Foolers Rush In

High atop her perch within the ritual chamber, Juniper, the High Priestess of the Highborne thestrals looked down upon the unfolding scene of debauchery and lust with smug satisfaction — her face betraying not a hint of exhaustion as she helped to channel the vast powers of the dream into the earth pony mare below.

A sound of whooshing air and the clatter of thestral hooves across the platform floor brought a slight frown to the Priestess’ visage. “Could this not wait until after the augmentation, Alcaeus?”

The second-in-command gave a brief glance at the action down below with scorn before turning to face her boss, flaring her wings in a perfunctory bow. “My apologies, but I fear we have a crisis unfolding at the perimeter, Mistress. Neither of our two teams we sent to collect the extras we captured have yet to return! Something has gone horribly wrong, and I suspect either Luna and the Guard or worse… Legion betrayal!”

Juniper scoffed as she continued to watch the bacchanal from on high. “The Legion forces we’ve stashed away in the forest of Gmina Ponies must surely know they stand no chance against us. One wrong move and their fiery lizard commander shows up on our dinner table and we close off all chances of them accessing Tellus through the Dream. As for the ponies? They pose a far more unpredictable threat if they’ve indeed discovered the might to resist us...” The Priestess brought a hoof to her chin as she contemplated her options.

After an uncomfortable moment of silence, the House Steward found the nerve to press her superior. “Your orders, my Eternal Star?”

Juniper’s lips curled into a snarl, bearing her prominent fangs. “I don’t want speculation, Majordomo, I want accurate intelligence on what’s going on!” Her horn sparked painfully as she felt her focus falter, the waves of magic beginning to build up along its ivory surface until she pulled her attention back to it. “Assemble a force to meet with the Legion’s so-called ‘Pit Lord’ and see to it they’re sticking to their agreement, but do not breathe a word of our troubles with the ponies to them or they will smell weakness!”

“Of course, Mistress. Of course.” Alcaeus bowed her head and wings a second time, displaying her bright blue and orange striped mane. “And what of the ponies?”

Juniper’s gaze intensified as the pool of water and the love juices of Roseluck’s many lovers edged ever closer to the brim with each passing second. “Leave the ponies to me and my new pet. Whatever they have planned, they are too late. We must only stall them for a short while and we will finally be able to leave this prison for our souls and claim our birthright!”

“Oh, to feel the sun against my fur once more!” The majordomo cried out with joy. “To smell the flowers upon the wind and see the smile upon the faces of our youth, never again to fear the inferior races outside our arbor gates!” Alcaeus paused automatically, giving Juniper the chance to cut her off. Unable to see Juniper’s face clearly, she took her mistress’ silence as permission to continue speaking. “They will toil day and night while we reap the rewards of their labor. Their numbers shall thin while ours wax greater and greater with each day until our offspring number the stars. Then, we shall go forth and conquer the heavens themselves!”

“Who says anything about us doing the conquering? For shame, Majordomo!” Juniper teased the underling by lifting her tail, presenting herself to her. “We are but harmless travelers across Tellus, destined to walk forever, bringing good tidings to every creature we meet. Isn’t that what you wandering Highborne like to tell the ponies to prevent them from murdering us all?”

Now it was Alcaeus’ turn to snarl, clearly insulted by the allusion to her past life living among ponies in the city. “Not all of us had the fortitude to stay behind and tend to the ruins of our homeland. Some of us had to make friends with the cattle!”

Juniper laughed gently, grinning at her servant’s piqued reaction. “Now, now! There’s no need to get testy, Majordomo. I am merely suggesting we teach our Tellarian children obedience to our divine authority, show them the error of their ways, and let them do the fighting for us!”

Alcaeus wiped her brow with one of her winged thumbs, clearly relieved. “Of course. Of course. They will be the tip of the spear!” No sooner had she spoken when her sensitive stallionhood erupted from its sheath, filling itself to throbbing.

“And so will you! Before you go out to meet with the plebeians’ overgrown lizard monster, you are to service me at once! The time of the transformation is nigh at hoof, and I require your essence to fuel my magic.” Juniper’s horn wrapped itself in another layer of overglow and she kneeled to allowed the other mare to mount her from behind. “Now don’t go soft on me because I’m not one of your pony lovers, you grass-chewing wanderer!”

