Bond(age) (Re)formation

“You–hah–call this rape? I’ve had starving–ah–slaves fuck me hard–mmh–harder than this!”

Rune tried not to take the bait, but his pride forced him to try thrusting deeper into Chrysalis. They glared at each other as he hilted his stallionhood into her body from a full draw, then backed out for another full-length slam. Their sweaty sex made lewd, sloppy noises that echoed throughout the chamber and enhanced Rune’s fiery arousal. He felt his medial ring push apart her weird flesh with brutal speed, the exquisite sensations working him up to a demonic orgasm. He grappled with the decision to give her ebony exterior a pearly coat or to paint her glowing insides with his virulent seed, but he knew he had to make a choice soon.

“Yeah? Do you cum like a virgin for them and wrap your legs around their waist too?” Rune huffed.

Chrysalis broke eye contact for a moment and he felt her legs lift from his lower back as he impaled her again. Shortly, her wicked stare returned in full force, but she said nothing, merely baring her fangs. Ego satisfied, Rune returned to his slightly less forceful technique, sacrificing impact for speed. At some point, Chrysalis’ eyes closed and her head tilted back as her lips parted to let out gentle, strained moans. The sight made Rune’s gut tighten and he prepared himself for a climax of epic proportions. He decided he didn’t care where he shot his seed and would feel it out when the moment came.

“Please, let me feel your love inside.”

Rune was shocked at the queen’s sudden change in attitude, but happy to oblige. He made his last few thrusts and hilted himself, letting the thought of a cum-flooded womb push him over the edge and…

...awoke to the smell of his own spunk splattering across the floor beside him. He jolted halfway up and pounded the bare floor as a hollow, pleasureless orgasm ripped through his body, painfully expelling the contents of his balls into a series of scattered threads that glimmered with the light of Celestia’s distant, colorful starfield. As the orgasm relaxed its hold on his throat, he struggled to suppress a guttural, animalistic whinny, though some shreds of it escaped. The sounds didn’t echo, but he didn’t doubt that it carried far enough for the mares to hear in the open chamber.

“Fuck,” Rune breathed, struggling to sit up on weak limbs.

A sinister hum of laughter drifted through the darkness to reach him, stabbing his chest with a shard of panic. Was Chrysalis somehow responsible for that dream? If she broke the containment circle, there’s no doubt he’d already be dead. If she also knows how to seize control of runes, she could have given herself enough freedom to cast a dreamweaver spell. Dammit! How had he not considered that already? Rune’s jaw tightened as he chastised himself for the oversight, feeling out of his element. Strategy and logistics were always best left to Incanta and Umbran, while he listened for flaws his keen memory would allow him to see before others.

Now that he was thinking of it, he had intended to ask Celestia how it was possible for her to control his runes. He dreaded approaching her, though. He knew she’d be burning with chemically-induced arousal and his very presence would be a dent in her crucial restraint. Still, he needed to know. The knowledge could prove vital to the security of the mission.

With a pang of self-abasement, Rune remembered the spell to establish psionic communication. He wasn’t familiar with it, but felt confident it could be puzzled out with peripheral knowledge. Rune looked to the field of stars as he caught his breath. The nocturnal discharge had truly been brutal and stress lights still danced across his vision, mingling with the distant trails of magelight. When his mind felt clear, he began the spell as he understood it, first peeling back the natural defenses all consciousness possesses. This would have been dangerous anywhere else in the world, but in this chamber, only he should be capable of entering a foreign mind. Into an otherworldly maelstrom of aetheric information fields, he pushed his perceptions outward, feeling for the resistance of the other two beings. Curiously, Rune detected only one other mind besides his own. Probing further, he sought to understand the mind’s identity or location and, in so doing, perhaps discover which of the other two was managing to cloak themselves.

Rune’s consciousness had just enveloped the unyielding defenses when a stabbing pain shot through him. Though the physical irritation was not localized to any part of his body, he felt a sense of being attacked from behind. He squirmed and thrashed in both planes of existence until a voice spoke to him.

It’s only me, Rune. Let me help.

Celestia’s words came into him as if echoing from the boundaries of the cosmos itself. He was disarmed by the sheer vastness of the impression and left to float aimlessly in the roiling aether as he struggled to hold himself together. Reality slammed back into focus with its hard edges and mercifully limited scope and Rune found himself lying on the floor, alone.

