Simplified

The streets of Canterlot are truly lively today. The usual hustle and bustle is often a reason for the surge of activity among the cobbled stones of the webbing avenues. But this time the reason for the hyperactivity isn't that there's a war looming on the horizon, nor is it the address to the world with the ambitions for peace between the two nation, no.

"EXTRA, EXTRA! PONYLAND PRINCESS IN INTIMATE AFFAIR WITH ROYAL FRIENDSHIP ADVISOR! READ ALL ABOUT IT!"

"GET THE LATEST SCOOP ON THE R.F.A. GETTING LOVEY-DOVEY WITH A PONYLAND PRINCESS!"

"IS LOVE IN THE AIR? TRENDING NOW IN THE EQUESTRIA DAILY, WE GIVE YOU THE LATEST NEWS IN EQUESTRIA'S HOTTEST NEW ROMANCE BREWING ON THE HORIZON!"

"POLITICAL STUNT? IMPERIAL AFFAIR? THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE BEING ASKED RIGHT NOW ABOUT THE FOREIGN PRINCESS AND OUR VERY OWN FRIENDSHIP ADVISOR! WILL BLOOMING ROMANCE BETWEEN TWO UNPREDICTABLE PARTIES LEAD TO PEACE, OR IS IT MERELY A RUNAWAY ROYAL LOOKING TO STEAM THINGS UP? FIND OUT TODAY ON THE HARD LOOK."

Yup... that.

Zenobia's off-script confession went viral almost fifteen minutes after the words left her mouth, still warmed by the air of the sun before dissipating into the misconstrued minds of the media, and viciously regurgitated to the masses for a quick bit to sell the topic. It's so in-demand that everywhere we walk, there's not just the paparazzi looking to get pictures, but ponies easing by with their phones out looking to picture and record our walking by.

The generated attention is so insurmountable that even guards on detail are gossiping like it's the newest restaurant on the block. And the worst thing about it is that Zenobia's so unbothered by all of this. It's like international controversy doesn't even begin to crack her shell. But then again, I have to remember who it is I'm referring to.

Me on the other hand... "Pet?" ...I'm dreading every moment she taps my side with her wing. Eventually she hovers above my head and perches herself on my neck like I'm giving her a piggy-back ride. "Helloooo? You're seriously just going to ignore me now?"

"Was there a reason for you putting that out there?"

She hunches over me, looking me into my eyes from above. "What, you mean my personal feelings part, or the truth about what my brother did?"

"You know this is blowing up as an international scandal, right? A princess absconding from her home country on what could be a means to elope and─"

"Holy hell, do you seriously mean that!?" She seems truly excited about that scenario that she's willing to manifest it into being by tugging at my neck. "Say yes right now!"

"What I'm trying to explain is how the international community may see it. To them, this is nothing more than that. It delegitimizes the motive of you doing this as a reasonable means to democracy."

She giggles as she holds the sides of my head, lightly fluttering her wings. "So me thinking your dick is absolutely amazing is what's going to keep us from stopping a war?"

I blush with embarrassment as a few others gasp openly at her passing comment. "I just want to put it out there that it may be the going commentary of what's taking place." I glance back to the ones who heard the comment, and they seem to already be in a rush to post what they recorded to social media. I can already imagine the multitude of videos that are going to go viral on today just from her talking to me alone. "Ugh... All these years without a scandal to my name, and this is somehow the one that puts my squeaky clean reputation into question."

"You're just absolutely stressed beyond reason, dear pet." She comments.

"Do you blame me? No really, do you?" I politely pull her from off my neck and sit her back down to the ground, where she will be forced to walk beside me and not ride on me like a public attraction. "If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be in this as deep as we are now."

"I know I didn't do the best, and I'm sorry that we ran late. I'm just not used to any of this is all." She circles her hoof to specify that she's talking about our country and what's all in it. "I know, funny to think that a princess would be so readily unprepped. But it helps to have a maid staff that screens everything for me so I know what I'm signing off on. That's just how it is for me, I set my own schedule and things fall where they may. I'm not used to the crush of trying to get it all done as soon as possible unless I absolutely have to."

"Sometimes we have to do it because we're on a schedule. It's fine for an occasion, but it shouldn't be a habit." I reprimand her.

The imperial alicorn rolls her eyes. "Sorry to disappoint you, I didn't think I'd have to play being the perfect princess all over again. Once was enough, thank you very much."

"No one's ever really gotten on your case about organization, have they?"

"Not lately, but I've been stressed over perfection for most of my younger life. You can already guess when I've stopped caring about that bullshit."

"I get it, doing everything to perfection and not getting noticed for it is pretty shitty. But being given an opportunity to have a platform on an international stage and half-assing it isn't the way to go."

The mare groans in response. "Fine. I'll do better next time."

"You know, the first impression is the one that lasts the longest."

As we meander through the commercial district, she notices a familiar sign in comparison to the one we've ran into in Ponyville. She immediately disregards the lecture and yanks me in the direction of the boutique. "Okay, fine, whatever. In speaking of first impressions, let's go in here!"

I don't even get a chance to refute her request, she just drags me along by my arm and yanks me through the front door like her purse ready to relieve any and all financial contents. I suppose it is her day after all, might as well play along with it since she did try to pick back up our rehearse script shortly after her unplanned confessions. "Let me guess, you want another dress?"

"My father always spoils me when it comes to stuff like this, but he'd only do it to shut me up. I guess my first time doing this with you really stuck out because I never truly had the pleasure of doing this with someone I like." She smirks back at me. "Obviously the company makes the trip a lot more fulfilling."

The branch clerk comes from behind one of the displays, greeting us with a warm reception, but even more surprised over who's entered into her store. "Hello to─Oh, you're the guest princess?"

The sky blue unicorn that greets us is a familiar face I've gotten to know over the past few years. I formally introduce the two to one another. "Princess Zenobia, this is Sassy Saddles, she's one of Rarity's associates, and the manager of this branch. Likewise, Princess Zenobia."

The cheeky dart of the eyes tells me that the rumor mill has obviously spilled a little her way also. So she tries to keep it on the low. "Well it's a pleasure to meet, your highness." Sassy gives a respectable bow.

"Charmed!" Zenobia nods with acknowledgement. "I'm looking for a dress with pink amethyst accents. Do you have one?"

The fashionable clerk sucks air through her teeth, seeming to offer a disappointing response. "I'm sorry, that was one of the exclusive lines directed to the home branch of our chain of operations. You would have to go to Ponyville to get another."

"I'm afraid we've happened upon the last one a few days ago, but another dragon got their teeth to it. So I'm looking to have it replaced." The princess informs.

Sassy once more offers her regrets. "As unfortunate as it is, I'm not anywhere near the gem hunter she is, nor am I a, well, tongue for quality."

"Tongue for quality?" Zenobia tilts her head with puzzled curiosity.

Sassy giggles as she walks past me, tapping me on my abdomen. "Oh, that's just a little joke we have for Sir Spike. He used to be the one who'd go with her on her gem hunts. That tongue of his has a really good distinction for jewel purity and flaw detection."

The stare I get from Zenobia obviously speaks explicit undertones. I try to dismiss that idea for another time. "One of my inherent perks of dragonhood. We can taste the flaws of a gem."

"Hmm..." Sassy waltzes past me, going through rack after rack to see if she can pick out something close to the issued request. "Since pink is a color you seem to really gravitate towards, let's find you something he can taste on."

She glances towards me, biting her lip as she mumbles under her breath. "Inherent perks of dragonhood, now I understand why."

Sassy pops her head back out with another dress. "Lets try this, a white lacy gown with rose embroidery and baby pink accents. This also includes a lovely set of earrings, a broch resembling a bouquet of roses, and a wonderful matching headband with a large topaz set into the crown feature." She floats the items by me with her pale yellow magic. "How does this taste for you?"

Zenobia watches eagerly, of course with illicit intentions stirring in her mind. "Well go on, I want to see exactly how that tongue works for something like this."

I give the topaz a lick, tasting a myriad of things that throws off the natural flavor of the jewel. Honestly, I wouldn't even consider putting this on a dress. It had to be picked out by an intern with the way my tongue flinches like an abused dog to the mix of chemicals and plastic fillers that make it seem flawless to the eye. But in truth, it's about as genuine as a low-end selection. "What's the asking price?"

"Normally 42,000 bits."

I shake my head. "Not even close, not for that price."

Zenobia gasps as Sassy's eyes widen at my harsh critique, she immediately picks out another similar dress with similar accents. "Hmm, how about she tries this one on and I'll go have a talk with Rarity about the last one."

