Standing in the doorway was a bulky thestral stallion with a black coat and a bald head. He was at least six feet tall, and looked like he weighed about four hundred pounds. The stallion was wearing a black suit and tie with a red button up shirt. On his giant, meaty hands were several gold rings, each one having a ruby in its center. His emerald eyes were fixed on something.

Pip, who was kneeling next to Rumble, followed the stallion’s gaze towards Succubus. Narrowing his eyes, the small stallion got up and approached the larger stallion who was now walking towards the stage.

“Get out!” demanded Pip as he stormed towards the thestral. “I will not have this-” Before Pip could finish his sentence, the other stallion had closed the distance between them and picked Pip up by his shirt without taking his eyes off Succubus. Pip could hear several of the mares screaming right before the silent thestral tossed him into the wall behind his station. He could feel his back making contact with the bottles of alcohol right before he landed on the ground.

Slowly, Pip got on his hands and knees, not caring if his palms got cut on glass. He could smell the various drinks that now soaked his skin, but he was beyond worrying about things like that as he looked for the rune stone that would signal the police. He winced as he moved, believing that he had to have at least several cuts along his back. But he pressed on until he held the stone in his hand.

‘That’s what I get for trying to be a hero,’ thought Pip as he activated the stone. ‘Should have just gone for this. Oh, what was I thinking?’ Pip heard several crashes followed by a scream that made his eyes widen in terror. Getting to his hooves, he saw the area by the stage looked like a wreck. Several chairs looked like they had been smashed up, used as weapons by the stallions in the crowd to try and protect the mares but to no avail. The thestral stallion had Succubus and was now dragging her towards the door. Succubus was pulling with all her might, but the stallion didn’t seem to be bothered by it at all.

Pip took several deep, rage fueled breathes as he moved out from behind his station. As he did, Rumble also got to his hooves. The pegasus opened his wings and shot towards the attacker at full speed, looking like he was going to tackle him. However, whether the thestral heard him get up or something else, he stopped and backhanded Rumble before he made contact. The grey stallion went flying into a wall and painfully bounced off of it.

At the same time, Pip charged at the stallion with the intent to…do something. He didn’t care if he hit him, bit him, or whatever. All that mattered was doing something, anything to save Succubus. But the other stallion saw him coming and grabbed Pip by the neck. Slowly he lifted Pip into the air while applying pressure to his windpipe. Pip brought his hands up to his neck to try and pry the other stallion’s finger off, but they just wouldn’t budge. All he could do was shoot an angry glare at the attacker as he felt his world grow dark.

“HANDS OFF MY PIP!” roared Succubus; and a moment later Pip felt life return to him as the stallion released him. As Pip landed on the ground he looked over to see that Succubus’s hoof was pressed against the other thestral’s groin. Pip let out a cough as Succubus pulled that hoof back and kicked him there again and again until he fell down.

Once he was on the ground, groaning loudly and holding his privates, Succubus turned and made a mad dash towards Pip. “Oh dear sweet Luna,” she gasped as she got down to help Pip sit up. “Pip, you’re bleeding! Does anything else hurt? Please, don’t die on me!”

“I’ll live,” coughed Pip. “What about you?”

Succubus smiled weakly. “I’m fine,” she said.

Pip nodded. “And Rumble?” he asked. “Is he ok?” The two turned to where their friend and bouncer landed. A crowd of mares surrounded him as well as a few of the stallions. One of those stallions, Pip noticed, was Dr. Stable. The good doctor looked like he was checking Rumble’s pulse, with a not too grim expression on his face.

Just then, a shadow appeared over Pip and Succubus. Turning their heads they both saw that the thestral stallion had gotten up and was looking at them with pure hatred. His fists were so tightly clenched that Pip could hear his knuckles cracking. But before he could do anything there were several flashes of light behind him, followed by a blast of energy that nearly knocked him over.

