Chapter 37

by Appleloosan Psychiatrist

Rating: mature
Tags: Other, Sex, Princess Celestia, Human, Sweetie Belle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 11211

Celestia, with Sweetie Belle's help, overturns a political revolution that threatens her monarchy.

A human in Equestria, equipped with the philosophy of democracy, spurs an errant and burgeoning political movement in Celestia's kingdom. With a dark secret, Celestia moves to combat the threat to her rule in the best way she knows.

Published 2012-11-09 08:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-11-09 08:50:01 UTC

Chapter 37

I hadn’t seen Helios in many years. Needless to say, him showing up on the doorstep of my Hoofington house that rainy Autumn evening garnered quite a surprised reaction. The brown furred earth pony was wearing a simple, soaked traveler’s cloak. He looked much older than he should have, even accounting for the intervening years. It was so startling, in fact, that I did not recognize him immediately.

“Can I help you?” I questioned the stranger after opening to door in response to a knock.

He glanced left and right before looking at me, exacerbated. “Can I come in?” he asked, an annoyed infliction creeping into his words.

The voice is what jarred my memory. “Helios! I-I didn’t...yes, please do!” I moved aside and he marched in. With a quick nod of my head, he became aware of the existence of my coat rack to his immediate right. Once he discarded the weathered garment, I noticed a saddlebag tethered to his side. It was brown and dull with a small emblem of the sun in the corner: the standard travel pack of Celestia’s Royal Emissaries.

“We need to talk. Somewhere private. You’re alone, right?”

I nodded, instantly upset at the conspiratorial nature our discourse was taking. Helios and I had served in the same unit during the Dragon War. As far as I knew, he impressed our superiors enough to enter the higher echelons of Her Majesty’s service, while I left civil duty to pursue my scholarly interests.

“We can talk in my study...” He halted his ocular interrogation of the room and shifted his gaze back to me. “There’s no windows in that room. Can’t have something as basic as the passing of time interrupt my studies...” I elaborated with a chuckle. Nodding, he followed me as I led him through the darkened, winding confines of the building.

“Still serving Celestia, I see,” I announced after I had shut the door to my study behind us and he tossed the embroidered pack onto a nearby table.

“Yeah...” Helios began hesitantly, the bookshelves of the room capturing his observations. “I’m actually one of her highest ranking operatives by now. The specifics are classified, of course...”

I laughed. “Of course. I remember how it was during the war. We usually didn’t know what town we were in until half of it was on fire. Classified this, and classified that. I’m surprised they deigned to tell us that we were fighting dragons, actually.”

He remained stoic through my attempts at nostalgic humor. I allowed the smile to fall from my lips, hardening my expression. Despite the rapport I thought that Helios and I had developed during the war, he had made no effort to contact me after the war’s end, and it was obvious that this visit was not an attempt to rectify that wrong. “Why are you here?” I inquired, my voice now serious and level.

Flicking open the saddlebag, he reached in an began pulling out its contents. Documents, scrolls, books. He rifled through them, then, obviously locating what he sought, spoke. “You know of Horatio Sumter?”

I cocked my head, confused. Every modern schoolfilly knew of Horatio Sumter. Was this a trick question? “Of course. The only member of the species Homo Sapien ever reported within Equestria. Stirred up all that political trouble years ago. Dead now, of course...foul play was suspected, but investigators couldn’t find anything solid.”

He looked at me impassively. Whether he was satisfied with my answer, I had not a clue. Regardless, he continued with another question. “And you know of his book, correct?”

I raised an eyebrow. As one of Equestia’s most prominent scholars, of course I did. And Helios knew it. Why was he asking me this? “Yes. ‘A Human in Equestria.’ Written both for retrospective contemplation by us, and by his native race if he could ever find a link back to them. More of an autobiography than anything.”

The interrogation continued immediately. “And what do you know about Chapter 37?” Ah. There was the crux. This was the reason for these questions. The mystery surrounding Chapter 37 of Sumter’s book was an indulgence of only the most knowledgeable of ponies could enjoy. I was surprised Helios was aware of it, and I allowed it to show.

The concepts of the mystery, even if most ponies were widely ignorant of them, were at least simple. Before the book was officially published, Horatio had made it clear, through numerous conferences, that it would be for adult audiences only. However, when it was released, it contained no explicit content - in fact, it was cleared for use in school libraries. So what had changed? The most obvious answer was Chapter 37 - the writing in that chapter immediately jarred careful readers such as myself. It didn’t flow with the rest of Sumter’s writing, and the content of the chapter was little more than a recap. What had happened? Horatio fled from public view shortly after the release of his book, so he was unavailable for questioning. My personal theory was that the chapter contained description of a sexual exploit. After his death, it had come out that Horatio was romantically and sexually involved with a number of mares during his time in Equestria - first one, then dozens of crying mares had come forward and gave award-worthy sob stories about the now deceased Horatio’s sexual abuse of them. It was my belief that Chapter 37 contained details or at least hints of one or more of these encounters, and that the Royal Review and Commissions Board forced him to remove it in the fear of a scandal or public outcry.

“Nothing solid, of course,” I supplied Helios in way of an answer. “No one really knows what the original contained, only that the one in the published version is almost certainly not what Sumter had intended to share.”

He nodded, slowly. “Yes, I figured that was the case. You are as wise as ever.” He turned back to the pile of documents that he had separated from the rest. “How would you like the mystery to finally be unraveled?” he asked almost whimsically as he pushed the papers across the table in my direction.

I rushed over to them, my pulse immediately quickening. Could this be...? Yes, no telekinesis, no matter how precise, could replicate Horatio’s handwriting with this degree of veracity. Scribbled at the top, almost as in afterthought, were the words ‘Chapter Thirty-seven’.

“H-how?” I stammered, my heart racing. I pushed through the pages in an excited quest to absorb as much as I could. I admit, I had paid several hunters to obtain the original manuscript of Sumter’s novel - they had come up with nothing. How had Helios gotten his hooves on it?

“How?” Helios said, and laughed. The cruel laughter was enough that I was torn from the fascinating piece of intellectual curiosity and forced to settle my gaze upon my friend. “How?” he repeated, his face twisted into a vile grin - the only emotion he had allowed to show since entering my abode. “He had it with him when I killed him!”

I shrunk back from his shockingly iniquitous visage. Somehow, I knew he was telling the truth. I will admit that I immediately began to fear for my life in that instance, but I was more overwhelmed with a desire to understand than I was with fear. Why was Helios telling me this? “The crown has quite a price on the head of his killer, Helios.” I threatened, allowing my voice to harden with resolve. “I’d be rewarded handsomely if I chose to reveal this...”