"I mean, we don't have to go that far─"

Before I can finish, my snout is pinched shut by a pink ring of magic aura. Zenobia enthusiastically declares her insistence for the first outfit. "I'm going to go try this one on anyways. It's fine for me."

"V-very well then, your highness." Sassy seems shocked that the imperial princess seems willing to ignore my harsh critique of the accents. "Are you sure, I could get the price knocked down further if you really think those gems are as flawed as you say. We all know you're deserving of better gem quality."

"It's fine. I'll make do." She drags her outfit into one of the changing rooms in the back and closes the curtain.

Sassy blinks blankly, amazed that she's still willing to make a purchase on a lesser product. She shakes off the temporary bout of confusion and speaks to me directly. "Well while she's in there changing up, I'll still give Rarity a holler and let her know you've dropped by. Now please let me know if you need anything."

"Sure thing." I say as she walks away. Just as she turns a corner, I feel a dull throbbing in my neck. The sensation starts to numb my body from the neck down, indicating to me that the collar is back to being active for whatever reason. "What the hell?" I immediately answer my own question, realizing that it's none other than a certain princess wanting me to heed her summon. I trudge towards the changing booth, whispering from outside of the curtain. "What do you want now?"

She slowly opens the curtains, making herself appear that she's not inside the booth. "I'm afraid I'll need a gem specialist's tongue to investigate the quality of yet another gem in this ensemble."

"Your collar wouldn't throb for something this simple." I point out.

"Then you know exactly what I mean." She replies with a pointed but sultry rebuke. "Get in here and polish my little accents for me, would you?"

She conjures a leash of her aura, latching to my collar and pull me into the booth. As she yanks me in, the curtain falls behind me. I look down to see her seated on the bench with her hooves already pulling at her sex, introducing me to the winking mound that she demands for my tongue to inspect. Her eyes gaze up to me with the intent to do more than have a taste of her natural works.

I peek back to the curtain, trying to plead with her. "Look, now's not the time─"

"Spikey-Wikeeeeey!"

The both of us startle, Zenobia being a little less shameless as she flips her satin dress back over. I recoil immensely and immediately turn to the curtain as it opens to reveal a fond face worth remembering. "Ah, Rarity!?"

She yanks me out with the power of a yak and immediately hugs me. Zenobia gawks in disbelief in seeing the fashion icon herself being present and accounted for. "No fucking way. You actually know her."

The white unicorn mare tightly squeezes at my shoulders and neck, reminding me just how strong she is beneath that marshmallow exterior of hers. "Oh, I've been so worried for you!"

"Okay. You can stop with the dramatics now."

I forget that asking her to be less dramatic makes her ham it up even more. "But. *sniff* I. *sniff* Missed you... SOOOOO MUUUUCH!"

While she cries fake tears into my chest, Zenobia is a bit slow to greet her. "Well hello, madam!"

Rarity breaks from her act and asks the mare. "Oh, and you are, dear?"

"I'm Princess Zenobi─"

She blatantly disregards the imperial princess and shrieks my name. "Spike! Stop trying to get away from me! You know how much I've been worried about you since you were reported as missing in that overseas assignment of yours. You should've sent some sort of letter if you knew you were in that kind of a situation. And oh my graces, what even is that collar?"

I try to fake it out of what it actually does. "Actually, it's a gift─"

"Oh where are my manners? I've seem to ignore the princess standing here!" She holds no reservation against pulling the mare out of the changing booth and toting her around like a premium designer bag. "Please do follow me, your highness. I have a much better wardrobe choice for you upstairs. Model for me a bit, if you would kindly."

"I-I-I s-suppose?" She stammers, seeing how she's offered virtually no choice in the matter.

As the two disappear towards the very back of the venue, making their way up to the second floor, I slouch down to the bench in the changing room, seeing myself already trying to poke and prod at the world like a budding rose. Had things moved on uninterrupted, I'm sure that Rarity would've caught me doing a lot more than trying to pose as a model shopper in her establishment.

I can already imagine the repercussions of losing my Black membership because of that. "Ah... Close one."

The fashionista politely places the princess down next to the door of her workspace, she hums a made-up tune with a heroic tone as she makes her way through and effortlessly snag a few items for measurements. She walks over to her sketchpad, visualizing an idea for her next dress.

Zenobia errs on the side of caution and opts out of following the mare inside of her workspace. But she's immediately hailed to enter. "Right in here, please. C'mon now."

The imperial princess sees a myriad of items strewn about. Ribbons of lace strewn about, fabrics hulled over an unused mannequin, a series of unfinished outfits pinned to varying benches, and incomplete selections still affixed to a sewing machine or two. There's a mirror, but it doesn't seem to be much other than for the working mare to check her appearance before heading out. "This... does not look like a place to model dresses."

"I can assure you, the best model you can use is sometimes yourself. If you can't imagine yourself wearing it, then you shouldn't make it in the first place." She answers as she shuts the door behind the alicorn. "Now, I have been meaning to speak with you since you've shown up. Your reputation proceeds you. So please, let's get to know each other through our measurements." She whips out the measuring tape and starts stretching it to the mare's height. "You're absolutely going to love what's in store for you!"

The princess still withdraws a bit, gradually becoming a little more nervous about her measurements being jotted down. She looks back at her flank while Rarity rounds out the curvature of her posterior. She particularly glances at the shorter unicorn mare, seeing that she has a much fuller figure in that area. She chokes back her judgement of self. "Strange."

"What is it, dear?" The renowned seamstress continues her observations in stride.

"Just look at you, I figured you to be a little more strict with your own appearances. Most models tend to be on the dangerous side of thin, and their designers are none the worse. But you... you've got the proportions of a highly-pursued centerfold. I'm sure your models wonder why you don't take the runway yourself."

"Oh no. I have several models of many differing creatures and builds to use for advertisement. And I won't even dare to show the bags on my face to any high-fidelity camera. I wear enough makeup as it is, no need to look more of the clown than I already do."

"You're barely wearing any!" The princess replies.

"Mascara, liner, foundation, blush, and false lashes. That's my casual ritual. If I want to do a large event, I'd settle for an emergency spa appointment." The mare passively walks past the princess. "Speaking of which, you could use one yourself."

The princess grows even more reclusive. "No need to tell me, I know my age and I definitely show it. If we follow the 'birthday cake' theory, I'm well beyond a decade outside of the expiration date."

The fashionista freezes in place, performing a swift about face. "I'm sorry, you're thirty five?"

The princess turns away shyly. "Thirty... seven actually."

"Oh my gosh, my little Spikey-wikey in the throws of cougars." The mare takes a deep breath and regathers her attention to the task at hoof. "I suppose I should've seen that coming, he's always been a connoisseur of the... ahem, let's say 'the finely-aged zinfandel'."

The princess stifles a giggle to herself. "Then again, I suppose I should've understood that he's the selective sommelier. I bet with as much as he spent on me, your profit margins could be up a full percent point."

"Unlikely. I make sure that he doesn't spend the sticker price for what I usually charge. And if Spike's pointing out to others that my quality in gemstone selection is lacking, then I obviously need to recall my last line I put out there and have a second opinion. Perhaps I could have him come with instead of hiring some intern of a geologist to accompany me."

"I didn't know you would be willing to do that."

"Life's a wardrobe change, everyone's a mere costume away from achieving visual nirvana. But the outfit must match the personality of the one wearing it, not just merely a color scheme. It has to reflect the purity, or flaws thereof, of an individual in such a manner that it becomes a quintessential reflection of their true selves, revealing both the inner and outer workings as a synchronized entity. Any departure from that and you'd be no better than the items out on the purchase floor. Why sure you would look nice, but you wouldn't be truly satisfied with what you have on beyond the first outing. By that point, you'd simply wear it because it looks nice, and then it'll be something you'd wear around the house during the summer months, then numerous rips and tears later, finally a wilted memory. It should be something that you wear only for special occasions, moments that are so special that you'd refrain from ever wearing it for a simple gathering. And a less-than-optimal gem only increases the risk of that dreaded fate becoming a nearing reality."

She scribbles out a design for a dress, quickly drafting the idea in spite of already doing something else. Her ability to multitask astounds the princess as the sketch of a dress is presented to her.

"Overheard your request to Sassy, and I received an inquiry of the matter on yesterday when you visited my Ponyville location. Amethyst accents are hard to come by, but I'll be sure to borrow my little Spikey-wikey for a trip to refresh your wares. I'll keep the price tag modest and affordable, but that will come with a caveat, a small little detail, a trifling little hitch." She levitates a large swath of fabrics, seeming to be expensive silks, towards the imperial. "This isn't my asking price, Just be a doll and hold this for me." Rarity walks behind the princess and measures the length of her back. "I'm sure the world out and about has given your little confession a lot of steam to run. But I would like to know this: What's your real relationship with Spike?"

