Chapters Twilight Sparkle slowly clopped home to her castle with Spike on her back. She didn't have the strength to fly. She was too tired and she felt empty, yet so did the rest of Equestria. Due to productivity being at an all-time low, she had just come back from a summit that was made to try to find a way around it, but their efforts were fruitless.
"It's gonna be okay, Twi," Spike told her.
"I'm sure they'll find a solution."
"I hope so," the purple pony princess sighed.
With one hoof, she opened the door. All of a sudden, she heard a crash coming from a room nearby. Twilight jumped in surprise.
"Sounded like it came from the library!" Spike said.
"You stay here. I'll take a look," Twilight said dully.
Twilight ran as much as she could, due to her lack of energy, and pushed the door open. The library was a mess. Books were scattered everywhere and her quills were askew. Journals laid open on the floor. And by the shelves was a pink, curly-maned pony with a surprising amount of happiness.
"Pinkie Pie?" Twilight exclaimed.
Pinkie turned around and smiled.
"Twilight!" she squealed.
"Thank Celestia you're back! How did the summit go?"
"We couldn't figure out anything. Our minds felt too clogged and we felt too hollow."
"Aww! Well, that bucks!" Pinkie exclaimed as she turned back to the shelves.
"But I have some good news; I just might have a solution to your blues-lution!"
"What in Equestria are you talking about?" Twilight asked.
Pinkie scattered shelf after shelf, leaving Twilight irritated and puzzled.
"But first I need to know where your brain science books are!"
Twilight just stood there in confusion.
"You know! Those books that tell you about what happens when the mind turns sad and then you go see a pony who can help you."
"You mean psychotherapy?"
"Abso-dulu-tel-erino! I need a book on that!"
This took Twilight sometime to process. Pinkie wanting a book on psychotherapy. Could it just be a hallucination; a side effect of the anti-depressants she had been taking? She rubbed her eyes and shook her head. Nope. Pinkie was still there and the library was still a mess.
"So where'd ya put them?" Pinkie asked.
"Um," Twilight stuttered.
Hearing this, the pink pony's eyes lit up.
"Ooh! Show me! Show me! Show me!"
The princess gave this some thought. No sane pony would entrust Pinkie Pie with a book on psychotherapy. Would they? On one hand, Pinkie was often very careless and had a tendency to lose theoretical things. Plus theory and analysis didn't usually apply to Pinkie Pie.
Neither do the laws of science, apparently , Twilight thought as she reflected on the times Pinkie pulled things out of trees, transformed her face, and even talked to some sort of "audience."
But on the other hand, Equestria was in a state of crisis. Winter blues, though not exactly deadly, had impaired the efficacy of much, if not all, of Equestria. The Pegasi in Cloudsdale lost the strength to clear the clouds or even stop the snow. Sweet Apple Acres was going to go out of business soon if they couldn't produce more jars of apple jam. Rarity hadn't made a new clothing line since fall. Vinyl Scratch hadn't dropped her mixtape or used her DJ table in a month. Octavia couldn't find the strength to even pick up the bow of her cello. Cloudsdale wasn't producing as many rainbows as it used to. The only thing that seemed to stay the same was the number of pegasi in Cloudsdale.
Even the princesses were having trouble keeping their motivation up. Luna could barely raise the moon, nor Celestia with the sun. It didn't matter though. Even if Celestia could, no pony would be able to see it through the thick, gray clouds. Twilight didn't see any other option; nothing they had tried worked.
"Okay. I'll show you, but the book doesn't leave the castle and you don't show this to any other pony."
"Cross my heart and hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye!" Pinkie promised.
"Stay here."
Twilight went off into a small antechamber. After a while, she came out with a large, black book with gold writing.
"Here it is. 'Everything And Anything That There Is To Know About Psychotherapy.' It's rather old and dusty, but it could be useful to you. I should mention, though, that the binding is a bit unstable, so be careful when you read it."
Gleefully, Pinkie snatched the book and ran off. Twilight walked over to the library entrance and looked to see where she had gone. Pinkie was nowhere to be seen.
Later that night, Twilight awoke to a sort of whirring sound coming from the main floor. Sleepily, she flopped down from her chambers towards the noise. Soon she began to hear other sounds; there was electricity pulsing, thunder sounds, eerie spirits moaning, robots moving. It all shook Twilight more and more out of her partial somnambulism and into fear.
Soon she came to the door. Light shone from underneath; an eerie light green. Or was it light blue? Hoof shaking, she put it to the door and drew back. It was vibrating! Soon she heard the sound of magic casting. Was there some pony messing with her magic? Taking a deep breath, she began to open the door when she heard a voice.
"How do you feel now?" a voice asked.
"I feel great," another said in a slight, ecstatic daze.
"Excellent! Now you remember what I told you, right?"
"Yes, of course!"
"Good! Now get some sleep."
Twilight backed away as she heard the sounds of hoofs clopping towards the door. With a creak, a teal mare peaked out from behind it.
"Lyra?" Twilight gasped in surprise.
"Oh hey Twilight!" The pony said enthusiastically.
"You seem a lot happier, Twilight remarked.
"I feel great! I was just working on something to help with the winter blues. It seems to have worked really well!"
"That's great. Hey, Lyra. I don't know if you know where Pinkie Pie is, do you?"
Lyra didn't respond. At that moment, her eyes went completely blank.
"Lyra?" Twilight asked concerned.
Robotically, Lyra stood on her hind legs. Raising her front legs, she leaned forward until only her front legs were touching the ground. She began to walk around Twilight, laughing all the while. But then she soon tumbled forward into a somersault and landed on her flank. She raised her front legs and beamed with pride.
Twilight couldn't help but smile a little. It was great that some pony was happy again and it gave the princess hope that maybe they could return to a normal life. Lyra got up and soon her eyes went back to normal.
"No, I don't think so. Listen. I gotta get to bed, but I'll see you tomorrow!"
Lyra trotted off towards the entrance, but not before Twilight saw something.
"Was Lyra's tail curly at all before tonight?" she asked herself.
Author's Note
Something I thought of randomly.
The next morning, Twilight awoke in a state of uncertainty. The event with Lyra the night before was both hopeful and mysterious. On top of that, she still had no idea where Pinkie Pie had gone.
