Mutual Attraction *

Chapter 17

Dazzle trudged miserably through the diamond dog mines. Now that her horn was free, she used her magic to locate gems, marking them with an 'X'. Dazzle had been told that if she stopped finding gems, her captors would use her exclusively for their pleasure.

She was all sweaty and dirty. A bath she had taken earlier in an underground spring had removed the smell of urine, but the thick stink of diamond dog musk still hung heavy over the unicorn

Attached to her back was a rusty harness. Dazzle used it to pull a wagon filled with gems. Rover sat atop the pile, staring at her ass as she worked. They were alone, as the other diamond dogs had stayed behind to dig up all the 'X' markings she left behind. The gray dog lay on his side as he watched the sweat drip down Dazzle's dirty, white backside. Rover stroked his hard erection with his paws. Precum dribbled down his hairy fingers.

“Stop pony!” Rover said, unable to control himself, “Huh! Huh! Turn around!” Dazzle slowly turned her head. She winced as she saw that Rover was preparing to give her a messy facial.

“Pony work hard,” he said, panting, while jerking his meat, “Huh! Make Rover hard. Now pony open mouth for treat!”

Dazzle closed her eyes and opened her mouth, resigned to her fate. When nothing happened, she got confused.

Suddenly, Dazzle heard a loud “Yip!”

When she opened her eyes, Orion was there. He had used his magic to pull Rover to the ground. The stallion then removed Dazzle's harness and levitated the cart over the lead diamond dog.

“What's covered in gems and clueless?” Orion asked as he turned the cart upside down on Rover's head, burying him in gems.

"You're face," Orion said, answering his own riddle. Dazzle ran to her husband and nuzzled his neck.

“I know how to get out of here,” Orion said, “But we've got to go now, before the whole pack's on our tails.”

Even in her weakened state, Dazzle found the strength to match her husband's pace as they ran out of the caves. Through twists and turns, Orion would blast any diamond dogs that crossed their path with a beam of magical energy.

Dazzle could see daylight ahead, growing closer and closer; bigger and brighter. Finally the two unicorns emerged and breathed the fresh afternoon air.

They ran until the entrance to the mine was out of sight. Then, finding a tree, Dazzle and Orion stopped to rest. Dazzle was panting heavily. She could feel feel her heart pounding in her chest.

“Look at me,” Orion said, staring at his wife, “What did those monsters do to you? Did they hurt you? If they hurt you, I swear to Celestia I'll go back down there and shove every last gem of theirs up their-”

“Orion!” Dazzle said, setting her own trauma aside for the moment, “Now is not the time to worry about me. We need to find the kids. They may not yet realize the danger they're in.”

“What do you mean?” Orion asked, “All of Equestria has branded our children as incestuous kidnappers of royalty. How could things be worse?”

“Chrysalis is the one who handed me over to those filthy beasts,” Dazzle said, shuddering.

“Shining's wife?” Orion asked in disbelief, “Are you sure?”

“Of course I'm sure!” Dazzle said, hysterically, “She was disguised as Cadance! Who else could it have been?!”

Orion sat in silence. Dazzle continued to speak.

“I don't know where Chrysalis is now, or what she's done with our kids.” the mare said, gasping for breath, “All I know is that if our kids are still okay, they won't be for long, traveling with her.”

It was nighttime at Sweet Apple Acres. Chrysalis had fallen asleep in the clubhouse. She felt so stigmatized after the harsh exchange with the Apples, that the changeling slept while disguised as Cadance. She had begun to hate her normal appearance. She never wanted another pony to see her real face ever again. It was hard for Chrysalis to like who she was when the dominant species on the planet considered her to be abhorrent.

“Why is Shining Armor the only one who doesn't hate me?” She thought sadly as she dreamed. A tear ran down her artificial pink cheek. Chrysalis knew that Shining's family only tolerated her for their son's sake. As her mind was plagued with unpleasant dreams, the changeling queen was unaware that she was alone. Shining Armor and Twilight were not in the clubhouse.

The two unicorn siblings looked up into the starry night sky as they sat beside rows of apple orchards.

“I wish I knew where the Princesses were.” Twilight said sadly.

“Celestia and Luna would be able to resolve this whole mess,” Shining Armor added, “But nopony's seen them since before that tabloid came out.”

They sat in silence for a moment as they watched a shooting star.

“I guess we should be grateful the media didn't blame us for their disappearance as well.” Shining said, chuckling, “Then we'd have three missing princesses to account for.”

“No,” Twilight said, “Wherever the Princesses are, I'm sure they're alright. The sun and moon still rise when they should; it's just that nopony has seen them for days.”

“I've got a feeling that wasn't the only thing you wanted to discuss with me,” Shining Armor said, suspiciously.

“Since you asked,” Twilight said, getting to the heart of the matter, “I didn't want to talk about it in front of your wife, but admit it, big brother. You have unresolved feelings for me.”

“Honestly Twilight,” Shining said, “I could never be with you. We're brother and sister. I love you as a sister, and I will admit that I am sexually attracted to you, but we're related. It just wouldn't be right.”

