.

Chaos stepped back and studied Crowbar again, as he stood and watched her.

Such a dumpy, squat thing, he was. Well muscled, surely, but lacking in elegance and class.

Chaos felt a stirring of her inner nature, and her horn flashed in a moment of whimsy, the same reaction she’d always been happiest with.

Before her, Princess Celestia stared with the same dim worshipfulness, because she was nothing more than Crowbar transformed into Celestia’s form. He knit his brow, twisting his head and staring at the glorious, vast, ivory wings he now wore. He returned his attention to Chaos, trustingly, and waited to see what else she wanted to do.

Chaos’s eyes filled with tears and her little face twisted in grief. Celestia, who was actually Crowbar, lunged forward in dismay to comfort, and with a squeal of distress Chaos changed him back just as he bowled her over, fretfully cuddling her petite form.

It had been too much for Chaos. Her broken heart burst, and she sobbed at what she had lost, cursing her foolishness, cursing the random whim that had presented her with the bitter false vision of an adoring though very stupid Celestia rushing to her aid. Chaos bawled, Crowbar hugging her tightly.

Eventually, she quieted, her forlorn look still more deeply written across her face. She wiped her eyes with a dainty hoof, and Crowbar promptly licked her nose.

She gazed at him, and made up her mind. He deserved a treat—and she needed one, how she needed what he could give. Chaos knew Crowbar’s ways like the back of her hoof through cohabiting with him, and the biggest surprise was also the one she treasured most.

Chaos blinked away tears, and smiled at him, watching his dim face light up in response.

That wasn’t the only response she could be certain of getting.

She wriggled around until her rump was pressed up against his crotch, her belly facing the opening of the cave, and she wriggled that tight little rump enticingly. Crowbar’s ears perked up and stayed there, and Chaos immediately felt a stirring behind her.

This was one of the secrets of Crowbar, that none had discovered, that even Celestia had not taken the trouble to understand.

His cock surged forth, between her legs, rubbing her snug breasts as it protruded and stiffened. Chaos’s horn lit, and she reconfigured her insides to accomodate him. She daringly left herself nearly as tight as usual, estimating things with some experience. She knew the dimensions she’d have to take, but she also knew Crowbar. Then, her horn flickered, as she gave herself a bit more stretch. He whimpered when she was too tight. She didn’t want him to whimper.

She waited, heart pounding joyfully, as he drew his hips back, positioning himself, the hard end of his titanic phallus nudging her alicorn vagina.

Then, the biggest surprise of the fearsome Crowbar began to happen again, a surprise none but Chaos had ever been able to discover.

Crowbar was gentle.

Given resistance, given excitement and bad energy around him and the risk that he wouldn’t be able to go balls-deep in a mare, he’d been known as a destroyer. He’d done damage, trying to experience his heaven of sexual intercourse, not understanding the words screamed around him. He’d been used as a sort of perverted weapon, treated as a monster.

With a beloved mare in his embrace, an eager wet pussy against his cock-head and good peaceful feelings around him, Crowbar slowly pressed his stallionhood into Chaos inch by inch, with obvious tenderness. It wasn’t even as if he sought to impress. He had all the time in the world, and Chaos melted around him as he entered. Her eyes went half-lidded, and she let out a sweet moan as her massive lover steadily impaled her on thick, throbbing cock.

As he came to her depths, she nuzzled under his chin, swept away by that addictive sensation that only a creature of pure Chaos could experience. She was an alicorn mare, but also a sort of puppet, filled from crotch to chest by an enormous shaft that pulsed lovingly inside her. And Crowbar nuzzled back, just as transported.

When he moved, it wasn’t aggressively. It was dreamily, languidly… a swooning, placid tugging and thrusting, at first so gentle, and for all that it still wrenched Chaos’s entire body. Her trim waist was bulged to twice its size around him, her rump squeezed out to the sides around the intruding girth, and she gasped and shook, reeling with delight at the outrageous sensations filling her.

She forced herself to relax, for she’d tensed up and clenched against him, trying to squish the tree-trunk of a cock with her dainty butt-cheeks, and he’d whimpered. She didn’t want him to whimper. She wanted him to do that little crooning, the innocent happy cries that so belied his intimidating body.

The throbbing mass slid lovingly in and out, penetrating Chaos to the neck. She reeled, drooling in mind-mangling bliss, her ears laid back and her expression a wordless song of ecstacy. If she stayed calm and didn’t pinch him, he would continue to bliss out until…

Crowbar began to emit little love-cries, plainitive little croons of pleasure. Even then, he didn’t turn rough or aggressive. His cock did, somewhat, for it swelled up with alarming enthusiasm and Chaos shook, her mouth hanging open, breathy squeals of delight echoing through the cave. Yet she didn’t bear down or resist him, nor did he seize and take her. They flowed together, in harmonious merging.

Chaos’s hind legs kicked, as the stallionhood swelled up to its final turgid stiffness, and then she threw her head back and gave herself completely to him, melting away on purpose in his hooves, and he let out a few puppyish yips and still didn’t move any rougher. It was like his thrusting was coming from another, more reverent place, and both he and his mare were just washed away on the deep, rhythmic waves of it.

Crowbar yelped, and he came, gushing horsecome into Chaos who cried out her praises triumphantly, shuddering over her whole body as Crowbar pumped her full of semen. Her eyes stared unseeingly at the cave wall, and her hind leg kicked again, weakly, and then she just panted, savoring the sensation. If you drained Crowbar often enough, he didn’ t fill you too hard. Chaos had kept him busy, busy enough that she didn’t have to open an emergency spigot anywhere on her body, much less her poor horn that had never expected to become a semen-fountain. She shivered and gritted her teeth at the sensation of hot spunk inflating her, but it was piquant, delicious in its pressure, and wouldn’t become a problem.

Chaos moaned, limbs splayed as Crowbar held her, his embrace tight and fervent. She kicked with her foreleg, drunkenly groping the air. Her hind leg waved aloft, held up in part by the bulky cock prying her pelvis so wide, making it impossible her to close her legs, her dainty vagina shockingly transfixed, her nipples standing erect…

Crowbar sighed, and tugged himself partly free of Chaos. His erection sagged, going steadily limp, and then pulling loose with a flow of horsecome following it out of her vagina, and Chaos’s legs could close once more.

And they did, for little heartbroken Chaos went limp and passed out in the forelegs of her earth pony with a happy sigh. Crowbar had delivered her from her pain, once more. He would not last forever, but he was all Chaos needed that night… as night began to fall in earnest.

Outside the cave, hundreds of feet away and hovering high in the air, wings beat furtively. Someone was peering down, staring at the touching scene, provoked and aroused but also guilty and sad.

But it wasn’t Fluttershy, for a change, as much as Fluttershy loved to watch.

Princess Celestia’s face was a study in dismay.

She’d followed them, at a distance, not sure whether to approach and speak. She’d seen the cave, seen them take refuge. Then, she’d seen Chaos turn Crowbar into a replica of her, and her heart sank to depths it had never plumbed, even when she’d banished her sister to the Moon.

She was that replaceable? It was just the image of her, all along?

And then, it was over and the earth pony was back to normal, and Celestia hovered in the rain, unable to work out what had happened. She heard Chaos crying and her heart wept with her, but somepony else was there to comfort. She could not look away, even as their embraces turned from comfort to something more.

Her heart had pounded as she watched her old Starswirl, once so virile a stallion and now a reckless mad alicorn girl, invite Crowbar into herself. The body language was so obvious. He’d soothed her hurts, and she became giving of herself in a way Starswirl had never, ever managed. And then the earth pony began to respond…

Celestia was a little frightened of how she’d reacted. The situation was complicated. Spying on the lovers was beneath her. Worse, she was straight, always had been.

So why had she become aroused, watching Chaos and her lover?

Why had Chaos held her attention so much? It was the male she’d had, for pony’s sake! Why did she stare so at the little ice-blue alicorn’s sensuously writhing form? Celestia shook her head. She was about wanting to be in that position, as a mare, not wanting to fondle and lick and touch Chaos as she cried out her ecstacies! She was a mare, and Chaos was a mare, and she’d never had feelings like that before, in all of a very long life!

And yet, Chaos was still Starswirl, or… something? Celestia shook herself. Such feelings would not do. Princess Twilight would give her hell. Any fool could see Chaos was up to her old tricks, even turning her lover into a mock Celestia as some sort of prank. Chaos was being hurtful again, surely.

Yet… how could she have seemed so grateful, how could they have been so adorable together if Chaos was really the heartless prankster seeking only callous amusement at the expense of others?

What right, thought Celestia, had she to find them adorable? After her terrible exposure and meltdown, after what they had done to her? The nobles certainly did not find them adorable. Twilight didn’t find them adorable in the least. She, Celestia, should not find them attractive. It was Starswirl she could not forget, Starswirl who was lost forever, and she, Celestia, could not be entertaining feelings for mares and crude mortals. Her dream had died the day Starswirl was consumed by her horngasm and transformed into the cruel mocker of her fate, Chaos/Discord.

Chaos slept. Crowbar snuggled her, obviously well satisfied. Celestia watched, hovering, the rain beating down on her regal head.

How could Chaos be so true and loving and giving to a simple earth pony… and not to her?

Celestia’s cheeks were washed with more than rain.

She whirled in mid-air, and flew off, not looking where she was going as long as it was far away.

Ah My Heart

“Which way is it again?” called Dash.

“Up th’ stairs, sugarcube, second door on th’ left!” called Applejack. “Ya need me to come back? Some speedy pony you are, fallin’ behind like that!” Her voice teased, fondly.

“Yeah, well…”

“Carry!” chirped an itty-bitty filly voice. “Spy tired!”

“You are not!” objected Rainbow Dash. “I can tell. Stairs are good for you, Northern Spy, now come this way!”

“Good how?” demanded Spy, truculently.

“You want to be fast, don’tcha?”

Applejack rolled her eyes, and turned at the top of the stairs. She looked around. The Palace at Canterlot sure was fancy, and it seemed a shame to bring a passel of balky little ponies in there and turn the place upside down, which was the inevitable result, she reckoned.

But then, that was the whole reason they were invited, and with or without the Apple-Dash family, soon there’d be two more foals wrecking the joint anyway. Applejack considered that perhaps Princess Luna wanted to get a head start, so she’d know what she was in for. Between Dashie and Spy, she’d learn right quick!

Applejack headed downward again, to rejoin Dash and her filly Spy at the foot of the stairs.

“Now then, what are y’all doing sittin’ around here? Miss Lyra and Princess Luna are upstairs waitin’ for us!”

“Carry!” demanded Northern Spy, pouting woefully. “Stairs big! Spy little!”

“Ya ain’t little in mischief,” suggested Applejack.

“Tell her to go up, Applejack!” said Rainbow Dash. “Look, I’ll show you. Like this, Spy!”

She hopped into the air, and flew up to the top of the stairs in the blink of an eye. There had been a time when Northern Spy was entranced with the abilities of her wonderful, flying Mom. Now, she was a bit more jaded than that.

Dash flew down, with a big expectant smile. Spy reached her little hooves up at her hovering Mom.

“FLY an’ carry!” she squeaked, stubbornly, and Dash’s face fell.

Applejack chuckled, as they glared at each other. “Uhh… that’s progress, ain’t it?”

“She is the most infuriating, adorable, stubborn little…” seethed Dash.

“Remind you of anypony?” teased Applejack.

“Carry!”

“Applejaaaack!” wailed Dash.

Applejack burst out laughing. “Take it easy! I got this. Hey, short stuff?”

Northern Spy immediately turned a beaming, radiant smile to Applejack, after sticking her tongue out at her other Mom. Applejack ignored this for the moment, and addressed her. “You can’t be settin’ like that, girl! Come by me, we’ll git you up them stairs quick as a wink.”

Northern Spy hesitated, dropping her gaze shyly, an air of suspicion coming over her.

“Come on, girl!” commanded Applejack. “Would Ah lie?”

The tiny apple-green filly considered this, and then hopped to her hooves and trotted around beside Applejack, ready to be picked up and deposited on her earth pony Mom’s sturdy back.

Crack!

Northern Spy squeaked shrilly, and dashed up the stairs almost quicker than the eye could see, to stand wide-eyed and quivering at the top. Applejack had flicked her tail sharply like the cracking of a whip, and caught Spy across her diminutive rump, and Spy had reacted with all the overabundant energy she usually displayed, and also all the speed she’d inherited from Dash.

Applejack smirked cheerfully. “Did Ah lie?”

Rainbow Dash cracked up. “BAAhahahaha! eep!”

“C’mon, darlin’,” grinned Applejack, “our progeny done preceded us!” Then her eyes widened, for Spy turned around at the top of the stairs and marched right back down, step by step, to turn and sit exactly where she’d begun.

“Carry!” she demanded.

Rainbow Dash’s ears were back. “Now come on, Spy! We know you can do it, and it’s good for you, makes you strong and fast. I happen to know racing earth ponies run up and down stairs all the time! And we know you’re not tired, now.”

“Carry Spy!”

“Uhhhh…” said Applejack.

“Just a minute, Applejack. Really, Spy, all I want you to do is climb the stairs! Please? For blue Mom?”

“She jes’ did,” said Applejack, and both Dash and Spy stared at her.

“She did, didn’t she?” blinked Dash.

“And you know what else?” added Applejack. “She came back down. By my reckonin’ that’s two stair-climbs for th’ price of one.”

Spy boggled at her, totally surprised by the news that she’d done twice the requested exercise. She knit her brow, figuring it out. Then, she rolled her eyes, and waved a little green hoof in the air.

“Spy TIRED!” she wailed pitifully, and toppled over with a very tiny thump and a flail of powder-blue mane and tail.

Applejack burst out laughing again. “You heard her! Dashie, plunk our lil’ varmint on my back. She’s gonna be no trouble th’ rest of the evening, on account of being so very tired. Ain’t that right?”

Rainbow didn’t comment. She was too busy scooping up her ostentatiously limp little foal in loving cerulean forelegs, and depositing her with tender solicitousness upon Applejack’s back. Her eyes glowed with motherly love. Her nose wrinkled in vexation and amusement as Spy opened an eye and stuck her filly tongue out at blue Mom. Dash nipped her ear reprovingly, but Northern Spy just smirked, untroubled, and snuggled against Applejack’s mane.

The two mares ascended the stairs together, Dash’s wing enfolding not only Applejack but also their precious burden.

The door was ajar, but there was no sound from inside. Dash cleared her throat. “Hello?” she called.

“Come in!” replied Princess Luna. “Our apologies for not greeting you? We are, ah, entwined. Entangled?”

Applejack’s eyebrows lifted almost enough to dislodge her hat. “That mean what it sounds like? We got our kid, honey, so’s you know. Course you know, you asked for her yourself! Should we come back later?”

“No, no, come in!”

Rainbow Dash nudged her progeny, lolling on Applejack’s back. “C’mon, walk in yourself. You’re in the presence of a Princess.”

Spy yawned nonchalantly and nuzzled deeper into Applejack’s mane.

Applejack shot Rainbow a questioning glance, and Rainbow’s gaze in return pleaded with her. Applejack coughed, and Spy’s ears perked up instantly.

“NORTHern Spy,” declaimed Applejack sternly.

In a flicker of motion, the tiny green filly tumbled off Orange Mom’s back and stood, straight and tall. Dash lined up beside her, tousling her little blue mane with a hoof affectionately, getting no complaint from Spy.

The three marched proudly into Princess Luna’s private room, and stopped as soon as they saw what Luna was doing with her consort.

“Oh, my,” gasped Applejack. Spy giggled. Dash ooohed.

Princess Luna, and Lyra, were curled up in a cozy knot, noses to tails, hard at work. The nature of the work was obvious.

They were combing out each other’s tails. Unicorn and alicorn horns glowed, magic helping to straighten the billows of horsehair as they gripped combs in their teeth and worked them patiently from base to tip. Lyra’s ear flicked as her face was immersed in the magic field that animated her Princess’s tail, but she seemed to enjoy it.

Applejack stared. “Huh. Alrighty then. Heh!”

Rainbow’s own tail flicked as she watched. “Dawwww!”

“Yep,” grinned Applejack. “Finally, Dashie, we found it.”

“What?”

“Somethin’ that’s cuter than you,” explained Applejack.

“…mmmmaybe,” said Dash. “Yeah—you got me there. But it took a unicorn-Princess team to do it!”

“Nothin’ cuter than Spy!” vowed Northern Spy.

Dash giggled and swept her foal up into a quick snuggle, which also involved a quick loop-de-loop. “Right, you win! But this is super adorable all the same, and almost cuter than you!”

“Nuh-uhhh!” giggled Spy. She dropped to the ground, and ran over despite cries of protest from Dash and Applejack, and jumped up to stand on Princess Luna’s side.

“Awk!” cried Luna. “Prithee, desist!”

Lyra cracked up. “Get used to it, Looney!”

“Looney!” squeaked Spy, bouncing up and down on the Princess. “Looney, looney!”

Dash gave a little shriek and swooped down upon her incorrigible spawn, seizing her and carrying her off. “Sorry! She’s just a little excited. She’s never stayed the night in Canterlot before! Much less in your awesome palace!”

“Super excited! Excited Spy!” squeaked Spy.

Dash beeped her nose. “That’s you, silly!”

“Excited Me!” corrected Spy, happily.

“And we are delighted to have you,” replied Princess Luna.

Dash took a deep breath, puffing out her chest and readying a boastful remark, then wilted at Applejack’s glare. Princess Luna had indeed ‘had her’, and Applejack couldn’t help notice Dash staring at the Princess’s mighty wings. For all of Applejack’s devotion, there were still some things she couldn’t offer her pegasus.

“Um, yeah,” mumbled Dash, “likewise!”

“Oh!” blinked Luna. “We hasten to add, as our esteemed guests for the evening! We meant nothing untoward!”

“Not this time, anyway!” said Dash, who then eeped and shut her mouth with another quick glance at Applejack. Northern Spy was watching her avidly and listening to everything she said, but she’d managed to restrain herself and not make either lewd remarks or innuendos for Spy to happily parrot while galloping around Sweet Apple Acres.

One day of Spy repeating, “Get your mare juice flowing ‘cos here comes your pony thunder!” had been more than enough. Especially when Spy said it, as Dash had, to Applejack. And then to Apple Bloom, and Diamond Tiara, who’d found it hysterically funny. And then to Granny Smith… who hadn’t.

Dash marvelled at how her little foal could rebel so thoroughly against Blue Mom, yet still soak up so much of her influence in good ways and bad. She’d found herself trying to improve her attitude when she saw her own facial expressions echoed in tiny and adorable form on Northern Spy’s face. They’d learned so much, so quickly.

And wasn’t that part of the reason they’d been asked to stay at the palace, as the Princess’s guests?

“Yeah,” said Rainbow seriously, “thanks. You know I was just thinking about why you asked us here. There’s a lot to learn. Fortunately you invited the greatest pony Moms in all Equestria, especially me, so you’re in good hooves. Now what can I do ya for?” She glanced hastily at Applejack. “That’s allowed! It’s a saying! First lesson, when you do have your foals they act like little sponges soaking up how you are. The quicker you learn that the better off you’ll be.”

She winced. Spy was chewing on her ear. “Agh! What I mean is, this kid seemed to pick up all my crap… sorry, Applejack! All my stuff. She got to be like Mom real quick. And Mom IS real quick. Unfortunately,” admitted Dash, “Mom’s also kind of rude, know what I mean?”

“Mom is cool!” chirped Northern Spy, and tried to chew on Dash’s ear again.

Rainbow snorted with laughter. “Hah! Yeah, Spy’s not going to lack for coolness, we can tell that already…”

“Uh, Dashie?” suggested Applejack. “They ain’t had no foals yet. Maybe they want to hear about the bearin’ of ‘em, first.”

Lyra jumped up. “Yes! I’m scared. I didn’t plan for this and now I’m really in for it, tell me what I have to do!”

Applejack’s eyes widened. She studied Lyra. “Ya don’t say. Are you okay with this, honey?”

“What?” squeaked Lyra.

“Well,” said Applejack, “best to know now, is what Granny would say.”

“Know what, Applejack?” blinked Dash.

Applejack gulped. “Um. Wull. Thing is, if a mare is real stressed-out, like… she might lose th’ foal. And if such a thing happens…”

Northern Spy’s eyes bugged out. She reared, waving her forelegs. “Spy right here! Not lose!”

“Whoa! Gotcha!” cried Dash, immediately snuggling her foal. Spy quieted, soothed right away, and Dash turned to Applejack. “Stressed out? Really? How the buck did I ever have Spy then?”

“Guess you’re one tough lil’ pony,” said Applejack fondly. “But you hear what I’m sayin’? Safer for th’ mare if it happens early. Let’s not spell it out, but Ah would like to know where Lyra stands on th’ matter. You sayin’ you don’t want it?”

Lyra had gone pale. “I didn’t say that, Applejack. I said I didn’t plan for it. And that I was scared. Which I am, even more now. I’m gonna LOSE my foal, maybe?”

“Spy will find!” chimed the filly voice, determinedly.

“No, no, sport!” laughed Rainbow Dash. “I can find that foal for ya in two shakes of a filly’s tail, how about that?”

Spy frowned in concentration. Her powderblue tail shook, and then she squeaked, for Rainbow Dash had pounced and lifted her up by it before it could shake twice.

“Mrrf…” she mumbled, Spy dangling from her toothy grip.

“Don’t worry,” said Applejack hastily, “they play like this a lot. Spy inherited Dashie’s only form of brakes. You know sometimes you gotta grab that rainbow tail to stop her!”

Dash ignored the commentary, and cast about. “Hmmm, I th’nk it’s… th’re!”

She dropped Spy, who tumbled in an ungainly sprawl of tiny limbs and then looked frantically about for the missing foal. But Blue Mom was only nuzzling the belly of the green unicorn, Lyra.

“Found it!” boasted Dash. She gazed into Lyra’s vivid gold eyes. “And you’re not gonna lose it, cutie. If I had Spy okay, there’s no chance anything will go wrong here, so don’t be scared. We’ll take care of you. I’m gonna teach you everything you need to know, and then Applejack’s gonna teach you everything else and Granny Smith will come attend you when it’s your time and she never lost a foal, ever!”

Lyra’s eyes were wide. Applejack said, “Uh, actually she told me once…”

Dash glared at her, and Applejack shut up.

“Ever!” vowed Dash, her eyes defying Lyra to doubt her.

Northern Spy looked perplexed. “Where baby?”

Rainbow poked Lyra’s belly, as yet only slightly swollen. “In there, where it’s safe! Just like you started out inside ME!”

Spy’s eyes were wider than ever. “In tummy? Mommy EAT for safe keeping?”

“And we’re gonna keep Lyra safe and teach her about being a Mom,” vowed Dash, “and then she’s not gonna be scared at all!”

Spy didn’t look scared, but she did look utterly shocked. “Then,” she breathed softly in wonder, “what eat Mommy to keep safe? And, and…” Spy fell silent, naive filly head spinning with strange recursive images.

“And she’s gonna have Princess Luna’s foal,” added Applejack, “which technical-like is gonna be my very own niece or nephew, on account of Big Macintosh.” She blinked. “Still cain’t hardly believe that part. You got real ambitious real quick, din’tcha, honey?”

She glanced over toward the Princess, though their attention had been all on fretful Lyra.

Applejack’s jaw dropped. The Princess’s expression was startling.

Luna stared at the little group of ponies, lip quivering, tears in her eyes, a great yearning flooding them. She looked absolutely defenseless as she gazed upon Applejack and Rainbow Dash rallying around fearful Lyra, their foal Northern Spy wide-eyed and adorable as she tried to comprehend the miracle before her and mixed it up completely, and Lyra full of hope and nervousness and innocence and trusting in the more experienced mares to help her.

“Princess?” said Applejack, and Rainbow looked up as well.

Princess Luna gulped.

“Your precious little lives are so beautiful,” she said, and then choked up again. As Applejack rushed forward to hug her, Luna forced out more words. “A part of me will love all of you forever. Ah! By the Sun and Moon, you are the most precious of ponies!”

“Easy, now, Princess,” soothed Applejack. “Ah’m here for ya. Y’all gettin’ emotional more lately? Dashie had some of that.”

Luna gazed tearfully at her, lip still quivering, taking in her earth pony friend’s staunch support.

She did not say ‘yes, you’re here… for now’.

Neither did Lyra, though she recognized that look. As Luna had fallen in love with her unicorn consort, she’d grown more vulnerable to the pain of loving a mortal pony. As she’d resolved to foal with her beloved, she’d opened herself to that fate more deeply. And now, as she looked upon her mate and her unborn foal and her devoted friends and their foal, all being adorable as only ponies could be, Luna felt all the pangs of loss that she would one day experience: outliving all of them and their children and her own children, and going on with only bittersweet memories to remind her that she had once merged with the flow of mortal ponykind and shared her body and heart with them.

Lyra took one look and pounced upon Princess Luna, cordially shoving Applejack aside in her fierce compassion.

“Breathe, Looney! We’ve had this conversation!”

Dutifully, Princess Luna took deep breaths, her wings shuddering in a way that made Dash lay her ears back.

“Hey,” said Dash. “Hey! What’s wrong? Hey, she’s really upset, like really really upset…”

“Shh!” snapped Lyra, and returned to her hugging. She turned her head, and explained, “She loves us, Rainbow. Very much. And she loves me very much, and you guys, and your kid is super adorable. And you know we’re not like her. Remember?”

Applejack’s eyes widened. “Ohhhh. Oh, gosh. Ya know we’re gettin’ so used to Twilight doing the alicorn thing it’s easy to forget. Alicorning bein’ forever, I mean. Aw, hell. Should we go?”

“No!” squeaked Northern Spy. She zipped over, and hugged Luna’s foreleg. “Nuh cry! Spy fix!”

This made Luna’s lip quiver, and her eyes brim, even worse. She gulped, with a big sloppy sniffle, and then wailed, “Thou miraculous beauty! Ah! There shall NEVER be a beauty to rival this that we are privy to, ah my heart!”

Rainbow Dash and Applejack shared a dumbfounded look.

“Of course she’s talking about me,” quipped Rainbow Dash, irrepressibly.

“O’ course,” agreed Applejack wryly.

With that, they rushed forward and joined the group hug, loving their Princess with all their faithful pony hearts, and understanding what she had chosen to face, even if they couldn’t very well explain it to Northern Spy. Princess Luna had chosen to open her heart to ponies locked in the stream of Time, and where her own days and nights could be innumerable, by that very nature she had to look upon the lives of her beloveds as a limited number of moments. Blink, contemplate the infinities of galaxies for a while, and they would be gone, forgotten by their world.

But she would not forget them so easily. She’d made it personal. She’d even offered a hostage to Time, and ended up with a second hostage through misadventure. She carried a foal from Lyra and Dash and Derpy and Big Macintosh, and Lyra carried her foal and Big Macintosh’s.

“Breathe!” ordered Lyra, sternly. “You’re fine! You told me this would happen!”

“Is this really what she wants?” said Dash, alarmed. “She’s freaking out so hard core…”

Then, she squeaked, and Applejack oofed. Luna had suddenly begun returning the hug, and wrapped them tightly in her great trembling wings, and for a moment they were the ones who could hardly breathe.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you…” stammered Princess Luna.

“Waugh!” cried Rainbow, flapping disheveledly and wriggling. All at once, Luna realized what she was doing, blushed, and released the little group of ponies. Rainbow staggered back a couple paces, panting, her wings bolt erect.

They stared at each other, as Luna blushed a rather charming rosy purple.

Dash began to grin. “Wow. Thank you, Princess. ‘Cos now I know exactly what I’m going to think about the next time I clop myself senseless…”

Applejack cuffed her, and she squeaked and dodged the earth pony’s hoof. “Sorry!”

“Better now?” asked Lyra, studying her so-magical beloved. “Are we good? No no,” she added, as Luna’s eyes glowed with adoration. “I mean are YOU good. We’re awesome, yeah yeah, I get it. I mean the royal we, which would be you.”

Luna took another deep breath, and nodded humbly. “You are so good to me.”

“Of course,” said Lyra dismissively. “Applejack? You asked if I was okay with having Looney’s baby.”

“Din’t put it THAT way!” replied Applejack.

Lyra tossed her mane, her horn making a cute little arc in the air. “You know what I mean! I need to tell you, the answer is yes, so very much yes! I just never considered it an option, but I would fantasize like crazy every time Luna made me, you know, light right up, from taking her magic-gasm. I can’t tell you how good it is to just take it and take it! I always imagined that making me pregnant, which was the best part of all. It makes us fertile, us unicorn mares, so from Looney you know I would be the most fertile mare ever because it’s so intense! I would pretend just that was enough to make me pregnant to her, especially when a bit was involved. Soooo exciting!”

Applejack’s eyes widened at the green unicorn’s frank hedonism, when talking about these very intense and private experiences.

“And then that HUGE COCK was right there…”

“Ahem!” said Applejack hastily, and Lyra stopped, noticing that Spy was watching in fascination.

“Oh.”

Northern Spy chirped, “And then that HUGE…”

“Baaaahahaha!” went Rainbow Dash, and tackled her incorrigible foal before she could finish the newly learned sentence.

“Fuck!” cried Lyra, going red in the face.

Northern Spy squealed with laughter, as Dash tickled her. She left enough breath to emit a fillyish, “Fuck!”

Applejack began laughing, too. “Don’t panic, Lyra honey. She’s heard that one before. About that new sentence?”

“…yes?” quavered Lyra, scarlet rather than green.

“We’ll tell ‘em we got a new giant chicken,” smirked Applejack.

Luna snorted with laughter, gazing fondly on the adorable sight of Rainbow Dash tickle-wrestling a giggling filly, and snuggled Lyra to her. “We shall proclaim the wonders of your giant chicken to all corners of Equestria! Fear not, dear foolish lusty Lyra, all is well.”

“Ah reckon Miss Lyra knows th’ wonders of our giant chicken already!” grinned Applejack. “Crazy ravenous critter, he is! No mare’s safe from th’ giant chicken!”

Rainbow Dash giggled. “Heck, you’re the only mare in the room who hasn’t had the giant chicken!” she added, and then quickly added, “Sorry!”

“That’ll do,” grumbled Applejack, but without any real anger. She’d come to terms with Northern Spy’s conception.

“Spy want giant chicken!”

Applejack choked. “Dear Celestia, no!”

Dash cracked up again, and distracted Spy with more tickling.

“Speakin’ of which,” added Applejack hastily, “where is the other Princess? Ain’t seen her in a little while. I hear tell she got caught with that Chaos and some earth pony feller. She doin’ okay?”

“Oh!” said Princess Luna. “We forgot in all the excitement. She is out. Pray do not be distressed, fair Applejack! My sister has taken the betrayal of Discord poorly, but lest ye forget, we spent thousands of years contemplating just such a betrayal. I shall not judge my beloved sister for being softhearted. I will only strengthen her resolve to abandon the wretch and his wicked, hurtful pranks.”

“Dang,” said Applejack helplessly. “Well, if there’s anything we can do, y’all need only ask it.”

“He’s a big meanie-head!” vowed Dash. “Right, Spy?” She tickled on.

Spy shrieked with laughter. “Big meaniehead! Heeheeheehee!”

Luna continued, “She is seeking privacy for her meditations, as she feels rather exposed now when speaking to the palace nobles, and even the staff and servants. It has been a very long time since Canterlot nobility gathered to witness a Princess… penetrated.”

Applejack boggled. “Dang! Poor thing. Anything we can do to help her, you just say th’ word. Will she be back soon? Spy wanted to watch her raise the sun in the morning.”

“Oh, yes! My Lyra enjoys that as well, and Celestia has grown nearly as fond of her company as I am. My sister is nothing if not orderly,” said Luna. “We will join her for her morning solar duties. She will be back by then.”

Lyra studied her Princess closely. “Looney? You said it’s been a very long time since Canterlot nobility watched… you know.”

“Oh yes.”

“Well,” said Lyra intelligently, “you didn’t actually specify which Princess, did you?”

“Shh,” said Princess Luna.

The balcony gleamed in white marble… or would have, if the sun was up. Instead, it glimmered in magic torchlight, that illuminated the eyes of the gathered ponies and tiny, yawning filly.

“Sister!” called Luna, fretfully.

“You think she’s flying around here somewhere?” suggested Dash. “I can go look!”

“So could I,” replied Princess Luna, but Dash scoffed.

“Ten seconds flat!” she boasted, and in a rainbow-colored streak she was gone, zipping around the palace and looking every which way.

She returned, panting slightly from her enthusiastic exertions. “Not here! Now what?”

“She must raise the sun quickly!” cried Princess Luna, who then hesitated and added, “I mean, promptly. Soon! I do not mean to suggest she will fling the sun into the sky, far from it…”

“Princess Twilight!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. “She’ll think of something. I’ll get her!” She zipped off.

“Or we could wait upon her return,” said Princess Luna, too late.

“Dashie!” called Applejack. “Dang it, she’s gone. Guess we’re about to see Twilight bed-mane!”

“Oh, dear,” said Luna. “We shall hope she is not offended by the imposition.”

Lyra rubbed her sleepy eyes with a hoof. “But what do we need Twilight Sparkle for anyway? We’ve got Princess Luna, and the pony we need here is Princess Celestia. And personally I wouldn’t mind a few more minutes of night-time. It took me forever to get to sleep.”

Luna narrowed her eyes in a stern look. “And whose fault is that, prithee, my consort?”

“Yours, of course,” said Lyra blithely. “For being too royal all night.”

“Moving right along!” said Applejack, who had no wish to explain the giggles and squeaks that had come from behind Luna’s bedroom door once the royal couple had retired.

Fortunately, Spy had conked out hours earlier than that. Unfortunately, she was currently wide awake, eagerly awaiting the Sun Princess’s Dawn, and batting her tiny eyelashes in confusion at Lyra’s remarks. “What royal?”

“Very royal,” explained Lyra solemnly. “But still up for a dare. Kind of like your Mom, Northern Spy! That is, if your Mom gets into secret unicorn fun.”

“What secret unicorn fun?” demanded Spy, as Applejack’s eyes widened.

Lyra caught the glances in time. “Uhh… it wouldn’t be a secret if I told you, silly!” She pouted. “I was only going to say widening. Hmph!”

“Been there, done that, no more please!” snapped Applejack, tartly.

“What?” squeaked Lyra. “When? Who? You make it sound like a bad thing!”

Applejack gulped. “Happens it was. Ah’m jes’ sayin’, we’d like to keep Spy away from too much unicorn crazy an’ my experiences got kind of disturbing.”

Lyra blinked. “Oh! Trixie.”

“Uh, nope!”

“Rarity!” guessed Lyra. “In that case I forgive you. Did you know I tried to date her myself? I just could not handle Rarity, though she’s so elegant and beautiful. You might have a point about unicorn crazy, we can be pretty intense. Looney knows that! It’s because of how very magical we are, I think. Unicorns live closer to the true heart of magic.”

Applejack shook her head. “That ain’t what I meant, honey. Don’t you think ill of Rarity, I still love her dearly though dang if I know who kin handle her. Apparently our Derpy suits her a treat, who’d have thought? Still makes me nervous foolin’ around with her.”

“Then what are you talking about?” demanded Lyra.

“Twilight Sparkle…” began Applejack.

“What.”

The voice was cranky and ragged, and came from above. Down into the light of the magical torches came Twilight herself, complete with a raging case of bed-mane and very ruffled wings. Rainbow Dash followed, landing neatly on all four hooves and furling her impeccably preened wings decorously while trying not to gawk at the lavender Princess’s.

“Oh!” said Applejack. “Uh, howdy?”

“Why did Rainbow Dash wake me up and tell me Princess Celestia is gone, and make me rush over here?” demanded Twilight.

“Uh, ‘cos she is?” said Applejack. “Leastways, we cain’t find her this mornin’ and Dashie, she thought you might be able to think of somethin’ to help…”

“Did you look around? Is she visiting other kingdoms?” said Twilight, fretfully. “Why are you asking ME?”

“Our pardon, Princess Twilight,” said Luna. “Young Rainbow is perhaps impulsive…”

Rainbow Dash broke in. “Well, excuse me, but since we do have a special magic princess to use, I just thought…” She blinked, and looked again at Luna. “Oh. Right. Anyway, since we have you, have you seen her? Can you, like, use your Princess-sense and sort of smell her out?” Dash wiggled her butt like a cat, and pounced on nothing, to demonstrate the procedure for Twilight.

Twilight gritted her teeth. “We have a routine that you are disrupting, and for this?” She stamped a forehoof, her expression alarmingly fierce. Luna frowned, and Dash looked hurt and offended.

Applejack felt something touch the hocks of her hind legs. She looked back, and saw that it was Northern Spy. Spy, normally fearless, had sensed something in Twilight’s mood that caused her to shy away and take cover behind Orange Mom. She peered around Applejack’s rump with wide, impressed eyes.

Applejack turned to face Twilight, holding her head high and proud.

“Now see here! Ah apologize for us draggin’ y’all out of bed. Dashie flew off th’ handle and no mistake. Or I guess it was a mistake, huh? But it was only a mistake, and missy, I git up earlier than this every day. We are sorry for disturbin’ your sleep. Now what the hay’s got you so fired up, Twilight Sparkle? You ain’t got no business bein’ this mad!”

Twilight whinnied shrilly in outrage, and Applejack laid her ears back. “Ah’m a-waitin’!”

Visibly, Princess Twilight Sparkle controlled herself. “It’s just… Applejack, I don’t even know what you expect of me! I have no idea where Princess Celestia went. I can’t raise the sun, in case that’s what you were thinking. There’s nothing I can do here, and you’re taking me away from something important!”

“Well, we din’t mean to!” retorted Applejack, emboldened by the sensation of her foal hiding behind her. “What’s so all-fired important that you do in the morning? If it’s so dang great, maybe Ah’ll take to doin’ it myself!”

“For your information,” hissed Twilight, “I always wake before dawn so I can spend a few special moments in meditation, and it’s no concern of yours, it’s personal!”

Luna quirked her ears, puzzled. She’d tried meditation, but had never heard of Twilight Sparkle attempting it. Applejack cleared her throat.

“Well, your luck is in,” she said. “Happens we ain’t found Princess Celestia yet. We’re out here ‘cos Spy wanted to watch the Princess raisin’ the Sun. So if you’re gonna be cranky-pants Sparkle, missy, how about you fly off home and cool your hooves? You got plenty of time, dawn ain’t keepin’ its usual schedule this mor… this m… huh.”

She trailed off. The horizon was glowing. No Princess Celestia appeared, but all the same the sun was being raised.

In its burgeoning light, Twilight Sparkle bore a look of tragic dismay that completely overwhelmed her anger. There might have been an enormous flashing sign over her, reading ‘TOO LATE’.

Her obvious misery stole all of Applejack’s fire. Applejack felt Spy peeking in confusion from behind her. She lowered her head, shaking it gently.

“Ah got no idea why your meditation is so dang important, honey,” she said, “but we’re a pack o’ fools and Ah apologize sincerely, from all of us, for messin’ up your mornin’. Go on home, honey. We’re awful sorry. Least we got us a dawn, huh?”

“Indeed we do,” said Princess Luna. “Oh, Twilight! Our sincerest apologies. Pray feel free to resume whatever activities you are accustomed to, at this time. We meant no harm.”

Twilight looked like she was about to cry. Then, she whirled, and she was off—racing home with Rainbow Dash-like speed.

“Sorry?” said Rainbow Dash, her ears flattened in chagrin.

Applejack hugged her, and ruffled her mane without a word of reproach. Then she turned to Lyra. “Do I really need to explain what I was talkin’ about, earlier? I think you kin guess.”

Lyra nodded, impressed. “I see what you mean about unicorn crazy. Poor Twilight. I wonder what in Equestria was bothering her?”

“Here’s hoping we never have to find out,” said Applejack earnestly.

As Twilight Sparkle approached her treehouse, racing against the rays of dawn, she forced herself to slow down. It wouldn’t be the same if she made a racket and woke her. That wasn’t the magic of the moment.

Twilight forced herself not to pant for breath, took a moment to wonder if she could somehow slow her pounding heart, and crept back into her house and upstairs to her bed and her window.

She was just in time, though her emotions were dreadfully far from what she knew they should be.

Twilight watched, keeping totally silent, as the first rays of dawn broke through the window, casting themselves across the relaxed, sleeping body of Trixie Lulamoon. She stared with a sort of desperate, tender ravenousness, as the sweet golden light gradually bathed and illuminated the mare she loved.

Her heart gradually slowed, but seemed to thump all the more heavily as she drank in the sight.

There were two reasons Twilight had begun to obsessively keep this vigil, seizing every opportunity to watch her beloved in the first light of dawn, cursing fretfully when weather stole the moment from her.

One was that it was such a quiet and beautiful moment. Trixie was so passionate and alive that, were she awake, she would be devoting herself to Twilight’s wishes and galloping off to cook breakfast, or if she’d known watching gave Twilight such pleasure, she would pose and wink and put on a big show. Only in sleep did Trixie relax and forget herself and the brightly burning devotion she had for her Princess. Her hunger to please usually prevented Twilight from basking in this sort of peace.

It was hard come by. Ponies didn’t sleep all the time, and Trixie seemed not to want to sleep at all, and that also worked to steal these magical moments from Twilight. Of course, if Trixie was up late pleasuring her Princess it meant she’d sleep like a stone through the dawn, so that helped.

The other reason Twilight needed to experience every possible moment spent watching the love of her life snoring cutely in the light of dawn, was the same reason Trixie didn’t want to sleep at all.

They could be counted, these moments—but they could not be replaced. One day there would be no more.

Twilight stared at Trixie, lip quivering, tears in her eyes, a great yearning flooding them. She looked absolutely defenseless as she gazed upon the unicorn she’d have given her very life for, the crazy, brilliant mare who was a part of her forever and had sworn eternal devotion.

Her poor precious darling was going to have some trouble with the ‘eternal’ part, Twilight knew.

Trixie breathed deeply, limp in slumber, untroubled.

Twilight watched silently, second after second after second after second, cherishing every last one…

…as they passed.

Birds sang.

The light had been pouring into the cave for some time. Chaos stirred, coming awake with a delightful snuggled sensation. For a moment, she breathed more quickly, remembering certain misadventures. Then, she relaxed, melting into Crowbar’s embrace. This time, neither of them were having interesting dreams, so there would be no need of frantic chaos-magicking. Her vagina could stay normally sized for breakfast.

Not that she’d be consuming breakfast that way! Even if the big dumb lunk was impressively good at injecting protein! No, a bit of simple grass would suffice. One thing about Ponyville and its surrounding areas was its great pastures. Chaos yawned, wriggling delicately until she’d extricated herself from her stallion’s forelegs.

She considered bringing him back some grass, for breakfast in bed. Well, in cave.

No… not grass. Firstly, that was just forage, without any real style at the best of times. Secondly, it was better absolutely fresh, especially with the morning dew on it. Any pony, of any sort, knew that.

Chaos glanced out the cave entrance, ruffling and stretching her wings. The sun was up! She’d better get out there before the dew burned off the flowers. Flowers, that was it! She resolved to grab a quick snack, and then bring Crowbar some flowers. The tastiest ones! She corrected herself. Among the tastiest ones! He wouldn’t mind if she snapped up the yummiest blossoms, but all the same she vowed to bring him back some treats. He was one in a thousand, a million. Generations hadn’t produced a pony of his gifts—or his wonderful sweetness, when the situation was right.

The tastiest ones, Chaos decided. No holding back—she’d find him something special, and not eat the best flowers herself, even though she could. She’d do it right, even if he never knew. She’d know.

She wandered quietly out of the cave, nibbling grass, sampling the daisies, and turned to climb the hill.

Silhouetted by the light of the rising Sun, a vision presented itself to Chaos, radiant in the dawn of its own creation.

Chaos’s jaw dropped, and a flower petal fluttered from her dainty lip to the ground.

“We have to talk,” said Princess Celestia.

Chaos couldn’t even blink, or speak. She stood, dumbfounded. Celestia stamped a gold-shod forehoof.

“Specifically… YOU have to talk,” she said.

Kick The Pebble

Chaos stared up at Princess Celestia, speechless.

Celestia was trembling. She couldn’t look away. “You can begin with, oh, let’s say… everything!” she declaimed. “And then go on, please, to explain everything else. This ought to be good!”

Chaos’s lip quivered, and it tore at Celestia’s heart, but that heart was still troubled by inexplicable sights and unforgivable liberties. Chaos’s eyes teared up and she let out a sob, and Celestia bared her teeth, outraged, refusing to be manipulated…

…and an earth pony head peered out of the cave to see Chaos and Princess Celestia standing above him.

Chaos’s head whipped around, following Celestia’s gaze. Both alicorns stared at Crowbar. He squinted, recognizing the big winged pony he’d screwed, and gave a vague contented smile. Crowbar was not frightened of mares he’d fucked. He turned to cropping the grass inoffensively, not even noticing the dropped flowers Chaos had picked for him.

Chaos turned again, to see the terrible hurt and disdain in Celestia’s eyes.

“Oh, yes. Your toy,” said Princess Celestia. “What other things have you done to this pony?”

“I… I…” stammered Chaos, more tears coming. Her head spun, grief and shame warring with anger at the unfair accusations. Anger at the apparent contempt. Shame, because Chaos knew she had been using chaos magic recently to play games with Crowbar’s form, though she’d put him back right away. “What do you mean, other things? What are you implying?”

“We refer to your transforming him according to your perverted, nay, insulting whim!” cried Celestia. “You made him ME! Who else do you turn him into? My sister? Princess Twilight? Answer!”

Chaos sobbed harder, unable to meet Celestia’s eyes. How did she know? It wasn’t fair!

Princess Celestia’s mouth was a grim, hard line as she studied the petite blue alicorn before her. “Enough. We will find some suitable and safe place for this poor creature, even if the palace ponies find it disconcerting. You are clearly mistreating him…”

“I LOVE him!”

Crowbar’s ear quirked at the sudden cry. Celestia gasped.

Chaos, teeth bared, looked slowly up at Princess Celestia, and her outrage built and built.

“How dare you?” she hissed. “How dare you! I, mistreat him? Poor creature? You have no idea, no idea at all of the wonders this noble pony carries within him. I can’t believe I thought I would trust you with him!”

Celestia bridled, kicking the dirt, her great wings flapping in agitation. “I noticed, Swirl… no, I mean Chaos! For that is so obviously what you are! There is nothing of the stallion I loved, not in you and not in this foolish pony’s freakish penis, and wonders like that are not important! One can do without them… just like I did without you!”

“You think that’s what I meant? By wonders?” challenged Chaos, shaking with fury.

“What else have you been boasting about all your miserable life?” retorted Princess Celestia, icily.

At that, Chaos went still… and as she did, Crowbar wandered over. He’d sensed the tone of things, dimly, and though mares he’d fucked didn’t frighten him, still he wished to settle them down. Another stallion might have reared and asserted his dominance. Crowbar nuzzled Chaos’s little flank, reassuringly. She glanced back to see his placid, soothing gaze. She returned her attention to Princess Celestia.

“If you have any decency in you, Chaos, you’ll let this pony live a more peaceful life away from your influence,” said Celestia. She stepped back, unable to face the little blue alicorn’s burning eyes.

“And what do you intend to do about it, Celly?”

“Don’t call me that!”

“You shall not take him from me,” said Chaos. “I will fight you. You have not seen the extent of my powers.” The disconcerting patterns in her mane and tail seemed to swirl all the more disturbingly, as her eyes flashed in tearful fury.

“I don’t want to fight you, Chaos,” said Celestia. “Of course I will not fight over one mortal pony, calm yourself.”

“Maybe you should!” cried Chaos. “Again, how dare you? If I am so vile to you, try to strike me down and defend this earth pony, curse it! Does he not matter? How could I have trusted you with him? And now you so lightly turn him over to my tender mercies, believing me a monster! Are you afraid?”

Princess Celestia stood stock-still for a moment. “Yes. Yes, Chaos, I am. Your power seems to match mine, and I don’t say that lightly. I’ve had to turn to the Elements of Harmony to contain you. I thought I could trust you this time, and I was horribly wrong. I only want to ensure the safety of my little ponies, the Elements of Harmony are not here to aid me, and I fear you and your whims.”

Chaos snarled, and Celestia trembled again, for there was a glimpse of the old Starswirl in her eyes somehow. Her little ice-blue nostrils flared.

“How did you know I transformed him, Celestia?”

Celestia fell back another step, blushing delicately. She bit her lip in chagrin. Chaos was not stupid. And…

“How long have you been here, Celestia?”

“I…” muttered Princess Celestia. She cleared her throat. “What grounds have you for this assumption?”

“Why?” demanded Chaos, gritting her teeth in outrage. She wasn’t fooled for a moment. “Why did you watch us making love?”

“I fear you and your whims,” repeated Celestia, unsteadily, unwilling to explain further.

Chaos felt a breath against her pert rump. Her glistening eyes lit up with a mad, vindictive mischief. “Whims, you say? Maybe you’d better leave. I feel a whim coming on. It’s a nice whim, I enjoy it immensely.”

Celestia’s ears laid back. “I stand on the grass of Equestria, the land under my personal care, and you shall not order me to leave my own domain!”

“Suit yourself,” sniffed Chaos. “It’s just going to be uncomfortable for you quite soon, and if I know anything about you I would suggest you leave.”

Celestia gasped.

Chaos began to smile a wicked, whimsical smile, and madness danced in her eyes… or at least, great unpredictability and disorder.

Princess Celestia bared her teeth again, shaking with rage. “You’re going to turn him into me again, aren’t you? Do it. Let me know the real truth of you, so I can try to destroy you with a clear conscience.”

Crowbar sniffed at Chaos’s rump again. Chaos flicked her tail coquettishly. Crowbar’s eyes widened.

“Conscience, you say?” remarked Chaos casually. “The conscience that lets you abandon a truly wonderful–even if he is thick as a post in every imaginable sense—pony to an unfit guardian? Is it that conscience you speak of, pray tell, Celly?”

“I told you, don’t call me that! You have no right!”

“Don’t worry. I don’t want to turn him into you now,” explained Chaos. “I don’t want to see you, either, for you’re such a disappointmnnngh!”

She shuddered, for Crowbar had licked between her legs, and she hastily sought to spell things out in words of one syllable while she could still utter coherent syllables. Crowbar wasn’t rushing her, which was a mercy. Celestia was staring, in apparent horror.

“Go away,” said Chaos firmly. “I’m doing what you all wanted me to do. I am acknowledging my own marehood. And you don’t love mares, do you, Celestia? You famously don’t, as I learned to my great cost. But I am a mare, now, whether you like it or not. And I’m with my stallion…”

“While he lasts,” hissed Princess Celestia, her ears back, her face scarlet.

“Fuck you!” retorted Chaos. “Because he certainly won’t do that again, I assure you. He’s mine! He’s about to make me feel good, which is more than you’ve been able to say for thousands of years! And you cannot have him. So stay and stoke the fires of jealousy if you insist on being a great white bitch of a pony. Your Starswirl is dead, darling Celly. I’m Chaos now, and this fine horse loves me. I can feel it in his lovemaking.  Go ahead and stay if you want to learn what love is! It would be good for you. But you don’t have the guts to watch… and see how inadequate your heart really is.”

“This is my hillside,” snarled Celestia, “and you won’t order me off it!”

“So, it’s going to be haaaahh! that way, eh?” said Chaos, distracted by another lick up her dainty folds. “Have fun. I’ll show you I can do better than you.”

Princess Celestia sat on her haunches, and ostentatiously folded her wings, glaring at Chaos. Chaos sneered, lidded her still-moist eyes sensuously, set her hind legs a bit farther apart, and winked at her lover, and his eyes widened.

The terrifying, thick battering-ram of a horse cock dropped from between his legs, nudging the grass before stiffening and swinging forward.

Celestia licked her lips, and then froze as she caught a glint from Chaos’s nearly veiled gaze.

“YOU will never have that cock again,” said Chaos softly. “I’ll prevent that, at all costs, so don’t try me.”

“I don’t want it,” replied Princess Celestia.

“Liar.”

“Does he like it when you shrink him to fit you?” challenged Celestia. “Stallions are sensitive about those things. Does he… does…”

Her eyes were wide, flicking back and forth between the massive hard-on and Chaos’s petite frame in disbelief.

Chaos bared her teeth in a snarl of satisfaction, as Crowbar sniffed at her again, beginning to rear up in polite little hops of his forelegs.

“I don’t, fool,” she said. “I change ME to fit. I would not change him in the slightest. He loves me just the way I… uhhh!”

Crowbar had mounted onto her trim little rump. Her horn flashed in frantic haste, and Celestia jumped up and trotted around behind to see if Chaos had lied—still blushing scarlet, her heart pounding. There was no sign the massive penis had been reduced in any way, though it was clearly impossible for the two to mate as things stood. She couldn’t see what Chaos had done with her magic, but it had been something.

“Last chance to flee, coward,” taunted Chaos, her hind legs trembling visibly. Crowbar’s cock thumped heavily against her inner thigh, dizzying her.

“MY hillside!” retorted Celestia.

“Suit y…”

Crowbar found his target. His hips pressed forward, tenderly, and Celestia’s jaw dropped.

“But where is she?” asked Applejack. “Ah don’t mind admittin’ I’m worried too. Ain’t she usually good an’ regular-like? Never heard of Princess Celestia not doin’ something she set out to do.”

Princess Luna blinked, caught gazing fretfully off into the distance. “But… behold, the Sun! She’s done it, you can’t fault her for that!”

“But,” said Applejack shrewdly, “you were thinkin’ she’d do it from here. That’s why we come out onto this balcony, Princess, to be with her. She’s raised the Sun right enough, but where is she?”

“We don’t know.”

“Should ya?” asked Applejack, scritching Northern Spy behind the ears with a hoof. Spy was sulking, as the big white Princess hadn’t shown up.

Luna scraped at the floor with a hoof, awkwardly. “That… is a difficult question to answer, fair Applejack.”

“We’re totally worried about Princess Celestia!” said Lyra. “She’s been miserable! I can’t spot it all the time, but Looney knows, and she says Princess Celestia has never been this upset!”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened. “What, EVER? Even when fighting Discord, or banishing Nightmare Moon to the Moon?” She realized what she’d said, and squeaked in alarm. “Eep! Sorry!”

Luna had winced, but faced Dash without resentment. “Perhaps she was as troubled then. We would fain believe so—but remember, we were not privy to her softer feelings at the time. And yes, even when we fought Discord the first time, she was not this grieved.”

“How ya mean, grieved?” demanded Applejack, tossing her mane. “What’s happenin’ now that’s so different? I heard ol’ Discord embarrassed her perty good, though gotta tell you, I wouldn’t hold that stuff against her, from what I’m hearin’. Seems only natural. Everypony gotta get a piece ‘a tail now an’ then, if you know what I mean.”

She smiled encouragingly, flicking her tail, a physical embodiment of cheerful and healthy pony sexuality, ready to scoff at any suggestion that Princess Celestia enjoying a stallion was a bad thing. The smile faded, though, as the Princess of the Moon seemed not comforted by her reassurances.

Luna sighed. “At the time, Discord seemed mad with rage and resentment at his fate. I remember Starswirl the Bearded, and Celestia’s romance with him, though I did not always approve, for he seemed a vain and cocksure unicorn who took her for granted. When he was transformed, he became the small and feminine alicorn you have seen, and Celestia was horrified. My sister cannot abide mares as the object of desire, Applejack. She is very… well, fairly… tolerant of it in our little ponies, and I may say she would have to be, but all the same it does not speak to her personally. When she lost her stallion, she despaired and could not stand the sight of Chaos, or the series of transformations she underwent in frantic efforts to win Celestia back.”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes were very wide. Applejack gulped. “Y’ don’t say?”

“Pray do not wound her by suggesting it,” said Princess Luna, “but… in truth, Celestia bears some responsibility for the existence of Discord. His draconequus form might be seen as an act of self-loathing, the final reaction to her rejection of him. This is all very private and I would not tell you, save that our lives have been turned on their heads by Celestia’s failed romances, and the stakes may be extremely grave. We may need your help yet. There could be battle ahead.”

Lyra’s ears quirked. “W… wait a minute! I thought you said alicorns can only be female, unless you use a magic bit! That was the whole reason you INVENTED those! Er, I mean, had them invented for you!”

Luna’s eyes widened. “Oop. He was always so insistent that Discord was male, that we had to go along with it. Celestia knew better, that was the whole problem. Yes, Discord must logically be female, though I admit I have never seen any sexual parts on him at all. But they might be rather chaotically inclined, you know.”

Rainbow Dash began to grin. “Discord’s a girl!”

“He does the voice very well!” protested Luna, her ears laying back. “Pray do not distress him with it, we thought he might at last have found some peace!”

“Is that it?” pressed Applejack. “Somehow this is about Discord and Celestia and canoodlin’? Princess Celestia is upset on account of y’all thought Discord was gonna be good, and then all of a sudden it’s off to th’ races again?”

Luna nodded, sadly. “Surely it must be so! And perhaps not just with that earth pony Chaos found. My sister was ecstatic when Discord agreed to be Chaos and coexist peacefully with us. Celestia insisted she had no ulterior motive, but I suspected otherwise. In fact,” she said, and glanced furtively around her as if guarding against spies, “she once asked me how often Lyra and I used our magic bit.”

Applejack’s eyes widened. “She DID?”

Luna nodded. “Perhaps I am reading too much into it, but she seemed over-casual as she asked. Lyra and I believe she may have sought to get one into the hooves of Chaos… who, of course, is known for transformations.”

Applejack’s jaw dropped. “You mean… into her old stallion, uh, friend!” She hastily rephrased her remark, for Spy had looked up at her curiously.

Luna nodded. “We did not speak of it, but I suspect such was her motive. Of course, at this point Princess Twilight would be outraged with such a proposal. She took it very poorly when Celestia was… disgraced.”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes shone with delirious glee. “Oh my gosh oh my gosh! So, so… how often DO you and Lyra use it? And what if it was Celestia using it?”

Applejack glanced suspiciously at her pegasus mate. Dash seemed not to be quite in tune with Luna’s essential seriousness. She was tuned to Planet Rainbow, her mind plainly racing, blurting out idea after idea as they struck her with Dashian speed.

“She’s, like, enormous! Eeeee! I bet she’d get a… waugh!”

Her wings had been rising with each word, and before she could go further, Applejack pounced, tackled her cerulean darling to the floor of the balcony, and sat on her. With a squeal of delight, Spy joined Orange Mom in sitting on Blue Mom. Blue Mom had emitted a squeal as well, and it seemed like it might have been another equally worthy form of delight, but Applejack staunchly refused to mention it, and just sat atop Rainbow’s squished body, hooves firmly pressing Dashie’s wing bases down even as they shuddered and wriggled and her feathers splayed out spasmodically.

“Eeee! Nhh! ohmy! gosh! hhh!”

Soon, Rainbow Dash subsided, panting.

Applejack straightened her hat. “Now then. You ready to behave, ya naughty lil’ varmint?”

Lyra giggled. “Did you ever feel like you’re raising two fillies, Applejack?”

Applejack grinned, her eyes glinting with pleasure. “Ain’t nothing in life as good as raisin’ two fillies, sugarcube. Ah wouldn’t call it easy, mind you.”

Luna sniffed the air. “We are not sure if we would call them both fillies, upon the evidence…”

“Uht!” cautioned Applejack. “Call it an object lesson, maybe? Sometimes ya gotta confuse th’ younguns so’s they don’t run off playin’ games out of their class.” She clambered off her mate, shaking out her mane, followed by Spy, who showed no sign of understanding the evocative and telltale scent in the air.

Rainbow Dash, rather disheveled, got up and took a deep breath, ostentatiously ignoring the little wet mark she’d left on the balcony.

“Mommy pee!” cried Northern Spy triumphantly, and Rainbow reddened.

“Oh, shit! I mean, yeah, you got me! Mommy’s sorry,” said Dash.

“Ha ha!” crowed Spy. “Spy big girl, not pee when wrestle!”

Rainbow was scarlet, but grinning. “Yeah,” she panted, “Blue Mommy just can’t seem to get the knack of that, huh?”

“Go clean up!” squeaked Spy. “Bad Mommy, heehee!”

“On it!” vowed Dash, flying off in search of a towel. Lyra raised an eyebrow to Applejack.

“Does she… often have that problem?”

“It’s jes’ terrible,” said Applejack, straight-faced. “But you know, we love her just the same. Ain’t that right, short stuff?”

Northern Spy nodded happily. “Spy love Mommy! Even when Mommy bad!”

“We figured out we could use it as a lesson that it’s okay ta make mistakes if you clean it up and mean well,” explained Applejack. “The first time it was an accident. Uhh, I mean, it’s always an accident, ain’t it? Poor Blue Mommy. Awful ticklish. Eyup…”

“Shall we discuss other, gentler topics?” suggested Princess Luna.