“Even if I thought you intended on following through with that, it would end badly for you...” he said, haughtily and confident, “They’re the ones who ordered me to do it...”

Question after question swarmed my consciousness, vying for dominance. They all shared a common thread: why? The reasons for everything that had happened or had been revealed tonight escaped me, and, as minutes ticked by in silence, I stared blankly at the pages in front of me, the answers no closer despite my frantic attempts at internal deduction. I realized that the most basic of questions had not been answered, so I spoke, drawing my companion’s wandering eyes back to me. “You still haven’t answered my original question,” I told him.

“I suggest that you read the chapter. It will make things much clearer.” He told me, turning his back as he proceeded to examine the literature that stocked my private library.

I didn't need to be told twice - the temptation of the enigma surrounding Chapter 37 finally being destroyed was far too great. I organized the papers in front of me, and, while Helios paced around the room idly, I began to read.

Chapter Thirty-seven
My ruin

My fellow humans can only imagine the elation I felt at this point in my life. After all, I had been in Equestria for scarcely a year, and already I was in charge of the largest and most successful political and social revolution the nation had seen in a thousand years. Who would have thought that the tenants of democracy would be so eagerly accepted into the pony mentality? I mean no insult to my equine companions - I simply hadn’t considered that a nation that had lived with a tyrannical monarch for a millennium with little visible sign of social agitation would be receptive to a xenomorph’s way of government that stood in direct opposite of that.

As I explained earlier, it was far from my intention to start a revolution. It started simply enough - a conversation describing what my life was like back in my world. What nations we had. A brief history, at least what parts I could remember. Despite the fact that I did nothing to downplay the constant warfare and civil strife on Earth, my audience was often enthralled by my tales. Little did I know what they would evolve into. In fact, it took until the day before my ruin that I figured out just how massive my following had become.

It was a bright morning in Ponyville. I entered the local headquarters of my political campaign, and stood, smiling, as I took in the scene. A dozen ponies sat, hunched over piles of bits, counting the monetary contributions to my campaign. Various foal messengers ran back and forth, one of them almost colliding with me in the threshold. Hushed conversations between my most aged supporters took place in the corners of the room. A light pink mare approached me as I stood at the entrance, my eyes slowly scanning the fruits of my political desires. It was Buttercup Blossom - a bright and cheery reporter who had quickly become one of my key confidants and best friends in my new home. She grinned widely as she approached. “Hi, Mister Sumter!” she said loudly.

I smiled back cheerfully, her enthusiasm infecting me. Levitating a pile of papers from a nearby desk in front of her, she began spiting facts and statistics at me rapidly: support numbers, donations, tentative polling efforts. I only half listened as we walked further into the building, unable to stop smiling. We reached my private office as she said something about one of the lower Equestrian Dukes pledging his support. Finally, she noticed my grin and stare, and the words slowed down to a stop. “Something wrong...Mr. Sumter?” She asked.

“No...nothing’s wrong.” I answered, slowly. My mind was still reeling, and I had trouble finding the words. “In fact...it seems like everything is almost too good. I’m expecting to wake up back on Earth...these past few months being nothing more than a hazy dream.”

She shifted uncomfortably, as she always did when I mentioned my former home. “Well..of course everything’s going good. We can’t lose with you leading us.” She smiled, a much calmer and sincere one. She always tried to console me when I made any reference to Earth - as if she thought I was homesick. Despite that being far from the case, I appreciated her effort. Buttercup was a true friend, and she certainly made my transition to this foreign land much easier.

“Shhhh! They’ll hear us!” Horatio desperately hissed in a whisper at a frantically giggling Buttercup, then immediately devolved into laughter himself. He ran his hands up and down the lengths of her hind legs again, eliciting another series of gasps and giggles from the mare. The human was on his knees behind the pink pony, sensually rubbing the hindquarters of his partner. He gave her a slight slap on the rump, causing her let out a low moan - she was enthusiastic in all things, carnal pleasure not being an exception.

“I can’t help it...” she replied, shuddering. Horatio smiled as he continued the massage, taking perverse delight in his ability to make the mare squirm and gasp. Deciding to escalate the encounter, he brought his hands up to Buttercup’s netherlips, parting them slightly and causing the mare to have a sharp, startled intake of air. She was already damp with arousal, obviously enjoying the attentions of her lover’s unique hands.

“Right here...?” He asked, eagerly. She whimpered and nodded swiftly, unable to articulate.

He needed no further prompting. With a last, slightly worried glance at the unsecured door, he began to tear at the smart-looking suit he wore. The clothing would have cost a fortune on Earth - it was custom tailored, trimmed and pressed by a certain generous unicorn. Now, it was simply an irrelevant barrier; the tangible manifestation of social manners and civility trapping lust.

Buttercup stamped the ground impatiently as Horatio frantically ripped off his pants and undergarments. He resumed his position behind her, erection twitching in anticipation. He gripped her flanks, roughly, and, despite her natural lubrication deeming Buttercup more than ready for penetration, decided to tease her. The human rubbed his warm manhood against the pony’s outer lips, slickening his organ with her juices. Glancing upwards, he locked eyes with the mare, who had turned her head and was staring back at him.

“Please...don’t make a girl beg...Mister Sumter...” she said, her eyes half-lidded and her voice dripping with lust in an effort to destroy any trace of Horatio’s sexual hesitance.

She succeeded.

A half an hour later, the two lay on the floor of the office, collapsed, exhausted. The musty odor of copulation permeated the room. Horatio ran his fingers through Buttercup’s mane fondly, every care or worry evaporated. She nuzzled up against him, sighing contentedly.

A knock at the door disrupted their post-intercourse calm. The human jerked upwards, immediately reaching for his clothes. The mare hopped onto her feet, vainly attempting to fix her hair and mat down her fur where it had become unsettled due to the ferocity of their mating. Carefully running over the scene once more to make sure no obvious indicator of the indecent act remained, he brushed off his suit and walked towards the door, opening it to find a young pegasus colt with a sleek white coat. One of my fastest messengers. We exchanged no words, our interaction professionally reduced to purely non-verbal state as I took the letter from his mouth and he turned, trotting away in pursuit of another mission.

My heart immediately began to race from a mere cursory examination of the document. It was signed from the Royal Dispatch...a letter from Celestia herself. Unable to contain my excitement, I tore at the message as Buttercup looked on in confused anticipation. I read the letter, which was printed in the perfect neatness only a unicorn was capable of, then I read it again. “She’s...summoning me. To Canterlot. At my earliest possible convenience.” I announced to my friend.

