SWWC Side Story 3: Taking Off the Hat

Chapters

Very Horrid Meal
Doubting Old Fool
Thy Resolute Vine
Stacking Options
Gotten Worse
A Confliction
Unfitting Job
Buying Import
The Sacrifice
Pale Mare
Epilogue

Very Horrid Meal

Banks were the centers of money and livelihood. They held up homes and businesses and provided a light in their darkest moments. That was if the banks could trust the ones they were servicing. Unfortunately for Saffron Masala, she wasn't one of those trusted anymore. Not after everything that had happened, not after the loss and turmoil that was hitting everypony.

She had made her way through each bank outside the crater under Canterlot. All of the banks turned her away for the same reason. It wasn't a selfish or cruel reason, but a very real one, emblazed on every corner in plain for all to see. She'd lost everything, even her home, but she was far from the only victim. Many had suffered during those final moments, nearly four months ago.

Canterlot's mountain had been destroyed. The city was imprisoned in a floating black crystal so high up nopony could ever reach it. All magic within the area was now nonexistent. Not even a spark remained, preventing any who escaped from going back in. They didn't know if anypony still inside was okay or in far worse shape than the survivors.

Saffron Masala was one of those survivors. Her family, customer base, friends, and distant allies, all gone, taken upward with the city. She felt a twinge in her heart as she recalled the last time she had seen them, panicking and screaming. Her father had shoved her into the last airship but was unable to join her. The last she saw of him was the smile on his face and the black crystal divided them. Her safety was all that mattered to him, but she hadn't felt safe since.

It was hard not to think of all that had been lost as she walked along the road. She had tried to keep her head high and find something productive to do. Relaying this message to any bank teller she could find proved fruitless. They understood her pain but could only help so many at a time. Another bank and another pushed her out. Leaving her in utter tears as she was refused again and again.

She wasn't trying to be selfish but needed money. Her old life was gone and all she could do now was find a new life. It didn't have to be big, but it needed to keep her afloat. Food, water, shelter, she needed it all to start. But her savings were fading fast. Nearly all of it had gone towards her escape. Now, she was looking into the black. She had no options, nowhere to go.

After another day of failure, she found herself at the end of a table. She was slumped over and covered in dried tears. Her body felt like it was made out of stone, and getting heavier by the second. Trying her best not to crumble into an utter mess of horror and shame. She barely kept her hands under her head. Keeping her chin up and her attention forward, even as her eyes drowned downward.

"Hello, Saffron..." A voice echoed in her ear. A stallion took a seat across from her. "You are Saffron Masala, right?"

"Who's asking?" She responded with a half-hearted growl. Her eyes leered up to see a tall blue stallion in orange robes and a turban.

"I thought so!" He cheered with a foreign accent. "Are you the cook here, too?" He dipped his head down to her height, trying to keep her attention.

"No..." She rolled her eyes. The mare hadn't been inside a kitchen since this whole thing started. Her father was the better chef and not having him beside her in that environment only harshened the memories of what happened. "I don't cook anymore."

"Shame. You and your father once gave me the greatest meal I ever had." He rubbed his stomach as he reminisced about the experience. "Such a course of delightful flavors."

She gave a soft sigh, turning her head away from him. "Like that matters anymore." The mare hoped he would leave, instead, he ordered two meals, one for himself and the other for her.

"I want to remember those tastes again!" He was much more chipper than she was, which only made her hate the world even more. She bit her lip and ignored his existence.

Saffron shivered away as the plates were put down. A bowl of some green, watered-down soup and a plate of steamed vegetables and rice. Both smelled okay at best and nothing on the level of her father's cooking. Not that she really expected it to. At first, she wasn't going to eat anything. But the food would help her survive. The aroma filled her nose, and she immediately, but regretfully dug into the food.

She was halfway done before she even acknowledged her dining companion once more. The stallion gave a soft hum as he chewed on his own food. His expression was unreadable, and he only seemed to be in his own world of utter delight. This only made her more miserable by the second. Saffron knew she would be stuck with him for a while. She could at least force herself to talk to him.

"So, do you like the food here?" Saffron posed, picking at the food.

He stopped and cleaned off his mouth. "No, I absolutely hate it with a burning urge."

"What?" She snapped back. "You were smiled with so much chirper."

"Obviously, I didn't want to insult the chef or the companion I'm eating with." He retorted back, rolling her eyes upon noticing she barely ate much at all. "You should be more kind about the ones you eat with."

"You're not with me." Saffron threw down her hands. "There is no friendship here."

"There doesn't have to be." His answer stopped her in her tracks. "I'm not after such things with you."

"Hold on!" She pointed at him with defiance. "I came in here to hide away and soak--"

"And I arrived here looking for a business partner." Again, his words stopped her instantly.

"Business partner?!" Saffron stuttered. "Why would you come here?"

"I came here looking for you?" He raised an eyebrow and repeated more clearly. "You will be my new business partner."

"Why me?!" She stood up and threw out her hands at him. "I don't even know you."

"I ate at your father's restaurant." He laughed as if she was just playfully mocking him.

Saffron wasn't doing any playing. She wanted answers and now, getting out of her chair and walking over to his side of the table. "Who are you? Some rich smock that had a fine meal one time and wants it again." The mare stuck her finger right in his face. "Listen here, I don't cook anymore!"

"But I'm not after a cook." His words continued to make no sense at all. He stood up and took both plates away and placed them on the table next to them. "I'm perfectly fine eating horrible meals every single day."

"Then what are you after," Saffron demanded. "You mention food and yet you don't want a chef, you say the food is terrible here, yet you don't want a good meal!" She practically screamed at this point. "What do you want with me?"

"No, I also mentioned the business you used to have." With that, he pulled out his card. "Let's break the ice entirely and be as blunt as possible. My name is Hoo'far Von Draco Lester Rexieon Simion the Third." He bowed in a perfect posture that clearly had been mastered since childhood.

"Wait..." Her mind flashed back to the past. A quick clip of images featuring a dinner between him, a con artist named Trixie, and a flower shop owner. It seemed nice at first until ending abruptly with both of them slapping him in the face. He left a massive tip that day and never dropped his smile. His business was... "Oh, no, no, no!!" Saffron jumped to the other table and was far away from him. The mare held up her hands in defense as he stepped closer. "I am not getting involved in your kind of business."

"My kind of business?" He tilted his head. "You do remember me."

"Yes, you owned that whore house down the street from us!!" She stomped her foot down. "I will not be involved in such a vulgar business."

"Whorehouse?" He scuffed out loud. "I co-owned one of the most prestigious brothels in Canterlot! Mare Faux."

"Was?" Her eyes widened at what he meant.

"Exactly, and just like you, once Canterlot was imprisoned in crystal, I was separated from my business and former business partner." Hoo'far snapped back with equal intensity before quickly retracting to a softer voice. "I watched in horror as my mares and stallions were viciously ripped from me by that violent event." His eyes glared at her with all the rage he was keeping tempted. "Really, did you think you were the only one suffering!"

"You're a pimp, they thrive off the suffering of mares!" Rage grew in her eyes. "How dare you compare my suffering to you?!" Slowly she realized the entire room was covered in fear, not of him but of her. The eyes of so many who had lost just as much if not more than her. Ponies who had lost family and friends. Ones whose businesses or homes were destroyed and now faced the same uncertain future she was facing. All of them were suffering, not just these two.

Her eyelids dropped and her voice softened to a whisper. "Why are you here?"

"I said. I'm searching for a new business partner. My previous one, Birch Bucket got trapped on the other side of the event." He pulled out a file full of names. "But before that happened, he gave me this strange file. I didn't know the purpose of it until that random opening last month." He looked up to Canterlot's shadow over the dinner.

"Last month is when more escapees happened!" She answered, remembering that day very well.

"Exactly, the file said every month a new event will happen involving the black crystal." He moved the file in front of her. "I thought Birch Bucket was crazy until that happened. So, I looked into it, and sure enough, there were other incidents. Like a large storm in the west mountains during the first month. And a strange tsunami in the Celestial Ocean in the east during the second month."

"What does this file have to do with those events..." She lifted her head and demanded a question. "And what does it have to do with me?"

"I need to get information from each of these stallions. In order to do so, I need a mare's touch--" He was stopped by a slap to the face. "Wrong answer!" With that, he pressed his staff into her and bounced her against the wall.

"No!" She tried to fight. "I won't be your whore!"

"Not mine." He laughed at her assumptions. "I've never slept with the mares." He flipped open the folders and showed names of stallions, mares, and other choices. "Most of these match clients I had outside of Canterlot. I want you to... as you said whoring for them!"

"You sick bastard!!" She tried to fight him off. Screaming to the rest of the room, but they were either too scared or too weak to fight back.

"Stop struggling and listen!" He leaned in and whispered several details so silently to ensure nopony else was listening before speaking out loud. "I want to hire a new business partner to run my newest brothel. Think of it as more open this time around where both mares and stallions can come to have fun with any sexual orientation they wish." Saffron kept pushing him off, trying her best to kick him. "Just think of the media presentation!!" he spoke even louder than before as if he was making sure they all heard him.

"I wouldn't agree to such a deranged idea." Saffron found herself being dropped back down as all threats vanished.

"Oh, you will agree." He pressed his staff right on top of her neck. "Play the part with any hesitation."

"And why would I--" She was stopped as he flipped her back onto the table and shoved the file right in her face.

"Because..." He rolled his eyes and decided to be the clearest yet as to why he chose her. "I stated some of them were my clients, but others have almost no connection to me or my business at all... Including the top name."

Her eyes widened at the sight of the top name. Her jaw dropped, and the world was frozen for her. This was why he was so insistent on talking to her. The answer was as clear as day. "My... My father is on this list."

Hoo'Far finally let go of her once it fully sank in. "Exactly, and since he is currently missing much like Birch Bucket, you can understand why I came to you." He gave a bow of his head and took a step away from her. "I am sorry for my rage... but Birch Bucket once meant everything to me as much as your father once did... He was like a brother to me. I can't leave him alone in that dark place."

Saffron slowly calmed down and stepped off the table, reading the list of names over carefully. You think these names know a way to free my father and your friend."

"That is too much assumption to make right now." He ripped the file out of her hand. "That is why I want you to help me find out. In exchange, you will get to keep all sales made during the hunt." With that final word, he took his leave. Just like before, leaving a pricey tip on the table for the dinner.

With him gone, Saffron shoved herself up and into a stance. His words echoed words in her head, but it was the part he whispered into her ear before the shouting that changed everything. She couldn't trust such an evil stallion or his business endeavors. However, she trained her eyes upon the shadow of Canterlot's black crystal prison in the sky. She could hear her father's voice in her head, encouraging her to find answers. Even if it meant following down such a dank and horrid plan, the truth was out there. She couldn't deny her hope any longer. "These fools are connected to Canterlot's disappearance."

******

Author's Note

Another layer of connection, some of you might not know yet, is we will be seeing Birch Bucket in the next chapter of mainline SWWC. :raritywink:

Doubting Old Fool

Saffron arrived at her first charge. She wasn't sure what he meant with choosing this name as the first one. It was far from the top and nowhere near her father's name. He mentioned something about a kinder start before closing the chariot of her and leaving her behind.

It had taken some time for Saffron to slowly turn around and face her obstacle. The lad around the house was huge and stank of classic farming work. As she made her approach to the door, a big hair dog trained its eyes on her. They were narrow enough to imply anger, but it never stepped away from the doghouse. Instead, it just watched her reached the door and knock three times.

There was no answer, but the dog howled regardless. Its voice was loud enough to alert its owner inside. It wasn't long before the door opened. A loud tumbler echoed behind the walls around the door and much to her surprise it open without the owner behind it at all. She raised an eyebrow at this as there was no way that was magic. This close to the Canterlot's imprisoned shadow wouldn't remove magic completely, but it would at least disturb it enough to be seen. There was no spark, or reaction of any kind. Could this be mechanical?

She had very little time to ponder on this, Hoo'Far would be back in an hour. So the mare took her chances and entered the home.

Saffron entered the house quietly and slowly. She didn't want to do this, but the stallion said he would pay good money for some company. Plus her true mission was to find out his connections to the rest of the names. Her eyes stopped on several pictures on the walls, lining the front hallway, leading into the living room. Seeing all the dusty pictures of all the ones who had passed on and left this old fool behind disheartened her greatly. Did he scare all of them off, or just outlive them?

A loud thump and a grunt of pain caught her attention. Holding her eyes followed, she made her way to the top of the stairway. There she found a few empty blackened rooms. They were covered in a layer of dust and looked to have not been touched for quite some time. She was beginning to doubt she had the right address, but then heard another groan and thump. This led her to a final room at the end of the hallway. The bright on the otherside showed her this was the destination.

"Come in!" His voice echoed from the otherside, acknowledging that he could hear her every step. Opening the door, he found an old stallion sitting in a chair in front of the window with the curtains wide open. He whispered a few soft words and turned to meet her. "So, you are this Saffron that Hoo'far mentioned?"

