Hivemind Control

For the next week, everything seemed to be going just fine, or even good by certain standards. Luna's injuries healed surprisingly quickly, and even more surprising, the stab wound left no scar. She was up and walking around and socializing in small groups as if the event had never occurred; laughing, smiling, and playing shuffleboard as if nothing had happened.

And yet, there was something different. Not in the way she acted, or in the way she spoke, or even in the subtle way that she carried herself. It was how she felt that had changed. She felt warmer, as if sitting in a room with a roaring fireplace. She felt a warmer mood, too, as she suddenly felt that the lords and counts, and other stallions she was forced to entertain as part of her duties, were less straining and more pleasant. Their words and actions had not changed, and her opinions on their stances had not changed, but she felt more inclined to listen, as if their tongues had been dipped in silvermint.

A scheduled Saturday event had her at a dinner party hosted by Jet Set and Upper Crust, two lower-ranking nobles that, while wealthy, were clearly legacy nobles; only rich because their parents were rich, and had very little culture between them, sniggering and chastising those less fortunate. While the more well-mannered nobility would see an agrarian abode and refer to it as a "quaint, rustic and cozy condition," these two would refer to the same space as a "ghastly garden shed." Luna was not fond of their elitist and demeaning attitude, and had been dreading the event for days.

However, upon striking up a conversation with her host, an action she only began as a formality, she found his viewpoint to be very engaging. He was obviously wrong, and she needed to hear him out regardless, but she found herself hanging on his every word, short-sighted and repugnant as they may be. She just couldn't tear herself away.

"I mean, after all, we pay them to protect us," he snorted, taking a puff from his cigar and coughing. "If they no longer do their job, why should we continue to pay them? Besides, Equestria hasn't been at war in ages. There's not really much of a job for them to do, is there?"

Luna waved the smoke away from her face. "While I will acquiesce that the role of actually guarding us is greatly diminished as peacetime drags ever onward, I have led battles in the past where having our forces lined up against our foe, and comparing the size of each side's respective strength was enough to cause our enemies to surrender. It is very important that we provide our retired forces with incentive to replace their roles by encouraging their children to enlist."

"Surely, we don't need that many soldiers, though? And the more we have that are unnecessary, the more money we waste on them."

"Having as many soldiers as we could possibly want is a massive boon," retorts Luna. "If the next generation are told that joining the royal guard is not going to help them in the future, they won't want to join, and then we have to start conscripting again. Which, if we were currently using a conscription system and a war broke out and we were low on soldiers, you'd find yourself one of the richest stallions on the front lines."

"Surely you're joking."

"One stallion from every family, minimum. Your father is almost seventy, and therefore it would be ill-advised to send him out to the front. On top of that, you have no male heir, meaning you're the only pony in your family capable of using a lance without breaking a hip."

Jet fidgeted nervously. "What about Upper Crust's brother? He can take my place."

"You mean Frag? Being well-versed in fireworks displays, we'd probably recognize his prior skill and either have him as an explosives engineer or a communications officer. Furthermore, he doesn't count as your family, but hers."

Jet Set swallowed hard. He was just expecting, at worst, a disagreement, but this dressing down had upset him. "I think I should go see how dinner's coming along." He snuffed his cigar and left the room, to the comfort of a few of his other guests.

"Quite the clever turn you gave him," smiled a stallion Luna did not know. "Cosmic Crash, Cosmo to my friends. I don't bother with the titles, as I don't feel I've quite lived up to mine."

"Understandable."

"I just don't feel like a baron, you know? It almost feels empty, like I should have an achievement behind it, but instead, I'm riding my grandfather's coattails. He sent his own band of mercenaries to protect shipments to the front in the Mulial incursion. At best, I play piano and have planted a small orchard that I sometimes tend to."

Luna raised her eyebrow. "Baron Wheelwright?"

"My mother's father, yes."

"That would be why I don't recognize you."

"New to the game. I thought I might have a go at a noble party. Mother couldn't stand them, and father was always working. I must say, I agree with mother."

"They're not all this..." she cleared her throat, "divisive. You should come to a Fancy Pants party if given the chance, though there is a possibility that our hosts for tonight may latch on. Terribly sorry, but I really must stop by the water closet before dinner. Would you excuse me, please?"

"Certainly," smiled Cosmo, stepping aside and indicating the direction of the manor's nearest lavatory. With an apologetic nod, Luna gracefully made her way out of the room and down the hall, doing her best to keep her head high and her thoughts in check.

It was only after she reached the lavatory, locked the door and soundproofed the room that she let her tension release. She turned around and presented her hind end to the mirror, lifting her tail lightly. Sticky strands of excitement stretched out, glistening behind her. But how? How could she be in heat? Her cycle, much like her sister's, was only active once a year, six months apart from each other. She wasn't supposed to go into heat until December.

No matter. She'd been excited before, she just had to make it through the night. She grabbed a wad of toilet tissue and wiped herself dry, but every touch set her off a bit more, and she just kept leaking. She couldn't go out like this. She had to calm it down. And with everything being as eager as it was, there was only one way to do that.