"At least Lyra's happy," Twilight yawned as she got ready for the day sluggishly
That morning she went off into town to buy some supplies and food to restock her kitchen. Lyra's little tumbling routine had given her not only a small amount of hope, but also the energy to do at least one task.
The Ponyville market was quiet as the residents trotted through slowly and glumly. Everyone seemed to be turning gray as the days passed by. But today they weren't going through town mindlessly as the case had been other days. Small groups of ponies whispered quietly.
The hub-bub from the ponies intrigued the princess. With a small amount of energy, she attempted to inch in closer to the conversation.
"Hey, Twilight," a voice droned nearby.
Twilight jumped in shock. Berry Punch had come right next to her. She was sober for now, but the winter blues had caused her to buy all of the alcohol in Ponyville. She drank excessively in the evening.
"Oh, hey, Berry," Twilight stammered.
"Do you know anything about Pinkie's whereabouts?"
Berry shook her head.
"Why?"
"She was in my castle yesterday, but she zipped away after I gave her something."
"Oh. Yeah, you might wanna give her space."
"How come?"
Berry stared in shock at this.
"You didn't know?"
"Know what?"
"About the accident?"
"What accident? Who was in it?"
Berry Punch sighed dismally.
"Maud Pie. About a month ago, she got caught in a huge rockslide when she was mining for rocks on a mountain nearby the family farm. One of the rocks bashed her head open and a few took out her front and back legs. She lost a lot of blood within minutes."
"Oh," Twilight sighed sadly.
She shook her head.
"I was there when Pinkie got the news. We were all shocked, but Pinkie didn't say a thing. She just kept smiling and then trotted away."
"Oh."
"Yeah. By the way, how did the summit go?"
"Not well, I'm afraid."
Berry Punch's head began to drop sadly. Instinctively, Twilight took one of her wings and pushed Berry's head back up.
"I promise, we'll do what we can, Berry," Twilight assured her.
"But I can't work at the cider plantation in this state. I don't feel like I can do anything."
"Have you tried seeing a therapist? I'm sure there must be somepony who is a therapist and is immune to the winter blues."
"It doesn't seem that way. It feels pointless. I can't do this anymore. I can't live anymore."
Hearing this made Twilight a bit frightened. She closed her wing on Berry Punch. The groceries didn't really matter to her anymore. All that mattered was that this pony was safe.
"Walk with me."
"I don't have the energy to."
"We don't have to go too far or too fast. Please walk with me, Berry."
Berry sighed and let Twilight lead on.
"I know it feels like that's the only way out of the pain," Twilight told Berry as they walked back to her castle.
"But that solution isn't actually a solution. Besides it's permanent."
"Does it even matter if I followed through with it?"
"Berry, it would matter. You are a VALUABLE pony. And besides this winter blues will pass."
"Twilight, you don't understand. I've been suffering through this pain long before the winter blues. Why do you think I drink so much? I drink to numb the pain. I drink to escape. I drink to forget; I want to forget all the pain, even if it's just for a while.
"But the second I turn sober, everything comes flooding back and I need more and more. I know not all ponies who suffer from this drink, especially not as excessively as I have, but it's a way to get rid of the pain."
"I know this is tough, Berry Punch. I want you to stay at my castle until we can find you some pony who can help. Both with your depression and possibly your alcohol poisoning. I can find a spell to temporarily hold back any poisoning and detox your system."
"Can I bring a few other ponies too? They need to get help as well."
"Um, okay. Who are they?"
Berry hesitated to name any sources.
"I promise I won't judge them," Twilight assured her.
"Well, I know this is illegal, but Rose has been hooked on meth recently. It's the only way she's been able to cope with the blues."
"Does she snort or inject?"
"Inject."
"Okay, so then it's not AS addictive. Who else?"
"Well, let me think. Derpy has been addicted to some sort of muffins. She calls them her 'special muffins.' Vinyl and Octavia have turned to both alcohol and sex. Minuette has been hooked on a drug she calls 'time travel,' which I can only assume is her code for LSD. Bulk has been hoarding and injecting himself with steroids. Lemon Heart has been giving herself heroin. Moondancer's become addicted to caffeine. Bon Bon is loaded with codeine. Cheerilee has been giving herself narcotics. Time Turner, like Minuette, has also become obsessed with 'time travel.'
"Twinkle Shine's started using a hookah. Sea Swirl's obsessed with ecstasy. Candy Mane's become a prostitute out of desperation for sex. Sassaflash has been smoking. And Parasol's been inhaling bath salts. Those are all the ponies I can think of right now."
Twilight had tried to count them all, but at this point, she was too shocked, horrified, and even angered at how Equestria was handling this. She had no choice.
"Find out how more ponies are handling this. If they are coping with drugs, sex, alcohol, or any way that may endanger themselves or others, send them to my castle. In the meantime, send the ponies you just mentioned to my castle. That is an order."
"Sure thing."
Berry Punch trotted off, a bit more quickly than when Twilight had first run into her. The princess hurried back to her castle. She had a lot of serious redesigning and renovating to do.
Author's Note
This might be bumped up to an M rating later on, but right now it just mentions drugs and sex, so I'm keeping it at a Teen rating.
After several hours of magic, stress, blood, and tears, Twilight had finally built the extra rooms to house the ponies who were in need of rehabilitation and several of those ponies had already moved in, very few of them by choice, though. Many of them struggled against her, claiming that it was natural to turn to this drug or that pleasure when one was down in the dumps. Twilight wished to believe them and let them cope in their own way, but, in her mind, she knew that a lot of their coping could risk death; either for them or for some pony else.
Even after they were housed in and the doors locked, however, they still attempted to rebel or escape. As Twilight was walking down the halls, she heard moaning and gulping coming from one of the chambers. She sighed and went over to the door, removing the lock as silently as she could.
"Play me! Play me!" she heard a pony scream in both pleasure and agony.
"Play me harder!"
"Oh! You know it! I'll play you like you move your bow. Hard and vigorously!"
As Twilight opened the door, a bottle flew in her direction. She ducked just in time to see Vinyl on top of Octavia. They both had their legs spread and were scissoring each other whilst drinking excessive amounts of cider kept in a cooler nearby.
"Excuse me!" Twilight exclaimed angrily.
The two mares stopped and looked over at the princess. Their cheeks began to redden, but they attempted to hide it with anger.
"Hey! You could've knocked, you know!" Vinyl exclaimed in a slurred voice.