The princess eagerly speaks on the dragon. "Oh that's easy! Absolutely he's one for good taste for pedigree. But mostly speaking, he's my darling p─" She halts herself to correct her choice of words. "Excuse me, he's more like my─"

*click*

Rarity speaks from behind the mare, stressing her words as though she has a sharpened edge to her tone. "Your darling 'pet', that's what you were going to say?"

"I just nickname him that, honestly─"

A blue lead is formed with an aura, Zenobia feels a strong tugging sensation that yanks her head back. She looks down to see a white collar infused with pink diamonds resting upon her neck. The lead is an unbreakable aura similar to the one she uses with her own collar. Rarity tilts her head, causing the lead to shrink with aggressive ferocity, dragging the princess down beneath her hooves. The fashionista leans in with a icy glint in her eyes. "With a collar of subjugation on his neck, how kinky. Your highness, I'm not new to the games we adults play behind the thickened veil, especially when it comes to putting overconfident ruffians in their place. But have you ever once considered that what you're doing is not cute? What's cute is that collar I put on you, I would even argue that you'd do well to keep this little trinket on, the accents do you well." She shortens the lead even further to only allow a mere three inches between her horn and the ensnaring device. She holds the princess up by the taught connection, going so far as to almost choke her. "Furthermore, I don't appreciate you trying to force a clandestine tryst with my dear Spikey-wikey in the changing room of one of my establishments. You would do well to remember that. Now... have I made myself crystalline clear?"

"Gnnk... By all means." The princess struggles.

"And the fact that you would threaten to detain my good little Spikey-wikey while forcing him to dance the dance of debauchery whilst in a transmission with Twilight, I must say that I've changed much of my schedule to make sure I catch up to you, that we may have this conversation personally. And I vehemently thought that I should share with you my thoughts on the matter. And they are quite simple."

She slowly retracts the little slack that she's given, reducing her grip to a dire two inches. The imperial princess cracks and gasps for air as the freedom of her airwaves become more and more constricted. Rarity doubles on her magic by not only maintaining the leash, but also holding her chin up to vertical and exposing her neck to a small blade made of her own aura.

"Spike. Is not. Your dragon. He is not your little pet, to be yanked along a leash, just because you don't get enough attention back home. He's not for your enjoyment, he's not for you to dangle around, he's not your carriage to ride in on, and he's not your age. And chiefly, he is not your sex toy." The slack of her leash is granted back to a rather strict, but much more comfortable two feet. The pair of auras exerted on her neck and chin dissipate, leaving the princess to drop to the ground gasping and panting for the air she was once denied. "I know exactly what you are, Rosa Zenobia. I've seen it manifest before, the tug and pull, the forced coercion, the go-with-the-flow-and-it'll-all-be-fine, all of it. It's been done before, and I should also add that it's been done to a much more sinister detail."

The mare summons an envelope and tosses it towards the recovering princess. Four purple tickets slide from within as the envelope skates the ground towards her. "What are these?"

"Well since we're in the vein of forced compliance, those are tickets for the next outing after you leave here. Your siblings are already up this way. While Prince Amor has seen the exhibit already, I'm sure at least the other of them must be pretty excited to see the goings of Canterlot with their own eyes." She quenches the link between her horn and the collar on Zenobia's neck. "At least you can see just how persuasive your esteemed 'Doctor' once was, a path your perversions seem to earnestly follow."

"You know of him?" The princess breathlessly inquires.

"Know of him, I fought against him with my friends. And he was no stranger to desecrating the victims of his plight. Tugging them along like leashed hounds, only that he subbed the warmth of his leashes for hard cold chains." The fashionista leans down with her sapphire eyes glinting with a deadly cold conviction. "And given who've you met to get here, I'm sure you've seen just a mere taste of that already."

Memories of her initial encounter with Nondis flashes before her eyes, the sight of twenty of her subordinates caught in the grasp of his shadows and each of their lives snapped short with the mere flick of his wrist. The haunting silence that lingers in that moment as he whispers to her face.

"Boo."

After an intense glare, the seamstress blinks and reassumes her more friendly demeanor. Another shocking juxtaposition for the visiting princess. "Well I sure hope that you enjoy your little trip into Corrotto, you'll be seeing the light in no time, dear. That will at least help you kill the time between now and later when I'll be done with your dress. A friend of mine will see you there. So do try to behave, it's a memorial for the dead, not a sex dungeon. Well... not anymore at least." Rarity politely nudges the mare from her workspace. "Oh, and don't worry about the price tag, darling. It'll be on me, very much like the collar that will stay on you. A free dress and an accessory preview to boot, a deal unlike any other. Oh, and do summon Spike back up here when you get back down. I wish to have a word with his cute little dragon cheeks about our schedule. Ta-ta, darling!"

The door closes, leaving Zenobia to find her way back down. She takes a few steps before the envelope of tickets is summoned before her face, not of her own doing.

"And please don't forget those! You'll need them, dear!"

After our trip to the shop, we reunite with both Amor and Hestia. I ask them how they manage to get here, and they inform me that Twilight invited them to watch the press conference, of course off-site because Twilight insists on being mean to the poor guy for some reason. He does seem to be a little bit of better spirits since yesterday's incident. But I can tell he's not exactly happy about the manner in which he's been shelved elsewhere.

I offer to cheer him up, so we make a journey towards the Corrotto District, since even in his first tour, he spent most of it in a carriage getting detained, and supposedly his second was merely a teleport straight to the museum and back. So for his third time being here, and now outside of any suspicion of being an informant, he gets to see the modernized part of town with his own eyes for the first time. That privilege, to his discredit, is also offered to his sisters.

Zenobia is obviously in shock. "I'm sorry, but WHAT IS ALL OF THIS!?"

"This is really bright and active! It's almost blindingly astounding!" Amor comments.

Hestia can't help but to spin herself around, trying to take in everything. "Everything is moving all at once! It's so dizzying here! What wizardry is this!?"

"This is what happens when you model a district after the human technological advances achieved, all while gentrifying a previously undesirable portion of town into a prime tourist destination." I briefly summarize.

"This place is nuts!" Amor says as we walk into the town square. "Where the hell is this place, surely it's not Canterlot?"

"Oh it's Canterlot alright." A familiar voice answers from nearby. Coming up to greet us is none other than one of the specialists lurking undercover. "I guess you peeps and pones are probably taking in the glitz for the first time. But yeah, this is Corrotto, prime tourist destination number one in the whole city. Damn near argue the whole country at this point."

I warmly greet the unicorn stallion. "Stanton, the man with the game plan, what are you doing here?"

"Hey bro, I'm still covert you know. Don't need the other regulars to know who I am in this form." He warns, making sure the other citizens aren't overhearing us.

"Oh yeah, my bad. But yeah, why are you here?"

He glances towards Amor and Hestia. "Keeping an eye out. Don't want no crazy shit to pop off like the last time you were here. The cultists of a certain asshat are on the rise again. Since that little rescue op from the underground concluded with you and homeboy over there, those guys have been surfacing for supplies a lot more frequently. I'm sure you understand why."

"Heh... yeah that was a bit fun towards the end." Amor reminisces fondly before his smile turns sour for knowing who's no longer here. "If only Sir Fencer could see this for himself."

While Hestia offers him a shoulder of comfort, Stanton walks next to me and keeps his voice low. "So a bit of information you should keep in mind. Turns out those guys have been trying to hit up the museum from every direction. It's been so bad that we had to reinforce some of the old passageways cause they've been nav'n through them real hot."

"Seriously, what do they need from that place?" I ask.

"Well truth be told, you remember those plates that you walk on at the lower part of the exhibit? You ever considered what they sit on top of?"

I do know the answer to that question. And I'm sure they're probably looking for some bit of something to use as a token to worship. Other than that, there's nothing there but likely the ashen remains of the bodies that were cremated en masse. "I'm not sure. But you could use some lotion."

"Lotion?" He asks before he realizes what I'm referring to. He gives a subtle chuckle. "Smart man. You get those tickets Rarity's been holding onto?"

"Tickets?"

"Big bro came by and requested that Blue show you guys around. Those tickets aren't just for general admission, I'll say that much. Of course, she let Rarity run that task since you were asking around for a dress. Maybe she passed them off to one of your guests. You should check in on that." He gives me a light pat on the back, encouraging me to carry on. "Though you might wanna move it. Museum's on a 'scheduled inspection', and you're surveying. Blue's waiting in the lobby, don't hold off too long."