“That’s...a change.” The pony said, with a wide smile. She was right - up until this point, Celestia had made no indication that she cared or even noticed my little political movement. Content to ignore the stirrings of change in her own borders, she had made no response, official or otherwise. When an overzealous activist screeched accolades of me at her during a recent speech, she simply smiled as her guards escorted him off the scene, then continued, undaunted.

Buttercup had had her own interpretation of that event. “She’s terrified.” The pony had announced to me, eagerly bouncing up and down around my office. “She’s scared of us. That’s why she isn’t saying anything. She knows she’ll be swept aside soon enough.” She concluded, smiling a demonic grin that was jarringly out of place on the otherwise innocently cute pony.

I remember laughing out loud at the incongruity. I had settled the pink mare down and, with a pat on her head, reminded her that the objective wasn’t to make Celestia scared. We weren’t doing this to spite her, I reminded. We were doing this because it was obviously what the population of Equestria wanted. We were simply giving momentum to the repressed desires of the common pony. If Celestia saw fit to say nothing as we provided her people with a vessel through which to make those desires known, then so be it.

Though that was what I had told her, I couldn’t deny that she was probably right. Celestia was scared...and with good reason. After all, I already had obtained two of her most powerful servants - the Elements of Harmony. I had attempted to gain almost all of them, of course, and the eventual surrender of two of them into my movement was deemed an incredible success. Twilight Sparkle would have been the greatest prize, but she had rebuffed my emissary at the door. I hadn’t expected to convince her easily, but I suppose I underestimated her conviction. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have even bothered trying - those who benefit most from a political system are those least likely to turn against it, and I can only imagine the benefits that the monarch’s private student enjoyed. I didn’t send a messenger to the Element of Loyalty, for obvious reasons. Two of the Elements pledged to remain neutral in the social conflict - Laughter and Kindness, the former out of apathy and the latter out of cowardice. That left the remaining two - Rarity of Generosity and Applejack of Honesty - to be the two ponies that had decided to support me. The economic powerhouse that was the Apple family benefited my cause greatly, and Rarity and I had already spent several late night study sessions together, her vast knowledge on the savoir-faire of high Equestrian society ensuring I wouldn’t make a tactless error.

Now, though, the situation had changed. Celestia HAD noticed, and, as opposed to making an official declaration or simply deeming my revolution illegal, she contacted me directly. I was unable to ascertain a tone from the letter - its words held only the cruel indifference of typical bureaucratic style. It wasn’t overtly threatening, needless pandering, or worryingly demanding. And that’s what scared me most of all that day - I had no idea what the sun monarch intended with me.

Despite the city of Canterlot being just a beautiful as one would expect the capital of Equestria to be, it was a mere collection of hovels in comparison to the elegance that was Celestia’s palace. The entrance way was massively grand and sparkled with utter immaculateness. My booted footsteps echoed throughout the relatively empty hall, along with those of my companions: Buttercup marched at my side, and Big Macintosh, my preferred bodyguard, tailed us. We reached the threshold to the Inner Palace, which was flanked by a pair of Royal Guards. One of them marched forwards to meet us, and to block our way. Despite his stature paling in comparison to mine, his physique made it apparent that he was more than capable of decimating the foes of his goddess.

“Mr. Sumter, the Princess is pleased you found the time to see her.” The guard recited in an manner that made it obvious that this speech was prepared ahead of time. “Unfortunately, your companions are not allowed beyond this point. She has a very private matter to discuss with you. We have their quarters designated for the length of your stay in Canterlot.”

I nodded, knowingly. This was not entirely unexpected, and no fear filled my heart as my protector was escorted off the scene by the other guard. After all, what could Celestia do? Murder me? That was out of the question - it would simply turn me into a martyr, turn my followers into open rebels, and spur even more ponies to oppose her. She wasn’t that stupid.

Now alone, the guard pushed the doors open. A grand room was revealed, slightly more decorated the adjacent passageway, with a number of heraldic banners lining the walls, though it was still largely unoccupied. By far the dominant feature was a grand staircase that rose from the center to the rear wall. There it split into two directions, each leading to a closed door. Seeing nothing else and receiving no further instructions, I hesitantly entered the room, only to jump when the door slammed shut behind me.

The right door opened, and Celestia emerged. The stories of her beauty, the various pictures of her I’d seen...none of them did her justice. I stared in awe, no doubt looking foolish with my mouth agape as she descended the staircase with a grace I wouldn’t have attributed to her form. I remember being nearly overwhelmed with the desire to bow: to fall to the ground worshipfully and to beg forgiveness for my transgressions.

Resisting whatever spell or trance forced that compulsion on me, I stood, silently, as she slowly walked down. I closed my mouth and matched her arrogant smile as she walked closer. The heat emanated from her; a soothing warmth that was both comforting and slightly mind-numbing. We said nothing for a while, content to stare at each other, seeing who would make the first move. I took the initiative. “Princess Celestia. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“And you as well, Horatio Sumter. I have heard much about you. It seems some of my subjects have taken quite a liking to you and your...philosophy.” I only nodded as my mind ran over the possibilities as to why she called me here. Did she hope to silence me with a bribe? To threaten me? To surrender in the hopes of having a place in the new order? Everything I thought would happen, anything I had considered, paled in comparison to what actually occurred that night.

“Come. Dinner awaits,” she said, turning in place and walking back up the stairs. I followed a second later, heart pounding.

“Why have you called me here?” I asked, after minutes of transversing the castle in silence. I decided to be as blunt as possible. Without a judging press, there was no need for tact. This was a meeting between two leaders: a battle of commanders, not a publicity stunt for our subjects. We should get to the issues immediately, not pander about in some misguided attempt at proper civility.

She smiled knowingly, as if she planned for me to say just that and that everything was falling into place. “There is no need to rush, Horatio Sumter. Everything will be discussed in due time. The dining hall is in here,” she finished, veering to the left and telekinetically opening an ornate door. Her answer was infuriating, but I couldn’t let that show. At the time, I figured I would lose an advantage if I allowed her to see an emotional side.

The dining hall was massive, but that no longer impressed me: it was now the norm for Celestia. I wonder how many ponies starved while she had servants plate her chairs with gold. Food ran the length of the table, everything I could imagine from both a pony’s menu and the diet of a human king. Each of the dozens of chairs was complemented by a set of utensils - human utensils, perfect facsimiles of typical silverware from my world. We were completely alone in the massive room. Was she hoping to remind me how alone I truly was in Equestria?

She immediately sauntered to the far end of the table, where there was no chair, and sat. Without a word, she stared at me. I briefly entertained the idea that this was some sort of psychological game, that she was using my reactions to judge my intent. However, I quickly concluded that I shouldn’t concern myself with that. I held all the cards in this interaction. Let her play her games.

