One Pony

Aon followed close behind Twilight through the cavern passage ways. She's been receiving nothing but dirty or suspicious looks, but after Twilight had splattered the last pony to threaten her across a wall nopony had the balls to speak out against her, not with Twilight near anyway.

"So, any questions? Concerns? Comments?" Twilight asked as they headed towards the dining hall.

Aon looked just about everywhere but at Twilight. There was on thing truly bothering her but she hadn't the gall to ask.

"Come on Aon, there has to be something."

"Well...There is one thing Twilight...but I'm worried it will upset you..."

Twilight just looked back at Aon with a smile.
"Fire away."

"I heard you say Nightmare Moon hurt you..."

Twilight let out a long sigh and dropped her shoulders slightly.

"..I'm sorry...uhm...forget I asked...please..."

"No, no its fine, I just don't bring it up often." Twilight acknowledged. "Here, I know this bugs the cafeteria staff, but come sit at this table."

With a flash of magic a number of foods appeared on the table.

"Dig in, and you can get your own food Aon, no pony can stop you." smiled the lavender mare as she seated herself. "Now as for my story. Well, it actually started back when I was still a filly. Shining Armour was taking care of me for the most part, on leave from the guard until my parents, also part of the guard, returned. Anyway, the day it started was the day I went to pass a magic test. When it was my turn, I walked up on stage, but just then my brother, front row, got a letter. A letter in a black envelope with the guard seal on it. I may have been a filly, but I knew what it was, and then a second showed up right afterwards. 'Shining...where are mommy and daddy?' I had asked. Not that I needed his answer, I could see the tears in his eyes. Then that dumb bitch of a judge mouthed off. 'If you wish to join our school, take the test, but if you don't take the test, you don't want in, and need to leave.'"

At this point Aon noticed a couple of small tears sliding down Twilight's cheek. On a whim she moved forward and brushed them of, receiving a kind smile from the pained mare in return.

"Thanks, well anyway, I didn't get sad, I got mad. How dare my parents not come back like they promised, how dare they not come see me again, and how dare that judge mouth off to me. So I thought of the two things I wanted most. The end results before Princess Celestia herself came in to stop me was my illegal use of high level necromancy, which I didn't even know before hoof, was half revived parents and turning the judge into an actual female dog, a bitch. My parents got to say goodbye after all, and then Celestia, part out of sorrow for my loss, and though she'd never admit it, part out of fear of my power. Anyway, Celestia became a surrogate mother for me and taught me all I know about magic. Now seven years ago Celestia warned me of her sisters return, and we began to work on getting the elements working. In her knowledge, she recognized the need for my friendship to make the elements work, so she sent me to Ponyville with my half-brother Spike, who I'd accidentally created from scratch back during my magical outburst, to make friends. I did, and when I returned to Celestia to tell her of my friends...." Twilight trailed off as a lump formed in her throat.

"She was there, wasn't she? With Celestia...oh my...Twilight, I am so sorry I brought this up!"

Twilight just shook her head.
"No, I need to tell you this, because until you see how I got better, you might not be able to. Anyway, in my anger I attacked Nightmare, but anger burns through magic faster than any other emotion, love actually boosting magic duration and reserves. Due to this I burned right through my own reserves and Nightmare took me captive and spent the next four hours using me. I did everything to ignore it, then got an idea and pretended it was somepony I wanted to rut me. After that I used my own orgasm to increase my love and through that super charge a spell to teleport me away, replacing myself with a skunk. Still wonder how the skunk felt when the poor guy got licked. From there I spent the next six months in seclusion, too ashamed to go see my friends. Eventually though, I realised that my friends not only needed me, but they would not blame me for what happened, as it wasn't anything I could control." I came back to my friends, formed the resistance, and honestly am pretty damn happy right now." Twilight finished with a large authentic smile that filled Aon with hope.
"So what about you Aon, how was your past?"

Lowering her ears Aon scuffed the ground.
"She wiped my memories....so if I escaped I couldn't go home...It was to make us dependent on her."
The silvery mare felt a hoof wrap around her shoulders.

"Then we can start you remembering things now. Remember when that one mare stood up for you when you first got here?" Twilight grinned, trying not to giggle but failing.