The stallion walks off as everyone else's attention is drawn towards the statue of six humans in poses. They seem mystified by it. I walk over to check on them, Hestia immediately questioning me about it. "So let's get this straight. You have six humans that came here and 'Saved both worlds from an evil unfettered?' What could've happened that would cause for six of them to be hailed as heroes? What exactly was the 'unfettered evil' they put away?"

"Probably the Doctor." Amor mutters. He turns his head to the familiar stony steps all the way across the plaza. "And in that place holds everything that immortalizes his victims."

Zenobia stares at the converted cathedral, pulling out an envelope with four tickets inside. She sighs with a heavy heart beating in her chest, coming to grips that all of what she's dedicated her life to is soon to be uprooted in the most grandiose of fashions. "...Alright, let's see what you've done here."

Upon our entry into the lobby of the museum, we notice that a good number of the displays that would usually be backlit are dark. The numerous stalls to give away tickets for admission into the exhibits are closed and dark as well. And for further matters, not a solitary soul is present outside of our four selves. In contrast to the bustling town square, the busy plaza, and the good number of foals running up and down the stairs playing games, it's bone-chillingly quiet in here.

Amor tries to lighten the mood a bit. "Wow, I guess we managed to walk in before the museum opened up or something."

"You would think a place in a tourist trap such as this area would be overrun with visitors." Hestia replies. "Odd to see no one in here, even if this is some sort of memorial exhibit."

"Or perhaps they've closed for the day." Zenobia argues. "I don't think we should even be here."

"Actually, you couldn't be anymore wrong." The voice echoes throughout the empty room, followed by the sound of hooves clopping against the polished stone floors. A shadowy figure emerges from behind one of the displays, her face coming into the light as she speaks once more. "Today's exhibit is a V.I.P. tour. One that the general public won't get to see at all. Couldn't even pay me for it."

Amor trots up to the mare, greeting her warmly. "It's you! You're one of the ponies that came for us when we got caught by that bumbling underground crime syndicate!"

"They sure do bumble around these days." She calls back. "Back then, they used to be a real issue, totally the real deal. If I compare them to how they were back then, nowhere near close to organized." She surprises the stallion with a hug. "I heard what happened to your guy. I'm sorry that you had to lose someone you were close to. Did you ever get a chance to process that like you needed to?"

The stallion clears his throat, holding back some residual sadness over Sir Fencer. "Sometimes you just have to go on about it. It is what it is, he gave his life for us. All we can do is live for him."

"That's good." She releases him, but offering a quick nuzzle. "But it's okay to set aside some time to cry about it. Let that out when you get a chance, okay?" She focuses her attention to Zenobia. "And I heard about you, especially from Kali. She said you were quite an issue when it came to Spike, that you liked drugging him up and having your fun."

The princess looks off to the side, not denying her actions. "I want to say that it was to help him forget the pain and trauma, but that would only be half true."

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Though that's not to say that your intentions were good to begin with." She says with a soft but critical undertone. "But you're here now, and Nondis made it perfectly clear that I'd show you around the place." She looks to the others as well as me. "All of you. We're not just taking a trip through the exhibit today. Instead, you'll be getting a trip to the real Corrotto, the one that I remember."

"The real Corrotto?" Hestia asks. "I thought we were already in Corrotto."

"Corrotto is the name of the district we're in, so yeah. But I'm talking about the old one." She guides us down the hall towards the first part of the exhibit, where we should be stepping into an elevator. "And the thugs that abducted you, Amor, they happen to be a bunch of past denizens who were uprooted due to the arrest of a certain criminal overlord. You see, Corrotto at the time was a destination of it's own right, only that it was a hotbed of black market trade and exchanges. You could find virtually anything and everything here. If you were smart enough to know what you're looking for before walking in, you'd walk out with exactly what you were looking for."

"And the not-so-smart?" Hestia questions.

"Well... You'd win the special prize."

"What's the special prize?"

She goes to the elevator, pressing the two buttons in a coded pattern. The golden doors rumbles with a roar behind it, the sound startling everyone except her. "Spike, Amor, I'm sure the both of you remember how this tour started off the last time, right?"

"Chains with the thickness representing the age of the deceased?" The young prince recalls. "That part still gives me chills."

She opens the golden doors, revealing a dark room that appears cavernous. Her horn lights the space around us, giving us a glimpse at two large steel doors across the way. They appear to be that belonging to an enormous vault. I comment over the differences from my last tour to this one. "Uh, those doors are a lot rustier than before."

"Of course they are. There's a reason." She says as she guides us towards them. The closer we get, the more I realize that the vault doors are terribly damaged. Parts of the locks are dislodged, the massive steel tumblers that holds it shut appear ripped and pried at, the bottom cruelly peeled back as though something aspired to get inside with everything in their being. We all stare at the broken door, barely noticing the light we're losing as Ms. Blue steps towards the center of the large room, uttering but one word. "...Lux."

A slamming noise sounds throughout the cavernous room, reverberating before the room is brightened by crude, blueish white fluorescent bulbs. A continuous hum sounds as we stumble into what could easily be a warehouse. "What is this place?"

"The initial staging room, formally known as..."

Staging Zone 1: The Fridge

My eyes barely widen from the influx of light, but my spine runs a chill as I see the words imprinted in black stencil paint on the walls. I look up to see countless hooks, brown and orange from corrosion, their condition as crude and cruel as the purpose for what they were used.

Hestia floats herself up to one of them, giving one of the dangling reminders a blissfully-ignorant poke. "These chains are awfully rusty."

"And all of them are the same size." Amor points out. "I thought they were to the size of whatever victims were on it. Not to mention there weren't nearly as many on my last visit as this time."

"Why change the size when you often change who goes on them?" Ms. Blue questions. Hestia, having overheard the question, jumps back as she realizes that the looming items weren't just for display purposes. "I know that you're up there being curious, but at one point there used to be someone's loved one on that."

Hestia's altitude wanes, her hooves shaking as she descends. "You mean... that these use to... hold ponies?"

"By the ribcage, to be precise. Those prongs at the end may be rusted, but all it would take is a good angle and a soft drop, and whatever state your corpse is in would be cranked up that way, to join the party of others all looking into the void." Hestia shudders, her hindlegs quake as she instinctively stands in a growing pool of her own urine. "Yeah, welcome to the exhibit. The real exhibit." She glances to Zenobia, who was once an ardent follower of the one responsible for this place. "And this, this was his lab, his arena of unworldly desecration and sin, truly a house of ill repute."

"For a place that stores bodies, I expected it to be a lot less clean." Amor comments, still nervous in his own right, but not nearly as petrified as Hestia is at the moment.

"It used to be connected to the downtown mortuary, meaning that most of the bodies were already embalmed." Ms. Blue explains. "And dealing with their line of work, they know how to clean a body, dress it up real nice, and have you open casket ready when your death actually warrants a closed one, that way your family gets to see you one last time before making that decision. Hygiene is a must in that field, otherwise a lot of nasty illnesses gets whisked up into the public. You'd have to be careful not to leave a mess."

Zenobia walks around, seeing a few dried stains on the ground. "I see they weren't too clean. There's still some dried blood here."

Ms. Blue turns to me. "They've seen Nondis, haven't they?"

"Indeed we have." Zenobia answers. "I know he's got scars all over him."

"Did you see the ones on his wrist?"

All the imperial princess can clearly recount for that moment is the sounds of her subordinates having their necks broken in unison, sounding like a sadistic chorus of Velcro straps. "No... I wasn't paying attention."

She looks back at me, pointing at my collar. "Hey Spike, that collar on your neck, is that grafted into your body or something?"

Taken aback by the suggested repercussions of that, Zenobia denies the notion. "What!? No! I wouldn't be so cruel to do that to him!"

"Well your doctor was, he put cuffs on Nondis when he was here for his... experimentations. Sodium inhibitors affixed to pig leather. Those cuffs were surgically grafted into the skin of his wrists, they'd kill off all magic signals sent to the appendages they were attached to." Zenobia looks back down at the stain. "The blood you see down there was intentionally left in place, a reminder of what he had to endure to regain his freedom and function. He had them ripped and torn off from him, with no means to kill the pain, but relying on the cold air circulating through here, hoping to numb his nerve endings."

Hestia shudders as the imagery in her mind paints a grueling picture of the human tearing at his wrists with his own teeth, causing her stomach to turn. Amor swallows a knot in his throat. Zenobia still recalls her initial encounter with the human, now understanding the story of just a few of the scars on his body.

Ms. Blue taps me and encourages me to follow her. She also issues notice to the others of her onward progress. "Stay behind me, you wouldn't want to get lost. This place isn't easy to navigate on your own."