Shocked, the three looked over to where the flashes came from, and found twelve unicorn officers with their horns glowing brightly. Pip also noticed the back of his attacker. It was clear to see where he had been hit, that area of his suit looked like somepony had burned a hole through it and even burned his fur, leaving a scorch mark in its place. And yet, the stallion didn’t look like he was in pain at all. He hadn’t even made a sound.

“That was a warning shot,” said one of the officers. “You cannot escape. We have pegasi heading towards the building. Lie down on the floor or else-” The stallion glared at the officer and lunged forwards with his fist raised. “OPEN FIRE!” As soon as the first word escaped his mouth, all twelve horns fired energy blasts at the thestral who took it for a solid minute before finally falling to the ground.

“Everything’s going to be alright,” said Succubus as she helped Pip up to their home.

It had been several hours since the police showed up. While the police tied the thestral stallion up in magical chains, shocked that he was STILL alive after all that, medical ponies arrived on the scene. Rumble was teleported straight to the hospital. He was alive, but in bad shape. As for Pip, magic made it easy to pull out all the glass shards in his skin before bandaging up his back. Dr. Stable checked him out and was pleased to announce that he had not suffered a concussion or anything serious, unlike Rumble.

Once that was out of the way, the police spent the rest of the time questioning everypony there. Nopony knew who that stallion was, all they knew was that he just attacked Rumble and anypony who got in the way of him getting to Succubus. When Succubus was asked if she knew who he was she claimed to have no idea, that she had honestly never seen him before.

Pip, however, had his doubts about that.

When the police had finished questioning everypony, Pip told the crowd that they were going to close for the night. As the crowd departed, Pip thanked many of them for trying to help, and was repaid with half-smiles while the mares working for him changed into their normal clothes. Once they were ready, they were escorted back to their homes with a few extra guards, just to be on the safe side. Before they left, Pip told them to take the next couple of days off.

“I…guess,” said Pip slowly as Succubus opened the door and brought the two of them inside. As soon as the door closed, Succubus brought Pip over to the couch and sat him down there before she hurried back into the kitchen. At first, Pip thought she was going to get him some ice or something, but instead she got a plastic bag and began to empty the cupboards of food.

“We have to get out of here,” whispered Succubus as small tears began to form in her eyes. “Never thought they’d do something like this. Won’t let anything bad happen to him.”

“Succubus,” said Pip gently.

“I thought I was safe,” whimpered Succubus as she got another plastic bag. “How did they find me? Why, oh Luna, why won’t they leave me alone! I don’t want to go back there.”

“Succubus,” said Pip, stronger this time.

“I don’t want to go back,” said Succubus as she stopped packing and placed her palms on the kitchen counter. More tears began to pour from her eyes. “I just can’t.”

“SUCCUBUS!” yelled Pip, causing her to turn and look at him. Pip tried to stand up, but Succubus rushed over to him and sat him back down.

“Pip, please rest,” she said quickly. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anything hurt you. We’ll be gone long before they find out that stallion got arrested, and they won’t find us.”

“Succubus, I’m not going anywhere until I find out what’s going on,” said Pip as he tried to get up again, but Succubus placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him down. She then got on her knees so that she could be at eye level with him.

“Please Pip,” she said. “I promise I’ll tell you everything you want to know once we get on the road. But right now there’s no time.”

“Succubus, you were nearly kidnapped in front of me,” snapped Pip, causing Succubus to pull back a bit. “I have no idea who that stallion was, but I know you do! The moment he came in, you froze and I saw the expressions on your face. Who are you running from? The law? The mob?”

Succubus opened her mouth when all of a sudden there were three small knocks on the door. The two turned their heads just in time to see the door open revealing two thestrals. One of them was a stallion with a grey coat and a long green mane that was tied up near the end. Like the stallion who had attacked them earlier, he was tall and wearing the exact same suit. Unlike the previous stallion, this one was thin and had a long scar running down the left side of his face, just missing his eye. The other thestral was a mare dressed in a maid’s uniform. Her coat was dark purple and her mane was an equally dark red. She kept her head down while carrying one of those black bags that holds a suit or a dress.

