The Human Pet

Fluttershy wandered home, avoiding the shortest route in favor of traipsing across grassy hills. She liked taking the long road, for exercise, for thought... and now to prepare herself mentally for whatever new madness Discord had spawned in her cottage. He was charming in his own way, of course, and Fluttershy was proud to have brought out the goodness in his heart. Still, her household felt incomplete without Skinny. The giant round bed in her living room remained empty. Fluttershy had considered removing it, just as she had prior to Skinny's arrival, but now she found that she couldn't bring herself to get rid of it.

After all, Skinny might come back someday, and it'd be rude not to have his bed for him.

Sure, he had technically rejected her and moved out, but Fluttershy dismissed that. Even before she'd heard the news about the Alicorn Amulet, she'd known on a subconscious level that she hadn't been talking to Skinny. The same intimate connection she had with all her beloved pets applied here. They either were who they were... or something was wrong. Fluttershy hoped he was alright. All she knew was that he was doing some favour for Princess Celestia before hopefully returning to Ponyville. Fluttershy harrumphed inside. They couldn't even give him a holiday? She was tempted to trot up to Canterlot to give the Princess a piece of her mind, but of course she realised the alicorn knew best.

When she returned home, she found a note left by Discord.

FORGOT MY KEYS AND DEFINITELY NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT IN ANOTHER DIMENSION

WILL BE BACK WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT

LEFT SOME GROCERIES IN THE FRIDGE

"Oh no." Fluttershy opened the fridge. Sure enough, it was stuffed with at least five or six chocolate cakes. Discord found it difficult to grasp the concept of dietary needs. Angel Bunny hopped up to her leg to beg for a slice. "Angel! You know better than that! Chocolate tastes very nice, but it's harmful to our bodies."

Angel pointed at a photograph of Skinny, and crossed his arms, sulking.

"His physiology is different from ours." Fluttershy had tactfully avoided telling Angel that she can actually eat chocolate too. Angel tossed a ball at the photo in a fit of fury, although he didn't manage to break it. "Angel! I know he's your mortal enemy, but that's no reason to misbehave."

He palmed his fist, and sniffed angrily.

"No, you may not kill him." said Fluttershy kindly but firmly. "If and when he comes back, he'll certainly take over laundry duties. Now wouldn't that make you happy?"

A shrug. Then he pointed at the broom. Fluttershy tittered. "Yes, maybe that too."

The two of them fell in silence again. After a while, they both settled down on Skinny's bed. Fluttershy had almost fallen asleep before she remembered. "Wait. Discord doesn't have keys!"

Crystal Star stood in her office, smiling darkly. Well, they called it 'office', but this wasn't the place for any paperwork, no. This was an office for getting real work done... this was an office where Crystal Star got her hooves dirty. And she loved getting her hooves dirty.

"Bring her in!" Crystal yelled. Two bats wheeled in a bound, gagged, hapless pegasus on a wheelchair. She was squirming in her restraints, but to no avail. "Alright, you can go now." The bats bowed towards their leader and floated out the door, closing it behind them. Crystal slinked closer to her prisoner, enjoying her plight. The bat began to circle around her, baring teeth. "Hello, Rainbow Dash... you like my boat? It's a ferry. My dear departed husband built it himself. He called it Shining Crystal. You see, I'd never sailed. Why would I? I have wings. But he taught me there was value to be found in the most unexpected places. And how right he was!"

Crystal Star wheeled Dash in front of a map. Several red tacks marked a circle in the North Luna Ocean. "An enchantment! No boat, no spell, no passage! I could never get there on my wings! And more importantly, I could never get there... without you!" She grinned broadly. In front of others, she'd never lower her guard. But everypony needs to vent once in a while, and Crystal loved to show her true nature to her victims. Especially her psychiatrist, may he rest in pieces. He'd been very tasty. "You too belie your true nature, Rainbow Dash. I mean, look at you. A sickeningly colourful no-good-for-nothing athlete. Performer of the sonic rainboom!" She cackled loudly. "Paltry theatre for dullards, dunces and dolts! ... But look past the ghastly visage, and there is something. Can you guess what it is, Dashie? Let me give you a hint."

She kissed Rainbow Dash on the neck, drawing blood with her sharp canine teeth. "Mmm... blood! You're a sack of valuable zesty magical blood. So, so tasty." She suckled at the bleeding neck, like a hungry foal. Rainbow Dash winced, disgusted. "Your exposure to the Elements of Harmony has made you... supercharged. And with Princess Luna's idiot ban on this taste sensation..." The bat drew away, licking her teeth, savoring the metal tang. "The price has skyrocketed. You are the price I have to pay... to get there!" She pointed her hoof at the circle of tacks on the map.

Rainbow Dash growled, her voice muted by the gag. Crystal booped her nose. "Your friends will stop me? I welcome them to try. No, really, I could do with a laugh. Your friends are going to trip all over my friend Chrysalis and they will land straight onto their noses!" She punched Rainbow Dash in the snout, breaking her nose. A whimper escaped Dash, then a tear of fear and pain. Crystal Star laughed maniacally. "With any luck, they'll take that overgrown dung beetle with them... but never mind about all that. There are greater things in store for you and me!"

The sound of the boat's horn interrupted them.

Crystal Star leaned close to the blue pegasus, her voice now quiet, monotone and ominous. "We've left port. Destination... destiny! Yours is to be sold, quart by quart, to feed the thirst of your betters! Like me!" She licked Dash's neck again, drawing more blood. "Ahh! But that will take years. Unlike your friends, you will have the honor of witnessing my destiny, my ascent into history!"

Even with the gag, Dash's snort of derision was unmistakable. "What's that?" Crystal asked. "You don't believe me? You think a miracle will lead them to you? Think again." She plucked the tacks from the map and spitefully stuck them into Dash's chest, in a circle around her heart. The blood seeped out, and Crystal rubbed until it left a big purple stain in her fur. "Where we're going, no light can reach." She broke into laughter again.

Rainbow Dash would discover that their destination was a large platform, an artificial island concealed behind magical storm clouds and surrounded by other renegade vessels. It was a criminal's heaven, big enough to contain a metropolis of sin. As she was wheeled out onto the shore, Dash stared wide-eyed at the other visitors, obviously all rich and powerful in their own ways. She caught snippets of conversation. Everypony was boorish and cruel, teasing and tempting, winning and losing. This was a city where they could emerge safely to turn each other into the worst versions of themselves.

She wondered how the Princesses could have possibly not known of such a place.

"Welcome to Sugar Town. For purebreds only!" Crystal Star smirked. "It's not perfect, of course. They let daytimers in. But it's got what we need - the vital missing piece, the energy source to split Luna's heart in two - that's all that matters. Look at that!" She nodded towards a shiny neon-clad edifice. "They've built a whole casino tower. That wasn't here last time. You see how hard ponies will work to be able to enjoy themselves? When Nightmare Moon rises again, I tell you, true carnal desire will transform Equestria into what it always had the potential to be... an empire of predators. A virus that spreads across the realm. Unstoppable. Perfect. Divine. Nature untamed by the foul limitations of goodness."

Rainbow Dash would have spat if she could.

"Ah! And here comes our host. Put a smile on that face, Dashie, you're embarrassing me." Crystal nudged her.

The bats were approached by a delegation of pegasi, led by a kindly-looking red stallion with a thinning icy blue mane. Dash noticed his cutie mark - a queen piece from chess?

"Governor Glow..." Crystal gave the briefest nod of respect, clearly hating the idea of even speaking to a daytimer. "It's good to be back in business."