"This is the reason I put you two in separate chambers. How did you even get out?"
"That is a secret, Duskdark Spoofclown. And besides, Octi and I are in love."
"Why are we eloping here?" Octavia slurred.
"I'm saving the money for the prostitute puppies, Celestia damn it!"
"I thought you loved me!"
"I do, and I'll prove it to you."
Vinyl stumbled off of Octavia.
"Turn on your stomach and keep your back legs spread," she slurred.
Octavia obeyed instantly. Vinyl walked over to the cooler and grabbed a new bottle of cider. She popped off the top with some effort. Then, with one hoof, she lifted Octavia's flank and stuffed the bottle inside of her butt. Octavia's eyes widened as the cider went through her back end. The contents of the bottle emptied into her.
"It's so cold and intoxicating. I wish my pussy had taste buds," she howled.
Twilight couldn't help but stare at the sight. It was both intriguing and disgustingly terrifying. As Vinyl opened another and Octavia closed in on a climax, she shook her head.
"That's it. Vinyl, I'm moving you to solitary confinement."
"What did I do?" Vinyl shouted angrily as eh head tilted side to side slightly.
Vinyl began to caress Octavia's flank. She shivered with pleasure and climaxed on the cider bottle.
"Meow! Meow! Purr! Purr!" Octavia slurred as she shook her flank as if to flick it like a cat with its tail.
"Enough! I'm trying to wean you two off of sex and alcohol, not enforce it on you. I know it doesn't seem this way to you, but I'm trying to help you. Now come along, Vinyl, or I'll have to move you by force."
Vinyl sighed.
"Whatever, mom," she groaned.
"This day is terrible," Octavia sighed.
"Later tonight, Octi-bae!" Vinyl slurred with a chuckle.
Sighing, Twilight carried the intoxicated unicorn off to the solitary confinement chamber.
Vinyl Scratch could not sleep that night. She wanted the alcohol. She wanted to fuck Octavia again and again. And it wasn't fair to her. Octavia's pussy got to be fed the cider. Why not hers?
"But Twilight is right. The shit I'm doing is addictive. It was the only thing I thought of doing when the blues struck. At least when I'm fucking or getting fucked, I feel something. Maybe it's better if---"
She took out one of her vinyl records and held it to her throat.
"Goodbye, Octavia," she choked through forming tears.
All of a sudden, she heard hooves clopping nearby. Vinyl sat up in a panic and dropped the record. They were getting louder and louder until they just....stopped. There was a moment of silence when, she heard the creak of a cell door opening. It was HER cell door.
Standing in front of her was a dark figure. It beckoned her to follow it.
"I can help you," it whispered.
Vinyl was unsure, but decided to follow anyway.
"Because why the fuck not?" she asked herself.
The figure led the tired unicorn to a door she hadn't noticed before. The figure pushed open the door and gestured for Vinyl to go in first. Shrugging Vinyl obeyed.
It started with a seemingly long hallway that was covered in smoke and colored lights. Vinyl stared entranced. Music soon followed with a beat that Vinyl couldn't recognize.
"Is this like some binaural beat music shit or something?" she asked.
"Keep walking," another voice ordered.
Instinctively she obeyed, her mind focusing more on the light and music than on anything else.
"How do you like it?"
"It's really nice," Vinyl said slightly droning as she walked.
Soon she came to a room that seemingly had no end. Nearby was a chair, much like one you'd see in a dentist's office.
"Please. Have a seat, lean back, and keep your front legs on the rests," the voice told her soothingly.
Vinyl did so. As she put her front legs on the rests, they were locked down as were her back legs, but she didn't mind. Something about this felt....right to her. It was a bit relaxing actually.
There was a robotic whirring from above her. She looked up to see a mysterious helmet descending. It latched onto her head, covering her eyes in strange goggles.
"We can help you be cured of your afflictions. You won't have to worry about them any longer. Are you ready?" the voice asked.
"Yes, I am ready. I want to be cured," Vinyl droned.
"Good. Then let's begin."
Author's Note
I have never written an actual sex scene before, so sorry if it seems a bit amateur.
As the days went on, Twilight began to observe more and more ponies coming out of the single room feeling happier. But whenever she spoke to them, something caused their eyes to go blank and do something silly, just like Lyra and Vinyl. She also noticed their manes and tails becoming curlier and curlier as time went on.
Though she didn't see her that often, Pinkie was even happier than when Twilight first found her in the library, despite the fact that she told Twilight that she had pulled a week of all-nighters to perfect stage 1 and begin stage 2 of her cure, whatever it was. But, despite her happiness, Pinkie's behavior also worried Twilight more and more. Whenever she and Pinkie talked, Twilight would notice twitching and rapid blinking among other things. Pinkie was also constantly giggling.
Finally she couldn't take the suspense. Twilight set off to interrogate Pinkie, if she could find her of course. She was wandering around calling out for Pinkie when she heard that door open. Out came Berry Punch, looking happier than ever.
"Twilight!" she exclaimed joyfully.
The princess stared at the pony in puzzlement.
"I didn't set anything up in that room, Berry," she pointed out.
"Oh, stop being so modest! Just take the compliment."
"No really. I don't need any unnecessary inflation on my ego---Berry?"
It was happening to her too! Berry's eyes turned blank. She stood on her back legs and pulled out a pink tank of gas.
"Where did you---?" Twilight began.
Berry pulled out a tube with a nozzle at the end. She pointed it at her flank and, without hesitation, shoved it up her butt.
"What the buck?" Twilight shouted in disgust.
Berry turned the wheel on top of the gas tank and soon her flank began to inflate. Twilight stared at it as it grew to massive proportions. Just when the princess thought it was going to pop, Berry turned off the gas and removed the nozzle from her butt. Next she took her tail and twisted it to make it fit together. She took the tail and shoved it up her butt.
Then she sat on her flank and propelled herself upward. Soon, she was bouncing all around the tall hallway, laughing madly. Twilight goggled at the sight. She didn't know what to make of it. As the purple pony bounced, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash happened to enter.
"What the buck is going on with Berry Punch?" Rainbow asked Twilight in disgusted shock.
"I don't know."
After about five minutes, Berry took her tail and pulled it out. There was a squeaking sound as her flank deflated to normal size. The four ponies were stunned.
