“You sure you don’t want to swim?” Thorax asked as he doggy-paddled around the pond.

“Nah. I’m good. Plus, I can’t actually swim.” John chuckled as he dipped his hind hooves in the water while wearing his warm jacket. “Then again I haven’t really tried since I got here… but… I don’t know, maybe I can now? Water has always given me weird feelings. Not bad, just… weird.” He shrugged. “Hard to put into words.”

“I understand.” Thorax nodded as he floated.

“Thought, it’s Fall. Aren’t you cold at all?” John raised a brow at the other ‘ling.

“Not at all actually. I feel kinda warm.” Thorax shook his head. “Then again, I may be just warming myself with all the love around the house. Seriously, you and Lorraine are like a furnace.”

“Really?” John blinked. “Weird.”

“Not really.” Thorax shook his head again. “I think it’s just your guy’s relationship.”

“If you say so.” John said getting up. “Plans for the evening?”

“Gonna sit down and binge more of Ace.” Thorax said, swimming over and pulling himself from the pond. “You were right. The effects for the most part are cheesy. Story’s not bad though. The costume designs are great. Oh, and even though I really don’t think of myself as violent, I can appreciate that, Ace kinda just murders everything." He chuckled. "If someone decided to remake it, I’m sure it’d be for adults.”

“Yeah, he’s not called Guillotine Prince for nothing.” John snorted. “Yeah, Ultraman is totally for kids.”

The pair started towards the house.

“The old ones have their charms.” Thorax nodded. “When I need a break, I switch to RWBY.”

“The earlier seasons were better.” John commented as the pair stood on the patio.

“One was charming, and has some amazing fights. Two and three were better, through painful at times.” Thorax nodded.

“Yeah.” John agreed, nodding.

“And what are your plans?” Thorax asked, sitting down on his haunches.

“Well... Lorraine’s having her girl’s night, Alastor is out doing his whole winter-heat-prep-thing, Gilda’s staying late relearning guitar with Lyra.... You’re binge-watching stuff.” John paused. “I have no idea.” He shrugged. “I’ll figure something out.”

A twig snapped loudly in the yard, getting both changeling’s attention. Both turned their heads to see what looked like a pony in a black cloak standing in the yard. Their face was hidden under a hood, but the horn protruding out of said hood denoted that they were a unicorn. The horn and hooves were white, beyond that John couldn’t see any definite details.

An eerie chill ran down John’s spine.

“Hi there.” Thorax called out. “Can we help you?”

The figure didn’t move.

“Thorax. Go inside.” John stated, glancing at him.

“Huh?” Thorax looked at him. “Why?”

“I just got a bad feeling.” John glanced back to the unmoving unicorn.

The unicorn’s horn lit up blue.

John vaguely felt something shift as a cracking noise filled his ears and green light lit up the back door. In one motion he grabbed Thorax, whipped the door open, threw the larger changeling inside, and slammed the door shut. As he turned back towards the unicorn, he only had time to notice that he was in his bipedal form as a gust of freezing cold air slammed him into the door.

He slammed his eyes shut as flecks of snow and shards of ice pelted him. His breath was knocked out of him and he felt his muscles lock up for a moment.

The gust died and he managed to shove himself away from the door and stagger out to the grass, which had a thin layer of frost on it.

“What the- the fuck?!” John snapped through chattering teeth at the unicorn.

The unicorn was silent as its horn lit again.

John heard crackling at his feet as the temperature around him dropped.

Breathing suddenly became harder.

With a grunt he leapt to the side, only for a massive spike of ice to burst from the ground. He stared at it for a moment before snapping his eyes to the unicorn. “That could’ve killed me!”

“You’d survive.” The figure spook in an emotionless monotone. It sounded male.

“Ah, so you’re not mute.” John said with a small smile though his heart was pounding in his chest and his mind was running a mile a minute. He took a deep breath and raised his fists defensively.

“Don’t make this more difficult than it has to be.” The figure spoke up.