“I’m sorry for the intrusion,” said the stallion politely as he walked over to them, Succubus turning pale while standing up. “This…wasn’t the way I wanted our first meeting to go. Father, it would appear, became impatient. Succubus, please be a dear and get dressed while I talk to Mr. Pipsqueak. I dare say you might be needing it soon.”

“No!” screamed Succubus as she took a step back. As she did, the stallion’s eyes, which until this point had been pleasant, suddenly narrowed and became icy cold.

“Succubus,” he said in a tone that made Succubus visibly shiver. “You have caused many ponies a great deal of trouble thanks to your selfish actions. Think about your family. Do you have any idea how many times Banshee has cried herself to sleep, worried about her sister?! And to those here who you claim to love. I am going to have a long, overdue talk with your husband, and I do not want you here interrupting us every two seconds. Now go!”

Pip watched as Succubus lowered her head, in what appeared to be defeat. He raised his hand towards her while calling out her name, but she ignored Pip completely. She walked over towards the maid and then the two of them walked downstairs, closing the door behind them as they did.

Angry, Pip turned his head to look at the stallion while gritting his teeth. Said stallion had taken one of the chairs from the kitchen and was bringing it over to where Pip sat. Once there, the thestral placed the chair directly across from Pip at a reasonable distance away before sitting down on it.

“I’m sure you have many questi-” began the stallion.

“Of course I have questions!” barked Pip as his anger got the better of him. “This is the second time tonight a thestral has broken into my property and threatened my wife in some way! I am bucking sick of being kept in the dark! Who the buck are you and what the buck is going on?!”

The stallion did not answer right away. He simply pressed the palms of his hands together right below his chin. “Yes,” he said after a moment. “It would be foolish of me to assume that you wouldn’t be at your wits end after a night like tonight. To start off, my name is Dark Bargain and I am Succubus’s older brother.”

Pip stared at the stallion, and he was sure his mouth was hanging open. Succubus had never mentioned a brother before. Sure, she only ever mentioned her family by accident, but the only ponies she had ever mentioned were her parents.

“I take it, from your expression, that my sister has never spoken about me before,” stated Dark with a slight nod.

“She…doesn’t like to talk much about her past,” said Pip honestly. “And I never pressured her to do so.”

A small smile appeared on Dark’s face. “I see my evaluation of your character was spot on,” he said, confusing Pip. But before he could ask what Dark meant, the other stallion continued to speak. “Now, as to what is going on is, well, a bit complex, and would require you to understand a few things about thestral culture that I am positive my sister has never mentioned. So, to begin, what do you know of thestral beauty?”

Pip blinked. “I…sorry?”

“Do you know what makes a mare beautiful in thestral culture?” asked Dark. Pip shook his head no. “Well, to be honest, there are many things. You could have mentioned the tuffs on top of a mare’s ears or the shine of her wings and you would be correct. Yet, there is one thing that most mares share in common and that is smaller breasts. The ability to fly gracefully depends on this and so, to us, large breasts make a mare far, far less attractive. To give you a better idea of what I’m talking about, a mare with breasts as large as Succubus’s makes her less attractive than a ninety year old mare with a humpback, jagged teeth, and yellow puss coming out of her-”

“Stop,” said Pip as he held up a hand before running it through his mane. “I don’t get how having large breasts can make you see her like that.”

Dark raised an eyebrow. “Did you know that, to a yak, having large hooves is a huge turn on in their culture? Or perhaps you might have heard about the caribou, who believe that a mare who has not had at least five sexual partners before she is wed will be seen as a bad life mate. Perhaps you heard that a clean Diamond Dog bitch is seen as repulsive? While these may sound strange to you, yet these are things that these other cultures hold in high regard. That includes us thestrals."

“But Succubus isn’t like that,” stated Pip. “She doesn’t consider herself ugly or is ashamed of her body.”

“This I know all too well,” said Dark with a sigh. “She…never saw herself as ugly, despite what others said about her. She simply believed herself to be different, unique. She was proud of her appearance which, sadly, did not go over well with our parents, considering our station in thestral society.”

“Oh, don’t tell me,” began Pip with a sigh.

