Chapter 10: In which Celestia installs some unique security precautions.

Canterlot almost seemed normal.

Almost.

Bigger than Ponyville, and far busier, Canterlot bustled with all the activity of a small city-- all the activity that two young women could easily get lost in.

Twilight pulled her broad-brimmed hat down a little lower over her eyes. Her horn caught on the fabric of the hat, and an oddly unpleasant sensation rippled across her scalp. Twilight winced, and fought down the urge to take the hat off-- so far, the 'disguise' had worked, but she was certain even Canterlot's busy crowds would notice a pony with wings and a horn. Especially in the company of a wanted criminal-- Sunset had tied her hair into a simple ponytail and donned a pair of dark sunglasses as her 'disguise.' It had worked so far, as nopony had given them so much as a second glance. Even still, Twilight's heart beat faster as she tried to stay as cool and casual as Sunset. Twilight had done well to fight back her anxiety-- until they passed a newsstand.

Sunset Shimmer's face glared out from the front page of the Canterlot Times, repeated over and over again in the dozen papers on display. Even without the lined height-noting wall behind her, the angry look on her face obviously said the picture was a mugshot. Above the frankly unflattering photo, the headline read in bold print.

SUNSET SHIMMER SLIPS SENTRY!

Twilight squeaked in dismay, and tightened her grip on Sunset's arm. “Look!” she hissed, and nodded at the paper standing on its pile. Sunset followed her gaze, and then let out an enthusiastic laugh, quickly flipping a coin to the pony behind the newspaper stand, at which point she scooped up the newspaper.

“This is perfect!” Sunset said, triumphant.

“How?” Twilight glanced around, suddenly fearing for the arrival of Flash Sentry and the rest of his armored guards. She made sure to keep her voice low, despite the rising sense of panic. “Everyone in the whole kingdom will be looking for us!” Thankfully, the bustle and din of the city was more than enough to shield their conversation from any passers-by.

“Exactly.” Sunset Shimmer pulled down her shades and looked at Twilight with a sly smirk. “They're going to have to comb the whole kingdom to find us-- and naturally they'll start by tracking down some of my old haunts and safehouses. The last place they'll think to look is Canterlot itself, the very place I ran away from all those years ago. I'm good, and I've been getting better, but it would be stupid of me to try going up against Princess Celestia, even now.”

“Um.”

“But now it's different! Now I've got you.” Sunset Shimmer twined her fingers in Twilight's and squeezed. She looked down to the paper again, skimming the article. “And besides, this gets even better.”

“How?”

“It's all about me! No mention of you. Or, well, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Cadance must be keeping it under wraps. Can you imagine the scandal if it came out that Princess Celestia's favorite student ran off with a criminal like me?”

“Unfortunately.” Twilight reached up and tugged her hat down a little lower, just in case.

“It'll be fine, I promise. Just act natural.”

“I am acting natural.” Twilight murmured. “It's just that 'freaking out' is natural for me, even when I'm not in a more-or-less completely alien dimension.”

“Hey, you said there were some similarities, didn't you? Just think of things scientifically. That should help.” Sunset Shimmer grinned.

Twilight found herself mirroring Sunset's smile, and tried to take her words to heart. On the abstract level, Canterlot was just another city-- there were stores and restaurants and apartments and so on. It was just that all the people who shopped at the stores and ate at the restaurants and presumably lived in the apartments were naked equimorphs.

Mostly naked, Twilight corrected herself. The pony people present adorned themselves with even more ostentatious attire than those in the Crystal Palace did-- silks and gem-studded jewelry seemed to be the norm, while even humble shopkeepers and laborers wore colored sashes around their waists as they went along. Of course, all the decorations and accessories only covered a fraction of their bodies, leaving the rest to be viewed and admired.

Despite the warm air, Twilight shivered, again reminded of her own lack of attire. Which, again, was the norm in this dimension, but somehow the crowded, naked city amplified the feeling of exposure-- and the accompanying thrill that came with it. To think, every inch of her body (even if it was an improbable hybrid of equine and sapien features) was on blatant display, for any stranger who might care to look ...