“Well, I’m not just going to let you fucking kidnap me, so fuck you.” John slowly walked towards the unicorn, remembering to bob a bit so he could dodge wherever he needed to.

The unicorn’s horn lit again.

John grit his teeth and broke into a dead sprint towards the unicorn.

He wasn’t fast enough.

A massive swirling orb of snow and ice burst into existence, right in front of John. He gasped. Searing cold froze the air in his lungs as the orb rolled over him. He was yanked off his hooves. He felt his chitin stiffen and crack. He closed his eyes only to feel them start to freeze over. His joints stiffened even as he tried to curl into a ball.

His spine slammed into something, probably a tree.

Breathing hurt.

He was cold.

So cold.

“Thorax.” He wheezed. “G-get help.”

A blast of cold air threw him back into the tree.

His mind was hazy.

“Alastor.” He rasped out. “H-help m-me.”

He vaguely heard hooves crunch through snow.

“Six-Eight-Two is down. Proceed with retrieval.” The unicorn spoke though for some reason it sounded very far away.

“L-Lorraine…”

He felt the blackness roll over his mind.

“Save me…”

A day ago, Alastor had been scoping out Whitetail Woods for an ideal camping spot. A few hours ago he had been finalizing his preparations in order to spend his rut in said woods. Now the buck was greeted with the nauseatingly familiar sight of his room within Tartarus' Conservation and Preservation Facility.

The furniture, a table and chair, a bookshelf with a pitiful collection of books and a large bed all made from dark wood with soft red material. Replicas of his personal belongings, they were the only splash of colour in the otherwise barren room.

The large metal door that barred entry opened. A metal cart containing all sorts of erotic paraphernalia was wheeled into the room by a demon, one who was if not a friend, then at least a cohort to the deer demon.

"They got you too Smiles?" Angel Dust asked. "Shit... They ain't playing around this time."

"They catch me nearly every year-" Alastor stopped, his eyes narrowed. "I hesitate to ask but... Did they capture someone else?"

The spider demon winced. "They bagged John whilst you were out an' the sickos nabbed Lorraine on her way home not long after."

"I see, can you do anything from here?" the buck motioned a hoof at the supplies the spider brought with him. "I understand this is volunteer work for you but if you can get a message to Joy, to anyone who could get those two out of here...."

Angel pulled out a stool from the cart and sat down. "Take it easy Al, Joy knows, she's workin' on it. I can't do much fer John because he's looked up in R n' D. Somethin' about him bein' different from other changelings. That said, the bozos at the top of the food chain around here already know I'm in cahoots with you an' the princess, all I can do is my job." Angel looked at the buck seriously. "A lotta folks in this shithole are fuckin' terrified Al! Locked up day in, day out until there brainwashed enough to agree to the committee's terms and enter their special Gated Community and pop out a few kids."

"I know, I tried to stop this from happening once Joy actually succeeded in bringing mortals to Tartarus." Alastor stated.

"Which is why people like me gotta work on the inside, if it were anyone else, you can bet your ass I'd have them outta this joint in a heartbeat." Angel replied. "You an' those two lovebirds of yours? I can't do shit except make sure you an' the doe are comfortable down here until Joy pulls some strings to get youse out."

"Do you know what the committee is going to do to her?"

Angel shrugged. "They're just gonna stick in here with you. Thought it was obvious."

Alastor fell silent. Angel Dust waved a hand in front of the buck's face. "Yo Smiles, still with me buddy?"

"They're insane, the lot of them." Alastor mumbled.

"Uh, don't you like her an' shit?" the spider demon looked confused. "Wait, don't tell me- you're scared your gonna fuck something up? Now? Al, sweetcheeks, you're a fuckin' moron."

"I beg your pardon Angel but you of all people should know what this blasted place expects me to do!"

"But you won't." Angel pointed out. "Even if you went full demon with her in the room you wouldn't lay a finger on her," the spider smirked. "Hey there's an idea, try triggering a demonic transformation and bust out like you usually do!"