I followed her, and took the seat immediately to her right. Seemingly pleased with my reaction, she began to eat with a dainty hesitance born of the royal temperance. I refused to indulge, any patience I may have possessed with the monarch in the beginning quickly dissolving. She intermixed her meal with questions and statements that were almost laughable casual. The thick, impenetrable emotional wall that separated us made any attempt at casual conversation impossible: my responses were therefore clipped and mechanical.

She relented soon enough in her incessant flippancy. She motioned two to guards, who had entered unnoticed at some point during her meal. They immediately began cleaning off the table, while she rose and with a wave of her hoof beckoned me to follow her. Seeing no choice but to obey, I arose and we both descended deeper into her castle.

I didn’t bother attempting to start a conversation with her - it was becoming increasingly obvious that she had no intention of divulging her motives her ahead of her own schedule. The minutes ticked by in silence as the labyrinthine layout of the deeper bowels of her fortress multiplied my anger. Was I foolish for allowing myself to be drug into a situation I had no control over, in a place that was entirely unfamiliar to me? No, I remember reminding myself. I was the dominant player here. I was the aggressor, she was the reactionary. There was nothing that she could say or do to me that would halt the tide I had summoned. Without a doubt, she was simply engaging in childish games of misdirection and aggravation. I expected better from Celestia.

Finally, as the surrounding air chilled and Celestia’s apparent natural heat became the only thing keeping me from shivering, we reached our destination. A dark door, jarringly out of place in the otherwise alabaster surroundings. Somehow, without a word or change in expression from my equine companion, I knew that what lay beyond that door was my purpose: whatever it was that Celestia intended to do while she had my corporeal presence, she would do in that room.

Managing to contain my excitement, I simply followed behind her as she flung open the door magically. I was surprised by what I saw. Or rather, what I didn’t. A consuming darkness was the only thing revealed when Celestia tore open the portal. It was too perfect, too impenetrable to be natural - it neither spilled into the hallway nor retreated at the flicking light the few torches adorning the passage way provided. It stood as a wall, unrelenting. With a smile whose meaning I couldn’t tell you even at this juncture, Celestia slipped into the room, her perfect white form dissonant as the darkness engulfed her.

I’ll take an aside now to provide a caution that I will under no circumstances attempt to censor the event I am about to describe. The details of that night are forever etched into my mind like a hideous scar, and it would be doing the population of Equestria a disservice if both my and Celestia’s sins were glossed over for the sake of respectability.

I was hit with measures of fear and curiosity, though the latter overwhelmed any reservations I had as I stepped into the room, immediately becoming blinded. It took a great deal of mental strength in order to avoid panicking or crying out as the minutes ticked by in silence. Celestia, her heat still omnipresent, would have served as a source of comfort had she not been the very being forcing this situation upon me. Finally, mercifully, she magically lit the room, sweeping away the darkness casually. It was then that the true horror of the situation was unearthed. I knew, then, that everything was over.

The room, now bright, was revealed to be a discordant sight. It was not made of the white granite that dominated the rest of the palace, but, rather, a slaty grime-covered cobblestone that was at once both disconsolate and oppressive. I noticed none of this at first, however, my attention immediately attracted to the small ivory filly that stood, expression downcast and pawing the ground nervously, in the center of the room.

She knew. Horatio thought, fear flooding him and suffocating any rational thought. She knew, she knew, she knew, she knew, she knew. How much did she know? Enough. The little filly that stood in the center of the room was proof enough of that. Time felt like it had slowed to standstill. His heart felt like it had stopped beating, out of shock or pity. The implications were immediately obvious to the young human - Sweetie Belle being here was no coincidence, no random chance. How Celestia had discovered about his extended sexual relations with the young foal, dating back to his first weeks in Equestria, was irreverent. The simple fact was that she knew, and he was ruined.

What a fool he was. She was a goddess! How can you defeat a goddess? How could he have been so naive?! There was no escape - simple denial or feigned ignorance would not work at this stage. Everything was over, he decided; his confidence crushed at the sight of the meek, nervous filly in front of him.

“Hopefully, by now, you’re beginning to understand,” he heard Celestia say, her voice wispy, fanciful, and insufferably arrogant. So detached he felt from his body that it sounded as if she was whispering to him from across a vast aether. “Tell me,” she continued as he stood, stunned, speechless. “is child molestation an accepted practice back on Earth? If so, I feel the need to mention a very slight difference in moral values that might lead to some...problems with your supporters.” Her voice was filled with an infliction that indicated she was desperately struggling to hold back laughter.

It was obvious now - he had had no chance even from the beginning. It wasn’t that he was outmaneuvered, or slipped up somewhere in his strategy - no, he was never even a player. He didn’t even bother considering how to control or prevent damage from this incident. Any passion he had was knocked out of him by this forceful blow.

“However...there is an alternative...” she said, this time managing to pierce the thick molasses of dread and confusion that dulled his cognitive functions. An alternative? He considered. It felt strange to him to contemplate anything other than his coming doom. “This...unfortunate variation of social mores would be irrelevant, if, say, you were to abandon your crusade against me. In return, I offer...well...

...just like I taught you, Sweetie.”

The young filly, her eyes shining with tears of nervousness and fright, nodded at her eternal ruler, then dashed towards Horatio with a ferocity born of an intense need to please the monarch and the fear of her disapproval. Simultaneously, he was pushed down to the ground by the alicorn’s magic - the thought of physical thrashing or otherwise opposing this telekinetic pressure didn’t even enter his mind as he descended submissively, then, with a slight but powerful push, was sent sprawling backwards. Sweetie reached him, ducking between his legs. She nuzzled his crotch in a manner that was both gentle and lewd, fond and perverse. The human, already stunned and this new development doing nothing to relieve that, only stared at the filly, his confusion evident. The small white filly managed a weak smile in his direction, then turned her gaze to Celestia, who was watching the perverse scene with a wicked, almost crazed smile. The monarch gave only a single nod that Sweetie returned. “Don’t worry, Mr. Sumter.” Sweetie Belle recited, her voice shaking. “I’ll take good care of you...”

She reached toward his pants, and, with precision, grasped the zipper with her teeth and pulled it down. With one obstacle down, she stuck her snout into the confines of his pants, and, with unnerving efficiency, found her prize. His penis flopped out of the posh dress pants, slightly erect at the attentions - his baser instincts not effected by the disorientation that plagued his higher thought processes. After smiling a smile that might have been, quite properly, an infantile attempt at seductiveness, the young filly opened her mouth wide - and, in one swift fluid motion, drove herself forward and engulfed as much of his hardening erection as she could with her warm mouth.