"Yes," Saffron bowed her head at him. The stallion was nearly twice her father's age. Was Hoo'far really asking such a thing of her with this doubting fool? There was no way he could be connected to the list, let alone her father.

"Please... join me." He grumbled softer while pointing to the bed. He closed the curtains and walked over to the bed. "Close the door behind you." She grit her teeth and did as he asked. He sat down on the bed, removing his clothes. The old stallion placed them in a neat pile at the foot of the bed, and placing his hat over a picture of his wife. His old mane draped around his shoulders and his large cock limped around as he bounced carefully onto the bed.

Seeing it all made her shiver to no end. This was clearly her first charge, and she wasn't prepared. Saffron hoped her assumptions were wrong about Hoo'Far, that he didn't actually need a whore. Maybe he had chose her purely for her father's connections to the list? Couldn't he just have an extra slut do this kind of work for him why she got the information? All her thoughts were stopped as the old stallion tapped the bedside twice.

Saffron bit her lip, looking at the old stallion. He had a pleasing smile and was far more ready then she was. He wasn't rushing her, but clearly expected a paid product from her. She couldn't turn back now. "Yes," She whispered softly, stepping up to the bedside. The mare did her best to hide the deep gulp. She gripped her dress and slowly lifted it up.

"That won't be needed... yet." The old stallion tapped the spot beside him. "Just sit with me for a moment first." He sounded just as hesitant as her. The old stallion even grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.

Saffron took a deep breath and climbed up onto the bed. She sat down beside him with the dress still covering her body. It was the only barrier she had to his utter nakedness on full display beside her. "So... if there something specific you asked from my... employer."

"Nothing much, dear. I just wanted some company." The old stallion's hand moved along the bedspread until it was on her own. Finding the right channel with the other hand, he gently placed her hand on his hairy thigh. "I am a lonely old fool." He laughed. "You don't have to move fast. You might break me."

Saffron's hand tensed ever so tightly the closer her fingers were dragged to his flaccid member. She was almost glad he wanted her to take it slow, because she didn't have the slightest idea how to please a stallion is such a barbaric situation. Sure, she was far from a virgin, but lack all experience is such dank and disgusting foreplay. "I'm sorry... I'm a bit new at this." The mare decided to be blunt, trying to get a conversation going. Anything to pass the time until the hour was over and she could leave this horrid place.

"That's fine." He chuckled at her softly. "Don't try to make this a date." His fingers stroked the back of her hand, caressing it lightly into his thigh. "It's been a long time since I truly could love a mare... These are simple satisfaction." He groaned as the tip of her finger finally touched the side of it.

Saffron shivered in a mix of horror and confusion over how vainly it felt. She bit her lip and gave a heavy breath as the finger traced up and down the side of his member. The stallion sighed contently while watching the show. Saffron didn't know what the program was, but it was clear that this stallion's interest lied solely in her. The sounds were there purely to keep things in motion.

"Don't be afraid." The stallion whispered. "You can touch it more, if you want." He was giving her far too much freedom and far too many chances pull away. She couldn't understand why this old fool would be so nice.

Saffron winced and turned back to the matter at hand. She almost forgot the main reason she was here. "I will... touch more... If you continue to talk to me." The mare hated herself from doing this, but took a firm grip around the member, assuring him some trust.

The old stallion smiled and retracted his hand, letting her work with no barriers stopped her from leaving. "My name is Burnt Oak. My family owned this land a long time ago. Before Ponyville and even before Canterlot was founded. We were a small settlement in the forest, before the trees were cleared. We were a strong clan of wood carvers, known for our great craftsmanship."

Saffron's hand began a soft pump and listen closely to each word coming out of his mouth. "Why did your clan move out here?" She kept her questions short, but directly without revealing too much.

"A fruit..." He stopped before answering her what kind. "I know it sounds strange for a group of wood carvers, but that's what drew first my ancestor here." He moaned and placed a hand on her shoulder. His voice was still calm and his cock slowly reached a full stride. "There was a strange fruit, it looked just like a zap apple... but was different." He waved his head back and forth before stopping. Turning to her, he changed the subject on her. "Can I know you name?"

"My..." She gritted her teeth and tried to be a bit more forceful on her pumps. She didn't want him to learn too much. While he had been kind so far, he could just easily turn violent on her. She was a mare he paid for pleasure, nothing more. "Saffron." She didn't give her last name.

"Hmmm, Saffron... it sounds sweet." He chuckled and gave a louder moan. His hips bucked slowly and his hand stroked her mane with softer effort. "Such lovely hair too... Just like my wife." He turned away and gave a heavy sigh. "I miss her."

She sighed at all his compliments. "Your wife..."

"Dead... children, dead too." He answered colder than he wanted, his sadness cutting through the pleasure. "Had some friends of the family visit every few months, but I've helped raise most of them... so asking such a thing like this would be improper..." He shivered away from her and tried to find the remote again. "Maybe some more TV..."

"I see..." Her eyes dropped. "You don't wish them to touch you."

"Yes... That would be wrong. A stranger should be the only thing." He gritted his teeth and cheek blushed. "You're a very pretty mare." He pulled her closer. "I would love to take you right now..." His voice hissed hard and the eye eyes shifted away to the hat and the picture it was covering.

"But, you're not sure... either." She hinted to him that she was just as hesitant as him, hoping that this would make things easier for both of them. "Truthfully, I don't want to be here... but..."

"You need the money." He dropped the remote to the floor as the pleasure became too intense. "Don't worry... we'll get there eventually." He patted deep breaths as his edge peaked closer. "Just talk with me for a bit more until I... finish?"

She sighed. "As you wish." Saffron lay on her back and continued to pump his cock. "You mentioned you helped raise most of your friends' kids. What about your own?"

"Died extremely young..." He waved his head back and forth. "Please, try a different subject. I need... I need." He pulled her head over and shoveled her mane into his nose. "That smell... Such a sweet... and familiar smell."

"Fruit..." Saffron remembered what Hoo'Far mention before leaving her behind. "It was a zap apple wasn't it? A strange one. What made it so strange?!" She pleaded, her fear overcame her need for distance. "You have to tell me, or... or..." Too late, the white liquid rushed out in quick sprays. The mare barely had enough time to take cover from each small weak shot.

The old stallion held his eyes shut and screamed his pleasure out. The warm cum landed all over his stomach and chest. Luckily, all of it missed her completely, only the overflow dripped onto her glove. After a few long seconds, the old stallion gave a heavy sigh. His entire body relaxed as the tension faded. His breathing slowly returned to normal, but the eyes stayed shut.

"Why..." Saffron growled softly as her eyes focused on the ceiling. She retracted her hand and removed the glove. Placing it the trash beside her, she turned back to him and conceded. "I... I can't continue." The mare was far too uncomfortable in the bed beside him.

"No... No, please..." He tried to stop her, but she jumped off the bed and came clean.

"My name is Saffron Masala!!"

His eyes popped open and turned to her with a mix of confusion and terror. "As in the Masala Industries." That answer stopped her right in her tracks.

"No..." She stepped away from the bed entirely. "My father owns a restaurant in... Canterlot." Her eyes widened just as big as his and looked right at him again. "Who are you?" She pleaded at his pale face. "You know something."

His fear faded as he stopped off the bed. The old frail form, turned strong and domineering. The stallion grabbed the hat from the photo and put it on his head. "I knew your father a long time ago..." He opened a draw and pulled out a gun. "For that reason, you will leave alive!"

"Wait... What?" She stumbled back against the door, not understanding what was happening.

"Get out!! Leave this house now!" He screamed at her, his voice echoing through the entire house. The dog began barking loudly downstairs, adding more fear to the equation. Saffron gritted her teeth and realized she had said far too much. She nodded and ran for the door. Opening it, she bolted out as quickly as possible. As she reached the bottom, the mare kicked her way outside.

The panic turned to solid terror as the hairy dog chased after her. The mare's eyes widened at the sight of the dog's teeth inching closer to her. It was far faster then she thought. In an attempt to flee, she tripped over the front step and landed face first onto the dirt road. The dog caught up to her, his fangs bared, and his drool dripping onto her back.

It was only stopped from chomping her head off, by the chariot returning and ramming it head on. Saffron screamed as her body was shoved across the road. Stopping only when she felt Hoo'far against her back, pulled her to safety as his trampled over the mad beast. Looking out the window reveal the massive dog somehow unharmed, but shaking its head in an attempt to recover.

"Are you okay!?" He shook her carefully as he pulled her into the chariot.

"Yea..." She nodded and gripped his hand tight. She tried not to face hi, fearing that she already failed her mission. "I'm sorry..."

"That went as expected. He's never been a strong soul." He puffed the smoke in her mane to cut the tension. Seeing the shyness in her face, he grabbed her chin. "Calm down, do you really think I would send an amateur like you into the deep end at the start."

"You knew he would hesitate." her eyes slowly widened as everything fit into place. "What do you mean?!" She knocked his hand away and coughed at the smoke. "This was all your plan!"

"Exactly!" He leaned forward, took her hands and rubbed them together. "And I can't let you be broken on the first try." With a quick push, he leaned her carefully onto a soft cushion and presented her with an icy drink. "It wouldn't be fair to you or to me."

"What does that matter?" She grumbled and took the drink. "I failed either way."

"Did you?" He held out strange apple in his hand. Much to her shock it matched Burnt Oka description perfectly. A common zap apple, but something already seemed off. "Was he talking about these by any chance?"

"Yes," She blinked and reached out.

"Good girl!" He pulled the fruit away and placed in a suitcase alongside other material he dare no show her. "That dog was guarding a tree the whole time. I suspect that's why he is so big and why he was able to survive a cart running clear over him with ease." Hoo'Far locked up the case nice and tight before continuing. "When I saw the dog threatened your approach but didn't stop you from going inside. This told me, his greater mission was in guarding that tree."

"You sent me in knowing not truly know what you were after!" She snarled at the stallion's smile. "And yet, you act like this was planned out."

"That's because it was!" He grinned at her and took another smoke of his long pipe. "You're a lot more important then you know." Hoo'far laughed as the chariot pulled away from the house and continued down the road.

"Let me go!" Saffron slapped him across the face. "This has gone on long enough!"

"Good. I expect some fire from my charges." He backed off but took her arm in a tight grip. "Now, get back home and take a shower. Your next job will be much... different."

"I'm not doing anything for you!!" She struggled but it was futile. The mare knew very well the mystery of her father's disappearance was too tempting to ignore. "I just... I want to find him!" She finally gave up and dropped her head.

"You will." Hoo'far let go of his condescending voice. He moved a hand to her shoulder and gave her a soft pat. "And if you follow my lead, you will also become a far more powerful mare in this life. If you can learn to trust me."

Saffron lifted her head, her tears tipped in her eyes. The stallion was still a smug asshole, but he had given her something she lacked in her life. Hope. He had her hook line and sinker, as much as she didn't want to admit it. This was the only truth she could accept.

Author's Note

Don't worry, we will see Burnt Oak again. And even ponder on his connections to the Apple Family and their mysterious extra fruit.

Thy Resolute Vine

Saffron arrived at her newest charge. She wasn't sure what he meant by kinder, but at least this one made it clear from the beginning that no sex would be involved. The mare still shivered with each step toward the stage door. She took a deep breath and entered to find the owner.

"Crows' Nest, I'm here." She spoke as soon as the door shut behind her.

"Ah, yes, I knew I could count on Hoo'far to send me a replacement." The black old mare didn't even look at her and pushed her over to the nearest dressing room. "Put these on, we have ten minutes before showtime, chop, chop!" She tossed a costume at her. "You have one job, don't mess it up."

Saffron opened the box and pulled out a green outfit with seemed fine at first. The top was a one-piece swimsuit, but the bottom was a pair of green shorts with a hole to show off her butt. However, this wasn't what made her eyes sink into the back of her head. It was the upper part of her breasts that would go. Round spinning discs and tassels were attached to the tips like nipples. Just the mere idea of wearing this was bad enough but she feared the purpose of those was to shake her body.

"No... this has to be a mistake?" Saffron tried to get a clarification.

"Don't worry, you won't wear that horrible thing too long. If they throw enough cash to drop it." The old black mare snapped her fingers louder. "Hurry up, the show will be starting any minute."

Hearing all that only made things worse. She figured it would just be dancing around a pole for this job, not swinging around these things or worse, dropping them for a quick flash. After a solid minute of hesitation, she caved. "Oh... okay..." Saffron quickly changed into the horrible outfit and walked over to the stage door. She could hear the music and the other dancers, making her shake. "It's for the mission..." She repeated the line.

"Just remember, if they pull their dick out you have every right to slap them or charge more!!" The old black mare laughed. Her words just kept making it sound even worse.

Saffron had to fight her urge to panic and run away, closing her eyes and repeating the phrase until the spotlight fought her. The whistles of the stallions came next, forcing her to open her eyes. There was a sea of males waiting for her, most of them were drinking and shouting random insults at her. She couldn't focus on their faces or their shouts. The mare just kept her attention on the money being tossed her way.