"I can't."

"...Holy shit Alastor, why the hell haven't you? Don't you want your powers back? Your home? Your fuckin' job?" Angel snapped. "You and your friends are still having your lives aired on TV down here an' everyone is just waiting for you to snap, to get bored and drag Lorraine an' John to Tartarus with ya... So what's stoppin' you?"

Alastor's gaze was sharp. "I simply detest the notion that my return to Tartarus revolves around whether or not Lorraine is made aware of why I became a demon in the first place."

Angel facepalmed. "You dense piece a- look, you like her right? Whatever twisted fuckin' thing you call it doesn't matter, you like her?"

"Yes, I do..."

"That's why Al! You like her an' you don't like anyone, ever. So you got sent up there and put with her to see if you two get along, to see if she can be used to keep ya in line."

"I knew I was being tested," Alastor admitted. "I just wasn't aware the scheme ran so deep."

"Yeah well, luckily there's another option those bastards haven't thought of yet." Angel stated. "You make that doe your Lady Consort and boom, powers reinstated an' you can send her off home with the bug."

"No."

"Why not?"

"A little thing called respect my good man." the buck replied curtly.

"Al," Angel deadpanned. "Did you ferget that you're a demon? Powers or not, you can't live like this forever. You can't keep ignoring the desires that got you into this mess." Angel looked generally concerned. "Come on Smiles, you know what the hotel's motto is..."

"Work with our nature, not against it." The Radio Buck quoted and sighed. "I suppose... I should tell her the full story. The blame lies with me after all."

"Finally, we're gettin' somewhere!" Angel looked exasperated. Alastor just looked nervous. "Hey, no sweat Al, Lorraine likes readin' an' shit right? Write her a list, like Joy's Demon Acclimation Activities or somethin'."

Lorraine's eyes snapped open, she was lying on her left side on a bed, bare white walls and a few pieces of furniture greeted her. Alastor, with more prominent antlers than when she last saw him, sat in a battered old armchair reading a book.

The Nightmare's warning was fresh in her mind.

"You are being transferred to a Committee facility within the depths of Tartarus. John is being studied as we speak. They want to use you, they want to breed you with Alastor as if you were mere beasts. I cannot help you, I will warn Luna and the others but the committee is resourceful, any allies you have in the mortal realm will be slowed down by loopholes and legalities. The Princess of Hell is doing what she can, do not give in to their demands, trust Alastor."

"Trust yourself."

Her world was pain. Her back and lower legs ached with a sharp, consistent pain. Every little twitch of her limbs sent a sharp, brief spike of agony through her legs. She forced herself to sit up, grimacing at her body's protests. She looked down, something dark gold with hints of red dotted her legs in crusted over rivulets.

With mute horror and rising fear, it clicked.

Dried blood, her blood.

"Lorraine?" Alastor's voice was like a raft a midst her spiralling emotions. The doe could only stare as the buck set his book down on the armrest and briskly walked over to her.

"Dear, there's people looking for you. You'll be with John and back home soon," the buck said as he sat on the bed next to her. "I won't let anything else happen to you. Just try to rest. They suppressed your magic, removed your plants, and your body needs to finish healing."

A lump was forming in her throat as she battled her inner turmoil. Despite the pain she was in, Lorraine remained sitting, almost defiantly. She couldn't focus on anything aside from her worry, for herself, for John, and the pain only amplified it.

She was gently guided into Alastor's forelegs, the buck attempting to comfort her with a hug.

She broke.

Author's Note

Lucid: Yeah, things are gonna get a bit dark for a bit. John's not going to have the best time. They aren't trying to get him to fuck.

Dragonfire2lm: Sexual themes are taking center stage for the doe girl, just some discussions about sex, orientation, maybe a few vulgar comments from the spider in the kinky boots and some colorful descriptions of a doe in heat but nothing more explicit than that, no actual sex.

Alastor/Lorraine shipping ahead. What would you call this ship? I'm thinking the RadioGirl ship.