“Gosh, Ah hope so,” replied Applejack, looking beleaugered. “It’s damn exhaustin’ corralin’ some pegasuses when they gits themselves excited, an’ we got standards to keep up.”

“Is Orange Mommy bad?” hazarded Lyra, curiously, as Dash flew back and began mopping up her little wet spot. She’d taken a moment to straighten her feathers, but still blushed.

“Never,” said Dash. “Orange Mommy is annoyingly good.”

“Not fer lack o’ her tryin’,” said Applejack smugly.

“Orange Mommy’s ticklish places are a lot harder to reach,” said Dash. “Well… usually!”

“Sh!” said Applejack.

“But it’s totally worth it!”

Princess Luna giggled at the loving and exasperated glare Applejack gave Rainbow—but glanced off into the distance again, unable to forget the mysterious plight of her sister, no matter how cute the little ponies acted.

Princess Celestia’s jaw dropped, and she gawked, refusing to cry out in dismay, but laying her ears back hard.

The mammoth horsecock shoved against Chaos’s little mound, tucking between trim buttocks, and it was plain Chaos was not shrinking him. And yet something had happened. Celestia was almost sure that pert rump had looked different a moment ago. Not that she was checking out Chaos’s butt! But it seemed like it had become… wider? More widely spaced?

That wasn’t all there was to see. Her faint choking noise was drowned out by Chaos’s lewd wail.

Well, if it hadn’t been more widely spaced before…

Chaos shuffled her rear hooves, setting them a little farther apart, and who could blame her? Celestia watched in mute horror. There was no doubt about it, Crowbar’s huge dick had penetrated its quarry. Chaos’s tail thrashed, in pleasure or agony, there was no telling which.

Celestia realized she was gritting her teeth. The sight was obscene, like a foaling. Mares weren’t supposed to stretch that wide for a stallion. Celestia’s heart pounded, expecting at any moment a fierce stallionish thrust and a shriek of pain from Sw… no, Chaos? It was hard to remember how bad Chaos was, when seeing her so horribly vulnerable.

Or was she?

Celestia gulped. The earth pony stallion was still sliding his penis deeper into Chaos’s body. She could just about see the side of his face. He looked happy. Chaos was shaking, but did she have tricks up her sleeve? Or up her…

Princess Celestia crept closer on trembling hooves, trying to get a better view of what was happening. Had Chaos created some sort of portal or void within herself, into which the hapless earth pony’s cock was thrust? She knew the length of him. There was no chance he could fit inside anything equine the size of Chaos. Celestia didn’t believe that for a moment. He was a sore trial even for her, and she was nearly twice his size.

She peered under Chaos’s belly, and the diminutive alicorn’s tight little abdomen was visibly swollen. Celestia almost thought she could see it bulging wider under the strain. She shook her head in mute dismay, and glanced up towards Chaos’s head, unthinkingly.

Chaos stared right back at her, teeth bared in victory and exultation.

Celestia glanced quickly back and saw that Crowbar’s crotch was pressed right up against the little alicorn’s rump.

“Impossible…” she breathed.

“Hahnnn!” moaned Chaos, and Celestia saw her tight little butt clench around the tree-trunk transfixing it.

Crowbar grunted, a startled noise as if she’d pinched him. He shifted his hooves, with a tight wet noise as his cock in turn shifted inside Chaos. She wailed, and bore down again.

Celestia’s face was a mask of horror, though she was too proud to back away or flee.

Crowbar grunted, tightening his forelegs. Chaos thrust her butt back against his crotch, and kept bearing down, pinching at him. He whimpered, heaving deep breaths. Celestia could see Chaos straining, tensing, squeezing…

Crowbar groaned, and began pumping with his hips, as if trying to loosen the cramped vagina by fucking it into submission.

Celestia’s cry of earnest dismay was drowned out by Chaos’s wild shriek. It was not sounds that horrified the white alicorn, however. It was sights. As Crowbar began humping his diminutive lover, it was all too plain to see that his cock was thrusting all the way through Chaos, as if her vagina reached right up to her chest. Celestia could see a bulge rhythmically appearing between her forelegs, and with his more vigorous motion, it wasn’t difficult to make out the thickness of his massive cock impaling her. Celestia thought she could see his medial ring sliding back and forth inside Chaos. Such things couldn’t be possible, and yet they were happening inches from her shocked eyes.

Heart pounding, Celestia gulped and realized something else had happened. Chaos’s shrieks had softened. Crowbar’s thrusts were slowing.

Juice dripped down the inside of Chaos’s leg. It didn’t look like horse semen. It looked like Chaos had squirted copiously in very female mare-gasm. Celestia saw her body shiver and tremble all over. Those pert little buttocks weren’t squeezing at Crowbar’s penetrating cock anymore. Chaos was limp with pleasure, barely able to stand, her efforts to pinch her stallion into madness forgotten.

Celestia watched as Crowbar slowed right down. He nuzzled Chaos’s neck as she sweetly wailed. His hips took on a dreamy, languorous tempo, hardly worth even calling a tempo anymore. Wide-eyed, Celestia crept around behind the couple, peering in wonder at his point of entry, where Chaos’s rump was splayed wide around his juice-soaked, slickened stallionhood. She could see Chaos wriggling in pleasure, though it remained obscene and shocking, physically unreasonable and impossible.

Yet, the mood had changed so conclusively Celestia could hardly believe it. She hadn’t remembered such tenderness. When she’d experienced that stallion, her attention had been on Swirlie… well, Chaos, and then at her request, Discord, coiling sensuously around her. And now Discord was gone, as she’d been told… but there was something so recognizable about the personality that had goaded Crowbar, the poor dumb brute, into Chaos-churning.

It was so Starswirl, somehow! The glorying in the forbidding physical overstimulation, the glee over shocking experience. He’d always loved those wild and crazy moments of physical outrage. He’d done to Celestia what Crowbar had been doing, done it until she shrieked and fainted under his savage rutting. But now the tables were turned, and something new was present that Starswirl had never mastered. Celestia watched those stolid earth pony hips nudge and flow, watched Chaos’s trim thighs quiver between Crowbar’s, and the love and bliss just washed over her. Chaos was coming steadily, and her voice was a wordless song of ecstacy. She’d seemingly forgotten anyone or anything was even there, besides her lover.

She was beautiful, as she joyously took him.

With a start, Princess Celestia realized how incongruous that observation was. Where had the thought ‘beautiful’ come from? She had begun to watch the couple for hostile, combative reasons, and hadn’t expected to find beauty. In fairness, hostile was the mood Chaos had been in as well, but there seemed something sacrilegous about maintaining hostility around such intense devotion and deep, grateful pleasure. Crowbar, the simple earth pony with a dick like a treetrunk, had melted the alarming Chaos into a quivering, loving puddle.

And it wasn’t through Starswirl-like dominance and showing off, either. He’d pumped Chaos while she screamed, matching her harshness and obliterating it through pure sensory overload, with a physicality that still horrified Celestia even to imagine… but then, he’d turned immediately to a tenderness the likes of which Celestia had never seen. She’d not had many lovers. Starswirl had been the best, by far. He’d still been a stallion’s stallion, full of his own ego and pride. Crowbar seemed egoless, and crooned dumb sweet moans as he slid that hideously huge erection within Chaos’s quivering, juicy vagina. Her legs were spread so wide—but, of course, they had to be.

Crowbar was so obviously, utterly devoted to her pleasure, embracing her and soaking up every ravishingly sweet cry, every tremble of that exquisite little form, the delicate shivers of her silky inner thigh, the wonderful tender firmness of her pert tight buttocks against his massive phallus. Even her erect, stiffened nipples were the most beautiful luminous blue, just a shade darker than her soft and magical little breasts, barely visible between her elegant legs. Chaos—Crowbar’s mare. So perfect. They fitted, somehow. They were so right, together.

Celestia realized she was weeping, and didn’t know why.

All at once, she was filled with the desperate urge to do something, to show that she was sorry and give her blessing. No words would suffice, and Celestia’s head was spinning until she felt quite mad. She drew back, prancing anxiously with her wings flaring up in great billows of white featheryness, mouth open in a soundless cry of dismay, unable to think straight.

And then, Princess Celestia had darted forward, tongue outstretched, nose between Chaos’s hind legs… and bestowed a long, lingering lick.

Not upon Crowbar, or his cock, or the place where his cock stretched Chaos so tightly—nothing so orderly.

Celestia, heart pounding, craned her nose up and licked across Chaos’s lovely, sensitive, fillyish breasts, the stiffened nipples caressing her tongue. She could feel the heat coming off that exquisite little vagina, pressing tenderly against the top of her muzzle.

Chaos squealed in shock, and a gout of magic blasted into the sky, her thighs juddering against the sides of Celestia’s face as she got catapulted into monumental spasms far beyond the orgasms she was steadily enjoying.

Crowbar grunted. Celestia’s horn was pressing against his balls. He gave a whinnying squeal of his own, and came, gushing copiously into Chaos’s shaking body even as her horn spurted raw magic everywhere. Her frantic spasms forced some of the come back out again, and it spilled across Celestia’s face. She cried out in chagrin and scrambled back out from under Chaos’s legs, batting at her soiled muzzle with a forehoof.

Crowbar dismounted and pulled free, the giant cock tugging out of Chaos like a magical trick, leaving her barely standing and with a cavernous hole right through her body, from which horsecome poured. Her horngasms died away, and her head dropped in sheer sexual exhaustion, hanging low. Chaos was wrung out, stunned, sated.

Crowbar snorted, glancing in perplexity at Celestia, taken aback by her actions. He did a double-take, rolled his eyes forgivingly, and turned to cropping grass, choosing not to be impressed that she’d suddenly joined in.

Chaos, shaking, turned her head in wonder and stared at Celestia, utterly unable to process what had just happened.

Celestia’s ears were laid back. Her eyes were as vulnerable as Chaos, or Starswirl, had ever seen them. And her tongue dangled, hanging out as if she dared not return it to her mouth… the Princess tongue that had just sensuously, erotically licked a mare’s tits.

A shudder ran through Princess Celestia’s body… and a drip, just a tiny drip of pussy-ooze hit the grass between her legs.

…and liked it.

Chaos couldn’t blink. All she could do was look at the beautiful Princess of the Sun, the mare she’d loved as Starswirl and lost as Discord and given up all hope for as Chaos, and yet that tongue caressing her breasts could only have been Celestia’s. There was no-one else present. It made no sense, but there it was. Her tongue was still sticking out!

Celestia’s eyes were huge, terrified. She drew her tongue back, shut her mouth, gulped. She was shaking, too. She had no more words than Chaos had. The moment was too big and alien and strange…

“THERE you are! I’ve got you now!”

Twilight Sparkle’s vengeful voice.

Chaos shrieked, a very girly shriek, and in a flash of Chaos magic, Crowbar was gone, teleported safely away. Not Chaos herself: her lover, first. She saved him from harm without a second thought, as an automatic reaction, and then in another flash Chaos vanished too, even as Twilight swooped down like a hawk upon the hillside.

“He was here! I mean she! They!” raged Twilight. “I saw them! I knew it, they’d captured you!”

Princess Celestia couldn’t stop shaking.

“Are you okay?” demanded Twilight. “What did they do to you? Ew, there’s stuff on your face! Oh, Princess! I am so sorry, I searched as fast as I could, but I was too late! You look awful! What did they do to you? Oh my gosh, he came on your FACE? I’ll kill that Chaos!”

Princess Celestia gulped, her lip quivering, her eyes haunted.

“Princess! Are you okay?”

“I don’t know, Twilight,” said Celestia. “I…” She shuddered roughly, shook her mane, gritting her teeth and fighting for control.

“What HAPPENED?”

“Magic happened,” said Celestia. “In a sense. Powerful magic. I must think. I am not what I was, Twilight, dear Twilight! Or have I been clinging to folly, all these years? Oh, dear! And yet, and yet…”

“What?” squealed Twilight, her ears back.

Celestia blushed. “Oh, Twilight, my Twilight! I think you are entitled to more than a ‘what’, poor Twilight.”

“Huh?” managed Twilight, staring in horror at her shamefaced mentor.

“I only meant, maybe my faithful student is entitled to a good, loud ‘I told you so’… about, you know.”

Twilight gaped, speechless.

Princess Celestia was positively scarlet with embarrassment.

“You know. The… mare thing.”

When The Levee Breaks

Twilight gawked at her Princess and mentor, as if Celestia had gone quite mad.

“S… so,” stammered Celestia, “we can be sure our faithful student will not judge us harshly for, ah, for the teacher learning from her pupil…”

“No,” said Twilight Sparkle.

“I am sorry, but yes. And I would hope, nay, expect your sympathy…”

“No,” repeated Twilight, without moving.

The habits of privilege and royalty did not slumber long.

“Twilight Sparkle!” declaimed Princess Celestia, angrily, still flaming red. “We require your loyalty and support in this most difficult situation! Whatever is the matter with you?” She flared her nostrils, and bared her teeth.

Twilight cowered back, having never seen her Princess so outraged. Even enchanting a doll and turning Ponyville on its head didn’t compare. Her wings flapped in dismay and panic, and then she answered the Princess’s question.

“You deserve so much better than this horribleness! Princess, there’s COME on your face!”

Princess Celestia’s heart pounded within her massive chest. Her teeth gritted—in part because her jaw, and all the rest of her, was tense with anxiety and troubling thoughts. She tossed her scintillating mane, and felt that part of it was stuck together.

“And that is not the specter of sensation that yet haunts my innocent tongue!” she raged. “We would like thy help, oh formerly-faithful student! This has not been an easy day!”

Twilight was wobbling, her eyes wide in horror. “You DRANK his come?”

“No!” yelled Celestia. “We did not say that! We… I… Twilight, I was licking Chaos’s breasts if you must know, and it has shaken me up to a degree I can scarcely credit, and if you could just…”

Twilight made a piteous squeal of despair, still unable to look away. She gulped, and she spoke.

“Don’t! Discord is evil, and we can’t risk losing you, Princess. He makes you do bad things. I’m sorry, but he is evil through and through, and you have to let him go. Forever!”

Princess Celestia, her head still spinning with the sensations of Chaos’s elegant body shuddering in orgasm inches from her face, the delicate and fascinating taste of Chaos’s dainty breasts on her tongue, her psyche still racked with shame… for she’d already judged Chaos bitterly and had her assumptions flung in her face, and then she couldn’t help but notice how threatened Chaos had saved her earth pony lover before herself… Princess Celestia reacted to Twilight’s pronouncement with a petulance she’d rarely displayed.

She stamped the ground, eyes flashing, and then whirled, turning her back on Twilight with another stamp of a hind hoof and lifting her chin high in contempt, a shudder rippling through her at the contrast between the ravishing loveliness of Chaos, and Twilight Sparkle’s exasperating, unhelpful attitude.

Behind her, Twilight made a strangled choking sound, and that was when Princess Celestia realized she’d also lifted her tail high to match her chin… and Celestia froze for a second, asking herself if she had really done what she thought she might have just done.

Her body was still worked up, the contact with Chaos’s sensuous flesh and that stud-muffin of an earth pony had her excited, she could smell the scent of his come and Chaos’s juices and their mingled arousal—yet for herself, Celestia had experienced nothing but tension and frustration. Chaos had got off, hugely. Crowbar had gushed come into Chaos so copiously that it’d spilled across the grass and bits of Celly which got in the way. Celestia had been left so aroused and unrelieved, that the whirl and petulant flounce she’d done served to jolt a molten alicorn marehood that hadn’t been so much as touched. And so…

Princess Celestia stared at nothing, stunned, trying to tell herself she had not just winked in poor Twilight’s face.

Slowly, she turned her head, peering around at her faithful young student.

Twilight’s ears were back. Her eyes were filled with a weird and distressing horror, like she’d witnessed something forbidden to happen, like a waterfall falling up or fluffy bunnies sinking deadly fangs into prey or Ponyville turning to savagery.

Or, perhaps, like she’d just ogled Princess Celestia’s alabaster vulva and found it not chaste and snugly folded as usual, but with pouting tender vaginal lips glowing in delicious pink health, sheened with the nectar of the Gods, a glistening drop revealed in the warm darkness of Celestia’s secret flesh.

…only to be projected outwards into the fresh Ponyville air, upon a bulky mare clitoris that poked out wilfully even as the quivering globes of vast alicorn ass still jiggled from her whirl and flounce.

Celestia followed Twilight’s gaze lower, and felt the breeze stir her erect nipples, visible between her tall and statuesque legs.

Their eyes met, again.

Twilight shook her head, and just whinnied her dismay, wordlessly. She seemed to be wavering back and forth, as if torn between the desire to flee, and the desire to charge forward and bury her head in her Princess’s nethers. Twilight’s wings flapped convulsively, and then began to stand more and more erect…

Celestia thought she could not blush worse… or be more fed up with the state of affairs. She whirled again, confronting Twilight.

“We had hoped for SYMPATHY! Not… not… rrrgghh!”

Twilight Sparkle shivered all over, visibly wobbling on her hooves, shying away but unable to break her entranced stare. Her gaze pleaded, but it was far from clear what it pleaded for. She licked her lips with a little pink tongue, tried to smile, laid her ears back, lashed her tail, and all the while her wings went ever stiffer, even as Princess Celestia gritted her teeth and glared.

Swirlie didn’t dither and fuss, thought Celestia. Swirlie was maddening and rude but fully adult, not some demented adolescent alicorn.

“That will do,” stated Celestia. “You are dismissed. Go calm yourself.”

Twilight Sparkle made a fillyish little squeal, shaking worse, utterly unable to cope.

“We said that will DO!” roared Princess Celestia, lunging forward and stamping both forehooves, her wings flaring out to either side.

Twilight shrieked, and took off like a startled quail, scrabbling her way into the sky with half-cramped, awkward wings, her legs flailing as if she sought to run straight up the empty air. Behind her, she vaguely heard Celestia crying out, “And come back when you can talk sense! And have a proper sympathy for the plight of… of… oh, Tartarus!”

Princess Celestia glowered. She was old enough to recognize a mess when she’d made one. She stamped the ground again, and then settled down herself, to grumpily meditate. Twilight wasn’t the only alicorn needing to be calmed.

That was two apologies owed Twilight, then. One for not understanding the mare thing and being difficult over Twilight’s Trixie, and one for traumatizing the poor baby and breaking her cute little brain.

And, one apology owed Chaos. Though her way of loving was difficult to comprehend, there was no question that it was sincere. Sometimes sudden impulsive acts revealed a lot. Indeed, was it not very Starswirl-like to expose her before the Canterlot nobles? It had seemed the height of intentional cruelty, but Starswirl was a terrible show-off and gloried in ego pursuits such as ambitious lovemaking. Chaos, too, had showed exactly that trait, scant minutes ago: goading on Crowbar to be more extreme. Could Swirlie have meant the disgrace as a form of happy boasting, with no intention to harm or shame his Princess?

And then, he’d… no, SHE had demonstrated nobility with Crowbar. Swirlie WAS gone. Chaos was female, and it seemed to be doing her a world of good. She’d been taking care of that earth pony, if Celestia was any judge. His mane looked groomed. She could as easily have turned him to a potted plant, or abandoned him to his fate, but he looked healthy and happy. And the accusation that Celestia was turning Crowbar over willingly to a wicked pony… that stung. It hadn’t hurt Chaos, for she knew she was keeping faith with her brief mortal lover. It stung Celestia that she had so grievously misjudged her old amour, who’d been doing some growing up, it appeared.

Celestia’s eyes softened, and she gazed off into space.

Perhaps Chaos would let her apologize… with her tongue. She wondered what that would be like. She could always ask…

She winced. Asking Twilight wasn’t going to be an option anytime soon. And those apologies were not going to be made the same way she proposed to apologize to Chaos, but all the same, they would happen… in time.

Time healed many things. One learned that over the centuries.

Twilight flew madly on, weeping, her wings cramping up. They hurt. So did her shame, and so did her heart.

She didn’t stop until she reached her tree-house, and she landed with a clunk of hooves on the balcony, looking frantically around. Nopony came to greet her, and no dragon. Twilight made no complaint about that, for she wasn’t sure how she’d even react.

Celestia…

Twilight dropped behind the railing, where it wasn’t so easy for passersby to see her, and curled up in a ball, shaking. She tried to wrap her wings around herself and hide her face, then whimpered for the contact sent jolts of arousal through her body, and the shame hit her even worse. She curled up tighter and used her wings to cover herself, regardless of the feelings that caused, because she had to hide herself and perhaps never show her face again. It would never stop blushing, ever. She’d been terrifyingly close to doing unthinkable things with the royal person, and the Princess had obviously noticed—and acted.

She could still see that creamy alabaster mound, the virginal pink of the Princess’s private parts. She could just about smell it, and that was not the Celestia she knew. It wasn’t the Celestia she needed. And Celestia didn’t need or want her either, obviously, what with the shouting and chasing her away in a rage. Celestia hated her! All over that horrible monster Discord, in the equally horrible form of Chaos…

Twilight desperately tried not to picture her beloved mentor bowing down to lick Chaos’s awful little breasts. How did such a thing even happen? How did she have come on her face? Was it from the earth pony? It had to be. Chaos couldn’t have grown a cock without a magic bit. What on Equestria had happened? The world had gone mad!

No, no, no, no…

Twilight curled up tighter, rocking back and forth, trying to cling to the Celestia she knew. When had everything gone so wrong? The terrible day when she’d become an alicorn, perhaps? Twilight remembered the events like it was yesterday—though as centuries and millenia passed, maybe she would forget. Or maybe she would forget all the things she loved, and remember only Celestia’s dismay as the magic seized her and turned her into a sort of overpowered monster.

How should it have happened?

Twilight desperately imagined a serene, peaceful Alicornspace fit for a Celestia, the Celestia she knew and loved. Filled, perhaps, with visions of moments from her own life, passing by like floating pictures hanging in the air. Instead of being wrenched from a terrible scene of violence and confusion, she might appear in this space and merely be puzzled, curious. She might ask, where am I? What is this place?

And then there had been Discord’s mocking presence, his sarcastic call of “Congratulations, Twilight, I knew you could do it!”…

No. Not him, even if he really was female and another alicorn like herself.

Instead, Twilight imagined Princess Celestia greeting her with the same words… but meant lovingly. She’d never said anything of the sort, Twilight knew. She’d begged the fates on behalf of her student, “Not like this. Please, not like this,” but Twilight had been seized and changed by the magic anyhow. She’d told Twilight, “Breathe out, try to relax.” And then, as the transformation began, Princess Celestia had broken down and sobbed, “Oh, my little Twilight! Baby!”

She’d sure changed her mind about that.

Twilight shuddered, screwing her eyes shut against the tears. No! Too much pain, too much betrayal, that world could not be! She had to repress the memory of it, had to imagine something she could live with, for she would be living through eternity with those thoughts and feelings.

Desperately, Twilight began to construct a world for herself, one that was right, one that would never hurt her.

She pictured Princess Celestia gazing lovingly upon her, in that mysterious floating space, untroubled and serene. And saying… what? Saying… “You did something today that’s never been done before. Something even a great unicorn like Starswirl the Bearded was not able to do, because he did not understand friendship like you do. The lessons you’ve learned here in Ponyville have taught you well. You have proven that you’re ready, Twilight.”

Yes, that seemed right. Twilight clung to the fantasy, making it real inside her mind, especially the snipe against Starswirl the Bearded, whom she now knew as Discord or Chaos. Princess Celestia could not love that monster. The Princess had to love HER. Twilight racked her tortured brain, weeping, trying to find solace in a world that had turned intractably hostile. In her mind, her fantasy Celestia smiled upon her and began to sing, though Twilight had not heard the Princess sing before. Yet it was beautiful, heart-meltingly beautiful.

“You’ve come… such a long, long way…”

Twilight bawled shamelessly, a huddled lump of shivering wings, rocking back and forth as she fantasized a world of nurturing safety, free of sex and death and serious danger, a world that could enfold her and shut out all the bad things forever. And the song went on, verse after verse, in her mind.

“Mistress?” called Trixie Lulamoon.

“…and all the ways you’ve made me proud of you…” sang Twilight, to herself, weeping.

Trixie looked out onto the balcony, and her jaw dropped in horror.

“Mistress!”

“It’s time now,” sang Twilight tearfully, “for a new change to come…”

Trixie charged out, heart pounding, shaking her beloved Twilight. “Mistress! What’s happening? Are you okay? But you’re not, Trixie sees—you’re not okay at all!”

All the newest Princess could do was look up at her. Twilight’s mind was spinning, a double exposure of everypony she knew, both as she knew them and their fantasy versions inside her head. The bustling, physical, lusty realities of her lovers and friends lay alongside the snug, safe, chaste versions of everypony she’d just dreamed up. Somehow, those were the same, somehow they were every bit as real…

Trixie kissed her, hard, on the muzzle.

Twilight blinked, her ear giving a twitch as her mind tried to process it all.

“Speak to me, Mistress!” begged the blue unicorn. “Speak to Trixie! What happened?”

“Princess Celestia made me go away!”

“Why?”

“Because she’s fucking Discord!” wailed Twilight, and curled up in a despairing ponyball again.

Trixie boggled at the news. Really? About time, she thought. That big haughty monstrosity would be greatly improved by a good dicking, or possibly a whipping, and she’d been screwing up poor Twilight’s head for long enough. The question was, whether the shock of discovery had been too great.

She considered, again, for she’d been hasty. That wasn’t fair, was it? Celestia had still come to her rescue in her worst extremity. Not only that, she’d sought Trixie’s advice on what to do with dark Princess Luna, and she did not have to do that. And if she was indeed shaking off that stuffiness and living a little, Trixie couldn’t fault her for it. Trixie was a little proud of her, in fact, though startled that she’d chosen Discord out of all the possible ponies and creatures that could be parting her royal folds. There was no accounting for tastes!

But how could she tell Twilight this? How could she bridge the gap and talk sense to her own Princess, who got worse and worse by the day, and was now hysterical with grief that Celestia had cast her aside? Trixie’s expression darkened. That did rate a whipping, damn it. How dare she turn against Twilight? Some Princess this Celestia was! Fair-weather royalty, and what use was that?

She bent down, nuzzling Twilight’s mane with caution and delicacy. “Mistress? Please speak to Trixie, Mistress?”

“She’s like… my real Mom…” sobbed Twilight.

Trixie made a face, and through raw willpower forced herself not to reply, ‘I can prove your real Mom got fucked too, at least once!’. She shook herself, and leaned in, whispering in Twilight’s ear as gently as she could. “It’s okay, Mistress. It’s okay. Everything will be all right.”

“Says who?” retorted Twilight tearfully.

“Trixie says so,” replied Trixie stubbornly. “Will it help if Trixie spanks Mistress into shape? Stop this hysteria right away! Trixie is sorry if you and Big Snobby had a tiff, but she is not worth this type of caterwauling!”

At this, Twilight lifted her head, and turned tear-drenched eyes toward her mate and lover. “What did you say?”

“Or,” added Trixie hastily, “if Mistress would prefer to work out her feelings by spanking Trixie instead, or perhaps some whipping or screaming abuse while Trixie grovels, that would be very exciting—I mean, good! Trixie means that would be just as good, if you wish it!”

Twilight stared at her. “What are you saying? Oh, sweet Celestia, what are you suggesting?”

“Anything you wish, Mistress! Trixie only wants you to be well again!”

“How am I not WELL? Apart from me dealing with turning into an alicorn, and my teacher getting perverted by a horrible embodiment of randomness and cruelty! The world’s gone to Tartarus and you say I’m the one that’s not well?”

Trixie grovelled. “Sorry! Punish Trixie! You’ll feel much better if you just punish Trixie!”

Twilight stared at her mad, masochistic lover, and the double-image persecuted her again. On the one hoof it was the Trixie who’d found a way to her troubled heart, who fired her loins and fascinated her mind and owned her very soul—and on the other hoof, she saw a demented, manipulative unicorn mare tirelessly contriving to stir up trouble. Even in her fantasy world of pony goodness, Trixie mocked and refused to fit or cooperate. Twilight saw the gleam of intelligence in Trixie’s eye even as she abased herself before her Mistress. It had always entranced and delighted her, but now…

“Did you say Big Snobby?” said Twilight, wiping her eyes.

Trixie gasped, in fear or anticipatory pleasure or both. “Mistress?”

“We’ve talked about Princess Celestia before,” said Twilight. “She saved your butt once to my certain knowledge, and you have no idea how much she’s sacrificed to protect us all, and even though you fall all over yourself to obey me, you don’t ever really show the Princess a proper respect…”

Trixie wriggled, that gleam in her eye. She thought she could see where things were heading. “But, Mistress…”

Twilight squirmed as well. Trixie’s shenanigans were all too familiar. A part of her, worked up to fever pitch by ogling Celestia’s nethers, screamed for release with a terrifyingly overwhelming force. Another part begged for all those overly-adult things to just go away, begged to be able to go back to a simpler time when her worst challenge was thamaturgical exams and her worst fear magic kindergarten. She longed for some point of synthesis. She groped, reached out for it in her tottering mind.

“I mean,” said Twilight, “there’s a time and a place for everything! It all plays its role. Fine, so you’re a kinky girl and like being dirty, but even you have to admit that it’s important for all ponies to be able to look up to Princess Celestia as a role model and a force for good…”

Trixie snapped.

“She is a big fat snob pretending to be so righteous, and nothing but a whorse in the end!” raged Trixie. “She has probably been screwing this Discord all along and laughing at you! Trixie hopes he fucked her up her big white arse! She would probably like it, Trixie’s known that type in the Fillydelphia clubs and they are always the wildest! Trixie wishes she could watch!”

“STOP it!” shrieked Twilight.

“No!” yelled Trixie. “Mistress needs to hear the truth! Your infuriating obsession with that big fake has gone on long enough!”

Twilight was shaking again. “Listen. You want truth, huh? Princess Celestia is all things good and she leads and guides us… well, except now it’s my job to lead, but everything that’s good about me I got from Princess Celestia, and I won’t stand here and listen to you call her a fake!”

“She is!” insisted Trixie. “She is just another pony like you and me, but with huge wings and more magic—not some symbol of virtue! Even if she is kind, and Trixie grants you she can be nice, she is nowhere near as chaste as Mistress pretends! Did you see Discord fucking her or not? Huh?”

“Not!”

“Then,” challenged Trixie, “what did Mistress see to bring on this madness?”

Twilight’s eyes were haunted. “There was come on her face…”

Trixie let out a little squee of delight, bouncing cutely where she stood, and Twilight’s expression darkened further.

“No!” she snarled. “Not ‘eeee!’ because she was upset and it’s not nice and Princess Celestia isn’t supposed to be degraded! That’s… well, that’s your job or something! Sweet Celestia, how did we let things go so far?”

“And Rarity’s!” retorted Trixie. “Girl is frustrated these days because she’s dating the wall-eyed pegasus and the foolish creature won’t beat her or anything! Rarity’s needs to submit go quite unmet—though she tells me she is still selling lots of spurs and bridles to all Ponyville, how do you like that?”

“Derpy’s probably good for Rarity! She looks so much happier, maybe she can stop making and selling sex gear and devote herself to her art, how do YOU like THAT?”

Trixie pouted. “Girl’s art IS submission and degradation. She is also a dominant of rare ability and wisdom. Mistress, what has turned you away from the life we lead? There was a time that you defied Princess Celestia herself for me. Trixie would die for you, Mistress, but suddenly that does not mean as much as it once did?”

Twilight jolted, visibly. “No. You mustn’t die. But you’ve got to shape up. We’ve gone too far. We all have! How are we going to get back?”

“Too far how?” demanded Trixie, noting the condition in Twilight’s statement. Shape up?

“Ponies shouldn’t act like this,” muttered Twilight, turning a deeper purple. “All this running around, fucking, licking, growing magic dicks. Growing wings, going crazy, blowing things up with horngasm. It’s not okay and it’s gross and nopony told me life was going to be like this when I was a filly. I studied and read books and my Princess protected me and I never, ever, felt compelled to do weird gross things with my body. And she would never…” She choked, unable to continue.

Trixie’s ears perked forward, attentively. She flicked her tail. “Mistress? Did she do something? Is that what brought all this on?”

Twilight trembled. She didn’t want to meet Trixie’s eye. “Don’t want to tell you.”

“Trixie could guess? She was sucking Discord’s cock and he came all over her face. And she liked it.”

“No!”

“Very well, then, she…”

“Don’t make up horrible things!” wailed Twilight. She sniffled, and added, “Not about Princess Celestia.”

Trixie studied her impossible beloved, and frowned. “Mistress, tell Trixie what the Princess did to so upset you. She had come on her face, and you say she sent you away. What has she done to hurt you so badly and ruin your image of her?”

Twilight bit her lip. “She… she got mad and stamped her hoof and yelled at me. And she turned around, and stomped a rear hoof and lifted her tail and she w… w…”

Trixie’s jaw dropped.

“…winked at me,” admitted Twilight. Her wings were standing up again. “I could see everything. I can still see it, even now. It was incredible, amazing. And she saw me staring and got even madder and…”

“Sweet Celestia,” breathed Trixie, marvelling.

“Don’t be sarcastic!” squealed Twilight, shaking. “Don’t you dare!”

“Trixie wasn’t, for once!” replied Trixie, hastily. “Not in the least! Oh, Mistress. Now it becomes clearer! Oh, poor Mistress…”

“How do we make all of this go away?” begged Twilight. “I can’t stand it. I can still see her in my mind. Winking. D… dripping. It’s so yucky and gross when it’s her, but I can’t stop thinking about it and I… augh!”

Trixie had tackled her, and was hugging her fiercely. “Mistress! Calm down, breathe! Trixie promises it will be all right, just calm your mind and we can work on accepting things!”

“I CAN’T!” screamed Twilight. The energy inside her was fearsome, and her body jittered in Trixie’s embrace. The energy visibly crackled across her body, tickling her mate, who didn’t let go.

Trixie glared into her eyes. “That is because you are experiencing adolescence, and growth is flooding you with hormones you don’t want to accept either! Cadance told me all about it, and she did even more shocking things when she was transforming, to vent her libido! We have had this conversation, Mistress!”

“Well, how do you suggest I stop thinking about Princess Celestia’s vagina, huh? Got any bright ideas about that, gross pervert-pony?” demanded Twilight in tearful rage.

Trixie set her jaw. “Trixie has. Trixie insists Mistress devote herself to TRIXIE’S vagina, which she is allowed to glut herself upon, until she is drained and can think more clearly. Right now! To bed! Trixie has laid in more sandbags and is ready for anything!”

Twilight glared, and stuck out her lower lip defiantly. “It’s gross. Ponies shouldn’t have to be gross. I should be powerful enough to not have to be gross,” she said. The pouting lower lip quivered. “Princess Celestia shouldn’t have to be gross.”

Trixie kissed her, cautiously. “Trixie doesn’t mind. Trixie loves you.”

“I should be able to just use my willpower and not need to do this kind of stuff if I don’t want to. Why did I even start? It was okay until it started affecting Princess Celestia but now all of it seems horrible.”

“You started even before you became an alicorn,” said Trixie firmly. “Remember? You’re a grown mare and you have needs. As an alicorn, you are being affected by the same growth spurt that’s making you taller and your neck more long and elegant…”

“I don’t WANT to be taller!” wailed Twilight.

“You will become as beautiful as your Princess Celestia,” continued Trixie, “and… as sensual. You will be an adult in the full power of that adulthood, and it will get easier in time.”

Twilight pouted tearfully.

“Now, come upstairs. Trixie could get a release out of you merely by massaging these wings. They must hurt again, they’re so stiff. Please, please, PLEASE let Trixie help you.”

“What if I refuse?” retorted Twilight, petulant.

Trixie bared her teeth. “Then Trixie will drag you to bed by the primary feathers, and you’ll probably take out half of the house in the process. No refusing! Mistress SHALL come and be helped. …to come.”

Twilight’s body had jolted at the mention of being dragged by the primary feathers. She whimpered, her eyes glazing over. She cast a resentful look at her mate, but she got up and began to trudge in from the balcony, sullenly.

Trixie followed behind, feeling helpless.

“Sister!” cried Princess Luna, joyfully.

“Luna!” called Celestia, soaring graciously toward the palace parapet. “A fond meeting, my sister! And what is the occasion? Dear me, you have a small crowd accompanying you!” She landed and began trotting toward her beloved friends.

“Did Twilight find you?” cried Rainbow Dash, flying up eagerly with a spontaneous loop-de-loop.

Princess Celestia stumbled, and Luna’s eyes widened.

“Ah…” replied Celestia, “indeed she did, Rainbow. Did you send her? Mayhap it were no great boon to the newest Princess.”

Rainbow blinked. “Huh?”

The language wasn’t strange to Princess Luna, though it was startling coming from Celestia. Something had rattled her to the point that her easy and natural interaction with her little ponies had stiffened up, gone stilted. Luna trotted forward, reared, and hugged her sister tightly, and Celestia didn’t resist or object, and the mortal mares present all fell quiet, even Northern Spy.

“What has transpired with Princess Twilight, dear sister?” asked Luna gravely.

Celestia gulped. “I have scolded her, sister. Though, in fairness, she hast scolded me too, most unreasonably.”

“Yep!” said Applejack. “That’s Twi all over. Don’t you worry, Princess. Beggin’ your pardon, Lyra, but we got a saying about unicorn crazy.”

“And what,” sniffed Lyra, “might this saying be, fl… earth pony?”

Applejack blinked. “Uhhh… actually, that was kinda it right there? ‘Unicorn crazy’. I’m mostly thinkin’ of our Twilight, mind you.”

“Is there a saying about pegasuses?” challenged Rainbow Dash, pawing the ground with her little hoof as if about to charge her mate.

“Yep,” said Applejack.

“Well?”

“But I can’t say it in front of th’ children,” admitted Applejack. Dash snorted with laughter and Lyra giggled, smirking.

Princess Celestia let out a relieved sigh. “Oh, my ponies. I take it I have not interrupted a tense diplomatic meeting? With Lyra and Applejack at war, and Rainbow Dash harrying both in aerial attack?”

Lyra’s eyes widened. “No! No, no, not at all! Applejack is best flat-head!” She trotted over and hugged Applejack.

“And Lyra is best unicorn crazy!” squeaked Rainbow Dash, pouncing and hugging Lyra in turn. Northern Spy, not to be left out, hugged Dash’s hind leg.

“Me, crazy?” objected Lyra.

Dash smirked. “Look at your horn, genius!”

Lyra’s eyes shot up to where the end of her horn was burned away, and then she blushed a weird color, red battling her natural luminous spring green. “Oh. Right.”

“I was there when you got it,” teased Dash. “Unicorns messing around with Princesses is totally crazy. She blew you right off the bed, cutie! But it makes me wish I was a unicorn. And now you’re all kinds of pregnant, and our family is gonna help YOUR family learn to be a family. How’s that grab ya?”

Lyra, blushing madly, lit up with a smile—speechless with happiness.

A tear came to Princess Celestia’s eye. “Oh, my ponies. May all of us grow to be as loving and accepting as you have grown to be.” She twitched. “Indeed, I have specific ponies in mind for this needed growth, not least myself. It is most awkward.”

Applejack blinked, looking up at her. “Say what, Princess? You need to git more loving and accepting? Come again?”

Celestia snorted. “Indeed! Rather!” She began to color, a blush sneaking onto her face.

Rainbow Dash stared hard at her, and began to grin. “No way. Oh, no way. How come you didn’t raise the sun from here, Princess? We were all waiting for you.”

Celestia jerked. “Oh! I do apologize, Rainbow, it was rather complicated. I…”

“HOW complicated?” pressed Rainbow, grinning. “What were you doing, out all night? Does it have anything to do with the fireworks I saw a little while ago?”

“Fireworks?” stammered Celestia.

“Lyra saw it, and I was at cloud level in two seconds FLAT to get a better look,” teased Rainbow Dash. “It looked like a special kind of fireworks. Like when a unicorn is very, very happy with her special somepony. Only… more. A lot more. Was that you?”

Celestia’s eyes were very wide. She told the truth. “No! It was Chaos, Rainbow. But yes, she was very happy right then.”

Luna was staring in amazement. Dash, predictably, pressed on. “What MADE her so happy, hmmm?”

Princess Celestia gulped. “I think it must have been me licking her breasts.” Her ear flicked. “They’re very nice little breasts, you know.”

Four pony jaws dropped, and Northern Spy looked thoroughly confused.

Rainbow began grinning madly, and Applejack followed suit. Luna’s eyes widened and widened, a look of wonder and awe filling them.

“YES!” squeaked Rainbow, capering. “Score! I always knew you had it in you!”

“Dear sister!” cried Luna. “There will be peace? You have settled your differences, ‘twere some sort of misunderstanding?”

Celestia nodded, blushing bright. “Yes! Yes, I think it were naught but misunderstanding.” Her ears laid back. “At least, I hope we can make amends and resume courting again. I judged Chaos too harshly for what happened, and in truth I cannot believe she meant me harm. Things were just… difficult. But I hope we have made some small steps towards reconciliation.”

Applejack blinked. “Small steps? You reckon you two ain’t made amends yet, Princess? After that? Dang!”

Rainbow laughed, prodding the blushing Princess with a hoof. “Trust me! I bet you have nothing to worry about. Massive squirting orgasms on the end of a loving tongue make for GREAT apologies! Works every time!” She squeaked, for Applejack had cuffed her. “Hey! You should know!”

“Massive squirding,” chirped Northern Spy, “Mastiff squirting organzums, massive…” She frowned, trying to make sense of the long sentence. “Great ‘pologies?”

“Oh,” said Blue Mom, blushing. “Oopsie.”

Luna was gazing upon her sister, earnestly. “You shall find love! Oh, sister, it is thy deep kindness and tireless beneficence that guided the very land around us, that taught generations of ponies to become the lively and endearing creatures we are so grateful to know. Of course Chaos will respond to the same message. We are in awe at how quickly you have worked through your travail!”

Rainbow snickered. “She’s learning things from us, just like we’re learning from her! Our Princess can soften up her sweetie in ten minutes flat!” She winked at Celestia. “I can give you pointers on how to do it faster, if you want.”

“Oh, Dashie,” sighed Applejack indulgently.

“Sooooo, how many licks did it take to get… ow, hey! Applejack!”

Princess Celestia snorted with laughter. “Some things must remain a mystery, my little pony! My dear, sweet… heh… enthusiastic little ponies.” She blinked, at a thought. “Though, indeed, there may still be something you can give me, Rainbow Dash.”

Dash grinned, sticking her chest out proudly, wings rising. “You know it! Princess tested and unicorn approved, that’s m… ow! Applejaaaack!”

“Scuse me!” said Applejack, stifling her indefatigable mate and sitting on her. “Got us a consarned pegasus problem all up in this palace. Now then! Before she all jumps to conclusions, did you actually mean you’re fixin’ to have foals like Miss Luna done, or was you talkin’ about something else?”

“It is possible that you, Applejack, are the one I should be asking,” said Celestia.

“Do it!” urged Dash, cheerfully. “It’s totally awesome, you’ll be glad you did…”

“Sh!” snapped Applejack. She smiled at Princess Celestia. “Scuse us. All this excitement makes my family giddy but there ain’t no harm in it. Princess, we’ll do anything you like. What do you need?”

Celestia set her jaw. “Applejack, I believe the course of my reconciliation with Chaos would be best charted… if I borrowed a certain item you and Rainbow possess. I refer to… a magic bit.”

Applejack’s eyes went wide. “Dang! Of course, Princess. Anytime. You jes’ come round and we’ll fix you up.”

Princess Luna gasped. “But, sister, Lyra and I would… would…”

Celestia had hit her with a cranky glare. Applejack glanced between them, and her mouth curled into a wry smile.

“For all your mighty alicornin’,” she said, “there’s some things you ain’t thought of, Princess Luna.” She turned to Celestia. “All righty then! One bit comin’ up, guaranteed that it ain’t been in the mouth of your own little sister or nothin’ like that. Y’all gonna have to tolerate a history of earth pony an’ pegasus use, mind you, but it seems like that won’t stop ya.”

Rainbow Dash was thinking. “Yeah yeah, it’s cool, but why do you have to come out to Sweet Apple Acres for it? I guess I can see why you don’t want to share Luna’s, but I happen to know Trixie and Twilight have one, and…”

“We would further request,” said Celestia hastily, “that you not tell Princess Twilight about this yet.”

The ponies fell silent, looking at her.

Applejack nodded, slowly. “Yep,” she said. “Unicorn crazy. Ah reckon that’s best, sure enough.” The look in her eyes was alarmed, experienced… and serious.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes were as wide as Northern Spy’s, as she read her mate’s mood. She nodded. “Gosh. Sure, Princess. We promise.”

“Give us time,” said Celestia gravely. “Some things take time. Sadness can transpire from undue haste.”

Rainbow almost made a quip about ‘undue’ haste, but the graveness of Applejack’s and Celestia’s expressions took the words right out of the irrepressible pegasus’s mouth.

Fortunately, hugs were still welcome, and she had plenty of those to give.

“Quickly!” urged Trixie Lulamoon. “Mistress, you are wobbling! We’ve let it go too long again!”

Twilight Sparkle snarled. “I’m fine, Trixie!”

“No,” argued Trixie. “You are forever trying to get out of this, as if you don’t even like it anymore, and when you don’t vent your sexual urges you get twitchy and cranky and have wing cramps! Trixie is sorry if your body demands too much of you, but it certainly does not demand too much of Trixie! Into bed, Mistress, your energies are once more pent up and require venting!”

“Since when did you become the alicorn expert?” grumbled Twilight.

“Since I got one,” answered Trixie Lulamoon, simply. She blinked. “In fact, Trixie has had to deal with two lust-maddened alicorns, and you were not the first, Mistress. Have you forgotten the acts of Luna?”

Twilight gritted her teeth. “Are you comparing me to Nightmare Moon, now?”

“No!” squeaked Trixie, taken aback. “Trixie only meant that your power, your need, is truly great!”

This wasn’t news to Twilight. She felt the energies coursing through her body. As she approached her bed, once such an innocent cozy place, now host to unthinkable debaucheries, Twilight bitterly contemplated her fate. “And you love it, don’t you?”

She turned, to see Trixie gazing at her worshipfully, drinking in every tremble of wing and shiver of lean, alicorn flank.

“Yes,” said Trixie Lulamoon. “Trixie loves you forever, no matter what happens to you. Trixie bought some more sandbags, look, see? Now, lie down with your horn facing the sandbags. Trixie needs to make her Mistress come.”

For a moment, Twilight’s mind was torn agonizingly. The part of her that had rebelled against Celestia’s debaucheries rose up clamouring for an end to all the creepy sexual madness, the kinkiness, the horrible loss of innocence that forced her to understand things painful and awkward. It screamed out, begging for another way to be.

And as desperate its pleading, it was swamped and sucked under by a blood-hot wave of raw instinctive lust that flooded Twilight, knowing how pent-up and aroused she was, knowing the absolute truth of Trixie’s devotion, knowing that Trixie was about to do exactly what she claimed and pleasure her beloved Twilight until she screamed and blasted sandbags to ruin through harrowing, shattering, impossibly intense orgasm.

It was the sheer animalistic savagery of it that so horrified Twilight. She’d been getting so carnal that she hardly dared face Princess Celestia anymore, and Trixie shared that harsh, shameful secret, privy to realities that should not be. And yet… who else could say that, who else concealed shocking secrets?

The come on Celestia’s face. The look in her eyes, trapped, exposed. The whirling in petulance, and… those silky, slickened feverish walls, so beautiful, so needy…

Twilight’s legs wobbled even worse, as a vicious surge of carnal hunger flooded her nethers. She winked, hard, blinded with the desperate urge to ravage and penetrate, her reservations dissolving as they always did…

“Lie down, my Princess!” called Trixie.

Twilight’s eyes were wild, frantic. “No,” she hissed, lashing her tail excitedly.

Trixie squeaked, cringing a little. “Please! Trixie really must…”

“You FIRST!” cried Twilight Sparkle, her face in a hideous grin… and she pounced.

Trixie shrieked in delight as her wild, winged lover bowled her over and sprawled her onto the bed. She writhed, and then squealed because Twilight had latched onto her crotch like a lamprey, suckling fiercely at her marehood and twiddling her clitoris with the end of a clever and well-practiced tongue.

Twilight snarled with pleasure, biting the inside of Trixie’s thigh, then returning to her wanton vagina-suckling with Trixie’s thighs squeezing eagerly against her ears. Trixie shrieked again and again, slamming her head into the pillow with her eyes screwed shut. She began to squirm, her body shuddering and shaking, and while she wasn’t watching…

Trixie’s eyes flew open in shock, and she looked down across her fevered body, to see an expanse of mane and some ears. She couldn’t see much else. She couldn’t see an alicorn horn. But she could sure feel one, because Twilight in her erotic frenzy had lowered her head and thrust her elongated horn up Trixie’s vag. Trixie’s eyes went wider in sheer terror at her dreadful vulnerability. Twilight could blow her apart!

Immediately, Trixie Lulamoon began to come like she’d never come before.

She emitted tortured squalls and lusty squeals, and from her horn gushed a torrent of magic that splayed all across the wall, twisting around as if trying to make a vital connection between the essence of Trixie’s magic and the horn of her lover. But that horn wasn’t out in the open air, it was pressing deeper and deeper into Trixie’s vagina. And just when Trixie thought it was over and the top of Twilight’s beloved head shoved against her vulva, butting her between the legs like some maddened bull, her orgasm got kicked into a higher gear when Twilight began wrenching her head around, yanking that hard bony horn inside Trixie’s spasming pussy even as Trixie squirted from both ends, spraying marejuice against Twilight’s mane and magic against Twilight’s bedroom wall.

Twilight yanked her head free, her mane stringy and wet, fire in her eyes. The magic bit flashed across the room like a fired arrow, and she snapped it out of the air with a sharp metallic clang, and her unnatural mare’s ponycock shot forward like a tower of vengeance—and even as Trixie squealed and gushed magic, Twilight Sparkle was upon her, seizing her in a fierce greedy grasp and shoving that cock deeply into her.

Trixie screamed hoarsely, ravaged like nothing she’d ever experienced, like Twilight wasn’t even Twilight anymore but some lustful, crazed monster. She gazed, stricken, up at her savage lover. She emitted piteous cries as Twilight’s reddened eyes glared ravenously down at her and Twilight’s stiffened cock jabbed to her depths, and Trixie Lulamoon came and came and came, her voice failing, her body the willing prey of a force of nature beyond any civilized measure. Her tail thrashed beneath Twilight’s thrusting hips, her movements gave way to spastic convulsive writhings, and all the while she never closed her eyes, never broke the gaze shared with her lover turned devourer.

Trixie Lulamoon’s eyes spoke of ultimate surrender.

Twilight snarled, and spurted magic-induced horsecome into Trixie’s womb.

Trixie’s mouth opened in a silent cry, of torment or ecstacy or both, and her horn ran dry, the unicorn horngasm ceasing.

Twilight’s face was locked in a terrifying bestial grin. She stared Trixie down, seeing that her horn’s release was drained, making absolutely sure, seeing the desperation and inability in Trixie’s eyes, and at the moment of Trixie’s greatest helpless longing, Twilight screwed her eyes shut and let go, not even caring about the sandbags, just blasting the shit out of the bedstead and wall behind it, her horngasm an inferno of magical force reflected in Trixie’s wildly dilated eyes…

Trixie Lulamoon made an anguished little noise, grimaced, strained with everything she had.

One more little spurt of magic lit Trixie’s horn, and the tiniest spark of it touched the open air.

Twilight’s release twisted and slammed into Trixie Lulamoon with the force of a thousand lightning bolts all made of unicorn sex magic.

She knew instantly what had happened. Time stopped, right then. Twilight’s eyes flew open, and even that seemed to be happening in horribly slow motion, straining to lift the heavy eyelids, revealing the sight of her beloved Trixie on fire like never before, incandescent, mouth open in a soundless scream, eyes blazing light everywhere, the light even coming out of her nostrils, crackling off her blue pony hooves and the connection was solid and Twilight’s massive alicorn orgasm was going directly into Trixie and burning her up fast.

It wasn’t even in the space of a breath. Twilight’s heart thumped, heavily, as the torrent of magical force wrenched from her horn continued to earth itself directly into Trixie as if there was no other place it could ever go. Trixie saw nothing, her mind and body so completely stuffed with magic that her whole existence was a searing inferno of ecstatic incineration. Twilight, her mind racing crazily so that the blink of an eye seemed to take hours, saw everything: most of all she saw Trixie’s lovely blue horn burning away like a sandcastle under a mighty wave. It was the only thing protecting Trixie from instant death, and far from being eroded, it was being obliterated.

Even while Twilight’s eyes blinked open, the flood of magic devoured Trixie’s horn. Three quarters, half, one quarter, one eighth, in the wink of an eye…

Twilight’s entire psyche convulsed in an impossible, agonizing spasm of raw willpower.

The flood of magic cut off, smashing against psychic barriers, stuffing up Twilight’s mind with unbearable pressure, trapped behind her wild staring eyes, unable to get out of the horn that smoked and steamed, burning hot, boiling off the juices from Trixie’s pussy.

Trixie lay limp and unseeing, with no horn left on her head at all.

Twilight was frozen, looming above her. At length, she realized she was still gripping the bit in her teeth, still penetrating Trixie. Her brain seemed to be filled with lava, except she couldn’t properly feel the agony of it: something was wrong with her somehow. But then, nopony had ever shut off a unicorn horngasm in mid-flow. It was impossible.

Trixie wasn’t moving.

Twilight poured sweat. Painfully, she uncramped her jaw, and the magic bit dropped to bounce off Trixie’s chest. Twilight pressed her ear to Trixie’s ribs, in desperation, but her heart was pounding and her pulse roared in her ears and she couldn’t really see properly and there was no way, no way of telling whether her lover was dead.

As she crumpled, pressing her face against Trixie’s, she felt something against her cheek.

Breath.

Twilight shrieked with relief. She seized Trixie’s limp body, shook her. “Speak to me! I’m sorry! Trixie!”

No response…

Twilight stared, her ears laid back, her eyes twitching and weird tremors racking her body as the torrent of magic still reverberated inside her, trapped. Trixie gave no twitches, showed no tremors. Her eyes stared lifelessly, her face still showed her last expression: a strange expression of yearning, despair and sensuality that was so very Trixie Lulamoon. And her horn, her poor horn, it was just gone, burned completely away. Twilight couldn’t tell if there was anything left. It went beyond getting burned to a foalish nub. There was a little indentation, all charred.

Shaking, Twilight got up, backed away. Trixie still didn’t move.

“Alive,” croaked Twilight. She licked dry lips, trying to swallow. “She’s still alive. Barely.”

For a moment, her mind whirled, raging. She didn’t know how to save Trixie. She wasn’t even sure she should. This was what Trixie wanted, what she never should have had. She didn’t belong in the world. Or was it that she didn’t belong in the world in Twilight’s head?

The real world and the fantasy world flipped and turned inside Twilight Sparkle, fueled by the diminishing echoes of that titanic blocked release of magic. Magic crackled off Twilight, sparking off the ends of her mane and tail, glittering across her flanks and off her hooves. She did not notice.

This Trixie, this seductress, ultimate object of desire, purpose of life, great betrayer: this was everything Twilight had feared, everything that was taking over Equestria. Trixie was like another face of Chaos, another force destroying and perverting. She had paid the price, and it was her fault. Wasn’t it? She was part of a world, and this was the consequence of that world.

A part of Twilight Sparkle screamed and screamed, unheard, as the unforgiving thoughts bounced around inside her head and gained momentum.

But didn’t the world need to be saved? Didn’t Princess Celestia need to be saved from… from this?

And if the world could be saved, could Trixie also be saved? Redeemed?

Twilight stared down at the mare she had loved above all else. She looked dead already. She was mortal, all too mortal. It was only a matter of time. It had been a matter of instants. At any moment, Trixie could be no more. She was just a memory and a heartbeat, and even that could be gone, unless…

“Wow,” came a small voice.

Twilight’s head whipped around, and Spike was standing there.

“More games?” he said, miserably.

Twilight found herself talking, frantically. “Go back downstairs, Spike! Don’t look at her. I’ll handle this. I have it all under control.”

Spike surprised her, then. She expected a big argument. Instead, he hung his head and said “Okay…” and he turned and went.

Twilight followed him down the stairs. “You do believe me, don’t you? That we have all this under control, everything’s going to be okay, got that? You don’t need to tell anybody what I did, I’m going to fix everything, okay?”

Spike turned, and tears were in his eyes. “Everything, huh?”

Twilight felt herself grinning madly. “For my number one assistant? Yes, everything. What do you need fixed?”

“Can you fix a broken heart?” asked Spike.

Twilight froze, the crazy grin vanishing. “Oh, Spike…”

“It’s Rarity, you see,” explained Spike. “I went to help her, and she was—you know—with Derpy. Derpy was rough. Rarity was screaming a lot, and she couldn’t even get up afterward and it was so messy and gross…”

“Oh, Spike,” breathed Twilight, tearing up.

“But, but she told me it was what she wanted!” protested Spike. “And she wouldn’t lie to me, would she? And what I want is for her to be happy, and she told me she WAS happy, so I should be happy about it and I’m trying to be happy for her but… but…”

Twilight sagged, helpless in the face of his obvious misery.

“…but why does this have to be happening?” managed Spike.

Twilight gulped. “I will fix this,” she muttered. One eye twitched.

“I’m so tired of this stuff,” moaned Spike. “You take a nap for just a year or so, just a few seasons, and then you wake up and the most beautiful unicorn in the whole world is letting some pegasus jump on her butt, and yuck with all the goo and appendages and things, and whose idea was that?”

“I’ll fix it,” vowed Twilight. “I’ll fix it all.”

“And what really hurts is, I only want her to be happy and I want her t… to find love…”

Twilight’s ravaged, cracked voice strove for gentleness. What it revealed was anguish.

“Easy there. Easy, buddy. Why don’t you lay down for a moment? Just a minute. Okay?”

“It won’t help,” moaned Spike. “I can’t even sleep anymore, from thinking about it. Do you know how bad it is to be a dragon and not be able to sleep?”

Twilight’s eye twitched, worse.

“Lay down, buddy. My number one assistant. Just make believe you can rest, okay? Right, in your basket, that’s the way. There you go…”

“And R… Rarity would be sad if she thought it was bothering me this… much…”

“There you go, buddy. That’s a good Spike. That’s right…” soothed Twilight, her horn beginning to glow.

“I should… be brave… for h… f…”

Spike’s eyes closed. He began to snore.

Twilight stood and looked around, huntedly. She wasn’t sure she was equal to what faced her, but she was sure she had to try.

She trotted outside the treehouse, and she concentrated. A purple dome of force came into existence, a stasis field. Nothing would intrude upon Spike or Trixie. They would continue as they were, in ensorceled sleep or in coma near death, completely undisturbed. Only her own power would breach the dome. No other force, not even another alicorn’s magic, would get through. She was nearly certain of that.

There was a fabled magical attack she’d heard of, a unicorn’s death-bolt. In extremis, a brilliant unicorn mage could gather all his magical and life force together and vent it in a destructive bolt of energy. It could destroy any other unicorn, no matter how powerful, but it killed the caster.

She hardened the sphere of force until she thought it could withstand even such a bolt, hardened it to protect its occupants against any attack, because Twilight Sparkle was going off to war and her thoughts were fixed on battle, vengeance, the righting of wrongs and imposing of justice.

She wondered if there was such a thing as an alicorn death-bolt, and she hardened the sphere of force even more in case a certain evil monster sought to attack those she loved, while she was on the hunt.

Then, Twilight marched off, to find Princess Celestia.

…and Chaos.

You Got To Move

“What’s so dang funny, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow smirked at her mate. “Nothing!”

“Nothing, my ass!” retorted Applejack. “What’s so funny?”

“I just can’t help but notice,” said Dash, “how excited you are to sneak out and watch Fluttershy get demolished. It seems like for a while there, you didn’t even want it to be happening, and now you can’t even wait, can you?”

Applejack laid her ears back, chagrined. “Oh. Right. Wull… dammit! Ah still don’t, Rainbow, an’ that’s a fact.”

“Yeah, but you were totally just grinning and I know you’re all excited and what else would it be about? Fess up!”

“I will, Rainbow, but you gotta promise you’ll keep the secret. Pinkie promise!”

“Yeah, all right,” said Rainbow, “cross my heart and hope to fly and yada yada whatever come on, tell me! I like seeing you full of mischief. Granny is minding Spy so you can tell me no matter how kinky it is. Do you want to see that zebra fucking her?”