As we march along, I notice that most of this place seems familiar, but also foreign. I remember this part of the exhibit, but the hall was a lot more straight-forward. There were displays, displays of shadows with harrowing intent retelling the haunting details of what's all occurred here. But these halls, they're quiet, the rooms are numerous, and there are many intersections. The windows aren't dark at all, they're bright and fully lit. Everything in these rooms are fully visible. And it shows everything.

Tons of surgical equipment, numerous metal tables to place someone, racks to lift what could be assumed the cadavers into place. Then there's the sight of slumped up wooden dolls sitting idly against the equipment. Each room has around one or two, and they're all hinting at what they were doing at the time. One has a tray of equipment sprawled beside them, the tools rusted. Another leans beside a series of pumps and hoses attached to large metal containers, I can assume from the books I've read that those are embalming tanks. There are also a number of dolls in the hallways, some with scorch marks in the front of their heads, probably from magic bolts.

As we make our way through, we come across a pair of metal doors left ajar. The hinges are rusted beyond measure, they couldn't move even if you tried with your best effort. Hestia's attention is dominated by the sight of the twin doors. "What used to be in there?"

"Padded room for detainment." Ms. Blue announces.

Zenobia approaches the doors for herself. "What would they need to detain if this was attached to a morgue?"

"Go in and see for yourself."

While the doors aren't exactly easy to move, they leave a gap just large enough for the typical pony to fit through. Both Zenobia and Hestia steps inside, where they see a few other things lying around. The walls covered in cushions, coated in dust and webs, maybe even a residential spider or two. There's some wooden trains, a few porcelain dolls with brittle hair, brushes laying beside them. There are tiny little mirrors, but each of them are cracked and broken.

But the main thing that truly tells of this room is the numerous crayon drawings strewn across the floor. They depict crude drawings, of a little filly holding to her daddy's hoof, smiling while there are lots of black shadows stirring around them. Another drawing has four small ponies flying like angels, and a fifth crying while looking up at them. There are different colored legs on the one that's crying, but each of the four angels are missing a leg of their own. There's another, one of a yellow pony with a green dot in their head holding a bunch of needles. The small pony, always drawn with different colored legs, asking for ice cream. Then there's yet another, the small pony with a smile on her face, hugging herself as a bunch of different colored legs sprout out around her. She's written at the bottom of the page. She bottoms her punctuation with a little heart.

"I'm never alone!"

I'll admit that I haven't been this unnerved in a while, not since the the night of our burning airship. While the legs stir up a painful memory, along with those haunting words, Amor points towards the long-abandoned items strewn about. "There are... toys."

"Aw, there's a little playset." Hestia says as she notices a dollhouse sitting near a row of smaller figurines. The chilling realization soon hits her. "Foals. He experimented on foals."

"Mostly cadavers... But this, this is the room of the one that... well... wasn't."

Amor walks over towards a metal-framed bed, noticing a number of leather straps rolled up underneath the mattress. There are holes and latches in the leather. "Why are there these straps to the bedframe?"

Zenobia steps on a piece of paper, delivering a crunch to the drawing she unwittingly crushed. She removes her hoof, seeing a print on the depiction of her being held in the bed by a bunch of yellow figures with green dots. A green pony figure looks on nearby. At the bottom of the page reads another message.

"Daddy says if I do well, I get ice cream! I gotta do my best to stay quiet this time!"

Underneath the bed is another drawing, serving as a sequel to the one the princess stepped on. She floats it out and reads the image's writing at the bottom of the page. This time, it's of her with tears.

"No ice cream this time. I gotta do better. Maybe I'll do so good to get two scoops."

She pulls out another drawing, noticing that there are a bunch stuck together. She seems to find many where she just cites her disappointment for not getting to eat ice cream. A lot of them cite moments of her trials, speaking of dreams of wanting to see the outside world, wanting to spend time with 'daddy', hating how much the needles hurt, how sick the needles make her, how bad the room smells, how sometimes her daddy yells at her for not doing right. A consistent theme that reveals itself with all of the drawings under the bed, as though she was hiding them. The princess sadly combs through the dusty pile until there's finally one where she's with the green pony again. She's standing next to him with a huge smile. Both seem to have ice cream, hers being three scoops high.

"Three scoops! Daddy says I did great! I love daddy!"

The alicorn gasps sharply in between breaths, trembling and trying to keep herself contained as a familiar pain wells deep within her chest. Tears start to fall from her cheeks as she chokes back sobs. "No... Please... not this."

"Yeah. Pleasing our fathers always come at a cost, doesn't it?" Ms. Blue grits her teeth as she goes through the drawings for herself. "There was a little girl here he adopted as his daughter. She couldn't walk at first, so he gave her legs. Turns out he adopted four others also, and took their legs to give to her. Once she got to running around, that's when the real work began. She did everything he asked of her, no matter the task, no matter how hard... or painful. Eventually, he started going from having her control her new limbs to other things. That grew from just the legs she borrowed from her adoptive siblings, who died shortly before she woke up with those legs. So he made her control a puppet, make it do what she wanted it to do. And it did just that. Then it went from one to two puppets, then to four, to ten, to a hundred, to a thousand, controlling them all as a collective." She levitates the drawing of her and the many colored legs sticking up around her. "And when she was done controlling them, she'd place the dolls back into her little closet and come back to this room, and wait for 'daddy' to give her the next set of instructions."

"What other dolls did she play with?" Hestia asks.

"The dolls she used? It's obvious. They were all hung in her special closet." She levitates the drawing of the four fillies flying above, but blowing the dust off to reveal the gray tethers behind them. "And that special closet, is where they kept them cold." The pegasi princess runs pale as Ms. Blue continues. "Little filly was practicing necromancy without even knowing it at first, but under the influence of her 'daddy', grew to accept it as all kids often do when their parental figures give the okay. She was the second necromancer made, her 'daddy' the Doctor being the first."

"There's no way not a single soul let this happen." Hestia starts to grow angry towards what we were being shown.

"What choice was there?" The blue unicorn counters. "There was no speaking against him, not without consequence. One thing about his necromancy is that he combined it with a lot of changeling and zebra magic. The marks on his face were zebra-originated runes, and his tactics were that of a changeling, but far more sinister. He would take the forms of the dead, and walk as they would. If not that, then he'd use a body for a medium to travel anywhere instantly. That's why none dared to even speak his name, because you don't know who's really alive or dead." In a moment, she disappears, suddenly reappearing behind Hestia. "Just like that, you never know until it's too late." She disappears once more and reappears beside Zenobia. "Aside from the two being himself and the girl, there was a third he made into a necromancer, one who can also take bodies and shape them into whatever they so desired for that moment. And to this day, there's no other that know the science of necromancy than them."

"You're joking. There's someone like that walking around Scott-free?" Hestia shrieks.

"You should know, he got you all here." The imperials fall silent as they think back on how Nondis constantly threw stuff into his shadows, they look towards one another as Ms. Blue continues on. "To this day, he is the only one with the doctor's secrets and knowledge. Every last tome, every last binder of research, every recorded tape, every note jotted, he knows all of it. And as that last possessor of that knowledge, he plans to die with it."

"So this is the extent of the Doctor's doings, namely why his name's been erased from all record on the surface." I mutter.

"Exactly." She confirms as she walks out of the room.

The others follow her, but Zenobia lags behind as she looks at the coloring of the little filly and her adoptive father celebrating with ice cream. Her lips tremble as she places the old drawing face down. Her eyes watering as she clenches them and looks towards me. She doesn't say anything, and walks away. I follow her out of the padded room immediately, leaving the haunting reminders behind.

As we go on, we find ourselves coming down what appears to be an errant turn, leading to nothing but a dead end. And yet it appears that the hall isn't merely just a dead end, but a manufactured one. "Well that's strange. A concrete wall just in the middle of the hallway?" Amor cites.

"It's a wall, nothing more." Ms. Blue announces.

"Doesn't quite look it." He argues, taking a closer look at the windows and lights of the rooms that seem to cut if off. "The tiles on the ground show that there's more ahead, and the window to that room seem to be cracked from the..." His words trail off as he looks towards a window. He sees the unicorn's intense stare towards him. He turns around to see a twisted look upon her face. "...concrete?"

Her magic snags on the stallion's foreleg, yanking him as she briskly backtracks from the dead end. "There's nothing else here. Let's just move along." She orders. I look back at the window, seeing nothing at all that could elicit a mode of panic like the one displayed by our rushing tour guide. I shake my head and move on, that is until I see a set of hooves reflecting in the window, each of them being a differing color from one another.

"Spike, hurry up! You'll get lost if you stay here!"

I don't even dare to look back at that window anymore. "Coming!" I take off at full speed, going as fast as my wings would allow me. I don't even dare myself to question that. Not even going to attempt to ask questions about what I saw. Not gonna dare look back and see anything. There's nothing's there, I saw nothing. Nothing at all...