Twilight blinked, and risked a look over her shoulder. Someone was looking. Two someones, actually-- a couple of unicorns. The man (stallion?) somehow managed to look dapper despite wearing nothing but a monocle and a bow tie, while the taller woman (mare?) at his side had the sleek, elegant air of a supermodel. The woman tossed a filmy scarf over her shoulder, and laughed softly at some quip from the monocled man. It was an entirely casual gesture, but Twilight swore she saw the woman's eyes size her up, if just for a moment.

Twilight grabbed Sunset by the elbow and pulled her in close. “We have a tail.”

“We both have tails. I thought you'd be used to that by now.”

“That's not what I meant. I meant, someone's following us.”

“Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure.”

“Hm. This way.” Sunset hooked her arm in Twilight's, and led them around a corner, and past a large department store display. Twilight peeked through the street-level window displays curiously, and wondered how much use a primarily nudist society would have for mannequins. Her academic thoughts trailed off, however, as she noted the reflection of the two white unicorns following a little distance behind them.

“There.” Twilight murmured. “See them?”

“Those two? They're probably just checking us out.”

“What?”

“Not that I blame them, of course.” Sunset Shimmer mused.

“Trust me, they're not law enforcement. The look's not right. Any Canterlot Guard worth his helmet would already be throwing himself at us. Not that it'd do any good, but it'd be inconvenient.”

“So now what?”

“We do have some time to kill-- think we could get them to take us back to their place?”

“What? No!”

“Mmm, you're right. They might live all the way across town. Pity. The tall one's pretty cute.” Sunset Shimmer shrugged, and reached over to squeeze Twilight's ass. “Lucky thing I've got someone with me who's even cuter.”

Twilight fluttered her wings and rose up a little at the squeeze, but tried to keep it casual. “Uh. Let's stay focused on the mission for now?”

“Of course.” Sunset Shimmer pulled Twilight closer, kissing the side of her cheek. “Eyes on the prize.”

“Uh. Right.” Twilight looked over her shoulder as she watched the two white-coated unicorns step into a department store. “Eyes on the prize.”

“There it is.” Sunset peered around the alleyway corner, sizing up the large marble building across the street. Canterlot's bustling streets had slowed with the sun's setting, leaving no one to see or hear Sunset and Twilight.

At least, Twilight hoped so.

“The Imperial Canterlot Library.” Sunset Shimmer's smile gleamed white in the darkness. “I can pick the lock to the front door easy enough, but it's going to be tricky to get at the Special Collection. The magic safeguards around it were set up by Princess Celestia herself.”

“Then how do we get past them?”

“Simple. We bring a princess of our own.” Sunset reached up and neatly plucked the hat from Twilight's head.

Twilight blinked, and felt her pointed ears twitch a little as they were exposed to the open air. “But I'm not--”

Sunset Shimmer held a delicate finger to Twilight's lips. “Of course you are. You're identical to this dimension's Twilight Sparkle, which means you should be able to bypass the security system.”

“Should?”

“Celestia might have reset the admission protocols. You know, if someone told her that there was a dimensional doppelganger of her favorite student running around with a known criminal like me. And she was feeling paranoid.”

“So she did change the security, is what you're saying.”

“What I'm saying is that we don't know one way or the other. Which is fine! I've got a backup plan.” Sunset patted the bag hanging at her side.

“Just what is your backup plan?”

“Complicated. No time to explain the whole thing-- not to mention it'd just make you worried. Now c'mon, we're wasting time.” Sunset Shimmer took Twilight by the arm, and guided her across the empty street, up to the heavy doors of the Imperial Canterlot Library. Sunset pulled her picks from their hidden pocket in her cloak, and made short work of the lock. The door creaked open, and Sunset dipped inside, tugging Twilight after her.

Where Princess Twilight's library had been inviting and comforting, the Imperial Canterlot Library wasn't. Twilight knew she should've been comforted by the presence of so many books, so much knowledge left unread-- but the rows and rows of shelving were dwarfed by the library's vaulted ceilings and massive pillars. Whoever had designed the place had certainly taken the 'imperial' descriptor to heart, as the library was less a place of learning, and more a monument to the very concept of knowledge. The near-complete darkness of the empty, silent library didn't help much, either. The shadows were long and deep, which made the crime a bit easier, and everything else more uncomfortable.