The Majordomo gave a frustrated screech, gave Juniper a rather hard nip on her right ear and then thrust herself roughly into her bosses’ feminine entrance.

Juniper gave out a loud squeak as she felt the initial penetration pierce her nethers painfully, followed by a series of satisfied clicking sounds from her chiropteran throat. “Quite satis — Umph! — factory...” The High Priestess struggled to focus from the hilting thrusts which filled her with each stroke but maintained control over the magical beam connecting her with her fellow magic users. After a moment where it seemed she might lose command of the spell altogether, her horn glowed all the brighter as the other horned thestral continued her ministrations, the servant now using her own magical horn to channel power into her mistress. “You hate me. You always... have. And it’s... served you well!”

Alcaeus made no reply except to hiss sharply but redouble her magic channeling and grit her teeth to suppress the impending climax until the time was right, silently concurring with Juniper’s previous statement and both loving and hating her all the more for it.

Down below the pool began to steam up which Juniper knew meant the spell was finally ready. “It is finished!” Juniper’s shouted to the jubilant crowd below as her servant filled her to overflowing with her ethereal seed, giving her the power she needed to finish her task. “Now be reborn, Roseluck, as the Princess of Life!”

The deed and their act complete, Juniper dismissed Alcaeus coldly, waving a hoof towards the glass dome, now cleared of any magical activity. Muttering to herself, the Majordomo flew off. She turned her gaze to the platform below where the former-earth pony was twitching her wings, experimentally, slowly coming to grips with her new appendages. The thestrals who’d spent the previous five hours rutting her found new vigor at the sight of the newly ascended alicorn. Judging by the sight of their fully-erect phalluses, they were ready for another five hours of rutting.

As much as she might have enjoyed allowing her followers to continue rutting Roseluck senseless, time was of the essence, if her suspicions about the pony intruders were accurate. Besides she couldn’t very well let them have all the fun. Flying down with a clatter onto the platform below the crowd was subdued by the presence of the thestral alicorn and kneeled before her. “Princess… how do you feel?”

Roseluck blinked at the unfamiliar designation and hesitated in her response, visibly happy that she now had somepony she could trust to help her sort things out. “Tired, but happy. Oh so happy! I’m amazed, too. I guess part of me didn’t think you were completely serious…”

“Perfectly understandable. I see you’re still trying to figure out your wings,” Juniper ran her hoof across her cream-colored primaries, ruffling them slightly, causing Roseluck’s eyes to go wide at the myriad sensations the small gesture fed her. “I wouldn’t fret, my love. The illusion of the dream need only be peeled back by a willing mind to allow accessing the full range of your newfound powers.”

“So I just need to imagine I can fly and I’ll be able to fly?” Roseluck tapped at the floor with her hoof. “I don’t know. The floor seems like it’ll hurt if I mess something up.”

“Then let me show you what I mean!” Juniper shouted for all the room to hear, before wrapping the alicorn in her golden aura and launching top speed through the opening in the glass dome, Roseluck shrieking with excitement all the way as the sound of cheering from below filled their ears.

Roseluck kept her eyes closed the entire time, only opening them once the pair of them was over the forest, circling the cloud spiral above. Her wings were folded against her side and yet she was still suspended in the air, held in Juniper’s aura.

“Isn’t it wonderful, Rose?”

Roseluck opened her eyes at the sound of Juniper’s voice, closing them again with a nervous whinny when she saw how high up they were.

“Trust me, Rose. You’re going to be fine! Now open your wings and start flapping. Once you get the hang of it, I’m going to let you go.” Juniper saw her followers flying up from the Citadel below from out of the corner of her eye. “We’re all here to catch you if you fall.”

Roseluck chanced another look around her and gasped at the sight of over a hundred thestrals surrounded the pair of them on all sides, cheering them on. Some of them were naked, spectators from the ritual ceremony coming to offer their support. The honor guard of ten robed, mages were the most conspicuous with their billowing robes whipping through the air. They held a tight formation around the two of them, their bladed staves at the ready. Further afield, Rose could see spear carriers forming a perimeter, though she couldn’t understand why. What could possibly threaten them inside of a dream?