That brought him back to reality. Unable to stifle a loud groan of pleasure, he brought his hands to the back of the foal’s head, running his hands through her buoyant multi-colored mane. He tried to begin to worry about what Celestia’s motives were, what she hoped to achieve, but any such difficult questions were impossible to concentrate on when a filly was currently worshipping your dick with a passionate blowjob. This wasn’t the sloppy, inexperienced oral sex that he had guided Sweetie through in his first months in Equestria - she bobbed up and down with brutal, incredible efficiency, her tongue putting pressure on just the right places, She was staring at him the entire time; her eyes still managed to contain the light of youthful innocence even as his dick went in and out of her mouth. The skill in pleasure she displayed brought the gift of speech back to the previous silent Horatio - which he used only to babble the occasional articulation of lust.

This is wrong. The human thought slowly. I’m dancing to her tune. And still, he made no effort to escape the warm confines of his meek lover’s mouth. I need to fight back...But, what resistance could he muster? What rebuttal could he supply? He glanced over to Celestia, who was now positively leering at the scene, her excitement and satisfaction with her newest ‘student’ obvious. He hated her. But it was becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate on that...

Hot...it’s too hot. The human sweat profusely, the chill that pervaded the room minutes ago entirely forgotten. Why is it so hot? ...Her...he thought, still staring at Celestia. Was her horn glowing? He couldn’t tell - a mental haze made it difficult to connect what he saw with any meaningful conclusion. Oh God, Sweetie...he thought, his attentions turned back as the foal began paying oral attentions to his balls, his saliva-covered dick resting, still twitching from pleasure, on her face. You need to stop, Sweetie...he rationally deduced, yet made no effort towards that outcome.

He hadn’t removed his hands from behind Sweetie’s head, physically betraying what he truly desired - to hold her close so she could continue her work. They stared into each other’s eyes as the young filly once more enveloped his erection. They were both slaves here. Both powerless to the desires and whims of a perverse demi-god. Only able to continue bowing her desires, they began to lose themselves as their minds became increasingly addled...

Celestia entered Horatio’s view once more, this time having walked over and leaned in close. Sweetie Belle backed off and stared up at her ruler worshipfully. The monarch, her face tinted red with a blushing scarlet, softly spoke. “May I have a taste? I have a particular fondness for...foreign creatures.” Her submissiveness, given full knowledge of the situation, was obviously feigned, but the effect on the human was no less pronounced for this fact; he nodded dumbly.

She smiled gratefully, slowly leaned in, and opened her mouth. Her tongue was longer than Sweetie’s and she engulfed the underside of his erection with it. Slowly, she ran the tongue up his length, visibly savoring the taste. Horatio cried out; the burning heat of the lick was an incredible sensation that shot through his body and the saliva left by the monarch’s tongue as she trailed the length of his dick with it was a blisteringly pleasurable residue. He resisted - barely - the powerful temptation to reach up, grab Celestia’s head and attempt to force her back down. The alicorn simply leaned back with a satisfied smile as the human writhed in pleasure from the brief contact with her divine body. Sweetie took advantage of the brief lull, rushing forward to continue her carnal mission, her enthusiasm doubled by the intimate inclusion of her personal ruler in the affair.

The human could only collapse backwards, powerless. His breathing could be more accurately described as panting now - sweat drip from his body. The two ponies were unrelenting in their sexual assault. Sweetie Belle continued her masterful attentions, running her warm, skilled tongue over every inch of his sex. The occasional interjection of Celestia, never more than a brief taste, never failed to cause him to gasp, the infectious incandescence each slight graze produced far outstripping any physical pleasure he had ever before experienced.

“C-Celestia...” he murmured. Was he pleading for her to stop, or begging for her to continue? He didn’t know...it just felt so right to say her name. Celestia was apparently pleased with the utterance, as, after a brief smile, she dove forward, for the first time engulfing the entirety of the human’s member with her mouth. In perfect tandem, Sweetie collapsed to the ground and began massaging his balls with her mouth.

There was no chance of resistance this time. Horatio immediately lurched forward, grasping the monarch's head in a barbaric effort to hold her in place. He babbled - he was attempting to bargain with her, to offer her anything if she would just stay like this, her divine mouth servicing him forever and ever - but, drunk with pleasure, it only came out as a mess. Celestia ignored his sounds, concentrating on pleasing him. With her perfect, impossibly hot tongue, she caressed the erection in her mouth. For the human, blessed with entrapment in the jaws of divinity, it was as if he was on fire - burning up, save for the replacement of pain with an incalculable carnal satisfaction.

She indulged too heavily. She didn’t break eye contact with Horatio as she slowly moved up and down, wracking his body with ecstasy each time his dick reentered her radiant mouth. The pleasure centers of his brain overloaded and pure euphoria surged through him, melting every mental and physical process. Reality itself began to dissolve as his senses became overwhelmed with sensuality, melding and allowing the writhing human to experience only intense, improbable bliss. The heightened sensitivity indicating the verge of an orgasm creeped on the edges of his consciousness. It drove closer and closer to his core, and, as he twisted uncontrollably, it became increasingly obvious that these were heights of rapture no mortal was meant to experience - this orgasm would shatter his mind.

Suddenly, though, it relented. The fiery nirvana that engulfed his body stopped its onslaught. He blinked as vision returned to him, his consciousness recalled from oblivion and his senses reeling to recover from the supernatural carnal input. Celestia and Sweetie Belle had halted, and they simply sat, staring at him. He would cried out for Celestia to resume her cosmic treatment or perhaps attempted to force her to, but he was far too disoriented. The monarch stuck out her tongue at him, forming a sly smile. Is she mocking me...? He managed to consider before she suddenly lunged forward and gave his glistening erection a long, blistering, lustful lick.

Too much. Clenching his fists and screaming, he collapsed backwards and arched his back as he came. The force of the orgasm nearly caused him to black out. It felt as if his entire mind had dissolved into delirium under the intense pressure, and that every part of his essence was being shot out of him during the minute-long orgasm. He brought his hands up to his head, clutching it as his shout echoed through the barren corridors. Adrenaline that should cause the mortal heart to explode, ravishment that should drive the mortal mind mad, pleasure that no possible mortal sensation could encapsulate coursed through him again and again. His body writhed and squirmed under the divine torment, any form of orderly cognition or muscle control long gone.

He opened his eyes. Normal vision had started to return, and his functions began to regulate themselves. The thick mental haze still clouded his higher thought processes, but, for now, he was able to at least recognize reality. A cold stone ceiling, unmoved by his torture, stared back oppressively. He pushed himself up, resting on his elbows, and he tried to make sense of everything. How long had he been out? A matter of seconds, apparently - Sweetie Belle still had a look of surprise on her cum-covered face, while Celestia has stepped back, looking at the both of them approvingly. The young filly blinked several times before nervously giggling. “Was it good for you, Mr. Sumter?” she recited at him with a smile.