“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that!” snapped Applejack, heatedly. “That’s not a problem! Don’t you think I can learn? Dursaa’s a fine fellow, in fact I will be surprised if he even shows up, on account of he don’t hold with such goin’s on! Some of th’ farm ponies is solid, Dashie! It ain’t about Dursaa so don’t even start. Hell, I’d try him myself exceptin’ you know how they are with foals. Them zebras, they don’t take fuckin’ lightly, not the good solid fellas. He’d move in with us.”

“Sounds yummy,” teased Rainbow. “Solid, is he? How do you know?”

Applejack glowered. “He’d tell you how to raise Spy,” she replied, and Dash’s smirk dropped away. “Anyhow,” continued Applejack, “it ain’t that. Ah’ll give you a hint. Why shouldn’t I go watch Fluttershy be a damn fool mare, Rainbow?”

Dash blinked. “Uhhh, beats me. I think it’s the best idea ever. Which is why we’re doing it, right?”

“Who tole me not to do it?”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened. “Ohhh!”

Applejack gave her a very odd expression, smirking and pouting and looking guilty all at the same time. “Eyup! Ah am one bad filly, violatin’ my Boss Mare’s direct orders. Kinda like goin’ against Mom. Exceptin’ Apple Bloom AIN’T my Mom! She kin tell the boys it’s okay to rape the crap outta Fluttershy, but by Celestia she ain’t gonna tell me I can’t even watch ‘em do it.”

“Uh, little point there Boss,” said Rainbow. “Fluttershy’s about ready to drag them all over to her place by their ears. You can’t rape anything that desperate about getting screwed. You told me that once she argued even YOU into fucking her.” She winced. “Hard to forget that one.”

Applejack’s eyes were wide. “Uh-huh. I learned a lot about wings that day. Maybe it ain’t so much about her attitude, as their attitude?” She sighed. “Y’see, that’s the other reason. Damn if I ain’t gonna go and see how they do. Fluttershy don’t care, Apple Bloom figures she kin wrangle the boys no matter how obstreperous they get, but I din’t gather them together and boss ‘em for years just to have ‘em turn to the bad.”

“Define bad,” suggested Rainbow.

Applejack’s ears were quirked sideways. “Now be fair. I do see your point, though. Hell, Rainbow, that’s part of the reason I’m excited to watch. Us mares of Ponyville, we got us a nice civilized town and there ain’t no stallion who would mistreat a mare around here. But you know as well as I know, playin’ rough has a spice to it. Fluttershy wants her stallions fierce. You think Apple Bloom’s really gonna let ‘em get drunk?”

“I think I know who watered the cider,” accused Dash.

Applejack blushed. “Oop! ‘spect I shoulda told you, huh?”

Rainbow mock-glared at her. “It’s a crime. You must never do it again. And you’re getting punished.”

“How ya gonna punish me?”

“Fifty lashes with a wet horsecock,” decreed Rainbow, sternly.

Applejack blinked. “Wh—what? A what now?”

“Did I say lashes? They might act more like… thrusts.”

“Mmmm,” smirked Applejack. “With a wet horsecock? How you makin’ it wet, hon?”

“Oh, you’ll do that. Let’s just say, with Apple juice? I know how to extract it. First, I’ll drink up just as much very special Apple cider as you RUINED with your terrible crimes. You’ll make more! Then, the lashes, I mean thrustings. You’ll see.”

“Why wait?” purred Applejack.

Rainbow Dash blinked. “Because it’s getting late and the sun’s down and we need to go scout out a vantage point!” She leapt to her hooves. “Come on, no dawdling! If you’re mare enough? Or maybe you’re gonna sit here obediently since you were told very clearly you’re not allowed to go watch them?”

Applejack’s eye glinted.

“Fuck that. Come on, Dashie. We got us a show ta catch.”

“Is he in bed?” whispered Fluttershy.

Pinkie nodded. “I fed him chocolate pudding late afternoon. He almost tore the house apart before he conked out.” She winced. “It feels bad. Like I was betraying him.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened in dismay. “No, no! It’s better this way. He’s still a little foal. He can wake up tomorrow and start getting ready to have a younger brother or sister. It’s not good for him to find out exactly how that happens, just yet.”

“And yet,” countered Pinkie, “you still think it’s a good thing to happen, huh?”

Fluttershy hit her with a mega-pout and the big sad eyes. “We’ve had this conversation, Pinkie Pie!”

“I just don’t get it!” wailed Pinkie. “You are the most gentle, tender, feminine pony ever, and you should have gentle sweet pretty things! I guess sometimes I’m pretty rough with you, and I know you like it. But this?”

Fluttershy fixed her with a sorrowful, stubborn gaze. “I don’t ask you to get it, Pinkie Pie, my love. I ask you to accept it. That’s different. You want me to be honest with you, and I’ll try, but we must start with my marely desires. I can’t lie about that anymore. Please believe that this is what I devoutly wish. If it helps, I don’t think they can hurt me, whatever they do.”

“Because they love you, and will take turns nicely?” quavered Pinkie Pie.

“No!” retorted Fluttershy. “Because I’m… they just won’t, okay? But I don’t wish them to be nice. I want them rowdy and cruel. I can’t explain it to you but please believe that it is just what I deserve and my biggest, sexiest fantasy, and at this point I won’t let you take it away from me, Pinkie! You have no idea how badly I need this. And we’ll have a wonderful time raising the foal, too.”

“I don’t want to take your happiness from you,” sniffled Pinkie.

“Good,” said Fluttershy. “I don’t want to force you to stay here against your will.”

“As if! How would you even do that?”

Fluttershy frowned, looking away. “The important thing is, can you stand this? I can’t tell you how important it is to me, and frankly the more you cling and try to protect me the worse I need this. If you only knew how ridiculous that protecting is! Can’t you sit tight? I promise, Mama will be back to tell you everything will be okay. As a new Mama, too.”

She hesitated. Pinkie’s lip was quivering, and her eyes were brimming with tears.

“Ridiculous?” managed Pinkie, in a desperately forlorn voice.

Fluttershy wavered, and then tears came to her eyes and she rushed forward in a flurry of feathers to hug her heart’s love. “Oh, Pinkie! I didn’t mean it that way, really I didn’t! Please understand? I love you so much. I just need some other outlets, special little outlets. Won’t that be nice? In that way that is not nice at all,” she corrected, “but harsh and fierce yet very exciting all the same.”

Pinkie clung to her, trembling. “All I ever wanted… all I ever wanted… was for you to really be happy. So you could smile and it would be a real smile. That’s all I ever wanted…”

Fluttershy’s expression was far from smiling. She studied Pinkie fearfully as if doubting the party pony could handle what Shy was asking her to do. Then, the gentle pegasus’s jaw set. “Pinkie,” she said.

“…yeah?”

“Pinkie… please bite my wing.”

Pinkie’s eyes widened. “But… but you said you wanted it to be all the stallions doing that and you specifically asked me NOT to…”

“No, Pinkie. I was wrong,” said Fluttershy. “I mean, yes I’ll have them all doing it too, it’ll be amazing and I so look forward to it. But it should be you, first. Even if we don’t share every little detail of our lives with each other, in an important way you are my true love. And I know in my heart it should be you, Pinkie Pie. Please father our foal, again. I’ll take care of the rest, trust me.”

Pinkie shook her head weakly. “It’s like you’re sucking me back in again after I’m supposed to be out…”

“Pinkie Pie!” exclaimed Fluttershy. She stomped a hoof, with a dainty little clunk. “You were never supposed to be out! It’s not my fault if you don’t delight in big hulking virile male horses. I will love you forever, and I won’t have you believing otherwise. If you love me, take your place as the one who owns my wings, and impregnate me!”

Pinkie twitched. “Owns your wings, huh?”

Fluttershy didn’t flinch. “I won’t say there’s no carnal desires. The stallions will take me every which way, you can be sure of that. But I am glad we had this fight because it reminded me of your place.”

“At home looking after the sleeping foals,” retorted Pinkie tearfully.

Fluttershy’s voice throbbed with sincerity. “Kindling the life I bring into the world.” Her great luminous eyes shone.

Pinkie looked up. She studied her strange, distant, mysterious beloved, with her secrets and her lustful obsessions, her manipulative ways—yet somehow it was plain that in this, Fluttershy told the absolute truth, with no ambiguity. It was also plain that she would allow Pinkie to balk and turn away: there was a pride there, but it wasn’t a pride for being able to bend Pinkie to her will. It was a pride in being honest, emotionally honest, even when things turned difficult. That had been hard to learn. Fluttershy waited patiently for Pinkie to respond. She’d said her piece, and the rest was up to her hurt, devoted, romantic lesbian lover.

Slowly, Pinkie Pie nodded. “One condition, flitterfeathers.”

“Name it,” said Fluttershy. “I’ll tell you if I can accept the condition, and I will tell the truth.”

“This part, we do my way,” said Pinkie. “Then, you get to do the other part your way. Okie dokie?”

Fluttershy gasped, her eyes lighting up. “Oh, Pinkie! Of course, my love!”

“Shh,” urged Pinkie. “Maybe this will do you good. Oh, Fluttershy! When will you learn to love yourself? Why does it excite you so much to be hurt and treated mean?”

Fluttershy ruffled her wings embarrassedly. “Well, I…”

“Shh,” repeated Pinkie. “I love you anyway. This is how I show you.”

She moved right up next to her delicate pegasus, nuzzling her. Fluttershy eeped, flicking her tail, for Pinkie had homed in on her tender vagina as if by habit or compulsion. She began to speak, but trailed off, for Pinkie hadn’t stuck her tongue in, or gone for her dainty clitoris. Instead, Pinkie gave her buttery mound a lingering, loving kiss, and Fluttershy gulped, moved in spite of herself.

“Go get ‘em, straight-mare-pussy,” encouraged Pinkie Pie to that intrepid vagina. “I know that you at least will be loving this!”

Fluttershy giggled, cheered by the upbeat tone, but then froze mid-giggle. Pinkie’s face had appeared over her soft yellow rump, and Pinkie’s eyes burned with tragic longing and romance, tears sheening them, her bearing noble and curiously dignified.

“And this is for you, Fluttershy. All the rest of you.”

Fluttershy watched, her eyes wide and vulnerable, as Pinkie stepped gravely around her hindquarters and leaned over, nuzzling the base of her wing. Then, she gasped, eyes rolling back in her head a bit. Pinkie’d kissed her wing shank, too… and then, opened her mouth and took hold of that firm fluffiness with obvious reverence.

“Mmmm,” said Pinkie, like it was the deepest of insights.

“Nggg!” squeaked Fluttershy. She wobbled, her pussy winking hard. Pinkie was doing her wing in the oddest, but most electrifying way. It wasn’t that she’d seized her wing roughly, far from it. Pinkie wasn’t gnawing, or wrenching her wing this way and that, though she knew how to do it. Instead, Pinkie had taken Fluttershy at her word, and she’d locked onto Fluttershy’s wing base with unhurried conviction, like there was nothing in the world she’d rather do. Her chewings were dreamy, languid. The twistings of her head, wresting Fluttershy’s quivering wing to and fro, seemed completely spontaneous. Pinkie snuggled against Fluttershy’s shivering body and chewed her wing base like a dog with a favorite bone, irresistibly.

“Ngghh!” panted Fluttershy.

“Mmmmmm,” crooned Pinkie Pie, and meant it.

Fluttershy’s eyes stared wildly at nothing, her body shuddering. She winked again and again, leaking a drip of vaginal fluid in her erotic abandon. And then, Pinkie felt her pegasus frame give a particular shudder, and didn’t immediately let up, either. She continued chewing on Fluttershy’s wing even as it rattled and its feathers bristled out…

“Hhhh! hhh! HH!” gasped Fluttershy, her smooth little pony forehead perspiring, her ears back. She didn’t scream, but she jolted against Pinkie, feeling that unmistakable twinge and melt, deeply buried pegasus ovaries releasing their prize in a quiet little trickle of fluid, so much tinier than the gushing of stallion-seed but so precious, for it carried something along with it.

Fluttershy stood trembling, holding her head high. She felt the juicy readiness of her insides, the slippery tunnel of her eager pussy… and, along the narrow little fallopian tube, the payload, a pegasus mare’s egg, waiting in readiness to be flooded with horsecome. It lodged, stubbornly, inside the dark confines of her tubes, prepared to be released into her womb… if a sperm got through, triggering that release. Fluttershy savored the discomfort of the feeling, like she savored the plunging of horsecock or the dominant bite of a stallion.

She sweated, her face transfigured, her body seeming to quiver with life already.

Pinkie Pie released her wing, bowed her head reverently for a moment, and then swatted Fluttershy’s rump with her own curly tail.

“Go get ‘em, love,” she said. “I’ve done my part.”

Fluttershy panted, exulting in the little twinge that told her an egg awaited its big moment. “I will. I promise you, I will.”

Hooves could be heard outside, many hooves. “Hey!” called a cheerful voice. It sounded like one of the farm ponies, Knothole.

“Your audience awaits,” said Pinkie, trying to smile, half-managing it.

“Get out here, bitch!” came another voice, the more dry and elderly bark of Snowy Hocks, and Pinkie’s face fell.

“You talkin’ rude about our Winona?” rumbled Big Macintosh’s voice, disapprovingly.

“Naw,” came Snowy’s voice through the door, “I told you, she…”

“Winona doesn’t live here!” chirped a little coltish voice, from behind Fluttershy and Pinkie. Rock Candy had woken up, and snuck downstairs.

Fluttershy shrieked. “Rock! You’re supposed to be in bed, sweetie!”

“Get your pretty ass out here, sweetheart!” came the unmistakable twang of Braeburn, through the door.

Pinkie pounced on her colt. “Upstairs, you!” She twisted her head, and yelled at Fluttershy, “Get them out of here!”

“But Apple Bloom told them to meet me here when the moon was high!” wailed Fluttershy.

“Not around here! You’ve got to… explain to them…” said Pinkie, and trailed off, looking horrified. Explain to a ravening horde of raping stallions?

Fluttershy lifted her chin. Her eyes flashed with determination. She bared her teeth, which glittered in a peculiar way, just for a moment.

“Leave that to me,” said Fluttershy, with total confidence.

Awed, Pinkie hustled Rock upstairs against his bitter protests. As she did, Fluttershy whirled and kicked the door open, and a whoop went up from the crowd of excited stallions, witnessing the delicious pegasus rump they expected to mount upon all night long.

Fluttershy whirled again to face them, her eyes transfixing their very souls, and every stallion fell silent as one.

In the silence, a single voice was heard, and it was Fluttershy’s tentative, soft voice, but it somehow rang with command all the same.

“Follow me,” she said, and walked primly between them, off into the darkness.

As she disappeared into moonlit gloom, she flicked her tail at them, and every stallion began to walk and then trot in her wake.

“Fly up again, Dashie,” said Applejack. “Are they there yet?”

Rainbow barely got up to treetop level before she dove back down again in frantic haste. “They’re coming! All of them!”

Applejack snickered. “That was sort of the plan, sugarcube. Painting th’ pretty yellow pony white, are they?”

“No, you don’t get it!” cried Rainbow, shaking her mate. “They’re coming HERE! We need to get out of the way or they’ll catch us peeking!”

Applejack blanched, clamped her hat firmly onto her head, and the two mares scrambled out of the path of Fluttershy and her stallion horde, keeping low to avoid detection.

Taking up the rear of the herd, Braeburn shook off his sex-motivated trance and glanced around, for his cowpony instincts had alerted him to some sort of stalking beast in the area. At first he saw nothing… and then he spotted the tip of a blue wing poking out of the bushes.

Braeburn smirked, his eyes crinkling up affectionately. Figured!

Then he blinked, glancing back to see that the crowd of horses was leaving him behind. The strange spell that had taken him was gone, but he knew what was up—or soon would be up. A passel of horse-cocks was about to be up, and his would be one of them. He also wanted to keep an eye on Princess: his sometimes-gay lover Big Macintosh had picked up quite an attitude, and Braeburn didn’t like seeing Princess so cranky. Taking care of your lover sometimes meant herding them through tricky terrain, and if Braeburn was any judge, this situation was going to be tricky.

But it was also going to be steamy, for Braeburn was above all a judge of frustrated, horny mares. In his professional stud-horse opinion, Fluttershy was going to get it up, down and sideways, and he wasn’t a bit worried about her prospects. She was walking away from this totally pregnant to pret-much the entire herd, assuming she was even able to walk, which seemed unlikely once they got through with her. No, Braeburn was more concerned for Princess.

Lifting his head, he trotted off with alacrity.

Behind him, a pair of blue and a pair of orange ears poked up over the edge of a bush… and began furtively creeping in the direction the crowd of stallions had gone.

Pinkie Pie trotted up the stairs, a cup in her teeth, and rushed over to the crib. “H’re’s the water you asked f…”

The cup rattled on the floor.

Rock’s crib lay empty.

A rope of bedsheets stretched out the thrown-open window.

It was the West Field of Sweet Apple Acres, quiet and expectant in the bright moonlight. They’d come through the woods, not questioning it, following that curvy yellow rump and flicking pink tail as if hypnotized, and only when Fluttershy turned to face her herd of stallions did the boys come to their senses. At the back of the herd, Braeburn noticed the change in mood with interest. He glanced around. Knothole, Hollyhock and Silver the herding specialists, Fern Gully… himself, Big Macintosh, Snowy Hocks, even the zebra Dursaa, who hung to the back of the group. Braeburn wasn’t sure why Dursaa had come, for he persisted in looking dour and unhappy.

“Miss?” said Knothole. “This here’s Apple property.”

Fluttershy pouted. “And what are you going to do about it?” she said, petulantly.

“Uh, I’m jes’ sayin’, our Boss tole us not to be here. We could keep a-movin’ and there’s a nice hillside thataway through them trees…”

“Oh, you’re the type of stallion who lets mares tell you what to do?” said Fluttershy.

Knothole laid his ears back, unsure how to answer. His loyalties were to Apple Bloom, and he saw no problem with that.

Snowy Hocks knew how to answer.

“What was that, bitch?” he rasped, and Fluttershy’s ear perked to hear the tone of his voice.

“This one understands,” she breathed, her eyes going half-lidded.

“Ah tole you, Snowy,” rumbled Big Macintosh. “You best not be talkin’ bad about our Winona!”

Then he froze. Fluttershy had glanced up and caught his eye. Hers glittered. Big Macintosh stood stock-still as Fluttershy prowled over to him. He stared in amazement with his eyes very wide as she turned her back, and he flinched as she flicked her tail right in his face. Big Macintosh’s jaw dropped, and his nose wrinkled as Fluttershy’s perfumes wafted before him.

Every stallion began to drop a dangly horsecock as the scent carried, as Fluttershy pivoted and twirled before them, winking her pussy. Dursaa frowned worse, and stayed to the back of the group.

Big Macintosh began to beam a big fond appreciative smile… but then, it flicked off, because Fluttershy had whirled again. She was baring her teeth in a funny way, sneering. She turned away from Big Macintosh ostentatiously, and walked over toward Snowy Hocks, whose erection wasn’t responding as quickly as the younger ponies’ hard-ons.

“THIS one is a real stallion,” said Fluttershy. “Wait for him to go first.”

Braeburn’s jaw dropped. He glanced quickly at Princess. The massive red earth pony had gone redder.

“Th’ hell you say,” rumbled Big Macintosh, grinding his teeth.

“Well, since you like taking orders from mares so much…” said Fluttershy.

“Princess?” suggested Braeburn. “Easy now. Ah seen this before. Steady, we’ll get ours. But she’s a-playin’ ya.”

Fluttershy glared at him, her ears back. Then, she lifted her chin, and slunk over like a pegasus cat to rub her body against Snowy’s, which brought him to full erectness, or very nearly. And she peered around Snowy Hocks’ eager, vindictive face, and she smirked at Big Macintosh and took a deep breath, her body shaking with excitement.

“Ask permission from him, too. You have to ask him. Since he’s more of a stallion than you’ll ever be.”

Total silence fell, apart from the repetitive sound of Fluttershy’s manic winking pussy and the silky rustle of her excitedly swishing tail.

Braeburn sighed. “Nevermind. Hoo boy…”

Before he could even finish this rueful appraisal, the air was split by a enraged, insulted bellow. Big Macintosh had flushed brick-red and the veins stood out on his neck like hoses, and the other stallions cowered back. Snowy, alarmed, twisted his head to see that Fluttershy was sheltering herself behind his body. His hard-on was going limp, and he thought he could catch a smirk on his pegasus mare’s face. He turned back, and whinnied in shock for Big Macintosh was inches from his nose, snorting fire and brimstone.

“MINE,” snarled Big Macintosh. “Git!”

Snowy staggered back, leaving Fluttershy cowering there exposed. He choked out, “Bitch! It ain’t fair, you filthy…”

“That it ain’t,” opined Braeburn. Of all the ponies present, he seemed the least alarmed. He’d seen some Wild West nights in his time, but for all that, he’d never seen a pony so skillfully played. “Miss?”

Fluttershy glanced, panicked, at Braeburn. She licked her lips, her heart pounding. “Yes?”

“You’re fucked, missy. Hope yer sturdy.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened… and then she shrieked, as Big Macintosh reared and came down upon her with his full weight.

She staggered, her hooves bracing themselves well apart, feeling the ground shake as the enraged horse behind her danced—his hooves pounding the dirt as he positioned himself, his stiff hard erection jabbing at her rump heedlessly. Fluttershy glanced about frantically, seeing all the eager stallions, her breath whooshing out of her in a gasp of awe and delicious horror as she felt the point of no return rocketing away over the hills, never to be seen again.

And then, Big Macintosh’s back doubled, and his massive horsecock shoved right up her tense and dripping vagina, ramming to the hilt in a single brutal plunge… and Fluttershy drew in a lungful of air with a terrible croaking sound, and held that breath for a dreadful moment, her body agonizingly split by one of the biggest cocks in Ponyville with no warm-up but her own dark and devious manipulations.

Big Macintosh’s forelegs tightened, hungry. Fluttershy’s eyes bugged out as she felt the cock stuffed to her gizzards, thicken.

Then, Big Macintosh began humping her with powerful, slamming thrusts from his muscular farm-horse hips, and Fluttershy let out that breath in a wild shriek that hung in the air like a banner.

Through the trees, ruby eyes stared in awe. “Fuck!” whispered Rainbow Dash. “Would you look at that? Holy fucking crap, that would kill me, seriously!”

“Nuh-uh!” protested Applejack. “Tell me when he’s done, that’s my dang brother, that is!”

Rainbow Dash gazed in disbelief. “Not anymore. He’s… whoa!”

On the hillside, Big Macintosh’s head bent, his jaws opening, and without a second thought he grabbed Fluttershy’s wing and wrestled it roughly to and fro, snarling even while he continued to hump her. Fluttershy squalled, her body shaking as though she was being electrified, and from her aggressively-plumbed pussy poured a gush of straw-colored fluid, mare-come by the bucket, and Big Macintosh plunged onward as if trying to break her and then tilted his head back and let out a roar…

His flanks spasmed, his balls contracted, and into Fluttershy he gushed a torrent of stallion-seed, gritting his teeth as the spasms racked him, making little nudges to push his throbbing horsecock deeper. His eyes were gleaming slits in the moonlight. Fluttershy let out scream after scream, her body rocked by orgasm until she could barely stand, and dropped her head exhaustedly as Big Macintosh’s spurts subsided.

He panted, his face twisting in strong emotion. He staggered back, his cock yanking out of the gentle sweet pegasus’s body: Ponyville’s protector of bunnies and biggest soft touch. He gulped, dismay fighting with anger in his expression, and panted harder, at a loss for how to react, his rage ebbing away once it had been indulged.

“So,” Big Macintosh panted, “now who’s th’ big stallion? Huh?”

His eyes widened. Fluttershy was peering back at him: no, not him, she was looking around at the assembled stallion herd.

“More!” she gasped, though she was reeling.

Big Macintosh fell back in confusion, as most of the farm ponies whooped and rushed forward.

He felt Braeburn shaking him. “Princess! Princess, you back with us?”

“Braeburn?” managed Big Macintosh. He felt drained, like he’d been sucked dry. “What the hay jes’ happened, Braeburn?”

“Wild West like I ain’t never seen it, Princess,” said Braebrun, and kissed Big Macintosh hard. “Ya better? We need ya back y’ dern fool, it ain’t good for a mare to rile the boys up so greedy-like. Ah was proper worried, Princess. Better now?”

“What happened to her?” moaned Big Macintosh. “Once she was nice!”

Braeburn watched, for a moment. Snowy Hocks hadn’t lasted more than a few seconds before coming in Fluttershy. Silver shoved him aside, and a squelch rang out as his solid horsecock plunged into pegasus vagina. Hollyhock, waiting his turn, was chewing on her wing, and butter-yellow feathery coverts splayed and jittered as two farm horses at once sated themselves on Fluttershy’s body.

“Depends how ya define ‘nice’,” said Braeburn speculatively. A lewd, wavering cry rang out from somewhere in the middle of the circling stallions. “Ah reckon she’s mighty happy? That’s sort of nice, right?”

Big Macintosh’s lip quivered. “An’… who’s the big stallion? Me or Snowy?”

Braeburn’s eyes narrowed as he studied Snowy Hocks. The older, frailer pony was circling the scene, a desperate and hostile look in his eye as he tried to go for another round. “Ah think you’re the bigger pony, Princess. ‘Least you got the bigger heart, iffen you choose ta use it. She done foxed you out of it for a spell, but you sure lit that fuse, di’ncha? Let’s see how she do. Maybe you can help me settle them boys down if they get too frisky, how about that?”

Big Macintosh looked over at Fluttershy, shuddering in hideous pleasure as Hollyhock took a turn on her, and his face hardened. Braeburn gulped. “Princess?”

“Don’t call me that right now,” said Big Macintosh.

“Fern Gully!” cried Silver, grinning a predatory grin. “Come on, you dummy! Everybody fucks tonight!”

Fern Gully, eyes wide, reared and clasped Fluttershy’s quivering flanks. The farm ponies whooped encouragement. Fern Gully screwed up his face, squeezed his eyes shut, and shoved with his hips.

Fluttershy went white, and let out a harrowing shriek. She stared wildly into the night’s darkness, her body tense as Fern Gully’s hips moved rhythmically against her, pushing further and further until his crotch pushed eagerly and foolishly against her buttery buttocks.

“So… tight… and… good… unhhhh!”

Fluttershy let out little wails, and Fern Gully’s body shuddered in blissful release. She was still very pale, very very pale, and she yowled in sudden agony as he dismounted, and her whole body got yanked to the side, his cock not coming out at first.

“The hell?” said Silver.

Hollyhock guffawed with laughter. “Fern Gully, you idiot! You’re up her ass!”

Fern Gully yiped, and jumped around, roughly yanking Fluttershy to and fro, and then with a pop his flare yanked free and horsecome poured out of Fluttershy from two holes, not just one. She looked around fearfully, wobbling on her hooves, as the stallions closed in.

Snowy Hocks bared his teeth in exultation. “Yes! I want that ass. What do you think of that, girl? I’m going to fuck you up your pony ass, right n… aaagh!”

His eyes rolled in terror. The teeth that had latched onto his ear were not shy about the message they sent.

“No,” rumbled Big Macintosh. “That ass is MINE.”

Fluttershy cowered, her eyes very wide, shaking her head in dismay, goo dripping from her anus and well-used pussy. Big Macintosh bared his teeth, head held high, dominant beyond any doubt. Fluttershy trembled, unable to speak, and he just waited, glaring… and with a look of outright fear, Fluttershy obediently turned, allowing her stallion access to her rump and its various delights.

Big Macintosh reared, and canted his hips carefully, that massive hard-on jutting forth.

Off in the woods, Applejack curled into the fetal position, and Rainbow Dash clung to her in horror, unable to look away, breathing “Oh my g…gosh…”

The massive red hips shoved inexorably forward.

“EEEYAAAAAGGGHHH!”

Every stallion, but Snowy, winced. Snowy got more erect.

The tendons were standing out on Fluttershy’s neck. Her wings bristled out in agony, and she scraped at the dirt with a forehoof, baring her teeth as they gleamed sharply in the moonlight, sweat beading on her brow as Big Macintosh’s cock wedged deeper and deeper up her ass. Fern Gully’s come lubricated it a little, but it was a size issue. She let out a horrid croaking squeal that made most of the stallions wince again, but none dared object to Big Macintosh’s re-claiming of the mare they’d been sharing…

Big Macintosh dragged Fluttershy, kicking and writhing and flapping, backwards. He rolled back onto his massive haunches, pulling her along with him, impaled on his stallionhood, and she thrashed and squealed as the horsecock sunk further into her, all her legs in the air, kicking helplessly at the moon, displayed to all.

“Who’s the big stallion now?” rumbled Big Macintosh.

Braeburn’s ears had gone back, and he’d gone pale. Then, he shoved forward. “Scuse me! Din’t get no turn, one side!”

“Sure,” began Hollyhock, but Braeburn wasn’t listening. He loomed over the hysterical Fluttershy, and bent over her pinned-back ear.

“Let me help,” he hissed urgently, and he glowered at Big Macintosh, and his head ducked down between Fluttershy’s legs.

She squirmed, letting out a ragged squeal. Braeburn’s lips were suckling her clitoris, goading on her treacherous and inflamed libido, and the pleasure of it battled with the searing pain in her butt. He moaned, hummed on it, thrust his tongue into her and twiddled it, and hoped like hell that Big Macintosh would rest easy and not thrust… then realized the massive red stallion had arranged that whether he wanted to or not. Princess’s stupid impulsive butt was smack on the ground and wouldn’t be doing any more thrusting into delicate pegasus anus. He was shoved as deep as he would ever go, and short of pulling Fluttershy off him, the best bet was to carry her through it by keeping her immersed in her orgiastic, sexual frenzy.

And Braeburn could feel her orgasming with brutal force as he suckled her winking pussy and jutting clitoris, could tell even if her anguished and ecstatic shrieks weren’t telling him the same thing. For a moment he asked himself how the hell it was even possible, but then he felt his cock scrubbing the grass and throbbing, and he grinned with outlaw wickedness and knew what to do.

“Ah got this, gentleponies,” said Braeburn. He positioned himself, belly to belly with Fluttershy, and turned to lecture the staring stallions. “Watch an’ learn. If this don’t leave our mare satisfied, she ain’t nothin’ equine atall. But watch! Ya gotta go smooth when double-fuckin’, some mares cain’t handle it nohow. Careful! Listen for th’ music!”

With that, Braeburn smoothly pressed his rigid phallus against Fluttershy’s gooey vulva, and it slid into her to join Big Macintosh’s throbbing erection… inch by inch, parting her labia and prying her just as wide as Big Macintosh did, for Braeburn’s girth topped out just as bulky as his Princess’s, but in a thick central bulge. And that bulge squeezed into Fluttershy despite her writhing and shrieks, and Braeburn’s crotch came to rest against Fluttershy’s, her stiffly erect nipples rubbing his belly.

“Pound that ass!” called Snowy Hocks, gleefully.

Braeburn glared at him, feeling Fluttershy’s shudders. “Mind your business.”

“Sonny,” retorted Snowy, “she wants it ugly. She wants to be wrecked. Cain’t you see that?”

Braeburn’s lip curled, contemptuously. “Saw it from th’ beginning. Hush your mouth! Let me show you wreckage in a nice way.”

“Oh yeah?” challenged Snowy.

Braeburn, reverently, took off his cowpony hat. He placed it beside him.

“Watch this.”

With that, the physically-gifted outlaw pony bit his lower lip, concentrating… and began to shift his hips, focussing on the sensations around his deeply buried stallionhood.

Fluttershy’s eyes went starkly wide when she felt it. He’d penetrated her to the cervix and then rested just enough that she could quiet down, her body stuffed through two holes and racked with searing overstimulation. The lack of motion made his cock seem to weld itself to her insides with sheer pressure. Then, his firm and gentle shifting of hips wrenched that bulk free again, and the sensation jolted her psyche and felt like her entire insides were being tugged out. She shrieked weakly, then writhed again in frantic suddenness for Big Macintosh had tugged his own cock as well, and it didn’t have anywhere near the lubrication Braeburn’s did.

Braeburn cuffed Big Macintosh’s shoulder, and Princess looked out of Big Macintosh’s eyes, startled, for the first time since he’d gone to buttfuck Fluttershy.

“Pretend it’s me,” snarled Braeburn, and Big Macintosh’s eyes widened more.

He looked at the back of Fluttershy’s head as if seeing for the first time that it wasn’t a symbol of wicked meanness he was punishing, but a pegasus mare he knew well—one who’d borne a foal from him and who cared for flowers and bunnies. She didn’t usually go around taunting him and trying to push his buttons. She usually flew around taking care of innocent animals and being loved by all, and he’d reacted to her insane goading by shoving a huge massive cock right up her ass. He throbbed inside her, and felt the horrible agonized tightness cramping around his cockbase.

Big Macintosh gulped, his rage gone for good. Hesitantly, he petted Fluttershy’s ragged, feather-dustery wing.

Braeburn gazed into Fluttershy’s stunned, dazed eyes, and grinned his bandit grin.

“Ah know what you was after, missy,” he said gravely. “Sweet dreams, now, ‘cos you’re takin’ a little pony ride. Princess?”

“Yeah?” said Big Macintosh in a nervous little voice.

“With me… but a lil’ gentler. Careful, now.”

With that, Braeburn began firmly shifting his throbbing erection inside Fluttershy—and as she jerked, panted through gritted teeth, and twitched in a fusillade of little spasms, Big Macintosh began to rock her against him, cautiously shifting his own mammoth hard-on inside her harrowingly tight pony ass.

Fluttershy’s eyes glazed over, and she wailed sweetly like a lost soul, closing her eyes… and then squeaked, eyes flying wide at a new sensation she hadn’t expected or wanted.

Braeburn was kissing her, even while he thrusted. His eyes were half-lidded slits of passion and romance, adoring her, worshipping her utterly as only the treacherous outlaw pony could. It didn’t feel like a gangbang, it felt like making love… even after all her efforts to guarantee she would be cruelly used.

Fluttershy squirmed, shaking her head. She cried out again, in protest. Tears came to her eyes as she tried to push away the cowpony’s devoted lips, but she was weak from extended orgasm, and as she cried out again, his lips locked to hers and her head tilted back and she was lost—lost to the experience, swept away in the unexpected tenderness. What had been a savage and cleansing rending of her body every which way, became an enfolding presence, a wash of love unworthy that extended even to the obscenely huge horse cocks that pushed and nudged inside her, every throb racking her with delicious pain, but seeming to cherish every inch of her body nevertheless.

Braeburn broke the kiss as something prodded the side of his face… and realized it was a penis. Silver and Hollyhock were holding up the desperate Snowy Hocks, and he was trying to stick his cock in Fluttershy’s face. Braeburn growled, but before he could do anything, Fluttershy noticed… and without hesitation, she’d taken Snowy into her mouth, and emitted muffled cries of bliss as he shoved his smaller pony dick as deeply into her throat as he could. She’d turned to him right away, sucking his cock greedily.

Braeburn rolled his eyes, and devoted his attention to his fucking, steadily ramping up his pace, feeling his and Big Macintosh’s climaxes looming.

Snowy jerked, and whinnied. Braeburn could see Fluttershy gulping, gulping in a frenzy, swallowing all of his come and sucking for more, nuzzling hungrily against his crotch as she whimpered and writhed. Snowy gave a happy squeal, wobbled, and fell backwards, come still drooling out of his softening erection. He tumbled and gave a squall. “Aaahhh! My hip!”

Braeburn set his jaw. Served the fucker right, nasty piece of horse that he was. He saw Silver and Hollyhock helping Snowy away and settling him on some grass. Big Macintosh was still watching him for direction. Fluttershy was past noticing anything.

All right, crazy little mare, thought Braeburn: here’s your blow-off.

He nodded to Big Macintosh, bared his teeth in pleasure, and allowed his steady motions to build just a little more… but this time, letting the sensation flood up from his testicles, stiffening him for the final launch, not holding back the rush of his pleasure. He felt it in Big Macintosh as well—had felt it in Big Macintosh up him, sometimes—and quietly, Braeburn trusted the frail little pegasus to withstand what her big stallion lovers had for her, though he still couldn’t understand how she managed it.

That was what made it so dang exciting, though.

Fluttershy began to writhe and flap spastically, shrieking with excitement as two cocks throbbed their way to full rock hardness inside her, still keeping their steady pace.

Big Macintosh grunted. Braeburn whinnied, tossing his mane.

Simultaneously, they blasted horsecome into Fluttershy in spasms that, for an amazing moment, gushed in perfect synchrony.

Fluttershy blew out her voice in a single shriek, and her wings frizzed out so hard that yellow feathers flittered delicately to the ground. Several pinfeathers, and a primary feather.

Braeburn sagged. “An’ that, gents,” he panted, “is how ya do nasty an’ nice at the same time. Thankee for comin’ back to me, Princess.”

“Help me with her, Braeburn?” said Big Macintosh softly. “Ah done hurt th’ pore thing. Won’t never forgive myself.”

Braeburn lifted himself off the Fluttershy sandwich, pulling his cock free, a gush of semen pouring out of her vagina as he did. “You just stay to the good, Princess! Jes’ because a filly wants to get a big reaction, is no call to turn bad on her! You got to stay strong!”

“Ah know, ah know!” wailed Big Macintosh. Braeburn, donning his hat, gave him a stern look.

“She’s a little pega-slut!” yelled Snowy Hocks from outside the circle. “Get over it!”

“You hold your peace!” demanded Braeburn. “You and your rough stuff. Fun’s over! Our wild lil’ filly’s gonna be sleeping off her overexcitin’ night and she’s gonna wake up good an’ pregnant and forget all this crazy… cray… c…”

Fluttershy was stirring, though it seemed impossible. She looked like she’d been dragged backwards through five hedges, and she could barely coordinate her motions, but something drove her on. She tugged at Big Macintosh’s cock until it popped out of her dainty ass, sprawled on the ground in a puddle of spooge, and struggled to rise. She was about as good at it as a newborn baby foal, but absolutely determined. Finally, she got on her hooves, wobbling terribly, her head dangling, her tail sopping and strangely disheveled, and there she stood, panting, as the circle of exhausted and sated stallions stared at her in astonishment.

Slowly, Fluttershy lifted her head.

“More,” she croaked.

Braeburn, wide-eyed, took off his hat again.

“Ma’am… we cain’t, an’ that’s a fact. You wore us out. I thought I had ya. Ain’t a stallion here who hasn’t busted his nuts up your sweet poon, not to mention your cute lil’ butthole, so how’s about we all call it a…”

A very deep voice interrupted him.

“The honorless have had their fun. Dare I conclude you all are… done?”

Dursaa stepped forward, grimly. The circle of stallions gave way, for he moved as if ready to trample them beneath his zebra hooves.

Braeburn didn’t flinch. “Mister Dursaa, I see. You been frownin’ at us all this time, and for a while there I couldn’t blame ya. Have you really been waiting your turn? Or ya jes’ a big fan of sloppy seconds?”

He frowned, looking around, and the deep voice rang out in judgement.

“Disgrace is what tonight has just displayed. Your wicked urges have together made the ruination of a gracious mare: Not one of you has decency to care!”

Braeburn’s nostrils flared in outrage. “Ah beg your damn pardon? In case you missed it, ah jes’ steered this lil’ cutie through a scene that mighta gone real sour for her! And look at that, she did so good that she’s pantin’ for more! Fine. You gonna fuck her or not? I swear I’ll try to go another round if you won’t. Gimme a minute.”

“Your minute will not be required of you,” declaimed Dursaa haughtily. “Sit down. All of you faithless fools are through with frenzied spurtings in this mare’s sweet nook. …and, I might add, mere pony ones, which suck.”

Big Macintosh snorted in disbelief. “The hay, Dursaa?”

Braeburn blinked. “Actually I think I know what he’s up to…”

Dursaa stamped a mighty zebra hoof.

“This mare is not for you! I claim her now, and furthermore you’ll see exactly how a zebra gives his precious mare his foal and pledges to her life his very soul! Stand back! If you appreciate a show you’ll witness one tonight, more than you know: I’ve saved up for three months to bear this gift, and soon none of your weak sperm will be left!”

Fluttershy turned, baring her teeth at him. “Will you shut up and fuck me already?”

His head darted forward, and he struck like a cobra.

“EEE!” squealed Fluttershy, her eyes wide at the fierce bite to her cute rump.

Dursaa gazed levelly at her, and she stared back in shock.

“Fluttershy, you’re mine. Your petulance, confine,” he rumbled softly.

“You don’t know me,” she hissed, and then squealed again, as he made a feint toward her quivering rump.

“This Zebra stallion saw you from afar,” he said, “delighting in the graceful things you are: your gentleness to creatures of the field, the ease with which your precious sweet heart yields. I wondered long if one like you, so fair, could show the fires and urges of a mare: in truth it seemed an adequate reward to watch you frolicking across the sward.”

He gulped, his voice trembling. “And on some nights, I did indeed relent and found my spirit, mind and body bent upon the dream my lusts could never slake—and in my shame I’d the next morning wake, not knowing if my love stood strong and true…”

He glared around at the farm ponies.

“Or as a tourist, like the lot of you!”

Fluttershy didn’t seem to be breathing. Her mouth hung open, and she stared in amazement at the impassioned zebra who had suddenly begun spouting romantic love sonnets that went on and on, all of them about her and her alone. Tears came to her eyes, and she shook her head and blushed, looking horribly upset.

“You can’t,” she whimpered. “You mustn’t! I’m not what you think, just r—rape me and leave me in a puddle of come like I deserve!”

Dursaa’s mighty chest swelled in pride and determination.

“Do not say things like that, sweet Fluttershy! I see you now, degraded, low, but I suspect it’s just your frantic need to screw: and that’s just your mare urges driving you. I answer now your call with all my heart. With this, our mating, a new day shall start, for I will treasure everything you are and lay my life before your proud pole star to celebrate you in my word and deed: stay with you always, fill your every need and be your own, your stallion, your amour; the brave and indefatigable door that bars the way against your sad despair. So… rape you? Never! Never one so fair!”

Big Macintosh was blushing, tears of bitter shame in his eyes. Braeburn cuddled him, and mumbled, “He’s reelin’ her in all righty…”

Fluttershy was past protesting, couldn’t even look at the towering zebra stallion anymore, blushed a flaming red. Dursaa strode slowly forward, walking right up to her.

“The truest stallion does not merely sate your lusty body’s urges for a mate. He pledges his whole heart and soul to you, becoming yours, remaining proud and true, and his words you can trust for he is part of your own soul and your own secret heart. Yet… there’s one thing for which your body cried…”

Dursaa gulped. His hind legs were shaking, and he was lifting one rear hoof up uncomfortably.

“The puddle, dear, your Zebra can provide.”

Braeburn’s eyes widened. Dursaa’s balls looked dreadfully swollen, like he hadn’t clopped himself in months.

“Called it!” breathed Braeburn with satisfaction. “Boys, say goodbye to your best efforts.”

“Huh?” said Big Macintosh.

“Watch. I seen this once before,” said Braeburn. “Them zebras, boy!”

Fluttershy whimpered, and Dursaa’s hoof reached out and gently lifted her chin. She resisted. She was crying, trying not to face him, but he was very strong, and her chin came up—to be met by a kiss, and her gaze met by a pair of longing, infatuated eyes that showed the truth of every word he’d said. Dursaa had forgiven Fluttershy her every wanton excess, and offered safe harbor inside his unshakable devotion.

She wavered, and then gave in all at once, whirled and flicked her tail to the side, winking at him, her eyes screwed shut in sweet surrender and her teeth bared in a strange grimace, as if she was racked by horrible guilt but could not restrain herself a moment longer. She would give herself body and soul to her miraculous new stallion, against all reason, against her better judgement.

Dursaa reared, and clasped her tender rump in his stripey forelegs. Under him, a jet-black glossy zebra cock quickly jutted forth.

“Nice!” remarked Braeburn. “She ain’t been cheated there. Damn near as good as us, Princess!”

It was true. Dursaa’s stallionhood didn’t quite reach Big Macintosh proportions, but it left most other stallions behind, and Fluttershy emitted breathy cries, very hoarsely, as he prodded her. Then, she stiffened, and immediately staggered on her hooves: he’d entered her, and that stiff shiny black erection shoved forth, sinking smoothly into her trembling body that had seen such rough treatment.

He seemed to understand. He tried to keep as much of his weight balanced on his rear hooves as he could, setting them well forward though the position was awkward. He clasped her body firmly, but with a besotted gentleness that even the other stallions could see… and he began to work his erection back and forth, making little plunges, penetrating to Fluttershy’s depths.

Fluttershy shuddered, wobbling again, and let out a wail like a damned soul. Her wings lifted awkwardly, and then she wailed louder, for Dursaa’d bent his head and gripped her wing base between his teeth, taking her wing into his mouth for the first time with an air of total conviction. Here was a stallion who knew exactly what such an act meant to a pegasus mare, and by the sensuous working of his jaw and twisting of his head, knew just what effect he proposed to have on his winged mare by doing it.

Fluttershy’s body spasmed so hard her hooves thumped against the ground, and a gush of straw-colored marecome squirted out past Dursaa’s cock. He groaned, and kept up his infatuated thrusting.

Big Macintosh’s ear quirked. He thought he could see something like a glow around Dursaa’s alarmingly swollen testicles. “Is that…?”

Braeburn nodded. “It’s a zebra thing. Might want to scoot back, Princess.”

Big Macintosh boggled at Braeburn. They were ten feet from the copulating zebra and pegasus. “Why?”

Dursaa whinnied, as if in pain. His forelegs tightened around Fluttershy. She gasped in a huge breath… and Dursaa’s balls seemed to clench before the awed stallions’ eyes.

Fluttershy squealed in shameless glee, and a gout of zebra come splashed out of her pussy and onto the ground. His very first volley had flooded her womb so full there was no room for more. He hunched, continuing to work his cock in her, hissing hot breath between his teeth.

Stallion eyes widened. Dursaa’s body shook as if titanic forces were coursing through him. They were.

Second by second, more zebra come glopped out of Fluttershy. She tossed her head, blinded by perverse pleasures, and he kept thrusting, and his balls betrayed a faint glow of zebra magic as they generated outrageous, impossible amounts of come that he tirelessly pumped into Fluttershy, his new mate. The puddle grew, and grew. Fluttershy shook and howled in orgiastic pleasure as Dursaa’s orgasm literally washed all the other come out of her, gushing endlessly, a viscous sticky churning totally filling her pussy and womb even as his stiffened cock continued to plunge sensuously to her depths. Every time, it forced a thick gush of semen out of her onto the ground. Every time, he replenished it as if his issue would never stop.

Big Macintosh, eyes wide, backed away from the growing flood.

Braeburn took off his hat, just one more time. “To gettin’ what you may call the last word, sir. Ah salutes you, and you take good care of her, y’hear? I reckon that’s that. Gentleponies! Our presence ain’t needed no more, but you got to hear th’ band play!”

Dursaa, panting, bowed his head. His body gave a few final spasms, and he dismounted, an ocean of come gushing out of Fluttershy as he did. She staggered forward, stallions making way for her, until she was clear of the come-lake still soaking into the grass… and then she collapsed in a fluffy heap, and a cheer went up for her and for her new mate. The insatiable mare was satisfied!

Back in the woods, Rainbow Dash panted as well, for she’d come three times just watching the outrageousness. Applejack had come once, partly because she’d been rubbing herself against Rainbow, definitely because her kin had relinquished the stage. They glanced at each other, awed.

“Do you think she would loan him out?” breathed Dash.

Applejack opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, the woods rustled frantically next to her.

“Applejack!” begged Pinkie Pie, covered in twigs and leaves. “You have to help me find Rock!”

Applejack’s jaw dropped further. She reeled it in. “And where in tarnation do you expect that lil’ scaper to turn up, Pinkie?”

Dash gestured with a hoof, and three pairs of maternal eyes followed the gesture in horror.

“There?”

Far out of reach, beyond the edge of the woods, Rock Candy walked uncertainly toward the circle of stallions, the panting zebra and his stricken, sated Mom.

They didn’t notice. Pinkie, Dash and Applejack held their breath, petrified, wondering what to do, whether the stallions would be cross, what Dursaa would do when confronted with Fluttershy’s existing foal.

Dursaa hadn’t noticed either. He staggered, triumphant, over to the blissful wreckage of Fluttershy.

“Exquisite, ah beloved, oh my love,” he panted, “oh angel horse that flies on wings above…”

Fluttershy moaned a sweet moan, wriggling sensuously against the ground, her tail flipping in aftershocks of orgasmic pleasure.

“Your ecstacy is all that fills my sight. Your every foal’s my duty and delight…”

Rock Candy froze in his tracks, his ears perking in shock. Every foal?

“Now,” crooned Dursaa, “it is time to take away each pose, the decorations sullying the rose… and I shall love forever, near and far, the glory of you simply as you are.”

He began tugging at Fluttershy’s mane with his teeth.

Rock Candy, unnoticed at the edge of the woods, began to shake, his ears laying back. His tail twitched violently. Pinkie, Dash and Applejack stirred in alarm.

Fluttershy jerked. “No!”

Dursaa sighed, indulgently. “Poor darling! These extensions may be nice for Fillydelphic mares who charge a price, but your great beauty scorns such foolish tricks. Pray do not make your loving husband sick! Synthetic manes on angels will not do. They’re desecrations ill-befitting you.”

Fluttershy writhed frantically on the ground, trying to rise, but Dursaa was too quick for her. With two flicks of his head, he yanked Fluttershy’s false mane and tail off, tossing them behind him, where they fell with silky flourishes into the puddle of semen.

Rock Candy charged. Pinkie went after him, plunging through the woods, and Dash and Applejack chased her, as the collected stallions all looked toward the sudden leafy commotion.

Big Macintosh screamed like a filly.

All motion stopped, and all eyes turned to him… and then, to what he was looking at.

Fluttershy stood at bay, facing Dursaa. Her wings flared out horribly, for they’d become bat wings. Her mane and tail, much shorter, broke into disheveled, ragged waves without the graceful flow her hair was known for. Her ears seemed longer, with spiky tufts of fur. Her eyes glowed an eerie, alarming pink as she glared at her would-be husband—and when she bared her teeth, the strongest stallions quailed, for the gentle Fluttershy suddenly had huge, sharp, terrifying fangs like no pony alive.

“What have you DONE?” she hissed, her voice harsh and monstrous.

In the puddle of spooge, the mane and tail extensions crackled faintly with magic, then shorted out.

Dursaa staggered back, horrified. Panic swept through the stallions as they realized they’d been fucking a monster—a vampire!

As they began to scramble away, turning to flee the vampony, their bodies parted to reveal a much smaller figure, with a pink mare galloping frantically toward him in the distance.

Rock Candy stood, eyes wide… trembling and staring at what had been his Mom.

…who saw him.

The air was ripped with a horrible, unearthly shriek, like no pony ever produced. It came from the fanged, terrifying monster. And then, she dove forward on her horrible bat wings, seizing the foal like a striking raptor and racing up into the sky, holding his struggling form.

Pinkie Pie screamed like it was her own body being seized and stabbed with cruel fangs. She hadn’t reached him in time.

Applejack whacked Rainbow Dash on the rump with a hoof.

“Go!”

Like a fired arrow, Dash blasted out of the woods, soaring skyward with blistering speed.

She looked around frantically. She began to circle, wings straining to hold the G-forces. She saw the ragged figure with its creepy bat wings, trying to escape into a cloud.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t let that happen. Tears came to her eyes as she imagined a vampire dragging Pinkie’s and Fluttershy’s foal into a cloud to suck his blood, and she strained her mighty wings to the limit, rocketing toward that fanged figure that mushroomed in her vision.

As she reached her quarry, she whirled in mid-air and delivered a vicious kick to the thing’s left wing.

It shrieked a chilling, tormented screech and lashed out at her with its hind legs, pivoting in mid-air, trying to shield its prey from capture. Rainbow Dash attacked again, savagely whacking the vampire in the head and feeling a crunch under her hooves. It screeched horribly, turning to face her, the terrible fangs gleaming in the moonlight…

Rainbow Dash whirled as if the spirit of Applejack had come to guide her and her hind leg kicked out with unyielding ferocity—and smashed into the vampire’s foreleg.

It let go, and Rock Candy dropped out of its broken grip.

Dash turned to dive, but saw that the vampony had the same idea… and Rainbow flipped out, shrieking “GET AWAY!” at the top of her lungs, pummelling the vampire with her forelegs with no thought of self-protection, just making it give up on its helpless plummeting prey, punching vampire face in a mad frenzy of violence…

With a hideous, tortured scream, the monster turned and fled, taking refuge in the cloud in which it had apparently hoped to feed.

Rainbow Dash had almost no time. She dove for all she was worth. This time there would be no other pegasus appearing to save the day. It was all on her. She vowed to make a crater in the ground rather than fail, as Rock Candy’s flailing form appeared below her…

She tackled him, grabbing on with desperate force. She gritted her teeth, trying to pull out…

Rainbow Dash slammed into the ground, taking the brunt of the bad landing on her shoulder in a forward roll. She tumbled, wrapping herself around Rock. She came to rest, unharmed, breathless.

A herd of ponies charged up to meet her, led by Pinkie Pie and Applejack. Pinkie was frothing, spitting foam in her hysterical need to get to her foal. She pounced and hugged Rock tight and wouldn’t let go, just shook and sobbed.

Applejack panted, her eyes wild. “What the FUCK was that?”

“It was like the vampire!” squealed Dash. “With the fruit bats! Remember? But this one tries to eat PONIES!”

Stallions screamed like fillies, began to charge around in panicky circles.

“Git to Twilight’s!” cried Applejack. “She’ll know what to do!”

And with that, the ponies galloped off, not stopping until they reached Ponyville and Twilight’s house…

…and the vast, glowing, sphere of magical force that barred them from entering.

Applejack gulped, staring at the forbidding glow.

“Welp. This ain’t good.”

Rescuers

“Oh, no!” squealed Rainbow Dash, panicking. “They got her too! Princess Twilight!”

“WHAT.”

The voice came from overhead, and down came Princess Twilight herself, and she did not look pleased.

“Don’t touch that!” she ordered. “What do you want? I’m very busy, I have important things to do.”

Rainbow Dash stared, amazed. “Are you kidding? Does it not look like this is important, Twilight? Did you say you’re busy, are you fucking kidding me right n…”

She’d begun to charge Twilight, but before Dash could get in Twilight’s face she twanged to a stop, country pony teeth gripping her tail.

Applejack growled, “Stoppit!” She let go Rainbow’s tail, and glared. “Don’t you be hotheaded, Dashie! Somethin’s seriously up!”

“Oh, fine, side with Twilight at a time like this…”

“Somethin’s WRONG,” insisted Applejack. “Look at her!”

They looked at Twilight, and fell silent. Now that Applejack had drawn their attention to it, there was no doubt. Twilight Sparkle was obviously more upset and frightened than they were.

“Sweet Celestia, Twi,” said Applejack in disbelief. “What the hay is going on? Kin we help?”

Twilight shook her head, as if to clear it. “Rrgh. Ow! My head… How about you tell me what your terrible disaster is and then I’ll tell you mine? Argh…”

“Your head’s hurtin’ ya?” asked Applejack. “Do ya need to have a lil’ lie-down, sugarcube? Except this big magic thing’s keepin’ us out of your place…”

“Tell me!” screamed Twilight, and winced. She stamped the dirt, looking crazed, her wings folding and unfolding.

“Uhhh, maybe it ain’t that big a problem,” said Applejack, placatingly, as Rarity trotted over from the Carousel Boutique.

“What?” squawked Rainbow Dash. “It’s a huge problem! Fluttershy got turned into a hideous monster except this time she attacks ponies! Foals!”

Rarity gave a shriek and galloped up, confronting Dash. “Did you say Fluttershy? What’s happened to Fluttershy, Rainbow?”

Twilight twitched. “Fluttershy! Of course! That’s just the pony he’d do things to. Rainbow! Did you see Discord around at the time? Was she doing anything unusual when she got turned into a monster?”

“Wait, what? Discord? And I don’t know if you’d call it unusual, she was just fucking all the farm ponies at once!”

Twilight Sparkle’s jaw dropped. She stared at the crowd, and it was indeed nearly all the farm ponies, plus Applejack and Rainbow Dash and Rarity and Derpy—and Pinkie Pie, who was covering Rock’s ears and looked quite green.

“Only one thing can explain this amount of insanity,” she gritted.

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash,  “epic pegasus heat, never saw anything like it. That part was awesome! But then she turned into a…”

“No!” cried Twilight. “Discord. Also known as Chaos. And his scheme is worse than I feared, and everything is at stake! It all fits, all of it!”

Rainbow laid her ears back. “That’s the scary part. Even before she changed, yikes! I’m still not sure how that fit, and I should know. I’m gonna be having nightmares though they might be also kind of exciting nightmares.”

“What happened?” pleaded Rarity, trembling with anxiety.

“Six words,” hissed Rainbow impressively. “Big Macintosh And Braeburn Double Penetration.”

“Oh my goodness,” gasped Rarity.

“But then she…”

“Shut up!” yelled Twilight, and all the ponies fell silent as she took deep breaths between her clenched teeth, fighting for control. They could see the magic crackling off her, and drew back, and shied away from her glare as she gazed out at the crowd commandingly and addressed them. “There can be only one explanation. Discord is running amok and trying to ruin everything good in Equestria. He’s taking a grotesquely sexual angle, perhaps specifically to mock me, and his acts are undermining the very structure of our lives, stripping us of all our best leaders and good examples. He’s humilated Princess Celestia and now he’s driven Fluttershy, who trusted him, to heinous and extremely improbable acts.”

She broke off and gawked at Rainbow Dash. “Did you say Big Macintosh and… Both? At ONCE? Are you telling me Big Macintosh screwed her while she was having sex with somepony else? This Big Macintosh?” She gestured with a frazzled wing at the placid Apple pony, who was even more crimson than usual with shame.

“Anally,” said Rainbow Dash. Rarity squealed in dismay. Dash pulled herself together and forced her wings down. “But then she…”

Twilight went pale lilac for a moment. “Ow!”

“Well, it was also kind of ridiculously exciting,” admitted Rainbow Dash. “But THEN she…”

“This has gone far enough!” cried Twilight. “I’ll be back and we’ll fix everything. But I have to go and conquer Discord right now, or there’s no point to any of it! I’m telling you, until we do that it’s hopeless! Don’t touch the force field! I’ll get it later. It shouldn’t hurt you. Gotta fly!”

With a leap, she rocketed off into the sky, leaving a sparkling purple trail behind her that smelled like burning tin.

Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped. “…turned into a horrible vampire attacking ponies… oh, the heck with it.”

Rarity grabbed her, shook her. “Tell me, tell me, this instant! What has happened to my friend and yours?”

Rainbow’s eyes teared up. “But that’s just it. She’s not! She turned into that vampire monster again but way meaner, she’s not my friend anymore and not yours. And dumb stupid Twilight totally wouldn’t even listen!”

“Oh, sweet Celestia, please don’t tell me ol’ Twi is going wacky on us again…” mumbled Applejack.

“Yes?”

Every single pony present lifted their heads. Hope came to their eyes.

Around the corner of a nearby house peeked none other than Princess Celestia. Her ears were back, and she peered huntedly up at the sky where Twilight had gone, but she stepped out into the open regardless.

She was swarmed, immediately, by hysterical and needy little ponies, and she did not hesitate to hug them, as many as she could reach, with comforting long forelegs and elegant wings.

“Princess Celestia!” cried Rainbow Dash, and Big Macintosh, and Derpy Hooves, and Fern Gully… and for a moment, Celestia was flustered just trying to hug all the frantic equines that needed soothing.

“My little ponies! Whatever is the matter? I have not seen you this distressed since parasprites invaded your town!”

“Fluttershy turned into a monster!” cried Rarity.

“And she tried to take Rock Candy!” wailed Pinkie Pie.

“And Twilight’s being a big jerk!” cried Rainbow Dash.

“And ah fucked her up the ass!” wailed Big Macintosh.

Princess Celestia stared at the scarlet stallion, dumbfounded, as awkward silence fell.

“Uhhh… Fluttershy, I mean, not Princess Twilight,” said Big Macintosh.

Celestia licked her lips, eye twitching as she tried to process the statements. “Well, I suppose we can be grateful for that…”

“Ah’m sorry!”

“I should think she was as well, reckless young pony! Good heavens! You are not standing at stud correctly, sir!” retorted Celestia, her ears laid even farther back. “Wait… was this before, or after, she turned into a monster? What sort of monster? Be clear!”

Big Macintosh held his head in his hooves, and couldn’t even answer. With a concerned look for his lover, Braeburn spoke up.

“Reckon that depends on how you look at it, Princess. Don’t read too much into that. Even before she grew them fangs and scary wings an’ stuff, Miss Fluttershy was actin’ kinda funny.”

“Explain, please,” said Princess Celestia.