Please, never do that again.

Her voice rippled through him, though it felt far more mundane, this time. Still, Rune detected an odd doubling and came to understand that the second voice was his own, to himself.

Thank you, your Highness. I won’t.

What is so important, agent?

Earlier, you took control of my runes. I need to know how you did that. I’m afraid Chrysalis may have the same capability and used it to allow herself some degree of freedom, enough to enter my dreams, just now.

Celestia delivered her response without a moment of pause, That shouldn’t be possible, but check your runes thoroughly and report to me for field training. I’ll think on this issue in the meantime.

Copy that.

One more thing, Agent Rune.

Yes, your Highness?

You may as well speak to me in person. I understand your intentions, but distancing yourself physically puts no less strain on me.

Rune hesitated, but responded, Understood.

Chrysalis remained in the same position as before when Rune approached her, accompanied by a modest magelight just over his shoulder. He knew her eyes followed him as he circled her containment area, inspecting the runes and checking them against his memory. After reviewing their effects and finding nothing amiss, he moved on to the control runes. Here, something did stand out. A module designed to dictate the captive’s physical sensitivity had been adjusted. The change was so minor, it would have been imperceptible to the subject and gone unnoticed by anyone other than a pony with a photographic memory. Someone had tampered with his system and tried setting it back. Rune decided not to say anything. Once he learned how his runes could be controlled by others, he would almost certainly be able to construct a defensive response. For now, a little deception was in order.

“Tell me how you did that and maybe this next part can be fun for both of us,” Rune said.

Chrysalis’ tail flicked with annoyance and she spoke from the corner of her mouth, “You’ll have to be a little more specific, dear.”

“Don’t bother playing these games with me, Chrysalis.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We both know you’ll do what you came to do, anyway.”

Rune hummed with impatience, but said, “You’re right, to an extent. Actually, I was hoping we could play a game.” Rune waited for a reaction, but Chrysalis remained silent, eyes closed. “I’m not being coy when I say I like you,” he said, coming around to the edge of the circle, where the queen lay, “You’re fascinating. I wonder what makes someone like you tick, what keeps you going, all that jazz. What worldly subjects pique your curiosity, your Majesty?”

Chrysalis’s eyes cracked open at Rune’s words. There had been no ironic or taunting inflection in his formal address. He spoke as if the words were natural and routine. Was he trying to charm her with a pretense of respect? If so, it only served as an annoyance. And yet, somehow, it almost felt good to hear it after recent events. It came infuriatingly close to lifting her spirits.

“What am I curious about?” she said, finally lifting her head from the ground, “I’m curious to see the color of your insides and the pitch of your screams when you see them outside of you.” To Chrysalis’ chagrin, her captor laughed aloud at this, though not with malice or sarcasm.

“That passion is what I enjoy about you. It doesn’t come from a lack of understanding what’s productive and acceptable, like most of the criminals we take down, it comes from a place of love. I’m certain of it.”

Chrysalis was taken aback. She knew she masked her surprise well, but the way his perceptions had cut to her heart so quickly was disturbing. Only two others outside her hive had ever given her that level of moral credibility and neither had done it easily.

“Tch—You’ve been brainwashed by those soft-hearted princesses. Just like my wayward daughter.”

Rune chuckled, “Well, it’s logically impossible to refute that, I suppose. But if I had a choice, I’d say there were worse options for indoctrination.”

Chrysalis shot him a glare, but he wasn’t giving her the meaningful look she expected. Instead, his eyes had clearly traveled to her clothed hindquarters, where they dwelt with a lusty gleam. Her wings twitched involuntarily and she became acutely aware of the object lodged inside of her. A fresh coating of love juices made her feel slippery and warm inside.

“What are you staring at, beast?” she snapped.

Rune smiled and gave Chrysalis a smouldering look, “You appear to be in need of some relief. Maybe you’d like to play that game now, Chrysi?”

That stupid pet name again, she seethed. “Like I said, do whatever you want,” Chrysalis grumbled, turning away from her captor.