Giving it her best, she took a deep gulp and began dancing. She started by shaking her hips, moving them around. Marching up high enough for viewers to get every shot of her legs. Hearing them groan and growl louder for the more obvious choice, she caved again and slowly twirled the tassels and discs. Every movement was uncomfortable but the stallions couldn't get enough of it. It wasn't like she didn't know how to dance, but the idea that every stallion was seeing her body like this.

Each minute on the stage felt like an eternity. Her movements were starting to become sluggish and she could barely focus on the stage. The stallions were loving it and the tips were rolling in. She didn't dare look down at their faces, or the ones who were standing up undoing their pants. Some mares slapped them, others winked and demanded more cash before dragging the hungry stallions away to a more private venue. Soon enough Saffron was the only mare that hadn't been offered and she was almost thankful for that.

However, she was losing the will to continue being the only one on the stage now. Her body was becoming numb and she was ready to fall. The mare's legs nearly dropped out from under her when something was said that brought her attention back to full. "Drop them!!!" The crowd roared, tossing more cash directly at her.

"No!" She shook her head, fearing what would happen next. Saffron knew what the mission called for and had been fearing that fact through the entire cart ride here. Yet even after the old black mare told her what might happen, she still wasn't ready, especially as the stallions were foaming at the mouth wanting to finally see them.

"Drop them, bitch!!" One old rich stallion got really annoyed that she denied him and walked closer to the stage. It was a sharply dressed business earth pony stallion with a green mane and an assortment of flowers around his collar. He tossed a wad of cash really hard at her face. "Let's see some tits!"

"No..." Her mind was racing, trying to think of something. When suddenly, she noticed Hoo'far walking into the place. He lowered his sunglasses and looked over the crowd, leering at the stallion who was screaming for her chest. Saffron panicked, she didn't want him to think she was chickening out now. Biting her lip, she whispered, "Father, forgive me..." With that, she dropped the upper part and showed the audience her round bouncing orbs.

The stallions screamed in joy and tossed more cash her way. She quickly bent over, scooping up all the tips she could. Gritted her teeth the entire time she shook her rack at him over and over, receiving more cash each time. She wanted to stop so badly, feeling his disgusting breath on her chest. Her fingers clawed into the stage, keeping herself from running away. The mare wanted to stop but didn't dare give Hoo'far the pleasure of her failure, her eyes on his grin the entire time.

Suddenly, his eyes flicked down for a second. Saffron was confused about what she was seeing. Her eyes followed and her will to run away increased at the sight of the old rich stallion dropping his pants. Her fingers retracted from the stage and she started to step back. However, all her strength had been drained from the dancing and the humiliation. Much to her shock, she caved for just a second, but it was enough for him to grab her and shover her down.

Saffron tried not to scream as her face crashed into the cock. Her hands gripped his legs, trying to push herself free. Yet the stallion held onto her horns and pushed her down, forcing his shaft deeper into her mouth. Her eyes widen at the horrid, sweaty, and disgusting taste. His stench was burning her nostrils and her stomach was churning. This couldn't be happening to her, this just couldn't. She struggled more and more, trying to push his fat disgusting belly away.

Her eyes leered over to Hoo'far, almost pleading to him for help. Instead, he stayed put, gesturing her to continue on the old rich stallion above her. A wave of fear shot through her heart, but she realized, this one was the target. It was the only thing that made sense. A tense of hope or denial that Hoo'far would only choose not to save her if this was the one she was after.

Gathering her remaining strength, she lifted her hand. The old stallion swatted it away and yanked her hair shoving his cock past her teeth. The length lathered over her tongue and she tried her best not to choke. Closing her eyes, the mare concentrated on touch alone. She didn't want to see that member work its way through her mouth. Yet at the same time, she needed to work her way to this beast's pocket.

Her fingers crawled up his legs, reaching the hem of his pants. It was quite hard as he began to fuck into her mouth with no regard for gagging or spit. Saffron could barely control her throat and mouth but kept him in place so she could work. Feeling a button, she slowly undid them, letting them slide to his knees. Slowly slipping her fingers inside, searching for his wallet.

Saffron was finding it hard to breathe with his member's tip reached her throat. The mare couldn't stand the idea of him fucking her mouth, and worst yet if he tried to fuck her throat. His grunting and thrusting were getting rougher and faster. The mare was growing weaker and weaker by the moment. If she didn't do something fast, her mission would be a failure.

Scratched and scrapping down deep into the pocket, she grabbed her last reserve of strength and focused on her fingers. She had to do it if she was going to save herself. Saffron felt the leather wallet, clipping it between two fingers. Trying her best to make sure he could notice, she moved just as slowly out of the pocket. The old stallion was lost in his pleasure, her plan was working.

Suddenly, a taste hit her throat, salty and sour. The stallion was about to finish. Her heart skipped a beat, if he finished in her mouth the humiliation would be too great for her mind to handle. She couldn't fail the mission, but couldn't allow this monster to release in her mouth. Her hand moved faster, hoping to grab his wallet before he could release it. Snapping it free and groaning at the old stallion.

She signaled to him to pull out. Yet, the horrid, disgusting old fool wouldn't listen. Her eyes widened in horror as he plunged into her throat and continued. Her esophagus contracted in agony, gagging on the foul seed dripping to a peaking burst. Her eyes leered back at Hoo'far. Saffron's hands reached out to him with the small tense of hope that he might save her.

"Yeah... I'm about to cum--" The old stallion was stopped as blood splattered over the stage. Faster than she could see, Hoo'far had rushed over and smashed the stallion's head into the stage. He twisted his staff down over the head smearing's the stallion face with a bloody nose. The cock popped out of her mouth just as the white ooze sprayed over the body scene.

"She said no!" Hoo'far kept a calm resolute tone, despite pressing the staff into his head.

"But she's a slut! All strippers might say no!" The stallion whimpered in a mix of pain and pleasure as his member flailed about.

The old black mare cut the music and walked up the stage. She didn't stop Hoo'far, in fact, she stepped on the tip of the old rich stallion, hard, forcing it to retract. "This is a gentlemare's club! Not some common whore house!" She kicked him in the gut so hard it knocked him out cold.

Hoo'far stepped off, grabbing Saffron's shoulder. "Grab your money. The mission is over."

"Right?" Saffron blinked at him, wondering what was happening. Grabbing as much cash as she could, she covered up her chest and found herself falling into his embrace for safety.

"Good job. You did well." He whispered to her, walking her over to the exit. Once outside he pulled out some mouthwash and cleaning wipes.

"You... you're not upset with me? I thought you would be mad?" Saffron shivered as her mind was still reeling from what had happened.

"Why would I be upset? You passed the test." He smirked at her, gesturing to the card in her hand. Her eyes widened as she couldn't fully remember grabbing it out of the wallet before the end. "You did a good job." He took the card and examined it carefully. "According to the data I've uncovered so far. That strange fruit from before is called a Diamond Zap Apple." He shined different lights over the card until a proper name showed up. "And they are primally harvested by a company called... Shimmer/Glimmer Pharmaceutical."

******

Author's Note

Yes, those last names do sound very familiar. Huh, I wonder what the connection there is.

Stacking Options

Saffron had been silent ever since that dance. She was sitting in the corner of the chariot, rubbing her arms and shoulders. An utter chill had run through her bones that she couldn't fade no matter how much she tried. Her body was still shaking with the possibility that old rich stallion could have done to her had he been allowed to continue. And how quickly his face was smashed into the floor.

Hoo'far was watching her the entire time as they drove away. Despite buying her new clothes, he could see the pain and terror in her eyes. It was something that he had seen plenty of times before. Every time a new mare entered his ranks, this was always the result. She was almost broken, unable to process the events. The mission had nearly failed before it could even finished. Yet she survived it, and the reward incredible.

He held up the card and smiled. "We should go pay this company a visit." Hoo'far broke the silence and waited for a response. Studying the fear growing her eyes, his voice soften. "But not today." His hand raised her chin. "Your resolve needs to be strengthened before we proceed."

"What?" Saffron trembled, feeling his eyes digging into her.

"You did your best, and that's all I ask." Hoo'far brushed his fingers along her cheek. "And with time, you will be able to push much further."

"But... but..." She couldn't stop herself from shaking. "I don't know if I can do this again?"

He grabbed her by the arms, hoping to stop her shaking. "You will, just take a moment to accept it. There is no shame in the truth, you did good. Now, relax, and let the events pass." His cool breath washed over her, cooling her emotions only slightly. She shivered, feeling his hands massaging her skin. Saffron's teeth were chattering so badly she couldn't respond. All she could do was fall back against the chair.

he couldn't stop thinking of the facts.

He had to keep her in line until everything was in place. The last thing he needed was his agent to break before the true mission could be completed. The next step would be the hardest of them all. However, he realized if he pushed her off that cliff she might be too broken to be still be useful. So, he turned the chariot over. "Where would you like to go now?"

"Go?" Saffron looked up at him, confused. Why would he suddenly offer her a choice? Was there a regret behind his stern eyes? "What do you mean? Are we continuing the list?"

"No." Hoo'far sighed. "We will do something else for now. Anywhere you want?" He pulled out his wallet. "Anything you desire."

"Anywhere... I want?" She paused for a second, looking over the wallet. "You really mean it?!" Her eyes slowly brightened. "You're not going to force me back into another humiliating situation like that--"

He held up his staff to her, but didn't bash her across the face like she expected. Instead, he tapped her gently on the head. "This mission will continue, but you can't break before we finish." He smiled and leaned forward. Her eyes widened as his face leaned so closer to her own. "I will give you a one-day break, but afterward, things will hit you a lot harder." He reacted and stepped off the chariot.

"Harder..." She blinked at the words, not fully believing it or rather not fully understanding the danger of it. "Okay?" Her voice was low and quiet, as she stepped off the chariot. Her mind was already racing with possibilities of what he meant by that but followed him regardless.

Hoo'far looked around until he spotted a large theme park with a giant ferris wheel in the center. "So, where do you wish to go, Saffron?"

"Huh?" She looked up, noticing the theme park. She couldn't believe her eyes. A smile crossed her lips and the terror faded away. "The carnival!" The mare bounced with excitement. "Oh please, I have never been to a carnival."

"Fine, but we can't stay too long. Just until dusk." He nodded and headed over to the gate, paying for the both of them.

"Thank you." She giggled and bounced into the place. It was like a whole other world compared to what she dealt with in the last few days. Every direction had a different booth or ride. Food and drinks were everywhere, and the scents were unlike anything she could imagine. "Wow... this place is amazing." Her eyes darted back and forth, not knowing what she wanted to do first. There were so many things and yet, they didn't have time to do them all.

Hoo'far watched the joy flow her eyes, glad to have a bit more control over the situation. He knew the carnival would be the best distractionto curve her mental state. The last thing he wanted was for her to crack before the true mission could begin. He followed her to the first stand she came across, which had a game that was shooting water at a target. She watched the young colts shoot the bullseye and won the top prize.

Her eyes brightened as she ran up to the stand, bouncing and wiggling with a new found energy. "Excuse me! Can I play?"

"Sure!" The young stallion at the counter blushed, seeing her round breasts bounce under the white t-shirt. "That will be two bits, miss."

"Here you go..." Hoo'far placed down the money. His mere presence alone stiffed back the young stallion. He gave him a sharp glare before returning his gaze to the young mare.

"Uh... okay..." The worker gave a hard swallowed, trying not to shake as he took the money. "Just pick your gun and pull the trigger."

"Alright..." Saffron took the toy gun and lined it up. Closing one eye, she aimed for the center. With a single pull, she missed the target and the balloon. The mare frowned, seeing the target reset and the water ready to blast the balloons once again. "Well, this is harder than it looks."

"Try moving your arm more." Hoo'far gestured. "Keep your feet a shoulder-width apart and aim just a little higher." He pointed at the target.

"Higher?" Saffron asked, shifting her footing, splashing a bit of water over her white shirt, leaving the worker blushing even brighter.

Hoo'far slapped his hand down to break the worker's glance and urged her to fire. "Now!"

The mare took a deep breath and fired. This time, she was able to nail the target, splashing liquid all over it. The machine lit up and a stuffed animal fell into the chute. "I did it!" She clapped her hands together and ran up, taking the stuffed toy. The mare stopped upon seeing Hoo'far in her way. However, he simply turned around and picked up the toy and gave it to her.

"Nicely done." He smiled and followed after her.

Saffron blushed, holding the large stuffed animal in her arms. The mare didn't even know what it was supposed to be, but it was still cute. So distracted and happy, she almost didn't catch herself leaning against Hoo'far's shoulder as they walked away to the next stand. The worker dropped his sight at the image, practically jealous at the scene.

However, the sweetness was violently ended for the worker as a sharp point tore into her back. Liquid puddled in his mouth as a razor's edge leaned against his throat. A cold voice entered his ears before everything went black. "Sorry, I need to borrow your face." With that the worker was brought down under the stand by a pale figure with green hair.

After a few more splashes of blood, a glow followed and hooded figure stood back up, revealing his face had shapeshifted to match the worker. Once the job was done, his eyes leered onto Hoo'far and Saffron. "You two lovebirds are getting too close to the truth."