“Well, I wouldn’ta believed it if I ain’t seen it with my own eyes,” said Braeburn, “but she proper went after Pr… Big Macintosh, here, and not in a good way. She taunted him, that she did. Called him not a real stallion. Tole him to ask permission from old Snowy Hocks, and her a-winkin’ at him all the while. Big Macintosh shoulda stayed to the good, but she knew what she was doin’, did Miss Fluttershy. I gave up, she were too tricky for me. She got exactly what she was lookin’ to get.”

“Anal sex from an oversized farmpony?” blurted Celestia. She winced, and added, “So they say! I mean, so my sister claimed. Not that this was a bad thing in her opinion! I… perhaps we’d better leave that alone for now. Do you mean the act Big Macintosh admitted to?”

“Naw!” said Braeburn. “Ah mean gangbangin’, real nasty-like. She called the boys together and riled them up and goaded them on and she wanted them to ruin her lil’ yellow ass, that she did! Maybe not so literal as it turned out. An’ I realize that ain’t a nice thing to say, but it weren’t a nice thing she done either, and I won’t have ya looking funny at my Princ…” His eyes went wide, and he blushed, but held Celestia’s gaze. “My Princess. Yep. This here stallion is my princess, same as he’s your stud-horse to royalty and all that fancy business. And he’s sorry and won’t do it again, and he din’t mean no harm, he jes’ lost his head on account of Miss Fluttershy played him somethin’ cruel.”

Princess Celestia blinked, her ears still laid back. “Forgive me for saying that is somewhat hard to believe. I know the pony to whom you refer, and none of this seems in character for gentle Fluttershy.”

“No, it is,” said Pinkie Pie miserably.

Celestia glanced sharply at her. “Indeed?”

“Yes,” confirmed Rarity, looking distraught. “I fear it is all too plausible. Oh, dear! I should have insisted upon monitoring the situation, guiding her as she explored these things. I am a fool! Just because she was determined and wilful does not make her a responsible practitioner!” she wailed, and was wrapped up in a hug from Derpy Hooves.

Princess Celestia was glancing back and forth between her little ponies, aghast. “Tartarus! Do you mean to tell me sweet little Fluttershy had such a dark secret, and you all knew about it? That she solicited the rough favors of a group of stallions, not as consensually as one would hope, and then turned into some sort of… did you say fangs? Ponies do not have fangs! And what is so scary about her wings? They’re very nice wings, she is a lovely pegasus pony!”

“Not any more they’re not,” blurted Rainbow Dash, “let me tell you!”

“Yes!” commanded Celestia. “Tell me everything. You are all dreadfully excited and I have seen many things in my thousands of years, and I am here to help you. What have you seen?”

Rainbow Dash was hopping up and down, excitedly.

“Dursaa got done with her and everypony cheered ‘cos she staggered off and fell over and like NOpony was able to satisfy her, she was like a pegasus volcano they were trying to put out with come, and then he did it! Except he started pulling off her mane and tail, but not really her mane and tail, the extensions, do you remember when Gabby Gums busted her for wearing a fake mane and she stayed home crying for days and Angel wouldn’t let anypony in to see her? He was so bossy! Well, Dursaa pulled off the fake mane and tail and threw them in a puddle of spooge and they like sparked and stuff like they were magic, which I guess they WERE magic, right? And we all look at her and she’s like RAAGHH and she’s like, what have you DONE? And she stretches out those creepy bat wings and she swoops down and grabs Pinkie’s foal and flies off with him!”

Princess Celestia was trying to follow the rapid, dramatic story. “Pinkie’s foal? This Pinkie Pie? Rock Candy?”

“Yeah!” squealed Rainbow Dash. “And Pinkie was running to try to grab him but she was too late, and she screamed and it was horrible and Applejack just went ‘go!’ and smacked me and I exploded out of the woods like BOOM and I caught up with her before she could get him into the clouds and suck his blood all out! And I fought her in an epic aerial battle, pony against horrible undead vampire bat thing, and she wouldn’t let go and I tried to break her wing but I couldn’t though I felt something crunch when I hit her in the back of the head, and she went to try to bite me all with the fangs and I whirled around like I was Applejack for a moment, like I had the spirit of Applejack come to me, and I kicked out and I broke one of its forelegs! And Rock fell, and I was gonna dive for him but the vampire had the same idea and I just freaked out, I was screaming and kicking it in the face and that leg was flapping around and I was too much for it! It screamed and flew off to hide, and I had like only a second to dive and catch Rock and I totally made it…”

“You broke her leg?” gasped Celestia. “And kicked her in the face?”

“It was trying to bite me!” objected Dash, ears laid back in alarm just recounting the story. “Wait, what? You know this thing?”

“Slow down!” demanded Celestia. “We are still talking about Fluttershy, aren’t we?”

That stopped Dash, as if she’d flown into a rock wall. Her wings flapped confusedly, her ears flattened. “It didn’t sound like Fluttershy. It didn’t look like Fluttershy, anymore, either. It didn’t act like Fluttershy! It attacked Rock Candy who was just minding his own business!”

Celestia turned to Pinkie, who was holding Rock. “Has he any injuries? Loss of blood, bite marks?”

Pinkie shook her head. “Not a scratch, Princess.” She looked stunned at these new details.

Dash stamped a hoof. “I’m telling you, I saw it! We all did! Suddenly there’s this bat-winged monster, pissed off, and it lets out a scream that will haunt my nightmares, all fangs and teeth and stuff, and it jumps and GRABS and it flies right off with…”

“Her foal,” finished Princess Celestia, grimly.

For a moment, nopony said anything.

Celestia sighed. “My little ponies, this may be complicated and difficult. Would that I had known this poor creature’s secret! Perhaps I may have helped, but she did not trust me with it.”

Pinkie Pie’s voice quavered, though she tried to hold it together. “Yeah, she’s good at that… not trusting the ponies that love her.”

Rainbow Dash’s face was twisting in distress. “But it… okay, Fluttershy NEVER had teeth like that, or scary glowing pink eyes. If you saw how MAD she was, oh my gosh, I just knew she was gonna eat the kid. If she had been there I know she would have wanted me to kick that monster’s… actually, no, Fluttershy always tries to protect monsters, doesn’t she?”

Applejack gulped. “Yep. Even them vampire fruit bats. Those DAMN vampire fruit bats!”

Princess Celestia blinked. “But, dear Applejack, those eat apples! Luna and I would have interceded in some way if they were carnivorous, but they cannot digest pony blood! What you think is impossible, pray do not blame the innocent vampire fruit bats! They are just part of life when you live near the Everfree Forest, as you do!”

Rainbow Dash, face tragic, was still thinking out loud. “This explains how she beat up Gilda, though. And scared that dragon. And the kids, the Crusaders, they said she faced down a cockatrice once, and nopony can do that, the thing even got Twilight before she made it turn all its victims back! And she just would not let us chase away the vampire fruit bats, I’ll never forget that. Wow. It’s like Fluttershy has been like this all along, and never told anypony!”

“Faced down a cockatrice?” pressed Princess Celestia. “And is not Gilda the griffon who visited Ponyville and caused some upheaval, so I hear?”

“An’ she survived a really tough foaling,” added Applejack, “we thought she was dead for a while there!”

Princess Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “She was. Hmmm.”

“What do we DO, Princess Celestia?” pleaded Pinkie, with a curious soft earnestness that caught everypony’s attention. The party pony had no bounce left in her. She held her colt tightly in maternal forelegs, and looked imploringly up at her Princess, trusting her to have the answers, because that was what Princesses were for. They were for saving the day when things got too scary, or hurt too badly.

Celestia gazed off into space, frowning. “Please listen carefully, my little ponies. It is of the highest importance that you do.”

Slightly pale, Dash saluted her Princess. “Got it!” she said, and listened really hard.

“From everything you tell me, your Fluttershy is an undead creature with many dark powers, who has clearly been fighting towards the good in all the time that I have known her. I do not remember seeing her in previous centuries, so I feel she must have been created, or turned, within your lifetimes. I don’t know when the change occurred, but she plainly has fought it.”

“I’m pretty sure she wasn’t a bloodsucking monster with fangs when we were fillies in flight camp together,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Sh! Perhaps not,” said Princess Celestia. “She apparently had magical aids that helped her control her appearance and perhaps, her dark impulses. Those are now lost to her. Oh, my little ponies! Please be careful, be cautious. Fell creatures can be overcome by their dark urges. She may have felt herself slipping, tried to resist it. Her words, ‘what have you done’, are ominous.”

Pinkie Pie was shaking her head, tears coming to her eyes, fighting to retain her composure.

“I swear to you, I will do everything I can to bring your Fluttershy back,” vowed Celestia, “but it is not possible to know what she is now, without study. You must be cautious, and you will know her by her choices, not her impulses. Does she follow the dark impulses, or the light? Did she perhaps give up fighting towards the good impulses? From the sound of it she is a terrifying and dangerous creature, at least in potential. It is very difficult to kill a vampire. They do not heal naturally, for they’re dead, though I believe they can eventually mend themselves: she would have slowly done this after her pregnancy and difficult foaling. Had you, Rainbow, broken her wing, I feel confident that she would be grounded for some time. The injuries you did inflict will not have killed or threatened her but may have impeded her: for instance, she won’t be able to pick up any local foals and carry them off, with a broken foreleg.”

Rainbow gagged, remembering. That was true and yet she’d tried anyhow, frantic desperation in her eyes, until Rainbow’s frenzied attack had driven her away. “D… does it hurt? Do they hurt, these vampires?” she managed, feeling sick.

Princess Celestia fixed her with a very old, very wise, very stern gaze.

“Do not dwell on it, Rainbow Dash. We cannot know whether your actions were tragically misguided, or saved the life of Fluttershy’s and Pinkie Pie’s foal.”

“Colt!” squeaked Rock Candy, his ears perked in horrified, fascinated interest.

“Colt, then,” said Princess Celestia directly to him. “Young fellow, you are to stay with your m… with specifically your Pinkie Pie mother, until we know more. Do you understand? If your mother Fluttershy tries to lure you somewhere away from other ponies, seek help! Stay where it’s safe. We are going to get her back but she may be very sick right now and you must trust that we will try to make her better, Rock Candy.”

He nodded, wide-eyed. Pinkie cuddled him, her face rigid, her jaw too tense.

“Do ya think you can do it, Princess?” said Applejack.

Celestia didn’t reply at once. She sighed, and hesitated, and said, “We know her as a kind and peaceful creature who is impossibly good. She’s gone to great lengths to cling to that. Did it… break? If it did break, did it break all at once? Please, please, do not be incautious if you encounter her again, ponies. I feel mostly confident that I could handle anything she attempted to do, but I cannot predict her reaction to current events.” She shuddered. “If it were me, I am not sure I would be quite sane. We cannot assume her cooperation, now that she is stripped of her mask and stands revealed as a very serious threat.”

“Flies,” said Dash. “She’s not going to be standing too well, right now.”

Celestia glanced sharply at her. “Yes, thank you, Rainbow. So, add injury, great pain, and frustration at being deprived of either her only foal… or her prey. We can but hope our Fluttershy does not react by going to extremes.”

Dursaa, who’d been silently weeping, cleared his throat. “If only I could hope for that! It seems, my Fluttershy goes only to extremes.”

Princess Celestia raised her head, standing and calling out to all ponies within earshot. “Hear me! I call upon Ponyville to care for and protect Fluttershy’s mate Pinkie Pie, and her foal Rock Candy, both from physical threat and by comforting them through their grief during this difficult, painful time. It is rare that such a tragedy occurs, but I promise you that I will try to find and heal the poor creature if it is within my power to do so. Until that time, be cautious, and be safe!”

“You got it, Princess Celestia!” cried Applejack. “You heard her, ponies! You’re gonna watch for vampire Fluttershy and keep her away from Pinkie an’ Rock, but don’t hurt her! We’re gonna bring her back so Princess Celestia can work on her. If the Princesses can’t fix her up, ain’t nopony can! I got a good mind to go off and lasso her myself. We’ll get her back and we’ll fix her!”

Rainbow Dash jumped and flew a loop-de-loop. “I’ll go fly search patterns! Um. Except she might be scared of me now since I totally kicked her ass which was more than Gilda could do but maybe not such a good thing… Maybe I can scout her out and somepony else can go and get her if I find her?”

Rarity glared tearfully at her. “Indeed! Rainbow Dash, your pugnacious attitude was never so ill-advised! How could you injure our poor, sweet, timid Fluttershy?”

“Hey! You didn’t see her, obviously! It was bad, really bad!”

“Yeah,” said Applejack. “Rarity, you got to take my word for it, she turned into… well, some of us have seen it. Big fangs, bat wings, real scary, real mad… I can’t blame Rainbow, ‘specially when she grabbed a foal an’ took off. We all ‘bout dropped horse-apples just seein’ it. The important thing is to straighten this mess out, not fight more, okay?”

Rarity pouted. “Very well. But of all the ponies to bludgeon and harm! Not for fun, I mean,” she hastily added.

“You didn’t see her,” repeated Applejack. She glared around at the farm ponies. “Point is, it stops now! We’re gettin’ the old Fluttershy back, and no more bloodsuckin’ monsters and no more draggin’ off the boys of Sweet Apple Acres! The crazy stops here.”

“Well said,” added Princess Celestia.

Applejack scuffed at the dirt with a hoof. “Now… speakin’ of crazy, what about Twilight?” she said. “What’s this big ball of magic with Golden Oaks stuck in it, and why’s she got to be such a pain in th’… neck?”

Celestia blinked, her ears laid back. “Ah. Indeed,” she said, and studied the glowing sphere of force. “Hm. Certainly Twilight’s.” She prodded it gently with a hoof, and jumped back when it sparked. “Strong! My goodness.”

“Kin ya bust it? Dashie was fixin’ to borrow a Daring Do book from her,” said Applejack.

Celestia’s eyes widened. “No! Please don’t try to interfere with this magic, ponies. Twilight is… well… how shall I put this?”

“Crazy?” suggested Rainbow Dash.

“No, no!” protested Celestia. “Not as such. That said, if you could give her some space and not interfere while she works things out… Princess Twilight is going through a difficult phase, akin to alicorn adolescence. We all went through it, in our respective ways. I remember a time when I alphabetized an entire library not by title, but by the initial words of the text, in the belief that ponies would recognize that more easily.”

“So, totally batshit crazy?” guessed Rainbow Dash.

“Indeed not!” argued Celestia. “I put it back, I’ll have you know! And then all the librarians forgave me and returned to work. My point is that you must be patient with Princess Twilight Sparkle, and help her make this adjustment. Try to be understanding. Please don’t confront her on things like this sphere of raw magical force. I’ll raise the issue politely at an appropriate time, which I hope will be forthcoming at some point.”

“Is it dangerous?” asked Applejack, eyeing the vast sphere suspiciously.

“Not to you, Applejack, though I would not suggest kicking it! I strongly recommend that no unicorns exert their magic in attempts to breach this sphere,” said Princess Celestia. “I do not think it will be dangerous to you unless you are dangerous to it, just like its creator.”

“Twi’s dangerous?” gasped Applejack. “I won’t say I ain’t seen it comin’ but this is bad news for us! And mighty sad, besides!”

“No!” snapped Celestia, and screwed her eyes shut as if she had a headache, pressing an elegant hoof to her forehead. “I’m sorry, Applejack, I didn’t mean to shout. But please, trust me, will you? Trust, and love, is what will get you through this.”

“I’m sorry too, Princess! It’s okay, I know we must drive any Princess to distraction now and then,” admitted Applejack.

“And don’t give up on ponies just because they’re frightening, or going through difficult times,” urged Celestia. “I understand this is difficult. Poor Fluttershy is in serious trouble, and Princess Twilight has her own struggles to contend with: I may say I am grateful to not be burdened with them anymore, but I remember those days with dreadful vividness. Stay safe, and call for me if you locate Fluttershy. And let me know if this magic forcefield changes. Twilight has something in here that must be very important and I wish she would trust me a little more than this, but I will have to take the initiative by trusting her with it, first.”

All the ponies nodded solemnly, agreeing to love and trust and do their best. Pinkie trembled, but set her jaw and lifted her chin, determined to hang in there for her friends and for Rock.

Rarity blinked, struck by a thought. “Princess Celestia, how did you know to come and help us? You are so wonderful. We appreciate all that you’re doing beyond measure and you are indeed helping us, but how did you know?”

At that, Celestia dropped her gaze, scratching at the ground awkwardly with a forehoof.

“Oh, ah… ‘twas my good fortune, to be sure! Yet all the same, I knew no such thing,” admitted the Princess. “It was simply an errand that brought me to Ponyville today. I’m here to pick up… ah… Apples!”

Rarity boggled politely at her. “Apples? Really?”

Applejack’s eyes bugged out, followed shortly by Rainbow’s. “Yep! Sure as shhhhh… ugarcubes and cute lil’ ponies! We got your APPLES for ya down at the farm, Princess, you just come right this way!”

The crowd of ponies dispersed, Applejack and Rainbow galloping back home gleefully, followed by a grateful and blushing Princess who didn’t speak to them again until they were inside Sweet Apple Acres and private.

“Thank you, my little ponies,” she then said. “Your discretion is much appreciated! Now, Applejack, I believe I was here to borrow something, as we’d discussed? Assuming it is not an inconvenient time to do so? Pray don’t disrupt your plans on my account.”

“Naw,” said Applejack, “it’s fine! I can go fetch it in a jiffy, long’s you don’t mind a, heh heh, bit of indecency while I do! I suppose you’re gonna carry it around with your horn.”

“She doesn’t have to!” protested Dash. “It’s totally okay if she wants to carry it in her teeth. Totally. Noooo problem with that, at all.”

“Hush, Dashie,” suggested Applejack, wryly. “I’m sure your wings got no problem with that situation, neither.”

Rainbow blushed and tried to lower her wings, which were sticking up with great eagerness. “Sorry. I tried!”

Celestia chuckled, richly. “Ah, you two! In truth all you Element Bearers are indeed close to royalty. Perhaps a bit too close, you naughty girls! I don’t blame you for trying, Rainbow, but please allow me to do this discreetly. It is, I fear, an awkward situation, and my choices might not meet with the approval of ALL my subjects.”

“You’re tellin’ me!” said Applejack. “You sure got a forgivin’ heart, Princess. Everypony was talkin’ about how Discord done you wrong!” Her eyes widened as she realised what she’d said. “Uh… so I hear!”

“I’m sure you did,” said Celestia. “And it is not just the opinions of random townsponies with which I am concerned. I doubt I have to spell it out, but I shall anyhow: until we can settle Princess Twilight down, please do not gossip about my love-life. I know she does not approve of my relationship with Chaos, and she certainly would not smile upon my… experimenting.”

Rainbow Dash let out a little squee of glee, and then blushed and scuffed the floor with her hoof. Applejack smirked at her. Princess Celestia smiled fondly on them both.

“I may have some searching to do,” she said, “for Chaos’s exact whereabouts remain unclear, but I am of a mind to pursue the gentler side of royalty… and comfort my soul with another kind of beauty that is yet related to the pony heart. Well, um… pony parts, I’ll just say. Goodness, I feel younger than I have in thousands of years. Frisky!”

Dash couldn’t stop grinning, and her wings were hopelessly stuck in the fully erect position. She bounced on her hooves, and squeaked, “Go get ‘im, Princess Celestia! Woo!”

Celestia was blushing scarlet, and couldn’t meet their eyes or stop smiling at the floor. “Her,” she corrected, bashfully.

“Oh, great,” grumbled Applejack, “now we even know HOW you’re gonna do it…”

“Awesomely!” insisted Dash, bouncing. “Can I…”

“No!” said both Applejack and Princess Celestia at the same time, and Dash deflated. “Awwww…”

“You are a wilder animal than even a vampire pony,” accused Applejack.

“And proud of it!”

“Is that all right?” asked Celestia, worriedly. “Please, right now I need to maintain discretion. I’ve probably told you too much as it is, but it seemed only fair…”

Applejack hastened to reassure her. “Of course it is! However you like it, Princess. We’ll do everything we can to help you find your love, and we won’t tell a soul. Will we, Rainbow?”

“No way! I’ll never tell. If you want to be sneaky, I bet you can be the sneakiest Princess ever!”

“Heh!” snorted Applejack. “Somethin’ like that. Princess, we’re on your side just as much as you’re on ours. Jes’ know that, okay?”

Princess Celestia gazed gratefully upon her little conspirators. “I do know it. Thank you…”

“What do YOU want?” demanded Pinkie Pie.

“My motive should not take too long to tell,” said Dursaa placatingly. “It’s only to ensure that you are well.”

“Oh, really?” snapped Pinkie, tartly. “Fine. We’re terrific! Beat it.”

Dursaa hesitated. “The evening’s a thief: stole comfort, left grief.”

“Mooooom!” wailed Rock Candy, from up in his room.

Pinkie went chalk white, and charged up the stairs in a panic. She felt the stairs shaking behind her, as she burst into the bedroom, to see: Rock, sitting up in bed, crying.

“Make Princess Celestia come back!” he sobbed.

“Aw, sweetie, I… YOU!”

Dursaa blinked uncomfortably, looming in the doorway. Pinkie whirled on him. “You get out of here, buster! You don’t want to see what can happen when Pinkie opens up a can of frosting on your…”

“No!” squeaked Rock desperately, and Pinkie stopped, and looked back at her foal.

He sniffled. “Make him stay here!”

Pinkie gaped, her jaw dangling. “Buh. Are you kidding me?”

“Uh-uh,” said Rock in a little voice.

Pinkie’s whole body twitched in sheer rebellion. “WHY?”

“Cos Mama was mad. An’ turned into a big monster! An’ I’m scared. An’… an’ you always do what Mama want,” said Rock Candy.

Pinkie’s heart pounded, and she had no answer for her little colt, none at all. Behind her, Dursaa spoke.

“Pinkie Pie, this is the thing that stops the child from slumbering?”

She screwed her eyes shut, fighting back tears, calling on outrage. As she did, the interloper stepped forward, addressing her kid.

“Little one, the night did not bring you delight. But you are safe at home—don’t toss or turn or roam—turn your attention, please, to making little Zs.”

Rock blinked. “Are you gonna protect me? ‘Cos if Mama tried to eat me…” he said, and his face twisted in woe, “…other Mama might let her.”

“Never,” choked out Pinkie, trembling. “No, Rock. You come first. Never.”

Dursaa glanced at her worriedly, and turned to Rock.

“Believe your mother, young Rock Candy. If I may, I will stay handy. May your little brow unfurrow—lay your head upon your pillow and make small Zs the whole night through, while big Z watches over you.”

Rock glanced at Pinkie. She bit her lip, and nodded, her jaw tight. “This once,” she said. “But we’re gonna have to have a talk, mister. Since I can’t get Princess Celestia back for you, this big ugly male will have to do.”

“You talked like him!” said Rock.

“Somewhat, my little lad,” remarked Dursaa in his deep, rumbling voice. “Her scansion’s very bad.”

Pinkie gritted her teeth, and a glint lit her eyes. “Oh, that bugs you, does it?”

“Please let him stay!” begged Rock.

Pinkie sighed. “I already said I would, buster! Come on, you. Downstairs. It’s gonna be a long night.”

Dursaa coughed, clearing his throat. He and Pinkie had been sitting at the kitchen table in silence, staring at each other and listening to the sounds of nothing outside. Pinkie’s ear twitched forward. It begins, she thought.

“Pinkie Pie, please do forgive me my longing for Fluttershy’s favors,” he began, elegaically. “I meant her well, but my love proved to shatter, not savor…”

“No shit it did,” said Pinkie, bitterly. “Good job! Gold star!”

He shuddered. “All I can offer is heart, soul and all of my Zebra devotion. Please let me do what I can to soothe all this commotion.”

Pinkie’s eye glinted.

“There once was a zebra named Dursaa, who thought he was good but was worse-a. He fucked a nice mare, and pulled out her hair, and now she goes round in a hearse-a.”

Dursaa cringed. “Please…”

“Oh, you can talk like a pony, huh?”

He pulled himself together. “It is respect that I show by expressing my words to you, Pinkie! I have committed myself to the love of this family!”

Pinkie’s eyes gleamed with a mad, despairing mischief. “There once was a pony named Pinkie, who gave herself furiously to thinkie. Then some big old clod gave her sweetie the rod, which she thinks is insufferably stinkie.”

Dursaa’s eyes teared up. “I hoped to save my beloved from her dark despair and destruction. What can you say that hurts worse than my failing this function?”

Pinkie’s teeth gleamed as she went in for the kill.

“There once was a big stripey thug, whose face was both stupid and smug. He played the big hero but was really a zero and honestly he ruined all of our lives so completely that he should be fucking well ashamed of himself and as much as I’d like to clobber Fluttershy for starting all this horribleness, if he doesn’t shut the hell up he’s the one I’m totally going to…”

Dursaa cringed back again. Pinkie was glaring at him from a few inches away, breath hissing between her teeth, brandishing a pink hoof as if she was indeed inches away from slugging him. Tears came to his eyes.

“…hug?” he said, lip quivering dreadfully.

Pinkie blinked. “What?”

The huge, hulking stallion sniffled. “Please?”

“But this is all your fault!” screeched Pinkie.

“I know, and it hurts so bad,” quavered Dursaa, the deep voice choking up. “I love her, Pinkie Pie. I love her.”

Pinkie Pie stared in astonishment, her vindictive anger draining away. He was wrong: it really hadn’t been his fault, and she knew it. He was just one of the males Fluttershy had gone after, and the only one who seemed to be all that torn up about the outcome.

“That… makes two of us,” said Pinkie Pie.

She wondered for a second what Fluttershy would have her do, if she wasn’t permanently an evil bloodsucking monster. The answer wasn’t difficult. Pinkie took a few deep breaths, reached up and hugged the big stripy stallion. Whatever else was ruined, it seemed like the guy was just another sad brokenhearted pony mourning the loss of Fluttershy. He was far from the only one who’d been screwing her, and she’d been trying to make that situation as ugly as possible, which apparently he’d been resisting. And a fat lot of good it had done him, too. Neither she nor he were able to stop Fluttershy’s downward spiral.

Dursaa stood the hug for a few seconds, trying to maintain a degree of dignity, trying to weep silently and keep a stiff upper lip. It lasted about as long as it took for Pinkie to do what Fluttershy would always do in that situation, pet his mane with a gentle hoof and murmur, “There there” in his ear. She even sort of meant it, though part of her was saying it to herself, desperately trying to tell herself things were going to be okay.

He broke. Suddenly he was bawling, nuzzling her neck like a foal, and all that haughty maleness and attitude melted away leaving Pinkie Pie awash in a surge of emotion: raw, earnest, and very sincere grief. Dursaa’s defenses were gone. There was only the intensity of his lonely longing, the vulnerability of a romantic soul who’d worshipped his object of desire from afar and then, in reaching out to win her, saw both his hopes and an innocent life destroyed. It was hard to tell which hurt him worse. Pinkie would’ve guessed that it was entirely his selfish lusts being balked, but her Sense insisted that assumption was extremely unfair.

“I tried to do right and make her my own, my wife!” he sobbed. “I thought I could give her safety, a home, my life!”

“Get in line,” muttered Pinkie, trying to hug away his torrent of emotion.

He gulped, screwing his eyes shut. His body shook, racked with sobs, and she comforted him as best she could as he cried, the big strong zebra stallion hurt beyond his ability to endure. It was hard to see him as a ghastly raping male-monster when he was crying so hard. He was trying to keep it down, so Rock upstairs wouldn’t be troubled, and it only made him more piteous in his grief.

Then he pulled back for a moment, gazing at her. “Pinkie Pie so fair… you are wondrous beyond compare.”

“Don’t you even think of trying to do that stuff to me,” she informed him icily. “I am mare ONLY, buddy…”

“No, no!” he blurted. He shook his head. “I didn’t mean that. I know how you are. This Zebra is far from suggesting a touch that might mean not so much: and though you are fair I love only one mare.”

“Then why butter me up?” demanded Pinkie. As Dursaa drew a breath, she hastily added, “And no rhymes!”

He blinked. “N… no rhymes?”

“I want you to think about what you’re saying,” said Pinkie Pie. “Answer me.”

Dursaa took a deep breath.

“Y… you are wondrous because you have been with Fluttershy all this time. All this time caring for her though it can’t have gone well, faithfully bearing what must have been lesbian h… uhh… horribleness? I know you love her. And I knew when she tried to arrange her mating with all the stallions, that it must have been torturous for you. Yet you stood by her, supporting her even as she made tragic mistakes you could not evade…”

Pinkie’s eyes glittered with unwelcome tears. “Probably about time you stopped answering, okay?”

“No, listen!” insisted Dursaa. “Not all ponies have the heart of a zebra. They seem so uncaring, they cannot sacrifice, you see it in their choices and it’s buried in their eyes and when you love a precious mare and long to bring her joy, you cannot bear to see her treated as a hapless toy. And this I had to witness for she sought that very fate, and though I tried to rescue her my efforts were too late: I hoped her troubled soul would heal when once I pledged my heart, and got a bitter ending in the place of my new start.”

“Fuck you and your start and your stupid zebra rhyming…” managed Pinkie, trying to look away, but Dursaa’s eyes were deep pools of sympathy that she couldn’t avoid.

“It was a start for her and I and you,” he said gently. “For all the things that loving familes do. I never sought to take that mare away: I hoped to bring a newer, brighter day where she could put aside her dark winter and love herself as we all so love her. I do not know if she can be redeemed: her terrifying transformation seemed not welcome to herself and that dire fall seems the unfairest tragedy of all. I don’t know where our darling can be found, in sky or on the earth or underground, and though I’d give my life to set her free, that choice is not available to me…”

“What are you trying to tell me here?” protested Pinkie, tearing up. “Celestia knows I tried!”

“One special pony knows EXACTLY how I feel inside,” he said unsteadily.

Pinkie stared at him in shock, and her feelings resonated with everything he’d said: the yearning to give poor Fluttershy a home and love and a sense of security, the fear she wouldn’t be able to get through Fluttershy’s darkness, the desperate urge to give anything to spare her from the terrible fate she seemed to seek out and assign herself…

Then, she was weeping hysterically, and it was Dursaa’s forelegs holding her tight. There wasn’t a trace of wrong feeling about it: she didn’t think for a second he was trying to seduce her. He was crying again too, but his hug was so strong, wrapping around her as if he was a mighty oak to shelter her from the storms of life, as he’d wished to do for Fluttershy. Pinkie bawled, melting into his hug in anguish as she rode out her feelings over what had happened to her beloved. She’d just about accepted the idea of losing Fluttershy to stallions in hopes at least that would make the poor thing happy, and it had gone so much worse than that for everyone.

Dursaa comforted her, just as she’d comforted him.

Eventually, they cried themselves out. The evening was quiet: they might have welcomed the sound of scary bat wings on the night, unsure if their beloved pony retained any shred of herself, but there was no such noise breaking the silence. Upstairs, Rock Candy slept, for he’d had an exhausting day and he’d decided that Pink Mama and the big zebra guy were enough to keep him safe. And so they were.

Pinkie sniffled. “There once was a zebra comrade…”

Dursaa lifted an eyebrow, a fretful look coming over his stripey face.

“…he wasn’t so bad,” concluded Pinkie Pie.

Dursaa hugged her again, wordlessly.

“How are we going to move on? Are you really gonna… would you really try to help me, and Rock? Even though I’m not your kind of mare? I can’t help it,” said Pinkie. “Just like Fluttershy couldn’t help being how she was. I’ll always love her, and she’s gone now. The light went out of the world, Dursaa, and it’s not coming back.”

“That light survives,” said Dursaa, stubbornly. “Somewhere, she thrives.”

“I tried to believe it. Her darkness was too strong. It won.”

“Care for your young colt, as you must do. I will do my best to care for you,” said Dursaa. “Don’t give up so easily, so soon. Fluttershy’s brave spirit, you’ll impugn.”

Pinkie turned to look at him, and her expression wrung his heart. She was exhausted, her curls drooping, the sparkle gone from her blue eyes. “You don’t understand,” she said softly. “I tried so hard. I tried to help her fight her darkness. It was useless. She’s not even alive, Dursaa. Something got her and ever since then she’s been hating herself to death and I couldn’t save her. I don’t know if she’s Fluttershy anymore. Neither does Princess Celestia. I have a very bad feeling about all this.”

Dursaa stuck out his lower lip. “Love will conquer all this grief and strife. She will be returned to love and life.”

Helplessly, Pinkie looked at her strange new ally, who’d turned up with such ponylike loyalty and caring, just when all was lost. She tried to summon up hope so she could agree with him. Instead of hope, she got Pinkie Sense, and a horrible premonition that it wasn’t as simple as he suggested. For an instant, she glimpsed both herself and Dursaa, standing over Fluttershy’s ruined body, together in crushing grief…

“…maybe,” said Pinkie Pie.

Dursaa hugged her again, and the night dragged on.

Shards

“There, now,” said Applejack. “You should be all set, Princess. Uhh… how long ya needin’ it for, again?”

“Oh! Do you know, I hadn’t even thought of that? I’m not certain, Applejack,” said Princess Celestia, levitating a small metal bit in the air with a glow from her horn.

“Don’t you worry,” soothed Applejack, “you take your sweet time with that lil’ toy. Heh, an’ I hope ya do have you a sweet time, Princess, in fact don’t you bring that back until you’ve had yourself some very special moments!” She considered, her ears quirked to the side, for a moment, and added, “Or unless things go all weird on ya, because I got to admit sometimes them things are tricky buggers to manage.”

Celestia wrinkled her nose, wryly, crinkling up her eyes in amusement. “So I’d noticed. But it is only fair that I take my turn at trying to manage it, after all the time I’ve spent in skepticism. I would ask, again, for discretion. If anypony were to… eek!”

Dash jumped up. “What? What is it, Princess?”

“Oh, I must have been imagining it, but I thought I saw somepony peering in the window. But there’s no-one there. It is my foalish nervousness, no doubt: piquant after so many boring centuries, yet annoying all the same. I don’t mean to burden you with it. I will be on my way.”

Dash looked at the window. It was the same one she’d burst through, once, after a fight with Applejack. She narrowed her eyes. Did she see a movement? Was that a gray feather? Or something purple?

“I’m sure it was my imagination,” said Princess Celestia placatingly.

Rainbow Dash grinned a fierce grin, and slunk over to the window, placing a hoof on the sash. “Or…”

“Or?” blinked Applejack.

“A SPY!” yelled Dash, flinging open the window and sticking her head out.

She was greeted by two little shrieks of terror, and a clattering of hooves from upstairs. “What in tarnation?” bawled Granny Smith from her bedroom. Dash ignored it and glared at the miscreants, who cowered piteously in the bushes.

Rarity and Derpy Hooves stared back, lips quivering, caught listening at the window.

“And what do you have to say for yourselves?” demanded Dash. “What are you even doing there anyway?”

“We’re sorry Rainbow Dash!” cried Derpy. “Rarity, we shouldn’t ought to have done it, I told you!”

“Shush,” said Rarity. “I accept the full blame. Rainbow, darling! I was sure I saw Princess Celestia—Celestia herself! handling one of the magic bits! And it was such an astonishing sight that we… I… Oh, hell! We wanted to see what would happen if she bit down on it, if you must know. Are you having a royal evening?”

Down the stairs clattered a tiny green form. “Princess! It’s Princess!” cried Northern Spy, excitedly.

“Aw, fer pony’s sake!” wailed Applejack. “It’s your bedtime, missy!” She grabbed Spy, who wriggled free and began hopping up and down, as Rarity and Derpy stared in the kitchen window and Princess Celestia, wide-eyed and red-faced, continued to levitate the penis-bestowing sex toy for lack of anything better to do.

Then, she found that better thing—and began to laugh, richly, deeply, with a freedom that defused the tensions in the room. “Oh, my little ponies! I can’t put anything over on you, can I? Please, Rarity, Derpy Hooves, help me observe discretion even if I cannot hide things from you. I believe you are quite familiar with these trinkets?”

“Where trinkets?” demanded Northern Spy.

“Not for you, kiddo!” decreed Applejack firmly.

“But what are you even doing here, Rarity?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Okay, so you saw what we were doing but how come you’re peeking in windows all the way out here?”

“I am not!” huffed Rarity. “Well, not much. Not in a bad way. As it happens, I need to speak to you, Rainbow Dash, and my curiosity about what I nearly witnessed is a distraction, nothing more. We are here on serious business and what we hoped to watch is of no consequence. Pray forgive our moment of weakness. It means nothing, nothing whatsoever!”

Rainbow Dash smirked at Rarity. “I think it means more than that!”

“What?” retorted Rarity, haughtily.

“It means you got leaves in your mane,” pointed out Rainbow.

Rarity gritted her teeth. “Thank you, Rainbow. How very observant.”

“Not really,” grinned Dash. “It’s easy to spot, your mane is a total mess. It looks like…”

Applejack hastily interrupted. “Rarity, if you came here to talk to us, c’mon in and tell us about this serious business. Princess, maybe you better git while the gittin’s good! Don’t worry about our lil’ loan to you. It’ll be all right.”

“Perhaps I’d better!” said Celestia. She smiled tolerantly at Rarity, who blushed and tried to look dignified while covered with bits of bush. Then, with a trot through the door and a bound into the air, the Princess departed, heading not back towards Canterlot but in the opposite direction, to commence her search for Chaos—though in many ways, she could say chaos had already found her. The difference was this: for endless centuries, she’d rejected and feared chaos, in her capacity as Alicorn of Order.

And now, she proposed to… embrace Chaos.

…among other acts.

“Come on in, Rarity,” urged Applejack. “My sakes! If you want to freshen up, I’m sure we got a bucket o’ water kickin’ around here somewhere, or you could dunk your head in the sink?”

In came Rarity, who shook some leaves off her mane and snorted. “Thank you, darling, but not now,” she said. “My appearance is not the most important thing today.”

Applejack stared. “You feelin’ okay, Rarity?”

With Derpy trotting behind her, Rarity marched straight up to Rainbow Dash, transfixing her with a fierce and soulful gaze.

“Tell me everything you know about what happened to Fluttershy,” she demanded. “We must have her back, and if we share information it may help us find where she’s gone! Nothing is more important!”

Dash blinked. “Well, yeah! I love her too, Rarity. We all hope she’s okay.”

“No,” said Rarity, “I mean that she is an Element Bearer. If she has been lost or turned to darkness, we may be unable to use the magic of Harmony to defeat terrible enemies.” She dropped that fierce gaze. “And… yes, Rainbow, I love her too. Few ponies have been such a dear friend to me. I have preserved many a secret of Fluttershy’s but that time is gone, and I must reveal what I know in hopes it may lead us toward her redemption.”

Applejack lifted an equine eyebrow. “Secrets, Rarity?”

“I’m sure nopony would have guessed that demure Fluttershy longed to give herself to a ravening herd of stallions, to be used ruthlessly for their selfish pleasure,” said Rarity.

Applejack and Dash exchanged a glance, while Northern Spy boggled, unable to make sense of the remark.

“We noticed,” said Applejack laconically. “How about you assume we know about Fluttershy’s, uhh, lil’ decisions… and tell us what we don’t know?”

“But that’s just it!” cried Rarity. “I have been aware of Fluttershy’s more perverse desires, though I did not confront her on them. I also know she labored under a terrible self-image, which I have never been able satisfactorily to assuage. But how did indulging in a herd of stallions turn her into a vampire? Rainbow, you witnessed it. What happened? What, exactly, did she do?”

“Spy, honey,” urged Applejack, “it’s time for good lil’ fillies to be in bed…”

“Nuh way!” retorted Spy with a stamp of her little hoof. For a moment, the resemblance to Rainbow Dash was unmistakable.

Dash considered this. “Let her stay. Maybe it’ll make her more careful. If it wasn’t for me we mighta lost Rock.”

Spy gasped. “No lose Rock! Spy gonna find Rock right now!”

She charged off, and twanged to a halt with Blue Mom’s teeth on her tail. Dash rolled her eyes, gazing imploringly at Applejack: though she was quick enough to stop her filly no matter how fast Spy got, she couldn’t explain and hold Spy’s tail at the same time.

“Rarity, close that door,” said Applejack, and Rarity complied.

“Now stand in front of the window,” said Applejack, and Rarity blinked. Applejack sighed. “Don’t ask. Like mother, like daughter. Jes’ do it, okay? Thankee.”

Satisfied, she turned to Spy. “If you’re so all-fired eager to hear this story, you can hear it, but you got to sit on your lil’ rump and not run off. Rock is fine. He’s with Pinkie Pie, at home. Rock is not lost, hear me? You’re gonna sit still and be quiet while Rainbow and Rarity talk.” She stared at her foal sternly until Spy relaxed and stopped tugging against Dash’s tail-grip.

“Spy sit,” grumbled the apple-green filly.

“Damn straight,” said Applejack. “Carry on, Rainbow.”

Dash gulped. “I guess I don’t have to tell you all the things she was doing, Rarity. You can imagine. It was amazing but also kind of scary, you know? They would have broke me in two, doing that stuff. I’m kinda glad it didn’t turn out well, you know? They were having fun but it got so rowdy.” She winced, thinking about it. “I remember when Fluttershy made me feel like a complete wuss, getting our babies out. ‘Cos mine went okay I guess, and then she had such a horrible rough time and didn’t even bat an eyelash about it. And now she’s got me feeling like a wuss about putting the babies in…”

“Where put baby in?” demanded Spy.

“Tell ya later,” said Applejack, hastily. “How about you move on, Dashie?”

“Got it,” said Dash. “Anyway it was probably her dark powers all along, right? I’m just a brave and daring pegasus and I shouldn’t let it bother me if I can’t keep up with a freaking vampire pony! The thing is, when they were all done Dursaa did a dumb thing. He started pulling off her fake mane and tail. You know? Like when Gabby Gums found out about that stuff?”

“I knew,” said Rarity. “But she would not talk about it, Rainbow Dash. I don’t even know where the extensions came from. Certainly not from me, and she would not allow Aloe and Vera to remove them while at the spa! She would get stubborn and refuse to talk, and it didn’t matter if I wheedled or teased, Fluttershy would not even admit she was wearing tail extensions! She was so determined about it that I began to doubt myself, and wonder if Gabby Gums had lied. But it was true? The extensions, they came off?”

“Not just that!” said Dash impressively. “He threw them in a puddle of spooge and they started to spark and fizz!”

“What spooge?” demanded Spy.

“Oh lordy,” moaned Applejack.

“Not important,” said Dash. “Sort of like goo, okay? That’s not the point of the story, Spy.”

“Spooge fizz?”

“Missy,” snapped Applejack, “do you want to go upstairs to bed?”

“Nuh-uh!”

“Then hush. We can’t answer all them questions. Go on, Rainbow.”

“Anyway,” said Dash, “that’s when we saw that Fluttershy had turned into a scary monster! She… Applejack, wanna anchor our little racehorse?”

“Got it,” said Applejack, and ducked her head down, firmly seizing Spy’s tail before she’d gone anywhere. Spy gave her an offended look, and returned her attention to Blue Mom’s story.

Dash continued, “She looked like that time the vampire fruitbats attacked, you know? Only worse. More frazzled, though I guess she had a lot of excuse for it, whoof! And she goes, what have you DONE? like that, and then she sees Rock standing there. He’d turned up, I guess trying to find her. He tried to charge right in when Dursaa went after her fake mane and tail, like he sensed something bad was gonna happen. And she takes one look and she opens her mouth and it’s all fangs and she swooped right down and GRABBED him…”

“Rrrk!” went Applejack. Northern Spy had instantly flung herself into action and nearly yanked her teeth out.

“Hey! Kid!” said Rainbow Dash. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Save Rock!” squealed Spy excitedly.

Rainbow put out a hoof and touched her foal’s nose. “Stop. I already did, Spy. I told you, Rock’s okay. I saved Rock.”

Spy’s eyes were very wide. “Really?”

“I’ll tell you how if you sit quiet,” said Dash.

Spy immediately stopped pulling against Applejack’s tail-grip and listened. As much as she rebelled against Rainbow, there were some things for which she trusted Blue Mom completely.

“I flew after her,” continued Dash, “and tried to disable her with a forward wing-kick, but she pivoted. You know, it would seem like that exposes the wings even more but you can’t reach the good flight muscles that way. It wasn’t just pegasus hooficuffs, though. It was also concealing Rock from me and I didn’t like that at all, and that was when I got her in the back of the skull and crunched her head. I wish I knew how hard I did that. I definitely felt something give, but I’m not sure how much damage I did, or how much it even matters with an undead vampony.”

“Yeah!” squeaked Spy. “Hurt bad monster!”

Dash winced. “The problem there, Spy, is that it’s also Fluttershy. You know, his Mom? Or it might be.”

Spy froze, stunned. “But… Mom no hurt…”

The adult ponies, likewise, froze in place with their eyes troubled, unable to continue. It was one thing to tell a story of a bad thing randomly appearing and being scary. Spy could fight that, or thought she could. To explain that Fluttershy herself may have been turned to a bloodsucking vampony was another matter. It suggested that Rock’s Mom could suddenly try to devour him, and Northern Spy’s foalish mind had never once considered the idea of such a betrayal. Even the adult ponies were struggling with the implications of the situation, suffering terribly as they tried to comprehend it. Spy had no chance at all.

Then, Dash leaned down, staring Spy straight in the eye. “That’s right. I was mixed up, baby. Mom no hurt. It wasn’t his Mom, doesn’t even look much like her. We’re gonna go find his Mom. It was something else, like a scary monster. Okay?”

Spy’s lip quivered. “Not Rock Mom?”

“Totally other thing,” lied Dash. “And I kicked it in the head so hard I left a big dent.”

Rarity gave a little cry of dismay, and then was silent at a frantic glare from Dash, understanding the need. They would have to silently understand that it might have been Fluttershy enduring these attacks, but not confuse Spy’s simple world too much.

Spy stamped a hoof. “More! Save Rock!”

“I did!” squeaked Dash. “Way ahead of you kiddo. The monster, that is the vampony, screamed at me and it was all fangs and stuff, and I whirled around in mid-air and I kicked out for all I was worth, with hind legs. Though actually Applejack has better hind legs than me, I’m better with forelegs. But it was like I was Applejack for a moment, and I nailed it on the left fore, and feel another crunch, and Rock is loose! And he’s dropping like, well, like a rock!”

Spy gasped. “Save!”

“I was gonna, but the monster had the same idea! I saw it dive too, it was gonna grab Rock somehow! I can’t imagine how it was gonna grab onto Rock with a broken foreleg but it was gonna try…”

Rarity moaned, looking very sick. A mother herself, she had only to imagine herself a pegasus with an earth pony child falling out of the sky, to know that broken leg or not she would catch him or die trying. And Fluttershy, a vampire, was already dead, and had a terrifying ability to endure pain for the sake of her foal. Derpy Hooves hugged Rarity, worriedly, and sat quiet, listening.

“And I was like, nope!” said Dash darkly. “I kind of freaked out. I saw the fangs and I was like no WAY and I’m screaming and punching its face, not even caring if I got bit, kicking at the broken leg, anything…”

Applejack, still clinging to Spy’s tail, looked sick as well. Fangs? She imagined Dash as a vampony, and vowed to have Celestia give her darling a check-up, just in case. She also resolved to study every inch of Dash’s body for bite marks, though that was not an onerous task—but it would be more frightening than usual. If a vampire bit you, you’d had it.

“And it gave a really horrible scream I’ll never forget,” finished Dash, “and gave up. It just couldn’t handle me flipping out. But I couldn’t let it go after Rock, I just couldn’t. And it flew away, went to hide in a cloud. It was gone. Hear that, Spy? The monster’s gone.”

Spy had stars in her eyes. Her mouth opened in a coo of adoration… which turned into an O of horror. Beside Rarity, Derpy’s expression matched Spy’s, remembering the falling Rock just a moment before Spy did.

“Catch Rock!” squealed Spy.

“Rrrrk!” went Applejack, as Spy yanked against her grip again.

“I saw Rock Candy falling below me,” said Dash grimly, “and I knew I was only gonna get one chance. Sometimes that’s all you get is one shot, and you have to be ready to do whatever it takes, and I dove, straight at the ground, faster and faster…”

“Rainbow Dash!” shrieked Rarity. “Please don’t make this more dramatic and awful than it has to be!”

“Oh, uh, sorry, Rarity,” mumbled Dash. “So yeah! I caught him. I slammed into the ground, but I rolled and I didn’t get hurt. Neither did he, though he got a big scare. And the next thing you know, Pinkie’s hugging him like she’s never gonna let go.” She blinked at Applejack. “Hey, why no sugar for Rainbow? Didn’t I rate hugs and kisses?”

“Mrrf,” grumbled Applejack around Spy’s tail.

Rainbow blinked. She glanced at Rarity. “Block her if she runs at that window,” she said, and turned to Spy. “Hey, kiddo! Rock is safe, do you understand? I saved him. He’s home with his mom. Are you going to jump around, or are you going to be good?”

“Spy good!” said Northern Spy.

“Let her go, Applejack. What did you say?”

Applejack released Spy’s tail. “Din’t finish sayin’ it to be honest. Rainbow, I got all the hugs and kisses for you there ever was, but right then monsters were attackin’ our foals. We had to fight, an’ fight smart. Remember? We ran right over to Twilight’s to get help. That’s why. We’re Element Bearers, Rainbow, and sometimes we got to do our huggin’ later. Such as…”

She glanced warily at Spy, and tossed her mane, striding up to her mate. Applejack reared, and grabbed Rainbow Dash in a fierce hug, kissing her passionately and squeezing her tight.

“Ah am SO glad you’re okay, an’ I love you forever, honey,” she said, and ruffled Dash’s mane, surreptitiously peeking under it to see if there were any bite marks. But there weren’t any, just that silky cerulean undercoat you’d miss if you didn’t know it was there. Just like Rainbow had acted heroically, not even thinking about it, and only the next day fretting over whether the lack of kisses at the time meant anything… and needing reassurance, though she framed it as a sassy quip.

“Fight monsters!” squeaked Spy, and yawned.

“We totally did!” agreed Dash. “And it looks like you’re ready for bedtime, kiddo!”

“Spy ready for fight monster!” insisted Spy, sticking out her lower lip in a pout.

The adult ponies glanced at each other, touched. Like mother, like daughter—except that Northern Spy couldn’t possibly understand what she was saying. It was still words to her. For Rock Candy, the word ‘monster’ had taken on alarmingly distinct form. The word ‘fear’ included things like big fangs and plummeting from great heights. No such experience had touched Northern Spy’s life, yet she sat there, prepared to charge off and attack all the monsters and anything that threatened the ponies she loved.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes glistened, just a bit.

“Sure ya will,” she said gently, her scratchy little voice soft. “Sure ya will. But we have boring stuff to talk about now, and you’re up way past your bedtime, huh? And all the monsters are gone, baby. It’s time to go to sleep now.”

“All gone?” said Spy. She yawned, again.

“All gone,” said Dash softly. “I won’t let anything hurt you.”

Spy snorted. “Huh! No hurt Spy! Spy f… fight monnhhh…” She yawned again, hugely.

“Sure ya will,” repeated Rainbow Dash.

She wrapped a wing around her foal, and coaxed her to stand, and walk on wobbly, sleepy legs up the stairs, and Rarity and Applejack waited patiently as Dash tucked her in, watched her fall promptly to sleep, crept quietly downstairs to rejoin them.

“Fight monsters,” said Rainbow gravely, and began to cry.

“Eyup,” said Applejack, and hugged her, hard.

“Oh, Rainbow!” said Rarity. “Do you think she will ever forgive us?”

Dash’s face twisted. “That’s the thing, Rarity! I was looking her right in the eye. I can’t tell! I mean, now I can see that maybe she was trying to get Rock out of there, but with all that screaming and the fangs… her voice is real different, Rarity. She looked super different. I just don’t know, and it’s killin’ me.”

“I hoped I might have a clue of some sort,” said Rarity, who quietly wept along with her friend. “That is the terrible thing, Rainbow. We don’t know. Don’t blame yourself! It’s possible that the Fluttershy we know only existed because of those magical hair extensions she used. You say that she cried out ‘what have you done’?”

“Yeah,” said Dash. “And it was like she was frightened. So frightened and angry. We all noticed the angry, but I’ve known Fluttershy a long time, and she was terrified. And then she saw Rock standing there…”

“Easy, babe,” said Applejack, hugging her tighter. “We all did the best we could.”

Rarity was frowning. “Except that our most powerful ally is otherwise occupied. Curse that Twilight. I’m not at all sure Discord had anything to do with it, I suspect that’s a wild-goose chase. Discord is unbearable at times—I should know, I’ve had him—but I’m sure those hair extensions predate our experiences with Discord.” She hesitated. “Or did they? When did she begin wearing the things?”

Derpy cleared her throat, and the other ponies glanced her way.

“Fluttershy got really mad?” she said. “And turned mean and bitey?”

Rainbow blinked. “Um. Maybe. She didn’t bite Rock, but she did get really mad, that’s why I fought her.”

“Are you sure she was different?” asked Derpy, earnestly.

Dash gulped. “Yeah, we just don’t know how different. She had big scary fangs. Like, huge pointy ones. You know, teeth?”

Derpy considered this.

“That’s pretty different.”

“Eyup,” said Applejack.

“We still love her, though,” said Derpy. “Right?”

The ponies glanced at each other, startled. There was a brief silence. Dash broke it.

“Fuck yeah we do! I do love her. If that’s still her.”

“I, as well,” said Rarity bravely. “However will we determine the truth? We cannot let things stand as they are.”

“Course I love Fluttershy!” said Applejack. “That din’t look or sound too much like Fluttershy, though. I din’t like that remark, ‘what have you done’. Sounds… final.”

“Well, I know Fluttershy,” said Rarity. “And as much as I love her, it is not the first time she’s believed unhappy nonsense. She could have believed herself doomed to a horrible fate as an undead vampony and still be mistaken. It would be very like her to think all was lost. You say she was hideous in aspect?”

“Outrageously badass,” confirmed Dash. “Scraggly mane, bat wings, big fangs, the whole package. Not even like a pony anymore.”

“If she used the mane extensions’ magic to suppress her condition,” said Rarity, “and concealed it even from me, she must have believed she would be treated as a monster if we learned the truth. This does not mean she is indeed a monster. To not give herself a chance would be very typical of Fluttershy, I fear. We can’t go by that! We must learn the truth.”

“Well, she flies,” said Applejack. “We can’t catch her. But we have a pony who might be able to…”

She glanced at Rainbow. Rainbow looked back. “Uh-huh. You realize that maybe I only just barely got away the first time? You want me to go find her and say, sorry for kicking a big dent in your head?”

Rarity gagged. “It was a big dent? Eurgh! The poor thing!” She cringed, and Derpy hugged her.

“Kinda,” admitted Dash. “But she might have done a lot worse to me, or Rock.”

“Rock’s safe, now,” said Applejack. “Can you outfly her?”

“If I don’t have to get something away from her? Absolutely.”

Rarity glanced over. “And you are the bravest of ponies, Rainbow Dash! Perhaps we have a chance at this after all, if we work together. I can try to think of opening remarks that Fluttershy, the real Fluttershy, might respond to. Perhaps we can claim that we’ve fixed her magic mane and tail! It’s not true but you can see how she reacts to the suggestion, no?”

“Nice one, Rarity!” called Applejack. “Hell yeah we have a chance. We got to battle the big scary wrong things in our own way, and not give up too easy. With braveness!”

“And cunning!” offered Rarity.

“And good hearts that ain’t too quick to judge!” added Applejack.

“And total, extreme, overwhelming… cuteness!” said Rainbow Dash.

Her friends stared at her, astonished.

“What?” said Dash. “Did you think I was gonna say being a total badass?”

“Well, YEAH!” blurted Applejack.

Dash hung her head. “I already did that, and it didn’t help. And I think just maybe, an evil vampire undead monster might have an unfair advantage at being all badass… I don’t want to test how far to push that.”

“You think Fluttershy is more badass than you, Rainbow Dash?” gasped Derpy.

Dash glared tearfully at her. “I already caved in her fucking skull, what more do you want? It didn’t stop her! She’s still out there somewhere…”

For a moment, the two pony couples clung together in terror, considering that fact, and weighting the relative badassery on either side.

“Cuteness. Definitely,” said Rainbow Dash.

“It better work,” said Applejack, grimly.

The clearing in the woods caught a cheery beam of sunlight, though it was on the edge of the Everfree Forest.

In it, ponies played.

Specifically, a little colt gamboled, to the encouragement of a massive zebra stallion. The colt seemed happy with his stripey companion, who sat next to a silent pink figure with fluffy magenta mane that observed the scene, motionless.

It wasn’t the only observer.

Leathery wings rustled in the shade of the dense Everfree foliage. A shadow moved. A hiss cut through the air, but the gamboling colt didn’t seem to take notice. And, inevitably, a ragged bat-winged figure began to hobble toward the clearing…

…only to be startled, when a big butterfly net fwumped down to capture it.

“G’tcha!” cried Pinkie Pie muffledly, the handle of the net between her teeth, as Rock Candy and Dursaa glanced eagerly in her direction. The pink figure didn’t look, as it was made of pillows and cotton candy.

The word hadn’t left Pinkie’s mouth before all hell broke loose.

Fluttershy thrashed inside the net, freaking out, struggling with un-equine strength. Pinkie tried to hold on but the handle of the butterfly net was wrenched from her teeth. “Stop it!” she shrieked.

She got a tortured, blood-chilling shriek in return, one that didn’t sound anything like a pony anymore. It had overtones that made her teeth hurt. Fluttershy writhed inside the net, all fangs and reddened, crazed eyes, and wouldn’t stop screaming, and Pinkie began to shriek as well and Dursaa came thundering up to protect her—and Fluttershy ripped the butterfly net to shreds with fore and hind legs that didn’t even all bend the right way, and burst free, looking psychotic, face too contorted to interpret.

And she blasted straight up into the sky on creepy bat wings, through the dark overhanging trees, and was lost to sight.

Pinkie panted, shaking. Dursaa trotted in place, frantically, unable to stand still as Rock ran up and clung to Pinkie’s leg.

A dreadful, raging, agonized scream rang out across the Everfree Forest, and in the distance the timberwolves hid with their tails between their legs.

Pinkie bared her teeth.

“THAT IS NOT THE CUTEST FLUTTERSHY NOISE EVER!” she screamed, in frustration. “And it doesn’t give us much to go on, missy! Do you HEAR ME?”

Rock hugged her. “Is Mom okay?”

Pinkie was sweating, wild-eyed. “I didn’t get the chance to ask her. Argh! That was supposed to give me a second to look at her!” She glanced at Dursaa, and did a double take. “What the heck is your problem, buster?”

Dursaa whimpered. “I would like nothing more, Pinkie, than simply to give you a hug. Yet harsh experience taught me it’s welcome as eating a bug…”

Pinkie glowered. She’d kept the upper hoof with Dursaa by smacking him when he got patriarchal, and had pointed out that even Fluttershy hadn’t accepted him as a mate, unless turning into a bloodsucking monster counted as matrimony.

His remark, “Oh, that’s what some stallions call a mare: perhaps the description’s not quite fair?” did not go over well.

“I guess you did sit there and do what I told you,” she admitted. “Thanks.”

He continued to fret. “I could do nothing from my sad remove, and now I cannot show comfort or love…”

Pinkie felt Rock hugging her, and shaking. Then she realised it wasn’t Rock: it was her. The adrenaline was wearing off, leaving a feeling of horrible failure and loss. She hadn’t even got a reassuring glimpse of Fluttershy. Shy writhing in the butterfly net resembled a savage beast, but they’d had no choice: if Fluttershy had turned to the bad, they couldn’t risk her attacking Rock again.

Pinkie’s lip quivered. “Yeah, well… fine. D…don’t get used to it, buster.”

Dursaa blinked. “Excuse me, sweet Pinkie?”

Rather than explain further and hear more fancy zebra-rhyming, Pinkie just reached out a foreleg, her eyes filling with tears.

Right away, she and Rock were wrapped in a very cautious and gentle yet strong zebra hug. Pinkie, in spite of herself, struggled… then made a conscious effort to yield, though the sensation was absolutely alien, as disorienting as seeing Fluttershy in monster form. He was big and male but he wasn’t doing anything to her, he was only comforting her with a hug, like a loving mare might do. It was impossible to confuse his sincerity, even though he still felt and smelled and seemed all stallionish against her. There was no softness of mare body, only tough solid muscle, and he made no pretense of femininity yet still had some sort of tenderness going on. Pinkie’s brain tried to make sense of the logic-defying incongruity.

It suddenly occurred to her that nothing male had ever hugged her before, ever in all her life, until Dursaa had turned up stubbornly and repeatedly insisting on some kind of right to caring. And not just to be cared for, either: he seemed to believe he could be gratuitously male and still express softer feelings. Pinkie wasn’t sure where he’d picked up that idea.