“Those weren’t your exact words before, but if you insist.” Rune levitated over the toolbag and extracted the crop, a magic tab, a length of soft rope, and the blindfold. He hungrily watched her thighs rub together as he tied the cloth over her eyes. He placed the same enchantments on this as he had on the green panties, then took her forehooves in a magic hold, bringing them to her flanks. She hissed as he lifted her rear into the air and set her on her hind hooves. The position forced her to lay on her chest with her face pressed to the floor. He wound the rope in an intricate binding that kept her forelegs pressed to her sides, then wrapped once around the base of her tail, making the ribbons arch up and fall across her back. The green garments were banished and a tab was placed on Chrysalis’ throbbing clit. She let out a tiny, sharp breath as he pressed it into place with a little extra motion and pressure than necessary. Rune felt his nostrils flare as her exquisite smell permeated the area. He came back around to her front after working and, in a reasonable tone, began, “This game is simple. I’ll ask you a question about yourself and, if you give a satisfactory answer, you get a little of this…” the air filled with the sound of suppressed moans and vibrating tab material, “...understand? Good. I don’t think I need to tell you what happens if I don’t like the answer, or if I think you’re lying. But-just-for-fun.” Chrysalis visibly flinched, her ass rising an inch and her wings buzzing for a split second. When nothing happened, she let out a frustrated sigh at the trick. “Good girl. I’m glad you’ve been paying attention. I was going to save this as a surprise, but I think you deserve to know what happens when you please me enough.” Rune activated the mobile textures of the anal plug and gave the magic tab enough charge to vibrate with its greatest intensity. Music filled the air. He sat back and listened, watching as Chrysalis’ face contorted in vain efforts to stifle a flood of natural reactions. He let his cock rise, looming over her head, and waited for the signs of her approaching climax.

Her cries carried on for a few minutes, broken by softer sets of exhalations that preceded even more pleasure sounds. By the time Rune realized anything was amiss, a dribble of pre-cum had left a clear, gleaming streamer between his tip and the queen’s muzzle. He cut off all the magic at once and spun to his hooves, his member swinging about painfully. He circled around to the gasping queen’s backside and studied her sloppy wet sex. She was still clenching in the throes of climax. Chrysalis’ laugh began as a throaty, exhausted chuckle, but soon evolved into a hearty chortle. Rune circled back around to her front, sat by her head and eventually joined her in the mirth. The afterglow kept Chrysalis giggling, even after Rune’s laughter died down.

He patted her shoulder and said, “Well, you got me Chrysi, fair and square. All I need now is a good and proper ‘thank you, sir’.” Chrysalis went silent. They remained quiet for a long moment before Rune spoke up again, “Okay, call that your first chance. I’ll give you just one more and you don’t even have to be nice about it. Just say, ‘thank you, sir’.” The silence persisted until Rune sighed with exaggerated disappointment, “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised and I certainly don’t blame you, but after our first exchange, I thought you’d know better.” He stood and cantered over to the control sigil. “I’m just going to set you up with a few modifications to your containment field and we’ll get started on your punishment.”

Rune tapped and slid his hoof across the sigil, humming thoughtfully as he worked. When he came to a set of conditions that satisfied him, he began work on a new ring of runes that enveloped the current circle in its entirety.

“What about your game? Don’t you want to try your pathetically transparent attempt at bonding with me?”

“No, there are more important matters at hoof.” Rune said, whipping off the blindfold. He folded it and placed it back into the bag, followed by the rope. Chrysalis got to her hooves and stretched like a cat, making sure Rune witnessed her nonchalance. He stood by, outside the containment circle, and met her gaze as she did this, following the movement of her head with his eyes. He looked into the bag and levitated two objects out of it, keeping one hidden behind his back and tossing the other into the center of the ring. On contact, it expanded into a large, trapezoidal prism with a wide, cushioned top and two sloping, metal sides. Six buckled leather restraints, two hooves apart from their neighbors, were securely fixed to these angled sides and lay open. Before Chrysalis could make any remarks or resist, Rune levitated her bodily onto the cushioned surface and pinned each leg in place as he worked the restraints around them. Her abnormally taller, longer body made her a little more difficult to restrain as intended, but when Rune was finished, he stepped back and inspected his work. “How’s that? Anything hurt? Straps too tight?”

“What do you care?” Chrysalis spat.

Rune raised a brow at this, “Suit yourself.”

“Wait, the front left one here is rather tight.”

