Twilight woke to a strange glow. The window was still closed, and it would stay closed, but the crystal wall right above her headrest had taken on a different colour and was actively illuminating the room. There was a pattern to the portion that was lit up, a bit like a flower or roots spreading out, and it glowed a bright light blue. "That's weird," she commented. But then, living in a magical crystal tree castle was weird too. The glowing area didn't look dangerous anyway. If anything, its shape reminded her a bit of her cutie mark.

It was raining outside. She could hear it hitting the roof from there. She didn't remember if rain had been scheduled for the day, but it wasn't really an issue. She didn't mind staying inside with Shining and Cadance. She threw on a pair of panties and a loose fitting black T-shirt that was several sizes too large and she didn't remember owning, and headed downstairs, only bothering to use her fingers to brush aside those few strands of her mane that were directly in front of her eyes.

Shining and Cadance were in the kitchen, among a lot of different plates filled with sweets. Pinkie was with them, wearing her skirt and a bra. "Oh, hey, Twilight!" She waved as Twilight walked in.

"Hey, Pinkie." Twilight sat down, and picked up a cupcake. "I guess this is your work?"

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. "I just had to make a special breakfast for my bestest friend and this very special day."

Twilight chewed on the cupcake. It was sweet as they always were when Pinkie made one. She thought for a second upon hearing that. "Oh, right." She looked to Shining and Cadance, suddenly feeling strangely sad. "You're leaving tomorrow, aren't you?"

Shining and Cadance had been enveloped in a deep and passionate kiss since before Twilight had walked in, but it finally broke at that. Shining spoke as he kept a hand around Cadance's neck. "Actually, I was thinking we could extend our visit a little. If that wouldn't be a problem with you."

Twilight felt her stomach and heart flutter at that. She tried to reason it was just because she loved her brother. "No, no, that would be wonderful actually. But won't that be a problem? The Empire needs someone to run it after all."

"The Empire practically runs itself nowadays," Shining said. "I think I may be more needed here."

"Shining did a wonderful job there lately." Cadance leaned into him, practically rubbing her belly against his naked abs. "He's such a good ruler. I've never known a better one."

"Not everyone can be that way." Shining kept his hand around Cadance's neck, stroking her chin. "Some are born to rule. Some are born to be ruled. There's nothing wrong with it. I'm glad I belong to the former group, but those who don't shouldn't be sad. There's happiness to be found in accepting who you are and what you really want."

Twilight swallowed her cupcake in silence. There was a lot she felt like she needed to think about. She'd felt that way for a while, really, but she'd been avoiding the topic, distracting herself with other stuff so she wouldn't need to. Now that Shining was there for her, now that she had someone she could rely on and let herself be vulnerable with in a way she couldn't with Celestia, whom she did not wish to disappoint, her mind had finally found itself circling around those thoughts that had been troubling her for a long time. It was a bother that she'd also been suffering from such a mental fog lately. Only, she was starting to realise, what she'd thought of as a wall was more like a maze. She made no progress sometimes, but only because she was going the wrong way. As soon as she found the right thoughts, she could feel herself move forward. She just had to figure out where she mentally needed to go.

A knock on the door came before the awkwardness of her silence could set in. Cadance stood. "I'll go get it." She walked out, giving Shining a full view of her swaying hips as her panties sank deep between her buttocks. A moment later, Pinkie got up and walked out too, following a dash of rainbow tail Twilight hadn't seen. That left Shining and Twilight alone.

He spoke. "There's something I'd like to talk to you about."

Fluttershy stood at the door, her umbrella by her side, dripping down onto the staircase. The entrance suddenly opened before her. "Oh. Hello," she said, surprised to see Cadance as the one greeting her and even more surprised to see her wearing one of Shining's T-shirts, which went halfway down her round belly, and only small white panties aside from that. "I'm sorry, is it a bad time?"

"Oh, not at all." Cadance grabbed Fluttershy's hand and dragged her in, then closed the door. "I hope you didn't get too wet out there. I can take you to our room right away."

Fluttershy looked around. Something felt off, but she couldn't tell what. "Alright. Could I see Twilight too? I haven't seen her since you arrived." She set the umbrella in a corner to drip down on the floor.

"I'm sure she won't mind. She's busy now, though. But later, sure." Cadance began to lead the way, still holding Fluttershy's hand.

Fluttershy stood just a little shorter than Cadance. She wore a pair of ocher pants held by a dark red belt, a green sweater that was just a little baggy but didn't really hide her huge tits all that much, and her Element of Harmony, of course. She followed along, still looking around and frowning. As they passed by a window, she finally got it. It was closed, and it was fairly dark outside with the downpour going on, but the inside of the castle was all lit up. It was like the walls themselves were glowing. She looked at them, fascinated.