******

Gotten Worse

Before Saffron could even realize it, the fun inside began. Hoo'far kept his promise, taking her through the various rides. From the fast roller coaster that made her scream all the way, to the slow boat ride where she clung to him the entire time, and of course the merry-go-round. Shockingly, he even let her win a few prizes from the games and was willing to carry the stuffed toys. The mare's happiness quickly destroyed all the painful short memories from yesterday.

Yet, she couldn't help but notice the small details. He was holding her hand the entire time and was keeping her close to him. He never made a move on her once. Yet, he also never let her leave his sight. He always kept an eye on her. Saffron thought it was a bit strange, but she didn't dare question him. This was the first time he treated her like an actual pony and not some pawn.

Hours passed before she even noticed and the light dimmed over the carnival. The two arrived at the giant ferris wheel, and Hoo'far took her onboard. Saffron didn't question it, nor how tight the container was for the two of them. The doors shut behind them, trapping her with him but she didn't bat an eye as she sat beside him.

The ferris wheel spun around, bringing them higher and higher above the world. They could see all the way out to the sea, and the lights of Manehatten. Everything seemed peaceful, and calm until both caught sight of the crater where Canterlot's mountain once stood. A giant black crystal that had replaced it, bringing back the truth of the matter.

Saffron's eyes sunk into her head and her smile vanished. The mare leered at him, concerned about his serious and stoic expression. Her mouth opened to speak, but she closed it immediately. She didn't know if he wanted her to bring up the mission right now. Her fingers tapped on the seat, trying to think of something to say. "Thank you, Hoo'far, for everything that's happened in the last few hours. You didn't have to do any of this."

"True, I didn't have to. Yet, you performed your task well. That's something to celebrate." Hoo'far kept his tone calm and soft. However, the expression he made about such horrid acts before was so strange to her. Was the mission too important to him? Or was his mind so desensitized to this lifestyle?

"Is it... normal?" She whispered. "Do you normally make your recruits do that kind of stuff?"

"It depends." He shrugged his shoulders. "You have potential and skills, but they must be refined and honed." Such cold words from a kind voice. He was using her, but he also saved her. Not just from that attack early, but also the whole rest of the day. These short hours at the carnival were the happiest she felt in months, even if they were interluded by those sexual fits.

Saffron shifted closer, not even realizing it herself. Her body was just naturally drawn to him after everything. "Hoo'far... what's your story? Why are you doing this? Is there a reason? Do you actually have a family that is lost or is this just a job to you?" He stared out the window, his eyes focusing on the crater. Seeing his mind so distracted, she huffed and pulled it back in her face. "Please, I want to understand?" His eyes continued to leer away, thoughts everywhere else but right here in this cart at the top of a ferris wheel.

Hoo'far remained silent, ignoring her completely. This pushed her over the edge, determined to get an answer from him, she stood up in front of him and demanded. "Answer me! Why are you doing this?!" She shook her head, trying to understand. "Why do you care about me, Hoo'far?! What do you want from me? I don't understand--"

The cart shook violently and threw her forward, landing right on his lap. Hoo'far wrapped his arms around her, steadying her and the cart. The entire ride started to shake. She blushed intensely finding her panties right above his crotch and tried to apologize. However, his hands rose up to her face. Saffron flinched, thinking he was going to hit her, instead, he brought her head in.

Her eyes went wide as her lips met his cold mouth. The mare tried to pull back, but her own fingers gripped into his shoulders as if she had been longing for this the whole time. It didn't feel sick or disgusting like the previous violations, but slowly the cold crept into a warm feeling of acceptance and trust. Even as his tongue entered her mouth, she couldn't resist and accepted his invasion.

The kiss lingered, and her body melted into his. Saffron's wet shirt crashed into his strong chest. Their eyes slowly closed, letting their tongues explore each other. The mare tried to fight the moan in her throat, but she couldn't stop the vibrations. It didn't seem to bother him, as his hands slipped down her shoulders, resting on her breasts.

She froze as he rubbed them, her nipples growing hard under his fingers. Saffron shivered, unable to stop her body from pressing against him. The heat of her cunt dripped over his pants. She moaned softly, not believing how good it felt. Saffron could have sworn this was some dream. But his lips pressed against her neck, bringing her to a higher bliss. Each kiss broke down more of her barriers until she pressed his head into her chest, letting his arms travel down her hips.

The mare whimpered as his teeth teased her tender nipples. The mare was already drenched from the kisses, but her pussy was dripping now. Her panties were soaked through, and the smell of her musk was strong enough to fill the cart. She panted and tried not to scream as he yanked back her nipples with such hunger and lust.

Her hips bucked down over his pants, grinding her pussy over the belt. Saffron moaned, unable to stop herself from moving. The mare's legs wrapped around his hips, her mind lost in a haze of pleasure. His cold fingers found her pussy finally and things were sent into a new peak she never thought possible. Her eyes rolled back, her lips parted and the screams exploded from her throat.

All her restrain faded as she bucked against his fingers, and her juices sprayed. All the previous horrid memories of other stallions treating her like some common whore were gone. Now, she was mere just a toy in his fingers and loved every second. She couldn't deny it, even if she wanted to. She wanted him badly and needed to know what his cock felt like. Her hands raced down and ripped his pants open.

However, this is where everything stopped so cold. Her hands searched around, almost assuming she missed it. Instead, she shivered and twisted away as all the lust faded from her at the distinct feeling of scars. Hoo'far grabbed her hand and yanked it up, throwing her off of him. He glared at her and growled colder words than ever. "I thought you wanted to know the truth... Look at it!!" He screamed, standing up and letting the clothes fall away.

It was true, clear as day. There was nothing between his legs but scars. The mare backed away, her heart racing with fear and her eyes trembling with shock as the image dug deep in her mind. She wanted to know why he was in this business. To understand why he chose her to help him. But now, everything both made sense and not at all. Utter confusion mixed with absolute confirmation as the ferris wheel began moving back down.

Hoo'far's teeth gritted, and his fists trembled as he waited for her response. When none came, he put his clothes back on and turned back to the window. He stayed silent until they were back on the ground. Upon leaving he said only one statement that left her shaking. "Tomorrow your next client will be a much harder case to solve." He turned away, leaving her to the mercy of the carnival. "I will send a driver tomorrow afternoon. Until then, be prepared."

******

From a distance, upon the top of the ferris wheel, the shapeshifting assassin watched the whole thing play out. He dropped his disguise and put away his bone knives. Rolling his eyes at the whole display, he sat down and folded his arms. "Damn, and I thought I have a complicated love life." His colorless eyes glowed brightly. A female voice echoed in his ear. It was followed by distinct sounds of blood splashing around her.

"What is it?!" She growled at him.

"The case just got more complicated." The assassin spoke clearly and without fear. "The boss was correct. Hoo'Far is not working alone. He'll be heading to Shimmer/Glimmer Pharmaceutical sometime tomorrow."

"Cult Race!" She bemoaned into his ear. "I thought you were going to kill him today."

"Yeah, I thought so too." The assassin nodded. "Make sure to warn Mr. Firelight of a new test subject's arrival. We might have to speed up production."

"Oh, this is such a pain." Her voice was muffled by the body she was ripping apart. "I'll tell him once I'm done carving up the freaks in the Crow's Next."

******

Author's Note

Yeah, surprise cameo of Cult Race. Yes, he was talking to exactly who you think. Either way, we will get more scenes with him. For now, next time we dip into more explicit stuff.

A Confliction

The following morning, Saffron barely got any sleep. The whole night she kept tossing and turning with those memories and thoughts haunting her. The image of his scarred groin would not leave her mind. How was that even possible? Who did such a thing to him and why? Was this his punishment? No, his story was not completely unknown to her.

All questions about him buzzed in her head throughout the morning and into the afternoon when she arrived at her next destination. The driver pulled her up to the building. It was a massive tower found at the edge of Manhattan. Shimmer/Glimmer Pharmaceuticals was one of the main medical companies in Equestria.

She exited the cart and walked to the front door. The reflection of the glassy building sent a chill down her spine. She was surprised that she was told to dress in simple attire. The mare looked over the building, it was so fancy that her appearance just made even lesser sense. She didn't understand why this was her next job, but Hoo'far had been very clear that she had to do this.

Three names on the lists were employed here. It was also revealed that almost all the diamond apples were sent here. It was the only company that didn't have a single shipment go out too. This meant the product was stored inside, but why? Saffron's mission was simple, find out where they were storing all those fruits and why they were being harvested in the first place.

The mare shook her head, trying to prepare herself for the next ordeal. Saffron's mind went back to her previous clients and the horrible act she had to perform. Hopefully, things would be different this time, especially with her mind so fuzzy on other thoughts. "Well, better get this over with." She muttered under her breath. Walking into the building, she looked around for the office. There were plenty of other ponies walking about, and every single one dressed much nicer than her. Stranger yet, there were all young stallions. All of them bordering above the age of minors and not a single mare among them.

As soon as she walked past, she could have sworn several of them were eyeing her up. Some were trying to hide it, others were making it more obvious. Saffron was uncomfortable being surrounded by so many male eyes but at least her attire was less skimpy this time. She didn't understand how all this was connected. But she kept walking until she arrived at the reception desk.

There a young stallion spoke normally for a few syllables before clearing his throat and switching to a softer and more feminine tone. "Welcome to the office, what can I help you with?" Sweat beaded down his face as his eyes leered at the cameras and not her.

"Hello, my name is Saffron and I am here to see..." She stopped and thought back to the names. The mare couldn't be straightforward and asked for the owner of the company, Mr. Firelight. She had to aim at another target on the list first. "I'm here to meet with Dr. Pitch. Do you know if he is available right now?"

The stallion quickly typed the name into the computer. After a moment of searching, his eyes lit up and he spoke. "Yes, he is in his office. I can take you there." The stallion stepped out from the desk and gestured for her to follow. Upon seeing his full form, her attention was drawn to his incredibly tight shorts. It was a little unnerving to suddenly see his full shape on display, but luckily he turned away from her.

Saffron followed the young stallion and passed several offices. Each was filled with more young stallions, all wearing basic business attire and those very tight short pants. Every single one of them stared at her as she was led down the hallway. She could feel their gazes lingering downward, first staring at her open cleavage and stopping at her thighs and ass. She felt more naked now than she ever did at that stripe club. Yet, there was also a small sense of panic on all their faces.

Where before the perverted old stallions were more than willing to admire all of her form without respect. These young stallions were admiring her but with tense sweat as if they were ashamed for doing so. She couldn't understand what was going on. Was there something she was missing here? Were the ponies afraid to be caught staring at her? Or was this all just part of her imagination?

She shook her head and tried to ignore it, arriving at Dr. Pitch's office. Opening the door revealed an incredibly strong stallion with muscles on full display while he bench-pressed a massive weight. His body was glistening with sweat dripping down his fur as his hands lifted up and down. Around him was a classic style found in any doctor's office, which made his exercise routine all the more jarring.

Upon hearing them arrive, his breathing slowed and his body tensed up. The stallion stopped in the middle of his workout and stared at her under the bar. He placed the weights down and sat up on the bench. He gestured the young stallion to a button next to the walls. Pressing it a static noise filled the background. "That should give us some time alone." He stepped off and walked over to Saffron. "Don't want that Vignette Valencia pestering my important work."

Saffron's eyes widened upon hearing the next name on the list. She wanted to ask about that name, but Dr. Pitch took her hand and gave it a soft kiss. The younger stallion took that cue and left, closing the door as quickly as possible. Now alone with him, she feared the obvious, but also needed to remember why she was here. Her eyes glared at the button, for it had to be her real target.

However, she couldn't make a move toward it with him standing so close. The incredible heat pulsing off of him was far different from the disgusting stallions of before. It was almost intoxicating, making her blush and shiver at his touch. The stallion smiled and his fingers caressed her chin, forcing her eyes up to meet his. "I'm so glad you could come to my office today."

"What is your work here?" She tried to keep things casual, but his other hand was already moving down her shirt. His finger rubbed over the buttons and slowly pushed it aside, letting his palm graze over her breast.

"Pheromone testing." He grinned, his hands rubbing over her chest. "And I take my job very seriously." Saffron blushed as his fingers gripped around her breasts and gave them a firm squeeze. However, his touch was far from barbaric. In fact, it almost reminded her of Hoo'far's grace. The mare moaned, unable to hold it back as he pulled her against his body.

"What kind of testing?" She whimpered as his mouth moved toward her neck. He nibbled softly over her collarbone, making her body shiver. She tried to keep the conversation going, but her legs were already buckling.

"Simple really." He muttered, pulling back her shirt. "We're trying to create a more powerful scent that drives mares crazy." He grinned and yanked off the bra, taking one breast into his mouth. His tongue swirled around her nipple. It was a technique she never thought would feel so good. The mare moaned, her head falling back and her teeth gritted.

His hands were not idle, pulling up her skirt and parting away her panties. Saffron tried to keep on subject, but it was clear what this stallion wanted. And unlike the others before him, she only found herself pushing for more. It felt so wrong, and at the same time, so deserving and right. Saffron panted as her fingers dug into his shoulders.