"What's wrong?" Berry asked when her eyes returned to normal.
Twilight tried to find the words for what had just occurred, but found nothing to describe it. Neither of the other 3 had an answer either it seemed. At this Berry Punch shrugged and walked away.
"Well, ahm never gonna git that outta mah head," Applejack shuddered.
"What do you mean by that?" Twilight wondered.
"It's not just Berry Punch who's been acting like that," Rainbow explained.
"But Cloud Kicker was in here," Twilight exclaimed.
"That's why we came over," Fluttershy explained calmly.
"Of course not. And it isn't my magic," Twilight added.
"What do yeh mean?"
Twilight gestured towards the library.
"I'll tell you everything in there."
As the ponies sat around the library sipping some hot tea Twilight had prepared, Twilight told them everything. All through it, she couldn't help but wonder why they were so cheerful.
"It's cuz a some a them ponies," Applejack answered when Twilight popped the question.
"We don't know how you're doing it," Rainbow said.
"That's just it," Twilight replied concerned.
"Well, we traced the magic to your castle," Fluttershy pointed out.
Twilight searched her mind for something to explain the strangeness of the citizens of Ponyville. All she could think of were all those tricks. And everytime she had seen those ponies acting strangely, they had come out of that little room....
"Of course!" Twilight gasped.
The other three looked at her questioningly.
"That door that Berry was doing her trick nearby. Everytime a pony has come out of there, their manes and tails are beginning to curl and they start doing tricks."
"How could a door do magic?" Rainbow scoffed in disbelief.
"It's not the door doing magic. Rather it's what's beyond it. Something must be hypnotizing the ponies, implanting trigger words and actions into their minds, and ensuring they have no memory of what had occurred inside."
"So what do we do then?" Applejack asked.
"I've got an idea. There's a spell that I've recently perfected. It allows one to recall things they forgot or were forced to forget. If I could cast the spell on one of you, then you'd go inside the room, come back out, and you'd still be able to tell me what's inside the room and what went on in it."
"Okay, so then who's going in?" Rainbow asked.
"There yeh are, sis!" a voice called out in a panic.
The four mares turned to see Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo running towards them.
"Yeh gotta help! Big Mac's been actin' real strange since he returned from the hospital!"
"Ah wish ah could, but ahm helpin' Twilight with somethin'."
"So who's gonna go in the room?"
"I will!" Scootaloo yelped.
"Me too!" Apple Bloom agreed.
"Me three!" followed Sweetie Belle.
Applejack cleared her throat.
"Ah don' think so. It's a might too dangerous."
"But we wanna help out!" Scootaloo protested.
"I'll go in," Rainbow volunteered.
"Okay, Rainbow," Twilight said.
Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated hard on her magical energy. Ever since the blues began, she hadn't had much time or energy to use her magic, so getting the spell at full capacity was going to take a lot of concentration and stamina. After a while, her head began to throb in pain from the concentration. With a yell, she let the spell loose.
There was a scream and a cry of "Apple Bloom!" Twilight opened her eyes to find the CMC lying on the floor of the library. Groaning in pain, the three fillies stood up.
"How did that happen?" Twilight asked in shock.
"We got in your spell path and got hit with it," Sweetie Belle exclaimed excitedly.
"Maybe this'll help us when we're in the door," Applebloom deducted.
"All right, Cutie Mark Crusaders! Let's go!" Scootaloo announced.
The three fillies ran off.
"Apple Bloom, yeh git back here right now!" Applejack shouted in anger.
The four mares followed behind, in hopes of catching them, but when they reached the door, they found it partially propped open and no fillies in sight.
"Looks like we're too late," Twilight sighed.
"Well, can't you just do another memory spell on one of us?" Rainbow exclaimed.
The princess shook her head.
"The spell is still in the early stages of development. Those take a lot of magical energy to perform. It will be a while before my magic comes back to full power. In the meantime, let's hope those three fillies have the common sense to come back before it's too late."
"So then, what do we do?" Fluttershy asked.
Twilight sighed as she sat down on the ground.
"All we can do now...is wait."
Author's Note
I don't know how long I'm going to make this. I'm kind of excited to go to the reveal and make it as grandiose as possible.
Three, little fillies stood in the dark, wondering what this place would bring. But they were blind to the dark, trapped in a vision of lucid wonder. It wasn't anything like they were expecting. And when they were able to tell each other about it later on, the incident seemed to have a three-way path, one for each of them to experience.
To Applebloom, she could feel the soft brush of farm grass against her hooves. A distinct aroma of morning dew, hay, and the stables filled her with a sense of familiarity. And she could see and hear all this experience had to offer her.
She cantered through the fields, freshly coated with just the right amount of dew on each tiny blade of grass and leaf, as the wind blew through her mane. The sun was high in the sky, beaming down on her back and hugging her in warmth. She cantered over to the other side of the field where there was a fair-sized hill with a tree on top as well as two figures.
"Applebloom!" a pair of voices called out to her from atop the hill.
Though she had never heard such voices before, her heart filled with joy when their words hit her ears. They were ponies who she never had met, but they were familiar to her.
"Momma? Papa!" she squealed as her eyes filled with joyful tears.
In an almost overwhelming joy, she rushed to the top of the hill and threw herself onto them into a hug. The trio laughed as they rolled around and tickled one another.
"Hey there! Wait fer us!" Applejack called out.
She, Big Mac, and Granny Smith were all rushing to the top as well. As soon as they reached the top, Applebloom called out "Pig pile" and the whole family jumped on top of each other in a cuddle. The warmth of her father and the smell of the straw coming from his dusty Stetson as she laid her head on his chest was absolutely soothing and common, as if it was something she felt and smelled everyday.
Next thing she knew, he grabbed her and tickled her. Applebloom laughed in shock and happiness as they rolled on top of each other. By a mishap, the two found themselves rolling down the hill. Now she had her papa and the grass tickling her as she barreled on downwards, giggling all the while.
The rest of the family followed on down and they all tumbled in peels of laughter and tears. After a few moments, Applebloom stood up. Her back was covered in grass and dirt, but she didn't care. Everyone was enjoying themselves and that was all that mattered to her right now.
The rest of the day was the best day that she had had in ages. She got to bake apple pies with her momma, Apple Song, as she told her little sugar cube stories about when she was just an even tinier filly and of when she herself was a filly. Apple Song was a ruffian much like Applebloom and wasn't one to give up when it came to getting her cutie mark, which turned out to be an apple cut in half with a quarter note carved into it.