Rune stepped around to inspect the strap and pretended to be surprised, “Hmm, I think you’re right. That looks uncomfortable.” He unbuckled the strap and adjusted it to a notch he knew was too loose. “Better?” Chrysalis didn’t respond, simply glaring out into the featureless black. “Right, then, say ‘ah’.” Her expression darkened, but she made no move to obey. Rune gave her clit a jolt with the tab still adhered to it and followed this up by briefly powering both of the remaining sex toys to their maximum speeds. Chrysalis’ resulting gasp of pain and pleasure forced her jaws apart long enough for Rune to slip in the ring gag. Chrysalis shook her head furiously, but between the speed at which her captor worked and the intense distraction in her nethers, the branching leather straps were in place around her head before she could begin to thwart the process. The ring gag spread her jaws open to their fullest and her head was forced down onto the rest of the sex bench’s unoccupied cushion. Chrysalis’ head hung just over the edge of the bench. Rune held her there with his magic as he stepped around to her front. She watched as his cock, once again, slid from its sheath, still a little moist from his previous arousal and smelling strongly of male musk. She drew in a breath as its full length and girth was finally revealed. She had seen and taken larger, but those had been few and far between, and no male had ever been inside her mouth. She refused to react and give him the satisfaction. Rune hopped up and placed his forehooves on either side of her neck. “Since you skipped way ahead and got a free treat before you were supposed to, I think it’s only fair that I get one, too. Still, there’s no reason you can’t also enjoy yourself a little, so I’m going to be generous and let you cum again while you take the first half of your punishment.” Chrysalis’ angry, slurred retort was blasted from her mind by a burst of stimulation as the toys were reactivated. It was immediately noticeable that the sensations were far more intense than natural, and she felt herself approaching climax before the cock had even passed her lips.

Rune sighed as he thrust forward and felt the hot, moist cavern of Queen Chrysalis’ mouth warm his swollen member. He pushed further until he felt the flared head spreading apart her velvety throat. He felt her cough around his meat in between moans and enjoyed the feeling of her bioluminescent saliva coating his shaft. The first of her orgasms brought a spine-tingling vibration up from her chest that tickled Rune’s cock in all the right ways. The pleasure summoned an unresisted impulse to thrust even harder. As he did so, he was engulfed completely. Rune looked down to see his considerable package vanished into the queen’s face. He almost came right then, but kept himself under control by a hair’s breadth. He drew himself out, slowly, then eased back in, eliciting a couple gags between moans this time. Gradually, he built up a modest speed, until he was thrusting once every couple seconds, never staying fully inside for more than three or four seconds at a time. He enjoyed the sloppy feel and sounds of the oral, Chrysalis’ enraged, guttural gagging between moans of magically enhanced pleasure sending shivers up his spine. He let the ecstasy of the extraordinary situation and Chrysalis’ soft, sedentary tongue do most of the work of bringing him to his own climax. Rune’s genitals begged him to ram her throat for all its worth, but he knew it would be more effective to ease her into such rough acts of foreplay. There was time, after all. For now, he closed his eyes and groaned as he slid his rod in and out of the queen, enjoying every moist sound and the feel of her drool as it eventually dribbled down across his balls. He even enjoyed the occasional brush with her fangs.

After a time, a tightness in Rune’s gut signalled the impending orgasm and he was tempted to expend it inside, but he already had other plans. As Chrysalis was wracked with a surge of climax, the pleasure multiplied by a lack of air, her captor was pushed over the edge. Rune withdrew, deactivated the toys, and growled as he held his cock, unloading rope after rope of thick, pearly seed. It hurt, just as much as before, but it was a glorious pain, this time. The cum dripped down her face, mane and horn, falling in audible plips as Rune shuddered with carnal delight, shaking out the last sticky strands of his love. He hopped down and sighed with satisfaction as Chrysalis heaved exhausted breaths past the ring. Rune retrieved the ball gag from his bag and unbuckled the straps of the ring gag, pulling it from the queen’s mouth with tender care. He replaced this with the ball gag, silencing her broken threats and insults to him between attempts to catch her breath.

“You did great, Chrysi. Your master is very pleased with how well you handled yourself. You’re still due for some more discipline, but I’ll let you rest and think for a while. I’ll be back to clean you up and get you started on your next punishment, your Majesty.”