Cadance's voice drew her attention away. "Here we are." The guestroom door stood before them. Somehow, the room behind it felt like the only dark place in the whole castle, and its shadow stretched out below the door like ink spilling out on a table, or like twisted branches reaching out to grab ponies in a nightmare. Fluttershy was suddenly afraid. A chill ran down her back. It was instinct, like that of an animal, but she knew well enough to trust that sort of thing.

She took a step back. Cadance's grip tightened around her hand. "Why am I here?" Fluttershy asked. "Where's Twilight?" She tried to pull her hand away, but to no avail.

Cadance stared at her. There was something wrong with her eyes. Her horn was lighting up. But before she could do anything, Fluttershy stared back. Cadance froze up, her hand went limp, and Fluttershy made a break for it.

She did not get far. In her hurry her mane had gone over her eyes, and she ended up slamming into someone else just a few steps after she'd started running. She forced herself to look, terrified, but breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, Rarity. I think something's wrong, we need to..."

But Fluttershy's words died in her throat, and she began to pant as she noticed the state of Rarity's dress, almost fully open and crumpled, exposing the lack of a bra or anything else underneath. Higher than that her completely ruined and smudged makeup, her messy mane, and her subtly glowing eyes. Fluttershy tried to shriek, by Rarity's hand and magic were quicker.

Fluttershy was gagged with something, blindfolded, and dragged kicking and whimpering into the room by her neck and mane. She was made to kneel, and Rarity knelt behind her, holding Fluttershy's arms against her back before removing the blindfold with her magic.

Rainbow Dash, Starlight, and Pinkie Pie knelt close in front of her, forming a rough semicircle, fully naked and with hollow expressions of their own. Fluttershy whimpered and shook, but she was too scared and weak to break free. Cadance walked in and closed the door.

"You're a tough one," she said. She knelt down besides Fluttershy, avoiding direct eye contact. "But let's see if you can take this." Her magic drew lines between Shining's four slaves' foreheads and Fluttershy's. Her horn grew brighter for a moment. Then, in an instant, memories of the last couple of days, of Shining's dominion over their bodies and minds, surged from the four ponies and slammed straight into Fluttershy.

Fluttershy arched her back and rolled her eyes farther still. Her whole body shook as she wailed from deep in her chest and came, drenching her underwear and pants and even her sweater as a gushing orgasm like nothing she'd ever felt wracked her body the same way the overload of information Cadance had forced on her wracked her mind.

"I'm sure Cadance has mentioned to you some of our less... conventional bedroom activities," Shining said. His tone was regal, elegant yet firm. It was a diplomatic kind of tone, like what he'd use when trying to convince a foreign dignitary. It commanded respect, yet it promised welcoming warmth in return. It was deep and powerful, sensual and persuasive. He continued. "I know you're a smart mare. I've seen firsthand how you believe logic should trump over tradition when it means making ponies' lives better as a result. I know what I'm about to ask is no easy thing, but I trust if there's any mare capable of doing what's right in this situation it's you."

Twilight swallowed, and waited for him to go on. She was dizzy, and hot, and she didn't know what she wanted anymore. Did she want to listen to her brother? Did she want to go to her room and get back to reading her book? She felt torn apart and in need of something solid to latch on to. Maybe Shining would be it.

Shining nodded subtly as he saw her silent and pensive. "I have decided to invite you to be part of our relationship. You would not be the first other mare I bed besides Cadance, but this would be a more official matter. We would be wed. You would be my second bride, with everything that implies, both formally and personally. Now, I do understand that this all may seem strange, but I ask you to think about it rationally. Common perception of something is no reason for it to be truly held as wrong. In fact, this is the exact kind of thing that would lead to a change in perception from others. You could be helping ponykind with this. And you could be helping yourself, if it's what you want.

"It is what I want. It's what Cadance wants. I have long suspected that it may be what you want as well, and she believes as much too, but I will not force your hand. We're all adults. Consenting, and able to decide for ourselves. Any negative social consequences, like I've said, would come to an end over time. Any biological ones, if you chose to have me as Cadance does, can be dealt away with magic. Our child would be as healthy as any. Ponykind has advanced, and it is time we stop denying some what they want and make Equestria a better place for everyone. It is something Cadance has wished for a long time. I ask you to take that step, and I promise to be with you all the way."

Twilight was looking at him, but she wasn't really seeing him. Her vision was foggy and her body swayed side to side on her seat. Her panties had gotten drenched at the mention of bearing Shining's child, and she was still struggling to get the image out of her head and think of anything else. Oh why did it turn her on so much? How had she never realised how much she yearned for her brother? And now he was there, offering himself to her, with Cadance encouraging her. With the prospect of taking the first step towards ending a social stigma towards that same kind of love she found herself feeling.