Feeling distinctly more comfortable at the sight of so many friends and heartened by the show of force in her honor, Roseluck did as instructed. She found getting her wings to unfold was the hardest part. They felt stiff and sluggish as if she’d lacked circulation in them for a long period of time. But the more she began moving them, the more they began to response; over time she could feel her strength and flexibility begin to build as her mind fully connected with them. She looked over at her lover with a smile, who returned it warmly. “Juniper, I’m ready!”

The Highborne ruler nodded and released her aura. “Then take flight, our new Princess of Life!”

Roseluck lost altitude quickly, but having recovered from the shock of operating under her own power, she discovered her wings could indeed support her in the air and began a few experimental maneuvers, testing her newfound power of flight. Within a minute she climbed back to Juniper’s side and hovered before the thestral alicorn, who nodded her approval and nuzzled her cheek.

“I can see you’re getting the hang of it already, Rose. Very good! You may find it’s a bit harder in the physical realm where you have to deal with head and crosswinds, but it’s all muscle memory basically. Magic will take a bit longer to master, but we can help you there as well.” Juniper pointed down at a nearby canopy of trees. “Feeling adventurous enough to attempt a dive? All you need to do is let the tree branches brush your hooves before pulling back up.”

Roseluck’s ears flopped as she contemplated what it would feel like to smack into a tree at full speed. “I dunno… can I see somepony else do it first?” She looked up at Juniper hopefully.

“Certainly!” Juniper gestured at two of the mages flying below and above her. “Virgo! Andromeda! Give our new Princess a demonstration of Highborne flying skill!”

“Hail!” The two mages replied, grasping their staves in their soft front hooves which suctioned to objects the same way other ponies were able to do and went into a dive, singling out a tree which stood alone from the others, screwing up their large and highly glide-capable wings to allow them to plunge at breakneck speeds. At the last moment, they lined up on opposite sides of the tree, raised their staves and struck downwards at two large branches which split off cleanly from the trunk and plunged into the forest below, before surging upward into the sky, allowing their hooves to ever so slightly brush the canopy.

Roseluck gave a whoop and clopped her hooves at the sight.

“See? Nothing to it! Just fold your wings inward to bleed air and you drop. Spread them back out to level out, and flap your wings to gain elevation. It’s as easy as that! You’re actually quite lucky to be able to generate lift much easier than I can. We thestrals are natural-born gliders, but we can’t lift-off without a perch to glide from or an open path in front of us like you ponies can.”

“But you glide easier?” Roseluck asked for clarification.

She grinned. “Don’t be fooled, my love. Our wings are very durable and flexible. They may look delicate to pony eyes, but they make us very strong and agile flyers. We more than hold our own in an aerial battle.” Juniper beamed with pride. “Combined with our night vision, we’re the masters of our domain.”

“I see. And are your wings sensitive to touch like pegasi ones are? Might be interesting to know later…” Roseluck gave the thestral pony a significant look.

Juniper’s eyes went hooded for a moment. “Stick to the membrane nearest to the bones in my wing and you’ll do quite nicely in that regard,” the thestral winked and licked her lips suggestively. “But we can talk more on that later. Your new family wishes to see a display of your majesty and splendor. You wouldn’t want to let them down, would you?”

Roseluck swallowed hard, surveying the miles of very solid ground which promised a tragic crashing death. “Alright… if you think I’ll be okay?” Roseluck saw her return a fanged smile and a nod. “Here goes nothing…”

The former earth pony set off towards the ground, a neat row of trees in sight for her to fly over. Overshooting the treeline by a considerable margin, she nonetheless pulled out of her dive with a flourish to rapturous applause.

As Roseluck was turning from her dive, Juniper met her halfway in mid-air with two of her mage guards in tow, the rest of her honor guard, she knew, was forming a cordon around the area to prevent any pony intrusions. Throwing both hooves around her neck, Juniper kissed the flower mare with abandon, suppressing the urge to bring her to ground and rut her brains out right there on the forest floor. “Not bad for a first try! You were playing it safe, but you’ll get more confident with time.”

Roseluck’s green eyes glowed with a magical light as her horn came to life. The green aura grew brighter and brighter as the alicorn’s nethers began to expand, making room for her lover’s considerable girth. “Juniper… words can never express my thanks for what you’ve done. I was so scared while I was diving towards the ground but... but I thought of you carrying me and…”

Juniper sank her tongue into Roseluck’s mouth again as the thestral leader hovered the pair of them to the ground.