Dr. Pitch lowered her down onto the bench. He spread her legs, exposing her soaked pussy. Dropping his shorts, he didn't hesitate bouncing his large cock out over her. She stared at his thick and juicy member, but no panic reached her mind even as it slid against her pussy. Her eyes widened upon realizing what he meant. "Pheromone... controlling their lust--" She was stopped as the penetration was just as sudden.

The doctor laughed at her reaction. "Yes..." He huffed, trying to into a tempo. "Need to make sure they are so willing for the next process." His hips slammed forward, sending his cock deep inside her. The mare yelped and her back arched up. He didn't bother teasing her or letting her adjust. His thick shaft drove her crazy. She tried not to scream, but her pussy was drenched and her walls clamped around his dick.

She had never felt a pleasure this deep before. Lust driving her actions and desire, fogging up her mind. Saffron didn't know if she could take it, but also didn't want it to stop. The mare's body responded to each thrust as if she was loving all of it. Her legs wrapped around him, her hips bucking back. She could feel the heat rising, and his cock pulsed inside her.

Dr. Pitch smirked, his cock throbbing with need. He grabbed her hips and slammed her back into the bench. His muscles flexed and his body dripped with sweat. The doctor grunted, his balls slapping hard against her. Each thrust was sending her further into an incredible bliss she had never found herself in before.

Saffron couldn't believe the power behind his thrusts, it was like being fucked by a wild beast. She cried out, her mind lost in a sea of desire. She couldn't stop herself from screaming. Her body trembled and the heat of her lust exploded. However, as her orgasm flowed out, a name escaped her lips. It was too soft for him to hear but echoed so clearly in her throat. "Hoo'far... Hoo'far."

Much to her confusion and lust, the visage of the strong stallion pounding in her was replaced. Saffron wanted to deny it, but she was seeing Hoo'far plow into her with all his strength. She could imagine the passion behind each of his thrusts. The desire and longing he held for her. All these feelings came rushing out from his cold exterior. His lips collided with her in a twisted bliss.

Her mind snapped back to reality as Dr. Pitch pulled out of her. The stallion grunted and groaned hard, taking her large cock in hand and rubbing out shot after shot of white all over her clothes. Guzzling down to just drips, he fell over and rolled on the floor. His back straining with each pump. "Damn it, this babe is too good..." He whimpered and winced.

Saffron lay there, her body shaking and her eyes trembling. The mare couldn't understand what was happening to her. How could she dare think of Hoo'far while doing that? Why would she want him to be the one inside her? This was not the time for such questions. The mare pushed up and quickly dressed. Her face still burning and her heart was racing.

Dr. Pitch panted on the ground, trying to recover from his workout. Surprisingly that took a lot out of the muscle-bound stallion. Her ears flicked at the sounds of his snoring. Standing up, she was utterly shocked to find him completely limp and out cold. Looking down at the stallion, her mind returned to his words. "Pheromone to control their lust... Must also have an effect on stallions as well."

Moving quickly, Saffron ran over to the button and attempted to push it. Nothing happened, the same static noise shimmered in the background. She raised an eyebrow and traced her fingers along the edge. Tearing off the covering with relative ease, her eyes narrowed on strange black wires leading away from the room. They were unlike normal conduits, covered in strange black spikes, almost like vines. "This doesn't turn off all the cameras... Maybe just blocks his room." She deadpanned at the pointless endeavor. Maybe going after him first was a terrible idea.

Saffron wanted to trace them to their source but couldn't walk outside covered in all this spunk. Her face leered over the room for something to clean herself off. Luckily, she spotted something better, an extra pair of clothes and a bathroom. She silently cheered and stepped over Dr. Pitch. Arriving there her suspicions were confirmed with a shower room and soap.

******

Unfitting Job

It took some time, but she finally washed off all the fluids off her. Stealing some extra clothing, she realized they were much smaller than her previous attire. The pants were so tight that she could see her curves so clearly and her shirt was stretched tight. Saffron had to admit that after everything, she wasn't feeling shameful about wearing this.

However, the next challenge would be finding the source of the camera. She decided to march up to the front desk and ask straight up. Make herself sound like an entitled whore. Hopefully, that could have them point her to the next target. Arriving there, she noticed the receptionist was just as on edge as before.

"Oh, welcome back, ma'am--" He was sent into a full blush at her change of clothes.

"Where is Dr. Firelight?!" She tried to sound demanding. It was hard to tell if she was being effective or not so she added some salt. "That previous buffoon had no idea what he was doing?!"

The receptionist gulped and looked over the cameras. His eyes darted around for anyone who might be eavesdropping. The stallion leaned in glaring up her sexy form. She tried to hold a stern form, but his voice was still rather soft. "I can take you there, but please don't speak so loud."

"Lead the way!!" She pushed off her best growl, but was a bit worried if it sounded like she was trying to hit a high note. The stallion nodded and stepped away from the desk. He gestured her to follow, heading down a series of corridors. Saffron could tell the path was different then where Dr. Pitch was. It was a much longer path, but with far less offices.

The entire time, the young stallion tried his best not to look directly at her sexy appearance. His eyes darted between her cleavage and the cameras. Saffron was curious why he was so focused on the cameras. Her eyes trailed over them and narrowed her eyes on the direction. This led the same way the strange black wire was leading. She tried not to smirk getting closer to her goal.

They stopped before a massive elevator. "Here it is... I just need to get the key. He reached deep into his pocket and groaned suddenly. "No, no, not there." His hand pushed around his body kept facing forward, muffling his mouth with his other hand.

Saffron raised an eyebrow and stepped closer to him. She didn't know why, but something urged her to lay it on thicker, pressing her breasts right against his back. Such a previous act would have never been considered before today. She could feel her lust bubbling from earlier. The word pheromones popped into her mind, could this be driving her actions?

The young stallion blushed heavily, but didn't turn away. In fact, his hips swayed left and right as his hand dug deeper into his pocket. Saffron tried to hold back her own blush, quickly realizing what might be slowing him down. Losing herself in the moment, she reached around his shorts and spoke softly. "Are you having trouble finding it?"

"Y-yes!" He gulped and his voice trembled as her fingers traced over the obviously hiding bulge. "Please... don't." He whispered more words under his breath in his clearly normal masculine voice. She tried to listen to what he was saying when suddenly it was stopped by a violent splashing sound.

Her eyes opened in horror to see dust falling to the floor. The young stallion was completely gone, vaporized right in front of her. She stepped back in shock and glanced around the halls until her sweat dripped at the glowing visage of the camera lense.

The elevator opened and she rushed inside, fearing the same fate. She glanced at the control panel, her heart racing pressing the top floor without even thinking about it. Her eyes darted around the interior. No cameras inside were the only sigh of relief she got as the doors sealed her in. The silence inside left her ventilating and slapping her hand as she could still feel the ashes of his cock.

Soon enough the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Saffron slowly stood back up and exited. Her eyes gazed over the fancy room and the large pink and gold door in front of her. Her heart was racing, knowing that she had to complete this mission, but unsure if this was the right place. Slowly, she walked toward the door and knocked.

"Leave all those ash-covered clothes in the bin beside you and enter!" A mare voice echoed through the intercom.

Saffron' eyes widened, this wasn't not the right place at all. Dr Firelight was a stallion, not a mare. She started to panic but remembered there was three targets in total in this place. Could this be the other one? She looked to her side and noticed a bin, then turned back to the door. The mare shivered but did as she was told, seeing the camera begin to glow again. This had to be the source of the cameras. Slowly she stripped down, piece by piece, tossing them all into the bin. Her eyes leered at the glowing camera until it finally ceased.

Taking a deep breath, Saffron opened the door and stepped inside. There she was met with the strangest thing yet. The room was covered with mirrors and a pink carpet. A yellow unicorn mare with a white and pink mane laid back on a cushion, wearing nothing either. Her own nakedness splayed out like a prize. All of clearly manufactured, from obvious nose and cheek implants to breast expansions and ass tightening. Not a single piece of her shape looked real at all.

However, the strangeness didn't end there. A strange machine with a long pink shaft, shaped like a cock was prompting pumping slowly into the mare's exposed pussy. Cranking the machine up and down were young stallions that looked even more meek than the stallions on the base floor. They didn't even look up at her, shivering from the open slashes over their backs and sides.

The yellow mare with the pink mane turned her head and smiled. "Come in! Come in, I'm not going to bite you!" Despite the device firmly satisfying her she didn't moan once in her speech. "How did it feel to be plowed by Dr. Pitch?"

"Uh..." Saffron was taken aback, how did this mare know what she had been doing? The cameras were off, maybe a common assumption. The mare doubted she was the first to be enjoyed by that horny muscles-bound freak. "It was... good."

"I certainly hope so. Daddy knows how to keep a mare entertained. Don't you think so boys?" The sexed-up mare swayed her hands under the chins of their chins. "Over the years, he's learned to pull out more often so 'mistakes' like me don't happen."

"His little accident." She shrugged her shoulders and let out a soft moan, but still no visible reaction. The two young stallions working the device didn't respond. They just kept on cranking away. Their bodies were glistening in the light and the smell was a mix of sweat and sex.

"So..." Saffron gulped. "You're... Dr Pitch's daughter?" Saffron took a step forward, but her eyes remained fixated on the stallions. Their wounds looked so severe that it was shocking they were still standing and alive. She could only imagine the pain they must be enduring. Their age was also discerning as they looked even younger than the stallions in the lobby.

"Calm down!" Seeing Saffron's attention on them, she slapped their shoulders, making them forcible smile in her direction. The boss mare hissed at her staring. "They are legal 18 years old as of today." She gestured her closer. "I wouldn't dare give them a chance to touch this lovely body until their fluids were just ripe." Her tone turned sinister for a second before returning to a normal level. "My name is Vignette Valencia."

Saffron's eyes widened, this was the other target. Master technician, thus the operator of those horrid cameras. Her face leered away, remembering the strange wires that looked more like vines. She needed an explained the weird technology directly from her, but first, she needed... to seduce her.

"Nice to meet you." Saffron took a deep breath, taking another step closer. "I'm here to..." She opened the file and her complexion faded. "To pleasure you too." She hated the sickening idea, the pressure from this whorish mare's father was still leaving her quite heated, the only thing that dulled it was what happened to that young stallion from before. She couldn't possibly be considering such acts, one right after the other.

Vignette smiled. "Daddy did a great job, but Mother always said he'd popped off too quickly." Her eyes were gleaming like a hungry predator.

"Right..." Saffron felt even worse for this evil mare dare including her mother in such thoughts too. Just what disgusting limits did this family have? What kind of employment did this company encourage by having such deranged staff?

"Look at me!" Vignette presented her naked form to her. "Aren't I just the loveliest thing in existence?" Her eyes were gleaming.

"Uh..." Saffron was confused but knew that she had to answer. "Yes?"

"Of course I am!" Vignette turned her nose up. "However, even a body as flawless as mine has limits of ecstasy." She gestured to the dildo. "Even as these stallions train my body to last longer and longer. It's still not enough. That is why I occasionally needed a mare... to stand as my substitute." With that note, she snapped her fingers.

The stallions removed themselves from cranking the machine and quickly ran over to Saffron, grabbing her legs and holding her arms. Saffron gasped and struggled against their grasp, but they pulled her between them. She screamed and struggled but could not break free from their combined strength.

"Please!" Vignette held up her hand to Saffron. "Don't make me give them another session of lashing!" She leaned over and started working the machine herself. "Give them what they need and everything will be just fine." She gestured to their penises, rings firmly around their tips. "And look how eager they are, they've been waiting for you."

Saffron's eyes gazed at their penises, all were both throbbing. They were all clearly desperate to ejaculate but unable to. She shivered, unsure how she was supposed to react to this. Her body was frozen in terror, fearing for her life. This was easily the more insane mission yet, and the first time Hoo'far had put her in such a situation.

Vignette laughed, pulling the dildo from her pussy. "See how wet and moist I am. Please, make me wetter! Fill her holes my pets!"

Saffron watched as the stallions forced her down on the floor. They pinned her to the ground, her back pressed into the pink carpet. One of the stallions slipped his penis between her thighs, just above her pussy. The other took ahold of her breasts and forced his dick between them. She gasped and looked at both, shivering in fear.

"That's right! Show me how much defilement you could give me!" Vignette laughed, masturbating furiously.

The two stallions pushed forward. Their penises plunged back and forth between her thighs and breasts. Their hips grinding against her, forcing her to be still and not fight back. They kept her in place and fucked her relentlessly. She closed her eyes, whimpering as they did it. Her eyes glanced over to the cameras. The lenses were glowing, her terror increasing.

"Yes! That's it!" Vignette squealed and finally moaned. Her fingers were soaked in her juices, and her pussy leaking all over the floor. "Make me scream more, boys!" She imaged them doing the very actions upon her body instead of Saffron.

"Please..." Saffron shivered, knowing that this was part of her mission. The only thing keeping her from screaming was the fact that neither one was inside her. Yet, the camera continued to watch and their thrusting became even faster.