...At least I hope not.

"I'm sorry, big brother! I promise!"

Shortly after our visit to the museum, we rent out a hotel room. Not that we have any intent to stay overnight, but mainly to refresh after our harrowing trip through the underground lab. Hestia definitely needed the shower most since she peed herself from being so terrified. I guess the thousand hooks above and her flying up into them really put her constitutions in check.

But as lasting as that venture proves to be for memory's sake, the much needed distractions come in the form of all the bustling activity of the district. A lot of ponies start to flood the streets in anticipation of the game coming up later this evening. Apparently it's between the Canterlot Crusaders and the bottom-feeding San Fransiscolt Forgers. About half of their roster is going through some injury troubles, so I don't expect that game to be anywhere near competitive. But that doesn't stop the multitude of ponies from enjoying the glitz and excitement of the stadium and it's surrounding amenities.

Just as a pregame of sorts, we go out to eat at one of the local establishments, enjoying some of the menu items that are hailed as some of the best human food you can sink your teeth into. While for some that might be a theory, for me it's definitely a fact. The griffon head chef is really big of a special brand of beef that he imports from across the portal, and it definitely shows up on our plates tonight, and in our mouths. Thankfully we don't have to worry too much about the bill, Ms. Blue has us covered since she's still showing them around.

I sit in silence, staring at my claws. Namely, I look at a strange pearl ring Rarity gifted me earlier in the noon hours. She told me to hang on to it, telling me that it's a very important item but not telling me what exactly it does. I'm off in my own world while the clatter of plates comes to a rest.

Hestia is more mortified of herself. "Meat... I just ate meat."

"You're... not the only one." Amor is just as stumped over the idea.

"Is it bad that I feel like I'd like another round?" Zenobia questions guiltily, sipping on her third glass of wine.

"Trust me, you're gonna want to hold pat on that. Too much, and you'll be looking to head back to the room instead of the big game." Ms. Blue warn the three. "I guarantee that you'll be looking for the bed, wake up, and miss the match entirely."

"Now that's good eating." The alicorn princess declares as she looks out the window for the night scene taking place, the numerous bodies of pedestrians crossing about. "By nightfall our streets are stark and empty. This place is crazy."

"You can say that again." Hestia cosigns. "I knew that the humans had technology far surpassing ours. I just never thought that Equestria would be privileged enough to usher in such an undertaking. Just looking around the place, it's so bright, it makes the nighttime seem like a massive playground, it's teeming with excitement and life!"

I manage to finally overhear that part of the conversation and jump in. "Yeah, that's why I love this part of town. Anything else in Canterlot, hard pass, but here is where I'm down to make tracks."

"Well I'm glad that you're enjoying this place." Replies the unicorn mare. "Back then, I had my own reservations about coming to this area, I found a lot of trouble here. But I won't go without saying that I found some fun... sinful fun."

"Like what?" Amor asks.

"Please don't." Hestia pleads while plugging her ears. "I'd rather not hear it if it's going where I think it's going."

Amor rolls his eyes and informs Ms. Blue. "Sorry, she's not too fond of topics of the explicit variety."

"Oh honey, you need to come alive." She snickers in return. "If my brother were here, he'd be the type to throw you to the wolves. But let's not mistake the situation, he'd very much make sure you were safe and supervised, and most imporantly that things were taken slow. That was his whole schtick after all." She glances back to the liveliness of the outside street. "I wonder if he was still alive, what would he say about all of this. I guess I can't really say I would be here to enjoy his reaction if he was... I'm sure he'd be pretty upset about all of this, bitter even." She shakes her head and slaps her cheeks, perking herself up. "Alright, game starts in thirty! Let's head out!"

"I'm all for it!" Amor nods. "Let's see what this place is about!"

As I get up, I feel a slight tug at the tip of my tail. I look down to see a pink aura grasping at it, and noticing the alicorn looking off to the side. She taps her hoof on the table, lightly but impatiently now. Seems like she's finally trying to cash in her reward for the day. "Actually, why don't we catch up with you three later?" I suggest.

Amor isn't as blunt to what his sister's signals are portraying. "Are you saying that just so you two can... link?"

"Eugh... how about we don't put those ideas out there." The pegasus mare immediately trots off in disgust.

Blue questions me about the situation. "Are you sure you don't wanna head out with us? I mean it's okay if you want to come, we're back in the suites."

An impatient snort sounds from the princess. "Well, we do have a hotel room you've rented out. I suppose it would be a shame if we didn't enjoy it a bit more." I argue.

The unicorn rolls her eyes at me. "Wow, really, so does that mean I get to join in?" Her playful question makes Amor blush and Hestia shriek with shock. Zenobia appears the most perturbed by the offer, which the mare jokingly laughs at the varying reactions. "I'm just yanking your tails a bit! C'mon, Spike! You know I always like to tease you when you come around! Though to be fair, I'm still owed a turn for teaching you that one particular lesson." The princess pouts in response to that. "Tell you what, I'll go on ahead and take care of these two, while you keep yourselves entertained."

Zenobia finally rises from the table. "Sure thing." I answer as the three immediately set off.

The moment we walk outside, others start to stare at us. I begin to grow a bit uncomfortable along our way back to the hotel. A number of glances and phones taken out start to become too numerous for my liking and I opt for us to take a rarely-used alleyway. Eyes are still on our entry, but our route remains clear of any eye traffic.

Seeing that we're alone at last, Zenobia pulls at my tail to get my attention. "So, they get to head off to the game, and we get our time alone."

I shake my head. "Everything shouldn't always be about sex, you know."

"Whatever!" She leaps over me, hovering in my way. "Besides, I did your favor. Now you do mine."

"We're still in a public square, you know. Just because we're in some alleyway doesn't stop some creatures flying overhead and getting a glimpse at us." I inform her.

"And?" She eagerly dismisses the danger of that scenario. "I've done worse in front of my own father. What makes you think that I am ashamed of anything less?"

"Okay, meaning that you have your own sullied reputation in the public eye back home doesn't mean that you can decimate mine here."

"But some part of this has to excite you." She leaps onto my chest, forcing me to catch her before she slides to the ground. "Admit it, there's at least one period of the year where public escapades are in full swing. And all around you are mares eagerly passing you by, wafting their tails into you as they walk."

"Not really a turn-on honestly." I say before a warm sensation causes me to seize, moreso the location of where that sensation is focused.

The mare snickers as she whispers to me. "You've never once thought to have this done to you by someone? No subterranean passions made manifest by anyone in particular?"

I slowly put her down. "...My first crush."

"Ah yes, that little story of yours you never finished."

My eyes drift around, cautiously looking out for anyone else around. "That's because you were so busy wanting me to... I can't even say that in public."

"Then why not pretend I'm her?" She asks coyly. "Or is this some secret desire you have stashed away, a clandestine kink clustered to the recesses of your mind you're nervous of awakening?"

"My private life is mine, not for some display out in the public viewing."

Yet again for today, that pink leash is affixed from her horn to my collar. In her voyeuristic nature, she drags me closer to an opening. "Have you ever wandered what it's like to live without the boundaries of rule? To play in spite of those designations being firmly in place? Perhaps you'd be interested in a moment where risk is far too telling, making the reward all the sweeter."

As she yanks me along, I grow the more nervous due to my better self slowly crowning into the waking world. I make a conscious effort to keep myself contained. "Can we not right now?"

She sits herself upon a nearby wooden box, flipping her satin dress away with a firm whip of her tail. She looks back at me as her weight of belly causes the aged wood to creak. "What indignant disgrace, to quickly claim the likes of a princess upon the top of this crate like some mere animal." She mercilessly pulls me in, letting my lower half free of my claws trying to shield my throbbing interest from the peering eyes of the public. "And here you thought that the drugs were the only thing feeding that libido of yours. I bet you're weeks without the touch of a mare's warmth. And now it's right here, right beneath you." She guides me into her, slowly making me savor every inch she shelters from the cold of the outside air. "Poor pet, so languished and unfulfilled. But I suppose that goes for the both of us, doesn't it."

She grinds her hips against mine, a torrent of slow circular impacts that warmly wraps my base as a familiar embrace. She gives a slow retreat, pulling away from me until she finds our separation threatening to occur. She offers a merciless response, slamming herself back into me whilst yanking my leash to keep me tethered in place. I glance down, seeing the warm milky essence that her body leaves upon me with every retreat she makes, only to disappear momentarily with her lips leaving yet another friendly deposit. Her soft coos of greedy anticipation dissuades me from the idea of us engaging in such a manner with unwary patrons and civilians crossing with nary an ounce of awareness. It's making it hard for me to ignore the mounting pressure that I'd soon release inside of her.