"Every night, when ah came in for supper," Apple Song told Applebloom as they rolled out the dough for the pies.
"'How are yeh gonna git a nice stallion fer a husband if all yeh do is tumble round in the mud all day?' she would ask me. And once ah became a mare, ah found out she had raised enough bits to send me to a finishin' school. Ah threw such a fuss bout it, didn't ah, Momma?" she asked turning to Granny Smith.
"Yeh sure did," she replied.
Applebloom snickered at the thought of her mother throwing a fuss in public.
"The school didn't change me though," Apple Song giggled.
"Jist like Manon a the Springs?" Applebloom asked her.
"Ah guess yeh could say that. Ah caused a bit a trouble up at the finishin' school so ah could git mah cutie mark."
"Yeh nearly got expelled is what yeh did," Granny Smith chimed in.
"What did yeh do there?" Applebloom asked.
"Ah don't wanna say much, but one a the stunts ah pulled involved a porcupine, couple-a chickens, and some dense glue."
Applebloom snickered and shook her head at her mother's antics, not so different from her own.
She and her papa, Apple Slice, went far out into the forest and collected so many zap apples that they wouldn't run out for several seasons and he taught her the best way and location to buck the trunk. With a little help and practice, Applebloom was able to buck every single apple off of the largest apple tree in the forest in one swift kick.
There was a rush of adrenaline as all the apples fell right into the baskets below. It made her feel absolutely unstoppable. The strength and courage she felt propelled her to carry every single basket of apples on her back without any struggle. On the way back, he told her about his childhood.
"Ah wasn't like yer momma. Ah was a pretty good colt, though yer momma'd say otherwise."
"How'd yeh meet her?"
"Met her at that finishin' school she was sent to. Ah found her outside the school, cryin' her eyes out. Turns out she had somethin' stuck inside a her flank. Er a lot a somethins. So ah went over and offered teh pull them out. But it was tough teh git them all. Seemed teh be glued teh her flank."
"What was inside-a her flank?"
Apple Slice snickered at the memory.
"She had a whole 3 dozen porcupine quills stuck in her flank. She couldn't sit on her bottom fer weeks afterwards!" he hooted with laughter.
And just when Applebloom thought the whole day couldn't get any better, sure enough, it did; a bazillion times better. When she and Apple Slice returned from the orchard that evening, she found the rest of the Apple family setting up for what looked like a party. As she got closer to the farm, thousands upon thousands of familiar foods wafted their scents into her nostrils in an instant; apple pies, apple fritters, fried apple slices, apple cakes, apple cider, apple tea; deep-fried, honey-glazed, mini apple doughnuts; apple butter, apple jams and jellies, applesauce, apple bread, brown sugar-coated apple slices, apple pancakes, apple waffles, apple syrup, apple ice cream, apple juice, apple sugar, chocolate-covered apple slices, apple soda, apple candy canes, apple drops, apple shaved ice, apple lemonade, apple limeade, apple-glazed bacon, apples slices coated with syrup and bacon, and even more foods she couldn't name.
After a feast fit for an alicorn, the family gathered for the hoedown of a lifetime. The music was radiating with wholesome family energy. Applebloom found herself to be queen of the hoedown as her feet moved in such a graceful way that she couldn't believe. The family hooted and hollered with excitement as she completed the Apple Two-time kick, a dance move past down through generations of Apples in hopes some pony could do it once again, on the very first try.
And to close it off, a fireworks show headed by her Uncle Apple Blast. She managed to snag a front row seat with Babs. As the fireworks blasted over Sweet Apple Acres, she could smell the strong hint of zap apple. She held her tongue out and, sure enough, she could taste the flames without being burnt.
She closed her eyes in satisfaction. This had truly been the perfect day.
What Applebloom didn't know, however, was that her whole day was only a few minutes back in the real Equestria. As she came to from her trance, she shook her head.
"What the buck just happened?" she asked.
Dazed and confused, Applebloom silently stumbled about in the dark for sometime, looking for a way out, when a voice broke her silence.
"Remember what I told you and obey me," it purred.
Immediately her eyes went blank and her jaw slacked a touch.
"Yes, my master," she droned.
"Very good, my little pet. Now you shall not remember me talking to you. You shall only remember the wonderful day you had and the commands you were given. Is that clear, my dear?"
"Yes, my master. I shall not remember talking to you. I shall only remember the wonderful day I had and the commands I was given."
"You shall continue to think of me as your master, as your leader, as your God, as your maker, as your creator, as your everything, as your life; you shall continue to think of yourself as my pet, as my puppet, as my slave, as my toy, as my follower, as my robot, as my drone, as my doll, as my humble, loyal, and ever-obedient servant."
"You are my master, my leader, my God, my maker, my creator, my everything, my life. I am but your pet, your puppet, your slave, your toy, your follower, your robot, your drone, your doll, your humble, loyal, and ever-obedient servant."
"You like to obey. You live to please your master."
"I like to obey. I live to please my master."
"Without your master, you are nothing."
"Without my master, I am nothing."
"Very good. If you continue to serve your master, your master shall reward you with fantasies and pleasures beyond your wildest imagination. Now when you hear a snap, you will walk back to the door. Once you reach the door, you will return to your normal self. Is that clear?"
"Yes, my master."
"Very good, my slave."
She heard a snap and walked to the door, leaving the other two Crusaders in total darkness.
Author's Note
This was a long chapter to write, but kind of a fun one. I even kinda got caught up in Applebloom's fantasy. I'm gonna take the next two chapters for each of the CMC.
Author's Note
Let's play a game called "How Many Disney References Did I Make In One Chapter?"
This one seems like my longest. Sorry it took so long to get it up. School is a thing.
Hopefully I'll get the next chapter out sooner.
Chapter 7
Sweetie Belle did not completely hear her fellow crusader leave, for she was slightly caught up in her own fantasy. Strangely enough, however, something inside of her told her that she had to resist the vision's power. She had not gotten as deep as Applebloom had by that time.
"This can't be real. There's no way it's real," she protested relentlessly as the fantasy attempted to take over her mind.
"Oh. How adorable," a voice cooed pretentiously.
"That's because it's not!"