"More! More!" Vignette screamed. "Pin me down harder and fuck me! Make me feel pain and pleasure!"

The two stallions obeyed their mistress, pinning Saffron down harder. Their cocks were grinding harder, thrusting deeper into her breasts and thighs. She could feel their precum leaking all over her. The warm fluids were spilling all over her body and even leaking between her breasts.

Vignette's eyes rolled back and her tongue flopped out. "So close!" She was stopped as one of the stallion jumped off of Saffron and turned toward his mistress, grunting hard. His penis twitched, the ring popped off and he finally erupted. It was aimed directly at Vignette, coating her in white. She screamed out in pleasure, feeling his warmth covering her body.

Her joy quickly turned to rage. "I wasn't done yet!" The camera blasted his head off, splashing his blood over Saffron. The other stallion immediately jumped back, pulling his penis free from Saffron's thighs.

"Brother!!" the young stallion screamed in horror.

Vignette pulled out the device and stood up. Her horn glowing and her eyes blazing red. "I'm so sorry!" She walked over and hugged the stallion. "But you know the cost of disobeying me! If only he were able to satisfy me first, then this wouldn't have happened!" She pulled back and slapped him across the face. Taking him by the throat, she guided him away from Saffron and back over to the cushion.

"I'll give you another chance satisfy me!" She bent over and presented her anus, sliding the device into her pussy once more. "Show me you can do better than your dead brother! Fuck me like a real stallion!"

"Yes... mistress!" He nodded and grabbed ahold of her. While pushing his cock into her anus, his eyes never left his brother's fresh corpse. Tears running down his face as he started fucking her.

Picking herself up, Saffron was horrified by what just happened. But also relieved that she was no longer being defiled. She had been saved for now, yet the mission wasn't done. Her eyes gazed upon Vignette's horn. She took a deep breath and moved closer.

Vignette's body shook from the stallion's thrusts. She was getting her fill but not enough. Turning her system onto its highest setting, trying to break past her limits. This gave Saffron the best chance to make her move. Gently placing her hand upon the boss mare's horn.

Saffron gestured over to her horn, making it look like she wanted to help her reach an orgasm. Vignette smiled and nodded, leaning out her horn. As Saffron's hand took a firm grip, Vignette's body grew weaker. This felt so wrong to be touching this mare in such a way, but it was part of the mission. The eyes returned to their normal pink color, and her mind cleared.

"Thank you..." Vignette smiled and her body shook. The stallion groaned as he edged closer, fighting his urge to not release too quickly. Saffron saw this too and didn't want him to suffer the same fate as his brother. Wrapping both her hands around the horn and rubbing it off.

Seeing this rush wasn't working, Saffron gritted her teeth and leaned down. Pulling out her tongue, she hesitantly lapped at the tip of the horn. It was a weird sensation, tasting such an object. But she couldn't let her curiosity break her from the mission, seeing Vignette's moans grow stronger and louder. Her body started to convulse, and the stallion couldn't handle it anymore.

Fearing the worst, Saffron went for it and pressed downward hard. Using her all strength to push Vignette's face into the cushion. And finally, with all her effort the horn snapped clean off. Blood squirted everywhere, spraying from the mare's head as she climaxed in the same motion. The stallion screamed and pulled himself back. He looked over in terror, but could stop himself from splashing white.

It covered Vignette's backside, her blood mixing with his juices. Her body trembled and then fell over the side, the pain and pleasure overtook her. Her body was completely limp and her mind faded. She had reached a new orgasm high she never experienced before and it knocked her out.

The stallion's cock continued to twitch and fall to the ground. Saffron leaned over and used the broken horn to blast his ring off, letting the pressure and pain finally end. Afterward, she turned her attention to the camera's and blasted them off too before they could auto-fire. Finally, she aimed at the floor, pressing the horn right beside her own, she hoped it would be enough to mix the two spell.

She was unsure just how this mare was using magic this close to the black crystal. However, that didn't matter, if her own horn could receive the smallest spark from her's it would be enough. A two-prong light condensed out and blasted a hole right in the floor. This revealed those same strange vine-like wires, blasting against them lit them aflame. It might not be enough to destroy them, but it might be enough to disrupt all cameras long enough for Hoo'far to reach the power switches for the building.

Once the room was safe, she dropped to the floor in utter horror. "What... What is this place?" She shivered and tried to hold herself together. "This is so far beyond what I signed up for..." Tears filled her eyes. She didn't want to admit it, but this mission was starting to break her.

******

Buying Import

Saffron sat there for a good ten minutes shaking. Her emotions were a wreck and her mind couldn't process anything. This was truly her darkest moment of this whole experience. Was all of this worth it? She was no closer now than at the start from her perspective. Just what did she learn in all this?

As her mind wandered, a door opened and the elevator dinged. That was when things got even stranger. Two pale white beings devoid of facial details outside of green manes walked into the room. One ran over to the two suitors that the monstrous mare from before had been using. Before Saffron could process why they were here, the figure stabbed both stallions swiftly in the brain stem.

Her eyes widened and she tried to react only for the first one to stand in her way. She froze as it held a sharp object to her throat. Saffron remained still as the second pale creature poured out green liquid over the body, quickly melting their entire bodies down to a fine mush without damaging the floor at all. After which they vacuum it up and swiped away the surface. In seconds the whole scene was completely clean.

The first one pushed her away as the second walked over to Vignette, melting her down as well as the couch and removing all evidence from the room. The only thing that still affirmed to her that it all happened was fresh in her mind. As the second worked, the first pulled out some much cleaner and nicer clothes for her and waved their hand over her.

Like as if the most efficient spell, it cleaned off her whole body just like the shower, but with far greater details. She barely couldn't even feel the previous impressions against her pussy. It was the weirdest and most uncomfortable feeling that she had ever experienced. The figure placed the clothing down beside her and walked away.

The clothes were fitted perfectly to her body and were extremely comfortable. They were completely unlike the sexy attire of the last few missions. In fact, she almost felt like a noble mare wearing this. However, it didn't feel right at all, given where she was. She didn't say anything, but her eyes leered over to the figures as they gestured her back to the elevator.

Saffron took a deep breath and slowly stood up. Her eyes locked on the figure, seeing that it didn't move nor lower their weapons. It was clear that she had no choice but to obey and follow. She couldn't tell if these things were ponies or even alive. But either way, they weren't going to kill her if she listened. Not when they took so much trouble to clean up the mess and put her in the nicest clothing yet.

Once inside, they typed several floor buttons in a sequence like a combination lock. The doors closed and the elevator shook violently, but didn't move up or down. She held her hand to the wall to brace herself. It felt like the whole building was spinning around her. Then with a final shake the door dinged and opened. Despite seemingly not moving at all, the opening led to a new room that wasn't there before.

Outside was the most extravagant rooftop garden, undercast the black crystal that held Canterlot, over shining the crater that haunted her this whole time. Saffron stepped outside and was awestruck with how beautiful it was. It was decorated like a royal chamber, everything was made from the finest materials.

She was taken to the center, a large round table. There were already other figures present, leaving behind a massive offering of food. All of it drew her attention so strong as the details were so familiar. Then it hit her, the food looked exactly like they had came her father's restaurant.

The truth hit her with such joy that she didn't even need to fight herself to sit down among the incredible display. Saffron felt her previous tears of sadness replaced by happiness and joy. Touching food reveal they were so real, and warm, like they were made seconds ago.

The guards moved aside and let her eat to her content. Saffron savored the taste and the memories of each bite lacing her mouth. She couldn't stop smiling, feeling her heart beating again with more effort than she had in months. The pain of what happened was being pushed aside, and she was able to relax and enjoy herself. It took her a solid minute before she choked and needed a drink.

On that cue, the elevator open against to reveal the leader of this table. She was stopped mid-bite at the appearance and name tag in plain sight. An old purple stallion with a teal in a fine suit with a yellow tie and a brown vest. Arriving at the far end of the table, he draped his lab coat of the chair with his cutie mark emblazoned upon it. A flickering flame, which meant only one thing.

"Dr. Firelight..." Saffron quickly cleaned off her face. "I've found you..."

"Yes, you have, my dear Saffron." He snapped his fingers, and the pale figures left the room, vanishing into the elevator. "Please, sit and eat your fill." He smiled and sat down, taking a plate. "Crave these exact copies... of the greatest food your father ever made for me."

"Copies..." Her eyes widened as the detail felt so real. However, another thought ran through her mind that left her even more sickened. "My father... worked for you monsters--" She was stopped at his laughter.

"Vignette Valencia, Dr. Pitch and the other ones you seduced..." He cleared his throat to make sure every word came to her as clearly as possible. "The company has been around for thousands of years and there are too many departments to keep up with. Yes, your father worked under one of our lesser sections, but never made contact with either of those two."

"He didn't know what you were doing here!" She slammed her fists into the table, making the plates and cups jump. "That's absurd. My father would never agree to such things. He's a loving stallion who wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Yes, which is why he had to keep a tight lip when we used certain meals he made for our purpose." Firelight poured himself some wine, taking a sip. "I had hoped his craft still holds true in his daughter long after his passing. And judging by your performance, that sadly not the case."

"No..." She gritted her teeth. "I'm nothing like my father. And he would hate what I've done to get here..." The mare shoved the plates away and stood up. "And he would never work for such a monster, no matter the reason."

"Even if that reason was to save all Equestria?"

"What?" Her eyes widened and her mind raced as a screen above them descended. "What are you talking about? How are such whorish actions required in saving the homeland?"

"Foolish mare, I stated before there are many departments. Dr. Pitch and his demented daughter only covered a single area. We have many venues, ranging from peaceful to warlike." He snapped his fingers and images flashed on screen, showing her everything.

"Shortly after the founding of Equestria, Lord Red foretold the fate of everything playing out now. It was the last message he gave to the princesses before the traitor Rex Moba cast him beyond reality." The image showed a giant centipede vanishing with his last words scrolling out. "The prophecy stated that Equestria's destruction would come to pass five thousands years later. Modern day..."

The screen split in half and shined the black crystal thousands of miles above them. "Our founder assumed this meant that cursed centipedes return, but she was wrong. It quickly became clear that this disaster would come at the hands of another we weren't prepared for. The princesses have been blind to our findings and refused to accept this impending danger."

"I don't believe you." Saffron's eye narrowed, not buying any of this. "The princesses would never allow Equestria to fall. They have worked tirelessly to keep it together for generations."

"And now they are dead!!" He slammed his hand down. "They hold no will in this place anymore."

"No..." Saffron tried to argue. "They aren't dead, just trapped."

"Believe what you will. Truthfully none of us have been able to break into that black crystal." He sighed and took a long drink. "But that didn't stop us from doing our jobs."

"And what is that?" Saffron shivered at the possible answer, yet the reveal only left her so confused.

"The founder..." He turned the drink over the food, pour out the maroon liquid over the meal. "The founder's word... She is our will... The founder!!"

"Who is this founder?"

"No!" Dr. Firelight stood up and approached Saffron. "Don't say it so commonly, she not no mere common pony. She is the founder of everything all around you." He spread his arms out. "Her vision guided not our company, but everything Equestria. Her word is absolute, and her will must not be questioned."

"You're not answering me!"

"The founder... is god and devil to all of us." He smiled wide, his eyes beaming with pride. "She saw the first ponies rise from the muck." Getting right in her face, he took her by the collar and pulled her away from the table. "She guided the first unicorn to her horn and held the pegasus up with her wings. The earth ponies march in her forgotten footsteps. All of us, ever since she united us."

"What does that have to do with me?!" She pulled herself back, knocking his grip loose. "Or my father?! He didn't deserve to be dragged into this mess. None of us did!" She pointed to the black crystal and demanded. "Enough explanation. Bring my father back to me."

"Your father is gone." Dr. Firelight sighed, pulling her hand down. "Everypony up there is doomed to be consumed by the evil tyrant our founder desires to defeat." He pulled her into his shoulder and wrapped his hand over the back of her head. "You must understand... I know your pain. I lost my own adopted daughter, Starlight Glimmer on the same day that thing appeared. But the ones up there... Everything we have lost are beyond our grasp now."

"No..." Saffron struggled. "They aren't! There has to be a way to get them out of there." She pushed him back, her tears flying from her face. "If you can make all these horrible devices and machines... then you have to have something that could free them."

"Sadly, we don't--" Without warning his head was blasted clean off by a spell. The blood splattered over her and threw him over the table and far from her. Saffron jumped and looked to the doorway. To her surprise it was Hoo'far held his staff high upon entering the room.

"Thank you for keeping him distracted." Hoo'far rushed in with a smile. "I was worried even with the cameras offline that one of those pale assassins might step in the way." He walked over and stabbed the bottom of his staff into Dr. Firelight's hand.

"Hoo'far, what are you doing?!" Saffron yelled in disbelief.