With that, Rune began to walk away. He found the crop, lying forgotten on the floor from earlier, picked it up in his magic, and gave the queen a single lash. She screamed around the ball gag with obvious fury as he tossed the crop into his bag. Chrysalis continued to hurl garbled barbs his way and, as Rune stepped beyond the new ring of sound-dampening spells, he was sure she would continue for some time.

Rune sighed with anticipation as he approached the dancing magelights. He dreaded the awkward encounter with the princess, knowing she would burn with a mating desire every second they spent together. He wondered how severely Agent Umbran would attempt to beat him for having apprehensive thoughts about being lusted after by the princess. It was widely known that most ponies, with a taste for the fairer sex, have earnestly fantasized over having sexual or romantic relations with the cosmically beautiful princesses. Still, Rune’s first exposures to Celestia were in a context entirely devoid of, and even against, such basal inclinations. He loved her, more than he could ever express, but in ways he couldn’t fully grasp.

“Your Highness?” Rune circled the feather-bed, but found no one. He gazed up, into the cloud of magelights swirling overhead and quickly noticed a pattern within their motions. He studied it until the light blazed a familiar trail on his retina. A short, inverted triangle pointed toward a straight, horizontal line. The proportions and color gave it the particularity of a RICTUS glyph that meant the observing agent should stand by. Rune sat and waited.

When his back began to ache, he leaned against the feather mesh and took in the calming scents that wafted out at his touch. He closed his eyes, reflecting on his plan for the changeling queen. What little experience he had with influencing the psychology of mares could hardly be applied to the situation at hoof. Still, that didn’t mean nothing could be gleaned from what he managed to accomplish with his other partners or, more specifically, that lovely, soft-spoken regular. Now that he thought about them in the same context, if there was a significant range of similarities between her and Chrysalis, perhaps some of the same training methods that worked on the former, could work on the latter. That mare had been a tough nut to crack on several deep-seated issues, but he had gotten through to her, eventually. At the cost of many bottles of lubrication and bearing witness to her look of heartbreak as he turned down her only romantic proposition.

Rune’s reverie was broken by the sound of beating wings. He stood upright as he watched the princess glide to a plush landing atop the bed. When she spoke, her words were as soft and cold as snow.

“How is she doing, agent?”

“Defiant. But we’ve only just begun. Her first real test will begin when you and I have finished here.” Celestia hummed her understanding and looked in the direction of the dim magelight Rune left hovering around Chrysalis.

“I can only hope her burden of restraint is at least half as dire as my own.”

“There are spells to alleviate the stress on you, your Highness. Unfortunately, the magic involved in changeling reproductive cycles is poorly understood. I couldn’t safely relieve you of all—”

“There are a great many methods and positions you could use to relieve me,” Rune stiffened and felt his face flush at those words, “but I’m interested in experiencing this to its fullest. Not only that, I’m unsure I could truly face what we’re doing without taking the unadulterated portion of suffering that I’m due. One way, or another.”

“But this was my plan, as an agent of RICTUS. By the accord of the throne and the agency, onus belongs to the acting party.”

Still staring at Chrysalis’ location, she replied, “I could have restrained or killed you the moment your intentions became clear, especially since I was just made aware of the possibility of traitors among us. For that, culpability falls on me, as well. Laws and pacts are insubstantial in the court of the heart and I hold that place in higher regard than any material house of arbitration.”

Rune let a small silence dwell between them before he spoke, “Why didn’t you, your Highness?”

Celestia gazed down at him without turning her head, “Because I needed to know how deep that dark streak runs in you. Because I wanted to know how deep is runs in me, as well.” Her eyes flicked back to Chrysalis. “There are few opportunities for someone in my position to test the limits of their capacity for sin. Not having these little excursions from sainthood is what leads to concentrated manifestations of hatred and rage, like that which took my sister from me, all those centuries ago.”

“Oh,” Rune breathed, aghast, “is that all?”

“Well, that, and some other recent developments, both personal and secular.” Celestia turned to meet Rune’s gaze, “Now then, about your runes. I’ve given it some thought and I’m most certain Chrysalis is currently incapable and ignorant of the only method of controlling others’ runes.”