"I..yeah...and how she decided to be nice and help me..." Aon chuckled a bit herself.

"See Aon, you don't need quantity when quality does so much more. Now, how about we go make sure you have a great set of things to remember, eh?"

"M'kay, but may I fifnish eating? I'm starving."

~^~^~^~

Princess Cadence had just gotten back from her scouting mission to find Rarity sitting in the main hall watching Twilight and a pony she didn't recognize chatting across the way. Both seemed to be enjoying themselves, and when the alicorn reached out with her magic, she felt a budding love between the two.
"They seem happy, don't they Rarity?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, but I'm worried about it. The new pony is Nightmare's former slave/consort. I say slave/consort because it wasn't anything she willingly did. Anyway, I just have a worry about it."

Cadence seated herself next to the unicorn.
"I think its for the best. Especially after what I've found our."

Rarity raised and eyebrow at the mare.

"Shining Armour was captured and executed."

Rarity's heart immediately went out to the alicorn, but Cadence stayed her.
"I am an Alicorn, and while it hurts, my heart is built to handle such burdens, such is immortality. Twilight though...her parents, her mentor, her dignity and innocence, and now her brother...I fear for her."

Rarity nodded understandingly before freezing up.
"And Applejack?"

Cadence shook her head slowly and made to put a wing over the mare's back, but Rarity batted her off and rose to her hooves.
"I have things to attend to."

As the unicorn trotted away Cadence reached out with her magic and caught the shortest of glimpses of a down to earth farm mare and a fashionista spending a night together.
'Oh Rarity, I'm so sorry.'
But she did not voice anything, as Cadence knew there was no way to comfort the mare. Rarity'd hardened her heart too much already.

~^~^~^~

Twilight got up with a groan, attempting to pop her back and loosen up her muscles in a futile attempt. Giving a second groan she twisted about, but still to no avail. Suddenly soft hooves pushed her back down to the ground and began kneading at her back gently.

"You know Twilight, you could have told me your back was sore."

Twilight's mind was slowly catching up to what was happening before widening.
"Are you messaging my ba...oh wow that's amazing! Where did you become so good at this?" the mare cooed in comfort.

"With the Queen."

Twilight immediately sat up and broke the message.
"You don't have to do it then, I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

Aon pushed Twilight back down and started up again.
"Not a problem. I preferred to message Night Mistress Moon's back. She'd not touch me when I did, and she always fell asleep during the process. Now I'm good at it. Besides, I'm learning to remember what matters most, just like you said."

Aon continued kneading her hooves until slowly but surely Twilight feel into a deep relaxed sleep. Satisfied with her work Aon did what she always did after giving her messages and laid down next to the mare's side to join in her slumber.

~^~^~^~

A fluttering of her eyes and a yawn later and Aon was slowly waking up. It was odd, Night Mistress Moon still held her close. Usually she was on the floor wheezing in pain or some such at this point. Then she remembered she wasn't under Nightmare's control any more. Shifting slightly Aon managed to get a look at a purple hoof that had wrapped around her waist at some point whilst she had slept.

'Umm, do I pull away or- eep!'

In her sleep Twilight had nibbled softly on the back of her neck, causing a tingle of pleasure run down her spine. The mare blushed furiously, but then did something even she didn't expect. She twisted around and wrapped her own hooves around Twilight as well.

'If Nightmare caught me doing this....but, I'm not with Nightmare, and Twilight is a friend...but is this how friends act? I don't know what to do!'

'Then just enjoy the moment young one. You mean more to Twilight than she even realizes right now.'

Unsure of where the voice came from, but not really caring, Aon nuzzled her head in the crook of Twilight's neck and dozed off again.

~^~^~^~

As Twilight awoke she was shocked and worried to find she had wrapped her hooves around Aon and started to pull back. As she did a voice came up from its place tucked into the crook of her neck.

"You're awake. Was wondering when you'd wake up...I guess you want me to let go..."

Twilight blinked a couple of times before answering.
"Um, I do have a tendency to cuddle things in my sleep, but I thought this would upset you."