The alicorn laughed lightly herself, then leaned towards the white foal. With that perfect, immaculate tongue, she began to clean up her fellow pony. Sweetie Belle cooed and murmured in happiness as Celestia ran her warm tongue up and down her face. She blushed under her monarch’s oral attentions, gasping and letting out a shuddering sigh every time the Celestia brushed her ultrasensative horn. When she had finally captured all of the human’s seed in her mouth, she telekinetically pulled Sweetie Belle into a kiss, swapping the cum with her as the heat of her tongue radiated through the filly. At this development, Sweetie’s legs buckled from pleasure, the magic of Celestia being the only thing keeping her from collapsing. Her eyes half-lidded, she shared in the taste of the human, reveling. Eventually, Celestia broke the kiss and leaned back. The snowballing was far from neat, and the sloppiness of it meant that seed still dripped from their faces, and that a long strand of it mixed with saliva and stretched from the mouths of the two ponies. Sweetie Belle pant, both exhausted and satisfied. As Celestia turned away, the filly leaned in and began cleaning the human’s cock, which, by some perverse magic, was already rock-hard and prepared to go a second time.

Sweetie was as trained a oral expert as ever as she attempted to coax a second orgasm out of the human, but it felt lacking to Horatio. What could, after all, compare to what Celestia had just made him experience? What delights indeed could mean anything to him after he had been graced by the attentions of demigod?

That same being was now turned away from him, her backside covered by her multicolored, flowing tail. Sweetie Belle backed off and sat to the side submissively, knowing what was coming. The tail drifted, revealing Celestia’s shapely, white rump.

Horatio was enchanted by the sight. He was able to do nothing but still, motionless, slack-jawed, staring at her perfection. Pillowy ripples of flesh that had just the right amount of tautness formed an amazingly sublime haunch. The way the sweat glistened, soaking the fur of her hindquarters. If there was flaw to be found with the rump of the monarch, the human was unable to find it.

Celestia glanced back with a smug smile at the human, enraptured by her divine form. She glanced at her own hindquarters fondly, in some corrupted facsimile of appreciation and pride. “My ass...” She said, as if it needed a formal introduction. She magically forced the human to stare into her eyes, her face suddenly hardening. “Worship it!” she commanded, her orbs burning with authority and passion.

Of course! What else were you to do with such a perfect idol, such a paragon of sexual form? The every synapse in his mind lit up, aided by Celestia’s command. Everything made sense now, his purpose was clear! He needed to worship her!

Horatio lept up and ran to the goddess, collapsing to his knees behind her perfect hindquarters. He hesitated only a brief second to inhale - the heavenly scent of her arousal just as sweetly tempting as he thought it would be. Any more time wasted would be too painful, he decided. His tongue lashed against her rump, running up and down both it and the deeper folds of her sex with a fervency born of inconceivable need. Every time something assaulted his senses - the taste of her sweet sweat, the smell of her lust, the soft coos and tantalizing encouragements she whispered - he was driven to a height of of adoration; falling deeper and deeper into a state of complete deference. Celestia’s desires were slowly becoming synonymous with his - his mind began to shut off any cognitive processes that weren’t actively engaged in pleasing the glorious pony in front of him.

Celestia muttered with pleasure, her happiness with the situation evidenced by the juices that ran down her hindleg and formed a small puddle around her hoof. That liquid the human drank readily, immediately addicted to the aphrodisiac elixir. Had he ever tasted anything so perfect? He would have fallen to the ground and lapped at the puddle like a dog, if not for the even more pressing concern of pleasing the alicorn. The omnipresent heat of the monarch was even more pronounced in her sensual regions, and he found himself going numb with it as his tongue pushed past her nether lips and tasted the inner confines of her sex.

“S-stop.” Celestia said, shuddering in little more than a whisper. Instantly, the human obeyed, despite every single instinct of desire and lust screaming at him to continue. Pleasing the Princess was far more important than his own desires. He backed off and stood, staring awed into the his goddess's eyes as she look back at him.

“This is what it’s always been about, hasn’t it, Horatio? This was never about politics or revolution. This was always a personal contest between you and I. This was always what you wanted, your goal from the very beginning...to climb on top of me and fuck me like I’m a big dumb animal.” Was that the truth? Horatio couldn’t remember anymore. It’s certainly what he desired now, as he found his hands irresistibly drawn to the flank of the Princess. Without much conscious thought, he squeezed and massaged the thick ass that now comprised the whole of his needs.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” He stared at her, amazed. Could it be? Was she truly this kind? Was she this generous? “I’m waiting. Fuck me as hard as you want.” What power did he have against such a tempting offer? The offer echoed through his sex-saturated consciousness again and again, able to consider little else.

He was talking incoherently. Thanking her again and again for her unmatchable benevolence, he desperately praised every glorious part of her as the tears of joy streamed openly down his face. She was the greatest thing that had ever happened or would ever happen to him. Celestia took the comments in stride, smiling smugly as the human rubbed himself against her rump longingly. His lower torso become soaked in her plentiful natural juices.

He didn’t penetrate immediately, despite his body shaking in need and anticipation. Why? Disbelief. His now-basic mind couldn’t consider that a being as perfect as Princess Celestia would deign to allow him to use her body for his sexual gratification. The situation was unreal, almost inconsiderable. And yet here it was, displayed in front of him: a visibly aroused goddess, whispering to him to copulate with her, to make the two into one. How could a lowly mortal such as he handle such a request?

She decided for him. A simple thrust backwards was all it took for his erect, lubricated dick to be shoved deep into her scorching tunnel. He cried out from the sudden movement, almost falling backwards as the large pony’s ample rump smashed against his hips. Mirroring the younger pony in the room, his muscles nearly gave out from the intense pleasure and he collapsed on top of her - nails digging into her perfect white skin as he desperately tried to maintain control of his body being assailed with divine sensations.

The human recovered unexpectedly quickly, as the desire to escalate the sexual encounter overwhelmed the vertigo he experienced. Still, Celestia decided to take the initiative before he could recompose himself completely. She stepped forward, almost causing his length to fall out, and-

No. He gripped her sides, hard, pounding himself back in with desperation. She smiled back at the human’s pitiable instance on remaining inside of her, satisfied. He had regained control of his body and mind, or at least what was left of it, and he knew exactly what he wanted - to fuck this pony as hard as he could.

