Oh man. That was not what you had planned at all, even if it might have been a bit sexy, those adoring eyes she was firing your way while insisting she would be the absolute best coerced servant ever. You must have zapped her and good, though, hey, you guess you did spray her down with your magic and let her baste in it for a while.

That sort of power was thrilling, and terrifying. You didn't want to crush poor Trixie's mind. She had a lovely, if interestingly off-balance, mind. You wanted to get answers. Who had answers? Luna had answers, Starlight had answers. They were the ones most central to the stud program's function, really. You just had to get them together. Where was Starlight? At the lab, likely about to hear about Trixie.

You wanted to help Trixie, and needed Starlight. Objective set.

Dried and dressed, you made your way hastily to the research area, past the guards that seemed to have grown used to your comings and goings. They didn't even ask why you were there.

"Let Trixie go!" came a familiar voice. "Trixie is an adult and can make her own decisions."

Starlight booped Trixie on the nose. "I know you're an adult, but you were also blasted in the face, and everywhere else, with magic. I know mind control." She leaned in. "You know I know mind control. Friends don't let friends be controlled."

"What if Trixie likes being controlled?"

Starlight hiked a brow. Moon and Careful were holding Trixie down as Starlight spoke. "That's exactly what a mind controlled pony would say."

Trixie scowled at her friends. "He never asked her to enjoy it. He even promised to be Trixie's stallion." She suddenly looked towards you. "There he is! Let's ask him."

All eyes turned on you.

Starlight let out a loud sigh. "Do you want Trixie like this?"

Against her will? Not a very friendly, or moral, thing to do. You were there to support Trixie.

Trixie smiled. "Trixie's master is Great and Caring, as she would expect. Master, please tell these ponies to release Trixie."

Starlight frowned deeply. "It's going to be harder to undo the control if she doesn't want to be freed. Permission to throw more magic at it?"

Uh. Throwing more and more magic was how many problems got made.

Starlight rolled her eyes. "Yeah..."

Trixie wriggled free but just sat up besides the two mares watching her like a hawk. "Is this so bad?" she asked. "You know him. He is kind and caring. He will take good care of Trixie. He enjoys Trixie's shows as well and would never stop her from performing and touring, so long as she came back to him. Trixie will stop for a little while while she is fat with a foal but he will be there, supporting her. He cares about Trixie!"

Starlight cocked her brow a moment. "Wait a tic... You're not mind-controlled, exactly. You're married."

Trixie blinked softly, looking quite confused. "She is?"

Moon adjusted her glasses lightly. "But they haven't bred."

Careful gestured at Trixie, waving at her. "Why the whole 'master' thing, then?"

Starlight's face erupted into a wide smile. "Trixie's just a big submissive that's been hiding it."

Trixie lit up, turning a fierce red. "Trixie is not submissive! Trixie is Great and Powerful! She takes control of the situation and bedazzles everypony with her feats of magic!" She turned to you, eyes wide and frantic. "Tell them, Master. Tell them how great Trixie is."

You were happy enough to regale them with some of Trixie's positive features, but also noted that she was kind of being submissive, at least to you.

Trixie squirmed. "What if... You're worth it, master. Trixie will bow her head to one pony, and you promised to be Trixie's Mighty and Virile stallion."

You approached Trixie and crouched in front of her. Looking into her distraught eyes, you gently gave her a soft petting and told her everything would be alright. She just had to do as the girls requested. No matter what, she was still getting that breeding if she wanted it, and the two of you could remain friends.

Trixie bit her lip a moment. "Trixie... does not have many friends." She looked to Starlight. "She treasures each she has. She wants a powerful and loving stallion... Is that so wrong?"

Starlight gently nudged you back. "Leave this to us. Thanks for getting her down from hysterical wailing."

Ah right, you had come here for another reason, and asked Starlight if she could come with you to get some answers.

Starlight blinked softly and looked to Moon and Careful. Careful gave a hooves up. "We'll take it from here."

With that settled, you left the sullen, but no longer violent, Trixie to the care of two others. You set out with Starlight, only to realize you didn't know where Luna was. Except... You tried just asking. You asked for Luna to the empty hallway, feeling confident somepony was watching.