"But don't you wish it was? I can make it real, Sweetie Belle. I know everything about you."
"You're joking. There's no way you could know EVERYTHING about---"
Her words trailed off as she heard the faint sounds of hooves clopping against the floor. Sweetie Belle whirled her head around.
"Who's there?" she yelled.
"Don't pay attention to that," the voice purred.
The unicorn filly attempted to run after the sound, but something kept her from going far. She tripped and her jaw crashed into the floor, diverting her attention away from the sound. She felt a sharp, stabbing pain on the left side of her upper lip. Blood dripped from the abrasion onto her tongue, its metallic taste making her gag with each drop. As the pain surged through her, her mind used this as an opportunity to enact her fantasy. Sweetie Belle's mind began to focus away from the pain and onto the curtain her mind was trying to draw in front of her reality.
"No, no, no," Sweetie Belle gasped as the blood began to pour even more.
She tried to stand up, but her legs gave way and, once again, she hit her jaw against the floor. Another stabbing pain in her upper lip and more blood squirting into her mouth. The crusader began to panic. She tried to call for help, but the blood was full in her mouth by this time. The intense stench was too nauseating and she spat out the remaining blood.
Turning to another spot on the floor, Sweetie Belle vomited out what felt like the entirety of her stomach. The bile burnt her throat and her eyes started to water as she began to tremble in intense agony. She tried to move, but was pulled back as she detected the rattling of metal shackles nearby. The unicorn could feel some sort of clasp on her legs, but when she struggled to face behind her, she could see nothing of the sort. Was she going mad? She didn't want to stick around to find out.
Her bones felt like glass as she attempted to stand back up and she began to feel extremely lightheaded. Though she couldn't see it, she could feel the room rocking from side to side, making her sicker by the second. Another violent and sizzling burst of vomit, this batch accompanied by blood, was enough to send Sweetie Bell back to the floor. Pain seared throughout her body as her forehead felt as though it would burn off from the heat it was producing.
"Don't propel the pain any longer, Sweetie," the voice cooed.
"Never!" Sweetie Belle screamed as the stench hit her eyes, making them water even more.
For a fourth time, she attempted to stand only to immediately send herself back to the floor, this time in a pool of her bile and bloody vomit. Her vision began to fade as she looked on into the vast darkness before submitting to her own.
"Sweetie Belle?" a lyrically gentle voice whispered.
Slowly, the small unicorn opened her eyes. She was no longer submerged in darkness nor covered in bloody bile and vomit. Instead she was outside where the sky was radiating with pinks, violets, blues, and all sorts of magical colors. Her body was dressed in the emerging sunrise as she sat up and found herself in a flower bed. Surrounding her was every woodland creature known to pony kind.
Beside her nature bed was the most beautiful alicorn she had ever seen. Her eyes were colored like the bark of trees. Her coat was a pure white and her mane was a dark brown. She wore a gown made for a princess; the top was a beautiful, sapphire blue, the sleeves were puffed perfectly with little red droplets decorated round the blue. At the end of each sleeve was a tiny golden trim. The skirt below was a sparkling, sunny yellow. Even just staring at it made Sweetie Belle smile. On top of her head was a bow as red as a blooming, spring rose.
"My dear," the alicorn giggled gently in the most enchanting and soothing voice the young unicorn had ever heard.
The pony took a hoof and rubbed Sweetie Belle's back. Surprisingly she was not put off by this, but instead found it quite comforting. It began to lull Sweetie Belle until a thought struck her back to her senses.
"Wait. Who are you?"
The alicorn giggled once again and Sweetie Belle couldn't help but smile; even her laughter was comforting.
"You must've been out longer than I thought, my sweetie. It's me; your mother, Autumn Red."
The pony just started in confusion. This alicorn couldn't be her mother, as much as Sweetie Belle wished she was. Besides, if her mother was an alicorn, did that mean---?
Impossible, Sweetie Belle thought.It's not inherent. But then again, could it--?
She turned to look and gasped. On her back was a pair of pure white, filly-sized wings.
"I'm an alicorn?" she squealed in delight.
"Of course, my dear," Autumn smiled.
Sweetie Belle hopped out of her flower bed and trotted instinctively towards a pond. Sure enough she had both wings and a horn. She turned to her flank. Her normal cutie mark was gone and in place was a flower with a quarter note blossoming out of it. In front of the flower, in shining, shimmering splendor, was a golden crown blessed with what seemed to be dozens of jewels.
"I wonder what Diamond Tiara would make of it," she said as she trotted back.
"You called, mistress?" a voice asked wearily.
Sweetie Belle was stunned at what she saw. It was Diamond Tiara, dressed in rags and covered in various dusts and soots. Dark circles blared from underneath her eyes. Her coat was fading to a gray-pink and her hooves were cracked all over.
"Diamond Tiara? What happened to you?"
"It's her own fault," a voice said behind her.
Sweetie looked up to see Autumn.
"She used to be rich and high-class until she bullied you so badly. She was then given the title of your own personal slave."
"How did that happen?"
"My, my, Sweetie Belle, how could you forget? Our ranks are determined by our kindness. You have always been a kind pony, so you became an alicorn princess."
A thought struck Sweetie Belle.
"So, if she's my personal slave, can I make her do anything?"
Autumn nodded and Sweetie Belle gave a slightly evil grin.
"Come with me, slave," she ordered kindly.
"As you wish, my mistress," Diamond sighed.
They kept walking until they stopped at a grandiose bedroom. Inside was a four-poster bed, a love seat, an armoire, a closet full of clothes, and more.
"Perfect," Sweetie Belle grinned.
Obediently, yet reluctantly, Diamond walked inside. Sweetie began to review something in her head in case Diamond wasn't as submissive. Sweetie sat down on the four-poster bed.
"Get me some soap," she ordered.
Diamond went off to the bathroom inside the bedroom and came back with a bar of wet soap and some pump soap.
"Now," Sweetie said as she lie down on the bed.
Diamond did as she was told. The soap made Sweetie feel a bit uncomfortable, but it would be worth it. When she was done, Sweetie Belle sat up.
"Now I want you to wash it off with your tongue."
Diamond scoffed at this.
"As if! I'm not going to lick a bitch like you!"
"Tsk tsk," Sweetie Belle scolded.
Sweetie Belle focused on the spell she had reviewed and, after mustering her energy, zapped Diamond with it. The effects took only a few seconds before activating. Diamond's eyes glazed over and she stood up straight.