"What do you think I'm doing?" He pressed several buttons on his staff as the top open to reveal a vial of blood. "I needed hurry up and claim his DNA, and reach our final destination. The idea was for you to seduce some semen out of him, but things got complicated." He chuckled and took hold of the vial, grabbed her hand and racing them both back to the elevator, glaring at the body the whole time.

"How did you even get up here--" She was stopped upon seeing powder over the buttons.

"Finding the right combination wasn't that hard once I knew you were up here. However, finding our final target proved more troublesome." He pressed the floor buttons in a different sequence as the door closed. A pocket opened under the numbers revealing a petri dish where he poured out the blood. The elevator started to shake and the screen above read. 'DNA recognized: Dr. Firelight, clearance granted.'

"Where are we going?" Saffron demanded. "If this is our final destination, then I need real answers, not that shit he was peddling me!" She threw out her hands and her voice grew with rage.

"I'll explain everything once we reach the Altar of the Pale Mare." Hoo'far sighed. "I can't tell you until you've seen it with your own eyes." His hand pressed the dish back into its pocket as the elevator moved. "Just know, everything has been building up to this. Today we find out what happened to Canterlot!"

******

Soon after the door closed, the room was ever so silent upon the cold visage of Dr. Firelight's headless corpse. That is until the body got back. The neck wound morphed and twisted as the skin turned pale white. Stretching outward and taking shape of a new head, with a green mane.

Standing up, seemingly unharmed by the attack. He held up his wristwatch and spoke with a different voice. "This is 053, everything went according to plan. They will firmly believe you are dead, Dr. Firelight."

"Good..." The real master of this game watched from the shadows among a room of crystals. "The founder's will shall be complete." He observed the images of Saffron and Hoo'far arriving at their next destination. "Thank you two, for help me clear out the disgusting ravel." The unicorn pressed a button revealing the corpses of all stallions Saffron 'seduced'. Each one was being ripped apart and replaced by the same pale blank-faced creatures with green manes.

******

The Sacrifice

The doors opened and Hoo'far led her down the hall with torches that lit with each step. At the end of the passage was another room lined with mirrors like on the top floor. Saffron didn't even want to see her reflection after what had happened. Yes, Dr. Firelight seemed to be an utter monster by all accounts, but Hoo'far murdering him like that felt so cold. Worse yet, the fresh images of his brain splattering were mixing with the horrid actions those others did to her, leading her mind to deem Hoo'far just as evil as them.

He didn't say anything as he led her along, walking over a strange purple glass bridge, until he reached a pedestal. The entire room was filled with so much equipment, machines, and strange devices. There were even operating tables off to the side with a few of the pale beings lying dead all over the floor alongside several other corpses.

The extras that weren't blank, were very young, clearly colts. The floor was painted with the defiled and destroyed bodies of extra children. Each one was mutilated in the same fashion. Their limbs were gone, their stomachs ripped open and their genitals completely shredded to pieces. The smell of decay had long faded away, leading to greater dread.

"What is all of this?" Saffron gagged and held her mouth shut, feeling the vomit churning in her stomach.

"The leftovers." Hoo'far sighed at the scene, giving no more comments then was needed.

"Wait, They did this, those horrid doctors!!" Saffron jumped back in horror. After everything else, Saffron could only assume the worst for these victims.

"I didn't expect this place to be so big..." Hoo'far spoke with a nervous chuckle. The ceiling was at least several stories high and the room's width was nearly twice the size of the entire building. There was no way the building was being held upright with this massive area under it.

"What are we doing here?" She asked, trying to push everything out of her mind. Could this be the final target they were looking for? Was the real answers about her father here?

"Right, there's not much time to waste." Hoo'far tapped on the glass pedestal, turning on the monitors and devices. "Just need to type in the passcode for each employee you've seduced along with the ten other codes Birch gave me before he was trapped. One of which was your father's code." He leered at her with those words.

"What?" Saffron tried to deny it. "My father wouldn't agree to any of this?!"

"Yes, I know, you've been saying that this whole time..." He rolled his eyes and slowly raised his voice. "However, more and more facts are being presented to you that say the complete opposite." He tapped on the last screen, revealing her father's name and number. "Your father was the one pony to have been in direct contact with Dr. Firelight's adopted child, Starlight Glimmer." He showed her a group of images featuring Starlight as a child being left behind at Firelight's doorstep. The unicorn's training in all forms of basic magic and her encounters with Twilight Sparkle.

In particular, what drew Saffron's gaze most was several dinners at her father's restaurant in which Starlight was spying on Twilight on the other side of the room. "Its still unclear in these files why Starlight showed such interests in the Princess of Friendship. But consider this, both vanished the same day that black crystal rose to the sky and they were the only disappearances that happened outside of Canterlot." He pulled up all the files, showing all the proof. Yet it only made it harder and harder for her to accept.

Saffron raised her hand to the image of her father serving Starlight and meal and accepted her notes of Twilight. Literal proof that he was at least working directly with Dr. Firelight's adopted daughter. But how did that prove he was a part of this evil company? What reason did he have for working for them?

"Why are you so desperate to believe that your father was innocent in all this?" Hoo'far turned away from the screen and looked her straight in the eyes. "What level of denial do you need to be in for you to disregard the obvious truth?"

"He's not like that. I refuse to believe that!" Saffron finally screamed, standing her ground. "It's all a lie!!"

"Fine..." He typed in the final password and the platform behind the screen opened to reveal an altar with three tanks. "I shall have to shatter this mindset right now." He took her by the shoulders and pushed her over to the platform. "I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice."

"What? Stop it?!" She struggled.

"I had hoped you would enter the pod willingly. But your stupid denial is too strong for your own good." The tank behind her opened as if recognizing her DNA and allowed him to shove her inside. "I'm sorry..." His eyes dropped as she slapped his arms and chest.

"No, you're not! You're a sick pervert. Just like all those other twisted and demented monsters upstairs!" Saffron cried out and fought him, but he was just too strong. "You just want to use me!"

"I'm showing the truth!" He screamed at her, slamming the door shut. Slowly he walked back to the keyboard and screen and typed out data he never wanted to. She refused to listen, but this would change everything for her, whether she wanted it or not. "Truthfully..." Tears cupped in his eyes. "I didn't want to take this route. My plan was to use Dr. Firelight or even Vignette... But maybe this is the only way you will listen." With that stallion hit the enter key and a purple light shined into the container.

"What are you doing?" Saffron yelled, slamming her fists on the glass as the tank was filling with a strange liquid. She covered her mouth, fearing drowning in this hellish place.

"Just relax. This will only take a moment to peel the veil." Hoo'far took a step back and watched as the glass container filled with the glowing fluid. It took a solid minute for the liquid to fill the space. He watched with shaking eyes as Saffron struggled to hold her breath for as long as possible.

Seconds turned to minutes as she fought on for as long as possible. She didn't want to die in this place. Why? Just why was he doing this to her? Her lungs were burning and her head pounding. She closed her eyes, hoping this was all a bad dream. Dreaded yet was a small desire she didn't want to admit at all, a tinge of hope that this might kill her and finally reunite her with her father in the afterlife.

Yet, she didn't wake from a dream, nor feel the twisted embrace of death. Instead, all she could feel was air. Her eyes snapped open. The liquid was all around her, but somehow she was breathing. The inside of the glass had changed to a clear window and she could see everything inside the room.

She looked to Hoo'far who had his hand raised to the tank. He was crying. It was the first time she saw a real emotion other than smugness and a smile on his face. Yet it only made her question why was he acting this way. No, what was he seeing? She noted his deep gaze, not into her eyes but over her body.

A cold dread poured over her senses as her eyes followed his suit and down over her body. Her perception of denial faded instantly. The truth was in plain sight, all over her body. No longer was she just a common unicorn of brown tones and darker brown hair. No, her complexion was now pale white, and her hair a distinct green. She leaned toward him, looking deep into the reflections in his eyes to see the reality that had always been hidden from her.

"I see..." Hoo'far echoed her thoughts in his words. "The Saffron I knew... was never the real Saffron. You are a pale duplication of a real mare." He turned away and winced, laughing at his own denial he had to. "No, not even mare..." He pulled out a file from his robe and held it up to the glass. "I didn't understand it at first... But the real Saffron died in her mother's womb."

The image showed a picture of her father alongside his wife and a stillborn foal, matching her former details. "That's... That's why my father worked for them..." The fake Saffron couldn't live in denial any more. Her words spoke with such icy cold truth. "It was never some sick, twisted mindset... I'm the reason why."

"You were never a victim in all this." He tapped the glass, turning off the machine and allowing her to step out of the pod. Once she was dry, her previous form of Saffron returned slowly. He gave her the file and stepped back to the keyboard and screen. Pulling up more files on the computers he answered her next questions.

"Not changeling, not a true shapeshifter. Rather, they are called doppelgangers. A manufactured species designed by the god of the mindscape and stolen by the founder of this company." He revealed images of a small factory on an island far out in the Celestial Ocean, producing the creatures. Each one was being fed the same false memories, given the same DNA and appearance of their assigned replacement. "They can be designed as ageless or at the same rate as the ponies they are replacing."

"I see..." Words flowed out of her mouth as thoughts and information became clear. "Such creations would be a unique boon for whore houses. Have them harvest the DNA and supply them with endless mindless servants."

"Exactly..." A smooth grin grew on Hoo'far. "That's how Birch Bucket found out about this place. However, he still left me out for so long too." He slammed his fist on the screen. "That bastard knew the truth from the very beginning."

"My father is a good stallion." Saffron stepped forward, taking the information in and understanding more and more. "He raised me to be... his real daughter." She accepted the truth and the cold reality that was her existence. "All this time... I thought he was the one protecting me, or even that they were forcing him into this hellish keep. But, instead... I was the reason he joined."

"I'm so sorry..." His eyes narrowed on the screen as he pulled up the last file. "I know it's a lot to take in. But here is what we came for." He hit the print button and a single document came out. The title was. 'Memorial Services for Starlight Glimmer and Twilight Sparkle'.

Saffron caught it and read the destination. "Can't be..."

"Yes. Our final destination is the abandoned Castle of Friendship." He walked over beside her and took her hand. Tapping his staff on the floor twice the two vanished.

******

Author's Note

Another chapter, not on Monday. Yes, I'm speedrunning these final posts to end this story on the final day of July. I didn't expect this one to go on for so long, but here we are. One more chapter on Monday and then the Epilogue on Wednesday.

Pale Mare

Hoo'far led the way through the halls and up the stairs until they reached the main chamber. It was the one area where no one had touched since it happened. Opening the door revealed the chairs of the Main Six and the former spot of the crystal map of legend. Now gone, vanished the same day that Twilight and Starlight did. The same day that black crystal consumed Canterlot and separated Saffron from her father.

"We're here." Hoo'far walked carefully to the center, looking over the edge at the massive hole in the floor. He opened his pockets and lay out all the objects they had gathered. "First, the diamond zap apples." Six were floated in front of each chair. "Second, the Prometheus Vines." All connected by the strange vine like wires. "Third... one doppelganger, stained and impure." He stepped aside and gestured her to the center of the small hole in the floor.

"Are you sure about this?" Saffron looked at her hands as her true pale body took shape. "What is my purpose in this now? We know why my father's name was on the list, what else is there to learn?"

"I need to know why?" Hoo'far answered her so calmly, holding tightly to her hand as she descended. "I need to know who this founder is? And if they are responsible for this hellish world Equestria has become."

"Alright..." Saffron took a breath and let go of his hand, stepping over to the center of the hole. From the inside, it became clear that the crystal map and in fact, the entire table had been ripped right out of the ground.

"You can rest easy..." He smiled, placing the final item onto the altar, the petri dish with his blood. "According to the files... This is how they communicated with the founder."

"Why here?" Saffron pleaded, slowly removing her clothes and exposing her new form to herself. "Why this abandoned place?"

"Because... they only way they can speak to her is through cracks in time." Hoo'far also removed his clothes, unveiling the scars she had already seen but with greater detail. Cutting his hands open, blood flowed into the dish as it rose to the center. His staff drew out the incantations from the paper in the air.

"Is there no other way..." Her eyes traced over her new form naked. Her nipples, belly button, pussy, and anus were completely closed in this pale state. She appeared like a perfect reflection compared to the deformed scarred shape of Hoo'far. A similar void to the burn marks all over her ally, but in reverse to the reality of both their bodies and minds. She came to this point with one pure and open purpose. However, his true reasoning for coming this far was still completely unknown to her. "I'm just a duplicate, not the real Saffron."

"Your father raised you to be the real her... He had faith in you and so do I." Hoo'far answered her with a wink. He flipped the page over and showed her the information. "It mentions other ways of seeing her without a need to speak, but those processes would take several years and training and dosages of the diamond zap apples." His eyes narrowed and the symbols glowed. "And we don't have that kind of time. For the sake of the future, we must see her, face to face."

The symbols dropped down over the apples and poured out multiple black circles dividing them. The vines traced an outline of the circle inward before raising upward and taking the petri dish, forming a second group of red circles using his blood. Finally, a third group of blue circles appeared around the chairs themselves as each cutie mark glowed. "This is the place where Twilight and Starlight got trapped in time... and from here I shall make contact with the Pale Mare!!"