There was silence.

Starlight raised a brow. "Does that normally work?"

Luna stepped from down the hallway with a yawn. "I was sleeping. Stud, why have you called for me?" She glanced towards Starlight. "Is she apologizing?"

Starlight bristled. "Apologize?!"

You noted Starlight's barb was a bit... pointed last time. Everyone had to work together to solve this.

Starlight huffed softly. "You were picking on my friend... Still, sorry if that was a bit too far. Look, let's focus on the task at hoof."

"Not here." Luna stepped close and her horn glowed bright. You all vanished.

You all appeared in a dark room with a large bed, paintings on the walls. Luna's room?

"Now we are free of prying eyes and ears." Luna hopped up on her own bed and laid on it, looking at the two of you. "Now what did you wish to ask?"

You suggested it was time for full disclosure.

Starlight blinked at you. "I've told you what I know. I'm not holding anything back."

"Nor I," agreed Luna.

You pointed between them and declared you meant between the two of them. They had to work together.

Starlight and Luna both levied doubtful looks at the other before looking back at you. Luna rolled a hoof with some impatience. "We have tolerated you thus far. You seem to be cooperative and we have received reports that you may also be an enduring stud, but you are also slow. Only one mare so far? Others have done many more in the same time, with many less distractions in the same span."

Starlight shook her head. "Bedroom hangups aside, what do you even think we could share that'd mean anything?"

The pressure was on, but you had the answer for this! You pointed to Starlight and reminded her she was the only one that actually knew how to go back so far. You then pointed to Luna. She had an affinity and years of experience learning how to 'tune-in' on humans and what to look for. Put the two together...

Starlight tapped at her chin thoughtfully. "What are we looking for, precisely?"

Luna made the intuitive jump. "Methinks the Stud wishes to know what has become of his people."

Well, that, yes, but it may also be relevant to the current issue. The more we knew, the better we could act. Let's put aside patching the problem and focus on fixing it!

Luna gave a little nod. "Your words do carry a sense of truth to them." Her eyes fell on Starlight. "Do you agree?"

Starlight rubbed behind her head. "I wasn't born yesterday, Your Highness. If I tell you my secret, then you don't need me, and I end up in a jail somewhere, or 're-educated'."

Luna frowned at that. "We are not as..." She bit her response back. "I will not succumb to exchanging insults. Starlight, for the sake of ponies everywhere, will you work with me?"

Starlight scowled a moment. You asked if Luna had ever actually hurt Starlight before.

"Well, no..." Starlight squirmed a bit before she sighed. "Fine, so I'm assuming she'd act like I did at my worst, alright? It's the only perspective I have, really..." She hung her head. "I'll try."

Luna's face brightened into a smile that cut through her dark fur. "Splendid! Disclose your spell and we can--"

Starlight held up a hoof. "Not so fast. I'll cast the spell, you'll guide it. We're all going on this trip or none of us are." She glanced at you. "Any idea where things went downhill?"

Well... Every generation had something they thought would end them, really. Global cooling, global warming, dangerous politicians and thermonuclear war...

Luna pointed at you. "With you accompanying us, even if I would prefer otherwise, I can use your thoughts to keep us on track. You may be a pony, but there are differences. When I can again feel the press of such a mind, we will have arrived."

Author's Note

https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-WLCN965N/

You were torn on what to do with Trixie. A large part of you insisted you should just leave her to the girls, but another, slightly louder, portion was quite insistent on supporting her. Regardless of that, you wanted answers. Answers that Starlight and Luna likely had. Starlight would be where Trixie was. you could dovetail this!

Random note, a vote of 1 + one of the get involveds? I dropped the 1. You cannot physically stay out and get involved at the same time. This didn't change the intent of your vote so far I saw. You wanted them to cure her... but support Trixie, and that -is- what 3 is, for instance. 1 is superflous and not what you actually mean, as you cannot support Trixie and not butt in.

Adventure! So, this poll is more to you OOC than IC. Where do we want to go, as readers? Two choices, but you only get 1. Voting for both is literally a non-vote, so don't do that.

1) Witness cutie mark's beginning
2) Witness the end of man.