It was like a bank that kept books instead of money

Complete with a vault.

Sunset knew just where to find it, leading on and on past the periodicals and other reference collections. An out of the way stairwell led deeper to a stretch of rooms that weren't secret so much as infrequently discussed. Still, as they got closer and closer, Twilight could feel the ambient magic in the air, setting every hair of her purple coat to tingling.

“Um. Sunset? Just what are we looking for?”

“The thing that will send you back to your own dimension.”

“Right. But, uh ... do you know what that thing is?”

“Well, no.” Sunset shrugged. “Or at least, not exactly. But, I know for a fact that this library is where Celestia keeps all the good stuff. All we have to do is read the right forbidden tomes and then we'll have the understanding we need to tear the very fabric of timespace on a whim.”

“Forbidden tomes?”

“Well, not so much 'forbidden' such as 'strictly regulated.' I mean, theoretically, there are more powerful, more dangerous sources of magical power out there, but the ones with the most efficient danger-to-usefulness ratio are kept here.”

“Danger?” Twilight's voice cracked.

“They're only dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.” Sunset murmured as she crouched in front of a nondescript but heavy door at the bottom of the stairwell, and set to opening it with her picks.

“You ... do know what you're doing, right?”

The lock clicked, and Sunset Shimmer's smile grew wider. “We're in.”

“That's it?” Twilight peeked through the open doorway. Rows and rows of shelves stretched into the darkness, each shelf piled high with dusty, antique-looking volumes. “Seems a little too easy.”

“I only make it look easy.” Sunset Shimmer tucked her lockpicks away again. “The real security's invisible-- magical wards and alarms, that sort of thing. But since Princess Twilight Sparkle is here, they're staying dormant. Now here.” Sunset pulled a small flashlight out of her bag and pressed it into Twilight's hand, along with a small strip of paper. “This is a list of books we need-- you start on the left side of the room, and I'll start on the right, and we'll see who can find them first.”

“Okay.” Twilight nodded, and felt herself smile. The thought of perusing a new library (no matter how illegal that perusing might technically be) comforted her. She pulled in a deep breath, and walked into the book vault.

She made it about a dozen steps in before something caught her by the ankle. Twilight squeaked in surprise, and instinctively beat her wings for balance, taking to the air-- only to feel something coil around her other ankle, and pull her back to the floor. Twilight looked down, and gasped. A circle of arcane glyphs had been etched into the floor, the markings barely noticeable in the darkness-- but becoming more and more obvious as they began to glow. Tendrils composed of twinkling white light stretched up from the floor, steadily winding around Twilight's legs like ivy climbing a trellis.

“Sunset!” Twilight tried to turn back towards the door, only to have more bands of light snare her by the wrists. “Help!”

“Huh.” Sunset stay put at the doorway, looking at Twilight with an expression that was more curious than concerned. “I guess Celestia did reset the wards.”

“I'm stuck!” Twilight beat her wings again, and more of the magical bindings slithered over her body. One wrapped around her waist, and others went to ensnare her wings. The tendrils on Twilight's legs went even higher, sliding up the insides of her thighs. “You've got to help me!”

“Relax.” Sunset said. “You're in a recursive gravity snare. The harder you struggle, the tighter it'll squeeze.”

Twilight froze. “Squeeze? It's not going to crush me like a boa constrictor, is it?”

“What? Of course not. This is Princess Celestia we're talking about-- she'd never let anything that dangerous get put anywhere in Canterlot. All of her security measures are strictly non-lethal. They've got other ways of keeping an intruder under control.”

“Other ways?” Twilight said. Unable to help herself, she fidgeted some more, and gasped as the very tip of a tendril grazed one of her nipples as it climbed over her chest. Twilight's heart began to beat faster as she realized just how warm the magical bindings were.

“I think you've found out already.” Sunset Shimmer smirked, and raked her eyes over Twilight.