“My Eternal Star! Perhaps this is not the best time?” Virgo called to her regent gently.

“We need to get back the Citadel, My Lady!” Andromeda added.

But Juniper waved the pair of mages off with a wave of her hoof as she finally withdrew her tongue. “Your concern is noted, but I don’t care about such trivial matters right now. Not as long as this beautiful fertile creature is calling to me…” Juniper began to undress, stepping out of her crystal shoes, unzipping her dress, and removing the sock from her throbbing erection. “Even now she is preparing a home inside of her to nurture our newborn foal… our salvation!”

Roseluck’s horn began to glow with even brighter, the grass beneath her hooves squirming with accelerated growth, new wildflower blooms slowly rising to maturity as the thestrals came in close to see the miracle of life taking place before them. A trickle of floral nectar spilled out onto the ground beneath her as she lifted her tail and presented herself before her lover, from which grew a small clover patch within a matter of seconds. “Juniper… I can’t wait any longer…”

“Nor can I, my lovely Rose,” Juniper concurred as she moved to mount her, causing Rose’s flower to weep all the faster, depositing ever more over her honey on the ground beneath her, each drop causing an explosion of life from the earth itself.

An increasingly alarmed Virgo stepped aside as an expanding tree root from one of the nearby crystal trees bulged the earth beneath him, the trunk expanding impossibly taller before her unbelieving eyes, gazing upon the unfolding scene in fear. “What is this magic? Eternal Star, what have you brought to our realm?”

Light-headed from both desire and the effort it took to fill her massive girth, Juniper didn’t answer but instead began to slowly work in the tip of her impressive phallus. Even in Roseluck’s new, much larger and fully aroused alicorn body, she knew she would have to treat the experienced mare as a virgin, and yet, she impossibly felt like one herself given that thestrals didn’t normally mount from the rear. After multiple failed attempts, Juniper silently cursed her unfamiliarity with pony style sex and magically assisted the tip of her member inside with an involuntary shiver from Roseluck which drove Juniper a further three inches inside of her. She jotted a quick mental note that she’d be doing sex her way when they got back to the Citadel.

Roseluck clenched her teeth hard and whimpered from the sudden pressure.

“Be careful! Let me take it slow. Easy now… I’m quite a bit larger than even your average Saddle Arabian! Just let me…” Juniper all but cooed as she slowly pressed her way to the very depths of Roseluck’s marehood while Roseluck nickered as the pleasure began to quickly outweigh the pain. “You’re almost there, Princess. Your earth magic is suiting you well! Even the distant memory of my ancient home is not beyond your ability to command inside the dream! Just one little push is all you need to unlock your full potential...”

Having buried herself to the hilt inside Roseluck, Juniper closed her eyes, the ridges of her horn glowing with a pale blue light. The light continued to grow even as Roseluck continued to channel her own magic, eyes closed and unresponsive as she stood on four shaky limbs as if in a trance. Unlike the channeling spell from before, Juniper was clearly exerting herself from the spell she weaved which swirled three layers deep around her horn. Finally satisfied she loosed the beam into Roseluck’s own horn.

Roseluck’s trance broke with a burst of blue light which emanated from her very skin. She opened her eyes, completely pale and glowing brightly. Her mane and tail appeared to burst into flames, replaced by shimmering pink and red pastel fire. Her coat crackled with pale blue sparkles which fell to the earth like snow, melting on contact with the ground. Most of the thestrals fled in terror-stricken flight back to the castle; even the mages drew their staves defensively.

Juniper shivered from power surge but did not dismount nor cry out in pain. Instead, she began to pump the ascended alicorn slowly as the latter began to moan blissfully with a supernatural, reverberating cry as if she were somehow in more than one place at once. Juniper’s enormous, swollen apples, each the size of a working stallion’s hoof, began to ache from holding back the tide. With each buck of her hips, her walls collapsed ever further and her anticipation grew ever more unbearable as her apples slapped against Roseluck’s ample rump. Filling her lover so perfectly, she had no problems anticipating her climax and began to thrust ever quicker.