“But it could work perfectly here!” Twilight said, desperately, “We could live and work here at Sweet Apple Acres! We're supposed to be in hiding anyways, so I could change my name to Sparkling Apple Cider, and you could be Shiny Apple! We'd be a couple of hardworkin' hicks, and each day I'd let you pound your sweet sister's caboose 'til the cows came home.”

“What about Chrysalis?” Shining asked, indignant, “The Apple's aren't thrilled about letting a changeling stay here, and they certainly wouldn't let one live here permanently. Besides, you seem to forget that I'm already with Chrysalis. I love her as a wife.”

“But you're not attracted to her.” Twilight said, trying to analyze her brother's psyche, “Admit it! Her buggy appearance repulses you; why else would you have her change into me during sex?”

“Now Twilight, that's not fair.” Shining said.

“No,” Twilight retorted, raising her voice, “What's not fair is that my brother taunts my affections with his shapeshifting wife!”

“I found a creative outlet for my incestuous desires, without giving in to them,” Shining Armor said, matter-of-factly, “You should do the same.”

“What?” Twilight asked angrily; her eyes on the verge of tears, “Should I find some white stud with a blue mane and pretend it's you? Should make him call me 'little sis' when he screws my ass?” Twilight took a moment to compose herself before continuing.

“My attraction to you was not based on your appearance,” Twilight said, “I loved you for who you are as a pony. Growing up, you were the one colt that I cared for. That feeling hasn't changed. When I moved out to Ponyville, I hid those desires, but seeing you again at your wedding brought them all back.”

Twilight shot a fleeting glance towards the clubhouse off in the distance where Chrysalis slept. The mare then closed her eyes as tears flowed down her face.

“I had hoped that you loved me for who I was,” Twilight said, “but if all you need to be happy is something that looks like me; if your attraction to me was based solely on my body, then I guess I was wrong. We don't have the same mutual attraction towards each other.”

“I had no idea those pictures would affect you this way,” Shining Armor said, “I never meant for you to see. I never meant for anypony to see.”

Twilight sat for a moment thinking. She was getting no where with her brother. Time to move on to a more productive conversation.

“Which raises the question,” the mare said, “how did those photos get out?” Shining Armor stared at his sister, the wheels turning in his head.

“It wasn't you, was it?” Shining Armor asked, curtly.

“What?!” Twilight asked, shocked, “You think I did it?!”

“You must have been the one spying on me and Chrysalis from the door!” Shining said, as if he was seeing his sister for the first time, “You watched us have sex! You must have taken the photos! You hoped that once word got out, I'd leave Chrysalis for you!”

While this conversation is going on, just out of earshot, two ponies were sneaking inside Apple Bloom's club house.

Dazzle had been right to visit Twilight's friends first. She knew that Applejack, the element of honesty, would tell Dazzle where her daughter was if she knew.

“Plus, pulling out the old sympathetic family card helped,” Orion said, chuckling, “They had to tell us where our kids were when we told them it was a family matter.”

“Family is important to the Apples,” Dazzle said, distractedly.

“That's only because the Apple family tree doesn't fork,” Orion added.

As they stumbled into the darkened club house, Dazzle didn't see her children anywhere. The mare's body was sore and she was tired. She just wanted to close her eyes and rest, but she dared not do it. Each time she shut her eyes, her mind was bombarded with images from her horrible ordeal. She saw the diamond dogs. Their teeth, their eyes, their red, throbbing-

Dazzle was suddenly awoken from her nightmare when Orion informed her that they were not alone in the clubhouse. The two unicorns stared at the pink alicorn sleeping. It was Cadance.

“No,” Dazzle said, “Chrysalis.”

Before the changeling had any time to be alerted to their presence, Orion jumped on top of her; pinning her down. He lowered his head, keeping his horn pointed directly at her neck.

“Wait” Chrysalis said as she shed her disguise, “I'm not really Cadance! It's me, Chrysalis!”

“We know it's you, changeling!” Orion said through gritted teeth, “Cadance is dead! But you disguised yourself as her, didn't you? You disguised yourself as Cadance when you handed my wife over to a pack of wild dogs so they could torture and rape her!”

“Oh Celestia!” Chrysalis said crying, “I would never! Please! I don't know what you're talking about!”

“You're just ensuring your creator's last wishes are fulfilled aren't you?” Orion asked angrily, “Completing your mission to make my family's lives a living tartarus! The only reason why I haven't squashed you like the bug you are, is because you may be the only one who can tell me where my children are!”

“They were both sleeping here beside me!” Chrysalis cried hysterically, “I don't know where they went! Please, whatever you think I did, I promise you it wasn't me!”

“The promise of a changeling,” Orion scoffed, “That and two bits could buy me a coffee at Donut Joe's.”

Chrysalis's cries carried across the fields, into the orchards. Shining Armor and Twilight heard the commotion.

“Chrysalis!” Shining Armor said, rising to his feet, “I'll bet the Apple family turned her over to the royal guards for the bounty. Either that, or they're fixing to lynch her.”

“AppleJack would never!” Twilight said, “She's one of my best friends!” With that, the to siblings ran towards the commotion in the club house.