“This isn't funny!” Twilight blurted, and lunged forward-- or tried to, at least, as the magic trap held her firmly in place. The sudden movement made the vines of energy tighten even further. One of the thicker tendrils slid between Twilight's legs, and she gasped as she felt the thing begin to vibrate. Shocked (and secretly thrilled) by the unexpected sensation, Twilight sagged into her bonds-- which only caused them to explore her body even further, gently parting her legs. She leaned back, and more columns of energy rose to support her. Twilight bit back another gasp as the gentle tendrils moved against the grain of her purple coat, ruffling the countless tiny hairs. It was an odd sensation, to be so trapped ... but so comfortable at the same time.

“Don't worry.” Sunset Shimmer said. “I planned for this. It'll take me a few minutes to get you out, though. Try not to get too ... distracted in the meanwhile.”

Twilight blushed, even as she felt an entirely different heat building between her thighs. The tip of a tendril, no thicker than a finger, gently parted Twilight's lower lips, curling and exploring her lust-slicked folds. She gasped again, and the tendril's faint humming grew stronger. She closed her eyes, but it didn't help. Twilight knew Sunset was still there, watching her naked body get ravished by the so-called 'security measures.'

And the worst part was, Twilight knew, deep down, she enjoyed it.

Perhaps sensing Twilight's lustful thoughts, the snare pushed another magical vine into Twilight's pussy, and then a third. The three of them twined together, forming into a decidedly phallic shape. Thick and warm, it began to work its way in and out of Twilight's sodden pussy, slowly but thoroughly fucking her in midair. “A-a-any time now, Sunset!” Twilight managed, clinging desperately to thoughts of their mission.

“Just hang on a little longer.” Sunset took a bit of chalk from her bag and began to sketch quick glyphs onto the tiled floor. “Now that I know what we're dealing with, it'll be easy to get you out if we're not--”

Hoofsteps echoed from the hall.

“Interrupted. Damn.” Sunset Shimmer grit her teeth. “Okay, new plan.”

“New plan?” Twilight's voice cracked.

“Just hang on, I'll be back.” Sunset nodded resolutely, and disappeared behind a row of bookshelves.

“You'll be-- what? Sunset? Sunset!?” Twilight struggled anew in her bonds, craning her head to follow Sunset's departure. The sudden movement triggered the trap again, prompting one of the thicker tendrils to push itself into her muzzle. At the same time, the phallus in her pussy pushed in even deeper, sending a thrill through her whole body. Twilight's moans echoed from the vault's walls-- and yet, in ther lust, some part of her was still able to briefly marvel over the fact that the magic sex toy stuck in her mouth tasted faintly of vanilla.

Trapped, Twilight couldn't (and didn't want to) do anything but moan and shudder as she got fucked. More thin strands of magical energy explored her body, curling around her nipples, flicking over her clit, seeking out any means of bombarding her, overwhelming her with sensation. She came. Hard. Repeatedly.

Until it stopped.

The bindings slowly lowered Twilight to the floor, leaving her sprawled out on her back. The toy in her muzzle slithered away, allowing Twilight to gasp for much-needed breath. Bit by bit, Twilight's senses returned to her-- just in time for the approaching footsteps that made Sunset Shimmer flee got closer and closer. Twilight curiously, dazedly turned towards the source of the noise, and found herself looking up at a goddess.

She was a study in contrasts. Her pale white coat was complimented by a riotous, multicolored mane and tail. Her unmistakably feminine form (complete with a literally divine set of tits) still radiated power, and lots of it. She carried herself with a natural air of authority, but her eyes were still soft and compassionate. Her golden bracers and gorget were obvious symbols of wealth and rank ... but Twilight's eyes were drawn more to the neat line of her sex between her legs.

She at least blamed that last part on her perspective from the floor, even if the sight of an authority figure's private parts somehow made her seem more human. Pony-human. Whatever. Twilight blinked a few times, and, for lack of any better ideas, said the first thing that came to mind.

“Principal Celestia really got the short end of the stick.”

“Pardon?” Princess Celestia tilted her head to the side.

“Principal Celestia! She's, uh, just a principal. Of a school. In comparison, you're ... uh. Wow. But, um, I've never seen Principal Celestia naked, so maybe it's not a fair comparison?” Twilight babbled on, nervous and more than a little fuck-drunk from the lascivious trap's attention. “Not that I want to see her naked. That'd be inappropriate. Unless, uh, of course, we waited until after graduation. And even then it would only be for purely scientific reasons. Honest.” Twilight bit her lower lip, and looked into Princess Celestia's eyes as the royal goddess bent over her. “Please don't put me in magic jail?”