Roseluck snapped her head back in the throes of passion and cried out the name of her thestral marefriend, the father of her unborn foal, bearing two very batlike fangs within her own maw as the Highborne Priestess emptied her love deep inside the Princess of Life, in stream after electrifying stream, making every second of her interminable seven-hundred year wait count.

Roseluck kneeled forward in a daze as the thestral withdrew with a quiet pop, the excess seed pouring out onto the grass creating an explosion of new growth where it fell — Juniper ran over to her side anxiously, unsure what was happening. In a daze, Rose instinctively brought a hoof to the side of her belly which began to warm instantly. Rolling onto her back, she gave a blissful, carefree cheer as she kicked her legs playfully into the air. “You did it, Juniper! I can feel our foal inside of me!”

Juniper gave a happy squeak, barely able to keep the dark motivations from showing on her face. She took Roseluck’s forehoof in her hooves and kissed it — the traditional royal greeting for Equestria’s rulers and nuzzled the Princess’ playfully as the two laughed joyfully.

The two mages gaped at each other as the scene of apocalyptic terror transformed into a playful romp on the forest floor and hoof bumped each other, performing a sort of mid-air celebratory dance with each other. Allowing the two powerful mares a chance to bond over their conception, Virgo approached the powerful mares and bowed. “A joyous day for our two peoples, if you don’t mind me saying so. My Eternal Star, Princess Roseluck; I humbly request we return to the Citadel to celebrate this glorious day!”

“I agree, magus! You two tell the others to return to the Citadel. I will escort the Princess back to my royal chambers and greet our new foal into the world!”

The two mages nodded before vanishing in a flash of light.

“I see you’ve got yourself a new pair of fangs, Princess!” Juniper pressed her hoof gently against Roseluck’s lips, exposing the pearly white, razor-sharp protrusion. They compliment you well…”

“You compliment me well!” Roseluck wrapped her legs around the mother — the ‘father’ actually, Roseluck reminded herself — of her first baby.

Juniper smiled, kissed her lover one last time, her tongue lingering on Roseluck’s new fangs, before teleporting the two of them away in a flash of light.

“Maybe this wasn’t a very good idea…” The mother felt herself begin to dilate. Despite Juniper’s pain suppression magic, the realization of what was about to happen struck home.

Roseluck lay on her back atop a massive four-poster bed capable of fitting at least twenty fully-grown mares in the center of a spacious window-lined room near the very top of the Citadel — her horn blazing green as she channeled a life magic spell. In what would normally have taken nine months to accomplish was cut down to mere hours by her alicorn fecundity magic which only now Rose regretted being unable to turn off. Her teats were swollen with milk, her body ached from the burden of carrying another pony’s weight and her magical reserves were taxed from constant use among a myriad of other issues she couldn’t enumerate.

Juniper rested a hoof on Roseluck’s bulging baby belly and began to caress it. “It will be over soon, my love. And I promise all the pain and discomfort will be forgotten once you’ve seen her.”

“I think it’s them! I feel two of them inside of me!” Roseluck reached out to hold Juniper’s spare hoof.

Two? Then this is far better than even I could have ever hoped for! The ponies are finished for good! “Two of them! The stars have been bountiful, my Princess! I and my followers will do everything we can for you and your foals. They shall never want for love!”

“I know, Juniper. I’m just feeling a bit freaked out right now!” Roseluck suppressed a sharp hiss of pain as her marehood dilated further. She may have been benefiting from a pain suppression spell, but the sensation of being ripped open was nonetheless unnerving. “Everything that’s lead up to this… It’s all happened so quickly! What will my friends have to say about this? What will I tell the folks back home when they find out I have a family?”

“If they’re good friends, I imagine they’ll be very happy for you.” Juniper levitated over a mane comb her lover’s mussed-up mane. “I wouldn’t worry about your friends, my love. You'll be meeting them soon enough! I’ve invited your closest friends to join us as my guest, in fact.”

“You have? That’s awesome!” Roseluck’s eyes lit up as she thought of the look on Lily’s face after meeting a mare with a stallion’s anatomy. “How soon can they be here?”