Aon just shrugged whilst still holding Twilight.
"I've never just slept with another ponies company...it was nice...and it made me feel a little better....sorry, I'm being dumb." Aon finished, beginning to flush and pull away. She got about a hoof length away before the mare held her fast.

Twilight looked into Aon's eyes, recognizing the hurt, the fear, the insecurity hidden behind the mint green orbs. She also recognized a similar look she once held for another pony. The same want of attention and want to please, and the same hope for reciprocation.

Then Aon did something...

~^~^~^~

The idea was flip flopping in her mind as Twilight's beautiful purple eyes. She could say anything, or do anything, but her body actually wanted something. It was a foreign feeling she was unaccustomed to. Then she ducked forward and quickly pressed her lips to Twilight's before pulling back, face red with embarrassment.

"Did you just...kiss me?"

Immediately regretting her brash and most likely absolutely stupid decision, Aon turned and ran into the depths of the underground base, leaving Twilight confused where she sat.

~^~^~^~

Aon ran and kept running, tears beginning to flow from her eyes as she tried to rationalize what she'd just done, but the only thing her mind could come back to was Nightmare Moon pinning her to a wall and groping her as the alicorns tongue probed her mouth.

Disgusted with herself for her actions she kept on running until she hit a dead end, and then in her grief and self pity began slamming her hooves against the wall. She slammed them repeatedly until they began to bleed, and then once that happened she just curled up and cried.

She'd forced a kiss onto Twilight. It was non consensual, and she was no better than Nightmare. She wanted to die.

In one final vent of frustration she slammed a rear hoof into an odd mirror that had been stowed away at the end of the tunnel and shattered it.

Utterly filled with self hate and loathing, the mare slipped into a fitful slumber after laying back down.

~^~^~^~

Aon was awoken be a few relatively gentle pokes and prods to her side. After squirming a bit to try to get away and failing at the endeavour the mare opened her eyes to find Twilight glaring at her.

"You're an asshole..."

Tears building in her eyes from both shame and sorrow, Aon curled up and stared at the ground before her. Twilight would have none of it though, and gripped her chin firmly but gently and forced her to look at her.

"I said you're an asshole, but you didn't let me finish. You see, I have spent every year since my time with Nightmare feeling nopony could ever see something special in me again. That I was just an item to be used. Sure, I got back to being me, but romance? It was so far gone from my mind I didn't even realize when it had returned. Then you kissed me. And then you decided to be an asshole."

With that Twilight leaned in and pressed her lips gently on the tip of Aon's nose, giving it a light peck.

"But then again, so am I sometimes."

Aon just sat there for a moment, shocked at what had just transpired. Then she saw Twilight tilt her head slightly to the side and move in close again.

It wasn't a demand.

It wasn't an order.

It wasn't forced in any way.

It was an invitation, an understanding, and all Aon needed to lean in and kiss Twilight, gently at first, but a bit more firmly before they separated, heat rising in their cheeks.

Aon was the first to speak.
"I...I don't have any memory of ever having kissed somepony because I wanted to...that was...it felt right..."

Twilight could only nod, a sense of pride that somepony could find love, or even just friendly lust, for her. She wanted to feel it again, but apparently so did Aon. They both leaned forward again at the exact same moment and reacquainted their mouths while Aon hugged Twilight close and Twilight ran her hooves gently through Aon's platinum mane.

They spent the next few hours ensuring that neither of them would ever believe that nopony cared for them again.

~^~^~^~

Nightmare Moon was enjoying her little stroll, watching as her shadow played and flickered across the decorations in the hall. She also watched as her second shadow drew nearer and nearer to her.

Just as the second shadow reached her, Nightmare turned and blasted it with magic but felt a sharp pain in her back. Twisting around the alicorn found Rarity with a blood slicked dagger held in her magic.

"Come now Nightmare, you didn't really think I would have been that obvious, do you? I've played match maker for years now, I had to be at least somewhat stealthy."

Nightmare just smirked.
"Unlike that blundering hick Applejack. Stumbled right into my trap. Screamed for mercy when I killed her. Said she'd do anything...and I mean anything."