For all its strangeness, it was still some comfort.

Above the Everfree Forest, a nightmare circled, and then dove for the seclusion of a dark, dripping cave obscured by vines and shadows.

Fluttershy swooped in and alighted on three legs, holding the broken one off the ground, making a horrible guttural sound in her throat as it swung back and forth a few times. Her forehead sweated buckets of sweat that ran into her reddened eyes. Not that those were any great treat at the best of times. Not anymore, they weren’t.

“Calm, calm, calm…” she rasped.

She stared around the quiet cave, through the dim red fog of dark vampiric hungers and the flickering fiery haze of pain, and slowly sank to the rocky cave floor, curling up in a ball with her injured leg poking out.

And Fluttershy cried, weeping piteously, her thoughts tormenting her just as much as the terrible injury to her head—which could not kill her, for she had already died. She sobbed, trying not to shake in her grief, for the slightest motion sent horrible pain through her.

They tried to trap her like an animal! And in her pain and terror she’d reacted just like one. It was her worst fear, that of being revealed as a monster, and now they all knew! They knew and they would never trust her again. Nor should they, thought Fluttershy. Those horrible impulses!

Granted, she had never obeyed the ghastly creepy bloodlusts. She’d denied them from the start, for they were simply awful and quite unbearable. They were like some outside thing taking up residence in her head, and she’d devoted her every thought and action to rendering herself utterly safe from ever responding to such terrible and disgusting hungers. Blood, prey, ew! Fluttershy rebelled to the core of her being against what vampirism called her to become.

Yet she had been found out. The very ones she’d loved the most! Not only that, they’d tricked her. Not only that, but they’d brought in Dursaa! She cursed the moment she’d given in to him, her heart crying out in the most traditional manner to let the big fine masculine stallion claim her and make her his own. She was the worst sort of fool, she thought, and probably driven by nothing but awful carnal urges that made her do bad things.

She was a fool to seek out dominant stallions of that type—even if it was very soothing to her, trying to find a mate who would devote himself to her and still boss her completely. She’d almost pulled it off, too.

Fluttershy spared a moment to contemplate that lost dream. She’d had no worries whatever about that situation, for she felt completely capable of influencing such a creature and wheedling whatever she needed out of him. Part of what she needed was his dominance and leadership. He could be King and take all the responsibility, if that pleased him.

It pleased her to nurture his powerful masculinity and direct it as needed, and no part of her wished to do this through strife or demanding: she wished to bask in his limitless power and meet her own needs through gentle hints and suggestion. She would be able to get all the things she wanted, but somepony else could answer for the sins of greedily wanting, and she could remain demure and passive and shelter him from the struggles of life. He would be so devoted that she’d not even need to think or question. She would be able to trust without reservation or limit. There was nothing Fluttershy longed for more than this: a life dedicated to nurturing alone, with no awkward contentiousness. The stallion would do all that, and she would care for him and keep him strong so he could fight life’s battles for her. They would be one wonderful being made up of utterly, symbiotically different parts. And for a spectacular, unforgettable moment, it looked like it would work.

Fluttershy wept. She was alone, and somehow he’d ended up with Pinkie and her own foal. Rock! Her heart still yearned to be with him. She could still remember the horrible moment when Rainbow Dash, assaulting her in a fury like she was the monster she’d always known herself to be… had broken her foreleg and made her Rock Candy drop away from her. She could still remember what it felt like to touch her foal for the very last time. It was some comfort that the real ponies had saved him, but by the same token they would continue to save him.

From her.

Half-blinded by pain, Fluttershy touched her belly. She knew it was sheer sentimental fantasy, but she took a moment to imagine what was there, inside her foulness, innocent. She’d been fertile and Dursaa had inseminated her, by the gallon from the feel of it, and there was no chance she’d failed to conceive from all that. Even though her once friends would never trust her again, thought Fluttershy, she’d come away with something precious. For a second time, she would bear a pony foal. Perhaps she could keep this one. Raise it. No, that wasn’t fair to the foal, she would have to give it up.

Perhaps she could arrange for a second set of magic mane and tail… no! It wouldn’t help, Ponyville knew her now. It wasn’t fair to her helper. Fluttershy put the idea out of her mind.

Her master was going to have to go on without her. She had a foal to birth, and couldn’t risk being trapped or killed. Once she’d birthed her foal, then she could be killed. Ha! She was dead already, that was a laugh. Destroyed. She’d never had the nerve to ask how that was done. Doubtless there was a way. Everything died. She was just stuck on the edge of it.

Neither her helper nor her master was going to show her that way, she knew. She would just have to abandon them as well.

Fluttershy, still weeping, chuckled bitterly. It was all so absurd, so sad and wretched and ridiculous. All her efforts to be good had come to nothing. Her secret was out, and she would never see her friends again. They would hunt her and destroy her, which was no more than she deserved as a horrible bloodsucking dark-impulse-having monster, and the best she could hope for was to deliver her new foal to safety and then give herself up to the punishment of Fate, as she’d once done when she thought she’d killed Princess Celestia’s pet phoenix. This time there would be no mercy for her.

She blinked.

Why wait?

If she sought out the Princesses, surely they could execute her? The Princesses could do anything! She’d always been terrified they would discover her secret, resisting the use of her dark powers for fear she’d be revealed and destroyed. But that was when she lived a lie, the lie of friendship. The lie of love…

Fluttershy, sobbing, got to her hooves, or three of them at least.

Her unlife was over, just as her life had been over. She would never hold Rock again, would never kiss Pinkie or thrill to the lovemaking of Dursaa. But if she went to Princess Celestia, the Princess was so powerful that she would be able to face down a horrible vampire and hear its plea—and wise enough to understand it. She would have to be careful, for her once friends would be hunting her, but she could ask a boon of the Princess.

Vampires could not be cured. Fluttershy had read it in a book, and she also knew it in her bones.

Yet she could arrange forgiveness for her foal, which was innocent.

And then, what? Fluttershy wavered, feeling her fate drag at her. She knew she was a monster. She knew she could not be forgiven, had known it all along. All her efforts for goodness had led to naught. She could not be cured, could not cease being the monster she was.

But perhaps she could be ended.

Fluttershy took wing, heading out into the night in search of her Princess, and her fate.

Beloved

Twilight Sparkle, her mouth a hard and unforgiving line, walked steadily along the Ghastly Gorge, heading west. When tears did not obscure her vision, she saw the mountains of Los Pegasus rising in the distance, to the west. She didn’t begrudge the tears. Now was the time for them. When she found her quarry, there would be no time for tears. And after she found her quarry, there would be no ‘later’ in which to have them.

Spike clung to Trixie Lulamoon’s mane. She’d abandoned the frantic gallop when it became obvious they wouldn’t find Twilight immediately. Spike had made her stop and drink from a stream, and she’d washed her face and hooves, and they pressed on, heading into the Whitetail Woods and bearing south. Ahead, the mountains of Los Pegasus beckoned. Trixie quickened her pace. High ground meant being able to see farther. Without effective magic, Trixie would have to use her wits and her eyes.

Fluttershy squeaked and dove for the ground, looking for a place to hide herself. But the Palomino Desert didn’t offer much cover: its appeal lay in the fact that nopony lived there either, and the lack of cover was reassuring for a vampire pony who feared being seen by her former friends. She cowered, peering over a sand dune. Had she seen a moving white speck in the distance? Nervously, Fluttershy began to make her halting way toward the mountains of Los Pegasus to the north, where she’d seen the speck. It seemed like a large speck, with wings that beat more slowly and elegantly than the average pegasus. It could have been Princess Celestia, and there were things she had to say to the Princess.

Gradually, the ponies converged, though they had far to travel.

Atop one of the mountains of Los Pegasus, Princess Celestia spied the tip of a tail poking out of a hole in the rock. It was a little spill of loose hair, but radiant in an odd and disturbing way, as if strange seahorse-like patterns continually rippled across its silky tresses.

Celestia’s face lit with mischief. She crept up, trying to make no sound with her hooves, and she took the bit of tail between her alabaster lips, and she gave a playful tug upon it.

Inside the tiny cave, there was a sudden commotion: a soprano voice squeaking out in alarm and then crying, “Oh! Nnh! No, honey, settle down, please! Uhhh!” There was a panting, and the sound of something wriggling around in confining quarters.

Chaos poked her little pale blue face out of the cave opening, her eyes very wide.

“Gotcha!” teased Princess Celestia.

The petite alicorn’s jaw dropped in a beaming smile of delight, and then she’d rushed out of her refuge and was clinging to Celestia with trembling forelegs, her wings bolt erect, wailing “Celly! Oh, Celly!”

“And what do you think you’re doing, Swirlie? Or I suppose I had better call you Chaos now, hmm?” said Celestia.

Chaos pouted. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m hiding, of course.”

“From me?” teased Celestia. “I suppose you were even more shocked than I was, at my little… impulse.”

Chaos’s eyes seemed stuck on ‘wide as saucers’. She blinked. “I’m still not convinced I wasn’t imagining that. Correct me if I’ve gone even madder than the dictates of Chaos encourage, but did you… lick my nipples?”

Celestia blushed, a bit, her ears laying back. “I did, Swirlie.”

“They’re… more rewarding nipples than I had as Swirlie,” breathed Chaos.

Princess Celestia gulped. “I thought so too.”

Chaos squealed girlishly and hugged Celestia again. “Oh, heavens! I can’t believe you did that! Whatever was the occasion, Celly my love? I thought you didn’t like mares, and then suddenly you’re positively nuzzling between my legs! We were having a terrible fight and I thought I knew what to expect and I have never, in thousands of years, been so blessed by acts of utter randomness…”

“Hmph!” said Celestia. “Well, it’s not really random, Sw… Chaos. Have you heard the saying, ‘I’m a lover, not a fighter’?”

“Oh, yes,” said Chaos. “So limiting and stultified, considering the range of experiences that resemble both. But it speaks to you, does it?”

Princess Celestia nodded to her little ice-blue companion. “It does, Chaos. I am, when I must be, a formidable fighter… but my heart belongs to love. I just found myself overcome by strong emotion. I felt quite mad, and wanted to express my feelings, and, er… I did. Pray do not feel you must needs hide yourself from me!”

Chaos scoffed. “Oh, not you, silly. Of course not, I want to express my feelings too! Oh, Celestia, I have loved you for eternities. What’s another few weeks, or months, or even years, if I can dream of my beloved huge elegant white mare? Your vast powerful wings, that glorious, sensuous horn, the curve of your spectacular buttocks…”

Celestia’s ears were back again. “Who, then?”

Chaos blinked. “You, you! Always and forever you. I can’t contain myself! When I was transformed against my will into this little filly of a form, it did not dim my passion for you one iota, Celly! I suppose as the twig is bent, so grows the bough, and in a peculiar molestation of the metaphor, as the massive horsecock is bent so grows the dainty little alicorn mare. Darling, I have always loved you, even when I most hated you. Kiss me, my love!”

“No, I mean who are you hiding from?” demanded Princess Celestia, fretfully.

Chaos scrunched up her nose in distaste. “Oh, pooh! Always with the order and things happening in sequence and for reasons. And yet I love you: perhaps it is the very polarity of it that so fuels our epic romance. Don’t you think?”

“Yes, I do,” countered Celestia, “and I am thinking of your well-being, Chaos. Must I guess?”

“Wouldn’t be difficult,” said Chaos blithely. “I’m hiding from Twilight Sparkle, of course. She has gone utterly bonkers, if I’m any judge, and who better than me to judge a thing like that? I suggest we retire to my cave and have sex, and not come out for about three hundred years. By then her adolescence may—I repeat, may—have subsided. I’m sure she’ll still be worth a laugh, but it will be less necessary to take cover whilst so engaged.”

Celestia frowned. “I should think that most unnecessary,” she said, gruffly.

Chaos’s eyes widened again. She seemed to shrink back. “Oh. Sorry? Um… milady, I’m trying to manage my chaotic impulses a bit. Have I offended? I just felt we… Oh, Celly! We needn’t have sex. We have all the time in the world, the important thing is that you’re here, and I only thought of sex because I suppose there is still much Starswirl in me and it was outrageously exciting when you licked my breasts. But there are stranger things in Equestria than even I can imagine, and I embrace every time you totally confuse me. How may I best gratify you, my eternal love? I can even hole up in this little cave for a while without you, in which case I am so grateful you let me see and touch you again…”

“Calm yourself, good Chaos!” protested Celestia. “We never said we did not desire sex!”

“Oh, goody!” squeaked Chaos, her wings springing aloft again. “Just let me take care of dummy and we can start…”

“I mean,” said Celestia stubbornly, “that hiding from Princess Twilight is surely unnecessary. And I’m sure she’s not gone totally bonkers,” she added, her ear flicking, “though I confess I too am steering clear for a time in hopes she calms down.”

Chaos nodded sagely. “I remember when I first became an alicorn. Some of my choices I bitterly regret. They cost me your love… or they seemed to. I do not blame you and Luna for combining to imprison me, for I was mad with frustration and my powers were at a fever pitch. This is why I fear Twilight, darling. If there is one alicorn in all of Equestria that I trust to ride out waves of unbearable adolescent alicorn power while keeping her head and always making sensible decisions, it’s one too many: I certainly never managed it, and probably neither did you. Only time will see her through these growing pains.”

Celestia sighed. She extended a wing, and Chaos snuggled happily under it.

“I am very grateful you understand that,” said Celestia, “for it’s potentially awkward.”

“So is oral sex with a contortionist mare,” said Chaos cheerfully. “You’re never sure where the tongue will be next, but it’s endless fun. So is life!”

Celestia chuckled, her large and elegant body rocking with mirth against Chaos’s trim and dainty form. “You always were able to lift my spirits with your sense of humor, Swirlie,” she said, and raised an eyebrow. “Do you speak from experience?”

“Mmmmmmaybe,” smirked Chaos.

Princess Celestia gently fondled her body with a vast white wing. “I, too, seek new experiences.”

Chaos gave a happy little sigh, and then twitched. “Oh! Crowbar! I nearly forgot. He’s being so quiet.”

Celestia rotated an ear, glancing toward the cave. “You are still caring for him? I noticed your loving attention. It is well.”

“Uh-huh,” said Chaos. “I may not be able to contain myself but I can contain him just fine. And there may be much Starswirl in me but a little Crowbar goes a long way, let me tell you. I’ll get him out.”

“If he is sleeping peacefully, pray let him slumber,” urged Celestia. “I would not wish to disturb him, and we won’t be needing his services.”

“But that’s just why I need to get him out,” said Chaos brightly. “He won’t mind. I made him tiny and he’s very content. He’s inside my vagina right now, taking a nap. He even has a tiny snorkel!”

At this news, Celestia’s eyes widened. She half-rose, and backed away from Chaos in alarm.

“…you don’t like snorkels?” said Chaos, uncertainly.

“Forgive me,” managed Celestia. “It’s just… it… I… Damn it, Swirlie! Just when I think I can cope with you…”

Chaos’s face fell, and she blushed. Her ears went back, for Celly wasn’t able to look at her directly.

She frowned, set her jaw, and her horn lit—and from her pert little vagina, a tiny pony-shaped figure appeared, the size of a halfgrown kitten. It was indeed wearing a tiny snorkel, and it was smiling like all its dreams had come true, even while it slept. Its whole body was greased up with alicorn vaginal secretions, and it had a tiny erection: because of Crowbar’s unusual endowments and equine form, this kitten-sized horse would give a cat-sized housecat a nasty shock.

Chaos levitated the little creature into the mouth of the cave. She frowned and glanced again at Celestia, then materialized a tiny bed with pillows and covers that might have fitted a doll, and tucked her sleeping miniature lover into the bed.

“I put him away, Celly, you can look now,” she said.

“I’m sorry, Swirlie,” said Princess Celestia. “I’m trying…”

“Call me Chaos,” said Chaos. “And look at me.”

Celestia did, and the gaze of Chaos was affectionate but stern.

“I love him too, Celly, and I’m doing all right by him. I thought he was all I would have, and he’s sweet as pie though about as intellectually fit as cake. Not even pound cake, either,” said Chaos, and tossed her mane. “I realize it upsets you when I do odd things, but Crowbar didn’t object one bit. I understand what he likes, and I can give him that, using my magic. I think he’s like me, to be honest: he wants big mares. He liked screwing me as I am, but he really enjoyed you, and I don’t believe he’ll get to repeat that experience, will he? Surely not. So I shrank him until I was Celly-sized to him. Partly, I suppose, because you’d made a hurtful remark that I knew was nonsense. You thought I must be shrinking him against his will, and that he wouldn’t like it at all.”

“I’m very sorry,” repeated Celestia.

“No, listen!” urged Chaos. “I was right. He lit up like nothing I’ve ever seen, Celly, and he went at me with great eagerness. Perhaps in part because it was me? But also, because I know what he likes. He wanted to latch onto a big plush rump, and you can see for yourself I’m not exactly gifted in that regard…”

“You’re beautiful,” said Celestia gently. “Even if there are parts of you I struggle to understand.”

“I’m talking about Crowbar,” retorted Chaos peevishly, “and I’m talking about fetishes and preferences. Will you believe me if I tell you that Crowbar just kept getting more pleased, the bigger my ass was relative to him? The poor darling quite exhausted himself. I thought I’d give him a nap in my vagina, because I’m Chaos and I can do such things. It seemed the culmination of all his desires.”

“Are you going to restore him to normalcy?” asked Celestia. “Please note that I’m asking you, not telling you. He’s only a handicapped earth pony, and moreover a misfit who’s not found much to resemble normalcy, so it ill behooves me to crusade on his behalf and demand that you restore his previous life. I daresay you are the best thing that ever happened to him.”

Chaos gazed levelly at her. “I will work out what’s best for the little sweetheart, be sure of that. I shan’t restore his size while he’s in that cave, he’d get stuck. It’s also keeping him safe from wild animals. Do you see? There’s method in my… well, to be fair it’s more fun to put madness in my method, but I won’t have you behaving like I’m harming Crowbar. I am showing him love in my own way. As much as you delighted him, Celly, I think I’ve made him happier. Hours, I spent, cuddling him as he got smaller and smaller. Each time he returned to my hindquarters I let him grab a bigger ass. I suppose I got rather carried away but I am not sorry.”

Celestia chuckled ruefully. “Terrifyingly practical, Swirlie,” she said. “As always.”

Chaos stuck out her lower lip in a pout. “You know what else I’m not sorry about?”

“What?”

“I still love you,” said Chaos. “That won’t change. Even though I am such a mare that I thrilled to Crowbar’s tireless and increasingly diminutive embraces. Even though my very nature still distresses you, even now.”

“Oh, Swirlie,” said Celestia.

“It does not matter! I swear to you it does not matter,” said Chaos urgently. “I’ll love you all the same, never doubt that. Celestia, hear me, and then you can leave again for as long as you wish: my love for you is not an exchange. I don’t care if we can’t consummate it, I don’t care if you can’t face me… the real me, Celestia, the me that ceased to be Starswirl and became a little alicorn mare and the exemplar of the mysterious and unexpected. I truly don’t care! I will love you forever, and if you know of my love then I shall be content… and if I can see you, and know that you are happy in your own way, then my joy is complete.”

Celestia studied her, solemnly. “Your joy complete… with your impressively little earth pony lover.”

“If that makes you happier,” vowed Chaos, “so it shall be. He won’t get bored of me! Trust me on that!”

“He won’t last,” said Celestia gently. “Blink, and your doughty and tiny stallion will go the way of mortal flesh.”

Chaos’s lip quivered. “All the more reason to delight in him while I have him. Don’t pity me, Celly. Just because I’d rather have you is no reason to be…”

She trailed off. Celestia’s eyes held hers, but the Princess’s horn had begun to glow. Her royal tiara shifted. Something began to emerge from its place, hidden in Celestia’s mane.

Chaos’s eyes got wider and wider.

The magic bit floated in front of her. Behind it, Celestia’s eyes twinkled with merry mischief… and her smile lit up the mountainside.

“You… want me to bring back Starswirl, for you?” mumbled Chaos, hypnotized by the unexpected sight.

“Eventually,” purred Celestia.

“What?” squeaked Chaos, startled.

Celestia’s eyes narrowed, and her smile quadrupled in wickedness.

“Between you and I,” she said, “we may yet find more… experiments.”

Chaos froze, not even breathing.

“Would you like that?” suggested Celestia, and waggled her eyebrows, playfully.

There was another moment of shocked silence, and then…

“EEEEEE! Eeeee! Eeeee, Celly, eeeee!” squealed Chaos, springing to her hooves and bouncing around manically. “Oh my stars and hypothetical garters! Hypothetical, hell, I’ll create some and wear them if you like! Oh, Celly! If I had only known you would accept me as I am, the centuries would have whisked by in eager anticipation…”

Celestia’s ears were laid back again. “Ah. That’s all right, dear. Garters will not be necessary.”

“Name your size!” cried Chaos. “Name your species, anything, my beloved Celestia, anything! This will be so amazing. I will indulge your merest whim or your wildest fantasy, you’ve only to…”

“Chaos, please!” protested Celestia. “Nothing of the sort! If you must know, I thought perhaps I’d reaquaint myself with your lovely little body after my glancing, but enticing, contact with it! I daresay you’ll be reshaping yourself in some ways but pray don’t trouble yourself with elaborate reimaginings when it’s your sweet little self I would like to make love to.”

Chaos had stopped bouncing. Her eyes were huge again, and she stared at Celestia as if struck with an epic and somewhat alarming idea.

“M… me? You mean… THIS me?”

Celestia smiled.

“I do love you as well, darling. It took some time to remember that,” she said. “But I too carry a love eternal. Forgive me when your chaos frightens me? I will let you be yourself, but I have not yet explored that alicorn body, Chaos, and I have been thinking about it.”

“And so you shall,” breathed Chaos, and bit her lip.

“This worries you?”

“Excites, rather,” said Chaos. “Oh, Celly. Let me tell you what I will do for your love.”

“What?” asked Celestia, ears quirking.

“I give you myself… unaltered,” said Chaos, her slim legs trembling as she stood.

“Good,” said Celestia, “I… hang on. Correct me if I am wrong, dear, but you’ve been altering yourself all this time, haven’t you? I saw you take Crowbar and claim you weren’t altering him, and if you didn’t transform your own vagina to do that, I’m an Ursa Major. It was him or you, dear.”

Chaos looked up at her, eyes a little wild and fanatical.

“Exactly,” she said. “Celly, make love to me… to my natural body, as I am now. No chaos magic at all. For you. I want to be your mare.”

Celestia blinked, genuinely shocked.

“Oh, come now!” she said. “I’ve only to look at you to see the objection. That is hardly necessary. Let us engage in such a way that you can enjoy our coupling! I hoped to explore your person, and then pleasure you with this special toy. Applejack loaned it to us. I can be generous too, love!”

Chaos panted, trembling. “If you mean that, you’ll do as I ask. Princess, the very idea of the natural me, with the natural you, but in stallion form… nnnnh! It is not self-sacrifice on my part. Far from it! I mean, if you cannot face the idea, that is quite all right and you can specify whatever alteration pleases you, but…”

“Just a moment,” said Celestia. “Prithee, jump not to conclusions, my consort…”

“So long it’s been since I heard those beloved words,” moaned Chaos.

“Are you quite sure? The suggestion is… stimulating.”

“It means as much to you? To love me absolutely as I am? Regardless of strain or, ah, fit?”

Celestia’s ears were laid back. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to attempt it if I do not fit!”

“Try,” suggested Chaos, her hind legs shaking madly and her tail flicking in agitation.

Celestia’s eyes widened.

“But let me see it, before you start!” squeaked Chaos. “Good heavens, I’m not sure whether I should look first or just go for it. It’s so exciting yet it could be utter madness. I couldn’t have done this with Crowbar, he’d ruin me. I assume you’ll be far more elegant and less brutal in form. Perhaps I shouldn’t assume. Do you imagine you’ll grow a titanic Princess-penis?”

Celestia snorted. “If I do, you’d damned well better not tell the court about it! This is between us, dearest!”

“I shan’t,” promised Chaos. “Oh, phoo! Let’s be good little ponies and terribly responsible. Show me first!”

Celestia lifted her head, and snapped the bit out of the air, rearing and flapping her wings.

Chaos gazed, stars in her eyes.

It swelled forth as if heralded by trumpets. It was the palest of cream colors, slightly pinkish, slightly glossy. It was not perfectly cylindrical, but bore two mighty lobes with a tube slung underneath, the whole of it rounded enough to convey a sense of dignity and power. It had length commensurate with the Princess’s grand size, a graceful, smooth taper that began between her elegant legs with a cockbase that made Crowbar seem a little pony indeed, and it followed that bountiful length out until the business end of Celestia’s imposing shaft ended in a girth less daunting than Crowbar’s scary phallus but still most impressive. And a flare to match—a flare that swelled a little even as Chaos gazed entranced at her lover’s new toy. And, at the apex of the flare, a hole, for it was indeed a tube of sorts—a tube that ran down the length of that stallionhood to carry a royal stallion’s load and pump it into the deepest depths of the delighted mare and consort. Chaos, that very mare, couldn’t tear her eyes away.

Celestia was peeking down at herself also, fascinated. It was so… orderly. Not a geometric cylinder or cone, though the evenness of the taper suggested a long slender cone—rather, it took the form of an idealized horsecock, every contour royal and perfect.

Chaos whimpered, her heart pounding, and then whirled, presenting Celestia with her little rump. She flicked her tail to the side, and winked at her stallion Princess, gleaming pink peeking out from between her taut little butt-cheeks.

“Fuck me until CANDY comes out!” she cried, and bit her lip, bracing herself.

Celestia, metal cylinder between her teeth, stared at the sight. She’d never paid that much attention to vaginas, didn’t even focus on her own when clopping it: her thoughts were of cock, typically memories of Starswirl’s, and she’d not questioned that for centuries. Yet, her moment of temptation licking Chaos’s nipples had brought her face right up against the petite alicorn’s tender mound, and the feels and scents of her feminine crotch compelled. Now, though candy did not come out, Chaos’s trim blue labia winked again and again, and a drip of musky fluid glistened on the little prong of a clitoris that eagerly showed itself.

Celestia dropped the bit, leaned forward, and nuzzled between Chaos’s trembling legs.

“Ahh!” cried the winsome little temptress, her body jolting at the intimate contact. She’d come, her pussy clenching, just at the touch. She came again, squealing, as Celestia’s lips closed around her protruding clit, a broad royal tongue stroking it in fascinated exploration. “Celly, ah!”

“Mmmm?” replied Celestia, her eyes demurely closed, suckling tenderly on Chaos’s frantic nubbin. It was so odd and new to her, but not wrong, just… different. What wasn’t different was her feeling and her motivation. She’d delivered the same devoted attention to the hard-on of Starswirl, back in the old days. Starswirl’s affections had been more self-involved, though, and Chaos had transcended that selfishness: she positively melted for her lover without reservation. And her juices were not like candy at all—delicate in their magical, subtle flavor but not sweet—but all the same, they came forth in a growing torrent of slippery mare-syrup as Princess Celestia meditatively suckled upon her clit.

Chaos shrieked, banging her forehoof on the rock of the mountainside. “Argh! Celly! Ahhh! Not this way!”

She gazed back frantically, panting, to see Celestia’s smugly and sensuously narrowed eyes.

“No?” teased Celestia, and licked her lips. “But you said there’d be candy. If ‘twere not within that cozy nook, dear, then where shall I find my candy?” She blinked, and her ear twitched. “If you suggest licking your arse, I shall smack you. Pretty though it is…”

Chaos was beyond words. She just looked pitifully at Celestia, and squealed her neediness to all the mountainside.

“I know the feeling,” soothed Celestia. “Just one moment, and I shall… hmph! Drat.”

She’d retrieved the bit from where it’d fallen, levitating it up to her face, but she had not planned her actions well at all. Not orderly, not well thought out… she gazed in vexation at a shiny metal bit that showed signs of dirt and had a leaf hanging off it, and frowned at the idea she should put it back in her royal mouth. Canterlot did not present these problems to a Princess.

Chaos saw her difficulty, and whisked around in an instant, though her limbs were still wobbly and her wings stuck stiffly erect. Slowly, worshipfully, she craned her neck up and she licked the bit clean of dirt and detritus, all the while gazing deeply into Celestia’s eyes.

“S… Swirlie. Goodness,” stammered Celestia.

Chaos spat the leaf out, gulped, tossed her mane, and her eyes flashed. “Give me the royal D. Right now,” she demanded. “I’ll beg you in a minute. I insist!”

“Turn around,” suggested Celestia.

Chaos’s eyes widened, and with a cute little squee she whirled again presenting her pert rump.

Without hesitation, Celestia snapped the bit out of the air, feeling the horsecock surge forth. She reared, wings cupping the air, poised over Chaos’s slim body. She blinked, taken aback. She towered over the smaller alicorn, and as much as Swirlie craved her epic size, it made positioning herself awkward—a problem that had not existed when it was a fat but confident unicorn stallion mounting her abundant flanks.

Chaos squealed again, and Celestia flapped wildly as she clasped the smaller pony in her long forelegs, trying not to place her full weight upon Chaos, and prodded with her new stallionhood.

She felt hot wetness against her, a yielding sensation, and tried to shuffle her rear hooves forward to support herself. As she did, her back instinctively bent in a thrusting motion that seemed to well out of the same source of physical experience that the penis came from. Her flare shoved forward into moist slipperiness and eye-popping tightness.

Chaos shrieked and thrashed, and the next thing Celestia knew, she was sprawled in the dirt and Chaos was facing her, eyes wide and terrified.

“Oof,” said Celestia with dignity, rising and brushing soil from her breast with an elegant forehoof.

Chaos couldn’t speak, though her mouth hung open. She just hyperventilated.

“Prithee,” said Celestia, “say if we m’st needs reconsider?” She placed the bit carefully upon a tuft of grass, so it wouldn’t get dirty.

Chaos swayed, eyes a bit glazed. She moaned, “Nay!”

“Are you quite sure?”

“More!” begged Chaos.

Celestia laid her ears back. “Perhaps it is best if we try some other way. I fear my inexperience made fools of us both, darling. Perhaps lying down? You were so tight.”

Chaos was shaking. “I w…was helpless, in your powerful hooves. Like I was naught but a foal.”

Celestia’s eyes widened. “Oh, dear. Swirlie? Er, I mean, Chaos? Pray reassure me we aren’t getting into that Starswirl the Diapered business. Not here, not now!”

“No, no!” protested Chaos. “Not really! Not exactly? Oh, please, Celly! I won’t lie. That triggered me, my love. Do it again! Wrap me in your mighty embrace, make me feel tiny and helpless but cared for and then…”

“This is NOT what one does to foals!” cried Celestia, distraught.

“I’m not!” pleaded Chaos. “For goodness’ sake, Celly, I’m thousands of years old. Never mind, then. Proceed. Don’t deprive me of this!”

Princess Celestia stared, dismayed, at her diminutive alicorn lover. Back when Starswirl had walked Equestria, he’d talked his Princess into all manner of mad escapades, near-bullying her into peculiar games, and she’d gone along willingly, for she was enthralled by what he could do to her body. It was odd that he’d found such an erotic charge in her size, first in being cuddled against her and then even dressing up for that game. Perhaps it had contributed to their break-up, for she had been disturbed by the perversities but had not objected until Starswirl lost his original life in a sex-related accident: perishing in the discharge of her horn and unexpectedly finding new life as an immortal. And after that, it was worse, and quite impossible to bear.

Chaos seemed to read her thoughts.

“Yes,” she said unsteadily. “Perhaps there was always some Chaos to me, even then. I won’t deny it. If you wish, I will entertain no such fantasies, since they distress you… but I beg of you, finish me! I tremble and burn for you, beloved, and it was so close. I felt you inside me… Oh, Celly, have a heart! Never mind overpowering me or babying me, just get me off, damn it, or I’ll die right here!”

“Oh, Sw… Chaos…”

“Yes!” cried Chaos. “But I’m your Chaos. I’ll do it any way you want, but love me, please love me or I shall simply explode…”

“Nay,” said Celestia. She seized the bit again. “N’t that. Lie d’n on your s’de! M’ybe I c’n control it better?”

Chaos squeaked, and dove to join Celestia on the grass. She wriggled right up against Celestia’s belly, and the Princess felt a renewed surge of lustiness just to have that cute femininity wriggling so eagerly against her. One couldn’t fault Chaos for enthusiasm, though her common sense seemed a lot more questionable.

The little pale-blue alicorn squeaked and flapped, as Celestia prodded her privates with the end of that daunting Princess cock, but Chaos fought to hold still, and…

With a very juicy wet squelch, Celestia entered Chaos for the second time.

The sound Chaos made was memorable, a cry that told the world her lovemaking had proved both harrowing and wildly exciting. Celestia felt her pussy clench onto the bulky shaft, trim buttocks squeezing in alarm and agitation around Celestia’s mighty girth. Taking pains to be cautious and gentle, Celestia guided her hips forward, and Chaos writhed excitedly on her side as she felt Celestia filling her, that throbbing horsecock wedging her little puss wider and teeth-grindingly wider with every penetrating inch…

Celestia tenderly petted Chaos’s trembling body, letting her rest, and Chaos stared off into infinity, heaving great hysterical gasping breaths, her eyes panicky but transcendent as if her lover was taking her to unimagined realms of experience. Celestia wrapped a foreleg around Chaos, who responded with a frantic ‘eeeee!’ and began to kick the air, her rump twisting against its penetrating shaft with her increasingly wild and uninhibited writhings…

“D’rling, pl’se!” protested Celestia, her eyes wide and alarmed as Chaos went berserk on her cock. She hastily released Chaos’s body, hoping that would calm her, but it didn’t help. Chaos thrashed, squealing, tossing her head, her pussy clenching down harder and harder. Then, she dug in her forelegs, and began trying to shove herself back onto Celestia’s massive cock, impulsively shoving it deeper into her, and Celestia felt an internal scrunch as Chaos shoved the horsecock painfully too far.

Chaos seemed to explode, shrieking and thrashing forward and yanking herself off the massive, throbbing appendage. Celestia got a glimpse of pale-blue gaping vagina with lovely rosy pink insides—no sign of blood or damage—and then Chaos had whirled around and was facing her, mouth open in a silent scream.

Celestia’s gaze was dismayed, pitying, loving. She gently placed the bit on another tuft of grass, and gazed up at her hysterical little beloved.

“Perhaps we can try again later?” she suggested, breathing heavily herself. “Or, dare I say it, use your chaos magic and transform into something more suitable?” Celestia laid her ears back. “I might suggest a bloody Ursa Major or a dragon. Apparently I am all too royal, my love.”

Chaos shook her head, tearfully. “Noooooo!”

Celestia gulped. Her heart was pounding, and she’d been quite caught up in all the excitement. “But we do not wish to hurt you…”

“I couldn’t. Help it,” panted Chaos. “So excited. Don’t stop! Oh Celly please don’t stop now…”

“Can you cease flinging yourself about?” pleaded Celestia. “I held still, but to no avail! Show some self-control!”

Chaos looked at her, and Celestia realized she was asking too much. Control was her essence, her gift, not Chaos’s. She was giving her beloved free rein and then asking her to do the impossible. Chaos could not control herself in the heights of passion, nor did she want to. Rather, she wanted to be…

“Pleeeeease!” wailed Chaos, and whirled, pressing low to the ground; her ass in the air, her pussy winking in a frenzy of desperate horniness.

Celestia’s eyes flashed, and she seized the magic bit off its tuft of grass, and pounced.

Chaos shrieked. Suddenly, a massive equine body was pinning her helplessly down. Her chest pressed the grass hard, her forelegs were pinned. She could only shove her butt up until it pressed against Celestia’s belly, and she immediately did just that. The massive cock thumped against the inside of her leg, and she nearly blacked out from sexual craving.

“I c’n h’ld you st’ll,” panted Celestia beside her ear. Chaos could feel her beloved’s massive heart pounding within her chest as it squished her to the earth.

Then, it began.

Chaos let out a breathless screech. Horsecock pressed against her with irresistible force, dead center against her squishy and wildly aroused marehood. It didn’t plunge roughly into her, because that was not how Celestia, Alicorn of Order, rolled. Chaos, hysterical, craved a forcible penetration, a fucking with wild abandon, but she could not even budge, much less fling herself about madly. She could only let out gasping squeals and breathless cries, as her mighty stallion proceeded to fuck her…

…very slowly, and very very steadily.

Chaos tried to writhe, tried to shove herself backward, but it was no use. Celestia-stallion was too big, too strong, and wasn’t having any of that impulsive stuff from her tiny mare. Instead, she tenderly nudged that stiff and throbbing cock a bit deeper, setting up a languid and easy rhythm that overwhelmed the attempts by Chaos to thrash and shove.

She only penetrated Chaos a little way. She was in no hurry… though Chaos felt her tensing, felt her heart pounding harder, and above all felt that cock build in hardness and throbbingness. It already felt ready to explode in her, already strained her dainty body, and still Celestia’s motions surged onward, and every tender thrust seemed to sink just a little bit deeper.

Chaos’s eyes crossed. Her pussy clenched futilely against the lovingly intruding hardness, and it was like trying to suppress the movements of some huge, massive machine. Nothing she did could even affect the lazy tempo, and likewise she could not fling herself back and accelerate the deepening thrusts of that mighty stallionhood, nor pull forward to get relief as it steadily penetrated her a little more with every loving slurp into her taut, pinchy and frantic confines. It began to seem like it threatened to explode her from internal pressure alone, began to stimulate her beyond the bearable…

Delicately, the end of Celestia’s massive cock pressed the cervix of Chaos.

She stiffened, shaking like a leaf, pinned beyond hope of movement or escape.

Against the side of her face, she felt Celestia’s nose—a gentle nuzzle, like a kiss.

And, with a steady and utterly controlled rhythm, the enormous royal cock sank again and again into her, splitting her wide with sedate languid plunges, thrusting unhurriedly right to Chaos’s absolute depths.

Next to her face, Celestia broke into a sly and wise smile around the tight-clamped magic bit.

The rhythm didn’t change, but those massive mare hips began to swing just a little farther, just to rattle little Chaos and deliver a stimulating thump against the gates to her womb. Celestia knew just what Chaos liked, and she went right to the boundaries of what the little alicorn could stand… and shoved those boundaries, to make it feel less orderly.

Chaos endured three playful thumps to her insides, shaking like mad under Celestia, and then on the fourth thump, she flipped out so bad that her Princess froze, instantly, atop her. Chaos let out an earsplitting shriek, her pussy clamping down like it was trying to crunch the magic dick right off in chaotic spasms of alarming intensity—and after half a second of shaking like a party cannon, Chaos cut loose with a bolt of horngasm that blasted straight ahead and took a big chunk out of the side of the mountain.

Celestia held very still, gritting her teeth with her ears laid back: Chaos was nearly pinching her dick off. But that was all the petite hellion could do… that, scream, and demolish the countryside. It went on for second after second, exhaustingly.

Privately, Princess Celestia measured the size and duration of the explosion… and then left off, for it was both vain and pointless. Whether it was her unexpected skill as a male, or the choice to pin Chaos down while fucking her, she’d blown her little darling away to an alarming extent, far beyond anything any mere well-hung earth pony could do.

Celestia’s ear quirked in surprise at herself, as Chaos’s scream faded for lack of breath. Where had that competitive thought come from? It was one thing to want to rate better with Swirlie than some interloper did, but it was so strangely satisfying just to lay her little pony girl to waste and leave her a blissed-out wreck. Maybe Swirlie’s smugness in those early years wasn’t all ego after all. There was something visceral about it. She felt the power and it was good… and, swelling to her hardest stiffness, Celestia came inside Chaos, gushing royal horsecome into her.

Chaos, silent, her head stretched forward in delicious agony and her body shaking wildly, fired off a last spurt of horngasm. She’d kept it aimed all in the same direction, so the chunk of mountain missing was not large. It was a smoking divot across the face of the Los Pegasus mountains, but she’d kept blasting into the exposed rock she’d uncovered and that had taken the brunt of her energies. They both drooped, spent, as Chaos heaved great gasping breaths.

Her eyes opened, red and bleary, and she looked dazedly up at Celestia in naked awe… and then, she collapsed, splat upon the mountainside. Chaos’s eyes were still part-open, but unseeing. Celestia could feel her little heart pounding, but she was completely limp all the same. And likewise, Celestia’s mighty heart pounded, and she was drained too.

Reverently, Princess Celestia laid the magic bit down onto a tuft of grass… the same one she’d selected before. It was a neat and symmetrical tuft of grass that could support a metal cylinder very well. The cylinder lay level on the tuft of grass, canting neither to left or to right. It was orderly.

She lifted her weight off her mad little lover, once an exciting and unpredictable unicorn stallion, then an even more impulsive alicorn mare. Chaos lay there like somepony had taken and thrashed her within an inch of her life through sex alone, and then dropped her to sprawl limply upon the grass. She was disorderly, so disorderly, as disorderly and chaotic and unpredictable as could be…

…and beautiful.

Rather than straighten her, Princess Celestia curled around her where she lay, and closed her eyes in bliss, and the two alicorns slept.

“…excuse me?”

Princess Celestia’s ear flicked up, startled. Someone had joined them, there on the mountaintop.

“If it’s not too much trouble? I can see you’re busy.”

It sounded like Fluttershy! Yet, harsher, changed… corrupted.

Celestia’s and Chaos’s eyes flew open.

Before them stood a piteous sight. A yellow vampony with ragged pink mane and tail, scruffy ears, tears in her eyes and a distinctly beat-up look… and she held one foreleg, wincing, off the ground. It dangled strangely, like it was broken, but she’d come up the mountain anyhow. There was no mistaking the imploring look. Even with fangs, Fluttershy looked like she was pleading for help on behalf of a sick bunny. The lip-quiver looked odd but adorable under the fangs.

Princess Celestia’s eyes filled with tears as well, just seeing her and hearing that familiar deference from such an unfamiliar and intimidating form. “Oh, sweet little Fluttershy, it’s you! It’s not too much trouble. Thank goodness you came to us! What can we do for you? I’ll do anything to help you, dear, anything!”

Fluttershy gulped.

“If you would just… k—kill me…”

Celestia’s and Chaos’s jaws dropped, as one, in shared horror.

“But not yet!” pleaded Fluttershy. “I’m pregnant.”

Too Near The Sun

“Oh, Fluttershy,” moaned Princess Celestia.

Fluttershy winced. “I realize it’s a lot to ask,” she said petulantly. “I’m a dangerous monster and a big threat to all the ponies. But there’s a perfectly innocent foal in me, and I’m very sorry, but I must insist. Please wait until the foal is safe, before you… before…”

She couldn’t finish, and Chaos couldn’t let her finish. The little yellow vampony may or may not have drawn natural breaths, but if she had, they were knocked out of her by a frantic tackle-hug from Chaos—once Discord—always a friend.

“Fluttershy, no!” cried Chaos. “Whatever’s the matter, we’ll fix it! Won’t we, Celly? Make her stop this instant!”

Fluttershy sniffled, and crankily objected, “But that’s just what I’m asking! Once the foal is safe, help me to stop being a monster and properly die, instead. I got unmasked in front of everypony, and I lost my family, they hunt me now, and I have no friends…”

“Here are two,” said Princess Celestia, shaken but unbowed.

“And I have the strength of ten because my heart is pure,” vowed Chaos, “plus with chaos magic I’m sure I can be at least twelve ponies on top of those, so that’s twenty-four already. Fluttershy! Talk to us! What on earth is the matter? I think your little fangs are adorable, however did you get them?”

“Aren’t you listening?” squeaked Fluttershy, outraged. “This is very serious! I’m a vampire, and you have to kill me! I should never have waited this long. I thought I could disguise myself and live among real ponies. They are not either adorable little fangs! They’re ‘be a nasty old vampire and bite helpless ponies and suck their blood like a big meanie’ fangs!”

“Is that what you’re doing?” shot Celestia, quickly.

“Of course not! Ew!” replied Fluttershy. “Who do you think I am?”

Princess Celestia gazed levelly at her. “That’s a very good question, my little pony. That is exactly the question I’m asking myself now. I’m trying to work out exactly what you’re telling me, and I am deeply concerned by what you’ve already said.”

Chaos continued desperately to snuggle her. “You’re my very best friend, and you’re the kindest, gentlest creature Equestria has seen in thousands of years, and please don’t feel that way about yourself! Oh, Fluttershy, if I lost you I don’t know what I’d do!”

Fluttershy sulked, pouting, her little vampony face showered with alicorn kisses. “I’m beginning to get the feeling you’re not going to help, Discord. Or Chaos, I guess. If you turn into Discord will that make it easier to kill me?”

“No,” snapped Chaos. “It would be even worse.”

“Why?”

“All of our best touching moments were when I took draconequus form,” explained Chaos. “Though I suppose this must count as such a moment. There’s an idea, touching moments! I’ve experienced some wonderful touching moments lately in alicorn form. Celly licked my nipples and I was absolutely beside myself with joy. Would it help you appreciate your new form if I licked yours? Do vampires have nipples? I’ll check.”

Fluttershy squealed, and pushed the overaffectionate Chaos away. “Stop it! Anyway I’m into stallions! Honestly!”

“Celly thought the same thing,” argued Chaos, “and now look at her! I’ll do anything, Fluttershy, please let me soothe you, I can’t bear to see you this sad! Though it seems that now you’re exceedingly cross. That’s an improvement, isn’t it?”

“Chaos!” snapped Princess Celestia, and Chaos immediately desisted. The two alicorns studied Fluttershy, who studied them right back.

“You’re going to let me give birth to this foal and then kill me and that’s all there is to it,” insisted the frustrated vampony, even as Chaos let out a whimper and visibly winced at her friend’s mad, self-destructive truculence.

“Steady, love,” said Celestia, holding her chin high.

“Yes!” squeaked Fluttershy. “Talk her into it, Princess! Make the hurting stop!”

“I wasn’t talking only to Chaos,” said Celestia firmly. “What is this hurting you speak of, Fluttershy? Answer me right now and name any ponies you have attacked. I’m concerned you’re not telling me everything. I want to be absolutely sure, so I’m asking you this directly. Who are you hurting? We may yet salvage this situation, perhaps with some sort of quarantine.”

“What sort of question is that?” retorted Fluttershy. “My head hurts because Rainbow Dash kicked a hole in it, and my leg hurts because Rainbow Dash broke it, and I realise that sounds very bad but please don’t be cross with Rainbow Dash about any of it because I completely understand and discovering what I really am had to be very upsetting to her…”

“Who did you attack, Fluttershy?” pressed Celestia. “How many ponies have you bitten and fed on?”

“None!” squeaked Fluttershy, shocked.

Princess Celestia’s head bowed in relief.

“You’re still Fluttershy,” she said. She twitched. “I’m going to have a word with Rainbow Dash, I think. Good heavens. A hole in your head? Where?”

“That’s not the point!” argued Fluttershy. “It’s more like a big dent than a hole anyway! You have to listen, I need you to help end my badness. I get these terrible impulses like wanting to smack Rainbow Dash because that really hurt a lot and it wasn’t fair, and…”

Celestia was waving a hoof, shushing her. She cleared her throat. “Poor dear! I may say that I would want to smack Rainbow Dash as well, if she’d concussed me that way. A big dent? Really? You’re lucky to be a vampire, a mortal pony might not have survived such an injury. Wishing to smack Rainbow Dash for that is an amazingly tolerant response.”

“But…” objected Fluttershy.

“Applejack nearly smacked Rainbow Dash when they were staying over to visit us in Canterlot,” added Celestia. “She managed to restrain herself, though, as you do.”

“But…”

“I’d quite like to smack Rainbow Dash too,” added Chaos helpfully. “I think it would be funny, plus I’m curious whether her bottom would turn mauve.”

The other two stared at her, and she said, “What? It’s a pretty color,” in a petulant tone.

Celestia turned away from her predictably demented beloved, and addressed Fluttershy. “My point being, the impulses which concern us are vampiric impulses. Specifically, vampiric attacks on innocent ponies. Not ‘wishing to smack Rainbow Dash’, which I’m sure is a temptation many ponies face and successfully overcome. You behave as if it is quite unthinkable for you to act as a vampire, though in fact you are one. Am I correct so far?”

Fluttershy nodded, pouting. “Of course I don’t act that way. But you yourself admit that I’m a monster!”

“Oh, really? I’ll tell you what you are,” snapped Princess Celestia, “and what we’re going to do about it!”

Fluttershy eeped. “I’m sorry! Um… what?”

There was a little pause, just long enough to get Shy’s full attention away from contemplating her own monstrosity.

“You’re still Fluttershy to us,” said Celestia, gravely. “That’s what you are—you’re our good friend. We can trust you, and we do. And we are going to take care of you. Because we love you.”

It was plain the idea had not occurred to her. Celestia had been very firm and direct, and watched Fluttershy realize that the Princess considered her to be still, essentially, herself. She stared, shocked, her jaw dropping, her cute little fangs forgotten in her surprise.

“B–but I’m not. I’m really not,” she said.

“Are too,” said Chaos, with a winsome tenderness that belied the words. Her eyes glistened, as she gazed at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy stared back, trembling, as Chaos moved in. She flinched, unable to cover her fangs, disturbed because the little pale-blue alicorn clearly meant to seal her vow of friendship with a kiss…

“Step away from her.”

The voice was cold as ice, yet beneath that tightly controlled chill was a terrifying rage.

They turned to see Twilight Sparkle, her eyes mere slits of incandescent fire.

Princess Celestia gulped. “Twilight! How good to see you. We’re here to try and heal Fluttershy, she’s had an accident. Several, really. While I wouldn’t normally categorize Rainbow Dash as an accident, I fear she’s reacted rather poorly to the changes in Fluttershy, who’s dreadfully distressed and needs our help…”

Twilight swallowed. Her mouth was very dry. Impending death seemed to interfere with normal body functions. And why wouldn’t it? Who could blame a body for trying to go on strike and stave off its fate? Twilight had managed just the one rasping line before going mute, and it took her a moment to get her voice back. When she’d cleared her throat, she spoke.

“If it’s any consolation, I think when Discord dies she may go back to normal.”

“Stop it,” ordered Celestia, moving toward her. “Do you understand, Twilight? Calm down.”

“I need you to back me up on this in case I’m not enough,” said Twilight. “Don’t tell me to calm down. It’s too late for that now.”

“Why?”

Twilight felt as if her brain was exploding. It was so hard to form words. Specifically, it was hard to form the words she had to say.

“He killed Trixie and Spike, Princess. I think if you won’t help me, you need to stand aside too. I’m sorry.” She gulped. “But not really.”

Celestia’s eyes widened. “Pray tell me right NOW why you make such unreasonable accusations!” she demanded. Behind her, Fluttershy cowered back, overwhelmed by all the hostility.

“Nopony else could have got through my shield!” yelled Twilight, and the eyes blinded them for a moment with glare before she squeezed them into the hateful line again. “Nothing but one of us. Alicorns, princess. The killer was an alicorn with powers beyond any unicorn that ever lived. And you wouldn’t hurt Trixie, I know you wouldn’t. Who else could it be, Cadance?”

“Stop it, Twilight Sparkle,” ordered Celestia. “Exactly what happened? Talk sense!”

“I am,” said Twilight bitterly. “The logic is irrefutable and it points only one direction. I guess you don’t like this, though you of all ponies should know better. He hurt you too. I thought maybe you’d join me but I can do this alone, there’s a way. It’s not a good way.”

“No,” breathed Celestia in horror. Beside her, Chaos made a little croaking noise, and couldn’t look away from the blinding eyes that promised her immediate doom. Without asking, she knew what the vengeful adolescent alicorn planned to do.

“I actually am sorry,” said Twilight, “but I won’t have to feel sorry for long. Stand aside.”

Celestia blanched, then rallied. “You think Chaos has done something terrible? Better you should blame this innocent vampire pony, for it would be every bit as absurd and unjust, but at least that I could understand! Of all the nonsense, Twilight Sparkle! You accuse an innocent alicorn Princess of terrible things, all the while looking at an equally innocent vampire, yet it is Chaos you accuse and not the vampire! Have you gone mad?”

“I’ll tell you why it isn’t the vampire,” hissed Twilight, energy crackling all over her body.

“Oh?”

“The vampire would have drank all that blood that was spilled,” gritted Twilight. The searing radiance cut out for a moment, as she squeezed her eyes shut in momentary agony. Before anypony could react, the glare was back, pinning them. “Stand aside. Last warning. It’s time, Princess. Join me. Help me.”

“No!” sobbed Princess Celestia, her voice revealing how her control had slipped. With stumbling awkwardness, never looking away from Twilight’s incandescent eyes, she moved in front of Chaos, shielding her. Fluttershy scrambled to the side, her face a picture of dismay. Chaos seemed paralyzed, with her fear of Twilight turned from fantasy to oppressive reality in brief, terrifying seconds.

“No,” repeated Princess Celestia, more bravely. “You won’t hurt Sw… Chaos. Or, indeed, Discord, if you must call her that. You’ll have to get through me first.”

Twilight didn’t blink, and the slits of incandescent hate did not flicker.

Celestia’s ears gradually laid back in fear as she watched, though she never looked away.

Tears were coming to Twilight’s eyes through all the rage, and then she spoke seven words that turned the Princess’s blood to water.

“Oh, dear Celestia… he turned you, too.”

Twilight’s body began to crackle with magic, though she never blinked. The magic surged and seethed around her angrily. Fluttershy peered from beside her Princess, alarmed.

“What’s she doing?” she asked.

“It ends here,” said Twilight grimly. “It has to.”

“Get away, Fluttershy!” wailed Celestia. “Swirlie, stay behind me!”

“But what’s she doing? Why are you so frightened, Princess? Twilight, stop that!”

“Get away, I can’t protect you both!” cried Celestia. She extended her wings, trying to cover Chaos.

“Save yourself, Celly, you can’t stop it!” squealed Chaos. “I’m done for! Alicorn death bolt!” She cowered, curling into a ball.

“Death WHAT?” squeaked Fluttershy, shocked.

A voice rasped. It was Twilight.

“This is how you kill a Princess.”

She leveled her head at Chaos and Celestia in front of her, and her horn lit up like a small star. Not content with that, she flung herself forward at them, horn-first, even as it erupted with a bolt of blinding energy.

Fluttershy’s eyes went very wide… and without an instant’s hesitation, she charged, flinging herself forward into Twilight’s path.

The long, lavender alicorn horn, venting every shred of alicorn life-force in Twilight Sparkle, impaled Fluttershy…

And exploded.

The limp, broken body of Fluttershy went flying across the mountain, landing like a sack of dead kittens.

From the space where Princess Twilight Sparkle had been, dropped a small lavender form. An unconscious unicorn, with no wings and nearly no horn. A form that hadn’t been seen around Ponyville for a long, long time.

Princess Celestia had wrapped herself around Chaos, expecting to die, and only gradually became aware of an approaching commotion. From one direction, one set of hooves galloping. From another, two sets, one larger and heavier than the first. She looked up.

Trixie Lulamoon, frothing with effort, charged up the mountain with Spike riding her like the knight he’d always wanted to be. They rushed to Twilight’s side, Trixie crying “Mistress! Mistress!”

Dazedly, Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes, to see Trixie and Spike there, clinging to her. She blinked, not quite registering that her body had changed.

“Am I in heaven?” she asked, looking up at her faithful Trixie.

She looked further up.

Princess Celestia towered over them all, teeth bared in fury, wings arched, her expression one of incomparable rage.

“Try again,” she snarled, her horn flashing to life with a sound like a crack of Doom.

Then, before Twilight could even cower away in terror, the vision was obscured by a wall of pale blue. It wasn’t a very large wall. It was, in fact, a rather petite alicorn rump, and Twilight’s face was brushed by a silky tail that seemed to contain shifting seahorse patterns that were never the same twice.

“No, Celly!” pleaded Chaos. “Stop, look! She didn’t hurt me. Something happened. Somehow she’s changed!”

“Stand aside!” demanded Celestia, shaking.

“Oh, not you too?” retorted Chaos. “Spare me those appalling words. We could go back and forth like this all morning! Stop it, love. Think!”

Celestia, heaving deep shuddering breaths, faced her counterpart and saw that it was true: no harm had come to Chaos, and it did seem as though something very strange had happened. “She did what?”

Chaos glanced back at Twilight, who returned her sharp gaze with a foalishly helpless look. No horn, no wings, that obvious vulnerability—it told Chaos all she needed to know.

“See for yourself… if you promise not to be rash!” she said, locking eyes with her lover. “Are you sure you’re good?”

Chaos stood her ground, her gaze challenging Celestia’s, searching out the threat of violence. She knew that once Princess Celestia had resolved on a course of action, she did not lightly set it aside. She also knew the depths of Celestia’s self-control. For several seconds, Chaos did not yield, sheltering the lavender unicorn until she was satisfied that the raging Princess was orderly once more.

Then, Chaos gave a little knowing nod, and drew aside to reveal the curious sight of two apparently hornless unicorn mares frantically cuddling each other: Trixie Lulamoon, and Twilight Sparkle. The original, unicorn Twilight Sparkle… cowering so hard it looked like she was trying to grovel right through the earth.

Celestia realized her teeth were still bared, her nostrils still flared. To all appearances, she was on the verge of obliterating Twilight in a towering fury.

Chaos—Swirlie—knew better. Her voice was relieved, soothing.

“See, Celly? She didn’t hurt me. Look, somehow she returned to being an ordinary unicorn. It’s like all of her alicorn-ness burned away in the bolt and some life force reflected back into her. I’ve never heard of such a thing! If only we could try it again and safely watch what happened,” said Chaos, “though I confess I am at a loss over what protective clothing one could devise. And it seems rather tough on all involved!”

Celestia gulped and nodded. She was still shaking.

Chaos continued brightly, “We must check to see what damage she has done, since we ourselves were NOT harmed in the least, thanks to…”

She glanced across the mountainside, and trailed off, looking stricken.

Three figures huddled together. Fluttershy hadn’t moved from where she’d fallen. The other two figures were a massive zebra who looked shattered, and Pinkie Pie… but it wasn’t easy to recognize her, for her mane had gone totally straight and hung as limp as the scruffy pile of yellow fluff before her.

Pinkie Pie looked up, and her eyes were dead and listless. Dursaa turned his tearful, hopeful eyes to her, his lip quivering like a very little colt’s, awaiting her report.

“Her heart’s not beating,” she said dully. Dursaa collapsed, crushed.

In a moment, Celestia and Chaos were by her side, and Celestia was expostulating, while Chaos seemed too distressed to speak. “You’ve said that once before!” insisted Celestia. “Remember? You told me the story of Rock Candy’s foaling! You’re too excited. Calm yourself and try again. I would listen at her chest myself, were my pulse not pounding in mine own ears…”

“I am calm,” said Pinkie Pie. “I’m not sure why I would ever be excited—or happy—again. My ears are fine. She’s not. She was the real Fluttershy after all, and she sacrificed herself to save you. She’s dead, Princess.”

“But…” managed Chaos, “but that didn’t slow her down before! She made it look cute! She was the most adorable little vampire ever!”

Pinkie’s look at Chaos silenced her again. It was pitying, and so terribly sad, and left nothing to doubt and nothing to say. Then, she looked down at the corpse of her beloved. The problem was apparent.

Fluttershy lay there, and listening at her chest wasn’t going to do a lot of good. A great big hole went through her, right where one might listen.

“Twilight must have stabbed her through the heart with that alicorn horn,” said Pinkie tonelessly. “Look, it came out her back. And you were yelling something about an alicorn death bolt. Stabbed through the heart with an alicorn death bolt? I guess that’s what it takes to k…”

She crumpled, and buried her face against Fluttershy’s side. A breeze stirred Fluttershy’s yellow wings. They weren’t even splayed in agony: they were totally limp, relaxed in death.

“She got what she wanted after all,” said Princess Celestia weakly, “but it was not what she deserved.”

She bared her teeth, eyes squeezed shut, hurt beyond all reason: her benevolent spirit and sense of justice violated. All she’d done had not been enough to save this innocent, sad, wounded creature. Another’s insane will had doomed Fluttershy just when she had been offered mercy. That mercy had been dashed from her hooves, mockingly. Celestia’s eyes opened. She turned her head, very slowly, toward Twilight.

“Celly… CELLY! NO!” cried Chaos. She leapt, for the larger alicorn had lunged at the killer, murder in those royal eyes. Chaos grabbed her, flapping wildly as she wrestled Celestia away. “Leave her alone!”

Twilight whimpered, trying to scrabble to safety, but nearly paralyzed by shock and shame. Spike hugged her and glared at Celestia, yelling, “Back off! I can flame, I’ll totally flame you!” as Trixie struggled to interpose her body between her love and the threat, just as Celestia had done.