“Once I’ve been able to… collect them. Juniper replied, delicately. “The dream is vast and our ability to communicate with the outside is limited. We’re searching for them now as we speak. I promise you we’ll bring them here as soon possible.” Assuming we don’t murder them first. Juniper couldn’t help but think to herself. Good thing I only need to buy myself just a bit more time… Shouldn’t have asked Alcaeus to stop what she was doing and rut me. Why must I torment that poor fool so much? Oh right, because she’s an insurrection waiting to happen. Maybe she’ll get herself killed by the ponies and I’ll have one fewer problem to deal with. Heavens above, I want to rut this beautiful mare again so badly…

“I hope you’re… oh! Juniper... they’re coming!” Roseluck cried out, cutting into Juniper’s monologue.

“Don’t worry, Rose! I’ll teleport them out now that the babies have fully come to term…” Juniper closed her eyes for a moment and with a sharp pop, two pale bat-winged babies appeared in her aura which she swaddled in fresh towels, setting them back down on Roseluck’s belly. “A colt and a filly! They’re so... colorful!” Juniper was amazed to see how their colors had blended. The foals clearly took after her the most, baring the slit-pupil eyes and bat wings that marked her as a thestral, but their coats were beige like their mother’s. Both had a striped mane and tail of pink and violet.

Roseluck removed the towel from the filly who giggled and squeaked at the tickling sensation of her aura and held the baby in her forelegs, nuzzling its adorable little wings and wiping the afterbirth away with the towel. “She’s a thestral just like her Daddy! Oh, Juniper, I love them!” Roseluck held her infant daughter to her breast, weeping softly for joy. “Mommy’s going to take good care of you!”

Juniper picked up the colt and set him down in her forelegs as she lay across the bed from Rose, smiling at the colt’s tiny fangs and nuzzling his wings until he threw them open with a flourish. Looking at him critically, she gave them a casual scan with her horn, breaking into a smile from her the result of her findings. Roseluck was right. They’re alive! Their living spirit shines within them! Juniper licked her lips. Just need a few more of them... Yes… Can’t take any chances with our one-shot out of this prison...

“By Cadance, they look so much like you!” Roseluck looked up at Juniper, her eyes wet with happy tears. “What should we name them? One pony name and one Highborne name?”

“That sounds fair, Mother,” Juniper replied sweetly. “As I am technically the father, I suppose I’ll name the colt. How does ‘Sagittarius’ sound?”

“Oooo! I love it! What’s he named after?” Roseluck kissed the filly on top of her head and looked back up at Juniper, still holding their colt, intently.

“He is the hunter of the stars. He taught the thestrals how to survive in our monster-infested land by hunting the dangerous beasts around our homes using bows and arrows.” Juniper lifted the colt up atop her forelimb like a carrier pigeon, attempting to coax him into flying with no luck as the young colt merely flapped his wings a few times and stayed put. “Shame they didn’t clue us in to the inner workings of crossbows; those we had to adapt from griffin designs we captured during our frequent border wars.”

Roseluck’s ears drooped sadly. “I don’t know how I feel about my son learning how to hunt things… but I shouldn’t dwell right now. I just want him to be happy whatever he’s doing…”

Roseluck’s little foal shivered slightly, gripping its back with his tiny wings before taking shelter beneath her mother’s, snuggling up against her warm, downy feathers.

“Aww! My little girl is cold...” Rose ducked her muzzle under her wing and stroked the young thestral’s wings and short-furred body to help warm her up as the thestral infant chittered and squeaked blissfully. Roseluck was taken aback by the texture of the little fillies' wings against her face, less like tough, stretchy leather and more like skin — very thin, supple skin. “I think I’ll name her… Lucid Dream, or Lucy. What do you think?”

Juniper laughed at the context-specific moniker. “Very appropriate given the circumstances! Lucy, it is!”

A loud knock at the door to the spacious chamber interrupted their discussion. Juniper looked suddenly very concerned. It was quickly followed seconds later by another series of desperate rappings which echoed throughout the room.

“Juniper… is everything alright?”

“It seems duty finds me at the worst times…” Juniper gave a heavy sigh and levitated Sagittarius into Roseluck’s lap. “I will make this distraction as short as I’m able.”

Juniper nuzzled the trio and walked over to the heavy wooden doors, released the heavy iron bolts and cracked them open. On the other side of the door was a near-panicked Alcaeus. Noticing the two babies and Roseluck sitting on the bed, looking at the pair of them speaking, she lowered her voice. “Juniper, we need to assemble for battle! Both of our search parties have turned up dead, vaporized by enchanted fire!