Rarity's eye twitched in anger, but that's all she allowed herself before firing her own barb back.
"Really now, because that's not what little Aon told me."
Rarity smirked as Nightmare's eyes grew wide.
"Yes, she is quite the little charmer. Anywho, she told us all about how Applejack spat in your face and called you out."
A lie.
"And how Shining had to be beaten by many a soldier before they could even get him in chains."
Another lie.
"So in the need, we have your whore, and we've taken your dignity. Now I will take your life!"

Rarity felt confident. Rarity felt smart. Rarity didn't realize how close to the painful truth she was with her lies.

After Nightmare Moon's scream of rage and anger fueled attack, Rarity would feel no more.

~^~^~^~

Aon was again awoken by a hoof, but it was not gentle this time. A sharp pain shot through her ribs as somepony kicked her harshly. As the mare's eyes snapped open she was appalled to see Twilight manacled and fitted with a magic ring that halted her own magic. Then terror gripped her as Garrotte's sneering face filled her vision.

"So, the consort finally does something useful. You know, there was a one time tracking spell on that ring in your cunt, and you managed to lead us to this haul! Twilight mother fucking Sparkle of all ponies! Oh, and I see you still can't get enough sex."

Just then Twilight got a hoof free from her manacles and drove it into the jaw of another pony but was immediately stopped by magic. Aon had half gotten up, but froze when Garrotte's eyes turned back to her. Then flashed down to her hooves, then to the mirror fragments on the ground.

"Shame you broke that magic focusing mirror. Twilight might have been able to use it to aid her magic, but now she's off to see the queen and either be executed or have that horn removed like yours was. Oh well, I'l be going now, can't wait to see what the rebels think of you leading us here!"

Aon just laid there as tears began to flow. For the next five minutes all the pain and loss flowed through her mind until one memory came up. Twilight telling her to make good memories. Then it all changed. Aon remembered Twilight standing up for her, remembered the mare staying by her side, even when the rebels wanted her gone. How Twilight hadn't left her side once in the past five days, or how the mare had come looking for her not four hours prior. She thought of their shared kiss, and then of their love making.

She wouldn't let that be for not.

She couldn't let that be for not!

The mare went to get up when she nicked herself on a shard of mirror that Twilight must have missed when she cleared a spot for them earlier. She was about to smash it when she noticed her reflection made the shard look like a horn...and then remembering that it was a magic amplifying mirror.

'This will either work or it....it will have to work!'

Griping the shard in her hooves, Aon closed her eyes tight and bit down on a clod of dirt as she braced for what she was going to do next.

~^~^~^~

After spending the past fifteen or so minutes stumbling along tripping over this and that due to the manacles Twilight was finally allowed a reprieve when the guards stopped moving. As she sat she noted how the stallion kept giving her lewd looks, and also noted how when she glared at them they laughed it off as if to ask what a mare could actually do to them.

Then a hoof landed on the small of her back and started sliding down.

The mare did the only thing she could.

Putting on an extremely sultry look, Twilight turned and winked at the soldier.
"If you want to play, you have to let me have a taste first."

Smiling stupidly and nodding his head eagerly the stallion leaned back and allowed Twilight full accesss. The mare did only just enough to ensure 'the flag was at full mast' before wrapping her manacle chains around the disgusting thing and twisting cruelly, the sharpened links meant to discourage ponies trying to remove them instead removing something else entirely.

As the was slammed down and detained the unicorn snarled.
"So any pony else want a happy ending?!"
The result was Garrotte putting a cloth gag in her mouth.

Garrotte then pulled a large but finely honed blade.
"So, you removed my soldiers pride? Well time to do the same to you."
The stallion held Twilight's held still and began moving the blade towards the mare's horn while she struggled in a futile manner, tears beginning to build up.

This was it, she was going to lose her magic...

~^~^~^~

The soldiers all watched as Garrotte cut that first millimetre of flesh, then they all screamed as agony and pain racked their bodies. White/purple fire raced up their legs and over their backs, consuming them like parasprites would a cake. As the soldiers immolated and the forest around them began to burn in the same eerie fire Garrotte removed his attention from Twilight and turned it to a form stepping out of the flames, unharmed and uncaring for their fiery caresses against her hooves.

"Good thing I broke the focusing mirror...somepony needed to use it in their escape..." a soft voice mocked.