"Such naughty language demotes you even further. You are no longer Diamond Tiara. Your name shall now be Dirt Drone and you serve Mistress Sweetie Belle."
"I shall serve Mistress Sweetie Belle," the newly-created Dirt Drone repeated entranced.
"You worship your mistress. It pleasures you to serve her and disobedience causes excruciating pain. Your mistress is everything to you."
"My mistress is my everything. I worship my mistress. It pleasures me to serve her and causes pain when I disobey."
"Now your bad language has dirtied your mouth. You must wash it out. Conveniently enough it is also time for my bath. Come here, slave, and clean me with your mouth."
Robotically Dirt Drone walked over and knelt down beside Sweetie Belle's legs. She took hold of one of them and stuck it in her mouth, sucking off the soap.
"Doesn't that feel good, slave?"
A shudder of delight came from Dirt Drone. As she took ahold of the other one, Sweetie Belle took pleasure from it all. Not only did it feel good, but this pony, who even after the election she still held a grudge against, was getting her comeuppance.
The small unicorn could feel her pussy getting wetter and wetter as Dirt Drone licked every bit of soap off of her body. Once she was done, she got back into position. Her submissive attitude gave Sweetie Belle an idea.
"Now there's something else that is dirty. Since your mouth is clean, you can clean it for me. Wash the inside."
"Readily, my mistress," Dirt Drone said obediently as Sweetie Belle turned onto her stomach and spread her back legs.
The slave stuck her tongue into Sweetie Belle's ass and into her pussy, sucking and licking every inch of it. This only made Sweetie Belle's pussy wetter. The unicorn could feel gas building up inside and let it loose onto Dirt Drone. The slave backed away and swallowed what was in her mouth. Her mouth turned upwards in a dopey smile and her eyes drooped in satisfaction.
"Mistress has just bestowed a gift on you," Sweetie Belle said.
The slave gave a satisfied giggle as she stumbled to the doorway.
The rest of the day was amazing as well. Sweetie Belle learned of Autumn's gifts that had been passed onto her as well. Autumn taught her the best ways to maintain an enormously, secret garden. And indeed, the garden Sweetie Belle awoke in was enormously secret. There were all sorts of little alcoves and areas with hidden treasures beyond her wildest dreams.
On top of it, she found that she could communicate with animals. She spent much of her afternoon chatting and singing with the forest creatures along with visiting a small mine where seven small ponies were working. She sang to them as well and one of the ponies told her she was beautiful, like an angel. Impulsively, Sweetie Belle gave him a nice kiss on the forehead.
"Aw gawrsh," he blushed as his face turned red as she giggled kindly.
Her mother showed her a gigantic library which she gave to her. Another bedroom was given to her; this one had a toy chest that contained a puppet of a little colt, a stuffed raccoon, a stuffed chameleon, a stuffed mouse in a suit, and many others.
Tea time was quite eventful. Her mother had hired a tea time companion for her while she tended to the garden and the animals. This pony wore a large top hat and kept insisting they move down the table every few minutes for a clean cup. There were so many kinds of sweets as well; vanilla cake, chocolate cake, strawberry shortcake, cheesecake, marble cake, ice cream cake, pecan pie, gooseberry pie, apple pie, apple dumplings, strawberry tarts, peach cobbler, angel food cake, it all made her mouth water in delight.
Next she was shown a large room made entirely of sweets. The grass was made of mint strips that cooled her inside and out. Marshmallows drifted along the flowing chocolate river, adding milky-white spirals to the luxurious liquid. Mushrooms were scattered about with different tops; one was a chocolate cup with peanut butter on the inside. Another was a sugar apple coated in rich, gooey caramel. A third was a chocolate-coated raspberry.
Everywhere candy trees of all types were scattered across the room; candy floss conifers, chocolate pretzel pines, french vanilla ferns, brown sugar sycamores, pineapple palm trees, maple sugar leaf trees that dribbled down a gooey shower of syrup from its leaves, Belgian chocolate birches, chocolate cheery-cherry blossoms, and candy trees she couldn't even name.
In a grotto adjacent to it was a fair-sized candy factory. Sweetie Belle found it to be quite enjoyable as she watched the workers-small, orange pony-like creatures with curly, green manes and tails-create various candies and confections and she even made a few of her own. It was truly a delight.
The filly was overwhelmed by so much; the amount and sizes of the rooms, the rooms within the rooms, secret doors, passageways undiscovered until that day, secret rooms within the secret rooms, a room that looked on all of the rooms via monitors, so many secrets to keep Sweetie Belle preoccupied.
Unfortunately for her, that was exactly what they wanted. As she laid in the darkness with her eyes closed, a voice whispered,
"Sweetie Belle. Awaken, my Sweetie Belle."
Like a mechanical doll, Sweetie Belle's eyes clicked open instantly. She stood up straight on her four legs as her jaw went slack and her eyes went blank.
"Very good, my little pet. Now you shall not remember me talking to you. You shall only remember the wonderful day you had and the commands you were given. Is that clear, my dear?"
"Yes, my master. I shall not remember talking to you. I shall only remember the wonderful day I had and the commands I was given."
"You shall continue to think of me as your master, as your leader, as your God, as your maker, as your creator, as your everything, as your life; you shall continue to think of yourself as my pet, as my puppet, as my slave, as my toy, as my follower, as my robot, as my drone, as my doll, as my humble, loyal, and ever-obedient servant."
"You are my master, my leader, my God, my maker, my creator, my everything, my life. I am but your pet, your puppet, your slave, your toy, your follower, your robot, your drone, your doll, your humble, loyal, and ever-obedient servant."
"You like to obey. You live to please your master."
"I like to obey. I live to please my master."
"Without your master, you are nothing."
"Without my master, I am nothing."
"Very good. If you continue to serve your master, your master shall reward you with fantasies and pleasures beyond your wildest imagination. Now when you hear a snap, you will walk back to the door. Once you reach the door, you will return to your normal self. When asked of the mess, you will say that you slipped in something. Is that clear?"
"Yes, my master."
"Very good, my slave."
The snap occurred a second time. Like clockwork, Sweetie Belle went back towards the door.