The look Juniper gave her underling suggested spontaneous combustion wasn’t out of the question for her either. Stepping outside and closing the door behind her, she felt comfortable to speak normally. “The ponies will suffer… slowly. And what of the Legion demons?”

“That’s what I’m coming to you about! My Eternal Star; it was just as I feared! I never got a chance to meet with the Pit Lord Magtheridon, we were fired upon immediately upon entering the Gmina Ponie, and they completely ignored our order to stand down. During our retreat, we found the remains of a squad near Flying Fox Ravine. Whether they were slain by ponies or demons I cannot say, but the demons must be dealt with immediately before they find a way to summon more of them here!”

“I must stay here!” Juniper hissed. “I need at least five foals to ensure the success of our sacrificial rebirth. Assume the strategic defensive and hold them off until I say otherwise!”

Alcaeus shook her head skeptically. “The demons are infinite in number, as countless as the stars, My Mistress. They will call for backup unsupervised! Our forces outside stand no chance of containing this threat!”

Juniper closed her eyes and lit her horn before facing her lackey properly. “They don’t have to! I’m ordering them back as we speak. The time has come for us to once again flee from those who would wipe us out, but it will be the last time. We will soon return to Equestria to meet up with our faithful followers back in Thestralslovakia who’ve awaited our return and set our plans into motion.”

Alcaeus was not impressed, fluffing up her bat-like wings, backing up her words with a chiropteran show of force. “Forgive my seeming lack of faith in your tactical prowess, Morning Star, but your plan makes a number of assumptions of the disposition of the enemy force. We have no idea what numbers the demons are working with or the nature of the threat posed by the ponies! For all you know, a counterattack in force would be able to wipe out both threats and allow you to get back to breeding with that disgusting grass-chewer without worrying about a ticking clock ruining everything!” The Majordomo fumed as her mind turned to the former-earth pony in the room behind them. “And I am not the one you have to worry about sleeping with ponies, you must surely know!”

“Don’t make big wings at me, servant!” Juniper spat back, ironically fluffing out her own. “It is only in my eternal mercy I have allowed you to exist at all! If we didn’t find ourselves in such a predicament, I might demote you to 'sexual servant'. I’m sure Chardonnay would appreciate the assistance!” Juniper smiled as her words had the desired effect of cowing the stubborn thestral, her wings folding back to her side. “As for Roseluck, you should be thanking her for her service. She will continue to serve us well after all of this is over. Whether she knows it or not!”

Unsure Juniper would be able to carry out her threat but unwilling to take the risk, she ceded the issue. “And what of your plan? Am I to assume you have not thought all of this through? It’s all of our necks on the line here… Mistress.” Alcaeus snarked, not entirely subdued by her threats.

Juniper scratched her chin, weighing her options. “The ponies are out there as well... If the Legion strikes us they will encounter the ponies…” Juniper paced back and forth briefly, mentally running through Alcaeus’ report for clues on what to do. “Now, if the thestrals back at the canyon were taken as prey without felling a single attacker, that means a conventional assault is out of the question. We’re too strong for simple demons to rout so easily, particularly ones with so little guile or originality; that means they were taken in an ambush... by ponies.” Juniper spat out, then paced some more before continuing. “But that, in turn, works to our advantage. For any force sufficient to harm us will encounter the demons because they’re both here for the same thing: access to the Citadel. They’ll have to go through each other to get here, and that will afford plenty of opportunities for defense.”

Alcaeus, finally dropping her attitude, looked swayed by her mistress’ argument. “I see your point, My Eternal Star. Well reasoned. It turns my stomach to think of leaving an obvious threat unchecked, but it’s impossible for me to envision a scenario in which demons wipe out an entire squadron by ambush so far away from the nearest entrance to the G.P. By your command, I will make preparations to stall the enemy.”

“Good. But do so quietly, Majordomo. Our alicorn guest thinks everything is okay and her friends will soon join us.” Juniper looked back at the door, checking to see Roseluck was hiding behind it. “Once we have our foals, there will be nothing to worry about. Good luck…”

Alcaeus saluted, flying off.

As Juniper prepared to step back inside, her lips curled upward in a sinister grin as an idea popped into her head. Maybe Roseluck can meet her friends after all...