“Noble!” yelled Trixie, tears in her eyes. “Now we see the truth, huh? Fuck you! I’m sure she had her reasons!”

Chaos was still wrestling with the enraged Princess. “I mean it, Celly! If you love me, listen! Oof… Will you CUT IT OUT?”

Celestia stopped trying to get to Twilight. Chaos lost no time.

“This has to stop, Celly! What are you doing? Do you think you can bring Fluttershy back if you destroy Twilight? We’ve lost enough today! You want to bring order, you want to bring justice, but all you’re going to bring is vengeance!”

“But…” groaned Princess Celestia.

Chaos bared her teeth. “That is not the Princess Celestia I love.”

Celestia stared tragically at nothing for a moment. She glanced at the corpse of Fluttershy.

Tears flooded her eyes, and she sagged, hanging her head.

Twilight wept as well, shaking with the full realization of what she’d done, as Trixie and Spike both hugged her.

Chaos stood for a moment, just to be sure, and then sagged against Celestia, and buried her face in her Celly’s mane, sobbing silently as grief overcame her—and Princess Celestia lifted her head high, crying out to the open air—the air that Fluttershy would not grace with her gentle presence again.

“Ah!” cried Celestia in anguish, in a voice that carried across the mountainside. “The most terrible sound I have ever heard is the silence where once that loving pony heart did beat. Where once its noble throb held forth, there is naught but a wretched void!”

Fluttershy opened an eye, fixing the Princess with a sulky gaze.

“Well, excuse me for not keeping up appearances,” she said defensively. “I’ve had a really difficult day.”

All eyes stared at her.

She pouted, lower lip poking sulkily against the cute little fangs.

The first noise was Chaos, a shrill squeal of utter delight. She leapt upon the stricken vampony, hugging her and trying to wrap pale-blue wings around her in her concern and relief.

“Ow!” wailed Fluttershy. “Ow ow stop it, ow!”

“Oh, I’m sorry!” cried Chaos. “I was so excited, what was I thinking? Your wound!”

Fluttershy looked down at herself, and blanched. “Oh, no! Did it hurt the foal? Ow, ow… though I had to rescue the Princess, I just had to! I’m sure my foal would feel the same, but still! Is it okay? Somepony check!”

Pinkie had been stunned beyond hope of response, but that got her moving. She glanced over the grisly damage hastily. “No, Flutterbuttie. She’s hurt you so badly, but it didn’t get your belly or womb or anything like that.” She gulped. “She stabbed you through the HEART with her horn and blasted you with magic. I thought you were dead.”

Fluttershy winced. “You make it sound bad,” she complained. “Which it is, it’s awful. Look again, are you sure? Are you sure the foal is okay?”

She focussed her pain-glazed eyes on a lavender shape that had staggered up, with a blue unicorn and purple dragon trying to hold it back. It leaned in anyhow, sobbing and sniffling.

“I’m sorry,” moaned Twilight Sparkle, “I’m so sorry…”

Fluttershy raised a hoof, and whacked Twilight in the eye with a mighty whack, and over Twilight went.

“Meanie!” said Fluttershy. “That hurt really bad! And you could have hurt my FOAL! Not to mention Princess Celestia! I hope you ARE sorry for what you’ve done.” She pouted. “I’ll forgive you later but right now I am very cross with you!”

“Told you so,” said Trixie, dragged Twilight off, and sat on her.

Princess Celestia bent over Fluttershy, solicitously. “My dear Fluttershy! You have indeed saved the day. We could not have imagined this course of events, not in a thousand years! I vow to you now that we will do everything within our power to heal you, as we will try to heal all the damage the day has brought us.” She glanced sharply at Twilight, then turned back to Fluttershy. “Not only have you saved my life, but if I’m not mistaken, you may have saved Twilight Sparkle.”

“Oh, good,” said Fluttershy. “I just wish I could have talked to her, but there was no time! Plus nopony would trust a monster like me…”

Dursaa said, hoarsely, “Oh, Fluttershy, how can you make mistakes so egregious? You’d give your life then turn around and give your DEATH, for us!” He buried his face gently in her soft wing, a picture of utter trust and devotion.

“I know, right?” said Pinkie. “Stop doing that, Flutterbutt! You have to take better care of yourself!” Her eyes glistened. “We’ll try to show you how. By caring for you. You dummy!”

“Your valiant heart is one that can teach even a Princess lessons in forgiveness,” said Princess Celestia, glancing once again at Twilight. “We can but try to approach your amazing gentleness and mercy.”

Chaos hugged Celestia. “I know you will! But isn’t Fluttershy wonderful? She is my best friend, the most wonderful pony ever!”

Fluttershy’s eyes had widened at Celestia’s words. “Oh! My heart, right. Um… Is it all right if I don’t beat it for a while?”

“What?” blinked Princess Celestia, taken aback.

“Well,” explained Fluttershy, “it hurts very badly though if it makes you feel better I can still try. I haven’t had time to fix it and it will take forever to do that, dumb meanie Twilight really hurt it a lot. Look, the hole even came out my back! I realise you want my heart beating but I’m afraid blood will go everywhere. And I’m sure it will hurt terribly. But if you like, I will. Do you have two big corks to stop up the holes?”

“Good heavens, nay!” said Princess Celestia. “Remain as comfortable as you can, in whatever way you must. We’ll try to find a way to heal you, dear Fluttershy, don’t trouble yourself.”

Pinkie looked sick. “She really did stab you through the heart, huh?”

“Oh, yes,” said Fluttershy. “As if Rainbow Dash hadn’t injured me enough!” She heaved a big sigh, and then winced. “Ow.”

“You need to ask OUR permission not to beat your heart?” pressed Pinkie. “Are you loco?”

“Please promise me you won’t be too cross with Twilight,” said Fluttershy. “I feel sure she must have had some reason for acting the way she did. And can you tell her I’m sorry for punching her in the eye with my hoof? That was wrong of me.”

Pinkie’s jaw dropped. “But… she stabbed you through the HEART!”

Fluttershy wore her sulky, pouting look.

“Well, as you can see, I wasn’t using it.”

Pinkie’s eyes filled with tears. She gazed at her stubborn beloved, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Yes you were, Fluttershy,” she said, and very gently kissed her sweet nose. “And you still are.”

Back To Earth

Spike rode Trixie home as well, both of them looking stern.

Twilight Sparkle plodded behind them, so depressively and stumblingly that Spike had suggested a leash. “No,” Trixie had said. “We do that sort of thing for pleasure.” After that, nobody had much to add.

They neared the Golden Oaks library, and Twilight flinched and shied away.

“What is it, M…” began Trixie, and then frowned. “Trixie is not sure what to call you anymore! Inside, Twilight. Trixie has never seen that Princess so angry at anypony before, and you nearly killed Fluttershy. Before that, you nearly killed me. We have to have a conversation.”

“Yeah we do,” added Spike. “I thought you liked Princess Celestia more than anything!”

Twilight hung her head. “It shouldn’t even be there,” she muttered, but she dutifully trudged across the threshold with dragging hooves and sagging tail.

“What shouldn’t? What shouldn’t be there?” demanded Trixie.

“This place,” said Twilight. “I don’t deserve it, and all the…” She broke off, staring at the floor, and then squealed, “So what is THAT, if he didn’t attack you?”

“What was the force field?” retorted Trixie. “Why did you imprison us?”

“Bad stuff was happening!” said Twilight. “Fluttershy got turned into some kind of vampire. I had to protect you both while I went out to fix everything. It wasn’t a prison! Discord was gonna come and kill you or turn you to vampires or…”

Spike hopped off Trixie’s back, and ran over. Twilight was beginning to rear, lifting a forehoof, getting panicky just remembering her line of reasoning, but the next thing she felt was small draconic arms hugging her around the neck, holding her down before she could rear and jump about.

“Easy, Twilight. Steady,” he soothed. “Why did you think Discord was turning ponies into vampires?”

“But he turned Fluttershy into a vampire! Applejack said so! Or… at least she got turned into a vampire. And Discord’s the only thing around here that turns things into other things, and when I saw them together Discord had turned into that little blue alicorn girl and Fluttershy really was a vampire and it was obvious Discord had done it ‘cos he wasn’t surprised at all…”

“Slow down,” ordered Trixie.

Twilight stared wildly at her, as well as she could with one eye swelling up thanks to Fluttershy’s punching hoof. “And you didn’t say what made the blood! It’s right there, I wasn’t imagining it! Look at all that! How are you still alive, even?”

Trixie glowered, then wobbled. “Actually, that is a good point. Trixie is feeling very dizzy all of a sudden…”

Spike paled, let go of Twilight, and blurted, “I bet I know why! You lost all that blood and then ran around so much… I’m gonna get you a snack, hang in there!” He scampered off to the kitchen.

“But what happened?” begged Twilight. “The blood!”

“Nosebleed,” replied Trixie curtly. “Trixie had to break through that dumb force field to come help you, and you burned up almost all Trixie’s horn. Trying to break the forcefield gave Trixie a terrible nosebleed, from all that effort and concentration.”

For a moment, Twilight forgot herself and snorted scornfully. “Pfff! As if! I used alicorn powers for the shield, there was no way you could possibly have broken it. If it wasn’t Discord I’d like to know who did break it, because it couldn’t have been you! My powers are way beyond y…” She broke off, going red in the face, glancing back at the wings she no longer had.

Trixie lifted an eyebrow wearily, as Twilight blushed, caught in a left-over egomanaical fit. It seemed a hard psychological habit for her to break. Then Spike returned with some honey oat cakes, and Trixie chomped hungrily at them while her former Mistress blushed and looked at the floor, scuffing it with a forehoof in chagrin.

Trixie swallowed. “As Trixie was saying before she was so rudely interrupted, when Trixie reached out to magemeld and use your powers to attack the forcefield…”

Twilight squeaked, eyes widening, and went even more red. She’d forgotten Trixie’s affinity for magemelding, and of course her own powers redirected would have shut it down with no trouble at all.

“It went away instantly,” continued Trixie, “which is how we knew the forcefield had been your doing. You were trying to protect us? The air was going bad. We thought we were being attacked—or kept from coming to your aid, while you were being attacked.”

“I was just coming back to check on you,” muttered Twilight, her ears back in shame.

“What were you thinking?” demanded Trixie. “Yes, you thought Discord was doing bad things. We’ve been over all that, he did cruel things to Celestia and embarrassed her, you’ve said that a thousand times though Trixie could not care less about her royal dignity. Why lock us away? Why lock Spike away? I had severe horn damage, but Spike is unharmed.”

Spike was studying Twilight thoughtfully. “She swore she was going to make everything okay. I just couldn’t face things what with Rarity doing… what she does, and Twilight’s voice was so soothing and I just wanted to sleep. I guess she used magic to make me sleep. You know, it’s hard to offend a dragon by giving them sleep. I like sleep.”

“I’m glad you understand,” said Twilight weakly.

Spike pinned her with a sharp glance, and she froze. “I like Fluttershy too,” he said, “and I wouldn’t have thought stabbing her with your horn was making things okay. Seems like that was super NOT okay with two scoops of nuts. I’m with Trixie on this, Twilight. What the heck is going on?”

Twilight backed up in alarm, then whinnied shrilly. Her hoof had touched something. Whirling, she saw that it was Spike’s pet-bed, still flipped over with its blankets strewn everywhere. She whirled again, hooves rattling against the floor, lip quivering, tears in her eyes.

“That reminds me,” said Trixie. “Spike, why in Equestria do you still sleep in that? When we charged to the rescue, you cried ‘Tally-ho!’ like a knight. Since when does a knight sleep in a pet bed?”

“Oh,” said Spike. “Um. I haven’t outgrown it much yet, and Twilight picked it out for me and she never seemed to think I should sleep in a real bed and I didn’t want to…”

Trixie stamped her hoof. “Trixie decrees that you have indeed outgrown it! Our valiant dragon knight will sleep in a big boy bed from now on!”

Spike’s face broke into a huge beaming smile—that dropped into a horrified look. “Not yours!” he squeaked. “Please don’t mean yours!”

Trixie’s eyes widened. “Oh! Trixie did not mean… no! No, Trixie means we will procure a proper bed just for you, set up a private room somehow that befits your new maturity…”

“The basement room!” Spike suggested, his smile returning.

Twilight Sparkle just stared, her mouth hanging open. She gulped. “Down the secret passage? The one in the bookcase?”

“Yeah!”

“But, Spike,” she said, “that’s where I hid you for months, remember? And you came out and you said you didn’t want to nap anymore, you wanted to be part of our lives again?”

Spike smiled at her.

“You cared about me,” he said. “That’s what I remember. I didn’t understand what was happening, but I could tell you cared, and we set it up to be a great room, remember? I’ll take that. It makes a good dragon lair. It’s like a cave, with the cool secret passageway. I’ll have ponies I like visit me down there and bring me gems and stuff.”

Trixie stamped a hoof again, with a sound like a gavel. “So shall it be!”

Twilight bridled. “Now wait a minute, whose house is this anyway?”

“Oh? Trixie will submit to her Mistress and comply with her every whim, of course,” replied Trixie, unconcernedly.

“Good!” replied Twilight. “And yes, I think it’s fine if Spi… if sp… uh…”

She trailed off, for the look Trixie was giving her was far from submissive.

“Just as soon,” added Trixie, “as Mistress explains why she went on a rampage to attack and kill one Princess, one former draconequus, and one vampire pegasus, none of whom were attacking you at the time.”

Twilight went white.

“Trixie is waiting,” said the blue unicorn. “Trixie also is certain she heard the words, ‘This is how you kill a Princess’ before you charged them. Trixie still thinks that Princess is a stuck-up jerk, but wishes an explanation immediately before she will return to being Twilight’s submissive. It just wouldn’t be responsible otherwise. Rarity would never forgive me.”

“No, she wouldn’t,” added Spike. “I want to hear this too. C’mon, Twilight, talk.”

Twilight gulped and tottered and looked about ready to faint.

“I told them you had your reasons,” added Trixie. “They’d better be good ones.”

The silence that stretched out was broken by a loud banging at the door. Twilight shrieked and hit the deck, covering her head with her forelegs. Spike ran to the door and opened it.

There stood Princess Celestia, face impassive but for a glint in the eye.

“We require the immediate presence of Twilight Sparkle, please,” she said.

Spike realized that he’d automatically blocked the entrance, and he wasn’t alone. Trixie was right beside him, barring the entry of the Princess. “What for?” she challenged.

Celestia blinked. “Prithee, do you expect you know why, hence this defiance?”

“Defy this,” gritted Trixie. “You’re not getting in here right now. We’re totally making progress with her and you’re not taking her away and throwing her in some prison. We’ll get to the bottom of it. This is our problem!”

“That is not the most important…”

“Stop her, Spike!” cried Trixie.

Spike stared at Celestia. Celestia stared back. Then, both stared at the two wildly excited unicorns, the one cowering on the floor, the other snarling and blocking the entrance by physically interposing her body in defiance of anything an alicorn could do to her, even though she had nearly no horn to speak of.

“Unicorn crazy?” suggested Spike.

“Forsooth,” sighed Princess Celestia. “How well I remember it.”

Spike shook his head, grinning wryly. “There’s no crazy like unicorn crazy!”

“We used to believe that,” said the Princess. “Until we saw alicorn crazy.” She winced.

“So what do you really need?” said Spike. “Besides Twilight not freaking out, that is?”

“All of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony,” said Celestia. She sighed again. “To heal Fluttershy… if that is not too much to ask of our Princess Twilight, and her loyal defenders.” Her sarcasm hung in the air.

Trixie gaped at her. Behind, Twilight awkwardly clambered to her hooves, stammering, “H… heal Fluttershy?”

“Perhaps you noticed?” said Celestia, coolly. “She’s been terribly injured, beyond what I and my sister can repair alone.”

“W… will she die?” managed Twilight.

“Pray let us not bandy definitions, Miss Sparkle. You know she’s dead already.”

“No prison?” demanded Trixie. “It’s not a trick?”

Then, Trixie shrank back, for the anger leapt momentarily within Princess Celestia.

“Do not talk of tricks!” she declaimed. “We require Twilight Sparkle’s best efforts to heal the injuries she has caused. If the attempt is of no avail, you can go where she goes and that is all the mercy I am inclined to dispense. If the blameless and innocent Fluttershy is restored to health and comfort, or whatever a vampire pony considers health and comfort… we shall see.”

Spike eyed the Princess. “Sooo… you need Twilight to come and use her magic to heal Fluttershy?”

“Verily,” said Celestia stiffly.

Spike turned.

“Go on, Twilight. I’ll go with you. We both will. Let’s do this. It’s such a right thing to do.”

As they approached Fluttershy’s cottage, the bustle was hard to miss.

Animals and birds rushed about in alarm and dismay. Among the animals were ponies. Among the birds were pegasi.

“Settle down, please!” implored Fluttershy from inside, but it wasn’t having its usual effect. The pain and stress in her voice were obvious, plus the voice itself lacked its usual sweetness.

“Harry Bear, you stop that!” shrieked Pinkie Pie. “You nearly squished a chipmunk! Quit jumping around!”

Then, the eerie, harsh vampony voice came forth again, and even as it spoke, motion ceased.

“Stop jumping. Calm down. Stand quietly.”

The silence was absolute.

Pinkie’s voice broke it. “You used the…”

Fluttershy’s voice was bitter and sad. “Of course I did, Pinkie Pie. The Stare. How did none of you ever figure out The Stare? I wish I never got it. Will that do?”

“Uh-huh,” said Pinkie weakly.

Princess Celestia entered Fluttershy’s cottage, to see the entire menagerie standing in a daze—including Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Pinkie and Princess Luna had apparently avoided her gaze. The house was packed with everypony imaginable. She gawked at the spectacle, and turned to Fluttershy. “Did you do that?”

“It’s stronger when I look this way,” replied Fluttershy, “but yes. Please don’t ask me to do it unless it’s very important?”

“Are you controlling them?” pressed Celestia. “Are they your, ah, thralls?”

“Oh, no!” squeaked Fluttershy, recognizable attitudes coming through the creepy vampony voice. “No indeed! It’s just some influence, they’re not mine, nopony and nothing is mine, not in Ponyville, not anywhere else! I haven’t sired any other vampires, I promise!”

Celestia’s ears were laid back in dismay. “Er… thank you for that? Please do not.” Chaos approached her, nuzzling her side in greeting, but keeping Celestia between herself and Twilight Sparkle.

“I would never, ever…” protested Fluttershy strenuously, and then coughed, and blood came out her mouth. “Ow.” At the sight, some of her animals stirred fretfully.

“Oh, dear,” said Celestia. “Please be still, don’t exert yourself! I’ve brought Twilight. She’s going to heal you.” She gave a sharp glance at Twilight: one that said almost out loud, ‘she’d better’.

“Hurrah!” said Princess Luna, coming forward out of the group. “Let us encourage her to do so without delay! We are distraught that our own royal healing, even combined with that of our sister, is not equal to the task!”

“That is because we have not attempted to heal a pony heart that has been literally impaled upon a horn,” snapped Celestia, “nor would we, sister, for in normal circumstances our efforts would be turned towards a respectful burial.”

Applejack had been shaking her head, clearing it of the Stare that had caught her as well. “Easy now, Princess,” she said. “Ain’t the first time we’ve had to team up to do somethin’ big. Time we got to it!”

Rainbow Dash, too, had fought clear of the brain-fuzzing vampiric Stare. It hadn’t soothed her. “Oh gosh, Fluttershy,” she said in almost a sob, “I can’t believe I hit you that hard! I’m so fucking sorry I can’t see straight.”

Fluttershy coughed again, and muttered, “That was the problem from the start! You couldn’t see it was still me!”

“I know, I know!” wailed Dash, tossing her mane and flapping in dismay and confusion. “I’ll join up and help fix you. It’s SO not enough! Oh, Fluttershy, I really love you, I can’t stand it that I didn’t trust you. Did I really, like, dent your skull in?” She tried to hover behind Fluttershy’s head and brush aside her scraggly vampire-mane.

“Eeeee!” squealed Fluttershy, and then made a pained face. “Stop it stop it! Hurts! Don’t touch!”

Dash backed off, looking sick. She’d seen a horrible dent. She alighted on the floor again, and grovelled towards Fluttershy, tears in her eyes. “What can I possibly do? I’ll never forgive myself ever! I’ll do anything, Fluttershy, tell me how I can make it up to you.”

Fluttershy gave a saintly little sigh, incongruous coming from her alarming visage. “All right. If you insist! I’ll tell you what you can do to feel better, little miss heavy hooves head-kicker. Though it’s against my better judgement. But I know you, Rainbow, and you probably wouldn’t settle for anything less. Fine, then! I’ll tell you.”

“You will?” squeaked Rainbow Dash, leaning closer. “What should I do?”

“Hold still.”

“What?” blinked Rainbow Dash.

Pow! Dash squealed and tumbled hoof over wing, totally surprised by the strength of Fluttershy’s hoof-punch. She came up, holding her jaw, her eyes watering. “Wow!” she squeaked. “That was amazing!”

“Now be good!” insisted Fluttershy. “I didn’t want to do that at all!”

“I could tell!” quipped Rainbow. She glanced at Twilight. “Totally fair, though I think you hit her even harder than that. Which I guess is understandable ‘cos she hurt you worse.”

Fluttershy glowered tearfully. “No. You hurt me worse, Rainbow Dash. But now we’re even and you can move on. I wouldn’t want you to brood over it. I shouldn’t have hit Twilight at all, but you are a roughneck and get into hoof-fights and wouldn’t be happy just apologizing after you’d beat me up so cruelly. It’s even. Just don’t ever do that again!”

“I won’t!” squeaked Dash. “Wait, hang on. Twilight stabbed you through the heart! I just hit you on the head, like really really really hard. Oh, and I broke your leg. How did I hurt you worse when you ought to be dead from what Twilight did?” She blinked. “Except you are, I guess. Uh, no offense?”

Fluttershy glared at her. “Because Twilight Sparkle clearly had gone insane like she keeps on doing, and wasn’t even seeing reality at all. You know that as well as I do. But you hurt me on purpose and should have known better! I was only trying to rescue Rock!”

Dash paled. “Yeah. You’re right. Never again, Fluttershy. I’ll trust you from now on, no matter what you look like.”

Twilight had gone pale as well, and looked sick… partly because nopony present batted an eyelash at Fluttershy’s explanation. It seemed that the idea ‘Twilight Sparkle goes batshit insane sometimes’ didn’t surprise anypony, even Celestia. She wobbled. Surreptitiously, Spike steadied her, just as attention turned her way.

“Twilight?” said Applejack. “You look a mite peakied… but we got to do this, sugarcube. Thank goodness Fluttershy’s a bit ‘bats’ is all I kin say, nothin’ living could stand such a beating by first Dashie and then you… but it’s time you made your amends, practical-like.”

They had the Elements of Harmony all ready. Twilight stared at them, her ears back.

“This can’t be right,” she said.

“Best make it right,” said Applejack firmly.

“No, I mean,” stammered Twilight, “how can I deserve to use these? They’re a force of good! I’m the focus, how can this even work?”

“Now you know how I felt when I had to join you girls and use mine,” grumbled Fluttershy. “Twilight, I’m the last pony to be pushy and demanding, but your horn was very long and pointy and it ripped a big hole right through my poor heart not to mention my whole body and I can’t even die like a real pony so it doesn’t stop, and if you don’t understand how much it physically hurts…”

“Twilight!” said Rarity. “We are ready. At once, no stalling!”

All the Element Bearers donned their necklaces, Fluttershy included.

Twilight whimpered, placed the big crowny thing on her dreadfully unworthy head, and concentrated fiercely.

Her ears laid back in dismay as the energies gathered themselves to her… but no more dismay than Fluttershy showed. The little vampire pony looked as uncomfortable as ever, wielding her part of those magical forces. Clearly, she’d been doing it while undead, and felt such liberties unsuitable. It didn’t matter: the forces flooded from her necklace just as readily as from that of Rainbow Dash, or Rarity, or Applejack.

“Go on, Twi!” urged Applejack. “Get a-fixin’!”

Twilight gulped. She squeezed her eyes shut, and when they opened they emanated a blinding white light. Princess Celestia flinched at the sight, but no attack was forthcoming this time. Instead, Twilight directed a beam back toward Fluttershy, who lifted her chin bravely and gave herself over to the energies, to do what they would with her.

Next to her, the zebra Dursaa licked her shoulder, in a comforting gesture that Fluttershy paid no attention to. He waited trustingly for his strange love to be healed, as Princess Celestia had promised. Fluttershy waited to see if the magic of the Elements of Harmony would find her wanting.

Twilight tried to form the energies into a healing pattern, and her ears laid back farther as she felt them slipping from her control, taking on what seemed like a will of their own. She’d had a specific plan for how Fluttershy ought to be healed, starting with some work on her vampiric nature along lines Twilight had read about in a research paper once up in Canterlot, but her intentions meant absolutely nothing: she was just a conduit for the magical forces.

She boggled, dumbfounded, as the magic began healing Fluttershy’s injuries without doing the least thing about her being a vampire.

Fluttershy shuddered and gasped, her body jerking against Dursaa’s, and he wrapped her in strong forelegs and held her steady, squinting against the glare. Fluttershy’s mouth opened in a soundless cry, the fangs glittering in the light. All the while, Twilight could feel the energies pouring from the other Elements into Fluttershy, rebuilding what was torn and hurt, coruscating around body and foreleg and skull, ignoring the cute little fangs and scruffy mane.

Fluttershy’s eyes were wide and helpless as the dent in her head gently returned to its normal shape, as the dreadful wound in her chest was filled in. Her leg glowed from within. She gave a little shriek of alarm as her heart thumped once more: she’d nearly forgotten what that felt like and wasn’t quick to attempt it even after the heart had been healed, and the magic seemed to have other ideas.

With a final flare that illuminated Fluttershy blindingly, the magic flicked out, and there was only the crowd of well-wishers and the little yellow vampire pegasus, who panted, overwhelmed, mended heart pounding, still holding her foreleg in the air.

Glancing back and forth among her friends, she placed it upon the ground daintily… and stood.

All around her, ponies, Princesses, and small animals cheered.

Fluttershy had a moment to stand on her own hooves, shocked at her good fortune, before she was bowled over by a joyous crowd. Applejack was hugging her, noticing in passing that the leathery wings were still, somehow, soft and cuddly. Only Fluttershy could make bat wings snuggly, it seemed. Rainbow Dash smooched her full on the lips, and then Dursaa was whirling her merrily around crying “Oh, cry their praises, dearest wife! My precious love, restored to life!”

Fluttershy squeaked. “Eep! I think you’re missing some important things about all this…”

Dursaa silenced her with a kiss, and her soft batty wings shot up bolt erect and vibrated.

“Woohoo!” cheered Rainbow Dash. “That’ll get her heart going! Go, zebra power!”

“Rainbow!” chided Applejack. “That ain’t polite!”

“What?” protested Dash. “It’s true!”

Twilight found herself on the outside of the festivities, with Trixie… and shoved herself back into the center. “Why didn’t it heal her all the way?” she cried.

“Beg pardon?” blinked Applejack.

“The fangs! The wings! She’s still a vampire!”

A hush fell over the room.

Rarity cleared her throat. “She’s a very… cute vampire. And if I’m not mistaken, has been one for some time. No?”

“That much power should have cured her all the way!” protested Twilight. “Something interfered!”

Dursaa knit his brow, staring at her. “Fluttershy isn’t quite well? She remains, even now, suff’ring from ills in her veins?”

The hush deepened. Dursaa’s anger built. “Who dares withhold, from my pony wife, the blessings of healing, love and life?”

Twilight fell back a pace. “What I’m saying is, we should try again because I failed! I want nothing more than to restore her to life, too. Please believe me! With that much power, I should have been able to cure her vampirism, but…”

Dursaa, nostrils flared, was looking around, his ears swiveling. Then, he slunk over to the window on surprisingly quiet hooves, his massive body moving with curious grace, his eyes narrowing in hostility.

“Before you try…” he breathed softly, “revealed… a SPY!”

His voice rose, and he whirled and kicked out the window with a flicker of powerful striped flanks, effortlessly. Then, he spun to face whatever enemy had revealed itself.

As if in a mirror, another zebra head poked up out of the bushes: but not exactly the same, for this one held a sheaf of pink hair in her mouth. Then, she spat it out to drape across the windowsill.

“Have you gone mad, dim zebra lad?!” demanded Zecora, outraged.

Dursaa’s ears were laid back. “What reason have you for your wicked spell? You use your magic cruelly, to repel my newfound wife’s redemption and true grace. Your jealousy’s emblazoned ‘cross your face!”

All the pony eyes widened. Was Fluttershy the prize in a dark and lusty zebra triangle? Rainbow Dash’s wings sprang to attention, and she let out a little squee of delight, her mind instantly full of naughty scenarios.

All pony eyes… but Fluttershy’s. Hers narrowed, and she trotted forwards unhesitatingly.

“Honey?” she said in that scratchy little vampire voice.

“Hmm?” said Dursaa, not breaking eye contact with his apparent nemesis.

Fluttershy thwapped him on the back of the head with her bat wing, wrecking his concentration. He turned, startled, to look at her.

“Zecora’s one of my best friends, idiot,” said Fluttershy exasperatedly. “She knows about me. Behave, and I expect you to fix that window, silly. What were you thinking?”

He glanced back and forth between Fluttershy and the seething, impassive Zecora. “But…”

“Fluttershy, I heard you’d lost your pretty mane,” said Zecora. “I thought you’d require it to wear again. I’ve remade the mane and tail, and to your side I snuck. But I fear our secrecy about this, now,” she said, and bit her lip anxiously, “…is pretty fucked.”

Rainbow Dash gawked at her. “You made those? What did they do? Dursaa pulled them off and all our troubles began!”

“They were yours?” cried Rarity. “They were exquisite, but Fluttershy would not tell me where she got them!”

Zecora stared right back, through the hole that had been a window. “Yes! I protected my dear little pegasus friend. Don’t you dare hurt her or with me right now you’ll contend!”

“Cease!” cried Princess Celestia, rushing hastily over to the window. She peered out. “Nopony is hurting dear Fluttershy, I assure you! Please come in. Did you say you’d made something for her, something about which you wished secrecy? I fear that would be inadvisable at the moment, but surely your good intentions can be expressed in some other way?”

Zecora, without changing expression, seemed to subside. She glanced sharply at Dursaa, and then, ignoring him, she picked up the spills of silky pink hair and trotted deliberately around the side of the house, to come in by the door. With measured step, she walked up to Fluttershy, bent her head, and gently placed her gifts at Fluttershy’s feet, clearing her throat.

“Little friend, I’ve brought once more the boon you asked of me. With these mane extensions, you’ll look as you used to be. Wear them always, day and night, secure in your disguise. Then your loving heart won’t be,” and Zecora glanced sharply around at the dumbfounded ponies, “betrayed by their fool eyes.”

Rarity gulped. “Zecora… we wouldn’t betray Fluttershy,” she said.

Zecora’s gaze was cool and judgemental. Rainbow Dash couldn’t meet it, and even Pinkie looked embarrassed.

“Good pony hearts win out at last, however bad the fright,” said Zecora.

“You got it!” broke in Applejack, but then she froze at a look from Zecora, who wasn’t finished.

“I’m damned if I’ll leave her endangered, WHILE you get it right.”

All the ponies looked away, shamefaced… but Fluttershy trotted right over and hugged Zecora tightly, even stroking her mane with leathery wingtips. “It’s okay, Zecora. Thank you, thank you so much. I think everything’s going to be okay now. I’m safe.”

Zecora’s eyes had gone misty. “Ah, little angel, I felt such alarm. Pray tell this zebra you came to no harm.”

She was facing the crowd of ponies while Fluttershy hugged her. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle went pale at the words, staring back at Zecora helplessly. Fluttershy’s head turned, and the creepy pink vampony eye seemed to twinkle at them.

“Not really,” said Fluttershy soothingly, and hugged tighter.

Zecora sighed in relief, and nestled her head against Fluttershy’s. Though her expression remained impassive, not a pony present could miss the love and tenderness on display. There was something about the way Zecora allowed Fluttershy to snuggle her, where no other pony had been allowed such intimacies. Rainbow Dash glanced quickly at Applejack, her eyes a fascinated question, her wings rising.

Dursaa was looking on, his ears splayed in alarm. “Am I to understand this zebra mare expects my darling, precious wife… to share?”

Zecora snorted. “Fool. With over-fancy rhymes. They’re such damned idiots, sometimes.”

“Idiot, you say?” protested Dursaa. “A fancy fool? Do not imagine me a horse so cruel as to forbid my Fluttershy the fruit of any sort of love you might impute. Ah, zebra mare that I don’t know, I see you’ve known her longer than she has known me: and though the loss is something I would hate, in truth if it is you she wants to…”

“Wait,” interrupted Zecora.

Dursaa fell silent. Zecora continued, simply.

“She KNOWS I’m gay—I know she’s straight.”

Dursaa gulped, watching his beloved embrace the proud zebra mare.

Zecora’s eyes weren’t tearful, but for all that, they still flashed with a fierce intensity, that was only underscored by her next words.

“Swear you’ll be a good husband to her.”

Dursaa took a breath, and Zecora added, “Without rhyming.”

He gulped. “Yes. What is your name? I am Dursaa.”

“I am Zecora.”

“I swear it. I thank you, Zecora.”

“And I smile upon your path, and your clan, Dursaa.”

They both bowed their heads in a solemn little nod. Fluttershy’s scruffy vampony ears laid back. “What’s going on? Why are you not making rhymes now, is something wrong?”

“Shh,” said Princess Celestia. “Rather, something is right.”

“Your pardon, dear!” said Dursaa hastily to Fluttershy. “Politeness will return to our discourse: it was but a formality took place ‘tween horse and horse, and we won’t weight the afternoon with seriousness and such. Suffice to say, we’ve made a friend, and that delights me much!”

Zecora gave a wry smile. “Your stallion’s a glib one, sweet Fluttershy. May the well of his love never run dry.”

Applejack got stricken with a sudden coughing fit, and Rainbow Dash got the giggles. Zecora rolled her eyes. “I meant words! Loving words. Hmph!” She directed an exasperated look at them. Fluttershy looked unbearably smug, and Dursaa had the good manners to just give her a little kiss and not elucidate further.

“I’d like a word with you, Fluttershy, if you would be so kind,” said Princess Celestia.

“I’d like a word with Zecora!” squeaked Pinkie Pie, whose ears were perked up super high, and whose mane seemed extra fluffy. She scampered over, and whispered something in Zecora’s ear, the only audible word of which was ‘enchantress’. Zecora lifted one dignified eyebrow, and then walked demurely off with Pinkie, who bounced instead of walking.

“You’ve told me you haven’t bitten any ponies, in or out of Ponyville,” said Celestia.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “No! Never! Rarity, can you help me put these extensions on?”

Rarity trotted forward, horn lighting, and for a moment the two mares worked with Zecora’s mane and tail extensions. They sparked gently as they moved into place, and then the air seemed to shimmer, and Fluttershy’s vampire form faded away, and all that could be seen was the familiar pegasus form everypony knew so well. Fluttershy sighed in relief. “Thank goodness. I hope I can always stay like this, from now on.”

“Always?” said Dursaa hastily, looking concerned.

Fluttershy lifted an eyebrow, glancing curiously at him. He began to blush until his face was all red and black stripes.

“Fluttershy, this is important,” said Celestia reprovingly.

Dursaa blushed worse at what his wife whispered to him, but then she’d turned away and was looking attentively at the Princess. “I’m sorry,” she said, “that was private, for my husband. What were you saying? I never bit any ponies, and never will, I promise! I hope you don’t doubt me. If saving your life wasn’t enough to convince you…”

“No, no!” protested Celestia. “I believe you, but I must still ask a question of grave importance and I would appreciate an honest answer. I promise we will be as merciful as we can, and we will certainly solicit your opinion on the matter, but… Fluttershy, who bit you?”

Fluttershy’s jaw dropped. She looked away. “He didn’t mean it.”

“Nevertheless!” said Celestia. “Must we search for another vampire pony?”

“Not exactly,” said Fluttershy.

Pinkie got it first. The others followed her gaze, until everypony in the room was staring the same direction.

Angel Bunny blinked puzzledly at their horrified looks, stuck out his tongue, and hopped determinedly over to leap into Fluttershy’s embrace.

“There you are! Who’s a good boy? You’re gonna stay a good boy, aren’t you? Yes you are!” she crooned, besottedly.

Applejack gulped. “Well, don’t that beat all…”

“A vampire bunny!” marvelled Rainbow Dash.

“How did this happen?” demanded Princess Celestia. Beside her, Chaos wore an expression of utter delight.

“Oh, one day Angel was playing in the apple fields,” said Fluttershy. “It was a hot day, and he ate apple after apple. And then there was this one big, extra juicy apple, but there was a vampire fruitbat who also wanted it, and Angel tried to get it anyhow…”

“Dear Celestia!” wailed Applejack. “Ya mean to tell me, them vampire fruitbats DO bite folks? This is terrible! It’s bad enough what they do to an orchard!”

Fluttershy frowned. “No! Who’s telling this story, you or me? So Angel tried to get the apple, and the vampire fruitbat wouldn’t let go, and so Angel bit it until it flew away crying. I was shocked and yelled at him, but it was too late. And he’s very sorry, aren’t you, Angel?”

The bunny nodded eagerly, and snuggled up under Fluttershy’s soft pony wing.

“But how’d he infect you? You mean to tell me that bunny’s your vampire boss?” said Applejack.

“That was when I tried to take the apple away from him,” admitted Fluttershy. “Because it was terrible behavior, and also it looked like he was going to be sick. Which he was, too, and that’s when I found out they’d fermented. So he bit me and he fell over and he threw up and he felt terrible all the next day and is very sorry and he won’t ever do it again, will you Angel?”

The bunny shook his head, vehemently.

“And so everything is okay,” explained Fluttershy, “and I look after Angel’s every need and he’s the most wonderful bunny ever! And all his demands are very reasonable, really! It’s… fun to master new types of salads!”

Angel yawned, and went to sleep.

“Uh-huh,” managed Applejack, in disbelief.

Celestia looked pale as well. “Indeed. Dear me. Erm.”

“Promise you won’t hurt him!” begged Fluttershy. “He’s a good bunny!”

Celestia exchanged glances with the Element Bearers.

“He seems very content,” she said carefully. “We won’t hurt him. We might want to figure out a way to prevent him ever biting other ponies.”

Fluttershy quickly glanced at Angel, as if for approval. But the little bunny just snored, ignoring all the pony eyes watching him. The very idea of him biting ponies seemed about as incongruous as… a bunny biting ponies. Fermented apples apparently packed a fearsome kick… but the ponies knew that, as well.

“If he doesn’t mind,” she said guardedly.

Celestia sighed. “Clearly, we still have work ahead of us. But, dare I say it, things may be looking up? I am pleased to see you’ve found love, Fluttershy.” She blinked, and glanced at Pinkie Pie, and found Pinkie and Zecora staring interestedly back at her. “Which is not to say you hadn’t love previously, mind you…”

“It’s okay, Princess Celestia,” said Pinkie Pie. “We just want Flutterbuttiekins to be happy! That’s the important thing.” Beside her, Zecora nodded gravely.

“She’s happy on the end of a zebra if ya know what I mean!” said Rainbow Dash, grinning.

Zecora and Pinkie rolled their eyes. The grin dropped away from Dash’s face, and she winced.

Pinkie gasped. “Dashie! Don’t make faces, it’s okay! We’re not really mad! We’re just being all unexpectedly lesbian together and like, yah, penises, who needs ‘em, and gosh who would have thought the big scary zebra lady would turn out to be so hot, I mean so nice?”

“No, it’s not that!” protested Dash. “She punched me, remember? Hurts to smile. Worth it, though!”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Oh, I’m sorry! Um, mostly sorry? You needed a roughneck apology, though that is a terrible way to behave. Anyhow that’s enough of that, we should try to fix you like everypony got together and fixed me! Twilight, can you do that?”

“I think,” said Princess Celestia, “that Luna and I can oblige.”

Focussing their energies, the Princesses devoted their healing attentions to Rainbow Dash. A sock in the jaw proved much less drastic an injury, and well within their powers, and Rainbow’s experimental grins brought no winces.

“Ah think, barring de-bunnification, we’re all good here!” said Applejack.

“We’re not done,” said Princess Celestia firmly. “Twilight Sparkle, come forward.”

The gathering of ponies fell silent. Twilight had kept to the fringes of the group, hiding behind Trixie, trying not to be seen. Her use of powerful magic had distracted them from noticing her condition, but as Twilight trudged unwillingly to face Celestia, it became all too apparent. No wings. Horn a foalish nubbin. Body of the young unicorn she’d been when she first saw Ponyville… and a swelling, blacked eye, thanks to Fluttershy’s vengeful hoof.

“Oh, goodness!” squeaked Fluttershy. “I’m so sorry! Um, again, mostly! Can you fix her right away?”

“Hang on,” said Applejack. “What the hay HAPPENED? All I know is, we just fixed up Fluttershy’s heart from stabbin’, and apparently Twi done that to her! It’s like she tried to kill Fluttershy or somethin’! Is it too much to ask for a lil’ explanation?”

“I tried to kill Chaos, and Princess Celestia,” muttered Twilight. “Fluttershy got in the way.”

Silence.

“Aw, no,” said Applejack in dismay. “No, Twi. That can’t be right.”

“No, it’s not right,” said Twilight, hanging her head.

“Sister?” said Celestia.

The two alicorns concentrated. Twilight Sparkle’s injured eye healed, as all the dumbstruck ponies watched. She still hung her head.

Applejack licked her lips, remembering a day long ago: a day when Twilight had set out to hunt down Rainbow Dash in a fit of jealousy. Her mouth had gone dry. “Twilight,” she said gently, “did you git more bright ideas or somethin’? Like, bad ones?”

Twilight nodded, staring at the floor.

Rarity looked sick as well. “Oh, Twilight. I take it you have lost your position as Princess?”

“We didn’t do that, it was a side-effect,” said Celestia. “She’s lucky to be alive. It was a strange occurrence.”

“No more flying lessons?” said Rainbow Dash in a little voice.

Twilight shook her head, mutely.

Applejack gulped. Then, she trotted boldly up to Princess Celestia. “I guess our Twilight’s really stepped in it this time. But I’m lookin’ around and it seems as if everypony’s okay, ain’t they? I see she’s back to her old self. What else is going to happen, Princess?”

A tremor passed across Celestia’s face. Her eyes teared up. “I suppose you could say… she is sentenced to death.”

Applejack’s eyes flew wide. Then, in the space of a breath, all of the little ponies had flocked to dejected Twilight’s side, all expostulating at once.

“Nooo!”

“Please, Princess, do be merciful!”

“Dang it, that ain’t fair!”

“Noble! Over my dead body you will!”

“Nay, nay!” cried Celestia, looking upon the scene. Twilight squirmed, positively wrapped in protective, forgiving, clingy little ponies, plus a few of Fluttershy’s pets and a zebra mare, all of them pleading for a second chance for the little lavender unicorn. “Nay! You misunderstand! Say, rather, that she is sentenced to life?”

The expostulation stopped.

“Yes, life,” continued Celestia. Tears filled her eyes. “One life in Ponyville, with all of you, just as before. In the Golden Oaks Library, with her marefriend and trusty draconic assistant. Life without parole. Except when you come to visit Canterlot?”

Twilight blinked, still embraced by all of her friends. “Y…you want me to visit you?”

Princess Celestia seemed to be fighting back strong emotion, though her eyes glistened dreadfully. “Yes, Twilight. I do. Let us try to recapture some inkling of what we shared, before all this.”

“Really? I mean, really?” said Twilight Sparkle, stunned. “How can you ever forgive me?”

Princess Celestia’s lip quivered. The tears flowed.

“How? Quickly,” she said. “W… while I have the chance.”

Twilight looked at the weeping Princess, consoled on one side by the immortal Princess Luna and on the other by the ageless Chaos, also known as Discord, who’d been locked away inside stone for thousands of years… and Twilight understood what Celestia was telling her.

“Th…thank you?”

“Oh, Twilight,” sobbed Celestia. “Why? I will miss you so much!”

Chaos spoke, gently. “I think she was the alicorn of Self-Will, Celly. I don’t think she could help it. We’ve not lost an alicorn yet… until now.”

“I’m sorry?” said Twilight helplessly, feeling very young. Of course, she thought, she would also know what it would feel like to be very old, in a way Princess Celestia would never understand. “I won’t cause any more trouble…” she added.

“I know,” replied Celestia, hopelessly.

Twilight cast about for something to say. Her friends, around her, were silent, outclassed by the royal conversation and its great seriousness. “Um… thank you for healing me? You didn’t have to do that. I don’t think I can have the big powerful magic back, though, it doesn’t feel anything like it did. Which is kind of a relief?”

Celestia sniffled. “Doubtless.”

“I’m not even sure my regular unicorn powers are back,” added Twilight.

Celestia’s body shook. It might have been a sob. She shook again. This time, it was clearly a laugh.

“You know what this means, then.”

Twilight felt a dreadful sinking feeling. “Not…”

“Magic Kindergarten!” declaimed Princess Celestia.

Twilight squealed, and hit the floor, covering her head with her hooves. It was impossible to tell whether Celestia was laughing or sobbing—perhaps quite a lot of both. The ponies clamored and hugged Twilight and surrounded her with cries of encouragement and giggles at her plight.

“But you won’t go through it alone, Twilight Sparkle!” cried Celestia. “Your Trixie is also sadly impaired, both of you shall go together!”

Trixie began to laugh. “It’ll be fun, Mistress!” she called, but all the same it took ten minutes to get Twilight to stop curling up on the floor in unicorn meltdown.

“Magic kindergarten…” moaned Twilight Sparkle. “She couldn’t have offered death?”

“We’ll be troublemakers,” promised Trixie. “Trixie can’t wait!”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash had gone home, after satisfying themselves that Twilight was going to be okay.

Fluttershy was at home with Dursaa, putting Rock Candy to bed. He’d been very quiet and awed by Vampire Mom. It seemed to soothe him when Zecora’s enchanted mane extensions had returned her to the familiar Pegasus Mom. After he’d gone to bed, Fluttershy had begun flirting with her tail around Dursaa, eyes shining, and he’d already begun tugging playfully at the tail extensions. It seemed Fluttershy’s zebra husband was eager to explore vampire pussy. The rest of the ponies had barely gotten out of there in time to give them privacy.

Pinkie had helped put Rock to bed, and had gone home to her apartment above Sugarcube Corner. Despite the difficult evening, she showed extraordinary bounce. It wasn’t surprising: Zecora went home with her. Fluttershy had given Zecora a little kiss and wished her good luck with great, affectionate, smirking earnestness. The stoic zebra mare had looked a little shaken at that wry benevolence and Fluttershy’s obvious smugness and amusement. She’d followed Pinkie home showing obvious fascination and more than a little wariness, which would turn out to be well justified.

Chaos had taken Celestia home to Canterlot, with Luna accompanying them, there to forget the ravages of Time and embrace the ravages of sleep.

Trixie guided weary Twilight back towards the Golden Oaks Library, with Spike asleep on Twilight’s back. She walked carefully, taking some comfort in faithfully carrying him.

“It still doesn’t seem like it should be real,” she said. “I lost so much. This place should be destroyed, somehow.”

“Shh,” said Trixie. “None of that, Mistress.”

“So I’m Mistress again?”

“Trixie doesn’t need to drive you any harder today, love,” said Trixie.

They got inside, and Trixie wrinkled her nose at the bloodstains on the floor. “Tomorrow, Trixie is going to clean like a demon!”

“Um, we didn’t get him the new bed yet,” said Twilight.

Trixie saw her plight. Spike’s basket was still flipped over, and they’d not set up the downstairs room. “For now, Mistress, let’s have it the old way, for old times’ sake.”

Twilight wrinkled her nose, but she righted the basket without complaint, arranged the blankets, and nestled Spike inside. He curled up, grabbing the blanket with his little claws, and she trembled and nearly wept to see it.

“You okay?” said Trixie.

“You can’t go home again,” said Twilight. “Some things go away, forever. You lose the right to them.”

Trixie frowned. “Upstairs, Mistress. You’re getting some sleep, and you’ll feel better in the morning. You’ve done what you needed to do, today.”

Twilight compliantly followed her upstairs, and flinched at the bed, seeing the damage from alicorn horn discharge all across the walls, the exploded sandbags.

“What?” said Trixie.

Twilight trembled. “All I ever wanted was to be safe, for everything to turn out right. I would go to any length to make that happen, my way. Now I feel like I can never feel safe again, and should never feel safe again.”

Trixie gazed levelly at her. “Get in bed, Twilight.”

Twilight Sparkle climbed into bed, dejectedly. She curled up in a little ball, shutting her eyes.

Then her eyes opened again, startled.

Trixie Lulamoon had joined her, hugging her close. She’d curled around Twilight, snuggling up to Twilight’s little purple rump, pressing against Twilight’s bare unicorn back. It seemed like it had been forever, an eternity of hyper-power and giant sensitive erotic wings and Twilight’s very body growing and changing and a nightmare of expanding responsibility and doomed struggle. Twilight had become larger than life, out of scale, not fitting in any way with her beloved.

Twilight Sparkle hadn’t been Trixie’s little spoon in ages.

Trixie held her close while she shook and cried, and when Twilight finally relaxed and slept, Trixie was still there.

Forever.

Coming Around

Colts smirked, sitting behind their little desks. Fillies giggled, magic twinkling off their little horns.

Twilight Sparkle moped, stuck behind her own filly-sized desk. They’d given her a little mat to sit on, as the tiny bench seats for students wouldn’t accomodate a full-grown unicorn, even when the unicorn’s horn was still foalishly small like the other students.

She pouted. The mat had the face of a smiling filly on it. So did Trixie’s. Twilight always felt uncomfortable plunking her nether regions down onto the face of a pony child, plus it had been a white unicorn filly not unlike Sweetie Belle, making Twilight wonder what Rarity would think. So she’d swapped mats with Trixie, whose mat had a blue filly like a unicorn Rainbow Dash but with a pink mane, and she tried to pretend she was sitting on Trixie’s face. It helped.

Trixie, once she figured out what the problem was, had switched mats quite happily… then took to wriggling on her mat, just to tease Twilight. Magic Kindergarten was a series of delights, for her. Not only did it provide opprtunities for mischief—it brought new experiences. Trixie had been self-taught, and had never attended Magic Kindergarten, and the first time she’d relearned a spell properly she’d squealed with delight and left her mat-filly sticky, so intense was her excitement.

It had sealed Twilight’s fate. Trixie became a huge Kindergarten fan. The two mares sat at the back of the class, but Trixie had wanted to be up front with the eager beaver students, and only stopped clamoring for this when it was explained that the colts and fillies couldn’t see past her adult body. Twilight privately felt great relief, for she still burned with embarrassment every time she went to class.

She’d have left it, as her horn and magical abilities had regrown until they were slightly greater than that of her classmates, but Trixie refused to leave. Her horn was still in the cute-nub stage, but it had returned and she no longer presented the alarming image of a unicorn with a horrible crater in her forehead. Her abilities were greatly impaired, but she flung herself into magic practice with glee and competitiveness, trying her best to beat the delighted schoolchildren with each test and exercise, and Twilight couldn’t help but enjoy being with her.

They were inseparable in their shared mortality, but among the colts and fillies, old age seemed a very long way away.

Twilight blinked. While Professor Hardhoof was still talking about basic patterns of thaumic force, one of the students was whispering to Trixie, whose ears pricked up immediately, sensing possible mischief. It was a little white unicorn filly with a red mane, wide-eyed, whose filly-friend had been whispering to her and goading her on.

“How come your horn wore out?” whispered the filly.

Trixie smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Trixie…” hissed Twilight warningly.

The unicorn filly was not to be dissuaded. She whispered even more urgently, “I DO gotta know! How come, Miss Trixie?”

Twilight glanced around the classroom in panic. Old Hardhoof hadn’t noticed them, but some of the other students’ ears were turning their way.

“Do you play doctor?” whispered Trixie, meaningfully.

Twilight choked, then tried to look straight ahead and say nothing, but she couldn’t help glancing at the kid to see if she’d laid off.

Instead, the little white unicorn filly’s gaze was locked with Trixie’s. Trixie was smirking like a fiend. The filly’s lip quivered, and she was  blushing a brighter and brighter red. Her fillyfriend, beside her, stared straight ahead. She was orange, but her face grew even redder than her companion’s, and the nearby kids smirked and giggled at them both, apparently privy to some secret which Twilight didn’t know.

Trixie’s smirk widened, but it wasn’t really unkind.

“Indeed,” she whispered. “Then Trixie thinks you will find out soon. But don’t be frightened, you should be safe. Trixie doesn’t think the likes of you could ever have THAT much fun with it…”

“MISS LULAMOON!”

Twilight squealed in alarm. Professor Hardhoof was walking toward them, glowering. His eyes narrowed. “Do you think it is funny to disrupt my class, Miss Lulamoon?”

Trixie yawned. “It was worth it!” she said. “Ponies learn all kinds of things in school, don’t they?”

“Do you understand my authority as a traditional Canterlot teacher, Miss Lulamoon?” snarled Professor Hardhoof.

“Trixie has learned many entrancing things this morning,” replied Trixie, “but not that. What do you mean?”

Twilight’s eyes widened in horror.

“MISS Lulamoon,” growled the elderly unicorn. “It may have escaped your attention, but in my authority as a teacher of sometimes rambunctious magical pony children, I have license to punish you. I am sure you would not want your classmates to see that.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped, as well.

“Oh?” yawned Trixie. “How so?”

Professor Hardhoof’s nostrils flared. “Miss Lulamoon, I can spank you in front of the class, if you do not behave yourself.”

Twilight could only watch Trixie’s little smirk, and helplessly hear her reply.

“Trixie would like to see you try! Well,” corrected Trixie quite truthfully, “feel you try.”

The little white unicorn’s orange fillyfriend frantically tried to repress giggles. Next to her, the little white unicorn was a little red unicorn from the neck up.

Twilight had had enough. Jumping up, she interposed her body between the irate, unobservant teacher and her mischievous lover. “No! Please! That would be a really bad idea, Professor!”

“MISS SPARKLE! You shall be spanked as well!”

Twilight shrieked, and tried to hide beneath her desk. It was far too small, and her rump stuck out. The class had dissolved in helpless laughter. Furious, Professor Hardhoof looked back at Trixie, who stuck her tongue out at him and then licked her lips provocatively.

“BOTH of you!” he bellowed. “To the front of the r…”

“Professor?” interrupted a calm yet authoritative voice.

Twilight peered from under her desk, which she was wearing like a hat. In the doorway stood Princess Celestia. Her expression was weary and unsurprised.

“Oh!” blurted Professor Hardhoof. “Princess! Forgive me, my classroom is in an uproar and…”

“Do you need help?” asked Princess Celestia. “You’ve raised your voice.”

“I need help spanking these two miscreants!” snorted the Professor. “I really cannot have these disruptions! I…”

“Pray continue, Professor,” soothed Princess Celestia. “I will take care of this. Twilight, your presence is needed in the palace.”

“Very well,” said Professor Hardhoof. “Miss Lulamoon! To the front of the class, this instant!”

Twilight and Princess Celestia exchanged a quick glance.

“Professor!” snapped Celestia, sternly. “I said I would take care of it. Miss Lulamoon! You as well. Come along! Will that do, Professor? Please bring your class to order, which I hope will not require corporal punishment. You know as well as I do that we haven’t needed to go through with that for eleven years.”

Professor Hardhoof stared at her. “Still! The disruption…”

“We told you we would attend to it!” said Princess Celestia. “Is that understood?”

His head drooped. “Yes, Princess.”

“Now, we had better remove these rather large fillies from your good classroom. Please continue with your lessons, in the absence of our disruption,” said Princess Celestia. “I promise these students will behave themselves in future. And you children, you are behaving yourselves as well, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Princess Celestia!” squeaked the awed schoolchildren.

“Twilight, Trixie, with me please,” decreed the Princess, and she swept out.

“Where are we going?” asked Twilight, still trembling.

“Two places,” replied Celestia briskly. “Numeric Essence has sought my audience, and has a very unusual question. I seek the advice and erudition of a noted unicorn scholar, in hopes of answering her plea. That would be you, Twilight.”

“She’s in the palace servants’ wing?” said Twilight, trying to keep up.

“No,” said Princess Celestia. “That was merely my initial intention. In addition, Chaos has proposed some unusual ideas to me, alarming ones at that. I had not considered them with any seriousness, but when I saw you cowering beneath the desk and your marefriend smirking at my good Professor and licking her chops, I could but marvel at my darling’s perspicacity. I suppose startling intuitive jumps are one of her special gifts that I had not given proper credence to.”

“What?” squeaked Twilight.

“In here,” ordered Princess Celestia.

The room was living quarters, but bare save for a bed, a cupboard, and a table. Though it was empty, it was still tidy. Princess Celestia swooped in, sat down on the bed, and took several deep breaths, her ears laid back in obvious concern.

Twilight’s heart began to pound. “Princess? Are you all right?”

“We… are not sure whether to believe her…”

“Who?” squeaked Twilight. “Chaos?”

“Can I go back to class now?” said Trixie. “I had a demonstration for the class.”

“Oh, you did, did you?” said Princess Celestia, her ears immediately perking forward in full alertness. Behind the two unicorn mares, the door clacked shut and locked. Twilight jumped, and looked fretfully behind her, then back at Celestia.

Trixie yawned. “Well, two of them. Trixie proposed to demonstrate things one can do with one’s horn, for a few of the students. If Trixie is any judge, they are soon to discover it for themselves!”

“Trixie, nooo!” squealed Twilight.

“All right,” admitted Trixie. “Really Trixie just wants to learn how hard the hoof of this Professor Hardhoof can be!”

Princess Celestia’s eyes had gone wide. She snorted with suppressed laughter, and muttered, “Verily, I do believe her.”

“Who?” wailed Twilight, distraught.

Princess Celestia’s horn flared to life. “Miss Lulamoon?” she said. “What did I tell the good Professor?”

“That you needed Twilight,” said Trixie uncertainly. “Why?”

“Before that.”

Trixie’s eyes widened.

Celestia began to grin. “Yes. That I would take care of it!”

Twilight’s face was a mask of horror. Trixie’s face lit up with wicked glee.

“You’ll have to catch me first!” cried Trixie, and made a dash for the door.

Before she got halfway there, a magical force seized her by the mane and hoisted her into the air. She let out an excited squee, and then dangled passively, too thrilled to fight—and without further ado, she was levitated over and draped across Celestia’s lap.

“Naughty little pony!” declared Princess Celestia, while Twilight made croaking noises and cowered back against the wall.

With that, Celestia’s long white hoof came down with a resounding slap, and spanked Trixie right across the bottom, right where it would jolt her frisky marehood most effectively.

Trixie let out a wild shriek, her legs kicking and her tail thrashing, and Celestia smacked her butt again even more sharply, and then the air bore the scent of mare-juices in earnest and Trixie came violently, stretched across Celestia’s lap, squirting little spurts of mare-come against Celestia’s fiercely paddling hoof. It didn’t alter Celestia’s aim a bit.

Twilight watched the Trixie-juice splash everywhere with each spank, and her own eyes were nearly larger than her actual face, and her mouth was such a cartoonish curve of dismay that it nearly curled down to scrape the floor.

Trixie let out a lusty yowl, and a little squirt of horncome sparkled out of her tiny horn-nubbin, and she melted across Celestia’s lap… only to be hoisted again, and laid tenderly on the floor.

Celestia didn’t get up. Her face was twisting, as if torn between that grin of wicked amusement and a sort of horror, and her eyes glittered with tears and held a shocking sort of vulnerable yearning. Twilight was frozen to the spot, looking at that expression, so strangely naked and hungry and fearful.

Celestia coughed, and her voice shook.

“Y—your turn.”

Twilight squeaked fillyishly, and wet herself.

She went bright red in the face, glancing down, then looking up with unbearable shame and guilt. Her mind threatened to snap. She considered trying to zap herself, on the spot, with a unicorn deathbolt, but knew she didn’t have nearly the magical control to pull it off, and then realized that she was following exactly the same line of thinking that had led to her being a wretched, unforgivable, sinful creature…

Princess Celestia saw the psychic meltdown in her eyes, and gasped three words. “Chaos WAS right!”

“Eeeee…” wailed Twilight, and then her freedom to act was gone.

Princess Celestia waited no longer. She seized Twilight by the mane, lifted her up, draped her just where Trixie had been, and the elegant white hoof came down just like it had in Twilight’s worst childhood nightmares, and just like it never, ever had in all Twilight’s young life… and the Princess paddled Twilight Sparkle’s disobedient ass with resounding whacks.