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. The next morning, Twilight was patrolling her castle vigilantly. As soon as she had her a creak, she had rushed to the scene, but it was too late. She saw the vinyl record left on the small cot on the floor that she had set up for Vinyl to sleep in. Twilight immediately assumed the worst, even if there was no indication of blood or other gore.
She was so preoccupied in her worries that she didn't stop walking until she stumbled over something.
"What in Equestria?" She asked rubbing her jaw.
The princess turned to see Vinyl curled up by the door Lyra had come out of only a night or two ago.
"Vinyl?" she asked shaking the sleeping unicorn.
Vinyl tossed and turned, almost throwing Twilight off of her.
"Vinyl!" Twilight snapped.
She awoke with a start.
"Huh? Oh. Morning, Twilight."
"Good. You're alive. Now why are you out of solitary confinement?"
Vinyl shrugged.
"I don't really remember anything that happened last night. Like I'm totally lost. But I feel happier than yesterday."
"How?"
"Beats me. Also why did you say you were glad I was alive?"
"Because I saw one of your records on your cot and---"
It happened. Vinyl shot up onto her legs and her eyes turned blank.
"Um, hello?" Twilight asked.
Almost like a wind-up toy, Vinyl stood on her front legs and took out four vinyl records. Next she tossed one up in the air. Then another. And another. And another.
Twilight stood in astonishment. Was Vinyl...juggling?
"How...do you know...?"
She was lost in awe. Vinyl was so focused on her craft. Or was she? It seemed like she was on autopilot the whole time. After about five minutes, Vinyl caught each record one by one and bowed. Then she shook her head.
"Oh. Yeah, I know I was suicidal beforehand, but I tried something yesterday and it seemed to work."
Suddenly the door where Vinyl was sleeping by opened and out stepped Octavia.
"Octavia! What the buck are you doing out of your cell?" Twilight snapped.
"I'm so sorry, Twilight," Octavia told her calmly.
Twilight narrowed her eyes at the two. This didn't seem like a mere coincidence. She decided that she would release them both, but not right away.
"Just stay in your cells until I know for sure."
Later that day, Twilight was working on a detox spell for Berry Punch when she heard the door open.
"Hey, Twilight!" A familiar voice called.
Twilight whirled heart jumped in shock.
"Pinkie! I haven't seen you since the day you got my book. Where have you been?"
"I've been making preparations for the cure and running a few tests. So far it's been working great!"
"This isn't like the time you tried to prepare cupcakes, is it?"
Pinkie shook her head.
"I swear, I honestly don't know why the cupcakes tasted like blood, Twilight. But anyway, no. This is even more super duper! Stage 1 is almost finished."
"What's stage 2?"
Pinkie gave a laugh that made Twilight slightly uncomfortable.
"I can't tell you that, silly! That would ruin the surprise! Well, I just wanted to see how you were. I have some more tests to run! See ya!"
Pinkie bounced out of the library as another pony walked on in. Her curled, violet mane was a comforting familiarity to Twilight. But her mane didn't have as much of a curl as it normally did for the winter blues had gotten to her as well. Though she didn't seem as melancholy as she had in the recent past.
"Rarity! How nice of you to visit!" Twilight greeted her.
"Why, Twilight, you seem especially upbeat," she remarked.
Twilight knew of the concept, but had never bothered to try it. What confused her was how Rarity knew about it.
"No, I haven't."
"You simply must! You know about Oriental Silk, don't you?"
The princess shook her head.
"They're the most quality and energy-centric fashion designer in all of Equestria. They told me all about Feng Shui and advised me on how I should arrange my boutique."
"They?" Twilight asked.
"Oriental is nonbinary, darling. Or agender. I don't remember which one. But they're absolutely clever. It's only been a week since I rearranged the boutique how they told me to and the energy has been absolutely uplifting. Just this morning, I was able to brainstorm a new clothing line; I've decided to make this one a quality and energy-centric line for agender and nonbinary ponies in honor of Oriental. Oh! That reminds me. I'll have to ask Oriental for tips on how to design such a line."
"That's fantastic, Rarity!" Twilight smiled.
"So anyway. How have you been attempting to combat the blues? Especially what happened with the summit. I'm so sorry it didn't go well."
"It happens. I haven't really been doing anything. But Pinkie---"
Twilight trailed off. Should she tell Rarity about it?
"What about Pinkie?" Rarity asked.
Twilight sighed.
"Just yesterday morning, Berry Punch told me Maud Pie got caught in a rockslide and died about a month ago."
Rarity gasped in shock.
"She never told me about that," she choked, her voice breaking.
"She didn't tell anyone about it apparently. Berry Punch was there when Pinkie got the news. She said Pinkie just kept smiling and trotted away. But that's not the strangest thing. About two or three days ago, Pinkie was in my library searching for a book on psychotherapy."
"Are you sure that was actually her?" Rarity asked, wiping away her tears.
"Positive. And after I gave her the book, she just zipped off and I didn't see her until just then. Then I bumped into Lyra on the first night and I said something and her eyes went blank and she started walking on her front legs and tumbling. On top of it, her mane started to become curly."
By this time, Twilight was talking rapidly.
"And then this morning, I stumbled across Vinyl and I said something and her eyes went blank as well and then she started juggling some vinyl records."
"Twilight, darling, slow down!" Rarity exclaimed.
"I wish it was," Twilight sighed.
"Perhaps you're simply an exception. Well, I need to get working on my line and you need to relax and take care of yourself for a time. Goodbye!"
As Rarity trotted out, Twilight couldn't help but wonder if this was really just a hallucination. Part of her wanted to believe it was, but something else told her that it was real.
Twilight sighed. She tried to focus on the detox spell but the query kept eating away at her until she could bare it no longer. She was going to get the answers she needed one way or the other.
Author's Note
I normally don't have as much motivation to write because of my depression, but I've got big plans for this story.
I also have a Chemistry quiz and an AP Gov MC final tomorrow. I'm at risk of Fs in both of those classes, but I have a chance to bump it up. I'm aiming for at least a D+/C- or higher in both of those classes by the end of the semester. I'm at a C in French, B in Health, and A in Choir. I have a D- in Chem, which is a college level course, and an F in AP Gov (which was at 44%, but I got it bumped up to 58% recently. Thank you, Public Policy Project checkpoint 1!) so I'll have to take time today to study for both. Mostly Gov, though. (I usually pick the class I'm struggling in the most to study first.)