“You really are Twilight. Or a Twilight.” Celestia smiled wanly, and lowered herself to a graceful kneel beside the magical circle that still kept Twilight bound to the floor.

“So you know what's going on?” Twilight said, hopeful.

“I wouldn't go that far.” Celestia sighed. “I like to think the best of ponies, Twilight. But do you know how bad this looks? In the short time you've come to our dimension, you nearly ruined an important magical ritual, you've become an accomplice to a wanted criminal, and now you tried to break into the secure wing of the Imperial Canterlot Library. Which is why the bonds stay on for now.”

“I can explain!” Twilight said. She tried sitting up, but her magical bonds kept her in place. “This is all just a big misunderstanding! I was just trying to be Sunset's friend, when I kind of sort of accidentally helped her break out of jail. But that's okay, because I'm going to be a good influence and keep her from taking over the world or anything.”

“A good influence.” Princess Celestia said, deadpan.

“It's been a little harder than I thought. But I'm trying! And that's the important thing, isn't it? Sunset isn' really evil, she's just ... misguided! I know, because that's what Sunset's like in my dimension. Or, uh, the Sunset I know because she's actually from a third dimension and it gets kind of complicated.”

“So where is she right now?” Celestia smiled. “Your Sunset, that is.”

“Right here.” Sunset Shimmer stepped out from behind a row of shelves. She carried a heavy tome with her, and the glowing red energy emanating from its pages gave her a demonic look. Before Celestia could rise, Sunset made a swift gesture with her free hand, and the air crackled with magical energy.

Twilight winced at the sudden burst of light, and instinctively brought her hands up to shield her eyes. By the time the sparkles in the air faded away, Twilight realized her bonds were gone, and sprang up to her hooves. “Sunset! What did you do?”

“Look.” Sunset said, and licked her lips.

Twilight turned, and gasped at the sight. Princess Celestia was still on her knees, but now with bands of glowing magical energy entwined around her body, holding her in place. Her legs were parted, and her back was arched, as if she were offering herself for further inspection. Twilight held a hand up to her mouth and watched as a thick tendril of magic rose from the floor and eased itself into Celestia's perfect pussy. The princess moaned as she was penetrated, and gave a shudder which set her generous, pink-capped tits to shaking.

“It's very hard to break out of a recursive gravity snare. But, with the right spells, it's much, much easier to redirect one to a new target.” Sunset Shimmer breathed in deeper, and eagerly watched Princess Celestia writhe against her bonds. A second magic phallus snaked between Celestia's breasts, and pushed its way into her mouth.

“Sunset, you've got to let her go.” Twilight wrenched her eyes away from the lewd sight in front of her, and looked to the marginally less lewd sight of Sunset Shimmer. The unicorn's nipples were hard and pointing, and Twilight could swear she saw a glimmer of moisture between Sunset's legs. Twilight banished lewd thoughts from her mind, if for just a moment. “Didn't you hear us talking?”

“I did.” Sunset Shimmer sidled up behind Twilight and pressed her warm, naked body against Twilight's back. She rested her chin on the purple pony's shoulder, not taking her eyes away from Celestia, bound and pleasured. “You did a great job distracting her.”

“I wasn't distracting her, I was telling the truth!” Twilight wriggled free of Sunset's arms and wheeled around to point an accusatory finger at the redhead. “You had the perfect chance to make things better, but then you did ... this!”

Twilight pointed at Celestia again-- just in time to see a third strand of magic rise up behind the sun-goddess. It soon disappeared beneath the base of Celestia's tail, and her eyes went wide in surprise a moment before closing in satisfied bliss.

“Princess Celestia's into butt stuff. Who knew?” Sunset murmured.

“I ... you ... she ... argh!” Twilight facepalmed in frustration. “This is exactly the kind of short-sighted, impulsive, frankly stupid behavior that gets you into trouble! I had a perfect chance to make everything better for the both of us, and you had to go and fuck it all up by ... by fucking Princess Celestia!”