And yet was that really how she felt? Was that really what she thought? It was so hard. It was so hard to think, to focus on anything. The room was hot and stuffy and the air felt weird. Her nipples were hard and they brushed against her T-shirt and her mind was swimming in images of Shining fucking other mares, Shining fucking Cadance, Shining fucking her. It wasn't what he was asking. Surely he wouldn't be. Shining was sweet, and loving, and he would be romantic, and he wished to be close to her, and there would be ceremonies and dinners and pleasantries and why oh why could she only think of sex?

It was hard to tell her thoughts apart from her fantasies. Hard to tell what she wanted apart from the words she heard, the things she read, the images she was plagued with. She felt lost, drifting, and hot and needy. Too horny to think. She bit down on her lip. Stars she wanted to be fucked. Her fingers just weren't doing it anymore. Ever since getting far enough into the book she'd wanted, needed something more. She needed her holes stretched, and used, and properly fucked. She wanted to submit. It sounded so hot. Shining was asking her a serious important question and all she could think about was how much she needed to get fucked. She felt like such a slut. Her panties got wetter. "I... I'm not sure I can answer right now, it's... I need time to..." To make myself cum until it hurts so maybe I'll be able to think when I'm done.

"It's hard." Shining's voice was soothing. Firm. Clear. It was a lifeline in the maelstrom of her thoughts. "Important decisions are difficult, and this one especially. It would be the most important decision in your life. But it would be the last." He looked at her, and she looked at him, and his eyes were the only thing she could see clearly for the first time in minutes. Twilight's breath tumbled over itself. Shining continued. "You wouldn't be alone anymore. You wouldn't have to choose alone anymore. I would rule with you over everything you're Princess of. I would always be there for you. Will you be there for me?"

Twilight's heartbeat slowed to a crawl and she blushed as in a second all her thoughts drained away, and all the love and admiration she'd ever felt for her brother came surging to her mind. Would it be so bad to let it blossom into something more? Somewhere in her mind, parts of her screamed something was wrong. But they were distant, sealed behind walls Twilight hadn't noticed as they'd been put there, and she did not hear them. And it seemed easy, and good, to just say yes. To love Shining back. To be with her B.B.B.F.F. again.

And then embrace him. Hold him. Touch him. Kiss him. Twilight's breath grew faster and heat rose in her cheeks and her chest. She saw herself together with Shining. Alone. Stripping off her clothes for him. Stripping off his clothes. Seeing his cock, and holding it, and stroking it, and making it grow hard for her. And kissing it, and licking it, and lying on her back and spreading her legs for her brother to fuck her. Shame overcame her, but lust won out over it, and she gritted her teeth to hold back a moan as the stain on her underwear spread into the armchair she was sitting on.

She couldn't think. She didn't know what to think, or what to say. "I..." She was panting, struggling to even decide what words to get out, let alone with saying them. It all felt off, and not quite right. Her head was foggy again, walls pressing into her mind from every direction and trying to smother her thoughts. There was something just out of reach but she couldn't see or remember what it was. Why was it so difficult? What did she want? "I..."

"Take all the time you need." Shining stood up, and smiled, and went to answer the knocks at the door, leaving Twilight alone in the library, with her thoughts and her book.

Applejack eyed Shining as the door opened. She wore a checkered red flannel shirt, tight jeans, her hat, and her Element of Honesty around her neck. Her arms were exposed from the elbow and down, muscled but not too defined, the way hard work on the farm made them. "Hey there. Rainbow told me ya had something to tell us about the Elements." She wondered why exactly the stallion was only wearing a pair of pants, though she did not comment on it. It was true it had stopped raining, but it still wasn't as hot as it had been just the day before.

"That I have." Shining opened the door wider. "Please come in."

Applejack stepped in. "I have work back at the farm, so you'll forgive me if I'd rather keep this brief." She hesitated a moment, then swallowed and took off her hat. "Pleased to see you and all, Prince Shining. Sorry, manners were always more of Rarity's thing." She didn't mean to be mean to Twilight's brother after all. She put her hat back on and looked around, when suddenly her eyes landed on the umbrella in the corner. She recognised it.

Shining closed the door. "Nothing to worry about. I'm here as a friend, not as royalty. You can spare the pleasantries for the moment, and I promise I won't hold you more than necessary." He turned to face her fully.

Applejack looked back to him. "Is Fluttershy here too?"

Shining very subtly raised an eyebrow, and looking past her he noticed the umbrella too. "She was here earlier. She must have forgotten that since it had stopped raining already when she left."

Applejack blinked, biting on the inside of her lip. "That's weird. It only stopped a little ago, I should have run into her if she was heading back home." She looked to the umbrella again. "She ain't that forgetful usually, anyway."

Shining stepped closer to her. "She had a lot to think about after we talked. Maybe she went for a walk instead of heading home."

Applejack shrugged. "Could be. I'll pick that up for her when I leave." She turned again, and was slightly surprised to see Shining so close. "So, what was it we needed to talk about?"