He slammed into Celestia again and again, the ferocity of each collision sending ripples through the soft body of the Princess and guaranteeing he was going to be bruised in the morning. He didn’t care. He could only focus on the motions of fucking - in and out, in and out, each time harder and deeper than the last. The thrusting was almost instinctual, as if this was what his body was meant for. He wasn’t talking anymore; the only sounds that managed to make their way through his addled mind and to his lips were grunts - bestial, animalistic grunts. Her airy tail flowed around, the parts of his body it engulfed becoming paradoxically both numbed and ultrasensative. Each time his erection was engulfed by Celestia’s willing hole he felt completed, and each time he withdrew he immediately wanted nothing more than to hammer back into her. This was not about love or sensuality. This was about desire, gratification, and mating.

Celestia, for her part, gladly showed her enthusiasm. She bit her lower lip and let out a small whimper each time the flesh of the two mates impacted. The possibility of it being an act for the benefit of the human never even crossed his mind; he only took delight in the fact that he was pleasing the Princess.

They weren’t sapient, rational beings anymore. They were no longer two charismatic manipulators engaging in cat and mouse games of diplomacy and deception. They had been reduced to their most basic states, their most primal forms - male and female, sire and dam, stallion and mare. Breeding was the only thing that occupied their regressed minds. The only goal they had was coalescing in an inevitable climax.

Celestia reached it first. Unable to resist the rough, merciless pounding of the frantic human, she let out a hoarse, throaty neigh of pure euphoria as the orgasm hit her. A gush of of hot fluids poured over the human’s dick, and, as he was balls deep in the mare, ran down his legs, mixing with the numerous other body fluids that coated him. The walls of her lush sex contracted and squeezed forcefully in a desperate effort to milk her partner and force him to join her at the heights of ecstasy. Had he any other choice? What Celestia and her divine carnality desired is what it got. His cries of passion joined hers as he came harder than he ever had before, harder than he even thought possible, his body willingly giving every ounce of its essence to the being it considered perfect...remaining conscious against such an onslaught of pleasure was impossible, but Celestia magically held him in place until his body had finished its primal convulsions, until he had given her exactly what she wanted, his seed spurting again and again deep into her...he collapsed to the ground, supremely satisfied, his last conscious thought a stray one towards repeating the event as soon as possible.

A human and an alicorn walked through the halls of of the latter’s palace. They were rivals, once, but that was so far lost that it almost seemed like the vestige memories of some past life. Princess Celestia walked with an air of confidence and superiority, while Horatio is consumed by the opposite emotions - his hands are shoved deep into his pockets of his dress pants as he stares at the ground, despaired.

He had regained full control of his mental faculties, though that only meant he was capable of remembering and regretting the events of the previous night in full. He didn’t know what was going to happen, or what he could have done to prevent it, but he was too depressed to care. Maybe if he had a superior will, a more masterful command of his emotions, a quicker mind...maybe...

It didn’t matter now.

Celestia was leading him somewhere that wasn’t the exit to her palace, he managed to notice. Yesterday, maybe his sharp mind would have began to slog through her motives and possible counterattacks. Today, the dull cloud of apathy and hopelessness prevented anything but complete submission.

Deeper and deeper. Mirroring their descent yesterday, the pair descended even further into the bowels of the castle. A pair of guards flanked a door - the only other ponies Horatio had seen for the greater part of half an hour. They swiftly moved aside as Celestia neared, emotionless. The plain door was not a proper threshold to the grand chamber that lay beyond. As soon as the Princess pushed it open magically, a mess of loud sounds emerged, echoing throughout the otherwise silent corridor. The sounds were immediately identifiable to the young human - after all, both he and his companion had been making similar noises only a short while ago. Moans of lust and shouts of desire, the sound of sweat-soaked flesh slapping against sweat-soaked flesh, cries for more and more surrounded Horatio as he hesitantly followed Celestia into the room.

He couldn’t even see the other side of the wall, so vast was the room. The stairs in front of him descended several yards to a massive floor, which was covered in wet, frantic bodies. The variety was astonishing. Nearly every conceivable combination of partners joined together in an eternal orgy. Ponies of every age, size, shape and color made up a majority of the occupants, spread throughout the room, not a single one alone as they gratified their sex on each other. Griffins mated with any female they could find, their partners begging to be filled as the bird-creatures fucked them with no regard for anything but their own satisfaction. An adult red dragon - massive yet still dwarfed by the size of the room - lie on his back near a wall, eyes shut and tongue hanging blissfully from his maw as he was serviced both magically and orally by a dozen unicorns. Horatio simply stood, taking in with the scene that was both breathtaking and appalling. If the ponies of Equestria knew this was going on in under the domain of their exalted Princess...He ran over the perverse scene again and again, never failing to discover a unique sexual situation each time. “See anything you like?” Celestia asked her companion with a wink and a smile as she made the journey down the steps and into the folds of the her personal harem. The human could do nothing but dumbly follow, disgusted at his own excitement.

We formalized our alliance later that night. I would abandon my mission to install a democracy in Equestria, and, in return, Celestia would give me access to anything I desired.

Meeting my end of the condition wasn’t as easy as you might first think. Dismantling a political campaign without arousing suspicion wasn’t an easy task. If I simply dropped it or otherwise suddenly had a change of heart, my followers would suspect that truth: that Celestia had threatened or bribed me not to oppose her. This would only stoke the flames of the revolution. So, it had to be done carefully. I had to act with patience and diligence. It took years: soul-shattering years of self-sabotage. But, slowly, I chipped away the enthusiasm and aura of charisma surrounding me. A tactless statement here, allying myself with the wrong pony there, misappropriated campaign funds...It was difficult, and looking back, there was no more painful a time of my life than those years. My few supporters who remained in the last days would rush up to me, sputtering about a recent, critical contribution on their part, about how we could turn the tide around! I would congratulate them on their success, thank them profusely for their support, then immediately retreat to my office and work to undo everything they had accomplished. I was weak and I regret it. To the ponies who remained with me until the very end: I’m sorry. I’d give anything to take back how I handled those years. Nothing can properly recompense you for the time you wasted on me.

I came out of my ruin a broken husk a man. Skulking and depressed, I tried to find some way to relieve my grief. I admit I lost myself after that. I only desired to replace the pain of loss with something else. And there was Celestia, with her infinite supply of cosmic temptations. Depraved and deviant sex became my primary addiction during these years. When Celestia said I could have anything I desired, she did so without hyperbole. I held the whole of Equestria in my sexual dominance. All it took was a simple request and anything I wanted would be prey to my desire. Sometimes it didn’t even need that. A stray, shameless glance towards Princess Luna’s rump had the younger sister unwillingly hit with a lust spell and shoved into my quarters the following night. I asked for a pair of infant albino griffin twins one day, as a joke. Celestia had cocked her head, amused, and called me a strange specimen. Within a week, the two were delivered, against all probability, to my Canterlot home, with matching ribbons tied around their heads - a disgusting display of both Celestia’s power and wickedness. I don’t think Celestia so readily met my perverse wants out of any sort of desire to hold up her end of our bargain. I think she simply wanted to see how far I would go. She delighted in seeing the depths of my depravity.