The commander's eyes grew wide as none other than Aon walked casually from the flames.

"You know, I lost my cutie mark when the Queen-bitch took my memories, but I think I found a new one. Turns out that I have a thing for fire, just like you have a thing for wire." Aon chuckled oddly as she stepped down on an unburnt piece of grass, only for it to catch flame seconds later.

Garrotte's jaw simply dropped.
"But...I left a full platoon in those caves! How are you even alive? I told them about you, you stupid snivelling whore!"

Aon just smiled serenely.
"You're right, they knew all about the poor wretch that was afraid of everything, but they knew nothing of me. You see, I'm a selfish mare, Commander Garrotte. I have had my taste of freedom, of joy, and of love...yes, I am a selfish mare, and I will not allow those things to slip from my hooves."

That's when Garrotte saw it.

A shard of the mirror, embedded into the mare's skull near perfectly on the imaginary bisecting line of her face.

"Turns out that you could take my horn, but not my magic...funny, just like you could take my freedom, but not my heart...I think I'm going to kill you now."

It wasn't cold, nor callous. It wasn't hate filled nor said with malice. It was but a simple statement of fact from one who had grown weary of another's presence.

Aon took another step forward, more grass igniting, when Garrotte threw his knife with deadly accuracy at the mare only to watch it incinerate within an inch of Aon's face.

She didn't even blink.

The mare suddenly darted forward driving a hoof upwards into Garrotte's chin. The stallion tried to get his own hit in, but had to pull his hoof back due to the intense heat pouring off the mare. This promptly earned him a second hoof to the jaw, letting loose a loud pop as the joint came loose. Garrotte hit the dirt.

"P'eash, do'n 'ill 'e! Ah 'ow 'ere 'or h'amily i' a'!

"That's funny, you sounded like you said you knew where my family was at. Silly, I have no family, your Queen saw to that!"

Garrotte died instantly as a blast of fire carved a hole through the bridge of his nose and out the back of his head.

Immediately after the deed was done Aon rushed over and started freeing Twilight, but her hooves were beginning to shake and her eyes stung terribly from the blood that was trickling down her brow. As soon as Twilight got loose she gave Aon a quick hug and started healing the lacerated skin around the shard of mirror.

"You fool, they could have killed you, you could have just left, what were you thinking?" the lavender unicorn fretted.

"I was thinking that...thinking about you and...and...*blergh*"

Twilight quickly moved closer to Aon and lifted her mane back as she emptied her lunch onto the ground.

"I killed them...I'm no better than her, because I killed them....what have I done?"

Again Aon emptied her stomach contents onto the ground before her as her legs started shaking. Without proper weight support Aon fell to the ground and started sobbing hysterically. Twilight was just about to bend down to help her when the sound of clanking armour reached her ears. On instinct the mare threw up her shield just as eight soldiers stepped out of the woods, followed by eight more.

"Oh, I see. you can't fight a mare one on one, yet your military consists of only males because mares are 'weaker'...you do realize your queen is a mare, right?" Twilight sneered at the growing number of soldiers outside of her shield. Then she broke into action.

Her spherical shield expanded in a flash knocking back the closest soldiers then disappeared. The soldiers still standing immediately charged, but were thrown back as the' vanished' shield rose up from under ground spinning around the mares like a mace.

One stallion, faster and more nimble than the rest, managed to get close but a blast of pure magic burned through his chest armour and dropped him dead in an instant. The other soldiers used this to their advantage and pressed forwarcd, but Twilight erected another shield, this one cutting straight through some of the soldiers and leaving only two alive inside, which lasted for all of two seconds.

With the slight reprieve the lavender mare turned an eye down to Aon, who lay directly underneath her. Bending down and placing a light kiss on Aon's forehead Twilight smiled. When she looked back up, she realized a unicorn fireteam had arrived and they set about chipping away at Twilight's shield.

'This is it...' Twilight noted sadly. 'I can't fight all these ponies by myself...its over.'

Just as Twilight's shield reached it breaking point green flames suddenly swirled around it viciously tearing at all save the two under the lavender dome. Just as Twilight fell from exertion did two large purple and green claws reach down to scoop up the mares.