Twilight squealed and writhed, though she was not trying to get away, just thrashing in hysteria… and then, startlingly, she let out a guttural whoop, and she followed in Trixie’s hoofsteps. She bucked against Celestia’s lap, her body exploding in climax, and she let out another shriek, and horncome gushed out of her little purple horn in thick luminous gouts, a huge and exhausting full-unicorn orgasm.

Twilight had finally been punished for a lifetime of at first childish and then terrible misdeeds. Princess Celestia had put her over the royal knee and spanked her mercilessly. The beautiful and elegant royal hoof had pummeled her ass and smacked repeatedly against her little unicorn pussy… and she had come so hard that she’d been left a drooling, stunned puddle.

Instead of laying her beside Trixie on the floor, Princess Celestia, eyes brimming with tears, wrapped her in a fevered embrace.

“Oh, Twilight! She was right, so right about you! Oh, baby, it’s over, henceforth we shall not touch your sweet body so vindictively, never, ever again!”

From the floor came an “Awwww…” from a similarly sated Lulamoon.

Celestia blinked. “Yes. You, Trixie! You understand these things. Chaos got the idea from your predilections! Here, come here, help me soothe her!”

Trixie attempted to crawl up onto Celestia’s lap to join the stunned mind-blown Twilight, but was so limp she could only loll her head between Celestia’s thighs. She shoved further, and the Princess squeaked: Trixie’s muzzle had poked somewhere very royal indeed. With a glow of magic, Trixie was hoisted up and laid beside Twilight, to cuddle and console her.

Trixie didn’t do this at first. She was licking her lips, a gleam of merriment in her eye.

“Wh…” croaked Twilight. She took a breath. “What the heck just happened?”

“I’ve tasted something you haven’t tasted!” teased Trixie. She could not stop smiling.

“Oh, Twilight,” moaned Celestia, her voice still unsteady.

Trixie beamed at her. “Now I understand why Mistress loves you so much! You are the best Princess, ever!”

Twilight couldn’t lift her head. Her body was limp and glowing like never before, and a sense of blessed relief flooded through her, but her mind could not even think coherently, because every time it tried, it just shorted out. She made feeble fillyish noises, took another breath, and managed one word. “WHY?”

Celestia was trembling dreadfully. Twilight could feel it in her embrace, feel the passion and raw emotion that swept through the stately alicorn and shook her until she could barely speak.

“Y… you are in such an unusual position, dear Twilight,” she said. “You and Trixie. But mostly you…”

“Trixie is so happy for you both! As long as you share… and please spank Trixie like that some more, because wow!”

Princess Celestia snorted. The remark seemed to bring her to her senses and clear her mind. “Peace! Perhaps. And do not presume! Chaos suggested several things, knowing me as well as she does. Among them, that Twilight suffered from a sort of perverse guilt and attachment. As for figuring out your intentions to be spanked, dear Trixie, that I did myself. Do not disrupt my Magic Kindergarten classes with naughty lechery!”

“Why should Trixie do that?” cooed Trixie. “You’re much better at naughty lechery than that stuffy teacher. Agreed!”

Celestia shook her head. “I only mean to say, Chaos knows me almost better than I know myself, from thousands of years back, and in Discord form she quickly came to suspect there was… feeling, between Twilight and I! As Discord, she investigated Twilight closely, even inspecting her body directly or so I’m told, and she decided that I and Twilight struggled with… I suppose I must call it incestuous feelings, fiercely suppressed on both sides. And so I struggled terribly when Twilight found you, Trixie, and behaved dreadfully, and Twilight… well, we need not discuss that further. Twilight suffered worse, if that is possible, when I went with Chaos.”

Trixie nuzzled both Twilight and the Princess weakly, licking her lips again with a connoisseur’s thoughtfulness. “Trixie didn’t realize you were just as much a repressed lesbian as Twilight. Are you sure you’re going to share?”

“I am no such thing!” retorted Celestia, laying her ears back. “I am straight! …ish! I just had to open my mind, because my true love Swirlie turns into things and is actually a mare now! It was more important to love him… ah, her… than to fuss over body parts, truly! I assure you, I am no lesbian, just formidably openminded and influenced by my chaotic darling!”

Trixie blinked in puzzlement. She licked her lips yet again. Her eyes glanced down, to where those lips had been moistened. They rose to meet Celestia’s, and the Princess began to blush worse and worse.

“All right,” mumbled Celestia. “Very well! Prithee, understand our plight, it is a lot to get used to. It is hard to keep up with all this! Understand, we did not respond thus when spanking you, naughty little pony. Nor, indeed, when seizing Twilight! But feeling her dear little body shudder, seeing her sweet horn’s release…” She fell silent, trembling again and looking away.

Twilight squirmed weakly, trying to look Celestia in the eye. “Y… you wanted me? For how long?”

“I would never take advantage of a filly in my care!” cried Princess Celestia, shaking worse. “Never! No matter how sweet, how adorable, how a—attractive…”

Trixie hmphed. “Mistress is not your filly. I’ve told her that over and over but she refused to listen. She has always reacted to you as if you were some frowning, demanding mother, eternally judging her.”

Celestia hid her face in Twilight’s mane for a moment. Trixie’s heart went out to her at the gesture, for it was so unforced.

“Understand me, Trixie,” said Celestia. “I have Chaos now. Starswirl was my true love and Chaos is him, as a little alicorn mare. If there is an eternal, we will share it. We do not have nearly as much time to share your sweet lives. You now have each other. If it means anything to Twilight that she too has my fullest, deepest love, well, she has that. Furthermore, Chaos assures me that if it is needful, she will allow me to spend a pony lifetime with Twilight and with you. Because Sw…” She choked up. “She loves me that much… and she is not going anywhere.”

Trixie just gazed into those ageless eyes, marvelling at the depths of emotion. Truly, she and Twilight had ended up in a very special position.

Twilight didn’t seem to notice that Celestia had avowed her timeless love for Chaos. She’d got stuck on an earlier sentence. “Y… you’re in love with me?” she squeaked, her heart pounding, her mind spinning.

“But loving Chaos taught me things about why it has been so difficult for me in the past!” continued Celestia. “To recognize that I could have feelings I did not admit to myself, feelings for the mare’s body, urges and curiosities I dared not pursue. The dissonance, still reacting as if you were my filly charge, Twilight, and yet you became so much more. And then things went in a sad direction… but we all got through it, didn’t we? And it proved that you are so utterly not the adored little filly I once knew.”

Twilight nodded weakly. “Uh-huh,” she said, and winced.

“And yet, seeing you under that desk… Oh, Twilight, silly Twilight. Perhaps there is a part of you that will always remind me of those days. But I do not have to keep you chaste to prevent my own impure thoughts, not now! Though Chaos has expressed a hunch you might like to pretend yourself to be chaste and innocent, like the filly you were with me…”

Twilight’s jaw dropped. “How does he know that?” she blurted, turning red again.

Trixie beamed, and Celestia’s eyes twinkled affectionately. “Goodness, Twilight,” said the Princess. “I wonder how long you’ve had that one? It seems that both of us kept some feelings under wraps. Twilight, Twilight… I am NOT your mother. And even though Chaos was right, and I triggered pent-up feelings of many kinds by the long-awaited spanking of a certain guilty and naughty filly… it doesn’t have to be that way.” She bit her lip. “Perhaps one day I will touch you more kindly. Chaos does not object.”

Twilight boggled at her. “Are you seriously coming on to me? Oh my gosh, this is impossible! How? What are you saying?”

“You only have one life to live, dear Twilight. Our comingled lives have already gone to unthinkably strange places. Chaos loves me very much. W… when I lost you to Time, Chaos saw the sharpness of my grief, and pressed me playfully and doggedly until she unearthed things I had not dreamt of. And she has all the time in Equestria, as do I, but you and Trixie do not. And cowardice must not limit us in this our one chance for fully shared love…”

“You hated Trixie,” said Twilight. “I lost you, to have Trixie.”

“I will not stand between you and Trixie,” said Celestia determinedly. “Like any mare, you may select your true love. I am not that, Twilight, nor are you mine: I, and you, are… something else. I do not grieve that Miss Lulamoon slipped in and won your heart. It’s for the best. She’s quite won mine by now, believe it or not. We are ponies, after all. Our hearts may seek one truest home, but they overflow, they have room to love beyond just that.”

Twilight’s heart pounded. “But you’re saying you want me, too. Since I won’t be around forever, and you will. And you still love me, and even Trixie. And now you like mares too…”

“Swirlie says I should let myself have… candy,” said Princess Celestia, softly. She closed her eyes, and nuzzled Twilight’s mane. “And so should you.”

Twilight was speechless. She stared at nothing, while Trixie snuggled cheerfully up and her beloved mentor nuzzled tenderly at her neck, her small and curvy unicorn body tense in disbelief and sheer amazement.

Then, Twilight gave a soft little cry like a tiny bird making its first flight into the big blue sky—and one more scintillating dribble of horngasm dribbled out of the tip of her horn—and she melted against the two mares, one small and one so large, who loved her so unworthily much until she could not bear to deny them for another second.

There was a sharp rapping at the door.

Twilight squalled, and scrabbled against her beloveds frantically.

The door opened, and a puzzled pale mint-green face poked in.

“They told me you had come here,” said Numeric Essence. “Does this mean we are to meet up here and then proceed to the thamaturgical library where I had been told you’d be?”

Twilight stared at the over-rational near-alicorn, her brain doing hysterical flips. She glanced to either side, and saw that both Celestia and Trixie wore identical ‘caught misbehaving’ expressions… and something about that cheered her immensely. She wasn’t the only pony who got caught making an enormous mess.

Trixie wiped frantically at her muzzle with the back of a hoof, apparently in the belief that getting caught with alicorn juice on your lips was dangerously bad palace protocol. She wasn’t blushing like Celestia was, but she seemed determined not to screw up what she deemed a very good arrangement.

“Did you need to meet with us about something?” said Twilight. “Princess Celestia pulled me out of class.”

Numeric Essence nodded, eagerly. “Yes indeed! I hoped to question you about your experiences. I am sure you will help me make my decision, with your invaluable knowledge.”

Twilight smiled proudly, feeling appreciated.

“But first we must see the palace doctor,” said Numeric Essence, “about electrolyte imbalances and retention of excessive amounts of calcium carbonate.”

Twilight blinked. “What?”

“Well, clearly there is a pony here so troubled by these things that she is compelled to urinate on the floor!” said Numeric Essence. “This must surely be more urgent than my little meeting, so we can wait until that is attended to.”

The smile fell away from Twilight’s face, but it snuck onto that of Celestia and Trixie.

“Pray do not trouble yourself with such things,” said Princess Celestia briskly. “I assure you there is no emergency, and I’ll have a servant tidy up the room, never fear. Follow me!”

She swept out, looking a bit flushed and disheveled but defying anypony to fault her for it, and Trixie, Twilight, and Numeric Essence trotted after her.

Essence dropped her head, and peered at first Trixie’s, then Twilight’s rump, sniffing. “Were you having rough sex?”

Twilight squeaked, blushing, and Trixie hesitated, then brazenly replied “Yes, we were!”

“Oh, all right,” said Numeric Essence blithely, and trotted on, unperturbed.

As they approached the library, Numeric Essence said, “Now that we are in the place Princess Celestia deemed suitable for this discussion, I would like to ask you, Twilight Sparkle, about your choice to become a unicorn again.”

Twilight froze in her tracks, and stared at the elegant pale-green winged figure. “What?”

Essence blinked. “You’ll forgive me for suggesting it, but I am not certain alicorn status is desirable. Magic has altered my form, but to complete the transformation I must reach out and use the magic to enact something of consequence. As is my custom, I instead reach out with my mind to understand, for that is my nature. It would appear that, should I engage with this process using my magic, my powers will increase exponentially, perhaps to an uncontrollable degree.”

Twilight could only stare.

“I am not convinced this outcome is desirable,” said Numeric Essence calmly. “It seems to me that the things I can provide the world owe little to raw magical force, and much to my ratiocination. I’ve been told you embody the element of friendship, which is magic. Did an exponential increase in your magical force help you be a better friend, Twilight?”

She peered curiously at the little purple unicorn, noticing secretions of the tear ducts, flattening of the ears against the head, marked palpitations of the hocks of the hind legs, seizing of the lower lip between the teeth…

Princess Celestia stepped in front of Twilight, protectively, as Twilight trembled and cried.

“Miss Essence, I believe the answer you are being given is ‘no’,” said Celestia firmly. “Please don’t press her further. We are all overjoyed to have our old Twilight back, and she is doing very well in her recovery. I did not realise the exact angle of questioning you proposed to use.”

“Did she not wish to give the power up?” asked Numeric Essence. “Her reaction suggests unhappiness.”

On the far side of Celestia, Twilight audibly sobbed. The Princess enfolded her in a vast, soft, white wing, and Twilight sheltered herself in that embrace.

“You’re not wrong,” said Celestia. “I’ll explain some other time, Miss Essence. Our conversation is over, for now.”

“Certainly,” said Essence. “If I may say so, this only increases my reticence. This behavior seems not well thought out…”

Galloping hooves approached, accompanied by shrill wailing. It was an odd, awkward gallop, and thunderously heavy, like some burly Royal Guard. Around the corner and down the hall came a spring-green weeping cannonball with cute little horn: Lyra, grossly pregnant, her face a rather softened and rounded mask of woe.

Celestia’s eyes widened, and she released Twilight to dart forward and catch the blindly galloping unicorn mare in a field of protective magic. “Lyra! Cease! Prithee, desist with the literal bouncing off walls, in your condition!”

Behind her came more galloping, first a set of lighter hooves and then a still more thunderous, floor-shaking charge. First to appear was Chaos, her expression fretful. Then, Princess Luna lumbered into view and her visage was dire.

“THIS IS CRAP!” bellowed Luna, in full Royal Canterlot Voice, puffing and sweating.

“Stop it, both of you!” insisted Celestia. “What would Fluttershy say if she saw you carrying on in this manner? What would Granny Smith, or Rainbow Dash tell you?”

Luna pouted, glowering. “In truth, sister, young Dash would laud the exercise and running.” She drew a deep breath. “IF NOT THE PETULANT CRAP!”

“YOU DON’T LOVE ME ANYMORE! YOU THINK I’M UGLY!” howled Lyra, in a tearful rage.

“WE SAID NOTHING OF THE SORT, WHELP!” retorted Luna, her Royal Canterlot Voice easily matching the little unicorn’s hysterical shrieks.

Celestia stamped a hoof. “CEASE!” she roared, her voice like a thunderclap, and both pregnant mares fell silent.

Numeric Essence’s ears were laid back, for the first time that Twilight had ever witnessed. She hesitantly said, “Is this, too, what one can expect upon assuming an alicorn’s powers?”

Luna was baring her teeth, panting with exertion. “Nay. Perhaps it is what one can expect upon assuming the foal of a unicorn WHELP!”

“I HATE YOU!” squealed Lyra frenziedly. “I’ll never forget what you said, never!”

“Stop!” demanded Celestia, and they did. Celestia took a deep breath, uninterrupted by mare mayhem, gathering her thoughts. Twilight peered from behind Celestia, who was physically sheltering her again, and noticed that Chaos was likewise rattled and at a loss for what to do.

“Lyra,” said Celestia evenly, “perhaps my sister did not mean every word as you think she did. May I ask what she said that caused this, this…” and she ground to a halt, struggling for a diplomatic description, “…tiff?”

Lyra’s eyes were huge and tearful. Her lip quivered, and she trembled, plainly trying to control herself and answer the Princess.

“Looney s—said my h—horn looked f—f—fat!”

“No, thick,” retorted Luna exasperatedly. Hearing this, Lyra flung herself to the ground with an earsplitting wail of heartbroken anguish.

“WILL THOU SETTLE THY SELF THE FUCK DOWN?” yelled Luna, her ears laid back, her mane seemingly crackling with fury as it waved.

“Mistress!” hissed Trixie, urgently. “Trixie thinks that girl has had enough of Princesses for the day!”

Though alarmed, Twilight nodded. “You may be right…”

“Princess?” said Trixie. “May we try to help?”

Celestia sighed. “Mayhap you had better. Yes! Use the library. Perhaps she will shriek less if she notices she is in a library?”

“I certainly hope so!” said Twilight.

Unhesitatingly, Twilight and Trixie moved to Lyra’s sides, coaxing her to rise. “Come on, Lyra,” urged Twilight. “We’ll take care of you.”

Lyra got up, and staggered against them, tears flooding her cheeks. “She hates… she…”

“Girl!” snapped Trixie, and Lyra squealed in alarm, suddenly remembering times that Trixie Lulamoon had been furious with her.

Trixie drew back and slapped Lyra’s spring-green rump with her hoof, causing an extraordinary rippling effect that wobbled back and forth across Lyra’s posterior… and then, Lyra was fleeing into the Library, still frantic with hysterical emotion. They heard a crash.

“Trixieee!” wailed Twilight.

Trixie smirked. “After you? If Trixie goes first, that girl will only knock over more bookshelves.”

Twilight blanched, and zipped into the library, her horn already lighting up with its mission of picking up the spilled books. Trixie lifted her nose high, and strutted after her, well pleased.

Numeric Essence, her ears laid back again, glanced at the Princesses.

“I think being a unicorn will prove to be enough!” she said earnestly. “Thank you, you have answered my question.” She gulped. “I—if you will pardon me? I will go be with this hysterical and violent pregnant unicorn, where it’s safe.”

She scampered after Lyra, Twilight and Trixie, and closed the door after herself for good measure. Princess Celestia stared at the closed door in astonishment, and glanced at her abashed Chaos… and then, looked at her sister, and all was explained.

Luna’s teeth were still gritted, her mane still shot off thaumic sparks, and she still held the same pose she’d been in when she bellowed at Lyra in full Canterlot Voice, that last time. Her body was so tense it was vibrating, and she appeared ready to explode. Seeing this, Celestia wanted no part of alicornhood either, but then she gathered herself and took a deep breath. It was just Luna on a very, very bad day.

“Dear Sister,” said Celestia cautiously, “are you well? Is there anything Chaos or I can do to ease your, your…”

She trailed off. ‘Psychotic rage’ seemed an impolitic description. Eyes screwed shut, Luna banged the floor with her forehoof once, twice, thrice, and took a deep breath. Her eyes opened. “FINE! WE ARE FINE, PRAY EASE NOTHING, WE ARE PERFECTLY C… C… calm…”

Celestia gazed levelly at her little sister. Luna’s wings drooped.

“Crap,” said the Princess of the Night. “We are a fearsome spectacle, aren’t we?”

Celestia’s eyes crinkled upwards at the corners with fondness. “Methinks ‘we’ can’t help it, sometimes,” she said gently.

Luna took several deep breaths, her expression sour. “We will bloody have to apologize. Again.”

“Perhaps,” said Celestia. “In truth, it appeared to me you two were evenly matched for wrath.”

Luna’s nostrils flared again. “We only mentioned it in passing! Her horn DOTH appear thicker! Not nearly as thick as her arse, and that in turn is insultingly nothing compared to mine, curse it!”

“How near to term are you, then?” suggested Celestia, deftly changing the subject. Both Lyra and her royal lover had been managing their moods by copious use of the palace kitchens, notably the brilliant patissier. He tended to strut about, filled with pride, heckled by hungry nobles, for the royal pregnant mares hoovered up his very best pastries and desserts.

Surprisingly, Fluttershy this time around had not ballooned up nearly so much as she’d done in her first pregnancy. It wasn’t because she was a vampire: she had been one the previous time, and had even done the unbeating-heart trick after her labor. She’d admitted bashfully that she hadn’t remembered to beat her heart until the day after, but nopony thought to re-check the heartbeat of a standing, radiant mare nursing her foal and talking to her friends, so she’d got away with it.

No, this time around Fluttershy kept fit for one simple reason: Rainbow Dash was coaching her, and fought off Pinkie Pie’s blandishments and candies by a combination of exhortation, cunning and cunnilingus. Pinkie still wanted to feed Fluttershy cakes and pies, of course, but after Rainbow, Zecora and Cloud Chaser had licked her into submission, she couldn’t walk and Fluttershy had a respite from those sweet temptations.

Luna passed a hoof dramatically across her brow, then hastily returned it to the floor to support her weight. “It cannot be soon enough! Methinks it be measured in weeks rather than months, but we cannot be sure. Old Granny Smith believes Lyra and I are likely to enter labor together, at such time that our bodies feel is fitting. Hearing this, Fluttershy pleaded to join us.”

“Good heavens,” said Celestia. “All three of you?”

“Granny Smith appeared angry and alarmed,” said Luna. “Old worry-wart that she is.”

“She was expecting to attend Fluttershy,” said Celestia, “but perhaps not at the same time as you.”

Luna shivered. “Prithee, tell us again there is naught to fear. We did not relish the trepidation on the old nag’s face.”

Celestia tsked. “Nag, yet?”

“She does!” protested Luna, eyes going wide. “She is a pest, a veritable plague! She makes us walk, and watches us pee!”

“She is midwifing royal foals,” reminded Celestia, “and, moreover, her grandson seeded them. Please bear this in mind.”

Luna sighed. “All right. Can’t be much longer now.” She bit her lip. “Celly, I’m frightened. It’s so big. It’s going to hurt. We mention that, and Fluttershy smirks dreadfully, her and Rainbow Dash, and they say oh yes, it does.”

“It will be all right, sister,” soothed Celestia.

“A lot you know!” wailed Luna, distraught. “How long has it been since you’ve even horncome, much less given birth?”

Celestia winced. She’d never been pregnant, and the last time she’d allowed her horn that sort of release had been in the days of Starswirl. Nothing about mares really compared to it, though she reminded herself to be grateful she had anything at all. Luna caught the flicker of dismay on her face, and cried, “Oh, sister! Pray forgive me, we did not mean to hurt you!”

“Not a bit of it,” protested Celestia. “In truth, you are right: I know nothing of pregnancy.”

“In truth you are missing nothing,” snorted Luna. “It’s appalling and a filthy disgrace and we are fed up with it!”

Chaos had been watching politely. “I could turn it into a snake on the way out?” she suggested.

“The hell you will,” retorted Luna, proudly. “Granny Smith will flay you for the very idea, mind your tongue.”

“Sorry,” said Chaos, ears drooping. “I was only trying to help. I’ll be good, truly I will.” She blinked. “Speaking of good, did my eyes deceive me or were you, Celly, with Twilight and Trixie? What brought them into your company? And what is that on your hoof?” she gasped, examining Celestia’s foreleg more closely, sniffing, then turning to her with dancing eyes.

Celestia sighed. “Indeed it is, dearest. I would not have believed it, but you were correct in every particular.”

Chaos squealed a little squee of delight. “You didn’t!”

“I did,” admitted Celestia. “I spanked both of them—yes, including Twilight.”

“What happened?” gasped Chaos, as Luna stared in amazement.

“They came. Both of them. In fact they, ah, squirted: both of them.” Celestia was trembling faintly. “It was… difficult. I cannot say it was bad. Very complicated, very very complicated. But it would seem there is hope, for them and indeed for myself. I fear you were right about me, as well.”

Luna banged her hoof on the floor, grinning. “Knew it! We knew you were sweet on that mare! You were always a sucker for that sort of power in a unicorn!”

“Oh, Luna, please!” begged Celestia. “Be kind! It is so difficult to get used to!”

At that, Luna composed herself, growing serious. “We can well imagine! Hmph. Nay, but listen, dear sister, listen to me now if ever you have deemed my wisdom worth an ear!”

“I’m listening,” said Celestia winsomely. Chaos nuzzled up against her, staying quiet.

“It’s true,” said Luna. “There is always hope. Take it from one who has erred gravely in the past. We suspected for years that you’d developed feelings for that mare, but you were so fearsomely stubborn about it. Very likely it drove her tragic path, in turn…”

“It did,” admitted Celestia. A tear glimmered in her eye.

“Hush,” said Luna. “What’s done is done. And hope is not only for you, though you deserve it! Perhaps your Twilight will find a measure of peace, and hope of her own, now.” She snorted. “Better than making cow-eyes at you all the time, and then going insane every alternate Tuesday.”

“Oh, Wednesday, surely,” said Chaos.

“What do you mean, ‘alternate’?” joked Princess Celestia, wiping away a tear with the back of her hoof. She gave a snort, her ears laying back, having got a solid whiff of Trixie And Twilight Nectar, freshly bottled and dispensed thanks to Princess-spankings.

Chaos giggled. “Oh, Celly! Do you need me to give you a few decades alone with them? I had other plans, but you know… at least I’m not stone, and I can find fun things to do…”

“Nay,” said Celestia. “We will fit it all in, somehow.” She blinked, and stared hard at her sister. “Trixie did not seem frightened of you this time. And I nearly was, sister, for your countenance was dire!”

Luna winced, her ears laying back in turn. “Ouch. We shall have to apologize, undoubtedly. And you are mistaken, for we saw her shrink from our presence… but there is some truth to what you say. Trixie is Twilight’s, and she knows it. She attends kindergarten classes with her Twilight, and is as happy as I have ever seen. And, sister? I think Twilight will be happier in the few years she has, than in the eternity she lost. Something has gone very right. But all the more if you have mended fences! How in Equestria did you manage that? We would not have considered it possible from you, at least not this promptly!”

Celestia heaved a big sigh. “It was dreadfully frightening. Disorderly, you might say. How fitting that it was Chaos’s idea. Is there anything more that I can do for you, dear sister?”

Luna took a hard look at her sister Celestia, all trembling and frazzled from her great, brave efforts to transcend her nature and heal every ill. Then, Luna studied Chaos, loving and loyal as a puppy, plainly besotted beyond reason with the tall, regal white alicorn, and the Princess of the Night knew what to do.

“Yes, Celly. Go! Go take Chaos and get away from our fretful, bloated presence, at once, and take a break!”

“Oh, Luna, I wouldn’t call you bloated…”

“Nevertheless!” declaimed Princess Luna. “You need a rest. For how long have we known and loved you? How many things have you taken on lately? Leave this morass of balky, pregnant mares and go with Chaos and enjoy each other! Perhaps out in the open air where you can have a pretty view?”

Celestia glanced at Chaos, who peered earnestly back at her and said, “You’ve only to wish it, my very dearest. I shan’t bully you into anything, but I am, as they say, at your disposal.”

Celestia felt herself sinking into those devoted eyes. “It’s all obligations these days,” she sighed. “Do you think I am due for a little vacation?”

Chaos capered adorably. “Vacation, that’s the word! I know just the thing. We can even be ever so responsible, in case of…” and she waggled her eyebrows, “Extensive Blast Radius, and go back to…”

Chaos went white, suddenly, words failing her.

“Honey?” suggested Celestia. “Is this some randomness thing?”

“Oh, sweet Celestia,” moaned Chaos, her ears laid back against her head.

“Yes, I’m right here,” said Celestia acerbically.

“No, I mean… Crowbar! We forgot Crowbar!”

Princess Celestia’s eyes bugged out. Her jaw dropped. “SWIRLIE! We must fly at once, how many months has it been? For heaven’s sake, Swirlie, you left him the size of a damn kitten and we both forgot about it completely in all the excitement!”

“Sister!” cried Luna forlornly, but it was too late. Both the Alicorn of Order and the Alicorn of Chaos were gone, racing frantically for the mountains of Los Pegasus.

Luna drooped, and hung her head. Making a face, she turned, and she trudged back down the hall. Before long, she’d turned the corner.

Behind her, the Library door clicked open. A tearful and very round Lyra appeared, her lip quivering, shadowy mares behind her urging her on cheerfully. Lyra half-staggered, half-trotted down the hall, all the faster when she heard the receding hoofbeats ahead. Her eyes widened, luminous with strong emotion, pleading as she staggered quicker, bursting into tears anew as she rounded the corner herself…

“I’m sorrreeeee…” came the muffled wail.

Then, the loud sounds were gone from that Canterlot corridor, and soft sounds ruled the day.

Sounds of kissing, impassioned besotted kissing and hugging, mingled with the gentle clunks of Lyra’s and Luna’s horns rubbing against each other in unicorn kisses.

One sob of gratitude and joy came around the corner, and then the two mates made their way cautiously back to their room.

The mountains of Los Pegasus were still where the two alicorns had left them. The trench blasted by Chaos was still there as well, easy to spot as the heights offered little or no life to mask scars in the rock. But Crowbar was nowhere, nowhere to be found, though Chaos flew about frantically.

“Oh, honey, don’t!” protested Celestia. “We’ll share the blame. It’s been ages, just accept it!”

Chaos lit with light hooves upon the mountainside. “But I’m sure I saw a trail! It’s very old, but I think it was tiny hooves! Heading back toward Ponyville, I think!”

“You surely don’t think he’d wait here?” said Celestia. “We had gone! He was naught but a retarded earth pony, dearest, he could not sense our presence. Where did you think he’d go? Why do you panic that he’s loose?”

“But I should be responsible for him! He can be dangerous to… ah. Indeed.”

Celestia nodded. “You say the hoofprints were tiny?”

“Exceedingly.”

“I think he will not unduly upset any mare he impulsively mounts,” said Celestia. Her ear twitched, hard. “And I would not put it past him, particularly with his fondness for a big flank. I doubt he can even reach them now. Yes, we shall inquire after sightings of tiny phallic horses in nearby towns, but it would appear your pet has made his escape.”

“I’m so sorry!” blurted Chaos.

“I, as well,” muttered Celestia. “There seems no end to our travails. I suppose it is well that Twilight is sorted out.” She twitched again. “I’m not sure I am sorted out. Oh, Chaos! Everything is so disordered. I suppose you delight in it, but I cannot.”

Chaos’s lip quivered. “Not when it’s making you sad, my love.”

“I’ll have to be brave,” sighed Celestia. “We’ll get to the end of this eventually.” She winced. “That goes for Twilight as well. Yes, as alarming as it is, I am pleased the relationship with Twilight Sparkle is so shockingly reinvented. We’ll doubtless see more of her little end, and that of her Trixie,  but we shall also see their lives end—and I would like their time here to be one of love, with all their dreams realized.”

Chaos gulped. “So, too, would I like your time to be.”

Celestia softened. “Oh, honey. Don’t fret. I’ll have you, and so much of our amends have been driven by your curious intuition and unaccountable instinct. I wouldn’t have dreamed half of this, yet I am truly grateful. I am not complete without you.”

“That instinct… continues,” said Chaos. “Let me soothe your jangled feelings, my love.”

Celestia blinked. “How?”

In answer, Chaos’s slender little horn lit, and a faint noise came from behind her. It was a delicate wet splip, and thereafter a gleaming metal cylinder was revealed, floating around to take its place between the two lovers, and Chaos’s eyes never left Celestia’s.

Princess Celestia gave another sigh, but a gentle one. “Oh, Chaos. Yes. I would adore to make love to you again, sweet pretty greedy thing.”

“No.”

The voice was deep, and the jolt of familiarity froze Celestia where she stood.

Before her eyes, Chaos invoked chaos magic and transformed into Starswirl the Bearded, the old reprobate, her lover from thousands of years past—but, due to the nature of alicorns, with female parts. In front of his nose, the magic bit floated temptingly.

He cleared his throat, and he spoke in his old manner, and the sound of every word sent thrills through her body.

“I have always loved you. I loved you beyond death, beyond gender. Now I know how you felt, dearest, for I’ve tasted life as a mare and indeed I am a greedy thing: it has taken this long to return to you, thanks to my vagina-madness and the amount of work we have both done around the palace. You really are Order, aren’t you? Never have you shirked your duties and come after me, even knowing my shapeshifting abilities. It’s like you forgot I could do this. I almost wondered if I should.”

Celestia couldn’t speak. She gulped, staring at him as if either he or she were mad.

“You’ve taught me much about responsibility,” rumbled Starswirl. “I promise to continue to learn. But it is time that you, in turn, learned from me. It’s good you care for your subjects so tirelessly, but you must be cared for too, you’re looking frazzled and pent-up. I would know, beloved. I do know. I have known every inch of you. It is time for you to learn the lessons of Chaos. It’s time you learned to let go.”

Princess Celestia whimpered. Behind her, a drip of juice hit the rock, not missed by Starswirl.

“I promise, also,” he said, “that afterward we’ll go and tidy up all the loose ends. But first, there is a priceless, matchless end before me, that needs to be… loosened. Just a notch.” He licked his lips, his eyes flaring with that entrancing ravenousness he’d had in life.

“Not in the butt!” squeaked Princess Celestia, blushing madly. Her legs were shaking until they threatened to topple her.

Starswirl’s grin increased in wickedness. “I could make you guess what I’ll do to you—to a point—but you know what I like. No, I do not propose to hurt you in quite that way, beloved. But isn’t the uncertainty piquant?”

Celestia whimpered again, and dripped again. The air caught the sound of her vagina’s wink, a dainty little squelch.

“Turn around,” ordered Starswirl the Bearded, and Princess Celestia, forgetting all decorum, scrambled to do just that, her wings and limbs flailing, and stood bracing herself with her elegant alabaster rump facing her long-lost lover… and she heard the clink of the bit in his teeth, and knew it was no trick.

He reared, and the awkward heavy weight came down upon her again, as always bearing her down slightly due to his paunch. The young and athletic pegasus guards had always sniggered at him for that. He’d never cared, he’d laughed at them, for he knew, how he knew. They weren’t even in the running, and it didn’t matter in the least. His Princess had other concerns.

“AHH!” screamed Celestia, and her heart went from double-time to triple-time. He’d made a jabbing motion with his rather dumpy hips, and something impossibly thick had prodded a few inches into her, and withdrawn before she could even tense up.

His forelegs tightened around her waist. She felt her body go into a volley of shuddering, winking and squirting juice, as if it had flown into a frenzy of trying to attract the recalcitrant stallion, and just when she felt her mind would snap if he taunted her an instant longer…

Starswirl’s massive, fat, lengthy cock began to firmly press into her, and Celestia’s mind unraveled with pleasure.

She squealed and shook, stamping the ground with a forehoof as she took him, feeling his girth split and strain her. Nopony, nopony had ever compared, not even Crowbar, for Crowbar didn’t feel like this: he felt like some dim enamored placid beast with a huge cock, but there wasn’t the sense of control, a control that was not her own, that intoxicating spark and danger.

As she entertained that thought, her royal vagina melted around him just for a moment… and with a grunt, Starswirl plunged another foot of stiff horsecock into her, with that deceptive suddenness he had, wicked evil terrifying suddenness such as might turn a poor mare to jelly.

Celestia let out a whoop, staring up to the sky, her mouth gaping in awe and her eyes bugging out in delighted terror. Oh, he was back, he was back!

Her body had clamped down onto him, and her mind reeled. He seemed to be penetrating her to the breastbone, doing her like she’d done Chaos, but with that magical sense of understanding and drama he’d gone motionless and she could just hear the faint wet noises from between them. The sounds of a mare trying to compress a damned treetrunk… Celestia’s heart hammered. Swirlie could frighten an alicorn that stood half again taller than him. She shook like the leaves of that trunk’s tree, knowing he-

She let out another guttural yelp. Starswirl had given a sharp tug, but she was clenched so tight onto him that he didn’t slide. Instead, her whole insides jolted backwards, attached to his massive cock. She staggered, and began to emit giddy wails with every breath, her butt clenching against the absurdly girthy shaft transfixing her royal vagina.

Starswirl, tenderly and tightly clutching his mare, had been waiting for that moment. Sweating, he began to shift his hips, at first gently, and then with greater and greater insistence. It began as irresistible pulls and pushes, force applied to her insides that brooked no denial and sent her pounding heart into her throat… and then, her juicy lubrication kicked in, and bulky flesh slid against hers despite the tightness, and Celestia howled like an animal, feeling her stallion begin to squeeze back and forth inside her, feeling the hungry throb in her and the greedy shoves, the ravenous personality of his lovemaking, devouring her erotically like she was the most special princess in the whole entire universe and he hungered to eat her right up, to make her explode with excitement and burst within her…

“Do it,” he panted, his voice leering but so happy.

“Uhhhh!” groaned Celestia. “NggAAHHH!” She tossed her head, and then let out another shriek as Starswirl transfixed her with another  bold, hungry thrust against her deepest depths.

“It’s been… thousandsofyears… love…” he grunted. “Let’s… discharge you!”

Celestia shook her head, and bared her teeth in delicious anguish, riding that dangerous wave that was the sensations he created inside her. “Aaahhnnnnhh!”

“Come… for me,” he gritted, bearing down, swelling throbbingly within her pelvis. He tugged and shoved his hips, stirring her, keeping his lover slick and juicy against the ruthless tightness.

“NNNNHHH!” howled Princess Celestia, her mane all disheveled, her eyes not even seeing the mountain anymore, only her own private mountain that seemed to be wedged up her vagina and beginning to churn. She screwed her eyes shut, and began to thrash in his grip.

“Come f’r me!” roared Starswirl through his teeth, pouring sweat, and he abandoned the sudden alarming movements and just set up a deep powerful thrusting, fucking his alicorn Princess boldly and hanging on tight.

“AIIEEEEEEE!”

Princess Celestia’s eyes flew open, and they were blinding pools of white light.

Her body convulsed upon his cock… and the whole world seemed to erupt in light. It blasted out of Celestia’s horn, and shot up into the sky like a reversed lightning bolt, but far bigger. It was a bolt of horngasm like nothing Equestria had ever seen, of a thickness and intensity that would obliterate anything in its path, and skyward it went with a deafening thunderclap.

Starswirl grunted, and let go, gushing magic horsecome into his Princess, and the bolt of royal horngasm bloomed outward until it seemed to surround them… and then, even as he shuddered and felt his spasms die away and the last spurts of semen pump into Celestia, the light show stopped. Celestia gave a hoarse, ragged cry, and collapsed under him, completely stricken, her body a feverish puddle in his grasp.

Starswirl shook his head. He dismounted, tugging his deflating cock out of her still-clenching Princess-pussy. There was no question of her perishing in the experience—she sprawled bonelessly, her tongue hanging out, eyes rolled back in her head and a huge sloppy smile on her face, and Starswirl could see her heart pounding through the arteries in her neck. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen or even imagined his beloved Celestia so utterly plowed under by pleasure, and his heart sang with joy and pride as he looked.

Then, Starswirl looked up.

The crescent moon greeted him, faintly visible above the horizon in the clear late-afternoon sky.

Unfortunately, it was supposed to be nearly full.

He dropped the magic bit on the ground, and said “Eep!” in the voice of Chaos.

“Ahhgggg…” crooned Princess Celestia, drooling happily onto the grass.

Starswirl’s horn flashed with panicked chaos magic, and the fat unicorn stallion disappeared, replaced by the petite ice-blue alicorn mare. She squealed in dismay, hopping up and down. “Celly! Celly!”

“Uhhhnnnnn…”

“Wake up, Celly, pleeeease!”

Princess Celestia wriggled feebly on the grass. Chaos bent down imploringly, looking her right in the face. Princess Celestia licked her nose. “Ohhh, baby…” she moaned, ecstatically.

“There’s been an accident!” wailed Chaos. “Oh, please, it’s important!”

The Princess shook her head, and in a determined effort rolled onto her chest. “Mmmm. I love you so much, baby, every which way…”

“Look up!” squeaked Chaos frantically.

Celestia looked up, and squinted into the sky. She looked puzzled for seconds, the endorphins flooding her brain and getting in the way of coherent thought, and then her eyes widened.

“Oops,” said Princess Celestia.

“Luna’s gonna kill me!” squealed Chaos. “She can probably feel it! She’ll totally notice the next time she has to move that moon! Oh, Celly, what do we do?”

Celestia squinted, and shook her head again. A wave of reverberating pleasure caused her tongue to loll for a moment again, and her eyes to roll back, but she fought her way free of that dizzy state, and focussed her attention on Chaos. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Can we fix it?”

“I don’t know how we’d even try!”

Celestia set her jaw. “We’ll do it like Twilight and Trixie do.”

Chaos’s eyes widened. “You mean…”

“Meld with me. Now, while I’m… ahnnn… pliant.”

Chaos looked stunned. “But… an alicorn and a unicorn stallion…”

“You’re an alicorn too, idiot,” said Celestia, and gave Chaos a little kiss on the nose.

“Oh! Of course I am. I’ve been so many things, really…”

“Shh,” said Celestia, and concentrated, opening her mind to her counterpart.

Chaos joined, and then both alicorns were shocked senseless by what happened.

Instantly, they were immersed in a sea of limitless force, like there was some sort of engine driven by their very selves: the distinct polarities, and their total, joyous embrace of each other in every sense. The energies swamped them, surrounded them with every imaginable thing: patterns of force, materials, matter, anything they imagined became existent and answered their call.

“Send it! Send it up there where it’s needed!” thought Celestia, or Chaos, or some combination of the two.

Their universes merged and became an unlimited whooshing of intention and physicality, so fast and effortless…

Then, it flicked off as if it had never existed.

Celestia wobbled, faint, still resisting the seductive call of foolish, drooling bliss. She blinked, dazed.

Chaos shook herself, trying to make sense of the experience, charmed unmentionably by how absurdly random it had been. It really pushed all her buttons, yet it had been so… purposeful.

Both looked up, and the moon floated far up in the sky, exactly as it should have been. They’d done it.

They gazed into each others’ eyes, lost in timeless love.

They glanced down.

Chaos shrieked. The two alicorns were perched on top of a thousand-foot tall stick made of rock. It flared out a bit at the top, to make room for them to sit, but the rest of the mountain was gone, its material used to repair the moon.

Chaos clutched Celestia frantically, and Princess Celestia gave in to her sloppy, blissed-out smile, and laughed softly at her beloved. “Have you forgotten you have wings?”

“Oh!” squeaked Chaos. “So I have. Dear me, Celly! I got so into my return to Starswirl, that it’s like it became my reality again! I may find myself rather stuck in that mindset, should I visit it.”

Celestia licked her lips, lazily. She waggled her eyebrows, seductively. “Anytime.”

Chaos beamed at her. “My absolute pleasure.”

“Not, I think, only yours,” teased Princess Celestia.

At the base of the impossibly tall spire, a little light-blue alicorn stuck a sign. She giggled. “I cannot believe it was your suggestion… to turn into a curious beast whose mane was sign-boards and whose pussy lubricates mucilage. A little mane-trim and voila!”

“Just promise me you’ll never ask me to mate with that form,” said Celestia, with a shudder.

“We can do better than that,” said Chaos confidently. She pressed the sign in place with a hoof, and stepped back to admire it.

‘MOUNT CELLY’, it said.

“Both what it is,” enthused Chaos, “and how it was made!”

Princess Celestia rolled her eyes, blushing happily, and accepted another kiss from her companion.

Then, they took wing, flying off into the sunset, back to their Canterlot home. Back to Canterlot, to Ponyville, to all their heartwarming, lusty, good pony friends, to care for them throughout all their lives and the lives of their foals.

Gradually, the silence gave way to the sound of birds and the chirping of crickets, as still more ephemeral life approached to visit and eventually live in harmony around the new Mount Celly.

Her Story

They came trotting sedately down the path to Rarity’s place, three unicorn mares and a huge hideous monster.

The huge hideous monster pouted cutely, panting with effort from even that slow trot, and furled her fluffy, illusory pegasus wings. She was shockingly big and round next to her companions, because they weren’t pregnant to near bursting, but she was.

“Oh, Twilight. You don’t have to. Please don’t feel you have to go to any trouble on my account…”

“But Fluttershy!” protested Twilight. “I only want to make it up to you—to all of you! I’ve been studying, and me and Trixie are beginning to get our magemeld powers back. I really think I could maybe cure your vampirism!”

At this, Rarity frowned. “That again?” she said.

Trixie shrugged. “Mistress is on a mission. She is determined to help Fluttershy be a pony once more.”

Fluttershy scuffed the dirt bashfully with a forehoof. “That’s okay…”

“This time the danger of getting permanently destroyed is almost certainly totally nearly zero percent!” argued Twilight.

Fluttershy laid her ears back, and couldn’t meet Twilight’s eager gaze. “That’s nice.”

“If we can get it to be completely absolutely almost certainly safe, will that help?”

“I don’t want to be any trouble,” repeated Fluttershy, blushing slightly.

They arrived at the Carousel Boutique, greeted at the door by two happy creatures, one pony and one not. Derpy kissed Rarity in greeting, while Opalescence purred and rubbed against Rarity’s hoof and licked her fetlock in feline benevolence.

Twilight eyed her, puzzled. “That’s funny.”

“What is, darling?” asked Rarity.

“It seems to me Opalescence always used to claw you and be all cranky and act terrible,” said Twilight. She narrowed her eyes, and glanced at Fluttershy.

The butter-yellow vampire pony blushed harder. “I didn’t do it! I’m not affecting her at all, Twilight, really!”

Twilight gave one of her creepy and excessive smiles. “There’s a way we can be completely sure of that…”

“Twilight Sparkle!” exclaimed Rarity. “Are you bullying our dear friend? I must ask you to desist!”

The smile dropped away. “But… she didn’t want to be a vampire, and it’s wrong and I should be able to fix wrong things…”

Rarity narrowed her eyes. “Hold it right there, dear. I just said… oh, Opal, what is it now? You want to go outside? Oh, very well, here you go.” Her horn twinkled as she let her cat out. “I can’t see why she so insists on going out these days, it’s awful. She used to be quite content to stay in and hiss and claw at me, but now she goes out and battles other cats! Perhaps they are more of a challenge? It does seem to improve her mood, though.”

“Maybe I can fix that, and put it back the way it should be?” offered Twilight. “I mean, without the clawing you part?”

“Twilight, please!” objected Rarity. “Whilst we are not currently engaged in the formal Relationship we once enjoyed, I swear I’ll flog you if you won’t settle down. Whatever is the matter with you?”

Twilight’s lip quivered. “I only want to help!”

“You are going to have to find ways to be a friend that do not involve reshaping us all to your whims, darling!” insisted Rarity. “Trixie, is she behaving like this all the time?”

Trixie Lulamoon rolled her eyes, with a little nod of her head. Her mostly-regrown horn made a little arc in the air as she did. Twilight’s, as well, had returned to nearly full size: or, at least, what had been full size when she’d been a simple unicorn mare living in Ponyville as one of their own. It wasn’t nearly on the scale of Princess Twilight’s alicorn horn, and never would be.

“Trixie has some ways to settle her down,” said Trixie. “They do seem to leave her feeling more indebted.”

“Indeed!” said Rarity. She regarded her friend. “I quite understand if you are still struggling to make amends, after the difficult times we went through with you. I’m sure we’re all grateful you’ve returned to normal, though of course it is very sad you’re not a super-powered immortal Princess anymore. Speaking of that, please answer me honestly, Twilight: do you feel you’ve left unfinished business from those days?”

Twilight was blushing. “Not exactly. I just feel… it’s very hard to describe how I feel.”

“Try,” suggested Rarity, firmly.

Twilight gulped. “I’m so grateful, and don’t really deserve the mercy I’ve been shown…”

“Uht!” snapped Rarity. “We’ve been over this, darling. Mercy is not up to you. If it was, it would not be mercy, would it? Are you trying to control things again? To condemn yourself for sins that have been largely amended and worked through?”

“But that’s just it!” said Twilight. “I get to be a unicorn again, and I have Trixie, and it just seems unfair that Fluttershy can’t be a real pegasus. I know she must want that more than anything! We could all have such a nice life, that’s not weird or creepy, if only I could find the power to fix the left-over stuff that’s still around Ponyville being strange!”

Trixie lifted an eyebrow. “How do you mean, strange? Do you mean Fluttershy having a zebra husband and being a vampire disguised as a pony?”

Twilight blushed worse, for Fluttershy was giving her a pouting stubborn resentful look. “It’s not wrong for her to have a zebra husband. Yay her, if that’s how she gets to have control of her life. The thing is, I can’t get past the vampire aspect. From what Princess Celestia told me, she really hated being a vampire, and now we have to make a special effort to accept her as a vampire pony? Zecora even made her some disguises to help her look more like a pony. Wouldn’t it be easier just to turn her back into a pony?”

Rarity gazed levelly at Twilight, then glanced at Fluttershy. “Perhaps you had better answer that, dear. Hmm?”

Twilight looked at Fluttershy as well. Fluttershy looked at the floor, and scuffed it with her hoof bashfully.

“Um, that’s okay,” she said.

Rarity tsked. “Fluttershy, darling, we’ve talked about this. Look her in the eye and be more direct. This is Twilight you’re trying to speak to.”

At that, Fluttershy looked up. Her gaze was apologetic as she peered into Twilight’s eyes.

“No, thank you,” she said clearly, and then blushed and looked down again.

“There you are, Twilight dear,” said Rarity. “Fluttershy doesn’t wish to be changed…”

Twilight laid her ears back, her mind beginning to yowl. “And why not? What the heck happened to change her mind so much?”

Rarity’s ears were flattening also. “I think you should visit her at home, and while doing so remember our days of sadomasochistic glee…”

“It’s really not like that!” objected Fluttershy. “It’s… old fashioned love! At least for zebras!”

“I merely wish to place your choices in a context that Twilight might comprehend and honor,” said Rarity, gritting her teeth. “Forgive me for suggesting it, but in Ponyville your relationship choices are rather out of the ordinary, dear.” Her ears were flicking.

“I’m loved,” corrected Fluttershy.

“Sweet Celestia!” wailed Rarity, distracted. “Do you hear that?”

Twilight realised it wasn’t her mind yowling from the strain of coping with typical Ponyville perversity. The sound was coming from outside.

“She’s fighting!” hissed Rarity. “This time, I shall break it up, I shall, I shall! Silence, we’ll sneak up, our horns at the ready, and separate the combatants!”

With that, the unicorns slunk as quietly as possible back out the door, to creep around the Carousel Boutique and break up the cat-fight.

“There they are!” whispered Rarity, her horn beginning to glow. The feline yowling was becoming a wild shriek. Trixie’s eyes widened, for she thought she heard additional sounds, small but… juicy. Very, very juicy.

Rarity lifted away an obscuring leafy branch, revealing Opal, and her eyes bugged out.

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

“No way!” swore Twilight. “Absolutely no way! This can’t happen in Ponyville!”

“On the contrary,” said Rarity. “I think Ponyville is the best possible place one could wish for him. It’s cozy, out of the way, a cute little place to stay out of trouble. For a cute little thing, yes you are, yes you aaaare!”

She reached out a hoof and Crowbar, still the size of a half-grown kitten, nuzzled it affectionately, his eyes showing a puppyish affection. He’d remembered her from the club days, and was too placid to be alarmed by her scream. In fact, he’d even been able to finish what he was doing.

Opalescence lay sprawled on a cushion, her eyes rolled back in her head, her tongue hanging out, a huge smile on her face. She was what Crowbar had been doing.

“You can’t keep him as a PET!” wailed Twilight.

“But I’m not, darling!” protested Rarity. “Opalescence is. She’s made him a little den and everything! But she’s been bringing him mice and birds. Opal, no, you mustn’t, he doesn’t eat such things and you might catch some of Fluttershy’s songbirds by mistake!”

Fluttershy was frowning miserably, horrified at Opal’s efforts to feed her tiny pony lover. “Maybe he can teach her not to do that?”

“We’ll feed them together,” vowed Rarity, “she’ll figure it out. It will be ever so easy to keep him, for he’ll eat what we do. I don’t believe for a moment that Aftershock and that lot ever took care of him properly. Look, just living off the land in Ponyville his condition is better than ever! And do my eyes deceive me, or did someone try to braid his tail? Opal, you marvel, you clever puss! It’s shockingly bad, but to think she did it with just her little paws!”

“Or somepony did it long ago,” suggested Trixie shrewdly, “and nopony’s touched his mane since.”

Rarity’s eyes gleamed. “We’ll fix that. My little Crowbar, my little Crowbar!” she sang. “I’ll cook you the most adorable tiny dinners. You and I have both risen from the dregs of Fillydelphia, to find a new life in Ponyville, kinder, gentler, full of love. Haven’t we? You shall live in the lap of luxury, for bringing our Opalescence such unanticipated joy. And you shall look fabulous!”

“He has to be returned to normal!” insisted Twilight, Rarity’s lilting melody sticking annoyingly in her head. “He’s a pony!”

“He’s dangerous to others at pony size,” countered Rarity, “but just right for Opal! Or if he’s excessive, she seemed to like it even better: just look at her. Hmmm… I wonder if he would find it repugnant to play with normal-sized partners? I daresay it would be cozy, like gentle maresturbating. Such a nice change from his bad old days!”

Twilight gazed with horror on Rarity, who smirked back at her.

“I’m only teasing, darling. Don’t gawp. I doubt he’d even be interested in mares so much larger than him.”

Opal yawned, stretched, and sagged blissfully once more. They’d had to carry her in by levitating her with their horns. Crowbar had been alarmed and protective until he figured out Rarity was doing it, at which point he’d turned immediately trustful.

“What if she has ponykittens?” breathed Twilight, appalled.

Trixie snorted. “Impossible!” She considered, then added, “Anyhow, we’ve seen worse.”

“This isn’t how Ponyville should go,” mumbled Twilight.

Rarity snorted gently. “I supply Ponyville with toys, lest you forget! Darling… this is the endearing side of Ponyville. I am a reformed character, all sweet and cuddly with my cat and my dear pegasus mate and my daughter and our unusual new pet! Leave Opalescence’s boyfriend alone. I need to comb his mane, and style it properly.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” said Fluttershy. “I’ll just go home, then. I need to cook for my family and rub my husband’s hooves. It was wonderful to go to the spa with you today, Rarity! I love you!”

“And I love you,” replied Rarity. “Have fun!”

“Did she say rub her husband’s hooves?” blinked Twilight. “In her condition?”

Rarity narrowed her eyes again. “Go and see, darling, and remember what I told you.”

“This is just wrong!” lamented Twilight Sparkle, just about trotting in place with distress.

Dursaa reclined on a couch, veritably quivering with pleasure while Fluttershy, smiling angelically, rubbed and pressed the frogs of his hooves. He groaned with self-satisfied bliss. His legs were spread, his massive testicles openly displayed, his equally massive erection beginning to swell out of its sheath through pleasure alone.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” said Fluttershy gently. She was sprawled uncomfortably on the floor, the better to reach his languidly drooping hooves. “What could be wrong about this, Twilight? This is what love means.”

Twilight twitched, grimacing. “Everything! You don’t seem to understand that this is a time for him to be rubbing YOUR hooves and caring for you. Actually, all times are good for that and there’s no time where he should act like he’s entitled to this…”

“He is my husband,” explained Fluttershy. “Darling, would you like me to lick those lovely big balls for you?”

“Beloved wife, your generosity compares to none,” said Dursaa complacently. “But do that later, when I’ll have you use your other tongue.”

“Of course, honey,” said Fluttershy submissively. She glanced at Twilight and Trixie. “He prefers me in my natural form for our more intimate moments, so please don’t cure me. It’s better this way.”

Twilight paled. “He’s MAKING you stay a vampire?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” said Fluttershy demurely.

Dursaa wriggled, rumbling out another couplet. “Between the clever, snakey tongue and fiercely churning crack, a zebra who goes batty surely never will go back!”

At that, Twilight’s jaw dropped. “He’s making you stay a vampire for sick perverted reasons!”

“Stop,” said Fluttershy, and Twilight found herself tonguetied, staring into those mysteriously compelling eyes. Fluttershy cleared her throat, and said, “Don’t you judge me. I would never go back now. He loves everything I am, without exception, and I’m keeping him and that’s final.”

She dropped her gaze and returned to her attentive hoof-rubbing, still on the floor in the most submissive posture imaginable. Twilight blinked, regaining her power to speak, but didn’t use it at first. Instead, she watched them and tried to apply what Rarity had told her.

“Listen,” Twilight said at last. “All that bondage stuff ponies do is consensual. Even that is creepy for Ponyville, but it’s mutual. It’s agreed upon by both partners. What I see here isn’t like that. I’m worried that you’re just being a pushover. You don’t have the power to decide what’s good for yourself and you’re letting him boss you around like you don’t even have a will of your own, and you’re doing things that are hurtful and degrading to yourself.”

Fluttershy gave a little snort of contempt, and continued rubbing her husband’s hooves. There was a film of sweat on her forehead, evidence of great discomfort. Even for a healthy mare, grovelling on the floor like that couldn’t be comfortable, and for one so pregnant it had to be excruciating.

“He’ll tell me to stop if it’s really hurting me,” said Fluttershy.

Twilight choked. “No way. NO way. That’s not a thing that’s up to him, Fluttershy! The fundamental problem here…”

Fluttershy grimaced, suddenly, as if the pain had intensified tenfold.

“See? See?” squealed Twilight Sparkle. “You can’t let…”

A gush of fluid poured out of her vagina, and everypony froze in horror.

Fluttershy’s face contorted. Tendons on her neck stood out. She turned her head to gaze up into her husband’s eyes. Oddly, Twilight and Trixie got no sense of her Stare being used. It was just Fluttershy, as herself.

“Remember?” she croaked.

Dursaa, his eyes wide, nodded.

Fluttershy dragged herself up onto him and grabbed his head in her hooves. She was pouring sweat, and her expression was savage. She spoke through grinding, gritted teeth.

“Get me to Canterlot. NOW!”

Instantly, Dursaa was up. He ignored Twilight and Trixie completely, and flattened himself against the floor, scrunching his half-hard zebracock but paying no attention to that at all. As he did, Fluttershy struggled to climb onto his broad back. Twilight screamed. From upstairs, small hooves clattered against the ceiling, and Rock Candy ran downstairs to see the chaotic scene.

“It’s time?” he squeaked.

Dursaa turned his mighty head. “Fetch Granny Smith at once, my little man. It’s time for us to heed Fluttershy’s plan!”

“Got it!” squeaked Rock Candy, and quick as a wink he was out the door and galloping for Sweet Apple Acres.

“What are you doing?” wailed Twilight. “You went into labor! Lie down and we’ll get help!”

At that, Fluttershy turned and glared at her, in sweating agony. “I said get me to the palace! I have to be with Lyra and Luna!”

“I’ll carry you!” cried Twilight, and her horn lit. “Oh, no! I can’t!”

“You’re not an alicorn anymore, Mistress!” cried Trixie. “She’s too heavy!”

Fluttershy had successfully clambered onto her husband’s back. He strained to rise, and his eyes bugged out. “How can this be?” he gasped. “She weighs like three!”

Fluttershy swatted his butt with her soggy tail. “Get up!” The tail extension sparked, and fell off, and her broad mare rump promptly became a little shaggier and scruffier. Seeing this, she turned to Trixie and ordered, “Get the mane one off me, right now!”

Trixie pounced, yanked away the remaining hair extension, and the little vampony shimmered into her natural form upon her zebra husband’s back as he struggled to lift himself.

Fluttershy clouted his head with a bat wing. “Get up! Go! NOW! As fast as you can!”

Gritting his teeth in a heroic effort, and without a single rhyme of complaint, Dursaa rose to his hooves. His glorious muscles bulged with the strain, and he readied himself for the charge of his life.

“What if Granny Smith is in the fields?” gasped Trixie.

Fluttershy’s eerie pink eyes, clouded with pain, turned her way. “Go to the far end of the fields! Rock will check the house first. If you meet and neither of you found her, run into town!”

She convulsed, as another contraction hit, and she kicked Dursaa’s mighty sides with her forehooves to spur him on, not wasting her breath on another word. And unhesitatingly, Dursaa lumbered out of the door and began to charge down the road toward Canterlot, his expression grimly determined.

Trixie was already gone, at a full gallop. Twilight ran alongside the couple, chattering excitedly. “I didn’t know you needed to be in Canterlot! That’s a long way to run! But I guess you never know when you’re gonna go into labor, huh? I can teleport you there, except these days I could only get you about a hundred yards down the road, which if you need me to do that I’ll totally do it, just say when, like how about when we’re a hundred yards from Canterlot maybe?”

Fluttershy’s scruffy ears were laid back in pain, and she bore a saintly long-suffering expression that looked very odd on a vampony face. Dursaa thundered on, the tendons standing out in his neck as he strained to keep the momentum going and not collapse under the great weight of his desperately clinging wife.

“If he keeps this up I think it’s very likely you’ll be able to get there!” added Twilight. “It’s amazing, this is nearly a gallop for me, though of course I’m not carrying anypony. He’s really strong, huh? Um… is he okay?”

Dursaa’s face was nearly as agonized as Fluttershy’s. To carry her staggering weight at a brisk trot would have been challenge enough, but his wife had ordered him to gallop for all he was worth, and gallop he did until his bones creaked and his heart threatened to explode. Shaking sweat from his mane, he charged on even harder, and Twilight’s eyes widened as she broke into a full gallop just to keep up.

“Do you begrudge… his hoof-rubs… now?” managed Fluttershy between contractions.

Behind them, they heard more galloping hooves. “They’re coming!” cried Rock Candy. Twilight did a double-take, looked behind, and saw he was riding Trixie, who was grinning ear to ear.