I can't go out like this.

I grasp at her horn, cutting the tether of her magic by quenching her spell. I yank myself out from her, panting with relief as my engorged shape rests upon her back. She mewls out in lustful argument. "What's wrong? Why'd you stop?"

My eyes trail to the passing crowd, realizing that our way to the hotel wouldn't be an easy one to merely walk to with me being out and about. I take to the air instead, seeking out our hotel, which is not even two blocks away from our location. I motion to the princess of our departure. "We're not finished. Let's go."

Door, opened. Keys, down. Door, shut. Mare, on couch. Don't care how, just throw mare on couch.

Zenobia bounces after being hurled onto the furnishing, holding on for dear life as she tries not to fall back off. Her complaints are warranted. "Really, dragging me off to some hotel and treating me like this! What do you─"

I don't care too much for them. I plant my claw on her neck, very much in show as I growl at her for her devious ambitions. "You said that I should pretend you're my crush, right?"

"I-I know that's what I said."

"Then you shouldn't have a problem with this." I say as I pick her back up and throw her back to the couch, this time to make sure that she's upside down.

"Oh fuck, you are really aggressive right now." She states as I close in on her, the pulsing issue of my sex resting against the bottom of her chin and neck. "Um, shouldn't I be facing the other way for this?"

I grasp at my hilt, playfully batting either cheeks before pressing her muzzle towards it. "Kiss it."

"This angry looking thing?" She complains with a brattish tone.

"I did it for you, now you do it for me."

Reluctant due to her own reservations, she slowly grows into agreement. "But I... fine." She gives me a rushed peck, then stares up at me angrily. "There, you happy now?"

I batter the throbbing mass against the front of her throat, slowly finding excitement for my new target. "Open your mouth."

She gasps as I navigate my sex towards her lips yet again. She turns her head in protest. "There's no way I can fit that! That's not what a mouth is made for! I have teeth!"

"And I don't?" I reply, reminding her of our very first encounter. I batter myself against her lips, anxiously awaiting her participation. "How's you gag reflex?"

"Virtually non-existent." She replies. "It takes a lot for me to gag over something, and I surely think this is probably one of those in that 'a lot' category."

"This shouldn't be a problem for you." I run a claw to her neck, lightly thumbing her trachea as she breathes. My other claw slips further in to offer her the encouragement to part her lips, my digits finding the warmth of her nethers to be just as lubricated as her mouth. I slide myself into her lips, feeling the warm gasps tickle me underneath. "We'll start slow, and we'll go from there."

Her magic rallies an effort to appease me in spite of her still shallow allowance. She shows that her skill in this matter is that of a novice, probably in part of her being the one in charge and issuing orders. Now that I think of it, she's always been like that with me, demanding that I'd give her something, never offering much but her posterior in return. Everything is always for her, even when she claims it to be for me.

I suppose it's time for her to learn.

She doesn't delve more than my tip. She quite nervous about the arrangement. So I sink a second digit into her, causing her to moan lustfully. "Try sucking it, treat it like you're sipping a drink through a straw." I instruct. She shows initial inquiry but obeys, and I feel the resistance of her mouth dragging me back in with each tug I make. I start to feel a little more as she envelops my head. I groan and grimace with growing expectations. "Good. Now, take as much as you can." I give her a slight thrust, marking myself to around halfway.

My thumb rests to the bottom of her chin, hardcore indulgences manifesting in my mind as I see myself becoming more and more welcomed by her. Her magic swirls around my base, offering the compensation on the part of a cold absence of stimulation otherwise. I respect her efforts, but now I grow greedy, impatient, unsatisfied.

I give her warning. "Swallow your drink." She barely gets out a hum of question before I press myself further inward. My thumb lifts from the presence of myself resting now in her throat. A guttural groan leaves my lips with the satisfaction of me finally being fully welcomed. "Yes... take it... so nasty, I love it."

I stay there for a little while, testing her gag reflex, but her magic yanks me off of her as she issues her complaint. "I still need to breathe, you asshole!" I drop down and mash my tongue against hers, the sudden issue of protest seems to quell itself in the instant we dance with one another. I see the mess of her face, the ruined makeup, the drool running down her cheeks and forehead from the upside down predicament. She pants as we separate, quickly issuing yet another protest. "Ugh, do you know how utterly disgusting that─WHAT THE FUCK!" Her objections are changed as I crudely yank her up from her waist and flip her around like a ragdoll. "If you don't stop playing around with me, you piece of shit!"

"Tail up. Hurry." I order, grasping at myself with the anticipation of making my entrance elsewhere.

She looks at me, knowing what it is I'll do to her once she gets in position. She shows her more than willing compliance, mainly fueled by her own thirst for pleasure. However, she doesn't give me the peace of taking her without some brattish commentary. "Ugh, I fucking hate you, you big, dumb bastard!"

A well-aimed thrust into her causes her to shriek loudly. I feel her clenching and flexing around me, indicating her first climax of what's soon to be many. "You were saying?"

"I hate you." She growls angrily, rocking her hips back into me violently. "I fucking love the thing that's attached, but your talking is pissing me off!" Her magic bends me over into one of her favorite positions, fully enveloping her body with mine, her tail batting against my leg until it inevitably coils around it. Her eyes look back at me, a smile doesn't show as much of a crack on her lips, but her eyes betray her countenance. Her body shows it's appreciation by giving me such a warm reception, so warm that it starts to run from where we connect, past my point of anchoring, and further down my thighs. Her horn also glows a dull pink. "Harder... harder you fucking prick!" Her commands sound a lot less authoritative and more pleading. The way she grows in her intensity tells me that she's close to getting what she wants. But that's too easy, far too easy for what her attitude deserves. So I repeat my mannerisms from the alleyway, and deny her that long-built reward. "What the hell!?"

I sit beside her, patting my lap now. "C'mere." I prime myself, feeling much of her juices still compiling between my claws. She shows no hesitation in rising. "Show me how much you want it. Clean me."

It seems my mannerisms have triggered quite a switch. She doesn't seem to be as questioning, but rather in a flow of obeying. She falls to her haunches, throbbing back down from her climb while she disgracefully swallows me with no ambition for protest. She rises and stares with the scowl of an angry drunk.

"Open your mouth." No questions, no complaints, no fight about it, just a dropped jaw and an open maw for me to spit into. I raise her to my lap, as she hovers over me, I make a raunchy request. "Drool." She lolls her tongue, letting every bit of what she's tasted fall back into my mouth.

Her eyes stay locked to me as I swallow. "Filthy pervert."

I wrap my claws with her tail, getting a firm grasp as I tug her into position. "Sit down."

"My tail doesn't operate as your pulley!" She complains as I watch my sex sink so comfortably into hers.

"And yet you're not fighting me off." I retort with a repeated thrust upwards, causing her to hunch into me.

She buries her face into my neck as she issues one more brattish complaint. "Just shut up and treat me like you've been doing already!"

My hips give no quarter to her desire for rest, as my own pent up desire reaches a climb. I try to hold back as much as I can as our bodies clash in repeated haste. Her forelegs bear down on my shoulders, her eyes clench shut as she's made to endure the relentless assault I give. It's not long before my peak is reached from the continuous activity, the friction of our juncture further enticing me to abandon all ethics and fill her to the point of violence. It's been more than two weeks now, almost three, and I know that what I have will be too much for the dignity of this couch.

No, I'd rather take more of her dignity instead. It's not like she'll mind it much anyways. "Get up." I hurriedly pull her off of me, standing up as I rush to aim myself for her mouth. "Gimme that throat."

She shows continued obedience, opening her maw and presenting the darkness of her throat to me as a vessel to hold my overflow. Her hoof displays an eagerness to reach over that boundary of no-return, and is rewarded with a leg-jolting climax that soaks the hardwood beneath her.

"Yeah... yes baby." I watch as her lips wrap around my shaft, my claws seizing as I lunge one final time from the release of my tension. A series of throaty grunts part my lips, stream after stream of my seed decorates the inside of her mouth. She tries to hold it in, but it's too much for her. Labored pants escape my lungs as she spills the seed from the back of her throat, spewing freely from her mouth, down her chest and at last to the floor. The sight of her disgraced appearance is more than enough to keep me excited. "Nasty ass bitch."

More to add on her brattish behavior, she spits to the floor what was left in her mouth. "I'm not swallowing that."

"I swallow yours." I tease.

"Look, I didn't know about any of the mouth things until you showed me rows of teeth, and I came just that close to pissing on your face out of fear."

I giggle at her honesty. "Well I'm glad you trusted the process enough to not do that."