“Yes, we belong to a noble family,” said Dark with no shortage of pride in his voice. “One of the last noble families in the Hanging City. While others of my tribe squandered their wealth and lost their status, we have held control of the entire southern mining system for over fifteen hundred years. And, like the nobles in Canterlot, you could imagine my parents shock to not only find out that their first born daughter’s special talent was seduction, but then her having a body like that. They…did not take it well.”

“Were they cruel?” asked Pip after a moment, afraid of what he might hear. But still he had to know.

“Depends on your definition of cruelty,” said Dark evenly. “They insisted that she be taken to a doctor to have her breasts cut off, but she refused. So to protect her from a world that would have judged her harshly, while at the same time protecting their own image, they kept her confined to the estate. She was only ever allowed to be seen in public was when she wore a disguise that helped conceal her…problem.”

Dark then pulled out a photograph from his suit and held it out to Pip. The smaller stallion looked at it suspiciously for a moment before taking it. Looking down, he saw he was holding a black and white photo of a bat pony mare. The mare was wearing a dress that looked like something Rarity would make, with gems and jewels set in a pattern on the arms and along the bottom. He also noticed that the dress covered nearly her entire body, starting at the top of her neck and going all the way to her hooves. Looking at what wasn’t covered, Pip saw that the mare’s mane was tied up in a bun, making her look older than what she probably was, judging by the face.

For a moment, Pip wondered who this was and why Dark was showing him this when it hit him. This was Succubus! However, it wasn’t the Succubus he knew. The Succubus who he had spent so much time with was full of laughter and life. But the one in the picture couldn’t have been more different. Her eyes didn’t have the same sparkle in them, nor did she have the same infectious smile. The one in the picture looked devoid of any cheer. Her eyes looked lifeless and there was not even a fake smile on her face. And, sure enough, Pip saw that her chest looked flattened.

Pip felt his hands tremble angrily as he continued to stare at the picture, a sudden realization coming over him. Succubus, the one he knew and loved, was happy all the time because she could finally be herself. She was finally free. Glaring at Dark, Pip thrust the picture to him.

“I think I understand why she never spoke of her past,” growled Pip as Dark took the picture. As the thestral took the picture, he paused to look at it. His expression changed, his eyes softening as a finger traced the edge of the photo.

“A few years ago,” said Dark, appearing lost in his thought, “I was flying past a school. There was this filly who couldn’t have been more than fifteen and had a similar problem as Succubus. She was surrounded by colts and fillies and they were bullying her. The adults around saw this, but did nothing to help her. She did nothing to help herself, just standing there with her head down while food, insults, and other things were flung at her. One even smeared something in her mane that smelled vile.” Dark gulped loudly before putting the picture away and looking at Pip seriously. “You may think what my parents did was cruel and you are free to think so. I…I am grateful for what they did because they saved my sister from suffering like that every day. She, would have been far worse off if they hadn’t.”

For a moment, Pip stared at Dark. He felt like this other stallion was being honest with him, that he believed that all this had been for the best. That he did love Succubus.

“So,” said Pip after swallowing. “Succubus eventually had enough of that life and left. You can’t really blame her. At least out here, in Ponyville, she won’t get treated like that. She’s happy!”

Dark closed his eyes for a moment. “If only it were that simple,” he said. “Believe me, if it weren’t for certain family traditions I would have agreed with you. Or, perhaps if she had run away earlier before we had painstakingly found her a husband who was willing to accept her as she is. It was so difficult considering that father wanted to keep the lines pure and not give her to a unicorn noble! I have never seen mother and father so upset before. They wanted to have her dragged back here at any cost, but by the time we found out where she was she had already signed that contract making her your wife. Of course my father didn’t care in the slightest, but I convinced him that it would be better, given the circumstances, that I talk to you and see if we couldn’t settle this like reasonable stallions.”

Pip was silent for a moment, his eyes narrowing at Dark. “So, you’re telling me that Succubus ran away because not only were your parents keeping her locked up and miserable, but they also picked out her husband…and you are asking me to send her back?!” Dark calmly nodded. “Well you can go and kiss Tirek! Succubus is my wife and I am not going to send her back to that!”