“Slow down ye consarned fluffbrain varmint!” shrieked another voice. Twilight looked up, and the Air Force had arrived. Granny Smith was riding on none other than Rainbow Dash. They all converged on the gates of Canterlot Castle as the doors swung open…

Princess Celestia got halfway out, and froze in her tracks with a look of dumbfounded astonishment.

Dursaa thundered past her, over the drawbridge and into the castle courtyard. He stood for a moment, his mighty legs shaking, and then he slowly and tenderly lowered himself with a horrible grimace of pain, and let Fluttershy roll safely off his back.

Then he collapsed without a sound, his legs sticking out rigidly in cramps, tears pouring from his eyes.

Celestia’s eyes were wide as Rainbow Dash and Granny swooped through the gates, as Trixie and Rock galloped in.

“Well, that saves me a flight,” she said weakly.

“Princess, Fluttershy’s having her foal!” cried Twilight.

“So are Lyra and Princess Luna,” said Celestia.

“Lead me to ‘em!” vowed Granny Smith. “We brought that one there! Kin she walk?”

“Help me!” squeaked Fluttershy, but she struggled to her hooves all the same. Princess Celestia hastily lit her horn and took some of the weight, and Fluttershy hobbled along with her and Granny Smith into the heart of the castle, where a foaling room and Canterlot’s best doctors awaited. Granny held her head high and haughty, for Canterlot’s best doctors weren’t nothing to a Ponyville midwife. All the ponies followed, including some passing nobles.

Twilight lagged behind, because Dursaa lay helplessly, heaving great frothing breaths on the ground.

“Are you okay?” she asked, approaching him.

His face twisted in agony, and he tried to roll onto his belly and stand, but his legs simply wouldn’t work, tears flooding his face again from the effort.

“I… did it…” he panted.

Outside, more galloping hooves sounded. “Twilight! Ah came as soon as I heard! Is she all right in there?” called Applejack, charging over the drawbridge to join them. “Sun an’ sweet apples, Dursaa, what happened t’ you?”

“He carried Fluttershy here!” replied Twilight.

Applejack’s eyes widened. Reverently, she took off her hat. “Well, dang, Mister Dursaa. You, sir, are one fine hunk of horseflesh an’ no mistake. All the way here?”

“As fast as I could gallop!” said Twilight.

“Help me rise, sparkle thighs!” pleaded Dursaa tearfully.

Applejack snorted with laughter. “WHAT?”

His eyes pleaded with her and Twilight, and Applejack put her hat back on and took pity. “Sure we will. It’s jes’ funny how you asked, that’s all. Alley-oop! Come on!” she urged, rolling him onto his stiff and cramped legs and, along with Twilight, pushing his body up and supporting some of his weight. He regained his hooves, and between them he hobbled painfully along, following in the hoofsteps of the assembled crowd and his beloved wife.

He paled as he approached the foaling room and heard the shrieks emanating from within, but he laid his ears back and hobbled right in anyhow.

The three mares, unicorn, vampire and Princess, were laid out on cushioned pallets with plenty of space around them, a cluster of doctors hovering at the edges of that space and not daring to intrude. Marching back and forth between the laboring mares, Granny Smith strode, her concentration fierce, her authority undaunted.

“Git back, dammit!” she yelled at one hovering doctor. “I din’t ask for ya and neither did none o’ them! This is mare’s business!” Trembling, he retreated.

Fluttershy lay to the left, her leg kicking weakly. A little hoof stuck out of her vagina. It was grey, and as she tensed, it poked out a bit farther, then withdrew. Rainbow Dash cradled her head in gentle forelegs, repeating, “Easy there. Good girl. You can do this. You got this,” as Fluttershy’s bat wings stretched out in agony and then thrashed with a leathery rattle. Dash didn’t flinch, even so.

Princess Luna lay on the center pallet, and raged at the doctors as well. “CANST YOU NOT OBEY THE ORDERS OF THE AHHHH! OF THE MIDWIFE? GIVE US SPACE! OUR KIND BIRTHED FOALS THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE YOU EEEEE! AUGH, SISTER, AHHH!” Her body shuddered, her ears laid back, and her legs stuck out stiffly as she strained with every bit as much passion as she’d spent raging at the doctors and anything equine nearby. There were two hooves sticking out of her, and they were a very recognizable spring-green.

On the right, Lyra Heartstrings sobbed. “Looney! Please!”

“WE ARE BUSY!” screeched Princess Luna, gritting her teeth and forcing another inch of foal out of herself.

“Dang!” marvelled Applejack. “Look at ‘em. You take care of her, Dashie! Wow, wouldja look at Princess Luna go!”

Hearing her, the little green unicorn’s head jerked around, but before she could look she was seized by another contraction. She screamed, going tense, and a red hoof protruded from her dainty vagina. She collapsed against the pallet, dripping sweat, and in a pain-wracked voice, Lyra cried, “Applejack! I hear Applejack!”

Applejack’s ears perked forward. “Ah’m here! What is it, sugar, what do ya need?”

“I need Applejack!” begged Lyra. “HOLD me! I’m scared! It… AAAHHH!”

The faithful earth pony didn’t waste a second. Knocking doctors aside, she charged in and sat with Lyra just as Rainbow Dash sat with Fluttershy, cradling her terrified head in a comforting pony lap. “Ah’m here, Lyra. Ah’m here. You’re okay. Breathe! You’re gonna be okay. My Granny ain’t never lost no foals!”

“It hurts!” sobbed Lyra, distraught.

“You can do this,” vowed Applejack with total conviction. “It’s gonna be okay. Not much longer…”

“GYAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHH!” shrieked Princess Luna. Magic crackled off her horn and her hooves, her body bucked into the air so violently as to explain the space between the pallets, and she began kicking the air blindly, lying on her side and straining as Granny Smith lunged toward her hindquarters crying “That’s it! Go on! Go on!”

And steadily, grotesquely, relentlessly, a slim spring-green form began to squeeze faster and faster out of her soaked and agonized royal vagina. Luna shrieked again, hurting everypony’s ears, but she would not stop. The foal’s head emerged, laid alongside the two forelegs, and then Luna’s vagina bulged dreadfully as it passed the foal’s shoulders…

“GO!” yelled Granny Smith. “Go! Go! Go!”

Princess Luna heaved and writhed, and in a single frantic shove she expelled the foal’s hind legs and a big messy gush of fluid and placenta. She collapsed, panting.

Granny Smith bent over the pale green form. “That’s an earth pony, sure enough, and alive… an’ it’s a filly!” she cried. “One DOWN! Two ta go!”

Luna sobbed, wept, laughed, drunk with pain and endorphins. “YES!” she bellowed. “WE FOALED!”

Beside her, Lyra wept piteously, cuddled by Applejack, and thrashed her head around, kicking with her hind leg. “No, no, no, no, AHHH IT HURTS PLEASE NO…”

“It’s okay, honey,” urged Applejack. “It’s gonna be okay, let it happen. Push!”

“Nonononono AGGH! UHH! Hold meeeee!” begged Lyra.

Applejack flung her forelegs around the little green unicorn’s neck. “Go for it, babe!” she urged, clamping Lyra in a fierce hug as she strained.

Lyra shrieked. A huge jolt shot through her body. She thrashed her head, clouting Applejack in the jaw with her horn, and then Applejack squawked, for Lyra had bit her foreleg. “Aw Celestia! Alright, go, honey, go go go!”

Lyra screamed again, her body twisting, and then she chomped onto Applejack’s pastern just above the hoof and didn’t let go. Applejack jerked in pain, but only hugged tighter. “Rrrrrrggg…”

“GGRRRRRHHH!” squealed Lyra, bearing down.

Granny Smith had rushed over. “Uh-huh. Uh-huh…”

Lyra shuddered violently. Two hooves were sticking out of her now, a bold brick-red. She strained, and let out a shriek against Applejack’s hapless pastern, without releasing it. Applejack was sweating, her ears laid back. “Sweet Celestia! Yow!”

“Should I make her release your hoof?” suggested Princess Celestia.

“Naw!” said Applejack. “Ah’m honored… yeeee! C’mon, baby, push!”

Lyra’s body shivered as if electrified, and somehow the country pony’s determination gave her courage. She still wept buckets, but something in Lyra had risen to the occasion, and though it seemed to tear her body asunder, the little green unicorn bore down and pushed like a champion, pushed until her tearful eyes crossed, pushed until she shrieked into the pastern gripped between her teeth, and…

A head came into view, also brick-red, but with something else.

Granny snorted in surprise. “That’s a horn nub, a big ‘un! No wonder she bellered! All right, keep goin’, you!”

Lyra kicked, shaking her head and worrying Applejack’s pastern like a snarling dog, and her howl rose to a wild frightened squeal.

The shoulders emerged, and the foal’s body wedged Lyra open unbearably. Her body shook. Applejack thumped her side with the forehoof not being bitten, and cried, “GIT on then!”

Lyra convulsed, and the whole foal surged out of her and slithered onto the ground, followed by its rush of fluid and placenta.

Granny dove, gimlet-eyed. Lyra sagged, releasing Applejack’s leg and heaving great, desperate breaths in reaction.

“Thissun’s a unicorn filly!” proclaimed Granny. “And she’s fine!”

Lyra burst into tears, embraced by Applejack.

“Uhhh,” managed Applejack, “do I still got all my hooves? I’m scared ta look.”

“Course ya do, y’fool mare!” snorted Granny.

Applejack heaved a sigh of relief. “That’ll leave a mark! I’m gonna be limping for weeks,” she asserted. Then, her eyes went wide, and she glanced over at her mate. “Rainbow? Don’t you do what I jes’ done. You hear?”

As first Luna, and then Lyra, turned to attend their new foals, all eyes went to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

“What were you doing, Applejack?” called Dash, holding Fluttershy’s head as she strained.

“Lettin’ Lyra just about bite my hoof off,” came the reply, and Dash paled.

She turned to Fluttershy again, looking down with concern into the little scruffy vampire face, with its creepy pink eyes and scary fangs. “You’re not going to need to… bite me, are you?”

Fluttershy was sweating, her eyes faraway. “Of course not.”

“We can get you something to bite down on…”

“If you want to leave,” said Fluttershy, “it’s okay. You’ve been a big…” she began, and then her scruffy fur bristled out in a spasm of sheer agony as another contraction seized her. Weakly, she continued, “…a big help, staying with me like this, b…”

Another spasm transfixed her little vampony body, and her batty wings thrashed as the grey hoof poked out a few inches and stayed there.

Fluttershy’s eerie pink eyes were wide with shock, yet she finished her sentence bravely.

“…you can leave.”

“No way,” said Rainbow Dash. “Let’s do this.”

Fluttershy’s eyes filled with tears of gratitude, and then she had no time for them anymore. As Rainbow comforted her, she jolted and began to bear down, and the pert yellow vagina began to stretch out as another hoof appeared. Fluttershy didn’t even make a peep, she just shook in Rainbow’s embrace as she stretched wider and wider, the tip of a nose appearing, then a head.

Rainbow’s heart was pounding as well. “Come on, Fluttershy. You know how to do it! More…”

The whole head emerged, dove-gray like the hooves, though there was something odd about the mane, a hint of salt-and-pepper visible through the sopping fluids.

“Come on…” urged Dash worriedly to the silently straining Fluttershy.

“Ain’t breech, this time,” said Granny, “don’t you rush her.”

“Yeah well IT HURTS!” yelled Dash, and cuddled Fluttershy’s fanged head closer.

“Yep,” confirmed Granny. “Don’t you rush her! She’s doing fine.”

That seemed optimistic. Fluttershy’s tail thrashed. Her wings groped brokenly at the air. The foal’s head stuck out of her, but the shoulders just didn’t want to come.

“We’ve invented forceps,” suggested a doctor hopefully.

“BACK OFF!” yelled Granny. “So help me, I’ll…”

“Obey our experienced midwife,” ordered Princess Celestia, tensely, and the doctors retreated.

Rainbow Dash petted Fluttershy’s sweating head. The agony just poured off the little vampony, once more stuck with a foal halfway out, this time because she could not force those shoulders through. Dash cringed under the weight of all that psychic suffering, but she didn’t pull away. She leaned closer, and whispered in the silence, into one flattened, scruffy vampony ear.

“You’re still my hero,” whispered Rainbow Dash. “Go on—birth that foal. I know you can do it.”

Pouring silent tears, Fluttershy went absolutely stiff with effort, and her vagina widened more, and more, and more…

Granny Smith gasped in shock. Then the gasp went around the room.

With a little squeal, Fluttershy passed the shoulders, and the body, and the foal slithered out of her and onto the floor to the sound of gasps, shrieks, shouts, a whole panoply of reactions particularly from the doctors. Dash and Fluttershy couldn’t see what they saw, and for a moment Rainbow just held Fluttershy as she panted for breath, the tears running down her face.

“Welp… there’s yer problem!” said Granny Smith wryly.

Fluttershy and Dash blanched, and both craned to look at what Fluttershy had made.

Blinking, a grey colt covered in amniotic fluid looked back at them. His shoulders were enormous.

Then, he spread his wings.

He couldn’t really do it, for he was too weak and they weren’t much good, but he tried, and everypony gasped, for they were alternating black and white feathers, just like his mane and tail, which plainly were going to be glorious zebra stripes.

He opened his mouth, and there were no fangs, to audible sighs of relief. Puzzled, he looked around, blinking at all the strangers.

He had Fluttershy’s eyes. The creepy pink was absolutely gorgeous against his greys and whites and blacks.

The crowd went silent, as Luna and Lyra got trembling to their hooves, and the green earth and red unicorn fillies rose and nuzzled under their mothers’ bellies, beginning to nurse.

“You know what to do,” said Rainbow softly.

She coaxed Fluttershy to rise, and the little yellow vampony also got to her hooves, and those luminous pink foal eyes blinked again and refocussed. And Fluttershy’s little flanks were more scruffy than the typical pony’s, but between her legs all the same were two snug and ready mare breasts, soft nipples awaiting their happy first duty, and her pegasus colt rose and staggered and moved in…

Fluttershy’s cry of joy was just as sweet and full of wonder as it had been the first time, and from the twirling of her colt’s tail, her milk was just as sweet, too.

Gently, and then insistently, the sound of respectful equine applause rose to surround the three mother mares.

Celestia realized she was weeping with delight and gratitude, and then realized that a palace unicorn was trying to get her attention.

“Names!” he clamored. “I am the palace bookkeeper, Scribe Nubbin. May I take down their names for my records?”

Three mares stared, startled. Luna and Lyra hadn’t been able to converse without hysterical meltdowns for months, and Fluttershy had left it entirely to her husband, who’d been distracted by her other attentions and had never even raised the subject.

Luna blinked, her jaw agape, feeling her spring-green pony filly suckling alicorn milk. Tears flooded her eyes.

“Gift!” she said. “Precious Gift!”

Pony applause greeted her announcement, as the bookkeeper wrote the name down with a flourish. Attention turned to her smaller unicorn consort, who stood trembling and suckling her brick-red unicorn filly.

Lyra gulped. “Um…”

The bookkeeper’s quill began to scratch, then stopped. Princess Celestia’s horn had lit, and a magical glow surrounded his throat with a tender, teasing grasp.

“We will end you,” said Celestia sweetly. “Pray, allow the sweet silly darling to complete her thought.”

“Thank you, sister,” said Luna, in heartfelt relief.

“You’re welcome.”

They looked to Lyra again. She blinked her lovely golden eyes, as that odd Lyra-brain ticked over.

“Earthpony!” she squeaked, impulsively.

Luna’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Earthpony Applejack!” said Lyra, as the brick-red filly happily drank her milk.

Applejack’s jaw dropped. She stared, stunned, at the cute little unicorn crazy, and she stammered, “Uhhh… that’s MAH name, sugarcube!”

“Exactly,” said Lyra in a shy, small voice. She teared up. “We’ll call her ‘Jackie’, to keep it straight.”

The bookkeeper’s quill scratched.

Applejack’s lip quivered, and then she, and Granny Smith, began to grin wider and wider.

“All righty,” said Applejack, beaming her big country smile at her unicorn friend and her new namesake.

The pony applause rang out, even louder. Then, all turned to Fluttershy.

She gazed into the crowd, searching out her husband. He stood, still nearly immobile with cramp, behind the others.

“Honey?” she said deferentially, in her scratchy little vampony voice.

Dursaa hobbled forward. In wonder, he nuzzled his new son, sniffing at the lovely, zebra-feathered wings, his eyes wide.

“My heart, my passion, my soul, the love of my life: the honor of naming my child… belongs to my wife.”

This time, the quill just barely began to scratch. Princess Celestia’s horn glowed. The quill hastily stopped.

Fluttershy and her husband gazed at each other raptly, as the curious pegasus colt suckled eagerly at her breasts. The silence stretched out. Dursaa’s gaze didn’t waver, he just stood drinking Fluttershy in: unflinching at her vampiric strangeness, adoring her without reservation. He made no more rhymes. He’d said what he meant, and he stuck to it.

Fluttershy’s eerie pink eyes glowed with unspeakable gratitude, and then dropped for an unsure moment. She looked up, and gazed out on all the ponies and unicorns, all the doubters and those she’d mistrusted and feared, who now looked to her for an answer. All Canterlot and most of her friends waited for Fluttershy to own her power, take control, make her own decisions, and name her foal… her way.

So she did.

“Dursaa,” said Fluttershy defiantly, staring them right in the eye. She held their gaze for a whole second, before looking down and blushing. She glanced up, and added, “…junior.”

Dursaa, senior, gently nuzzled his son’s black-and-white mane, weeping silently with joy.

The bookkeeper’s quill scratched for a third time.

“Earthpony Applejack!” giggled Trixie. “Can you believe it?”

“She looked so happy,” sighed Twilight Sparkle, and Trixie snuggled her closer. “Wait, where’s Spike?”

“Spike is in his new den,” explained Trixie. “He’s happy too. Wait, did you mean Lyra, or Applejack?”

“Both of them,” said Twilight. Her ears were splayed just a bit, a hint of fretfulness.

Trixie licked one. “What’s troubling you, Mistress?”

“Oh, nothing. Well… it bugs me that I get things so wrong. It seems to make such good sense to fight for what I know must happen. And then life happens and it goes totally different from how it should, but it’s wonderful!”

Trixie nuzzled her love. “Would you rather it were not wonderful?”

“It just… I don’t know!” sighed Twilight. “I need an outlet for my urges.”

“Trixie has just the thing in mind,” purred Trixie wickedly.

Twilight spanked her playfully with a hoof. “Not those urges! Well… not only those urges. Actually I’ve started to try something. I… I’d like to know what you think of it. Since we both like books so much.”

“You want to read books?” blinked Trixie. She passed a hoof across her brow in faux lamentation. “Deciding between books and Twilight Sparkle pussy! Curse such dreadful, torturous choices!”

Twilight began to smirk. She felt her body wink, as it responded to her mate’s obvious horniness. “Don’t be silly. We can have both.”

“At once?” retorted Trixie, playfully.

Twilight boggled at her. “I—I—I don’t think I’d be reading very coherently…”

Trixie grinned, and Twilight quivered.

“Then fuck books and reading. Trixie is hungry for her little pony!”

Twilight gave a little squee of delight as Trixie seized her, the magic bit arcing towards Trixie’s teeth even while they cuddled on their sides on the bed. She playfully tried to intercept it, but Trixie wasn’t having any of that this time, and Twilight squeaked again as Trixie’s teeth closed on the bit and a fine blue ponycock shoved up against Twilight’s breasts, and then both unicorns let out a squeal when Trixie tugged her hips back and plunged eagerly into Twilight Sparkle’s quivering, dripping vagina…

Twilight wriggled, moaning drunkenly, as Trixie clung to her. That cute round little unicorn butt squirmed and squeezed at Trixie’s tenderly probing ponycock, and everything had become so simple, so beautifully simple at last.

“I’m…” squeaked Twilight, breathlessly.

“Mrrrrr,” crooned Trixie, shivering with sheer pleasure, stroking Twilight’s lovely body.

“I’m… I’m gonna…”

“Yessss…” hissed Trixie through her teeth, grinning, working the magic stallionhood inside Twilight as she wriggled and clenched.

Twilight began to pant rapidly, her horn glittering. “I… I… hhhh! I’m…”

Trixie closed her eyes, because she wanted to savor the feeling, and gave herself over to deep, sensuous thrusts that slid easily to Twilight’s quivering depths.

Twilight’s eyes were wide in fillyish wonder… a wonder which never, somehow, quite went away. Every time was like new.

“Unnh!”

Twilight Sparkle came, her pussy squeezing excitedly upon the thrusting cock of her beloved… and when Trixie, fondling her body, continued to plunge joyously inside her…

“Eeeeeh!”

Twilight’s horn began to spurt pretty little gouts of magic into the air.

“GRRRHHH!”

Trixie Lulamoon snarled in bliss, and unloaded her horngasm boldly into her unicorn lover, even as she came and spurted magic horsecome into Twilight Sparkle’s womb… and her eyes stayed closed, not seeing the ecstatic expression on Twilight’s face, not seeing Twilight’s hooves kicking in pleasure-spasms against the bedspread… because Trixie was totally wrapped up in feeling Twilight, not seeing her.

Feeling that lovely unicorn vagina grip and shudder against her intruding, eager hardness. Feeling herself spurt come deeply into Twilight, drenching her pony womb just as if Trixie was her stallion.

Feeling her magic, gushing from her excited horn, flooding directly into dear Twilight’s head and lovingly drenching her mind and body and spirit with the intoxicating tingle of Trixie Lulamoon’s very essence, a delicious and lusty embrace from the inside, possessing Twilight Sparkle until Trixie could just about feel every inch of Twilight’s joy-wracked body as part of herself.

Trixie came inside Twilight Sparkle for second after second, and through their magical arc Trixie could feel for herself that her beloved was flooded with sheer joy and pleasure and the sense of utter belonging, wriggling in ecstacy on the end of Trixie’s cock and crying out her breathless delight.

The horngasm ebbed and cut out. Trixie was no alicorn. Twilight’s horn was barely eroded at all.

Trixie sagged against the bed, hugging Twilight closer. Twilight sagged too, her mouth hanging open in a goofy smile, staring into space.

“Haaahhhh…”

“Mmmmmm,” replied Trixie Lulamoon, with great earnestness.

They slept.

“Mmmmmm…” crooned Twilight fondly.

“So what was the book thing?” asked Trixie, tenderly rubbing horns with her lover.

Twilight blinked. “Oh. You remembered that?”

Trixie smirked. “Call Trixie greedy…”

“Greedy for mare?” teased Twilight.

“And books!”

“Oh, well, maybe I should tell you then,” said Twilight lazily.

She wriggled, then clambered out of bed and pulled a slim book out of the bookshelf with her horn, while Trixie admired her rump and the tender beauty of that little unicorn horn and the wonderful shade of purple Twilight’s magic produced… all right, admitted Trixie to herself, just everything about Twilight, that should cover it. Then Trixie blinked. “Is that a new book, that Trixie hasn’t read?”

Twilight smirked in slightly nervous delight. “I certainly hope so! Because… this one is by ME!”

Trixie squealed. “Eeee! Really?”

“But I hope it isn’t terrible! I just needed an outlet. You know? I have such strong feelings for how things should have been. It made me feel better to start writing it out, and it just got carried away.”

“Into a whole book?” blinked Trixie.

“No, there are four so far, this is just the first one,” admitted Twilight. “The words just started pouring out and wouldn’t stop!”

Trixie Lulamoon let out a cute whinny of sheer glee. She stared at the book, entranced, and then she sat down in front of Twilight.

“Read it to me!”

Twilight laughed, awkwardly. “I thought maybe I might do that someday! So I started it right off with a Nightmare Moon story, because I thought it would be fun for you to have a good scare in which the bad Luna gets defeated in the end. Actually it kind of happens twice? You’ll see. There’s the prelude, and then after the big battle scene…”

Trixie hopped up and down, squealing. “Read it to meee! Mistress! Eeee!”

“Okay, okay!” laughed Twilight, feeling better than she had in years. “Of course I will! Ready?”

Trixie curled up at Twilight’s hooves, her eyes shining.

“Once upon a time,” began Twilight, “in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn.”

“Alicorn powers,” corrected Trixie.

“No, she uses her horn,” objected Twilight. “I think it should be called unicorn powers for that reason. It’s not like she lifts it on her back flapping her wings, and it’s my story, okay?”

“But…”

“Alicorn wings are overrated! It’s the horn stuff, the unicorn powers, that really count! All the best fight scenes are with horns and magic, you’ll see! I even put in wing bondage just to subliminally make the point, in chapter thirteen. Whose story is this anyway?”

“Okay!” said Trixie placatingly. “Keep going!”

Twilight glanced warily at her, and continued. “The younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects—all the different types of ponies. But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night.”

“Wasn’t it more like, she got a case of alicorn crazy like you did?” said Trixie. “Trixie thinks…”

“IN THIS story,” insisted Twilight, “it’s because she was pissy about ponies not liking the night. Okay?”

“Okay,” agreed Trixie hastily, and Twilight continued, her voice growing more dramatic sentence by sentence.

“One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one’s heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness. Nightmare Moon! She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night.”

Trixie snuggled closer, with a delicious little shiver of vicarious fear.

“Reluctantly,” said Twilight, “the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom—The Elements of Harmony! Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister and banished her permanently in the moon.” She paused, impressively.

“Good!” squeaked Trixie.

“Shh! I’m almost done with the prelude,” said Twilight. “This was what we call world building. It’s very important in a story! Next I have to tell about how I came to Ponyville, and I hope you’ll like that part. I wrote it so that all the ponies loved me a lot, right away, and were happy to welcome me to my new home.”

Trixie’s lip quivered. “But… they do love you, Twilight,” she said forlornly. “And they did welcome you. They even ended up welcoming me. You know that. You don’t have to write a story to make that be true.”

Twilight frowned. “No, I mean… you’ll see what I mean. It’s important for the protagonist to be loveable!”

“I do love you,” said Trixie Lulamoon, earnestly.

Twilight lifted an eyebrow. “Enough to let me tell this story… my way?”

Trixie gazed into her eyes for a moment… those naive, intelligent, insecure, never-satisfied eyes… and Trixie understood.

She nodded, and didn’t interrupt again, and Twilight continued telling the story, her way. “The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon, and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.”

Trixie snuggled up, letting the words take her away to another, simpler world: the world Twilight Sparkle envisioned, and the story she longed to tell. She wondered if Twilight would be happier telling it in a story, rather than trying to guide the lives of her friends as she had been doing, and she glanced up.

Twilight looked very, very happy.

“The brave and resourceful but independent-minded Twilight Sparkle finished reading those fascinating and very important historical words,” read Twilight, her eyes following her own hornwritten words across the page. “Hmmm, said the lavender unicorn. She gazed off into space, her beautiful violet eyes misting over with curiosity. Elements of Harmony, she said thoughtfully to herself. I know I’ve heard of those before.”

She paused impressively.

“…but where?”

-OPENING THEME-

(Twilight's story continues… on the Hub. Maybe you've seen it? The Trixieverse story also continues in the sequel Adorable Monsters, and a Kindle version of Too Near The Sun can be downloaded here)

Head On

The silence soaked into Golden Oaks Library like some insidious rot.

Outside, crickets chirped in the cozy Ponyville nighttime, under the full moon.

Inside, the light filtered reluctantly through a seething magenta field of magical force. Not even air could escape. Twilight Sparkle had been distracted, and hadn’t thought about air, food or water before leaving on her desperate and misguided quest. The pantry was still stocked, though water would give out first. Even that would last a long time, for neither living thing trapped in the library was eating or drinking.

However, they were both breathing shallowly, and had been for hours… and the air was just beginning to hint of a stuffiness that spoke of how thorough Twilight Sparkle’s magic force field was.

Sound did not penetrate through into the library. The crickets were muted, the wind in the trees stifled.

The library was, itself, a tree, but no breeze stirred its leaves. They rested in eerie stillness, motionless in the faint, glimmering, magenta radiance.

The only sound was a niggling, high-pitched tizzing sound on the threshold of hearing. It was the sound of air molecules being forbidden to exit the forcefield. Outside, a matching noise accompanied fresh air being denied entry.

Trixie Lulamoon’s eyelids flickered, and a new sound broke the silence. It was a deep, indrawn breath.

In the bed, Twilight’s blue unicorn mare stirred. Trixie feebly waggled a forehoof that stuck helplessly into the air. She lay on her back, stunned.

Trixie took another deep breath, wriggled her body, and rolled awkwardly over onto her belly.

She nuzzled the bedcovers drunkenly, her eyes sensuously half-lidded, her limbs languorous, and she murmured.

“Oooooooooh, Mistress…”

It seemed oddly dark. Trixie didn’t care. She felt more sated than she’d ever felt in her whole life, obscenely limp with sexual release, triumphant in her utter debauchery. She could feel, in her pert blue vag, the delicious throbbing that said Twilight had been screwing the daylights out of her, to her screaming delight. And not only that: Mistress had arced with her again, after so long without it. Trixie couldn’t mistake that feeling. She felt so wrung out she wasn’t sure she could stand. There was nothing so satisfying as working out with a beloved mare until you were both spent beyond all reason, glowing like a bed of embers after a mad bonfire of fierce lusty lovemaking.

It seemed very dark, thought Trixie dazedly. And very quiet.

She nuzzled the bedspread again. Oh, Mistress! Trixie looked vaguely around for Twilight, but didn’t see her, which was also odd. She tried to lift her head, but it was too heavy. She felt swaddled in wool, toasty warm and tingling with that very intense sort of sexual afterglow that sapped all the life out of you, left you stunned and comatose. Were she a cat, she would be purring fit to shake the house down. As she was a unicorn, purring was not available to her. Dimly, Trixie saw something that was: a glass of water, on the bedside table.

She meant to call out to Twilight and ask for it, but could only croon feebly with her face smushed against the bedcovers. So, Trixie Lulamoon tried to reach out with her magic and pick up the glass herself.

Her eyes rolled back in her head as a wave of weakness and dizziness combined with the post-coital lassitude, hitting her like a mallet to the skull, and Trixie passed out immediately as soon as she tried to lift the glass.

Silence returned to the Golden Oaks Library, and dwelled unopposed for another hour.

Trixie’s eyes flickered. They opened a crack, and revealed the sight of the glass of water, still insouciantly standing there… and for a moment, Trixie stared uncomprehendingly at it, trying to remember what it meant to her.

Oh! Water. She wanted some. She’d reached out with her horn, and then…

Trixie blinked, showing slightly more energy, though she still lay limp as a rag drooling cutely on the pillow, pleasured so intensely she couldn’t even lift her head.

She’d reached out with her horn. Clearly she’d fainted. Clearly, Mistress had outdone herself, had fucked her so gloriously that the simplest things were beyond her capabilities. Trixie looked around, managing to lift her head just a bit. Mistress didn’t seem to be there.

She lay, her little unicorn body quivering with the echoes of unthinkable ecstacies, and she thought.

It would be nice to have Mistress stroking her body, caressing and rubbing her all over, thought Trixie. Not really necessary, she couldn’t get much more relaxed, but it would be lovely, if Mistress wasn’t fretting or having some sort of alicorn fit.

Trixie nuzzled her cheek against the bedspread again, dreamily. Dear Celestia! She was absolutely a puddle, from the tip of her strangely numb horn down her totally relaxed spine, not omitting her sprawled legs or the pert unicorn rump that Mistress had been pounding so gleefully, to the end of her totally limp tail. Amazing. Mistress had fried her like a hay-cake, thought Trixie dazedly. She wasn’t sure she’d ever felt so gloriously spent. Peculiar twinges inside her reminded Trixie that she’d had Twilight’s alicorn horn actually in there, twisting and shoving away inside her spasming vagina.

She focussed her eyes on the glass of water again. She really deserved it after the night she’d apparently had.

Trixie Lulamoon caught herself just on the verge of trying to lift it, and stopped.

That was what had taken her out! She felt just a hint of the hammer-blow that had wiped her consciousness away, and she desisted, her eyes widening in amazement, staring at the glass and carefully not trying to touch it with her magic.

Then, she reached out ever so delicately… not to lift the glass, but just to grasp it with her horn.

The sensation was dizzying, alarming, overwhelming. Trixie’s eyes glazed over, and she fought for awareness. Something was the matter with her, and it was a big deal, and she had next to no power all of a sudden. Trixie Lulamoon, helpless and unable even to lift a glass of water.

Her heart pounded as she eyed the glass. The adrenaline gave her strength to rouse her torpid, pleasure-sated body, lift herself. In trepidation, she raised a hoof tremblingly to her forehead.

Well, that explained it, thought Trixie Earthponymoon, feeling nothing there but a little divot.

Then she’d staggered to her hooves, her mind a battleground between obscene satiation and alarm. She reeled, and in a fit of pique kicked the glass off the bedside table, and it shattered against the wall as she fell over and struggled to rise again.

Twilight! Oh, Twilight! Trixie moaned, understanding, remembering. She’d done it with Twilight, and beloved Mistress had thought she’d do that exhaust-Trixie-sexually thing again. She’d thought she would drain Trixie dry, and then go off like an alicorn explosion without endangering her lover. She’d been so sure she was in control, had it all figured out. And Trixie had strained every atom of her being to come up with just one more little squirt of magic and make that connection, though she had nothing left.

Trixie went pale, and not just from her post-coital weakness.

And Trixie had done just that, hadn’t she? She’d managed it.

The memories came flooding back, incomprehensible and out of scale. The last thing she remembered was being in the heart of a star, a star made out of horngasm. She knew what it felt like to take a good intense horngasm: any fortunate unicorn mare with a special somepony knew that, knew the feeling of their lover’s magic coursing through them and tingling under their skin, flowing in bountifully through their eager horn. But what she remembered didn’t even seem like the same experience. It was a chaos of crackling energies bursting her from inside, too intense and compressed to contain inside one mare, and rather than the spine-shiveringly satisfying coursing of magic into her horn she remembered a fiery overload, her body screaming wildly, her psyche transfixed by energy totally beyond…

Trixie Lulamoon, her heart pounding, considered the possibility that she was dead.

It made a lot of sense. The world was silent, too quiet. The light was strange. It was the color of Twilight’s magic. Well, that would follow, wouldn’t it? She’d been killed by Twilight’s horngasm. What a way to go! But how tragic, all the same… and Trixie was bitterly sorry, and hung her head, tears coming to her eyes. Bad unicorn, bad Trixie! Selfish, pleasureseeking, wanton little horn-slut, she thought.

Her ear twitched. The world wasn’t as silent as all that. She heard a snort from somewhere.

No, not a snort, a snore. Spike’s snoring would wake an Ursa Minor.

Trixie stood, and began to reason. No hasty conclusions, no ignoring data. Unless she was locked in some purgatory with a snoring baby dragon as punishment for her fatal sexual excesses, this was not an afterlife. Anyhow, she loved Spike, so being trapped forever with him wasn’t that bad and didn’t count as purgatory. Being trapped forever with just his snoring, on the other hoof… no, that was ridiculous.

If she was alive, it was because Twilight’s horngasm had somehow not killed her. She’d felt it blowing her apart. It had apparently taken all of her horn, yet she breathed and shivered and had made quite a large wet spot of blissed-out drool on the bedspread while she was out. Trixie wrinkled her nose in distaste, and then reasoned on, dauntless.

Unless she missed her guess, taking a horngasm without horn to catalyze it killed you. The magic poured into your head and boiled your brain and burned you right up. Such things were virtually impossible between unicorns, though there were tales of mad debauched mares who’d taken on so very many stallions they’d died when their horns burned away, or of precociously sexual fillies whose horns weren’t resilient enough to take the issue of multiple stallions. And then, there were alicorns, and it was obvious how dangerous that could be.

Trixie shook her head, trying to clear it. The afterglow was maddening, clinging to her like some soft loving jelly that tried to swaddle her in feelings of bliss and lassitude. That alone would have told her she’d had a fucking for the ages.

If taking a horngasm without a horn killed you, she had to have some horn left somewhere.

Trixie staggered over to a mirror, hung on the wall. She recoiled from the sight, then bravely leaned in and studied the damage. Her lovely blue horn was so burned away it’d left a crater. Her mane was a sight, as well, and there were circles under her eyes: plainly, a unicorn ravaged beyond all civilized limits.

She held her breath, and concentrated her energies gingerly… and in the charred pit in her forehead, a little glimmer of lilac-pink magic began to feebly glow. It was the most heartwarming yet heartbreaking thing Trixie had ever seen. She was alive, but magically as helpless as a foal!

“Twilight!” she wailed. The sound died away with unnatural speed, like it was being soaked up by the stale air. No, that was just the eerie silence. It wasn’t total silence, either. There was that snoring.

Spike!

Trixie staggered downstairs, still feeling annoyingly sated, every hoofstep delivering a little quiver of pleasure to her much-loved mare body. She ignored it, as she did not wish to fall on her face, and had serious business to attend to.

Spike was in his basket. For a moment, Trixie asked herself again what the hell he was doing in a basket. She’d once offered him a bed, but Twilight had been offended at the implication his baby-dragon basket was somehow inadequate, and Spike had thought she was offering to let him share THEIR bed, and had vociferously declined. Trixie had abandoned the idea.

“Spike!” she called. “Trixie demands that you wake and help her with things! At least with drinking a glass of water!”

No response. She shook him with a gentleness her Trixieish words concealed, but he didn’t even miss a snore.

Trixie pouted, glared at him, and froze. There was something about him, a little glimmer. Magic!

Slowly, she turned to gaze out of the window, and saw the glowing sphere of force that enclosed Golden Oaks for the first time.

“Oh, horseapples,” breathed Trixie Lulamoon.

She glanced around, panicked. “Mistress! TWILIGHT!”

Trixie’s cries died away into that eerie silence. She had the distinct feeling nothing outside the sphere could hear her. Spike snored, undisturbed.

She panted, eyes wild, working out what to do. Had they been attacked?

“Spike, Spike, Trixie needs Spike,” she muttered. “This spell is little, that one is big. If it was an ordinary nap aid, he’d be sleeping just like this. Trixie knows Spike sleeps like a rock anyhow, and snores this loud all the time. If Trixie can just…”

Holding her breath, Trixie focussed her meager powers, and the pit in her forehead glimmered again, resolutely.

Spike stirred. “Wha…?”

Trixie’s voice shook with relief. “Spike? Trixie needs your help very badly.”

His eyes flew open. “You do? You got it, Trixie. Whatever it is you need, I can… yiiii!”

He’d looked at Trixie’s forehead, and his jaw dropped as he saw the injuries to her horn. He leapt out of his basket, flipping it over and spilling the blankets across the floor.

“Wow, Trixie, what happened? No, scratch that, what do you need? Whatever you need, I’ll get it. Do you need to go to the pony hospital? Sweet Celestia, look at your head, that’s crazy!”

Trixie couldn’t even be offended. She licked her lips.

“Actually, Trixie would like your help holding a glass of water. Trixie is very thirsty right now, and kind of dizzy…”

He led her to the kitchen, calling out “Twilight! Hey, Twilight! Trixie’s hurt!”

“She knows,” muttered Trixie.

“Where is she?”

“That’s the other problem.”

Spike looked around, and froze. He’d spotted the sphere of magic that surrounded the library. His attention had been so wrapped up in his pony friend that he hadn’t even seen the difference, at first.

“Trixie? It’s really quiet. What’s going on?”

“Water,” croaked Trixie Lulamoon, and Spike scrambled for a glass, fetching it with dexterous claws and holding it up for Trixie to gratefully drink.

“Thank you,” she said.

“No problem. Now what’s going on?”

“Magical attack,” said Trixie. ‘We’re trapped.”

“Wow!” said Spike. “And you tried to fight it off? But you were defeated? And I suppose now you’re gonna tell me that’s what happened to your…”

“No,” said Trixie, awkwardly. “Trixie has to be honest. She was not fighting. Tw…Twilight did this.”

Spike studied her. She began to blush.

“Trixie is sorry…”

“No, stop,” said Spike, and she did, and stared at him in surprise.

“You were having sex,” he said. “You’re marefriends, and that’s something you do. It’s something ponies do with each other when they care about each other a whole bunch. That’s what happened to you. Even if it’s super embarrassing to admit. Right?”

Trixie stammered, “You shouldn’t have to think about such…”

“No, stop!” insisted Spike. “Maybe part of the problem is you ponies act like it’s something to hide from me? And then when I find out, it’s bad. Like, Rarity-doing-dirty-stuff bad. And I’m telling you, Trixie, that happens too, and I saw it.”

“Since when does Girl allow herself to be d…” began Trixie, and then her eyes widened. “Oh. Oh, Spike! Trixie is so sorry. How did you end up seeing her? Girl’s very discreet!”

“Rarity’s gonna be okay,” said Spike manfully, his lip quivering only a little. “She’s still my friend, but sex is something she does too. And I never wanted that, it’s gross, but if it means Rarity’s happiness then I accept it. And it does, Trixie. She was so happy she couldn’t even get up. Derpy was so happy she kinda passed out and started snoring. They really liked what they did. They liked it… loudly.”

“Trixie knows the feeling,” admitted Trixie.

Spike confronted her. “And that’s why I don’t want you apologizing! This is tough enough for me to get used to, but I don’t want me being a dragon to stop you guys being ponies. I love you all more than I can even say, but not like that! And when I see you at it, sometimes I can tell how much it means to you, and I’m not trying to tell you not to have pony sex. Okay? Especially when it’s making Twilight happy, ‘cos she’s having a rough time, I can tell.” He turned and called up the stairs, “Twiliiight!”

“Trixie told you that was the other problem,” said Trixie. “She’s not here, Spike.”

“Where is she?”

“Trixie doesn’t know…”

Spike blinked. “Really? She tucked me in. She seemed fine, other than the usual unicorn crazy. No offense. I’ve kinda learned not to ask, sometimes. I can’t blame her, really, she must have felt awful about what she did.”

Trixie squeaked in alarm. “She did something? What did she do?”

She stopped, eyes cast upward. Spike had reached out and touched her forehead, near the crater where her horn had been

“She did this, Trixie,” said Spike gravely. “She swore it was okay. I guess she was right, huh? Seems kind of mean if she’s using up your horn doing it. I get the idea you guys are embarrassed if your horns aren’t right. With all those fireworks from Twilight, I’m not really surprised it happened. Is it because she’s turned into an alicorn?”

Trixie nodded. “It’s very exciting. I can’t explain to anyone who isn’t a unicorn mare. Well, a unicorn, anyway.”

Spike made a face. “That’s okay, I really don’t want to know the details. It’s amazing that pony sex can make even magic yucky.”

Trixie snorted, repressing a smirk. “Opinions may vary.”

Spike smiled at her. “As long as you guys are happy and safe,” he said.

Trixie’s smirk dropped away suddenly, and she wouldn’t meet his eye. Spike’s smile evaporated.

“Wait a minute,” he said. “Okay, work with me here. She does a lot of fireworks, and it uses up your horn. Look, there’s like nothing left. How does that work? Is it safe? It’s a big light show, right?”

Trixie muttered, “Trixie could tell you that yes, it is a big light show…”

“Then why does it wear down your horn? I’ve noticed that before. Both with you, and with Twilight. It used to be mostly Twilight getting her horn used up, and she was real happy. The more blunt it was in the morning, the more she would wobble and smile. Then it was more you, and you were real happy but Twilight, not so much. And then it was neither of you, and nopony was happy. What does it do, Trixie? Why does it make you so happy and why does it wear off your horn doing it?”

Trixie gulped. “It’s very special for a unicorn mare. We take in our mate’s magic. It’s supposed to be a stallion, but, well, Trixie and Twilight…”

“Yeah yeah,” said Spike impatiently. “You’re both mares. So’s Rarity and Derpy. Also, Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Welcome to Ponyville, big deal. That’s not the point. Why is it wearing your horn off and what happens when you use all the horn up?”

Trixie blinked, eyes wide and vulnerable. “Uh… the horn catalyzes the magic coming in. It’s a lot of magic, very much energy. It consumes just a tiny part of the horn it passes through, and it feels very exciting. And the magic floods into your brain and fills your body and it’s the most wonderful thing a mare could ever have.”

“Like my tongue!” blurted Spike.

Trixie’s jaw dropped. “Your tongue is the most wonderful thing a mare could ever have?”

“No!” argued Spike, as Trixie stared aghast at him, her ears laid back in shock. “It catalyzes! Don’t you know anything about dragons? That’s how come we can breathe fire! The stuff we spit out is a nasty chemical that would hurt you, but when it catalyzes, it makes an odorless green flame and we can even control the intensity and temperature. Twilight did an essay for Princess Celestia once on how it worked. She even had me cough up some flame without catalyzing it, so she could study the chemical.”

“She did?” blinked Trixie.

Spike winced. “Yeah! It burned my mouth real bad, and it hurt to eat for a week. I was on a pearl and turquoise diet. It was a month before I could even have quartz again!”

He froze, staring at Trixie’s forehead and the little crater.

“Trixie,” said Spike, “do you have any horn left in there?”

She nodded. “Trixie woke you from the sleep spell that way. There is a tiny bit. See?” She concentrated, and the charred pit glimmered once more.

“What happens,” demanded Spike, “when all that ‘very much energy’ goes into your head but all the horn is gone?”

He was staring her right in the eye. Trixie gulped.

“We die. Trixie is sorry for… oof!”

She gulped, again, eyes glistening. Spike had grabbed her in a childish hug with the strength of a much older dragon, and wasn’t letting go. She’d thought his connection was mostly with Twilight, and was fine with that, and it shook her to feel the intensity of his sudden emotion.

Then he was shaking her, demanding more information. “Is this normal? Trixie, does it usually go that way? Your horn, is that normal, is that a unicorn thing, with other unicorns, to use up that much?”

Trixie didn’t have the sophistication and deceptiveness of Rarity, or the secretiveness of Twilight. She answered, “No, Spike, this isn’t normal. No unicorn could have done this. Trixie has never had anything like it. It’s Twilight, she’s so powerful, it’s amazing but it isn’t safe anymore and Trixie is very sorry she was so reckless…”

Spike screwed his eyes shut, reeling as he got up to speed with things—then he was hugging Trixie around the neck again and entreating her, “Don’t be reckless! I guess it must feel really good, but don’t, just don’t! I don’t want you to die!”

She stared at him, the baby dragon destined to grow up and become, perhaps, unthinkably huge and ancient… long after she was bones and dust.

“Twilight doesn’t either,” said Trixie, and felt very frail and mortal, the stuffy air tickling the root of her horn and the few pitiful shreds of it that remained, tucked into her little pony skull. At the same time, and in spite of her horrible vulnerability, she felt important as never before: important in a way she’d never managed as the egomaniacal Great And Powerful Trixie. Through trying to negate herself completely and dedicate herself to the task of devotion, through trying to be no more than the blades of grass dear Twilight ate or trampled on, Trixie had become central to the lives of Twilight and Spike and even others besides. Everything she’d sought in desperate urges to control had found her through her earnest dedication and forgetting of herself.

Spike hugged her, and Trixie lifted a foreleg and wrapped it around him in turn, tenderly.

“Listen, Spike. Trixie has things to tell you.”

He looked up at her, and she was smiling a very Trixie smile… and her eyes shone.

“Trixie promises to be more careful. And Trixie is going to go and build a better relationship with Twilight. Yes! We are going to talk. We’ll talk it out unicorn to unicorn,” said Trixie bravely, “and she will understand because Trixie will make her understand. There will be no more foolhardy acts, either from Trixie or from Twilight! Trixie forgets those who… LOVE her… at her peril. It will not be forgotten again!”

“You’re gonna talk it out?” said Spike, dubiously.

“Yes!”

“Unicorn to unicorn?” added Spike. “Who’s the other unicorn? Twi has wings now, maybe you noticed.”

Trixie wilted. “Er. Trixie sometimes can’t help but think of her as she was when Trixie met her. That is Trixie’s Twilight: the cute unicorn who snuggles up to sleep little spoon, and then squeals so prettily taking Trixie’s magic.”

“Okay, too much information and kind of out of date, just saying…”

“Trixie is sorry,” said Trixie hastily. “Anyway she can’t be little spoon anymore, because of those wings. She’s even got taller since she changed. She can’t be little spoon ever again.” Trixie set her jaw. “Doesn’t matter. Trixie is going to straighten her out! For her, and for Trixie, and for us which includes you, Spike. Oh, and all our pony friends. Yes! Even for Princess Celestia, snobby and uptight as she is! Trixie is going to live for all those who touch her life, and not act foalishly any more!”

Spike stared at her. “You’re going to straighten out Twilight, really? The last time I saw her, she was really messed up.” He winced. “And stupid me, stupid, stupid! I was moping so hard over Rarity that I didn’t care. I just let her put me to bed, even though I could tell something was very wrong. It seemed so important to lie there feeling bad about Rarity and the stuff she does. What was I thinking?”

Trixie narrowed her eyes, capturing his gaze in an imperious stare. “Are you going to join Trixie, Spike? Let’s everypony straighten ourselves out. No more sad ponies and dragons and alicorns. Trixie will conquer all opposition! Are you with me?”

A crazy grin began to creep over Spike’s face. “You know, maybe you can even do it. That’s the Trixiest thing I’ve heard you say for ages. It’s just like when you fought the Ursa Major, and back then I didn’t even appreciate it, or you.”

“Ursa Minor,” corrected Trixie.

Spike grinned admiringly at her. “You thought it was an Ursa Major when you took it on. Am I with you? Totally! Let’s go!”

Unicorn and baby dragon leapt to their respective feet… and froze, staring at the huge magic sphere enclosing the Golden Oaks Library.

“Um,” said Trixie. “This is major too.”

“Stand back!” said Spike. “I’m gonna torch it.” He shook his head, working his jaw, and took a deep breath, and let fly with a fierce jet of flame that speared straight out the window and splashed against the sphere of force.

Trixie screamed. Spike gawked, then ran frantically for a bowl of water, which he flung at the flaming branches just outside the window, while Trixie trotted in place crying, “Don’t torch anything else, Spike!”

“Sorry,” Spike panted. “Should’ve worked.”

“Trixie can still smell the burning leaves!”

Spike wrinkled his nose. “That’s not all. We just added a bunch of smoke in here, but the air was already going bad. Who did this? Are they trying to kill us?”

“Trixie doesn’t know! It was like this when Trixie woke up!”

“We’ve gotta get out of here,” moaned Spike. “Not just to go straighten out Twilight, but we gotta get out of here before the air runs out!”

Trixie stamped a hoof. “We shall! The Great And Powerful Trixie will conquer all obstacles and be reunited with her marefriend!”

“That’s terrific,” said Spike, “but how?”

Trixie’s eyes flashed. She raised her head high, nostrils flaring. The glimmer at the base of her horn lit again.

“Whoa, whoa, WHOA!” yelled Spike. “Don’t! What if you hurt yourself? You said if you burn all of your horn up, you die!”

Trixie stopped, and turned to him. “It’s different, Spike. Trixie is not taking magic into herself. Nopony is having sex with Trixie right now, as much fun as that would be. It would be a lot more fun than what Trixie is about to do. One side!”

“Are you sure?”

“Trixie might need another glass of water. The remains of Trixie’s horn are not at risk. The only question is whether enough is left…”

She shook her mane, and this time she lowered her head, pointing it out the window at the glowing sphere encapsulating the library. The air stank of smoke and bore an unhealthy tang, the light was dim and ominous, filtering unwillingly into their home.

Trixie gritted her teeth, and the pit in her forehead lit up, twice as bright as it had before.

Spike fell silent, anxiously watching.

“Gnnnn!” groaned Trixie. Sweat dripped down her face. Her tail lashed. Spike could see all the muscles in her legs and neck standing out, as the glow from her forehead shone brighter and brighter.

No effect.

“Gheeee!” squealed Trixie, screwing her eyes shut, her body shaking.

“Hey. Hey! Hold it!” cried Spike.

Trixie sagged. “What?”

She felt a rag dabbing her nose. It came away red.

“You gave yourself a nosebleed, that’s what,” explained Spike, concerned. “Maybe you should rest up?”

Trixie shook her head, spattering the floor. “Nggh! No. Trixie thought of something.”

“What’d you think of that got you so worked up?”

She turned, eyes reddened from the sweat dripping in them. “What if this force field is here because something is attacking Twilight… and it doesn’t want her allies to help? This force field prevents Trixie from coming to Twilight’s aid. What… if that is the point?”

Spike’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding.”

“Name one other reason we would be trapped inside our home by a huge powerful magic cage.”

Spike paled.

“Okay,” he said. “If you can do it… go.”

Trixie shook her head again, and looked imploringly at him.

“This is going to hurt, a lot. Can you… hold Trixie?”

Without hesitation, Spike ran over, and took his place beside her, hugging her around the neck tightly. “I’m here. Go nuts, Trixie. Give that thing hell!”

Trixie gritted her teeth, a tear squeezing out from her pinched-shut eyelids, and with a strangled squeal she cut loose, her horn-divot flaring to life again, four times as bright as before. Her body shook, horrible noises coming from her throat, and her nosebleed started up again. It didn’t matter. Trixie Lulamoon was going to break through the forcefield or die trying, and Spike held her as she shuddered and cried out, driving herself onward agonizingly to vent every bit of magical energy she could against her enemy.

Her struggles weakened. Spike realized she was crying… and also, her nose was a horrible mess. Hastily, he mopped it with the rag, glancing in horror at the floor in front of Trixie. Twilight was gonna kill them for soaking the place in blood.

“It’s okay, we’ll try again in a minute…”

“Sphphh! Augh! It’s too much! Trixie can’t break it!” wailed Trixie, frantic.

“Well, you can meld with Twilight, can’t you?” retorted Spike. “I remember you used to talk about it a lot. Why don’t you do that?”

“Trixie can’t…” began Trixie, and then stopped. The trouble was always connecting to the source of magemeld at a distance. But, Twilight had always made it easy, because she was so full of power and easy for her unicorn lover to tap into. And then she’d become an alicorn, and her power had escalated so much that Trixie’d never dared to meld with her again. But by the same token… what if she could find Twilight out there, and tap her magic as she used to do with the close-range unicorn? She’d become so impossibly, dangerously powerful. What if?

“You can try it,” urged Spike.

“Trixie can,” breathed Trixie. “Perhaps. We won’t be able to get any power out of her at such a great distance, wherever she is. But maybe the feel of her magic will give Trixie strength?”

Spike nodded, setting his jaw. “Do it,” he said, and hugged her tight again—bracing himself to try and keep her upright, for Trixie had been fighting so hard to exert her magic that she risked falling over.

Trixie tensed…

The force field vanished.

Trixie’s eyes widened in shock.

“Way to go, Trixie!” cheered Spike, loyally. “You showed that force field who’s boss! Now we can… what?”

Trixie’s eyes remained wide, but it was horror that filled them.

“Trixie got just the tiniest taste of Twilight’s magic,” she breathed. “Just the littlest amount. And touched it to this force field, and the force field just stopped. It was just a touch. Like a key?”

Spike frowned, alarmed at Trixie’s attitude. “They… set it up so she could get in, because it’s her house?”

Trixie turned her head slowly to face Spike.

“Mistress made this cage. For us.”

Spike blanched. “Oh, crud. Twilight’s flipped out again?”

Trixie was trembling. “Spike?”

“Yeah?”

“Get my hat. And then, get on my back. Trixie is going to run, and not stop until she finds her Mistress…”

Spike was already running upstairs, to dig through the closet for Trixie’s wizard hat. Swept up in Trixie’s dramatic mood, he didn’t hesitate. Even if it was only a psychological advantage, they’d need it if they had to tackle a freaked-out Twilight.

“And then,” breathed Trixie, “we’re going to get my Twilight back… somehow.”

Ten seconds later, unicorn and baby dragon had left only a cloud of dust behind them as Trixie galloped for all she was worth, heading out by Sweet Apple Acres to begin her desperate search.

The night breeze dissipated the dust cloud, and then there was only the stale air, and fresh air coming in to stir it.

And, uncleaned, the grisly aftermath of Trixie’s epic nosebleed.

The bush stirred. A bird rose perplexedly into view, blinking at the long purple horn that inexplicably poked through its nest.

Twilight Sparkle gradually appeared, eyes wild and too bright, face in a hideous grin.

“Heee, hee, hee…”

She’d searched all the way out to Appleloosa, curved up north and swung by Baltimare, then Fillydelphia to see if Discord was returning to the nightclub he wrecked, then Manehattan. She’d alternated between outrageous high-speed flight and sneaking through bushes and undergrowth… at least, outside the cities, and in the cities she’d used her magic to stick to buildings and had crawled about peeking in windows, unseen because ponies couldn’t walk up walls. It was brilliant, genius.

Hunting a wicked and provocative renegade alicorn was actually kind of fun.

She’d swung back and hunted through Canterlot, but her quarry wasn’t there either, so she’d headed back in the direction of Ponyville to make it a big figure eight. She’d cut through Ponyville to keep an eye on things, swoop out by Ghastly Gorge and hit Las Pegasus, then the Whitetail Woods. Twilight’s eye twitched. She could have searched there first, of course. It was where she’d interrupted Princess Celestia and the loathesome Discord, the first time.

Her eye twitched worse, as her tortured brain tried to repress the memory of Celestia winking at her. She made a dreadful little noise, and the bird on her head panicked and flew for its life. She didn’t notice the signs of strain in herself, for she was distracted by her daunting logical problem as she tried to outthink Discord.

She could’ve searched Whitetail Woods first, thought Twilight stubbornly, but logically the guilty party would be anywhere but there. Knowing as he probably did that she would search there first, he would be in Fillydelphia instead, or hiding in a closet in Canterlot, or some such thing. She’d have to retrace her steps. Unless he expected that! Twilight made another crazed little noise, vibrating, sparks of magic crackling off her where she crouched.

She slunk from behind the bushes, and felt like her hooves were heavy enough to crush civilizations. She felt a thousand feet tall, and made of lightning. She felt like Vengeance itself, out to punish evil Discord and make everything right.

Come to think of it, while she was in town she thought she’d check on the…

Twilight froze. There it was in the distance… but something had broken her protective spell.

And then, there she was, standing before it. She had a dim sense of running through bushes screaming, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was the horrible sight, seemingly so innocent: the Golden Oaks Library sitting there quietly in the night air, its protection stripped and somehow totally gone.

Nothing could have got through that protective screen! It was the very best magical shield! Nothing but…

Her blood ran cold. “Another alicorn,” Twilight croaked, her voice unrecognizable from horror and fear.

Slowly, Twilight stepped forward, her wings shaking spastically. Slowly, she peered in the doorway, hoping against hope to see Spike faithfully sleeping in his basket, hoping to creep upstairs and find Trixie sprawled on the bed as she had been.

Slowly, she saw.

The pools of blood really were unnecessary, thought Twilight, in shock. So dramatic. After all, there was mocking her and destroying everything she cared about, and then there was being simply excessive. It was just tacky.

Twilight’s eye twitched, but she couldn’t even blink.

Unthinkingly, her tortured mind flashed into action, and her horn lit. Intellectual reflexes kicked in. Twilight Sparkle could not prevent herself from investigating, from casting that one spell, even though part of her brain screamed and screamed and begged her not to and felt itself being ripped asunder instant by instant as the information came in…

Of course it was Trixie Lulamoon’s blood, thought Twilight dispassionately. That was what happened when, when…

She glanced at Spike’s basket. It was flipped over, the blanket splayed across the floor.

Twilight Sparkle stood there, unable to see any more, paralysed.

“You k… you ki… k…” she croaked.

She couldn’t finish the word, but inside her brain the world poured blackness and doom.

BOTH of them?

Twilight’s head drooped, in utter despair.

Twilight’s head rose, her teeth bared in agony.

Her eyes opened, and blinding light spilled out even as magic crackled all across her body.

Then, the searing radiance narrowed to cold slits, and the purple figure turned and walked deliberately out of the Golden Oaks Library, and on into the night. It had hurried before, but now it did not hurry, for there was nothing left to hurry about, and there would be nothing more after its final challenge. It walked away from the library as if Golden Oaks had been smashed to splinters and destroyed forever, and it did not look back.

Twilight was going to find Discord. It didn’t matter how long it took.

There was a thing unicorn mages could do in their last extremity, a unicorn’s death-bolt. They could gather all their magic and life-force into a single attack. It might not take out an alicorn, but no unicorn could withstand such a thing. Discord was not a unicorn, of course, but an alicorn—one that had survived multiple strikes by the Elements of Harmony, being turned to stone, and would probably survive a unicorn death-bolt. It was possible he had survived Trixie’s, if she’d attempted one. Twilight knew, somehow, that she had gone down fighting. It would have been so very Trixie. She never gave up, ever. It hadn’t helped her.

Twilight Sparkle was not just a unicorn. Twilight Sparkle was an alicorn, with alicorn magic, and she didn’t give up either.

Discord was going to die.