As if on cue, Celestia bucked against her bonds, her whole divine body trembling as an orgasm washed over her.

“You have to admit, that was pretty hot.” Sunset said.

“That's beside the point!” Twilight tried to ignore Celestia's lusty but muffled cries. “Haven't you thought about what happens next? You can't keep Celestia like this forever.”

“Ha! I don't have to.” Sunset Shimmer said. “Once the trap tires her out, it'll be easy to siphon off Princess Celestia's magic. After that, I just need to do a little research on your dimension's etheric positioning relative to ours, and we can send you home.”

“What?”

“It's the easiest way. Maybe even the only way.”

“No it's not! I managed to get here on my own, and I'm not a magic princess!” Twilight paused, and pulled her wings closer to her body. “Or, uh, I wasn't a princess over there.”

“Right. But you never meant to come to this dimension-- it was an accident. We're going to need a lot more magic if we're going to get you to the right dimension, or else you might never get home.”

“No.” Twilight shook her head. “If that's what it takes, I won't do it. I told you, I didn't want to hurt anyone ... and I'm not going to let you hurt anyone, either. This ends here, Sunset.”

“But you told me you just wanted to go home!” Sunset Shimmer's voice cracked. “Can't you see I'm doing this for you?”

“No, you're not.” Twilight pulled in a deep breath. “You still want to prove yourself better than Celestia-- I'm just a good excuse.”

“I thought we were friends!”

“We are friends, Sunset. Or ... I at least want to be. Which is why I'm going to stop you.”

“You may be a princess, but we both know I'm better at magic than you are.” Sunset laughed, mirthless. “I could hex circles around you before you could even blink. How do you expect to stop me?”

“Like this.” Twilight said, and hugged Sunset.

For once, there was nothing sexual in the embrace, despite the press of one body to another. Sunset tensed under Twilight's arms-- but a moment later, she relaxed, shoulders slumping. She let the spellbook drop to the floor with a heavy thud, and the crackling air of magic around her faded away. “I ... I'm sorry.” Sunset murmured, tears beginning to well up at the corners of her eyes.

“Well done.” Princess Celestia said. “If I didn't know any better, I'd say that it was this dimension's Twilight standing in front of me.”

“Principal Celestia!” Twilight blurted, and spun around. “I mean, Princess Celestia! How did you ... “

“Get free?” Even with her hair mussed, and a sticky mess between her thighs, Celestia still looked regal as she stood beside Twilight and Sunset. “I designed the trap personally-- complete with an emergency failsafe.”

“So you could have gotten out at any time?” Twilight stared. “Then why did you ... “

“I wanted to see just what you two were up to. Not to mention the fact that a recursive gravity snare can be quite a refreshing change of pace from time to time.” Celestia's lips turned up in a wry smile.

“You win.” Sunset Shimmer slumped into Twilight's arms, and hid her face in Twilight's shoulder. “Again.”

“We were never in competition, Sunset.” Princess Celestia said.

“I know-- because you're so far out of my league, after thousands of years of study and practice.”

“No. It's because there never was a competition, Sunset.” Celestia reached out and touched Sunset's shoulder. “If anything, I failed you, by driving you away. You're one of the most talented sorceresses I know, even if you sometimes can go on ... tangents.”

“But what about everything I've done?” Sunset sniffled. “I was about to--”

“You didn't. Thanks to Twilight. Which is how I know the both of you are good ponies.” Celestia smiled warmly. “You've just made a few ... mistakes, that's all. But you're already changing for the better, I can tell. Twilight's been a good influence.” She winked, and Twilight couldn't help but giggle.

“So now what?” Sunset wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.

“First, we should get cleaned up.” Celestia said, and idly brushed out a few spots in her coat that had been ruffled by the magical tendrils. “Then, we're going to write a letter to this dimension's Twilight Sparkle to let her know exactly what's going on. Then, I imagine Pinkie Pie will want to throw a party-- not that she needs much excuse to do so. After that, we'll get to work.”

“Work?” Twilight blinked.

“To get you home, of course. I've got a few ideas that might help ... “