Years passed with no public stirring from me as I retreated to a disappointing private life. Sex and other physical delights no longer masked the pain. The guilt of trading away Equestria’s one actual chance to be free of Celestia’s tyranny ate away at me. It still does. That’s why I write this now. That’s why I’m confessing the truth for the first time, here. I’m tired of playing along with her game.

If anyone manages to read this...if, by some miracle, someone discovers the truth I have laid bare in these pages...

Do not let my sins and the sins of Celestia goes unpunished. A free Equestria, a future I was unable to obtain in my weakness, relies on you.

After a brief moment to calm my breathing, I read through the chapter once more to ensure I didn’t miss anything. Helios was wrong. This chapter opened many more questions than it answered. I had barely opened my mouth to ask the first when Helios preempted me.

“It’s true. That night proceeded almost exactly as Horatio outlined. The harem exists. I’ve seen it. ...That’s right. Her Royal Majesty is the most depraved being on the face of our planet.” He said, quickly.

My mouth immediately snapped shut as I contemplated my next question. I licked my lips nervously as the contents of the chapter swarmed about in my consciousness - a veritable cesspool of confusion and questions. I settled on one “What, simply put, was Horatio thinking? He had to know that this wouldn’t get by the Review Board. Had he gone insane?”

Helios was immediately ready with an answer. It was obvious that he was in control of this encounter - he made no effort to hide the fact that he had already prepared answers to any possible questions. “That’s something we haven’t figured out yet. Maybe he thought one of the pre-readers would be sympathetic towards his attempt. More likely, he knew it wasn’t going to be published - he was just sending a message. ‘Hey, bitch, I’m not playing along anymore and I’m prepared to go public with this if you try anything.’ Celestia immediately ordered his execution, of course...” He paced around the room, still staring at the bookselves. Every so often he would pull a book out and skim through it idly, almost as if he was somewhat bored as he continued his revealing speech.

“The Chapter itself didn’t prove anything, obviously. Celestia could just claim Horatio was bitter, or crazy. It’d still cause problems, though. A few too many things just clicked into place with Horatio’s confession. Ponies would begin to wonder. Investigations might be staged. Many ponies in the upper echelons of the Celestial monarchy know of the Princess’s habits. If the situation escalated in just the right way, it’d cause an uncontrollable security breach.”

He sighed and turned towards me. Content to remain silent as he indulged in an extraordinarily verbose moment, I could tell that he knew full well he shouldn’t be telling me this. “It took decades of subterfuge and gathering. Horatio made a great deal of copies. He distributed them to his top followers; some with orders to never open, some he allowed to know the truth. It took a long time to track them all down. I was there every step of the way. I participated in all the kidnappings, all the executions. I burned a dozen copies of the document you hold. Finally, all that was left was the human himself. He was planning something big during the intervening years, but we don’t know what it was and he never got a chance to set it off. He was old at this point. Tired. Slow. I almost pitied him as he sputtered for air after I crushed his throat. His master copy, the copy you hold, is the last. We’re sure of it.” He was making an admirable effort to remain stoic, but I could see the shell cracking. Vague indications of wistfulness or remorse tattered his otherwise emotionless speech.

He knew my next question before even I had the mental quickness to form it into a coherent sentence. “Why am I sharing this with you? Why did I keep a copy of the document that could destroy the government I’ve served all my life? Let’s just say Horatio and I are similar in one regard: We understand the power of blackmail. Celestia’s servants have a nasty habit of disappearing when they outgrow their usefulness, especially the ones she’s made privy to her own secrets. I want to make sure that I die old, fat, and happy.”

He wandered up to me and smiled warmly, putting a hoof on my shoulder. Helios never smiled warmly. It was an act. “Celestia doesn’t know about us. She doesn’t know we’re friends. I wasn’t followed and I’ll make sure I leave just as silently. I’m putting my life in your hands. The little dirty piece of state secret guarantees I won’t be murdered in the middle of the night by my replacement...Can I trust you?”

I stared at the selfish pony. I was insulted that he thought me so unwise to not see through this ruse, and disgusted that he only had his own safety in mind as he handed me evidence of the a veritable plague of corruption that stretched from Celestia. Emotions welled up inside me, but I managed to restrain myself. I was a much better actor than my companion. “Yes, of course you can trust me.” I returned his smile. “I hold no particular love for Celestia, and it’s the least I can do in return for divulging a curiosity like this to me. Knowledge is its own reward. I thank you for your trust, Helios.”

He smiled, this time one of genuine relief. “Good...good, I knew I could count on you. What I want you to do is hid those pages somewhere where nopony has a chance of finding them. That’s all you have to do until I contact you again. Pretend this little meeting never happened. I’m eternally gra-” A clock chimed from somewhere deeper in my house, interrupting the Earth Pony. He jerked upwards, listening to the ringing with severity. When it finally stopped and the last sounds of it had finished echoing through the house, he spoke, calmly. “...I have to go.” He quickly made for the door, sweeping up and out of the study. He almost ran towards the exit of my manor. I followed, though I’m not sure what else we had to say at this point. Throwing on his cloak, he pushed open the door to the rainy outdoors and glared back at me once more, the facade of friendship fallen and his face only one of fierce determination. “You’ll regret it if you let me down.” He said in a whisper before slamming the door shut behind him.

I stood a few seconds in silence before calmly retreating to my study once more. My course of action was planned ever since I read the first part of the chapter. After gathering basic writing supplies, I scribbled a few symbols onto a piece of paper and called for my owl. The bird soon flew out of the window into the storm, message affixed to his leg. He was fulfilling his duty. Now, I had to do mine.

Reorganizing the scattered pages in front of me, I began to make copies of Horatio’s confession.

A few hours later, the expected knock at my door tore my ink-splattered snout from my work. I grabbed the bundle of papers and rushed towards the door, candlelight of the dark hallway guiding me. My summoned ally was already risking his life being here, I considered - it would be unimaginably rude to make him wait any longer than he had to. Throwing open the door, the familiar pale blue unicorn almost immediately telekinetically tore from me the few copies I had finished and shoved them into his travel bag. With the same sense of urgency, he nodded at me swiftly.

“In Luna’s name,” he whispered before turning and galloping away.

“...Luna’s name...” I repeated in a murmur as he disappeared into the night.