While her hoof is firmly at a rest against the ground, her body still jolts, almost as though she's still riding the ghost of me. "Dammit... Why the hell am I still cumming?"

"After-tremors." I say as I still experience a few of my own. I suppose the wait between us have grown too much for our bodies to handle the inevitable crash.

She sighs as she raises a hoof to observe the juices of her own creation. "I forgot my body does that because of you. It's like when I do things with you, I dare to go even further than what I'd like under normal circumstances." I grab her hoof and lick it clean, causing her to shy away. "Oop?"

I take a deep breath, already anticipating another round after that. "Oh don't run now. You were teasing me all day with this shit."

"I'm not running!" She snatches her hoof away from me as she stands up. I smirk as she stumbles a bit, leaning over to the couch as she flops down. "I'll have you know that I'm just getting in a position I like. I just want to be able to see your face this time. That spitting, the disrespect, the pulling and throwing me about, I've never been so cruelly disrespected in my life in that manner. Do it all again, and I want you to spit in my mouth, slap me on my beautiful face, choke me off a bit, and hate me even harder. If I don't feel like my life is in danger, you're doing it wrong."

...I wonder if that switch I've flipped made her more open to being a bratty sub. Either way, I'm excited to see what else she'll do for me. "Better idea. You want me to bite your neck again, don't you?" I ask as I climb onto the couch, rubbing my tip against the glistening crest of her vulva, feeling her wink with the ambition of welcoming me yet again.

"A good pet always heeds their companion." She looks down to see how much I inch around the place where she truly wants me to be. "And right now, you're not being a very good pet, are you?"

I align myself for reentry with a confident smile. "Let's change that then."

Two Hours Later...

The two imperial siblings walk from the main concourse of the arena. Many viewers are satisfied with the result of the game, the final score being a closer-than-expected 34-29 victory. There are a few die-hards who aren't as satisfied with the fact that their team came close to losing had it not been for a last minute barrage of points that saved the team from the embarrassment. But for the visiting imperial family, the result was nothing short of a thrilling spectacle complete with bright lights, loud music, rowdy crowds, and an electric atmosphere.

"That game was incredible!" Amor skips out happily, at least before Hestia pounces on his head with her own fit of excitement.

"The atmosphere was astounding! I never imagine such a foals game would be played so passionately and executed so quickly. The action was fast-paced I could barely keep up. The tension, the crowd, all of it!"

"I can only imagine what it's like in the human world! If this arena was based on that, then theirs must be even bigger and flashier!"

"Yeah, they can be pretty big over that way." Ms. Blue comments. "If you want to know more about places like that, you should try to ask Spike for more information. I'm sure he knows a thing or two."

"I just hate that he missed such a game." The stallion stretches his forelegs. "I think Hestia's voice might be a bit raw from that one."

"We'll find that out in the morning." She says before clearing her throat.

The unicorn mare turns to see us walking up. "Well, in speaking of gametime─" She stops as she sees a rather painful row of teeth marks left in Zenobia's neck. "Yeouch! What happened to you!?"

I scratch the back of my head while the princess leans into me proudly. "Well... things happened... not according to plan, but very pleased with the result." She winces for a moment. "And the souvenir."

Amor plants his hoof to his face in disgust. "Eugh, not again."

Ms. Blue checks in on the alicorn, observing what the princess would call a badge of honor. "Wow... I'm certified envious right about now, green with it."

A click of a camera app sounds from close by, I look to see a pair of mares snicker as their phone turns away from our direction. "I take it you enjoyed your walk of shame." Hestia points out.

I sigh with defeat, knowing that this is only going to add to the fuel of the pop culture fire her earlier proclamation created. "I told you they would notice. Everyone down the avenue saw it."

"So what!? Let them see! I'm firmly happy with the results!" Zenobia loudly proclaims. "He's a rough bastard in bed and I fucking love it! Quote me on it, satisfaction guaranteed!"

The unicorn quirks a brow at the prideful princess. "Huh, figures you would be the halfway-masochist type."

"Halfway?" I mutter, knowing damn well she's about fully the glutton for getting thrown around.

Zenobia's eyes pop open as she looks back to her own collar. "Oh shit, I almost forgot! We need to get back to that boutique! My dress should be done by now!"

"If it's open." I say, pulling out my phone and looking at the time. "I know it's closed, but I'll give Sassy a call just to see if we can still drop by." I look back down at the mare's neck, the teeth marks curving from her nape to her chin. "Maybe I should go to one of the local gift shops and get you like a scarf to cover that up."

"Hell no!" The princess fusses back at me. "This is my way of saying I survived being mounted by a ravenous dragon."

A nearby couple gasps for a moment, then quickly trots away while muttering to each other. I groan helplessly with no end of this potential humiliation in sight. "Not everyone needs to know the implications of what we did."

"Do you not realize who you're trying to reason with?" Amor asks. "Just take the walk of shame. I'm sure some lesser-minded meatheads will be praising you in the morning."

Hestia notices the peaceful expression sat upon her sister's face. "That smile, from you, is creepy."

"That, my darling little Hestia, is the face of a mare living in the afterglow." Ms. Blue narrates. "She wanted a second helping from dinner, and she got just what she ordered: A mean helping of prime slab A-1 dragon meat." The young pegasus gags with audible disgust. The teasing mare only makes the matter worse for her. "And let's not forget, he's not just any normal cut of the stallion variety. Oh yes, he ripped and ribbed for your pleasure."

Zenobia proudly giggles her reply. "You're not wrong there! Whoo!"

The Abandoned Lab...

In the dark halls of the quiet lab, the distant sounds of hooves clopping against the cold tile floors echoes throughout the long abandoned facility. The hall is dimly lit, then briefly illuminated before the small source of light moves past to cast a dark shadow upon the way. A solitary figure browses the derelict passageways, ears twitching and turning towards a faint voice.

"Are you there?"

The young filly, as curious as she is intuitive, walks fearlessly in the dark halls where the air of death and sadness still reigns dominant over the place. Her eyes look in varying places, but her advance halts after coming into close proximity with a thick concrete wall. She glances towards a pair of steel doors, one cracked ajar to allow her an easy entry. The filly peers into the padded room, seeing nothing but a faint presence hunched in a corner. The voice is distant, yet echoes into it's full presence.

"Found you." Flurry Heart says with a sigh of relief. "Thought you had finally gone on after the last time, but I guess things don't seem to change for you. Your regret must be pretty powerful.

The apparition still cries into her mismatched hooves, her voice trembling with hopelessness. "I'm sorry."

Flurry approaches the figure, quietly speaking with kindness and understanding, yet firmness with the things the young filly has done in the past. "You know, there's no changing what's happened."

"I did everything wrong. Now big brother won't even see me anymore. He'll never forgive me."

"Still on about him, huh?" Flurry shakes her head, still not understanding why she's seeking a brother she doesn't have. No official records have her with any family, no parents, no siblings, only just a set of adoption papers with a falsified name signed to the dotted line. "I don't know who this 'brother' of yours is, but I'm still looking for him. It hasn't been easy though, not that getting around my mom and dad ever is."

The ghostly filly notices an item sat upon the princesses neck, a small crystal pendant that glows with a faint white light. Her glossed eyes remains affixed to it, her mismatched blue hoof reaching to the living girl. "Please... Can I... come with you?"

Flurry looks down at her pendant, noticing it's glow and closes it off from the ghostly figure. "Sorry. I can't do that."

"I promise I'll be good, I'll do really good this time! Please?"

The young princess glances down at the legs of the ghostly figure. At first she sees the scars joining the legs with the joints of her main body. Then her eyes drift further down, seeing a shadow swallowing still clinging to her, a few spouting bumps and nudges keeping her rooted to the floor. An occasional hoof swipes her legs, some even poke out and wrap around her before forming into loose tendrils that fall back into the black abyss beneath her. "Poor thing." Flurry shakes her head. "All that weight on you, and it's not even yours. That's gotta be the real reason you can't leave."

"I've got to make big brother proud of me!" She claims intensely. "If I can make him proud, then maybe I can..." Silence and sadness ensues for the ghostly filly as she quickly grasps a cold realization. "Oh yeah... there's no more ice cream for me... not like this."

Flurry stands up, willing herself to leave instead of lingering to pry for more answers, knowing that her prolonged disappearance will cause her parents to ask questions. "I can't stay long, but I can say that I won't give up looking for your brother. One day he'll come up, and I'll hopefully get him to see you again."

"You'll come back, right?" The ghost pleads. "It's so quiet, so lonely here. Some others came by, but they didn't see me like you do. They just ran away."

Flurry stops in her tracks, turning around to ask the ghostly girl. "Tell me who all you saw come by."