Rune sighed with relief, but perked back up when he noticed something about Celestia’s explanation, “Did you say she’s currently incapable?”

“Yes. As you know, runic magic derives power from the conscious mind of the inscriber. To put it simply, a mutual bond between two individuals gives those the inscriber loves or cares for, the means to infuse their own will onto a rune. On a related note, the Element of Magic manifests to those who are most capable of facilitating those types of bonds. Friendship and love are, quite literally, magic.”

“I see. This means that if Chrysalis ever did take control of a rune, it would be because my work was already complete.” Rune smiled and looked down thoughtfully.

“No.” Celestia intoned. Rune glanced back up with trepidation. “Not with her. Not necessarily.”

“What do you mean?”

“Consider this: Chrysalis is willing to sacrifice her own children for the gain of the hive, and yet, seems to truly care for them in her own brutal way. Recall her last words to Lady Severance. Even if a bond formed between you, there’s no guarantee she would treat it the same as ponies treat bonds between each other. For her, it may be natural to manipulate and sacrifice you, as well.”

"A fair point, princess." Rune glared into the dark, "Though I’m no stranger to coarse forms of love."

Celestia smiled kindly, "I'm counting on just that, my little pony."

"But how can I safeguard my runes?" The princess's smile faded.

"Unfortunately," she sighed, "I'm not sure if a defensive measure is possible; the phenomenon takes place at the very root of runic magic. I'm sorry I don't have better news, but I'm certain you'll come up with something to counter this vulnerability."

“Knowing how it’s done would help, certainly.”

“Yes, of course, that also brings us to our next topic and the primer for your spell training. The mechanics, while physically esoteric and complex, can be explained simply. As you know, each rune is paired with a higher-dimensional energy construct that manifests on the interplay between conception and inscription. So long as you hold them in memory, these delicate constructs are intrinsically linked to your consciousness and protected from the chaos of the aether by an extension of the natural information membrane that enshrouds your own mind. They react to all consciousness that comes into contact, but favorably only to the signature of the mind that created them. Individuals, bonded through the magic of friendship to the runecrafter, carry a small portion of that signature and can use it to work the mechanics of the rune, through the membrane, as if it were a device inside a loosely inflated balloon. This requires physical contact with the inscription and comes with severe limits. Further still, the allied foreign operator can memorize the same properties used to empower the rune and leave behind their own membrane, allowing for easier manipulations. A side effect of this, is that the rune’s integrity is strengthened.”

Rune listened to the princess’ lecture incredulously. “That’s your idea of a ‘simple’ explanation, your Highness?” he said with a grin.

Celestia returned the expression, “Believe me, agent, that is among the simplest descriptions of the process.”

“Well, it is helpful. Come to think of it, that explains why the Masa twins’ runic enchantments were legendary and their blades never broke. Until they passed away, of course.” Rune thought for a moment, then said, “What does this have to do with the communication spell?” Being forced to look up to meet the princess’ gaze, he was beginning to feel like a schoolcolt again.

“The concept behind the spell’s workings are similar and the visualization exercise helps to execute it correctly. Earlier, you stripped away your natural defenses to try to access what I hope was my mind. That was the incorrect approach.” Now, Rune really did feel like he was back in school. “Much like the loose balloon analogy, the safest, effective method to establish mental communication, is to shape an outward extension of your membrane with a sustained, thaumic pressure, into the membrane of another. The recipient of your spell can sense what is, essentially, a benign attempt at a one-way intrusion and choose to accept or repel you. If the connection is accepted, the recipient’s membrane will fuse at the point of contact and information can be passed from the caster. With some caveats.”

“Those don’t sound like fun caveats.”

“They can be, but only if you trust the other party. With enough mental discipline and the right understanding, it doesn’t require a spell to reverse that flow. Information can be forced back on you, if the receiving party is so inclined. They can send malicious thoughts and ideas or even implant memetic concepts. Furthermore, without exceptionally resilient mental defenses, you shouldn’t try to reach out over large distances. Much like a balloon, if your membrane is stretched too far, it’s weaker at all points and liable to break or be invaded.”

“And two-way communication?”

“That’s a bit more complex. For now, just focus on establishing a connection without breaking down your defenses and I’ll take care of communicating back once you’ve gotten the hang of it.”

“Very well, princess. I’m ready to begin.”