Now it was Dark’s turn to be silent as he looked Pip over. He just watched as Pip breathed heavily, venting out his anger with every breath. “Why do you think she chose you out of hundreds of stallions to be her husband?” he asked at last.

“She thought I looked cute,” replied Pip, causing Dark to chuckle.

“Mr. Pipsqueak, my sister picked you not for your appearance but rather your location,” he said. “You, my young fellow, are the only stallion in this town to seek out a partner from Matchmaker’s Mail Order Brides. Ponyville is not home to one princess, but two. If my father sent somepony to take her back by force, which he had sadly tried to do tonight, then something like that would surely get their attention. You would then report what had happened and, unlike certain stories that are floating around somewhere, they would be compelled to act. Even more so if they found you dead and Succubus missing. No, legally we are unable to return her to the Hanging City as long as she remains your wife. I am sure that she knows this. That is why she has been playing you for a fool this entire time.”

“Now wait just a minute,” snapped Pip.

“Showering you with sweet words,” continued Dark calmly. “Batting her eyes here and there. Offering up her body for pleasure. Overreacting to anything that might seem trivial in order to keep you alive. Mr. Pipsqueak, to Succubus, you are nothing more than a shield to keep her safe. A pawn that she has been manipulating since the first day she-” Dark was cut off as Pip suddenly stood up and grabbed him by his suit. Pip was breathing hard while Dark looked like Pip done nothing at all. Almost like he expected something like this to happen.

“Succubus can seduce anypony she wishes,” said Dark calmly while staring at Pip. “I can see the allure of putting herself through a mail order bride system. There she can find some poor, desperate stallion who wants love so badly, making them easier to manipulate. You are sadly the unlucky soul who she dragged into this mess.”

As he said this, Pip began to remember that time after he and Succubus had sex in the shower. How she freaked out after he sneezed and claimed she wouldn’t let him die. Dark was right, Succubus had admitted herself that her special talent was seduction. Heck, he had started falling for her just by the sound of her voice! Slowly, doubt began to worm its way into his thoughts. He felt horrible. He didn’t want to believe that Succubus was playing him for a fool. He wanted to believe that she loved him. And yet…

Slowly, Pip released Dark and slid back down onto the couch with his head down.

“As I said, the only thing keeping Succubus here is you,” said Dark. “And until the trial period is over, my parents will do everything they can to get her back. My father has already hired a goon to drag her back by force. Eventually the thug that was caught tonight will talk and he will face the consequences. But until then, my father may continue to send others to bring her home while my mother pursues other options. And even if you do make it past the trial period, my parents will not accept you. They will no doubt remove Succubus’s inheritance and refuse to mention her ever again. I do not doubt that they will even forbid Banshee, our five year old sister, from ever seeing her again. And for you…you will be stuck in a loveless marriage until she grows bored of you and runs off to some nudist settlement or something.”

Dark then placed a piece of paper on Pip’s lap. “However, there is a way out of all of this. That document right there will cancel out the one you signed for Miss Matchmaker, ending the marriage on the spot. And to compensate you for your trouble we will be willing to give you whatever you want as long as it’s doable. Perhaps you want enough bits to return this place to The Cove while also getting rid of that Kegger fellow. Or maybe you would like a different mare to be your wife? It can be arranged for a new mare to appear at your doorstep in the morning, one who knows what is socially acceptable and can cook. Or maybe you’d like that boat you’ve been dreaming of? Yes, I know all about that dream of yours and it can be done.”

“I,” began Pip, but found he could say no more. His body trembled so much, and he could barely raise his head to look at Dark as he stood up.

“This is a very big decision and I shall not put too much pressure on you,” said Dark as he moved to the door. “I’ll give you a few hours to think things over. Hopefully, you’ll make the right choice.” And with that, Dark Bargain exited the room, leaving Pip alone with his thoughts.

Author's Note

One chapter to go