Shining stared at her, then threw a glace down the corridor. Cadance still wasn't back, and all the others were with her. He couldn't really risk getting Applejack to notice Twilight's current state, which would be hard to avoid walking that way with the library door still open. Sure, he could take a longer path, and he usually preferred to have things taken care of a different way, but maybe a change of pace wouldn't be so bad.

With a flick of his magic he burnt away his few clothes and all of Applejack's, save for her Element and her hat. He thought the hat looked cute on her. He did burn the hairbands on her mane and tail though, letting the former splay out over her shoulders. His cock sprung up at full mast and he took another step forward.

Applejack took a step back, dumbfounded, looking first at him and then at herself before finally realising what was going on. She covered her ample bosom with a hand, stepping back again. "What the hay has gotten into you?" It was all happening fast, but her confusion and embarrassment were quickly turning to anger. Yet, as quickly as that happened, she didn't get time to act on it.

Shining was immediately on her, moving with blinding speed despite his impressive size. He pushed her against the wall, grinding his huge and muscled chest and abs against Applejack's own sturdy and hard-worked body. He lifted the arm she'd held over her chest with one hand, grasping it by the wrist, and his other arm went behind Applejack to sink his hand into her huge ass. Before she could speak, his mouth pressed into hers hard, and his tongue parted her lips forcefully, finding her own and wrestling it into submission.

Applejack's attempt at a scream devolved into a nonsensical moan. For a moment she felt her strength being sapped away and her head grow all fuzzy. The glowing crystal wall behind her was warm on her back, hot even, and there was a sound from it like a swarm of cicadas that burrowed into her ears and filled her mind. Shining's tongue tasted of sweat and his smell filled her nose, like her own after a hard day. His cock was against her, huge and throbbing and warm.

Then her eyes focused again as the cold metal of her Element pressed into her, jolting her from her stupor. Her tongue was pinned under Shining's, so she did the only other thing she could think of and bit down her teeth. She couldn't move one of her arms, pinned against the wall above her head, but the other was still free and she slammed it forward with a punch. She did not hold back. It was clear that whatever had gotten into Shining wasn't good.

Shining stumbled back, cursing unintelligibly under his breath. Applejack saw her chance. "Forgive me, Twi," she muttered to herself as she turned and bent, her tail and mane swinging with the speed of her motions. After a brief look to aim, she delivered a powerful kick towards Shining's chest. She did not hold back, bucking like she would against a sturdy tree. The sound of the impact reverberated down the corridor and she felt the strength of it travel back down her leg.

But as she looked, Shining hadn't moved even a little, and despite the little bit of blood that was on his lips he was smiling at her. "Should have gone for the balls," he said as she quickly drew back her leg. But as she kicked again, aiming to do just that, he intercepted the blow with a punch and sent her hoof off course, hitting his thigh instead.

Applejack quickly got into a defensive stance and tried to kick and punch him again, but every hit she dished out he would either deflect or take without flinching. He was on her again, and he grabbed both her arms and spread them against the wall, pressing himself into her and his knees against hers, blocking her legs too. She whimpered. "You'll never get away with this."

"Oh, please. Well, I suppose I'm not above cliches myself, so if you insist..." Suddenly Shining pulled her off the wall, and quickly pinned both her arms against her back as he turned her towards the corridor. "I already have."

Applejack had only a moment to see Cadance rushing towards them, her horn glowing bright. Then her vision was filled with light.

Twilight opened her eyes. What time was it? She looked around. There weren't any clocks in the library. The room was bright, the alien blue glow that filled it radiating from the walls themselves. There was a strange background sound, like insects buzzing or static coming from a scratched vinyl.

Her T-shirt was pushed up, exposing her chest. Drool had dried on her cheeks and chin and neck. Her panties were around her ankles and her sex was wet, the air cold against it. The book was in her grasp. She was close to the end.

She latched onto the words before her, finding them a stable anchor to hold on to against her swaying vision and memories and thoughts. The King was assfucking one of his slaves. It didn't matter who she was. All slaves were equally his, and equally worthless before him. He was taking her doggy style as he held onto the sides of her mouth with his hands, keeping it open while he brutally rammed himself into her. At the same time, another one of his brides was behind him, on her knees, her face buried into his ass as she rimmed his hole. Another one was close by, slapping her sopping cunt as she watched him mercilessly claim the first one.

Twilight shuddered all over, pleasure flowing hot through her body even without touching herself. It washed away everything else for a moment, and she moaned. The moan was deep and long, and Twilight lost herself in it, reading and reading on without thought, absorbing the words and feeling good, lit by the glow around her as the buzzing filled her ears.

Then, sighing contently, Twilight set down the book. She had something she needed to do.

Author's Note

The Applejack scene was originally different from how it is here. You can read that version here.