"Hoo'far..." Saffron screamed as the circles were filling the hole she was standing in. Her vision blurred as her senses faded as the blackness consumed her. A pale feeling washed over her body and soul. It felt like something was ripping her apart and piecing her back together. "Where are you?!" She shouted out, but he didn't answer. "Please... Hoo'far!!"

"Saffron..." A voice echoed in her ear. "Saffron, wake up." Her eyes widened at the sound of her father's voice.

The entire room shook so violently and brought Hoo'far down to his knees. He kept the incantation going until he was certain it was complete. Waiting for what felt like an eternity, soon he saw it. The fake Saffron's body rose from the black mass, wearing a new face, wearing the blue and red circles like clothes, no, chains, bounding her in place.

"Who dares contact me in this place?!" The Pale Mare's voice echoed from Saffron's mouth. "I cannot exist in this time anomaly for very long. Speak your questions and I shall answer before this doppelganger is beyond repair."

"Who are you? Why use such a company? Why wasn't I included in such a cabal?" Hoo'far yelled out as he tried to get up.

"My name is of no importance, but my purpose is to maintain order of events..." Her will moved Saffron's body like a puppet. "Time is a very fickle thing. If one event does not occur in a timely fashion, the path led me here with shattered into Elisus' maw. The cabal was to ensure everything was in place for my return."

"Your return... You're not from our time. Then, what of the black crystals? Was that part of the plan?" Hoo'far stood strong and continued his questions.

"No... and yes. I am from your timeline, and yet I am connected to so many others." Her hand pointed to the diamond apples, showing two of them turning black and decaying. "Speak faster... My presence in this place is a paradox. Soon, this decay will spread to the doppelganger too."

"I understand." He nodded and asked more important questions. "How can I stop it? How can I save this world?"

"You cannot..." Her words stabbed deep into his heart. "Speak faster, with real questions that I can answer."

"I'm sorry." Hoo'far snapped himself back together and pressed forward. "Why was I not included? What did I do wrong?"

"Enough pointless posturing!!" Her voice grew with rage. "I don't wish to kill this host!! Ask the right questions?!"

"Fine." He winced and demanded the only true answers left he sought. "Who are you?!" It was the only question that made sense at this moment. The only clarity he desired was in this lack of knowledge. "What is your true name--" He was stopped as a purple crystal rose through the floor and stabbed him in the back.

Hoo'far was so shocked by the sudden attack. Only more so upon seeing the real Dr. Firelight commanding the crystals. He pulled his hand back, and the crystal came free. Hoo'far reached out to him with rage and malice, coughing blood from his mouth as he fell to the ground.

"Shamefully, that was the correct question." She blinked twice and broke the grip she had over Saffron just before the final apple decayed. "However, my captors won't let me tell you that answer."

"So..." His eyes widened at the word choice. Hoo'far smiled as blood poured down his chin. "You... are a prisoner... You are the founder of this company... but it long fled your control..."

"Yes and no..." Dr. Firelight walked forward and stepped on his hand. "She has always been in control. But we need to convince the one who imprisoned her that she lacks all control. Thus, the guise of a company at conflict with its own interests. When in reality that conflict and counter interests is a cloak to hide our real purpose."

"I see..." Hoo'far remembered back to the fake's words. "You have to play god and devil."

"Exactly." Dr. Firelight smirked, dropping his other boot through the stallion's skull. He didn't hesitate to kill Hoo'far in the same way he attempted to do to him. "We have to preserve the idea of us being monsters to hide our savor in her captor's eyes. If that means plenty of tortured souls and bloodshed, so be it."

"Yes..." The Pale Mare turned away, almost ashamed of her ally's actions. "It's a cruel guise, but the evils we face are far more venomous." Her eyes leering on the apples and her time in this body running out. "I have to play the long game..." The Pale Mare sighed, her will fading as the blackness drained from Saffron's body. "You are not a failure... None of you are." Her last piece of grip was used to trace over each throne of the main six. "Though it was short, I was glad to be here one more time."

Saffron's body was softly dropped into Twilight's chair. The Pale Mare was gone, her presence faded from the world. The doppelganger, Saffron, slowing breathing back to life, and the dead stallion on the other side of the room. Hoo'far was dead, but his staff still glowed with faint purple light.

Slowly the staff's light changed, forming a distinct letter K on the walls. Dr. Firelight frowned at that cursed symbol, remarking. "The cast of the black crystal's master. Hoo'far, you were nothing more than a pawn from the very beginning." He pulled out a long pale glove. "However, maybe we can use that and your face and memories... to our advantage."

Dr. Firelight put the glove over the body and the process to make a new doppelganger began.

******

Deep within Saffron's mind, she was unaware of everything that just happened. Instead, all previous thought that led her to this point faded images flowing around her in the mindscape. It was slow at first, but each piece brought such joy to her. From the familiar smell to the keen sounds and finally the obvious images.

As the blur clear away, her eyes brightened at the image of the restaurant all around her. "I'm back..." Tears flowing from her eyes. The scent of his old beard cologne filled her nose. His warm touch against her skin. All these memories came flooding back to her.

"I missed you so much, Saffron." Her father's voice was behind her. She shivered in a panic, fearing it was a total lie, but slowly turned around. The sight of her father brought the tears to her eyes. She could no longer contain the joy in her heart.

"Dad!!" Saffron ran into his arms and sobbed. "I missed you so much!!"

"Welcome back, my little girl." He smiled and kissed her forehead. "I'm so glad that you're safe. I've always had faith that you would find a way to see me one final time."

"Yes!" Saffron cried out, holding him tight. "I did everything I could just to bring you back--" She stopped as the word final hit her ears. The mare slowly lifted her eyes and looked deep into his eyes. "Final...?"

"Yes... This is the end." He spoke with such softness, but his words were a cold truth. "She could help me see you... because I'm already dead."

"No!! Please... not yet!" She cried. "I don't want to lose you again."

"Saffron." He grabbed her by the shoulders and draped her head under his hairy chin. "I love you. You are my daughter and nothing will change that." He smiled, wiping the tears away. "You are so brave and beautiful. No matter what you do or who you love, I will always support you..." No matter how much he said, he could hide his own tears. "However, there is another who needs my support now?"

They parted and he pointed to a small filly running over to him. Saffron gasped as her featured matched her perfectly. "Is that... the real me?"

"Yes and no." He picked up and the child and swung her around in joy. "You and her are both my daughters..." He stopped, held the smaller one in one arm while caressing the cheek of the older doppelganger. "You were never an illusion in my eyes."

"But... she's real. I'm just a clone of the real thing." She lowered her head in shame.

"Don't be silly." Her father chuckled and placed a finger under her chin. "Those memories we shared... That's what tells me the truth. Those are all real." He turned around and gestured her to look around. "This was the real place, where I raised you to be a perfect mare. My heart. My love. My family. It all belongs to you too."

"You really mean it?" Saffron looked into his eyes and saw his smile.

"Of course." He hugged the doppelganger Saffron. The filly real version of her also enjoyed the comfort, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I love you, my daughters."

"We love you too, daddy." They smiled, feeling a united warmth. Saffron held onto them both so tightly even as the images began to fade. She could feel her heart and soul being pulled back to the living realm.

"It's time to go back." Her father broke the embrace for her, much to her regret. "It's time..." He smiled as their surroundings faded. "Remember, no matter what you do, no matter how long you live or who you are from now... Keep that name strong. Not the name of the original, but name I gave you."

"Yes, daddy..." She cleared the tears from her face and smiled proudly. "My name is Saffron Masala..." Her eyes dropped down to the filly who bore the same name. "No, I am Saffron Masala, the 2nd."

"Goodbye, my little girl. I will see you again." His body was vanishing into a golden dust. The younger original version of herself was faded the same way, waving away at her older doppelganger. "We will all be reunited one day."

"I can't wait for that day to come..." Saffron watched them leave. She finally got what she needed most from the twisted adventure. Sure, she wanted him back alive and well, but that reality was just a hopeful lie. The truth and all the pain that had led her here, that was the only thing real. Her face wasn't even real, but she accepted it. Taking in all the memories, both good and bad, for they were her own reality. This was new path for her, and she would embrace it.

******

Author's Note

The final chapter of the story is here. There will be an epilogue on Wednesday, but that's more to explain its connections to the main story and Saffron's role in the main line stories and the other side stories as I want to create a sort of overarching story for this side stuff

Epilogue

Fourteen months later...

The black crystal had long open and revealed all the evils inside. Many forms of malice and hatred was unleashed mere months ago. And only now did things finally calm down enough for the new forces of Shimmer/Glimmer Pharmaceutical 2, could enter unheeded. The company had been renamed since renovations and removal of certain underhanded tactics.

Two pale soldiers dropped out in the front, leading the rest secretly into Canterlot. They had to be careful not to be seen by the new rulers of this fallen kingdom. The mare at the front with green hair curled into a familiar hairstyle, her attire had become more uniform, but was still akin to the frame she had previously. She knew they would have no chance against the stronger forces, so she kept her attention firm and resolute. Once their landing was clear, her second saluted her as she passed by. "All clear, Saffron 2."

Saffron smiled at his answer, relaxing her shoulders and reaching out for his hand. "At ease, Hoo'far 2." Taking a turn, her labcoat flowed by in the winds. It bore the emblem of the Pale Mare upon her back. The Element of Magic pale of all color and shattered into pieces with the six thrones around it, all loosely connected by the vines and the apples. Her eyes scanned the city until she saw a familiar path. She held her free hand and waved out several agents of the reformed Shimmer/Glimmer Pharmaceuticals to sweep this direction too.

"Are you certain she's here?" Hoo'far 2 asked, staying beside her the whole time. He remembered this early well enough from his previous life.

"No, but this place..." Her eyes came upon the ruins of a familiar restaurant. "However, here shall make a fine starting point." Saffron 2 broke her hand away from her second and approached the door and opened it carefully. A loud squeak came out as she almost wanted to wince with a tinge of fear echoed at the back of her head. The mare had long accepted her father was dead, but his body might be a different question.

She walked inside, stepping over the rubble. Most of the building had collapsed inward, leaving only a few spots for her to walk around. Each step echoed in her heart, hoping that her fears were unfounded. She reached the back and found a door to the basement still intact. It was the one room her father kept private. Caving her held breath she opened and smiled.

At the bottom of the stairs, he was nothing more than just bones now. His big heart was still on fully display as her father's last desire was to hold onto a picture of his daughter. Saffron 2 could feel the tears coming again, but she stopped and held the emotion in.

Turning back to the entrance, she called out. Hoo'far 2 followed her command, waving his staff around to clean up the mess. Soon, the floor was bare, and the walls stood solid. A simple spell was cast with his new and improved staff. A few runes were left in the air as he approached his boss.

Saffron 2 slowly wrapped her arms around his shoulders for support. She wanted to seem strong in her new position around the other troops, but there was no reason to lean on him while they were alone. Much had changed for the both of them since that, not just in the shapes of their new bodies, but also their hearts and minds. They were more aware and understanding of their new roles in this group and with each other.

Hoo'far allowed this small disregard of rank and leaned his head again her cheek. He knew she needed this small act, if not a nuzzle or maybe a kiss later in more private charmers. He did whatever he could help her accept these emotions of finding her father's corpse until she let go and return her focus to the mission.

Saffron stomped and brought him back to full attention. "From this vantage point we have access to the entire Tea District. Send out as many of our soldiers as we can spare. Take DNA and disguises as soon as possible." She approached the window and looked out to the twisted form of Canterlot Castle. "Make sure the master of this land is unaware of our presences."

"Yes, my lady." He bowed and gave the command to the others. "We shall find our targets."

"Exactly..." She turned take her leave when her foot hit a familiar pan. The mare stopped all commands and leaned down to pick it up. Wiping it over she laughed at the memories bubbling. Her eyes leered over to a chef's hat sitting inside it. Pulling it out, she flipped the dust off it and draped it over her head.

"Saffron..." Hoo'far 2 stopped at the exit. "Are you sure about this? We have a dangerous battle ahead of us. Plus, wehave no idea if Starlight is even here."

"Yes, but we can't give up." She walked over to the sink and turned it on, dropping the pan inside and raising her sleeves. "Until then, send for supplies." Joy grew in her face as a clever idea came to her. "Dr. Firelight adopted daughter loved my father's gumbo."

"Sounds like a tasty meal." Hoo'far 2 shrugged his shoulders. "I'll make the preparations." He left his leader alone to her devices.

"It's going to be a long road." Saffron 2 stared back into the water and saw the reflection of her father as if he was in the kitchen with her preparing the lovely meal. She smiled, turning her back on the sink, enjoying the blissful memory, but also keeping her guard up. They were behind enemy lines now.

The princesses were dead. The main six were still missing. Starlight was out here somewhere in this wasteland that was formally known as Canterlot. All their friends were in danger from the evil forces of King Kray, King of K. This was a fight worth treading through blood and ash. The least she could do was ensure her allies left with full stomachs and came back to the warm, pleasing smell of a new meal.

******